Movie Date - Transformers: The Last Knight

So yesterday I was hoping to surprise the wife with a film date seeing has we were both in town for eye tests. I said surprise however; I first needed to make sure she was carrying her CEA card. I checked her purse and it was nowhere so I had to ask where it was so spoiling my planned surprise.

The card allows a disabled person to take a carer in free for a yearly registration fee of £6 plus a photo, which entitles you to reduced admission to cinemas. Which meant our trip cost us £2.50 each on a shared bases.

We were early for out test and while sitting around outside waiting and who popped up in my line of view… friend Gillian. We had a chat and then Dad just appeared out of nowhere. I got the all clear on my eyes, which have improved a nice surprise but I still need glasses.

I had it in mind to go to Premier Cinema it was the closes to our opticians but first I was not too happy with the disability facilities you had to press for assistance to get in for wheelchair users. And the next film was My Cousin Rachel, which I declared a non-event and the wife gave the thumbs down to Transformers: The Last Knight so we decided to wander to Cineworld were we would have more choice.

There was a lot more on offer a Cineworld. I was hoping for The Mummy or Wonder Woman but neither were showing until later but there was an action film on offer, yes you can guess, Transformers. With a bit of pressure I got my way and Transformers it was going to be. I owe the wife a film, a chicky film and hopefully my plus one reserve her friend Karen could go in my place.

I love the cinema in the afternoon as they are always nearly empty and besides us, there will five other people in the theatre.

On the screen was the reported final instalment of this franchise, which I must say is getting tiresome now. To prove the point the film opens in the Dark Ages as King Arthur and Lancelot are preparing to enter a brutal battle against the Saxons.

The battle is not going Arthur’s way as he waits on Merlin to materialize with some magical surprise that could be of the metal kind. When Merlin finally turns up it is with a three-headed metal dragon, which vanquishes the Saxon army, and he returns with a newly acquired magic staff of some importance. Remember the round table and the knights well I bet you do not remember the twelve Transformer Knights of the Round Table.

Bang and we are back to the present day and the Transformers are no longer allies, humanity in the guise of the Transformer Reaction Force (TRF) who are now hunting them down and destroying them worldwide but for Cuba where they are free to frolic on the beach. Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is still team Transformers hiding them in his junkyard with the TRF on his trail. Where is Optimus Prime? Floating through space to home world, Cybertron where he meets a sorceress named Quintessa Prime who is on a mission to find the magic staff, turns Prime to a badie, and is rename Nemesis Prime by the sorceress.

The Eye Candy

We learn the Transformers have been around for centuries helping worthy causes for humankind – including helping to destroy the Nazis in World War II. How they remained hidden to the general public all these years is never really explained. I mean they are somewhat hard to miss and they do substantial damage when engaged.

This is only the leading edge of a plot involving an ancient secret society, headed by Lord Sir Edmund Burton (Sir Anthony Hopkins). Surely, he must have been in the film for a payday. He is also on the lookout for the magic staff and sends his butler come robot Cogman to the USA to bring Yeager to England where he joins up with a sexy upper-crust professor Viviane Wembley (Laura Haddock) the eye candy. We find Wembley is a descendant of Merlin and can wheeled the magic staff and stop Quintessa Prime plans to destroy earth to make a new home world for the Transformers.

Fleeing the TRF who followed Yeager to England he and Wembley follow clues left by the latter's father that lead them, Bumblebee, and Cogman to take the submarine HMS Alliance being use as a museum into the sea to find the Cybertronian Knights' sunken ship, in which they discover the tomb of Merlin and the staff.

The rest of the film you can guess there is plenty of crash bang wallop. A devilish car chase with Transformers duking it out with earth soldiers fighting their ground bravely. At the final battle around Stonehenge, there is a brief appearance of British Troops and tanks.

OK I Watch Big Brother last Night

I am not a fan of Big Brother other than in memory of my dear old mum who love BB I watch the launch night and the finale night. I do have a bit more interest in Celebrity Big Brother depending who is going in.

Yesterday my social media timeline lit up especially Twitter with news of some guy called Lotan a Dreamboys stripper who was removed from the Big Brother house following an explosive ruckus in the house. I made the decision to watch the highlight show later in the evening.

I remembered most of the inmates from launch night with a few new faces. Savannah, wow from Ireland and Isabelle a strangely orange lady. Some help was provided on the previous night action via some flash back and it was spicy with Lotan and Isabelle at the centre of most of the arguing with Dreamboy at one point smashing his way our but cool down and later returned.

Last night it was the normal shit until the BB controllers dished out the alcohol to the inmates/kids and topping it off with a game that was always going to lead to trouble and insults to each other. I have seen this game by BB before where they lit a fuse in a group knowing it could spark conflict and generate ratings for a dying show.

The bad blood between Lotan and Isabelle was still simmering all Sunday after Saturday the whole group were tense. The housemates were handed a game sure to cause trouble and the game mixed with alcohol were they have to describe one another it soon kicked off. Isabelle told Lotan he was vain always checking himself out in the many mirrors around the house. Isabelle then said 'You're supposed to be a role model for your son as well.'

Clearly, touching a nerve with Lotan, he shouted: 'Can you stop talking, you are boring the s*** out of me.'

Enraged, Lotan jumps up and throws water at Isabelle, hitting other housemates and within seconds, everyone was shouting, pushing trying to have their say while Lotan heads for the dairy room with his little sidekick Tom who himself is on a final warming for sexual intimidation. Ellie (team Lotan) then attempts to block others trying to catch Lotan with it turning into a mega shouting and finger pointing fest. House security rushed in an attempt to quiet the situation down.

Lotan had been digging at Isabelle constantly from what I could see to her face and behind her back, and what kind of role model was that to his son or anyone. He deserved to be given the boot

He will be heading for the dole queue and the Dreamboys after kicked him out following his ejection from the Big Brother house for violent aggression on more than one occasion,

Releasing an official statement online, the Dreamboys company said: “We can confirm that Lotan is no longer a part of The Dreamboys. His contract with the group ended when he entered the Big Brother house, win, lose or draw, and he will not be returning to The Dreamboys show.

“Lotan had been part of The Dreamboys for seven years but we believe his time had come and Lotan wanted to pursue other ventures, which we recognised and respect.

Sunday Crush - Caroline Munro - Lambs Navy Rum

Nothing secret about this crush because she was everywhere in the streets, Newspapers and Magazines has the promotion girl for Lambs Navy Rum I am talking of Caroline Munro.

Yes she was everywhere from billboards to adverts in papers and you could not help but notice her fine body and other attributes, a mean cleavage. I like boobs what can I say I still do but I know there is more to woman a than their chests but they are interesting. She was very easy on the eye.

According to the bio on Caroline Munro, her break into the celebrity live style was when a friend sent a headshot picture of her into The Evening News's "Face of the Year" contest. On winning her prize was a photoshoot with, David Bailey one of the biggest fashion photographers around at the time. It opening up to the world of fashion and Vogue magazine.

That led to some film credits and then a screen test for the home for all British busty actresses, Hammer Film. In 1971, she appeared alongside Vincent Price in The Abominable Dr Phibes playing his young wife and the sequel.

The mid-seventies was the peak of Caroline’s celebrity, as she took part in the classic fantasy The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (maybe her most cherished role among her fans), The Devil Within Her, At the Earth’s Core, and a James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me (which depicts her as a helicopter pilot).

Blur - No Distance Left to Run (2009 Documentary)

With the wife in full soap opera mode last night, I was in the need to while away two hours of crap so I put the headphones on and dived into YouTube. I have nothing prepared so I when along my playlist picking the odd tune and while listening to some Blur I spied a documentary of the band and decided to sit back and give it a watch.

I soon realised I had seen the starting 20 minutes or so but I could not have finished it. It was a very interesting look into the band from their beginnings, Britpop, Oasis, the break up and the healing to them coming back for their 2009 reunion gigs.

During the Britpop frenzy between Blur and Oasis I was on the fence as I like both although I would not call myself a fan of either really.

There are very few Brits of the time could deny that Blur helped define a pivotal moment in modern music. Their recent mammoth shows, after a 9-year hiatus, were a testament to the support that remains for them. Hearing the opening for Song 2 at the beginning of the trailer takes you straight back to remembering a period in music that was incredibly exciting and dramatic.

The Blur band members (Damon Albarn - Singer/Guitar, Graham Coxon · Guitar, Alex James - Bass, and Dave Rowntree - Drums) give exceedingly honest accounts of their feelings towards each other. their emotions, their ambitions, the stories behind the songs / albums, their personal lives, the split-up and the reunion ... all interlaced with great gig footage and behind the scenes "never seen before" footage that really draws you into the inner circle of the make-up of the band.

The four members of the band have always been intriguing and their post-blur careers very varied, from James’ cheese making antics, Dave’s foray into politics and Damon’s enormous success with other musical interests like Gorillazs.

But it's shy guitarist Graham Coxon who steals the show, he seems the unlikeliest of pop stars, which explains much of why he found his fame so hard to deal with. He did not same to like much about the time in the band including the music and hated the label Britpop.

Filmed throughout the band’s 2009 rehearsals and acclaimed summer tour, No Distance Left to run finds all four members of Blur together for the first time in nine years. With previously unseen archive material alongside new interviews, the film recounts the highs and lows of a British band from the late 80’s to their headline return at Glastonbury and Hyde Park. The result is a musing on Englishness and identity and a portrait of friendship and resolution.

This is a very interesting film/documentary - and it is great to get an inner perspective of what motivates drives bands such as Blur in this "fly on the wall" way - as well as getting the real take on what the creative influences were behind many of their songs albums

The outside BOG a memory

Not our toilet but enough to give
me the 'he be je bes'

While sitting on the toilet (bog) earlier surrounded in comfort my mind drifted to my childhood and the toilet arrangements back in my distant passed in Pomeroy Street. It wasn’t really a pleasant memory has we lived in an old Victorian terrace house with an outside toilet and it wasn’t the best of places in the world to spend some time contemplating the ‘meaning of life’ or even read a newspaper.

It was a miserable place to visit seeing it was impossible not to spend any time there because everyone needs a number 1 or 2 more than once daily. Built to the side of the house out our back yard it never looked inviting. If you had a small washbasin, it was deemed the height of luxury and wealth. Our toilet had no such luxurious, the roof leaked, the paint was flaking off the wall, the door was drafty, and I remember the floor tiles were even freezing in the summer.

The last thing anyone wanted to do was be caught short in the middle of the night especially in the dead of winter. In door potties were popular although I was not versed to having a sneaky pee out of the bedroom window, no really I didn't. I can easily remember having to use the toilet with the water frozen and with nothing else to do but pour hot water down the pan and salt. If the water cistern and pipes were frozen, they would stay frozen until the thaw set in. Then while we waited, it would be down to the bucket, which was a shocking state of affair.

You would be sitting or standing with all kinds of creepy crawlies scurrying around I just hated it and remember I was doing this daily until we moved and I was 21. Newspaper for toilet paper, shoved behind the pipe and it was rough as hell on my tender backside the outside toilet was one of the reasons my mum hated visitors. Funny thing was I don’t think any visitors were eager to use our toilet facilities they would prefer to sit there with their legs crossed.

Even when I went to school, there was still an outside toilet block I didn’t much like them preferring the black hole of Calcutta at my house. I remember the first time I used an indoor toilet, and heading towards the backdoor only to the told the toilet was upstairs. In the house and upstairs! It was all too much to take in really.

There was no way our landlord would be up to modernising our house his agent was only interested in collecting the rent. He was happy for mum and dad to part with what little money they had to do small upgrades.

Fixtures Out - First game away at Burton Albion - First home gave Aston Villa

We have the 2017/2018 Championship fixtures released earlier this morning. I was overjoy with excitement at the prospect of the new upcoming season hoping my club Cardiff City have a better season. I know it is a few months away from the kick off, but I still get a tingling feeling run up my back.

The people behind compiling the fixture list for 2017/2018 will had to fit 2,036 matches, across the Premier League and Football League over a nine-month period leaving space for schedule Cup fixtures and International breaks. So many variations have to come into play in compiling the fixture like if Cardiff City are playing at home Swansea must play away. Liverpool and Everton never play home games on the same days and just think of London. That must be a nightmare.

Like many fans I was sitting back waiting on the 9 am release with my chosen port of call was the reliable BBC website. Just a bit of a hiccup with the loss of the internet had me in a bit of a panic but it was easily sorted. Today is better since the arrival of the internet the days of listening to the local radio for a snippet of news until the full list was in the Echo later. Now at 9am like magic the full list will appear on my computer screen.

I always have my eye on those relegated from the Premier League. They are nearly always flagged up with the bookies to be favourites for a speedy return back to the Promised Land but that is not always the case.

I have a bit of a tradition I follow every release day I always check out the first and last games and then the Christmas/New Year fixtures before perusing the rest of the list at my leisure.

Who knows what next season will bring but let us hope more joy than heartache fingers crossed.

Full List

Cardiff have an away fixture to kick off their season on August 5 against Burton Albion and the first home game the following Saturday is against Aston Villa. Those of us interested in the ‘Sevenside’ derby against Bristol City have to wait until November 4 and that is the away fixture with the home game end of February at the Cardiff City stadium. I would not be surprise if both these fixtures were likely to be subject to change and could be televised.

Over the Christmas and New Year Cardiff, have two home games. Boxing Day Fulham with visit the Cardiff City Stadium and a few days later Preston are visiting. New Year’s Day hungover Cardiff fans have to travel to the ‘smoke’ and QPR.

Come May 6 and the last game of the season and hopefully a promotion party at the CCS Reading are the visitors.

The fixtures are not written in stone just yet. Now the police will be having their say about the spicy games high on the polices radar. Then the TV companies have their say although the Premiership take most of the TV schedule there is still bits left on the table for the Football league. Cardiff must also play second base to Rugby international fixtures. There some interesting team coming out of Division 1 with Sheffield Untied, Bolton, and ruddy Millwall. The Championship will not be a walk over with many teams capable of a league finish in the top six. It could be another interesting season.

Sunday Crush – Claudia Cardinale - Actress

I did not have to think too hard about this week’s crush she just fell into my lap as I watched ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ 1968. I was about 13/14 when I first saw the film on TV and she made her mark on me playing a whore marrying for money.

I actually saw her again last night in another film ‘Lost Command’ 1966, were she played an Arab terrorist. I am talking about Claudia Cardinale and she is just major sex appeal on legs.

She is an Italian Tunisian film actress who appeared in some of the most acclaimed European films of the 1960s and 1970s, mainly Italian or French, but also in several English films.

The unmistakable, naturally deep voice, the sun-kissed olive tan, the long, dark, and silky hair... Claudia Cardinale is, in my opinion, one of the undisputed European sex kittens of the last century. With a look that makes you want to wrap yourself around her with her beautiful killer smile.

Her way into the movie business was by way of a beauty pageant. She was 17 years old and studying in Rome when she entered a beauty contest, which resulted in her getting a succession of small film roles. It also lead to plenty of photo shoots for magazines.

She was soon in demand in Europe and soon Hollywood were she found it difficult to settle.

Cardinale epitomised the hot-blooded Italian vixen! It is disappointingly clear that God just do not make women like her anymore.

The Cruel Sea (1953) - Film Review

A Saturday afternoon when the football season is over can be incredibly boring I have no interest in the Confederation Cup. However, I lucked on to the film “The Cruel Sea” a film I have seen umpteen times but still it is one of the greatest war films ever.

"The men are the heroes. The heroines are the ships. The only villain is the sea, the cruel sea." A quote from the film made by that accomplished actor, the late Jack Hawkins, as Captain Ericson of His Majesty's Ship, Compass Rose, a flower class corvette.

The Atlantic battle was the longest fought campaign of the war. Only ending when what was left of the German U-Boat fleet surfaced.

The film opens with the refit of the Compass Rose before sea trials. Ericson’s fellow officers are all recently commissioned "green" young officers, Lockhart tells Ericson that his only nautical experience was sailing a 5-ton yawl on the Solent. The overbearing first lieutenant, known in naval terms as number one, is Bennett soon the officers plot to help him leave the ship by dropping the hint that a suspected ulcer could put him ashore. He quickly becomes ill and leaves the ship.

The first scenes of war at sea; and close up, are sobering and ugly. Shots of rescued survivors from sunken merchantmen. Cold wet and gasping for breath and trying to hang on to life. Coughing and throwing up oil, their lungs full of the smelly black slime. Some of the poor devils make it. Others do not and are committed back to the deep cruel sea...And into God's care.

The hunt for U-Boats is well filmed. One boat? Maybe a wolf pack lurking out there with deadly intent. Compass Rose manoeuvring, its asdic/sonar equipment working like a bloodhound's nose, sniffing for a kill.

Ericson's falters when he orders depth charges to be dropped among struggling survivors in the water when he suspects a U-boat lurking under them, as the depth charges explode one of his crew can be her shouting “bloody murderer”. Later, alcohol does not really help to save his conscience a group of captains come to his cabin to tell him he was right in what he done, they understood.

On another convoy, the Compass Rose develops engine trouble and as to stop for repairs on a calm sea with the possibility, they could be attacked at any time. Repairs fix they come across a U-Boat stalking the convoy and attack sinking it making the first kill for Compass Rose.

Back in port, the love interest enters the film ‘The lovely from Ops’ who Lockard immediately falls for. On the return from another convoy, their homeport has suffered a major air attack the captain orders local men with families to get the first shore leave. In another poignant scene Petty Officer Tallow is give shore leave and heads for his sister's house accompanied by Petty Officer Watts only to find his sister's house demolished, and his sister killed during a night time Luftwaffe raid.

It is the turn of Compass Rose to become a victim of a U-Boat's torpedo. It strikes at night with surprising suddenness. Before abandoning the bridge, he can hear the men blow screaming for help as the ship begins to capsize.

Ericson is appointed to command a new class of corvette with the, Saltash Castle, his new ship along with promotion to full commander he tells Lockhart he could have his own ship but he decides to stick with Ericson. They are ordered to escort duty in the arctic run to Murmansk via the North Cape of Norway. Near the end, Ericson claims a second U-Boat sunk forcing it to the surface and finally gets to see the enemy close up.

In the closing scenes of the film with the war over, Saltash Castle slowly slips by a group of surrendered U-Boats moored together, as she arrives at her anchorage. After anchoring, Ericson's call, "Finished with main engine”, gives a nice ring to the final scenes in this film. There is an air of relaxation between Ericson and Lockhart as they reminisce on the ship's bridge. They talk of men who never made it through to the end. Ferraby, who was a broken man in hospital and Morell, Stratton, Tallow, Watts and the other crewmembers who all when down with the Compass Rose would out see this sight.

Carsbao Cup ... Pompey Home

Cardiff City’s first fixture was announced early today for the EFL Cup now rebranded the Carsbao Cup a Thai energy drink company with a tiny toe in football. They are main sponsors of EFL Championship side Reading plus Chelsea and Reading ladies and training kit for Chelsea.

The draw took place in Bangkok, Thailand and was streamed to the UK must have been part of the reported £18million, three-year deal with the EFL to become the competition's title sponsor. Has for the stream it must have been an embarrassment to the new sponsors. No sound at my end and it seemed the same for everyone else watching via Facebook and then the feed went dead, very disappointing.

The opening round of the competition, which was split into a Northern section and Southern, will be played in the week commencing 7th August. The draw is regionalised to minimise travelling time for supporters in the first round.

There were seventy EFL clubs in the draw including relegated Sunderland. Cardiff City my team were seeded in the Southern round and have a home game, which is good and against newly promoted Division 1 club Portsmouth.

The League/Carsbao Cup is not that popular with managers or the fans with neither taking the competition seriously but an early cup victory can often go a long way to settling the nerves within the squad.

It is also one of the easiest ways to reach a Wembley final with the apathy shown by Premiership club playing reserve teams. This is why, in my view its essential not to take the opposition lightly by fielding a string of reserve team players. Winners also qualify for European football with a place in the UEFA Europa League.

That would be nice some European football back in Cardiff.

I am no kind of Sun Worshiper

My favourite kind of weather

Yesterday it was a sunny day, I know because the wife caught the sun and this morning one side of her is bright red, not the best of a look for the Birthday girl. I am NOT a sun worshiper I am more of a winter person without the rain. Of the British weather, I would welcome no rain if god or some nerdy scientist can fix it.

I woke up this morning welcoming what looked to be a dull, overcast day to look forward to until the ruddy sunburst through an unwelcome outcome. Thankfully, there was a nice breeze to chase the sunrays away a result for me but not the worshipers of the sun.

Even as a youngster, I felt the same about sunshine even the six-week summer holiday was a pain if it was too hot. It could be too hot to run around that is why we risk catching some water borne diseases swimming in the River Taff and if there was any money floating around the healthier option of the swimming pool would be better and technically safer.

I am an old man now and the heat bothers me once the sun begins to rise I seek solace in the shade preferably at home with my fan at full blast. If I have to shop or something, I often go in the early morning before it becomes too hot for me or in the late evening. You will not find me active outside in the mid-day sun unless it is an emergency.

Even a pretty woman or two wandering around scantily clad cannot win me over to the sunshine and the beach would be my worst nightmare. I do not even like sitting in my garden in the summer I would rather sit inside to look at the sunshine through my back door.

My ideal holiday would be somewhere like an all-inclusive holiday at the South Pole preferably in the dead of winter.

American Gods - A Prayer for Mad Sweeney

I have fallen in love with American Gods and this episode was just as good as of previous ones. Her brief reunion with Shadow in the last episode Laura turns to an unlikely travel companion to find her way back to life, and back to Shadow. Mad Sweeney is her companion along with an Asian taxi driver.

“A Prayer for Mad Sweeney” focused mostly the episode on Mad Sweeney’s coming-to-America story through the eyes of an Irish immigrant named Essie MacGowan, played by Emily Browining (who also plays Laura Moon on the show). The episode weaves together this story in the 1700s with Laura and Mad Sweeney on a road trip in the present day, searching for a way to resurrect her so he can get his coin back.

Essie's story is interesting on its own: a domestic servant who is betrayed by the rich young asshole she loves, she is sentenced to seven years servitude in America. She escapes her punishment, though, by shacking up with the captain of the boat that is taking her overseas.

Shortly after she marries the captain and he goes back to sea, she waltzes away from his house and takes up a successful life of London pickpocketing. No matter what, she always leaves food and milk for the wee people but after a sexual encounter she forgets and just like that, a bow street runner, a police officer, busts her. When she is in jail, she not only remembers to feed the fairies, but also ends up in a cell next to...Mad Sweeney!

Earlier, we had seen that Essie was the one who originally left Sweeney the lucky gold coin that is now inside Laura's body. So clearly, the leprechaun and Laura have a strong connection. Remembering the tribute, she is now in jail and sentence to hang when another piece of luck comes her way in the way of her jailer who has a way for her to dodge the hangman. It involves sex and getting her pregnant

Duly knocked up she goes before the judge and sent to America for good. Only this time, she never forgets to leave out food, so she brings her leprechaun, Mad Sweeney to America She passes on stories about them to her children after ending up marrying the farmer who initially bought her service.

While all this is going on Lara, Mad Sweeney’s road trip with Salim continues until they tell him he could go, and there was no asking him twice he was gone. They enquire an ice cream van with Lara dead it would help with the flies that are attracted to her. Lara and Sweeney are pretty much left to their own devices and continue their journey to find the friend of Sweeney that can resurrect Laura until the crash.

At the end of the episode, when a car crash the coin is knocked out of Laura's body… Sweeney is happy to have his coin but he puts it back inside her, bringing her back to life a second time. That's a lovely, powerful gesture that only makes sense because of what we learn from this week's back story.

Frankly, I could spend a lot more time with these two. Does Laura feel the ancient connection to Sweeney, too? In addition, how will she react when she learns -- as we do this week -- that he was involved in the car crash that killed her in the first place? It's possible that Essie McGowan will never show up again -- that she's just another short story element -- but the memory of her will certainly colour whatever happens to the Leprechaun and Dead Wife from here on out.

Emily Browning puts in a great performance here and her accent is pretty consistent throughout the story.

Red Planet - Film Review

Last night I caught the film ‘Red Planet’ on the Syfy channel and to my knowledge, it has not been on TV for a while so I was very happy to come across it making me a happy viewer. I kind of remembered the plot of the film and was soon reminded as it came flooding back.

Earth is dying. Humankind’s hope turns to Mars. Unmanned probes have been sending a type of algae to the red planet in hopes of raising the oxygen level. All seems to go according to plan, but then all algae disappear and the oxygen level starts to drop.

A team are despatched to the planet to find out what is happening. But as the team approaches the planet, they experience a solar proton event, and the mothership sustains heavy damage. Most of the crew try to evacuate with the landing vehicle, but crashes on Mars. Someone remains on the damage mothership in hopes of making repairs. The senior member of the team is fatally injured. With limited air supply, they head for the pre-built habitat.

They arrive, and find it in ruins. Soon out of air, all hope seem lost. But there is good news and bad news. The good news is that the atmosphere is mysteriously breathable. The bad news is that the team's robot AMEE (on loan from the marines) suffered damage in the landing too, and turns to military mode. And she thinks the ground team is the enemy and begins to hunt them.

The algae as spawned new life a dangerous alien insects’ that could have been dormant in Mars soil. Their respiratory metabolism is capable of producing oxygen far more efficiently than human science is currently able to we find out later. Studying the insects' biochemistry is the key to terraforming Mars, and may even lead to discoveries which will allow the polluted Earth atmosphere to be repaired.

We have here a good sci-fi thriller movie, where there are so few and only minor scientific goofs that it does not annoy or interfere with the story. In fact, in some aspects it is good. Also, a lot of the scenery is beautiful and given just enough time and space in the movie to show it off without making the movie dull. I also think there are some nice special effects and the use of them is just about right. About the actors, all more or less known, they all do what are expected of them without making a star performance.

Back When Comics Were King (War Edition)

After my stint in the army in the yard of St Cuthbert’s infant school sometime in 1969 I was demobbed. Playing British and Germans upon moving to the big boy’s yard games like that were frowned upon so I got my war fix by reading such comics as the Commando series.

I use to buy them… well dad did! In Harding’s the Tool shop on Mill Lane market where they did a sideline in second hand books and comics.

Comics were big news as I grew up in the sixties and seventies every Monday I would run around the shop and I would have Topper, Wednesday in was The Beezer. Growing older my taste in comics changed to Victor and the Hotspur and war themed comics like Warlord, Battle, and the aforementioned Commando comics.

I was still buying and reading comics into my late teens but comics were changing with their popularity waning. There was no computers, nor gadgets the kids have been growing up with over the last 20 years, and back then, there was no telly to speak of so it was the comic to the rescue.

Titles by Commando Comics and War Picture Library concentrated on World War II mostly with their gun oh artwork on the cover in full smashing colour. They were easy reading with the cover a splash of colour but inside we had the standard 64 pages of black and white action.

The typical story would have a group of squaddies or a lone maverick succeeding against the odds, misfits who come good, patriotism, esprit de corps, and mateship. And laced up, inevitably, with a strong dose of xenophobia. The British and its allies would win the day has the turning of every page would lead to the expected grand finale, dead bad guys.

The Cold War open the door so a new enemy in Russia so sometimes the Germans were shown in a heroic light, usually with honourable Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe officers as the heroes. These tales were usually set on the Eastern Front to ensure the Germans were not shown killing their British or US enemies, the Russians being useful bogeymen. In the Far East, the Japanese were always seen as nasty badies who were always shown as merciless killers.

Sunday Crush – Helen Morgan - Miss World

Back in the seventies, Miss World on TV was massive and a family affair with newspapers joying in the fun with a sweepstakes kit on the runners and riders. I always enjoyed perusing the newspapers picking a hopeful winner but cover my base with more than one.

Back to the crush and that would be Helen Morgan winner of Miss United Kingdom earned Morgan the right to represent the United Kingdom in Miss World. Her route to Miss World was not straightforward.

She represented Wales in the Miss Universe 1974 pageant, where she finished first runner-up to some Spanish bird who won. When she resigned as Miss Universe before the end of her reign, the crown was not offered to Morgan or any other runner-up.

Winning Miss United Kingdom had earned the right for Morgan to represent the United Kingdom in the Miss World competition in 1974. She was reported to be reluctant to enter the Miss World competition for unknown reasons. Then that the last minute she said yes to being a stand-in when another competitor dropped out. After winning news broke that she was an unmarried mum with a young son and resigned after four days after pressure from the Miss World Organisation who thought it was detrimental to have a single mother representing them.

She was smoking hot and a little bit of me fell in love with her and was really excited to find out she lived in Penarth I was practically neighbours with a Miss World winner. Perfect girlfriend material if I was not a 14-year-old schoolboy with a crush on a woman. There have been close to 20 posts on the subject of ‘Sunday Crush’ and there will be more but she has a bit more of me than everyone else.

Miss Morgan was the only one of my celebrity crush I have seen in real life. I said she was nearly a neighbour and about 6 months after Miss World I saw her shopping in Cardiff City centre and she look just as good in real life as on the TV.

Must see TV - Week beginning 10/06/2017 - My Choice

This week was all about the election once I could get over the happenings in London. It was a dramatic start to the night as the exit polls suggest we were on course for a hung parliament with the Tories being the largest party.

All the predictions using the exit poll was boring I wanted facts and real results with the first results expected to be safes Labour seats. I was waiting for late results when the predictions and the swing to either party will be more accurate.

In the end, we have a hung parliament with the Tories winning with the most seats and just about able to form a new government with the help the DUP from Northern Ireland. The exit poll was spot on.

Saturday – BBC1 – Doctor Who 7:15pm

Who would have thought it that humanity would take on alien forces on Mars not me but this is Victorian soldiers on a land grab in a bid to extend Queen Victoria’s Empire. This is Doctor Who so what do you expect.

Having invaded the red planet their activities threaten to awaken a hive of Ice Warriors for whom Mars is home. The Doctor and is assistant are on hand to do the right thing.

Sunday – Spike – Centurion 9pm

Have i watched this film before yes I have and I am going to watch it again because I liked it.

Quintus, sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth and destroy their leader Gorlacon. But, when the legion is ambushed on unfamiliar ground, and Virilus taken captive, Quintus faces a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon alive behind enemy lines.

Monday – Syfy Channel – Dark Matters 9pm

The six-person crew of a derelict spaceship awakens from stasis in the farthest reaches of space. Their memories wiped clean, they have no recollection of who they are, or how they got on board after two series we are still finding out about the crew.

I watch a lot of TV, probably a lot more than is healthy, but in all this time, there have only been a handful of shows that I can honestly say, I could not wait to see the next episode, Dark Matter is one of those shows.

Tuesday – Discovery Channel - Devil’s Canyon 10pm

Everyone must know by now I am a frustrated gold miner I love these kind of programmes and I follow them all.

In the series premiere, gold miners Boyce and Ben separately venture into the bush of British Columbia in search of the next big pay streak, as both men race against winter for the chance to walk home rich.

Wednesday – W – The Dressing Room 10pm

A new reality six part series exploring life behind the closed doors of amateur teams.

It is not just on the pitch tensions erupt. Here we see the highs and lows behind closed doors at amateur sports teams across the UK get together. First, football club Three Bridges face Ashford in an emotional crunch cup-tie.

A terrific concept for a fixed-rig documentary series, putting cameras in the changing rooms as sports teams from rugby, and basketball. We see them psych each other up for a match, debate how they are doing at half time, and rake over the coals of the game when it is all over.

Thursday – Channel 4 – Battling the Bailiffs

The housing crisis has resulted in more than 50 families a week being evicted, and this documentary follows campaigners on a mission to prevent evictions, by standing up to bailiffs so desperate families can keep a roof over their heads.

Among those battling to system is boxing trainer Chrisy Morris, who spends his spare time travelling around the country to stop the bailiffs in their tracks.

Friday – Channel 4 – The Last Leg: Re-United Kingdom

It’s time to bring the country back together with a Channel 4 two hour special, The Last Leg: Re-United Kingdom, inspired by and in memory of MP Jo Cox, this special show celebrates what we have in common a year on since her murder.

With warmth and humour The Last Leg, hosts Adam Hills, Alex Brooker, and Josh Widdecombe urge people to put aside their differences following polling day and various divisive referenda.

They host their own celebrity-filled street party, reuniting famous foes and settle some long-standing disputes as high-profile guests from the worlds of politics and show business come together to put their differences aside.

My Final Election Post - 326 or 319

Officially, I suppose the outright winning line for a parliamentary majority for a new government is 326 but you forget Sinn Fein who refuse to take up their seats in parliament. So technically, with them winning seven seats the total needed is surely 319? In that case, the Tories were one short for the finish line. Just putting this out there.

My highlights of the election last night…

Wee Nicola Sturgeon SNP had a bad night but at least she did not have a night like Theresa May. Keeping on the SNP they lost their leader in the house of Parliament Angus Robertson but my biggest cheers for me last night was Alex Salmond former leader of the SNP came a cropper and Nick Clegg former Liberal Democrat leader both of whom I could do without.

In Wales the big Tory surge failed, they lost three seats and Labour kept their supremacy in Wales showing that they are the only party of Wales winning 28 seats, three more than 2015. The Tories won the second most seats (8) losing three seats to Labour with Plaid Cymru (4) gaining a seat from the poor Liberal Democrats who were wiped out for the first time in Wales since 1859.

The Tories needed a partner to bring in a majority government and with their former bedmates unwilling to share the Liberal Democrat that left only the Northern Irish party of the DUP, Protestant, and unionist to climb into bed with. They price is unknown but we are likely to hear about it eventually. There has not been much joy on social media for this coupling with the extreme views on many subjects for same sex love and abortions and much more coming out of the DUP.

With Brexit, talks starting next week I still believe soon or later and way before five years from now there will be another election.

Election Day ... Who will it be

So it is here Election Day and by 10pm, we could have an idea of the outcome when the exit poll is announced. The Tories may not get the landslide they were hoping for at the start of the election. Labour could do better than anyone expected, we will see.

We can see I voted for Labour after I decided NOT to spoil my voting slip. My vote is not for Corbyn and is left leaning comrades my vote is for a good local Labour candidate for Cardiff West Kevin Brennan.

The last minute polls yesterday were all over the place with pollsters determined to get the polls right this time. In Wales the surge that showed the possibility of the Tories must have been a blip the latest poll (conducted between 5-7 June) showed Labour on 46% and the Conservatives on 34%. Elsewhere, Plaid Cymru are on 9%, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP are on 5% apiece, and votes for other parties stand at 1%.

In 2015, exit polls correctly predicted the shock Conservative victory, after earlier polls forecast a hung parliament.

Some are saying Theresa May will be lucky to keep her majority from the last parliament and that could see the knives out for her. However, the final polls last night are giving the Tories the win by a landslide victory over Labour. Corbyn has already made it known that if Labour are to lose he will stay on as leader of the Labour party and with his Corbynistas, he is unlikely to be pushed out.

Despite suggestions on Wednesday morning that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour had slashed the gap leading the UK towards a hung parliament, a poll by ICM for the Labour supporting Guardian put Theresa May’s Tories ahead by a huge 12-point lead.

He may not win the job of Prime Minister but he campaigned better I believe he got is views over. While Theresa May had a poor campaign with too much talk of Brexit. The TV debates that were not gave us about the only time Corbyn was under pressure not being surrounded by his supporters. I feel both were right not to go head to head which normally turns into a slanging match.

Figures, figures in the end when the ballot papers are counted tonight and tomorrow we will know. I have my plans for tonight staying up waiting for the official announcement of the winner, which I have done even before I could vote because the whole process fascinates me.

Loading the Jukebox 9 - Missing Words The Selecter

The Selecter were part of the 2 Tone ensemble of the late seventies leading on vocals rude girl Pauline Black. I noticed them straight away because I was into all things 2 Tone firstly through the music press, which was full of the new sound and Coventry. Then I heard the Specials on a John Peel session radio show and I was reeled in even more.

Their debut single, also called "The Selecter", was the B-side of the Special hit single "Gangsters", the first 2 Tone Records single.

My favourite track for the band is ‘Missing Words’ written by Noel Davies. It is a great tune but surprisingly did not bring the chart success I personally felt it deserved peaking at 23, in March 1980.

Sunday Crush – Julie Ege - Up Pompeii (1971)

Another Sunday and another dream woman from my lustful young days not say in my declining years I can still have that wow moment but without the lustre of those youthful days. Today the target of my crush is the delectable Julie Ege, Norwegian actress and model.

I first sighted her in ‘On Her Majesty's Secret Service’, my favourite Bond film she was one of Blofeld, twelve young women, the "Angels of Death", who were brainwashed to distribute bacteriological warfare agents throughout the world.

But it was the film Up Pompeii were she really caught my eye...

She played Voluptua in this lively, camp and outrageously smutty and vulgar romp in best Carry On traditions, it’s an endless series of double entendres, and risqué gags. I remember Julie Ege fondly mainly for what she was wearing and that cleavage.

Her film career was fairly short managing to get a few Hammer Film Productions which all actress with a decent cleavage had on their CV back then along with a few other films but most were short appearances.

She returned to her home country of Norway qualifying as a registered nurse. She died in 2008.

Must see TV - Week beginning 03/06/2017 - My Choice

The last seven days I had a bit of a catch up with programmes I missed and recorded for later viewing. I caught Stacey Dooley Investigates: Mums Selling Their Kids for Sex, on BBC3 via the iPlayer, which was not a particularly easy watch. The documentary shed light on mothers caught selling access to their own children to paedophiles.

We see two mothers who have several children between them - some as young as five years old - are seen accepting money in exchange for access to the youngsters. This evil trade in children in the Philippines is big business also via the internet with perverts from the USA, Europe, and the UK paying for access to children even babies where they a sexually abused on camera. I found the whole documentary deeply upsetting.

Highlight for me this week has to be Election night I just cannot wait for the 10pm kick off.

Saturday – Premiere Sky Cinema – Jack Reacher: Never Go Back 8pm

Saturday night and a bit of an action film who would not be happy well I will but I cannot speak for the wife who I believe will have her face in her laptop, which is expected because of the subject matter of the film.

Tom Cruise returns as Jack Reacher in this sequel based on Lee Child's bestselling novel Never Go Back, which finds the itinerant problem-solver accused of murder, and learning that he may have a child, he has never met.

Sunday – BBC2 – The Life Swap Adventure 8pm

I caught up with the first episode of this BBC2 programme on the iPlayer the other day and I am really looking forward to this one.

The swap this time involves Lillian, a military nurse from Nottingham who wants to live somewhere with a sense of community. She heads for Alaska to swaps places with Leslie, a B&B owner who dreams of travelling the world and is fascinated with British history.

Monday – Channel 5 – Big Brother 9pm

I am not a fan of reality TV so why this piece of TV crap. My mum god rest her soul she loved it which surprised me I would have thought it was not really her kind of TV. However, she like to nose it the interaction between the inmates. Not that my mum was one to sit in the window, twitching the curtains watching the neighbours this crap caught her imagination. The celebrity one was an out and out favourite of hers.

It was all she wanted to talk about so you had to watch it. In the end, I was watching and feeding her spoilers off the internet she just could not wait for the evening show she had to know.

Tuesday – Channel 5 – Our Dream Hotel 9pm

A new show for Channel 5 with Alex Polizzi presenting. She follows the progress of hoteliers who are just starting out in the hospitality industry. Her first port of call is an imposing Victorian mansion in the Orkneys, which has been bought by the Hodgson family from Brighton.

They hope to have completed the renovations in time for the tourist season – but are having to do a lot of the work themselves, despite lacking experience. We follow their battles.

Wednesday – BBC1 – Hidden Cardiff with Millard 9pm

I have lived in Cardiff all my life and even I can be surprised with the hidden nooks and crannies there are to find around the city I love. The same with the history of the city there is always a fact or piece of history to learn.

In this programme adventurer and writer, Will Millard investigates Cardiff hidden history in the urban exploration of the Welsh capital. Find out how Cardiff went from a tiny town to a thriving city.

Thursday – Various Channels – Election 2017 10pm

An all-nighter, well until the result is official anyway. At 10pm we get the exit poll with a fanfare will it be to ‘close to call’, a ‘tory landslide’, or the unbelievable sight of David Dimbleby announcing a Labour victory not expected as the polls tighten now who knows.

I will be alone has I channel hop around the different channels hoovering up all the news and results I am a real nerd for this kind of stuff. For company I will have a plate of sandwiches and something to drink and not for getting the world at my fingertips via the internet.

Friday – Premiere Sky Cinema – Eloise 11:10pm

Late night Friday horror and Eliza Dushku (Faith, Buffy) an added bonus could be a good bedtime film. If I do feel a bit on the sleepy side, I will it the record button for viewing at a later date.

Four friends break into an abandoned insane asylum in search of a death certificate, which will grant one of them a large inheritance. However, finding it soon becomes the least of their worries in a place haunted by dark memories.