Hello there. Hope you're feeling today.
Before we talk about all things spidery on Thursday went to the adoptive prefab that is Sully library to pick a new non fiction book to borrow.
As it happened went for two.
The non fiction section started with travel books. Most of them being guide books. The only "travel" book was Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson. Trouble is...I've read it.
Then came I.T books...Windows 8 for beginners and IPAD for seniors were some of the more trendy tomes until the old eyes saw this
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| The Golden Rules Of Blogging by Robin Houghton |
There was though the need for a second book. This was the next one on the shelf.
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| Randall Monroe - What If? |
The blurb says it's about serious scientific solutions to absurd situations. We shall see.
Right that's all things bookish dealt with today. Let's turn to the original World Wide Web Wonder.
So far my daughter has not had a lucky summer holiday. Her friends in her new school have gone away (her turn is to come) and if the weather is any judge late July/August appear to have gone on a break with October having filled in for them. So she hasn't really gone out much anywhere so far.
On Friday the wife was working but I was not so decided that we'd see a movie. My original choice was a Japanese anime movie at the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff that I knew was on the day before. Thought it would be different. So that was the plan.
However there turned out to be a problem with the plan...in a nutshell what happens on a Thursday stays on a Thursday. The anime wasn't showing on Friday.
So looked at what was on at the local Odeon cinema in the Red Dragon Centre just outside Cardiff. Showed the timetable to my daughter and told her to pick a movie we'd go and watch together. She picked, much to my surprise, Spider-Man Homecoming.
(A quick digression for those of you wondering why I didn't make her see Dunkirk the answer's simple. This time I wanted her to watch what she wanted and not force her to seeing something that she'd grudgingly watch. Personally it seems to me that all of the family should watch this together and not treat it as a refuge on a rainy day)
Anyway back to webby guy. Asked daughter why she wanted to go and see something that she'd never given any hint of liking before. There were two reasons:
1) Spider-Man is "hot" (My daughter is fourteen)
2) Zendaya is in it.
Now taking these two things in order (and thus a pre review of the review of the movie). You would have to ask a gay version of me in an alternate universe as to the "hotness" or otherwise of Tom Holland who plays Spidey. What I will say is that neither he or any other of the actors playing students looked like the fifteen/sixteen year olds they were apparently playing.
With regard to Zendaya (star of Disney channel comedies that all seem to merge into my fifty three year old brain into one amorphous mass) it's not spoiling the film to say that her role was so insignificant she could have tweeted it in.
The movie incidentally had a 12A certificate. One of the reasons was because of a "mild sex reference". As it happens it was the only bit of the movie that made me laugh.
Anyway off we went to the centre. Essentially a place to spend your money on various things such as a cinema, casino ,bowling alley plus various restaurants. Got the tickets then took some lunch at a place called Five Guys. Let me describe the lunch one hotdog each, fries for her and a soft drink. The food was OK but nothing special. It was also more expensive than the cinema tickets!!
Eventually it was time for the film. Daughter having armed herself behind Dad's back with a large and stinky box of popcorn (FYI I hate popcorn) It wasn't full,or half I'd say about a quarter if that. First came the ads, then the trailers...a new Thor (Chris Hemsworth is also "hot" apparently) a Justice League of America that seemed to be filmed under a shroud it was that grey. And there is a Gerald Butler film out soon as well. Gerald Butler, star of that Boss aftershave commercial where he talks absolute twaddle as if it was in the Bible.
And then....at last....the film.
And let me stress at the outset I hated it. The overall reason being all the changes they made to Spider-Man since I read the comics as a child. There are many examples that I could use which would spoil the movie so won't go there. Here though are three that are not spoilers.
1) Spider-man had Spidey sense. Where he would get a tingle of upcoming danger. Well that's gone.
2) In this movie Spider-Man doesn't have a sidekick so much as a helper. But in the comics (should I be saying "graphic novel" now?) the webmaster swung alone.
3) Finally Aunt May was a wizened white haired old lady with a heart condition. Not a description anyone would ever give of Marisa Tomei.
But the point is this. The opinion of a fifty three year old man with nostalgia issues does not matter. The audience this film was catering to was represented by the fourteen year old to my right....and she loved it.
So thank you Spider-man for giving my daughter an enjoyable afternoon at the cinema........and for making me feel very, very old.
Until the next time.
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