Three POW films I like

The war in the Far East ended August 15 1945, 70 years ago and it will be remembered with celebrations around the world this weekend. Although, Japan didn’t formally surrender until September 2, 1945.

The war is particularly remembered for the treatment of prisoners of war who were subject to, beatings, summary punishment (executions), brutal treatment, forced labour, starvation, and even medical experimentation. At the end of the war, some Japanese soldiers took revenge for the surrender by murdering prisoners.

Below are three film from the POW gene based on the Japanese war and all three are in my top 100 films

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There are few Second World War films are as enduring as this multi-Oscar-winning examination of the stiff upper lip from director David Lean. Alec Guinness plays Colonel Nicholson, the epitome of British dignity and resolve who, after brutal treatment at the hands of his Japanese captors in Burma, leads his men in the building of a strategically vital railway bridge for the enemy as an exercise in keeping up their - and his - morale.

There is a sub plot to the film of a mainly British story with American actor William Holden playing a prisoner who escapes only to find himself dispatched back into the jungle to blow up said bridge with British commandos.

The mental battle between the camp Commander Colonel Saito played by Sessue Hayakawa and Guinness stands out in the film. To get his bridge built Hayakawa as release more and more authority to Guinness character. Nicholson (Guinness) is a hardnosed stiff upper-lipped British officer with a brand of pride, patriotism, and loyalty to the regiment. The bridge built but will Holden and the commandos have a final say if the first train will cross.

Another prisoners of war film set in a WWII Japanese prison is concerned with the harsh realities of surviving the terrible hardships of day-to-day life than planning escapes. With a mainly strong British cast consisting of the likes of James Fox (Flight Lieutenant Peter Marlowe), Tom Courtenay (Lieutenant Robin Grey), Denholm Elliott (Lieutenant Colonel G. D. Larkin), John Mills (Colonel George Smedley-Taylor) and Leonard Rossiter (Major McCoy).

American actor George Segal (Corporal King) plays a cynical hustler who seems far more adept at making the best of his predicament, and as such, the other prisoners either ally themselves with him or despise him. James Fox is excellent as the British officer who befriends him and humour, drama unfolds as the camps differing factions motives, and hypocrisies are exposed.

Perhaps the most pivotal scene in the movie is when King cooks a stew of dog meat for his closest mates in the camp. After one of the prisoners is order to kill his dog for killing one of the camp’s valuable egg-laying hens, King “acquires” the carcass. He hires a room invites some of chums for a dinner party. King makes a point of not telling his guests its dog until he’s dishing out plates and they’re literally slobbering at the smell. “Meat’s meat,” he tells them, with characteristic bluntness.

When the camp commandant summons the senior British officers and notifies them that the Japanese have surrendered, the war is over. After overcoming their shock and disbelief, the prisoners celebrate – all except King. He realises he is no longer the unquestioned (if unofficial) ruler of the camp. When Marlowe speaks to him before King's departure from the camp, King ignores his overture of renewed friendship

A battle of wills set in a Japanese POW camp at Java in late 1942, between Capt. Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto), and rebellious British prisoner Major Jack 'Strafer' Celliers, (David Bowie), who admires Celliers' defiant stand.

David Bowie is outstanding as the defiant British prisoner whose erotic appeal undoes the Japanese commandant, played by Sakamoto, who was at the height of his fame as a musical icon in Japan. A as lot of been made of the sexual overtones between the two characters. Celliers and Lawrence (Tom Conti) are known to each other and Lawrence speaks Japanese and understands some Japanese customs, and has managed to earn himself a place as a liaison.

His acting is a tad (Sakamoto) hammy even by Japanese traditions, which conflict rather badly with the British (and in Jack Thompson's case Australian) acting traditions. Thompson is the commander of the prisoners and doesn’t understand either Celliers or Lawrence

TV Review – Eden: Paradise Lost – An Adult Lord of the Flies

I watched the two parts of Eden the opening first four episodes before it disappeared/cancelled off our screen for months before the remaining five shows were shown over five consecutive night. The participants had no idea the show was cancelled due to poor viewer ratings and they just carried on. Filmed by themselves and some fixed cameras some would finish the planned year.

Televised on Channel 4 the reality show dropped 23 men and women into the Scottish Highlands for 12 months and tasked them with setting up a new, idyllic society within 600 acres of land. If you remember when the BBC turned the island of Taransay in the Outer Hebrides into a social experiment and gave us Castaway a happy mostly fluffy place this turned into hell.

The first few months were hard, lack of food and building shelters but the bitching and pointing of fingers soon began. All 23 had a skill to bring to the community but a Life coach. She was soon a target for the gossips along with Anton the boatmen who left into the woods to build as winter cabin. Tara (Life coach) concludes she no longer wants to be part of the experiment, and leaves the first of many.

Due to poor ratings, Channel 4 took the show out of their schedule announcing they would be continuing filming for a later broadcast later. The inmates of Eden continued.

It returned to the TV schedule as Eden: Paradise Lost, which sounded ominous. The group is now down to 21 after another member of the community had left as the show resumed but all was not well in Eden. Anton was deliberately on his own in the woods having built his winter cabin and was the main subject of the gossiping and he didn’t help himself winding up the others. It was mainly the men doing most of gossiping, on the subject of Anton and the woman on their mind.

The community quickly breaks down along lines of sex with the dominant males controlling the food and questioning the women’s right to equal rations. More and more of the group were leaving, particular the woman as the atmosphere turn nasty. Yes, there was some romance but the alpha males of the group were left to beating one out in the woods. The block to them taking full control was Anton still in the woods but now joined by Carpenter, Ralph.

A plan was suggested to get Anton to hit someone so he could kick him out, which was later denied but it happen close to the plan. When Anton suggested he takes his share of the food to his cabin an intense argument breaks out, handbags really. With the opportunity and the group saying, they were scared of Anton a vote was called for and they throw Ralph’s name into the hat as well.

Anton was voted out but Ralph could stay but he decided to leave with Anton. While the others were looking forward to sharing Anton’s cabin, other stuff and his winter wood stock… he burnt the lot. So 14 become 12 on a dodgy vote by ignoring the two non-voting absent members, who should have had a vote and if Ralph had have voted for Anton they would have both stayed. Anton was not happy on hearing the news having burnt his home down and left.

The atmosphere in Eden remained hostile after the departure of Ralph and Anton with the community effectively split in two. The 'Valley Boys' as they call themselves are increasingly antagonistic who have taken to their winter compound. With another of the group leaving Rob the vet is pushed to the limits by the Valley Boys going on to an all meat diet.

Rob was unhappy about the increased rate of slaughter of the livestock, one night he just ups, and leaves, telling no one even his girlfriend Kate who decides to stay, although she is very upset. The group is now down to 10 and firmly split into to totally different camps.

Before the end, a Christmas get together for the whole group was in full swing when Kate who had been drinking alone, turns up exploded and left.

We then found out there was a mobile phone in the camp with the fingers point straight at the boys from the valley who were favourites to have the phone. A meeting was held and in the end, the culprit left it in a designated spot and it was recovered smashed. We also learnt the area around the camps were awash with contraband items. Food, drink, and allsorts were being smuggled in. At the end, 10 out of the 23 walked out of Eden and few people cared.

Must see TV - Week beginning 12/08/2017 - My Choice

Saturday – Premiere Sky Cinema – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 8pm

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.

I am not the biggest fan of any of the Star Wars films I don’t understand why because it is the kind of film I tend to like.

Sunday – Channel 4 – Valkyrien 9pm

We now see more and more of dramas coming subtitled from Europe these days and if the story is right they can become very popular.

A physician desperately seeks a cure for his wife's terminal illness by working in an illegal clinic hidden in a disused Oslo underground station in this high-concept Norwegian thriller. He treats criminals, emergency patients, and others who can't or won't seek medical help in a regular hospital.

Monday – Channel 4 – Catching the Tax Dodgers 10pm

How good it is to see the other end were the rich and companies are ripping off the taxman not paying their tax. We see enough of the other end of the scale on the TV where benefit claimants are caught claiming money they should not be receiving.

This documentary goes behind the scenes at HMRC to reveal how they target people who aren't paying their tax with the dreaded tax collection agency doing their job.

Tuesday – Discovery Channel – Dive Wars

Australia 10pm

Abalone is the gold being sauced in this new programme for me and I had no idea what the hell was an Abalone until I read the programmes bio.

The find this Aussie gold involves diving deep into hostile waters, around Port Lincoln in the Southern Ocean searching for an ever-trendy scallop, beloved ingredient of many a Chef. In an ocean home to more sharks per square kilometre than anywhere else in the world and abalone divers, face the risk of death every time they dive. That doesn’t stop this group of fearless men and women who battle against their nerves to scour the ocean floor for the much-prized delicacy dubbed “abalone gold”.

Wednesday – BBC 1 – Celebrity MasterChef 8pm

I like food shows even being a fussy eater and the hit show has now returned. A group of celebrities will fight it out to be declared the winner and it is a long hard battle to the finish line.

Greg Wallace and John Torode will be hosting and they a hard to please and take no prisoners if you get it wrong in the kitchen. The first celebrity series aired in 2006 and was won by rugby star Matt Dawson last year’s winner was Alexis Conran

Thursday – Channel 5 - The Wright Stuff 9:15am

A morning television chat show, hosted by Matthew Wright, and airing on Channel 5 each weekday morning.

Wright invites a group of panellists two of which share the studio for the 5 days with a new guest panellists joining them each day. They review topical stories from the newspapers and discuss burning issues of the day interactively, via telephone or email, with members of the general public.

Friday – Channel 4 – 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 9pm

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown is hosted Jimmy Carr and team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson or a guest captain. Basically a more adult version of the early afternoon Countdown with the normal letter and numbers.

Familiar faces from the worlds of comedy and entertainment join the team for comic innuendos, unpredictable conundrums, and laughs aplenty. Countdown's resident lexicographer Susie Dent presides over Dictionary Corner, while the queen of numbers, Rachel Riley is on hand to work the numbers.

Dunkirk - Film Date - Film Review

My local cinema is the Chapter Arts Centre and it was my first ever visit to the cinema with the wife. I have lived in the area for near 20 years. It is really an interesting place always something going on a gem of a facility.

So it is Dunkirk and first I have to say it has a lot to live up to with the 1958 film starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough, and Bernard Lee one of my all-time favourite films.

When 400,000 British and Allied troops end up trapped on the beaches around the French town of Dunkirk, the British come up with an audacious plan to lift the men from the beaches and the port of Dunkirk. They were hoping to save 30,000 men but in the end, many more were saved. I came out of the cinema wondering what all the hype was about I was not feeling it.

The acting was good and the uniforms looked real but having said these few good things, I felt let down. As for the characters, I found I didn’t care about them maybe because of the lack of a back story or the lack of dialogue. I like to identify with characters and I don’t remember any talk of home and family.

There was supposed to be 400,000 men trapped mostly on the beaches and sand dunes but it looked like 500 scattered around the beach, the screen looked empty. The British Army left tonnes of equipment so why did the beach just looked to clean.

Where was the near constant German artillery shelling of the beach and the air attacks or the background noise from the perimeter defenders?

I was expecting some action but for a couple of "dog fights" which consisted of one plane flying behind another and the same action is thrown up to us time and time again. Maybe six planes were used in the aerial battles for a budget on the film of £100million I was beginning to wonder where the money was spent.

If the beaches looked empty and the skies, there was a lack of ships as well. The problem with the film I found was the emptiness I just couldn’t believe I was seeing the Dunkirk I have read about. For instance, when the ship is torpedoed the scene of the water rushing on the troops trapped as it sunk was better because the camera angle was confined as well as the scene toward the end of the soldiers trapped in the blows of a small trawler with Germans shooting holes in the hull.

The movie failed to convey the magnitude of Dunkirk 340,000 men who were saved to fight another day but this film left you feeling like 300 were rescued. It is a shallow, visually entertaining snippet of what could have been a good movie and I was left wondering what if someone like Tarantino, had directed the film how exciting would it be.

Would I recommend it? Maybe depending on what you are looking for out of the film. The wife a total independent on her view due to the fact this is not her kind of film rated it 6/10 were I would knock one off the 6. The BBC shot a three parter some years about and it was better than this and on a BBC budget but you what to watch a film I would highly recommend the 1958 film.

I could list many films that are far superior to this Dunkirk.

1958 film

Shot of the beach 1958 film

Dunkirk 1940

'This is all kinds of wrong' - Breakfast in a Jar

Plum Tree offering

I love an English breakfast, which is a Welsh breakfast as I live in Wales although it would be more diplomatic to call it a British breakfast. I regularly have breakfast at a café/pub called the Plum Tree, not the cheapest but better than most of the competition from many cafes and other pubs in the area.

I choose to eat there because of the ambiance and the space and for me what I regard as a quality breakfast. On offer on your plate Smoked streaky bacon, butcher’s sausages, a free range hen’s eggs (your way), potato cake, grilled mushroom and baked beans with toast & butter. No fried bread which is a pity but thankfully not missed when one is trying to watch ones weight.

Note I said plate! No shovel or a slab of slate pretending to be a plate because it looks trendy to the owner and chef, all arty. While to me, it’s just crass rubbish just put it on a plate where it belongs you kitchen Picasso. There is a lot of this doing the rounds now with your food going onto strange things. However, I have seen it all now and in my local paper meaning it is happening somewhere local. So what does it have to do with breakfast?

In a Jar

A new diner called Munchies as opened up Crwys Road, Cardiff, synonymous with fast food, cafes/diners, and restaurants. Munchies will specialises in dishes made from cheese, but has come up with the unique way to serve up their full Welsh. They are going to plunk it in a mason jar (see picture) although it can be served at the cafe on a traditional plate which is very sensible. The jar containing all the components of a traditional fry-up, including an egg, sausage, beans, a hash brown and even two slices of toast.

I couldn’t imagine digging around in a jar for my breakfast even as a takeaway. I would avoid a jarred breakfast like the plague or any other strange such brainless utensils they come up with. What next breakfast on a bog (toilet) seat!

Carabao Cup - Cardiff home tonight

I am a football fan of a league club I don’t care what competition my team play in it’s a game and I embrace this poorly supported competition. Tonight Cardiff City have a home game against Portsmouth in the League Cup now with a new sponsor and a new name, Carabao Cup.

Talking to my dad this morning about the game, we agreed we never use the sponsors name the same with the FA Cup, it’s the League Cup. With the lacklustre support from fans and teams for this competition, I am surprised the English Football League can find sponsors.

Cardiff go into the game off the back of a winning opening season game with a 1-0 win at Burton while tonight’s visitors also open their season with a win against Rochdale.

Cardiff boss Neil Warnock is set to ring the changes ahead of the game with an important League fixture at the weekend against Aston Villa. The League Cup seems to be the nemesis of many a manager who would rather the competition would just disappear. Most managers will play those not figuring in their first team plans now with a sprinkle of youth players. Portsmouth are likely to make few changes from the team that won on the weekend. A bit of an advantage? I think so.

Most teams below the Championship like Pompey are looking to stay in the competition in hope of a big pay day against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United or Arsenal who in the earlier rounds a guaranteed to play weaken teams as they prioritise league position and European football. Even so, some of the low league teams will still ring in the changes because promotion from any league is the important goal for any manager or owner.

I see the competition as an easier route to a Wembley Final!

Down ladies... it a 12" Sausage Roll

Oh Morrisons, why oh why have you done this magnificent thing when I was contemplating a downsizing of my food intake to help with my diet, it will be out of the window if/when I get stuck into one of these babies.

Morrisons have launched a mega foot-long sausage roll to tempt me back over to the dark side. The twelve-inch monster of pastry and sausage meat weighs in at around half a kilogram. Morrisons must have the largest sausage roll on sale in the UK but for how long. Will we now see an escalation in the size of the humble sausage roll? A war for dominance.

Despite its impressive length, the foot-long only costs £1 but you have to get in fast at that price as from 14 August the behemoth snack is to rise to £1.43.

The foot-long treat is served in its very own special tray because the traditional paper bag used for smaller versions proved to be inadequate to hold the mighty roll. It could be a full meal on its own and while some may chop it up into sizes that are more manageable the majority will tuck into the full beast. It is there to be conquered and I will be taking it on as soon as I lay my hands on one.

Sunday Crush - Judy Norton (Mary Ellen Walton)

Younger Judy

For this week’s crush it’s a raid on a goody goody TV show from back in the seventies the eldest daughter of John and Olivia Walton, Mary Ellen Walton played by Judy Norton. She was strong willed, independent, active and sarcastic...I could go on! I Loved her.

It wasn’t because she dressed in a sexual way she was a tomboy. I remember in one episode where she try to go all girly make-up and all and it was frightening. The series was set around the depression years, World War 2, and the end of the war the only chance for Mary Ellen to look sexy was went she dons a nurse uniform as she trained to be a nurse. As she grew in the show that was first aired in the USA in 1971 for 9 Seasons, and in the UK from early 1974, she became more voluptuous in an innocent way.

Playboy

In an effort to shake her "family" image, and news to me Mary Ellen (Norton Taylor) posed nude for Playboy in 1985. I may have bought the edition if I had known and the girlfriend/wife was not looking. You can bet I have checked them out now thanks to the internet and boy she looked the hottie.

The Playboy picture spread was what I imagined and more all those years ago, when she was in The Walton’s yes I knew what I like even back in those days. I also knew wrapped up in all that Walton goodness there was a body to die for, thank you Playboy.

The Road to the FA Cup starts again - Road to Wembley

The Road to the FA Cup Final got underway this afternoon with an Extra Preliminary Round games. For a treat from the BBC were streaming a game via the iPlayer. It was a Liverpool derby game between Litherland Remyca v AFC Liverpool.

This was real grassroots football with just basic perimeter fencing and two tiny stands, one standing and the other seated, maybe big enough for 20 fans. The pitch was surrounded by an athletic track. There was one camera, just the one and it made the game more interesting than the 20+ at premiership grounds. Catering was Burger vans, but no need for a gold credit card for pie and chips.

The game was very good we were seeing players playing the game, hard tackling, and no rolling around the floor as if they were hit with a sniper shot. The game was well controlled by the ref. Litherland normally play in front of 80/100 fans but today their looked to be a crowd of around 200.

Full Time: Litherland Remyca 2-0 AFC Liverpool

Has you should know by now I have a team I will be following from the earlies round to the final and this season choose to start with Little Common. They were one of a number of new teams that had never played in the competition before.

The game was played on Eastbourne’s ground there landlords and a late goal robbed Little Common from a replay. So it is Eastbourne in the Preliminary Round and they are scheduled to play either Chatham / Littlehampton away.

Full Time: Little Common 1-3 Eastbourne United

Must see TV - Week beginning 05/08/2017 - My Choice

A better week for TV watchers but I am still all about The Game of Thrones I will miss it when the series ends in less than a months’ time. It was a lean week last week TV wise but there were still a lot of old favourites to keep me happy.

I also took to YouTube to look for something new and from my past and ended up watching a show from the seventies, Wings. It was a long running series about the Royal Flying Corps during World War 1 and will be a mega watch due to the number of episodes.

Saturday – ITV – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 8pm

It is unusual these days to see a film that has not been aired on Sky Movies before it release on terrestrial TV. It is the third and final instalment in Peter Jackson's three-part film adaptation based on the novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien.

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, Bilbo and Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenceless men, women, and children of Lake-town.

Obsessed above all else, with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honour to hoard Bilbo frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead. Unseen by any but the Wizard Gandalf, the great enemy Sauron has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain. As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves, and Men must decide - unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends in the epic Battle of the Five Armies, as the future of Middle-earth hangs in the balance

Sunday – Channel5- Football On 5: The Championship 9am

There is nothing better on a Sunday morning than a fist full of Sunday papers and football highlights on the TV. This is a repeat of the previous night’s highlights show, which I missed because of other commitments (see above).

Still I prefer to watch my football on Sunday mornings and next week it will be Match of the Day followed by the Football League offering. Sunday is always a big football day with live games on Sky/BT in the afternoon it is just one big football party.

Monday – Channel 4 – Eden: Paradise Lost 10pm

I have been waiting on the return of the show for what feels like ages after it disappeared from our TV screens after only four episodes. The premise to the show was Channel 4 marooned 23 strangers in the Scottish Highlands for a year. The plan was for them to create a community, while being filmed.

It did not quite work that way the show is “quite dark” as those involved reverted to their “basic instincts”. It has been compared to a real-life ‘Lord of the Flies’. One of the contestants even claimed that the show features “cavemen” parties fuelled by moonshine that the contestants had made out of chicken feed, pine needles, and potato peel. She added that there were fights and rampant sexism, where some men were filmed discussing how to share the remaining girls in threesomes.

Tuesday – Discovery Channel – Gold Divers 9pm

The Bering Sea is now iced over so the search for the gold goes under the ice. Shawn Pomrenke, aka Mr. Gold heads for the remote, uninhabitable Alaskan Badlands known as The Bluff. In dredging season, Pomrenke and is crew hit good gold and was looking forward to returning. But word is out about the Bluff and the biggest chancers on the gold field, the Kelly family smell gold for the taking. Kris Kelly is determined to follow Shawn to The Bluff regardless of his shoddy equipment and less than enthused father and brother and confrontation with Mr Gold.

Meanwhile after Zeke Tenhoff and Emily Riedel busted up after the dredging season they both are eying Hasting Creek after some success dreading the area. Since then, Zeke cut ties with Emily, but until Zeke proves that there is enough gold there to file an official claim, Hastings is open ground, waiting for whomever wants to race for the gold. Determined to finally have a successful season, Emily hires two veteran divers who must get out to Hastings before Zeke.

Wednesday – Channel 4 – 24 Hours in A&E 8pm

The wife loves this and I must say I have been drawn to it so I would recommended 24 Hours in A&E. It is your typical fly-on-the-wall British medical documentary set in the casualty department of an NHS hospital. The award-winning series follows the day-to-day lives of the doctors and patients.

This week a woman comes in after a collision with a bus while cycling home and josh is treated for severe back pain. A pensioner is examined for a possible blood clot in her leg.

Thursday – Syfy Channel – Blood Drive 10pm

Set in a near-dystopian future, the series features a former cop, who is forced to take part in a death race in which cars run on human blood as fuel.

Grace is a street racer on the open road whose car runs on...people. Arthur is a cop trying to make a better world every day. They are thrown together into a race, an event from Los Angeles to Phoenix in which the loser lose their lives. Along the way, they encounter psychos, freaks, and innocents. Arthur wants to do right, but the rules don't allow his moral code to exist. Grace finally convinces Arthur, it's a do or die race. They must band together or forfeit their lives.

Friday – BBC1 – Cardiff Bay Lives 7:30pm

I am very familiar with Cardiff Bay but I remember when it was the Docks grubby and grimy but much loved. Today the mud as gone and is a playground for visitors from across the globe.

In the first programme of the series, fellow boat trip captains and arch-rivals Chris and Ben battle it out to be 'the best boat trip on the bay'. A daily battle of the best ensues, but will Ben, who has navigated the bay's waters for 17 years, come out on top, or will new kid on the block Chris scoop the most passengers?

Cardiff Bay (Butetown) has been home to a diverse community for generations, and the Butetown Community Centre is a hub where many of the old docks crowd meet, play, and party. A is a place that unites, restores, and cements lasting friendships.

Football is Coming Back - The Championship is going to be interesting

The Sky Bet Championship kicks off this weekend, real football week in week out I just love it – Cardiff City are back. The Championship season begins on Friday night when Derby County travel to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland.

I have been happy with Cardiff City, their pre-season and the buzz it as created around the club. Fans like me are happy with the new players and personally, I like that they were in place before pre-season giving most of the squad time to blend.

Neil Warnock looks happy with his new signings and has a few more players he would like to clear off the wage bill. There is the possibility of a few more faces at the club and on that, we will have to wait and see. Many fans like me feel more confident going into this season than last with Warnock in charge.

Bookies, pundits, do not like Warnock’s chances of a Cardiff City promotion or even a top six end of the season league finish. However, Warnock has vast experience his promotion record is impressive and this season he is bidding for a record eighth promotion as a manager. Warnock has his sights set on a successful campaign even if you compared Cardiff to the division's big spenders this summer they look underdogs to many.

Money don’t breed success.

With kick off just around 24hours away who could be facing the dread drop or battling it out for promotion and the promised land of the Premier League.

Middlesbrough are one of the big favourites for an immediate return to the top flight under new boss Garry Monk. Monk just missed out with Leeds last season on a play-off finish. Middlesbrough are reported to have spent around £28m with Britt Assombalonga a £15m purchase from Nottingham Forest.

Another former Premier League team and a favourite for automatic promotion Aston Villa are joint favourites alongside Middlesbrough to make a speedy comeback. Unlike Middlesbrough, the Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce, has only spent £2m in the transfer market bringing in only four new faces but are still highly fancied that could be down to the arrival of new club captain John Terry.

Last season's play off semi-finalists Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday are also among the favourites for promotion, with both teams enjoying a successful summer in terms of recruitment. Wednesday has secured the permanent signings of Jordan Rhodes and George Boyd, while Fulham has welcomed Lucas Piazon and Tomas Kalas from Chelsea, as well as tieing Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon down to new contracts.

Derby County, Leeds United, and Hull City are all being tipped to be amongst the high-flyers, all three sides will be hoping to bounce back from their respective disappointments of the previous season. Here I would like to but in on the bookies, pundit’s predictions because I believe Cardiff should be among the high-flyers with every chance they will be there at the end of the season.

Wolves appear to be this season's dark horse, after splashing the cash on a number of signings including a club record £15.8m on Ruben Neves from Porto. Fuelled by the assistance of super agent Jorge Mendes, Wolves' new signings will be hoping to hit the ground running and fire Wolves to the top of the Championship.

Norwich will be hoping for a resurgence after a disappointing 2016/17 season. Boasting a number of players with promotion pedigree in their ranks, Canaries fans will be hoping new boss Daniel Farke can follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman David Wagner and lead them back to the Premier League.

Down the other end of the table, the newly promoted sides, including Millwall and Bolton Wanderers are unsurprisingly among the bookies favourites to be relegated.

Nottingham Forest narrowly avoided the drop last season, and after losing key striker Britt Assombalonga to Middlesbrough, they may see themselves facing a precarious situation if they don't start well.

Burton Albion narrowly avoided relegation last season, finishing 20th and just one point above the drop zone. Nigel Clough has recruited a number of players with Championship experience, however, the Brewers remain favourites for relegation.

Porn Parody - Flesh Gordon - Film Review

Having mentioned it the other day while chatting to a friend I thought to myself that I had not seen it in years so decided to seek it out for a viewing. Oh, sorry I am talking about Flesh Gordon, yes Flesh.

Flesh Gordon (1974) is a spoof of "Flash Gordon" which set the standard for the porn industry to spoof just about everything under the sun.

This is a truly a camp classic. It still managed to give me a laugh and a chuckle watching hysterical over-acting, horrid sex-jokes, and flagrant sexual innuendo.

The plot is, well, quite basic beginning with a sex-ray from the planet Porno hitting Earth and threatens to turn the earth into one worldwide orgy of sex destroying the morals of humankind. Flesh Gordon first meets up with Dale Ardor on a plane when hit with the sex ray she goes sexually crazy along with Flesh but he snaps out of the madness trying to save the plane but parachutes out of the plane with Ardor who on the way down gives him a BJ.

They land close to Dr. Flexi Jerkoff’s laboratory and soon the three are planning a trip to planet Porno to destroy the sex-ray in a penile spaceship. The ray hits them in space, it is a lot stronger, and they indulge in a threesome.

With their ship shot down Flesh and his companions run into the Penisauruses, before being captured by men of Emperor Wang the Perverted they are taken to his throne room were a full on orgy is taking place and his interest soon shifts towards Ardor with a wedding night on this mind. Wang himself seems somewhat miffed when Flesh complains about the sex-rays destroying morality on earth and cannot understand why he and the rest of earth are not thanking him.

Flesh ends up having some naughty after being saved from a sentenced to death by Queen Amora who takes him to be her sex slave. Ardor kidnapped by Amazonian lesbian’s later Flesh meets the gay (in every sense) men of Sherwood Forest, a surly monster (close cousin to King Kong) and an army of perverts.

The pantomime plot has side splitting moments and good fun, but at the end of the day, it all bubbles down to one word: Sex. This is, effectively, a porn movie, with most of the porn removed (at least in the version I watched), and a mixture of ludicrously funny sight gags and some elaborate special effects thrown into the mix.

I enjoyed "Flesh Gordon", because it never stops moving and is always funny. In fact, it is a real treat, spot-on. (Including the priceless sight gag of Dr Jerkoff starting his rocket engine with a car-ignition key!). Flesh fighting for his life against three woman-wearing dildos. Dustbin like robots with cone sphere-shaped willies all good fun it this crazy world.

My Ten Defining Songs/Singles - No1

I have not posted much about my music recently so I drew up a list of ten defining songs/singles in my life and I thought why not tie it in with their first appearance on the iconic music show, Top of the Pops.

Unsurprisingly first I am going to kick off with the Specials anyone who knows me in the slightest it was always on the cards. There first single ‘Gangsters’ was a top 10 hit and featured on Top of the Pops on 30 August 1979.

With the National Front on the march just about everywhere, British youth needed something of their own to combat this threat. Back in the early seventies Lovers Rock became the dominant British reggae sound over the conscious sounds of Rastafarian from mainly Jamaica at the time and bring some limited chart success.

I belonged to no tribe growing up I like what I found interesting to listen to which like today is a wide mix. Today’s music in the whole leaves me cold boybands, girl bands, and manufactured band/singers off some crap TV show.

In the late seventies growing out of Coventry, a new sound was emerging under the banner of a new record label, Two Tone. After the madness of ‘Punk’, which I did not reject, I just never liked it the new tribe was emerging. Two Tone was a breath of fresh air as it fused traditional ska music with punk rock attitude and energy. It also gave a new base for music fans who were not feeling the music of Rock against Racism movement.

Although I had been a fan of reggae, I found myself draw more into Dancehall, Lovers Rock, and now Ska thanks mainly to Two Tone at the time. The music and the bands were quickly at the edge of anti-racism with their concerts targeted by NF looking and finding trouble.

The Specials had black and white members and spoke out defiantly against the NF and its racism. The name of their label, 2-Tone, and its chequered design (still associated with ska) is an assertion of black and white unity. It is crude, yes but a powerful symbol. Also a statement was the way they dressed wearing mod/rude boy/skinhead-style two-tone tonic suits and fans soon noticed the style and embraced it themselves.

On 30 August 1979, it was the Special’s first appearance on Top of the Pops presented by David Jensen.

The Special Aka – Gangsters

Rest of the playlist:

The Bellamy Brothers – If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It against Me

Secret Affair – Time for Action

Dollar – Love’s Gotta Hold On Me

Nick Lowe – Cruel To Be Kind

Sister Sledge – Lost In Music danced to by Legs & Co

The Gibson Brothers – Ooh! What a Life

Gary Numan – Cars

B.A. Robertson – Bang Bang

The Commodores – Sail On

Johnny Mathis – Gone Gone Gone with Gill from Legs & Co

The Stranglers – Duchess

Cliff Richard – We Don’t Talk Anymore

Boney M – Gotta Go Home