What the Dickens?

A friend was visiting so we spent a very pleasant day pottering around London including a visit to the excellent Dickens and London exhibition at the Museum of London.

The exhibition has a variety of items - beautiful pictures, furniture and models, and some fascinating original manuscripts. There is also a 20 minute film - The Houseless Shadow by William Raban - which was inspired by Dickens' night walks. It's rather lovely and nowhere near as bad as the words 'video installation' might suggest!

Well worth a potter around for an hour or so, and although it's a ticketed event, at £7 it's pretty good value, especially compared to some of the other exhibitions currently showing in London. Word of warning, it's busy - though that may be because we went on a Saturday afternoon - but there is also the rest of the excellent Museum of London to explore. It's one of the few museums I've been in London and an absolute gem. Enjoy.

Haywire

I'm finding movie choices somewhat limited at the moment. A couple of blockbusters, a horse film, children's films and the Iron Lady are taking up nearly all of the screens and some well reviewed films - such as Margin Call - are on quite limited releases, both in terms of screens and duration. But if you want something a little different you could do worse than seek out Haywire.

It's a fairly standard thriller. A sort of CIA style mission to extract someone from Barcelona is not quite what it seems and the protagonist - Mallory played by mixed martial arts star Gina Carano - tries to stay one step ahead of those chasing her. The story is told in flashback and is very stylishly shot by Steven Soderbergh. It's a bit like Bourne, but slower and not as 'crash, bang' with the stunts and fight scenes feeling much more realistic - which I guess was one aim of Soderbergh.

The cast is strong, with Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Ewen McGregor and Michael Fassbender all in roles that are bit more than cameos, but aren't the leading parts. They all seem to be having a blast.

It won't be the best film of 2012 - but if you want to avoid the other current offerings and see something decent, then it's worth your cinematic tenner.

Nearly Feb?

Don't know about you but January seems to be shooting past. I found the first couple of weeks a little bit 'meh'. I'd had a good Christmas and, probably like many in January, I found the first week or two a bit difficult to get back in to the routine of things - week beginning 9th seemed to go on forever and not in a good way. Much grumpiness (even for me!) and perhaps it's a another sign of middle age - I now partially aspire to 'get back in to the routine of things'!

Thankfully the last week or so hasn't been too routine. I've been able to catch up with a few people - gentle baby steps towards one of my goals of getting a balance back and making more and better time for friends.

Interesting for me, deep down I know how I'd like 2012 to pan out - something I've never thought about or admitted before, in this or previous years. Whether all or any of it happens, who knows? But so far some early, encouraging signs that 2012 may just turn out OK - interesting what a few days can make.

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

It starts with breaking out of a Russian prison and ends with friends having a drink, and getting new iPhones, on the western US seaboard. In between you have the Kremlin exploding, some high tension action up a Middle East skyscraper, a car chase in a sandstorm, and a fight in a hi-tech Indian parking garage. Frankly you know what you're going to get with Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol and it passes the Ronseal test - it does exactly what it says on the tin.

If you're looking for subtlety and insightful commentary on the geopolitical situation then you wouldn't have shelled out your money to see this. However, if you want a film with well crafted action set pieces, good stunts, and a decent cast who can inject the occasional bit of humour in to the situation then you've come to the right film.

In my opinion the sandstorm car chase got a bit silly, but the skyscraper action is excellent. Tom Cruise delivers what's needed in the role, and Simon Pegg, who along with Edgar Wright was behind the excellent series Spaced which is still worth watching, provides good comedy value.

Not earth shattering - but a decent, enjoyable, popcorn flick.

Disjointed, slow or in need of polish?

So how is your 2012 going so far?

I always find the first weeks in January a bit strange, a bit disjointed. This year has been no exception. After the fullness of the Christmas period, which was very enjoyable though also a little tiring, at the start of the year I looked in my diary and found not a single social thing in it for January. Nowt, nada, nothing. Now I wanted to slow down a bit in 2012 but this was taking it to extremes!

One of the things I want to do in 2012 is get some balance back. Not go to quite the extremes of the slow movement or slow living but to enjoy the simple pleasures - I'm aiming to use the #simplepleasures hashtag quite a lot on twitter. Thankfully my social diary has improved (!) and this last weekend has been a lovely blend of doing some things, catching up with people, and having some downtime. Simple pleasures.

How the rest of the year develops will be partly up to me - I had a wry smile reading yesterday's Independent which had some interesting articles on how to be happy & everyday contentment. One reason I like the image (which comes via a friend posting it on Facebook) is it's a good reminder that if things don't quite go as I'd like in 2012 I may need to do a little polishing.

Sherlock v Sherlock

So who do you prefer Robert Downey Jr or Benedict Cumberbatch? Jude Law or Martin Freeman? Stephen Fry or Mark Gatiss? It's interesting that the two 'reboots' of Sherlock have taken very different approaches. The Guy Ritchie approach is a cross between an action film and a pantomime, with Downey Jr playing it for laughs in between the set piece action scenes. There is plenty of pow but little sleuthing. The Steven Moffat/Mark Gatiss approach is to set it in the present and have a more traditional 'whodunit', although updated with things like Dr Watson publishing a blog.

Personally I found the movie OK but too long. I couldn't really tell you what the plot was - the only things that stick in the memory are Sherlock being camouflaged as a couch and it had the actress from the original Girl With a Dragon Tattoo series. Very little whodunit and a rather needless nude scene from Stephen Fry meant it was all fairly amusing but it's relationship to the original Sherlock Holmes character was tangential.

The Moffat/Gatiss reboot is excellent. The two leads are superb together and having Una Stubbs as Mrs Hudson is wonderful casting. Admittedly for me Moffat can do little wrong as he was one of the people behind Press Gang which was one of the best, if not the best, Children's TV dramas of all time (mind you, with the last series of Doctor Who he is testing my patience). It respects the sleuthing heritage of Sherlock, which has to be its key draw, and it leaves you wanting the next episode.

So for me it has to be Cumberbatch, Freeman and Gatiss.

2012 - Looking Forward

So how's 2012 going so far? Have to admit that for brief moment this morning I already felt it wasn't going well - thankfully the day improved!

I don't tend to do resolutions but here are a few thoughts looking forward to 2012.

• The Olympics - personally I'm really looking forward to them. Yes the city may grind to a halt, I haven't got as many tickets as I'd like, and there is the looming worry about just how naff the opening and closing ceremonies may be. But it's a once in a lifetime experience, some of which will be right on my doorstep, and I'm hoping to make the most of it.
• A cycle trip - all being well a group of us, having got the fever doing the C2C cycle route last year, will be tackling the Way of the Roses route. Slightly longer than the C2C, but not as hilly(!), it should be a fun trip. A real potential highlight.
• Work/life balance - this really needs improving in 2012. From the simple things like making more time for friends and family, and doing more cooking (apparently 'pierce film lid several times' is not proper cooking!), to just feeling more comfortable relaxing I'm hoping to get things better. I'll be giving up something I've spent a fair amount of time doing over the years and hopefully I'll be able to use the time in a different way. We will see...

Overall I sense that 2012 will be different, I sense that something major may change. I've no idea what, but I've a 'feeling in me water' (though that could just be middle age.!.) that something will change.

Whatever your thoughts or hopes are for the coming year, I hope that 2012 becomes all that you wish it to be.