Following on from reading Rory Cellan-Jones’ ‘Dot Bomb’, which focused on the ‘dot com’ bubble in the UK, I’ve read Po Bronson’s ‘The Nudist on the Late Shift‘, which looks at a similar time from Silicon Valley. Also reviewed on Amazon.
Po Bronson has produced a very well-written and extremely readable insight into the craziness of ‘dot com’ fever in Silicon Valley. Clearly spending a great deal of time with both the entrepreneurs and employees involved, ‘The Nudist on the Late Shift’ gets behind the ideas, the passion and the money.
The madness that meant people spent every waking hour in the office (some even sleeping under their desks) and meant that companies provided on-site laundry facilities for workers without the time to do their washing is reflected well in the stories of the individuals involved.
The book tells of a time of optimism where the future can be changed by technology and wealth can be earned on the back of an unproven idea. Bronson concludes the book by questioning whether it’s too late to join the party. Reading it now, with the benefit of hindsight and the knowledge of the crash that came, makes the book all the more entertaining. The reader is drawn into the individual stories and wants to warn the visionaries that it’s all about to go wrong for them.
A recommended insight into a unique time in business history.
At the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival I saw Endgame. It’s a unique take on the London Gangland film genre – in this gangster/sugar daddy (Mark McGann) keeps his rent boy housed in a plush apartment to turn tricks for those required to be kept onside. Without wanting to spoil the plot, rent boy Tom (Daniel Newman) escapes his prison, befriends neighbourly Americans who come to his aid and escape to a remote country cottage.
Normally, I don’t watch films with so much violence (there are scenes of rape and some horrific beatings) but it’s filmed/directed in a way that’s does keep you watching. Despite the things that happen to him, Tom’s character never really develops much beyond the chain-smoking cute-boy that starts the film, although you do begin to empathise with him as the film moves on. Mark McGann, however, is menacing and John Benfield (as Dunston, the corrupt detective) is threatening (if a little one-dimensional).
Libby Purves loves radio, and anybody who loves the medium will enjoy this book. It’s autobiographical but not an autobiography. It focuses solely on Libby’s life with radio: from building her own transistor set to hosting flagship Radio Four programmes Today and Midweek. Libby’s delight with sound, and particularly voices, is unmistakable.
This book is not a history of radio nor is it a manual or how-to guide. It is, however, filled with delightful personal anecdotes about speech radio spanning the corridors of the BBC World Service in Bush House, through the early years of BBC Local Radio (she worked at Radio Oxford) to the heart of BBC Radio at Broadcasting House. Libby’s joy in talk radio is clearly with the Radio Four style and her attitudes hark back to Lord Reith and the BBC’s founding fathers. This is not a criticism for it makes an interesting backdrop to today’s radio services. Not for Libby the shock-jock approach to the ‘phone-in nor the music driven disc-jockey speak but the (apparently) slower-paced world of radio documentaries and features and the fast-moving news and current affairs departments are her chosen arenas. The book is filled with personal stories, and she paints superb pictures of the characters that inhabit the world of the wireless (management, production staff and presenters). The book is also an appeal for speech radio which, she feels, is too easily overlooked in a BBC obsessed with television ratings in the digital era. Yet the book has hopes that this unique brand of public service radio will survive.
Radio: A True Love Story is an engaging read. It doesn’t overpower the reader with names and places but peppers the tales with personalities who add colour to the tale. Libby’s love of the medium comes through loud and clear and that is what makes this a joy to read and recommend.
I went to the BFI London IMAX cinema last night to see Haunted Castle: it’s presented in 3D and was superb.
Firstly, the 3D effects were excellent. There are several scenes (one on a roller coaster-style ride) where you really could be part of the action. It’s very, very well done. Of course, like many of these films, there are some ropy bits, but, on the whole, it’s believable 3D throughout. I found myself closing my eyes at some points because I really felt some of the action was leaping from the screen.
Haunted Castle is the story of Johnny, whose mother – and ageing rock star – has died and passed on her secluded castle home to her son. Upon arrival, Johnny finds that the castle is more than an empty stone building, for it’s alive with ghosts and evil doers. As he stumbles around the castle, Johnny discovers his mother had done a deal with Mr D in which she had to give up her soul for fame and fortune.
We are taken on a ride through the castle to hear the music in the burning pits, meeting the ghouls and spooks that inhabit the Haunted Castle along the way. We ride the cable car and Ferris wheel into the fires and visit the strange dungeons where the Opera singers are spending their days – will Johnny surrender his soul and give in to the temptation of the spooks? Finally, Johnny confronts Mr D again as the castle falls around him.
The stunning effects in this film really surround you. It really was a superb experience and reminds me that I should go to the IMAX more often.
Having enjoyed the Chicago, The Musical, I went to the cinema to see the long-awaited film version. And what a cinematic treat it is, thoroughly deserving many of the great reviews it’s been getting on the web.
There are some who feel this is better than the musical, but I would disagree. It’s a superb film, but there are always comments to be made: it sticks a little too closely to the stage version, not using the different medium to its full extent. That said, the music is still there, and while not pushing the genre’s boundaries like Moulin Rouge, it is some of the best music to have made it to film. The air is filled with the jazz sounds of 1920s Chicago, the perfect backdrop to the nightclub singers and the murders they perform.
Catherine Zeta-Jones is a superb Velma Kelly, Renée Zellweger perhaps not as sassy as the Roxie I have in my musical memory, but she certainly plays the vulnerability card well, and the surprise (to me at least) was Richard Gere, who plays suave Billy Flynn brilliantly (and it definitely seems that he can sing and dance).
Some commentators have suggested that the direction is limited due to director Rob Marshall’s TV background. I can’t say that it was noticeable to this viewer, although perhaps my comments about the medium above are related. Chicago tells the tale in an elegant way; it conveys the essence of 20s and moves along at a decent pace.
If there was one major disappointment, it was the downplaying of the Mary Sunshine role (in the musical, it’s played by a man) and the omission of her song (A Little Bit of Good). Nevertheless, one to recommend.
There is a cliché that says a book is a real page-turner, and it certainly applies to this book. I picked it up because I loved the film, and I imagined the book would be just as good. The novel, however, leaves the film standing. Don’t expect a movie tie-in because this is certainly not that. Jason Bourne is found floating in the ocean, and that’s about where the similarity starts and ends. Some great scenes in Zurich and Paris are the only other resemblances to the film.
I’d never read a Robert Ludlum book before, but this has me searching for the next. It’s written at a pace that keeps you hooked; the story is much more complex than the film, and the characterisation and plot are a joy to read. I was hooked to the very last page.
On the downside, if you have seen the film one of the crucial story twists is known to you. If you haven’t seen the movie, read the book first for this is how a thriller should read. [More at Amazon]
Tim Smit provides insight into the group vision that resulted in one of the more successful Millennium projects – Eden. And the fact that it is the work of a committed “group” of people is not lost on the reader. Smit regularly repeats the mantra that Eden was only developed thanks to the work of a wide range of individuals, from contractors to councils, and not forgetting the plant-men.
If you want to understand some details behind the way such projects are developed, then this is a book you should read. When the project was floundering, while all the funding partners came together, Tim Smit was there, and he relives it in the book. Sometimes you wonder how it all came together.
On the other hand, if you are a plant-lover, gardener or horticulturalist, then this is also a book you should read. Smit tells the fascinating story of the development of the biome concepts and the plants they chose to grow. More importantly, he discusses the relationship between man and the natural surroundings we inhabit, debating our fragile relationship with a range of environments along the way.
However, what you take from this book is a mixture of all of the above. Landscaping, plant husbandry and environmental considerations sit alongside planning, funding, road building and visitor education projects. It’s one man’s personal account rather than a definitive history, and the cast of characters seems endless and, sometimes, confusing. However, the determination and vision that drove the project; the commitment and enthusiasm of all the people; and the role Eden believes it should be playing on the world stage are all presented in an accessible, very readable account of what seems to have been a long but successful process. If this book doesn’t inspire you to aim higher and better, then nothing will.
I went to see Boy George’s Taboo last Friday and have been contemplating the blog entry ever since. I have to say that I thought that it was fabulous and I want to see it again (I even ordered the soundtrack last night!). It’s a fictional account of a lot of real people, but most of the plot must be based on Boy George’s own life story, as I recognised many of the characters and plot lines from his book Take It Like A Man. Obviously, he is a key (though not the central) character. I would thoroughly recommend this to anybody visiting London, regardless of the way you feel about Boy George. It’s a strange time capsule of a musical, and his songs are great – although several of them are old (some of which are taken from the underrated album Cheapness and Beauty, which I regard as one of the best of all time). The story is tender, the performances top-rate, and the whole thing is laugh-out-loud funny (especially Julian Clary). Lastmiunte.com often has cut-price tickets a few days before a show. Go see it. Often.
I thought Taboo was fantastic – and I wasn’t sure what to really expect. I think I had envisaged it as something akin to Closer To Heaven, but it wasn’t really like that at all. I loved the fact that The Venue is quite small and quite intimate, which made you feel closer to the stage (and the audience bits help) and, of course, it brought memories flooding back (although I was watching events in the early ’80s from the safety of the north).
I am a big fan of Boy George’s more recent albums – Cheapness and Beauty is one of my all-time favourites. When I heard some of the songs were being reworked for the show, I was worried. Luckily, few have been re-penned, and those that have been re-done are still as good as they are on the CD (although different). I was stunned by how much the mannerisms of the Boy George character seem to be like the Boy George we see on TV, etc. It was a remarkable performance. Duncan Bennett as Billy was superb (was he really in the band Point Break? I don’t remember him) as well as being some appealing eye candy 😉 It was a thoroughly entertaining night out, and I would recommend it to anybody.
Julian Clary was superb and, of course, looked stunning in those Leigh costumes. I would be interested to see how other people play the part, as he put his own stamp on it without it seeming to be too Julian Clary.
I’ve ordered the CD – the cheapest I could find it was £10.99 at Play247 – although it was on back order, I noticed tonight that they have posted it to me. I’m sure the CD doesn’t do the show justice (they rarely do), but I hope it will be brilliant anyway! Lastminute.com always seems to have discounts on top-price tickets. I bought the cheaper seats directly from the box office and, to be honest, I think my view was as good as anybody with the more expensive ones (the theatre isn’t really large enough for it to make a difference). However, Lastminute’s discount seats are even cheaper, and I shall certainly be going again.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding was something of a hit-and-miss film. You learned a lot about the Greek (lead) character, Toula, and her family relationships. But you learned very little about her love interest, Ian. If the point of the film was to show the development of Toula from the shy woman living life for her father by waiting tables (“seating hostess”) in his restaurant to the confident, beautiful self-styled woman that Ian Miller falls in love with, then, I guess, it succeeded. Sadly, because you know so little about him and his one-dimensional parents, this film feels empty and fails to pull you in.
Reviews will tell you how My Big Fat Greek Wedding makes you laugh, cry and feel. I, however, was left wanting more. The large Greek family, played with love and humour, finally accepts non-Greek Ian into the family. Ian, however, never challenges that their acceptance requires him to turn into them. Far from celebrating diversity, the film fails to show both sides of the tale, and we are forced to believe that Ian will do anything, unquestioningly, for Toula. I suspect I’m reading too much into what should be a light Saturday night romantic comedy, but as the film played out, I found myself less and less engaged.
Having said all this, there were some laugh-out-loud moments and some top-class performances. Andrea Martin (Aunt Voula), Michael Constantine (Gus) and Lainie Kazan (Maria) all stood out. Nia Vardalos (Toula), who also wrote the story, is worth mentioning as well, because she certainly conveyed Toula’s side of the story. Unfortunately, that’s all I felt I got (Toula’s side), and it could have been so much more.
After walking around London all day yesterday, I finally got PY, an American colleague, and my tickets to The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband. It’s at the New Ambassadors Theatre, an intimate and interesting venue. It stars Alison Steadman and Daisy Donovan.
It’s a three-headed almost-farce like comedy (I was waiting for a Vicar and no trousers) and it’s only mediocre. Firstly, the title gives the game away. Secondly, the story is too weak to be carried for ninety minutes and thirdly, sadly, some of the acting isn’t great. There’s an old adage that everyone’s a critic and at £32 a ticket I think I bloody well deserve to be. Daisy Donovan, who I find hilarious on television, seemed out of place – although maybe that was just me as reviewers seem to think she handled herself well. However, when the main comedic thrust of her role was the comedy dancing – which might work on TV but looks very strange on the stage – I didn’t think she stood a chance. I imagine that Alison Steadman did her best, but I think, the material was just not up to it. It didn’t give Daisy Donovan anything to make her West-End debut with, and it didn’t give Alison Steadman anything to get her teeth into. This review says all this in a much more articulate way.
Still, despite its shortcomings, it was an OK evening. Middle-aged couples and pairs of gay men. There is something faintly disturbing about that mix. And, perhaps, one should always remember that food is as important as sex.
At the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival I saw Endgame. It’s a unique take on the London Gangland film genre – in this gangster/sugar daddy (Mark McGann) keeps his rent boy housed in a plush apartment to turn tricks for those required to be kept onside. Without wanting to spoil the plot, rent boy Tom (Daniel Newman) escapes his prison, befriends neighbourly Americans who come to his aid and escape to a remote country cottage.
