Author: Alex

Enola Holmes!

by Alex September 27, 2020 Comments2

Finally, a reason to want to buy a subscription to Netflix … THIS!

I mean, come on! Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, Enola (Millie Bobby Brown,) taking centre stage to solve the puzzle of what’s happened to her mother—who is, of course, played by the superb Helena Bonham Carter. Yes, I’m all in just to see this. The trailer looks like great fun.

Based on the books by Nancy Springer and set in Victorian London (1884), Enola Holmes puts a youthful, female spin of the endeavours of the detective family. With Henry Cavill switching from his Witcher uniform and white hair, to play Sherlock, and Sam Claflin taking on the role of Mycroft. Yet you just know Enola isn’t gong to play ball with her two older brothers and takes it upon herself to become a detective, and find her mother on her own.

Filed under Film, TV & Animation

Invasion of the Body Snatchers …

by Alex September 26, 2020 Comments0

What? Oh, okay, maybe ladybugs are not considered bodysnatchers, too small, not strong enough, or some such thing … but hey, when they gather like this—or is that swarm—in huge numbers, and I’m taking hundreds of them. Then yes, you start to think that maybe not going outside is a good thing because, you know, these guys are everywhere. And the idea of them landing on me, well, is kind of creepy.

It’s not like in the garden when you might see one or two, here and there. The air is literally heavy with them, here today. It’s 24-25c outside and we’re having a couple of last minute summer days before winter takes over. What? Fall? Sure, some of you might get a Fall, somewhere, but up here. We know. We know what October is like. We might, if we’re lucky, after this weekend’s wonderful heat, get a few more nice days. A few more warmish days, and yes, might even get plenty of brilliant blue skies as it turns cold. But then?

We know the first snowfall usually comes the second or third week of October. We usually have one before Canadian Thanksgiving, which doesn’t stay long. But then, we’ll get one before Halloween, and that one usually stays on the ground because, by then, it’s turned chilly cold. The temperature is skirting, or is that, flirting? with negative numbers. And overnight is single digits.

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Filed under Random Thoughts

Star Trek: Lower Decks

by Alex September 26, 2020 Comments1

One of the TV channels up here, in the Frozen North, premiered the first episode, for free, of Star Trek: Lower Deck’s new animated series. Me and mine were beside ourselves to watch it, hoping for the best. But then, we learned that the production was by the same team that did the Rick and Morty show and, we nearly bailed right there and then.

However, we prevailed. We sat down to watch the first episode and … didn’t make it past the giant spider—that was it for me. I just couldn’t get into it. The pace was frenetic, weird, and the humour? Well, let’s say, for me at least, was humourless.

The show is supposed to provide us with a dose of geeky goodness, but ‘Oh My‘ this was really not my idea or, what I might have envisioned happening on any lower decks within the Star Trek universe. And the bat’leth accident? Was that really supposed to be funny?

Oh, I am sure this one is going to get high ratings for CBS’s All Access channel. But I won’t be counted in that number.

Which is a shame, because the show is voiced by some excellent voice talent, with Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Ensign Tendi (Noël Wells), the cyborg Ensign Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis), Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O’Connell), Lieutenant Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore), and Dr. T’Ana (Gillian Vigman).

Ah, well, we sat, we watched, we rolled our eyes. And then went and read a book.

Thanks, but no thanks!

Filed under Film, TV & Animation

Snip, Snip, Snip Part II

by Alex September 25, 2020 Comments2

We did something dangerous, this week.

We bought a clipper set. We bought a very fancy clipper set … to cut hair. To cut ‘our‘ hair—not other people’s hair, just in case you were wondering if I were starting a new business. I’m not.

For those of you interested in this kind of thing, it’s a Philips 7000 series (though I wonder what happened to the previous 6999 versions?) It comes with three plastic comb fittings. A set of professional scissors, a separate simple plastic comb, and a cape. Yes, we’re going to become super heroes … or something.

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Filed under Random Thoughts