145th Blog Post - No Panto This Year!

This year is proving to be a hard year for theatres and cinemas everywhere, and Eden Court has had to announce that the Panto of Cinderella for this December has had to be postponed till next year.  

I hope that Eden Court will open again so that we will come, see and enjoy together.  

Review of The Call of the Wild

I had seen the trailers to The Call of the Wild, and when I found out that it was going to be at Eden Court, me and some friends of mine were going to see it, I checked what day it was and counted down the days before going to see it.  But then came the lockdown, and I could only see the film when it came out on DVD, and I found myself enjoying it.

Buck and the dogs, and most animals, in the film were CGI, but they were done very well.  You could see the fun side of Buck at the start and how he followed the call within him that would draw him to the wild towards the end. 

I first came across the story when I was at school.  Some rooms were used as quiet spaces when students could study in peace or relax during breaks or between classes.  In one such room, there was a cassette tape player and, during my breaks, I would listen to the story (providing I didn't end up with a pair of headphones that had to have it wire held in a certain position or they didn't work), and I was captured by the story.  Overall, I'd say that the film was a good adaption of the story.  

I hope that Eden Court will re-open soon and we can come, see and enjoy together.

Chadwick Boseman - A Great Loss

This year, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has seen another lose to cinema, Chadwick Boseman.  

Before his role in Captain America: Civil War, I had never heard of Boseman, let alone seen him on the screens, but after that film and the later Oscar nominated film, Black Panther, I couldn't help it but spot and see him everywhere (namely in the trailer for 21 Bridges).  

I think that his appearances as a leading actor (and character) has proven, that despite such roles have been performed by white actors, a black actor and actress can take on leading roles.  

When I heard of his death, I joined the world's shock and disbelief.  Fighting an undisclosed illness for 4 years must have been a hard fight, especially while doing his famous role as the Black Panther which he will always be remembered for.  With talks of a sequel, how is Marvel going to react, and what kind of film will they make? If they do react, I hope that next Black Panther will carry on a character that will hopefully continue to inspire millions, black and white.  

I may have known you on the screens for a short time Boseman, including four Marvel movies, but I hope to continue to watch the entertainment you have now left behind.  

Wakanda forever.  

Eden Court has been Closed!

As the Coronavirus spreads everywhere and, in an effort to prevent from spreading, Eden Court has closed it doors.

I hope that Eden Court will be reopen.

Review of Oor Wullie

I went to see the musical play Oor Wullie, and I enjoyed it very much.

The musical follows Wahid, whose family come from Pakistan leaving him unsure of where he belongs.  The librarian gives Wahid an Oor Wullie annual, and it from here that Wullie and his friends  comes from, along with the Lillian of the story Basher McKenzie, who is determined to write Wullie out of the his stories.  Travelling between the real world and the pages of the annual Wahid and Wullie learn of friendship and find their places (as well as Wullie's missing bucket of course).

The songs were entertaining, one had the tune of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  The fun done to PC Murdoch, such Wahid sending him to the "loch" and Wullie's school teacher asking him to dinner, only be turned down, was very well done.

I hope that you saw it and agree that it was entertaining to watch.

I hope that you will come, see and enjoy at Eden Court.

140th Blog Post - Kirk Douglas

Barely less than a before the Academy Awards (tonight) we lost one of the greatest actors from Hollywood's Golden Age: Kirk Douglas.

Passing away at the age of 103, Douglas has done more than just act, and it's only now I find out how he changed the film industry such as hiring writers that even Hollywood had blacklisted because of their fear of the writers being Communists.  I must advised that the only major films I've seen him in is the 1954's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea where he plays harpooner opposite James Mason as Captain Nemo and the 1965's The Heroes of Telemark in which he plays a Norwegian scientist working with the resisteance trying to help the Nazis from developing the chemical called Heavy Water in order the develop an atomic bomb.  I have seen clips from the Italian film Ulysses showing the story of Odysseus, but with the Italian version of the name instead of the Greek version, where Douglas plays the title role.

Three times nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, Kirk Douglas certainly worked hard to ensure that we will always be entertained after his work was released for us to see.  I think that my favourite scene of his is in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea where the hunt for the "sea monster" about to be called off, and Douglas's character, Ned Land, sings A Whale of a Tale to the crew.

Thank you Kirk Douglas, you gave plenty a whale of tales to entertain us all.

I hope that you will keep enjoying Kirk Douglas's works.

Tom and Jerry's 80 Birthday

The plots to their stories (short and feature length) are the same, their friendship is more often than not tested, but they're one of best known cartoons.  Tom and Jerry is now 80 years old.

Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera introduced Tom and Jerry in Puss Gets The Boot (although they were nicknamed Jasper and Jinx) all the way back on the 10th of February 1940.  Other people have taken over creating the duo, but the work Hanna and Barbera started mustn't be underestimated.  True there are moments are classed as "of the times" such as Mammy Two Shoes (who we never really see her face), and blackfaces when Tom gets blasted in the face.  Despite these moments, Tom and Jerry have never stopped entertaining us and bring laughter.

Their first full length movie Tom and Jerry: The Movie I found entertaining with their new found ability to talk and the development of a new layer of their friendship (which I think is the main theme of the story) despite it's poor performance at the box office.

Spike the bulldog and his son Tyke ("Father and Son" as they're named in short) are often the main sources for Tom's grief besides Jerry.  A common plot is that Spike thinks that Tom is "bothering" his son and makes threats to Tom and Jerry starts using to his advantage (mainly because it gives him protection).  Butch the black cat can be Tom's ally or rival depending what Jerry has done to them, or whoever Tom has fallen in love with during the short.  Nibbles the little grey mouse brings out a protective side from Jerry.

The BBC's webpage about Tom and Jerry.

Thanks you for these 80 years of entertaining us Tom and Jerry, keep up the good friendship - or should say chase?

I hope that you will come, see and enjoy at Eden Court.

Review of the Panto: Beauty and the Beast

I went to see the Panto, and I enjoyed it as the laughter brought to the audience to a happy place to be.

I missed the first couple of minutes, but I got in as the introduction song was playing.  The scenes used during the performance certainly were a well done in helping show what the scene looked liked to the characters.

Some of the jokes during the performance were funny for us in the audience, such as Panto version of the song The Twelve Days if Christmas got everyone involved and the Dame saying after the audience took a vote "The people have spoken, and we ended up with Boris Johnson", even the actor playing the villain broke down in laughs and managed to get back into the moment of the story and carried on.

Overall, I enjoyed the play and I wonder what's on next time.

I hope that you will come, see and enjoy at Eden Court.

Review of Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

Before Christmas I went to see the last Star Wars films of the Sequel Trilogy, and I really enjoyed it.

When the infamous caption appeared before the opening crawl, I whispered to my friend beside me "That never get old", and he chuckled in agreement.  

The journey through the film was as breath taking and un-expecting to me as it was to the main characters.  The work done for Carrie Fisher's character Princess Leia was certainly a job well done, just watching her made you forget that she was no longer with us.  Bringing many of the Original Trilogy characters back (such as Lando and the Emperor), even for cameos, seemed to bring a brilliant conclusion to the trilogy and feel more connected to the Originals.

I have heard that there couple of trilogies coming up, but whether it's continuation of the Sequel Trilogy, there are a couple of people I've spoken to who don't think so.  I don't know so I suggest to keep an eye open for news, there's plenty of material to explore yet.  I can't wait for the
film to be released so I can watch it again.

I hope that you come, see and enjoy at Eden Court.