It seems that most learned opinions agree that this chalk figure isn’t nearly as old as had originally been thought. The first historical mention of it is less than 300 years ago, and that wasn’t in a blog so doesn’t really count anyway. He’s widely known as the Rude Man, though apparently this is “Rude” as in “Rough” rather than lude.
I don’t know when it was I last actually went into the enclosure at Stonehenge but it was far too long ago. Last week we dropped by for a short visit and although we couldn’t get as close as we’d have liked but these are still amazing stones. Excellent.
…or Sunshite as it probably should have been called. To think I almost went to see this at the cinema, what a complete load of poo. The recent Channel 4 showing included a helpful Danny Boyle (whom I’m generally a fan of) pre-screening chat telling us how they could feel that the same discussions would have been going on during the making of “2001″, “Alien” and Tarkovsky’s “Solyaris”. What he actually means is that bits of Sunshine were obviously very heavily influenced by these excellent forbears. Sadly not the plot, that was just plain silly, silly, silly. Last chance mission to save earth so who shall we send? Duh, a bunch of ill fitting, poorly disciplined misfits who’ll happily stray from their primary mission objective at the first chance. Oh, and a control system that allows the ship to fry itself. And son’t get me started on the blatant scientific inaccuracies……….aaarrrghhh!
I’m just glad I didn’t talk Mrs.Planarchy into watching this with me, she’s not a sci-fi fan anyway and this would have done nothing to change that. Luckily she was out at the ballet, which I’m not a fan of, though I’m happy to believe that Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake was a far better advert for new ideas in its genre than Sunshite was for sci-fi.
The original series of Survivors, and by that I mean the 1975-77 one, was one of my all time favourite TV shows. Even today I think it stands the test of time pretty well with some episodes covering some pretty complex moral issues rather well whilst covering a post-apocalypse situation long before the current big-screen trend with a lower budget yet still more realistically.
Hence last year’s re-make had a lot to live up to in my eyes and could only really be likely to fail. And fail it did, with some unnecessary additions to a rather good if simple premise. Nevertheless, I watched it to the end and found myself routing for most of this generation of survivors to survive at least for a second series. Which they did as we saw with their return last night. To say the new series opener was action packed would perhaps be an understatement, I’ve actually had to clean the floor in front of our TV since quite a lot of action seems to have leaked out onto the rug. Splitting the narrative into two or maybe even three plot-lines is a pretty common device to maintain tension within a story whether on the written page or small or large screen. Someone maybe bleeding to death? Quick cut to someone else about being violated by men in white coats? Then to a couple trapped under rubble, then to…. etcetera, etcetera. At one part last night we had five* separate tension fuelled sub-plots and I’d suggest that in a sixty minute programme that is maybe just a little too many.
And they all survived.
Ah well, maybe it’ll slow down a bit now it’s got our attention.
* Come to think of it, there were six if you count the flashback one.
Update:I’ve just come across Lucy Mangan’s excellent (as usual) review.
It’s cold isn’t it? And it feels colder still in that there wind but just how much colder?
Well, you need wonder no more as I’ve put together this little WindChill calculator for y’all. It’s based on the formula used by both the UK Met Centre and also the USof A’s National Weather Service so if it’s it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for me (and Ms.McGee). Since it’s Flash based it won’t run on your (or anyone else’s) iPhone, although since even the wonderful iPhone doesn’t yet come with an anemometer App, it’s probably better to come inside and run the numbers on your PC (or Mac). Do let me know of any other problems you might notice.
Share and enjoy!
The baubles, now back in their box for another year look enough like the decorations on everyone’s favourite evil galactic master-race to warrant a photo I think.