Reality Unseen

Poster for Inception

I saw Inception yesterday. I loved it, the movie was exciting, action-packed and I dug the basic concept of the movie. I am not going to put any spoilers in this post so no need to worry. There may be many out there who have not seen the movie yet and I won’t tarnish your experience as so many bloggers seem to wanna do, dunces in the blogesphere.  I highly recommend Inception, it is long but the performances are wonderful, then again when you cast such great actors as Ken Wantanabe, Leo DiCaprio, Michael Caine, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy and Pete Postlethwaite you will have great performances.  Also, as so often happens, I found a new actor to enjoy, Tom Hardy , who plays Eames in Inception gives a lovely performance.  Look for Hardy as Max in the upcoming reboot of Mad Max.  Why George Miller has decided we need a new Mad Max movie I have no idea, perhaps his taxman knows but I am sure that Mr. Hardy will give a fantastic performance.   He also played Handsome Bob in another of my favorite movies, RocknRolla and apparently he was in Layercake, a movie many people I know seem to enjoy.  I couldn’t get past the first 20 minutes, total snoozefest.

Going back to RocknRolla for a minute, I love Guy Ritchie’s movies.  The first one I saw was Snatch, easily the funniest, edgiest movie that year.  I saw

Sherlock Holmes

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels later which was good, Snatch was better.  I admit I skipped the next two movies that had Madonna in them.  Her talent doesn’t translate on the big screen, music videos she’s great in.  Guess it’s that acting and chewing gum at the same time that screws her up.  But then her true talent lies in self promotion.  Anyhow, Guy’s movies are great and if you haven’t seen Sherlock Holmes, please check it out.  Robert Downey Jr. gives a masterful performance as Holmes.

Now back to Layercake, oops I fell asleep already, ok, I’m awake.  Layercake, stars Daniel Craig, who is the subject of my next set of digressions.  Bond, James Bond, what a mess has been made of my favorite spy’s franchise.  Initially, I thought Daniel Craig would do a fine job, as the Bond series was rebooted after Pierce Brosnan’s politically correct Bond was lukewarmly received at the box office.  History has shown us that you must have the right man portray James Bond in order for this to work.  Sexy, charming, very masculine – Sean Connery, devilish, debonair, witty – Roger Moore, dangerous, agile, versatile- Pierce Brosnan these are the attributes a successful James Bond must have.  Does the actor have to have them all, of course not.  But Bond must be sexy, Daniel Craig is not.  Yes, he buffed up but Bond doesn’t have to have a six pack, he needs animal magnetism, that man you can’t take your eyes off of.  As one song says, “make you write bad checks”– Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, even Roger Moore who was never my cup of chai, had it.  There have been six actors to play Bond.  Can you name them all?  I’ve named four.

Bond with a gun

The stories have been getting weaker.  I read Casino Royale, it was an entertaining read.  The changes made to the story were fine.  As the reintroduction of Bond to a new audience, read younger audience, it was fine .  I enjoyed it but I couldn’t accept that Craig’s Bond was smart enough to do some of the things he did.  No, Craig doesn’t look smart, another characteristic Bond must have.  He’s the spy, yeah.  When Pierce Brosnan was Bond the stories weren’t very good.  Particularly, The World is Not Enough.  What a waste of film.  Long, boring movies.  The best stories, where Bond got into all manner of hairy situations and you wondered how he’d get out, with or without Q’s gadgets were done during Connery and Moore’s reigns.  Probably because those movies were based on Ian Fleming’s novels and all of the stories after are based on newer stories. Ian Fleming Bond novels written from 1953 to 1966 are:

Casino Royale,Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia, with Love, Dr. No, Goldfinger, For Your Eyes Only – short stories, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, You Only Live Twice ( another really good book), The Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy and The Living Daylights.

Bottom line, this is what needs to happen if new Bond movies are to be successful.

1. Find someone who can write a smart, interesting, entertaining spy script and someone who can direct said script without making it long and boring.

2. Recast Bond.  Find a newcomer that can grow in the role over time.  A masculine man, physically agile, sexy and intelligent and young enough to age in the series, late 20s to early 30s.

3. Bring back Q. We need Q, Bond needs Q’s gadgets.  In the tech age we live in it’s unbelievable that Bond wouldn’t have toys, guys that work at McDonald’s have more gadgets than Daniel Craig as Bond.  No disrespect to any Micky D’s employees.

4. Change or recast M.  Give M back balls,  she or he shouldn’t act like Bond’s Mum as M has been written in the last few movies.  Anyone who’s had a woman boss knows modern women are always much tougher on their employees than their male counterparts, fact.  A female M would be more like Maggie Thatcher, Hilary Clinton, or Jane Tennison- the lead character in Prime Suspect, tough, unapologetic and determined to get the job done.  The maternal element is crap and the writers should be checked on it.

5. Keep it British.  Bond is a British secret agent we Americans like that about him.  Get a British act to do the themes for a while.  I think the music scene in Britain is more interesting right now.  In America we are in a rap haze, there’s a huge lack of originality and basic talent in American music at the moment.  I know there are more talented people out there but they can’t make it to the show or they won’t play the game either way that’s the situation with some exceptions.  The theme for Quantum of Solace was nauseating.  Why not use a young British act, like say, Muse.  The first time I heard Muse a friend played them for me.  After I picked my tongue off the floor and spit out the dust by saying “wow” I said that should have been the theme to a James Bond movie.  Muse is young and hip enough for the Twilight soundtracks surely there is room for that heavy, orchestral sound in a Bond movie.  The QoS theme was just loud, nails on a chalkboard aggravating.  Bring in some of what’s going on in England now culturally since you’ve rebooted it.  The rest of the world can deal with it.

Ta luvs!

Carl at Talladega

Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski have been at it again.  It all began in April of 2009 when Bradley K. gave Carl a great push at

Carl at talladega finish line

Talladega to take the lead and dumped Carl to take the win.  Brad held his line, Carl tried to block sending his car into Brad’s then into Ryan Newman’s car.  From the hood of Newman’s car Carl’s car went airborne into the fence.  A feud was born.  Bradley K.  got the win and Carl, got out of his car and ran across the finish line.  Yeah,he ran.  At the end of last year’s season Denny Hamlin made a statement about Bradley K. and his overly aggressive style of racing saying that Brad would find out when he got to the Sprint cup level his style wouldn’t be tolerated.

Also that he, Denny Hamlin would be the first at the pay window handing out Brad’s comeuppance.  Flash forward a year and sure enough Bradley K. has been in the mix a lot in cup races.  True, Denny has had his own issues this season with knee surgery and an inspiring string of wins post surgery but he’s been quiet about Brad.  Too busy winning.  Carl seems to have taken Denny’s spot at that window.

Brad in Atlanta

Witness Atlanta in March when Carl hit Brad and sent Bradley K’s car into a flip and subsequently into a wall at Atlanta Motor speedway.  Carl said that he would race Brad the way he raced him.  Carl also admitted that he intentionally put Brad into the wall he just didn’t think Brad’s car would go airborne.  NASCAR’s response to this incident was that it was good hard racing.  Enough said.   Last weekend it happened again at Gateway International Raceway.  This time after several laps of hard, tight, aggressive racing Bradley K. bumped Carl, after racing a little while longer Carl bumped him back sending Bradley K. into the inside wall subsequently wrecking or causing 9 other cars to wreck.  These are the facts and history of this feud between these two talented and competitive drivers.  Now for my opinion.

I waited a few days before beginning to write about this subject.  If you’ve read this blog at all you know that Carl is my driver.  I love his style of racing, yes he is aggressive and he’s come up with some really crazy and sometimes inspired bits of driving.  Carl has good car control granted he’ s not Jimmie Johnson, who has supernatural car control most of the time, but it is good.  What I saw at Gateway was proof of the difference in Carl’s control and experience and Brad’s car control and experience.  The bump Brad put on Carl was hard but Carl could handle it.  He regained control and continued forcing Brad down to the bottom of the race track.  When Carl hit Brad, yeah it was a hard hit, but I believe a more experienced driver could have handled that bump and maybe gone up but not hit the wall or cars behind him.  I think about the bumps and runs Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson exchanged earlier in this season.  That was payback but they both held on and didn’t wreck each other, it was short track, ” I’m gonna move you out of my way” racing.

brad and carl bristol 2010

“Considering that Brad wrecks me with no regard for anyones safety or hard work, should I: A-Keep letting him wreck me? B-Confront him after the race? C-Wait til bristol and collect other cars? or D-Take care of it now? I want to be clear that I was surprised at his flight and very relieved when he walked away. Every person has to decide what code they want to live by and hopefully this explains mine.” Carl Edwards after the Atlanta race.

Was Bradley K. the victim much of NASCAR nation seems to accept him as being, not hardly.  Carl is not the playground bully and Brad is not the innocent kid, I think they are 2 competitors who are too much alike.  Carl has the advantage of age and more racing experience but they are well matched in guts and in your face style racing maneuvers.  I do not agree with NASCAR’s fining Carl money and points without doing the same for Bradley K.  Putting them both on suspension would have been fine if that was the entire penalty.  It took 2 to cause that wreck.  I don’t think Denny was carrying on about nothing when he voiced his frustration about Brad’s racing habits.  Now that Carl has been fined and gotten the collective finger wag he’ll probably calm down when it comes to Brad but I guarantee there will be someone else who will pick this up with Brad for the simple fact that he hasn’t changed what he does on the race track.  Eventually it will be your fault Brad.  Don’t misunderstand me, I think Brad is immensely talented but he is also extremely aggressive and sometimes those ideas he has on the track are not good ones.  Bradley K. get some better car control since you’re gonna race like that.

I also agree with an on air personality I heard Monday night who said that Carl’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t know how to pay back appropriately.  He pays back too hard.  It’s true.  Carl, I don’t want you to change, race your guts out and stand your ground but please, get better and a bit less obvious with your payback.  Let’s be real every driver on that track pays back somebody at some point best to worst, that’s just the way it goes.  NASCAR said “have at it boys” so have at it.

Again, if you think for one second that this is over I have a bridge in Florida I wanna sell you.  It will flare up again.  Maybe by then Carl will be smoother, just like Jimmie and Kurt Busch are not done with each other and who knows Denny and Jimmie might not be over as well. Oh yeah and before I forget Kevin Harvick and lots of people, Carl being one, Joey Logano another.  I’m sure there is a line in front of your hauler as well K. Harv and I’m sure you’re still smiling.  That’s all I’m gonna say about this latest installment of Carl vs. Brad.  What will happen next I can’t say but it will be interesting I’m sure.  So good luck on Sunday Carl at my favorite racetrack, Indy. I hope my boy Clint Bowyer makes a good showing as well.  Clint keeps coming close but the win is eluding him.  I’m cheering for ya.

Dale Jr. in the 3

Oh yeah, I almost forgot 2 weeks ago Dale Earnhardt Jr. did a very cool thing running the #3 wrangler car at the Daytona Nationwide race to honor of his father, the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.,  also known as the intimidator.  Dale Sr. incidentally was the master of the bump and run.  It was a wonderful thing for Dale Jr. to do and Jr. sealed that deal by winning the race.  I was relieved when Jr. said he would never run the 3 again, done and dusted.  Hopefully that statement will stop future questions about him running the 3 again.   Let Jr. be Jr. and leave him be.  Now if you’ve gotten to this part and you’re exhausted that’s ok so am I.  Rant complete.

Ta luvs.

A few weeks ago, David Cameron became Britain’s youngest prime minister.  This follows a historical election, for the first time since the 70’s that there has been a hung parliament or as Billy Bragg said on BBC a consensus parliament.  It will be interesting to watch how this develops, how the government will run and what changes will come from this new situation.  Will the tories and the Lib Dems, led by Nick Clegg, be able to effectively do anything.  And best of all for me I was in England when it happened and got to see it all and understand how the election process works here.

Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Nick Clegg

Poor Gordon Brown, he had to be so hurt by the results but at the same time he can’t be too surprised.  Anyone following Tony Blair as Prime Minister would have problems not just for the mess of troops in the middle east but  also because they are following such a strong PM.  Gordon Brown is in the same spot John Major was in after Maggie Thatcher’s reign.  No matter what Brown did he would appear weak and ineffective.  England, like the rest of the world has serious issues of high unemployment rates, particularly in the north, high crime, rising antisocial behaviour problems in the youth the global mixed bag.

Now on to racing.  What is the deal with my driver, Carl Edwards?  Carl still doesn’t have his mojo working.  It’s gotta come back right?  I am hoping so.

Sunday’s Coca Cola 600 was not the best race for him,  a 16th place finish isn’t the worse but it’s approaching the time to start stepping it up.  Clint Bowyer got a 7th place finish out of it, I’m happy about that.  But racing in a backup car doesn’t work out that well

Jimmie and Carl

that often unfortunately for anyone Carl included.  I do give kudos to Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team for a 37th place finish after a severe crash.  The fact that Chad Knaus had his guys put that car back out there and finished the race brings back to me their motto of “Maximum Points”, I have to admire the long view they compete with, it will probably allow Jimmie to become the 5 time champ or a close second at worst.  If only the 99 team could get into that headspace and look to the future as well as the next race.  Time will tell.  Bring on Pocono.

Finally, 10 more days until the World Cup begins.  Whoever you cheer for good luck to you, me,  I always cheer for Brazil and my home country, USA, though we have crappy chances.  But maybe, just one year, USA can win and go all the way. 

Ta luvs.

So I finished the last post about springtime but as you will probably know when you’ve read it the volcanic eruption in Iceland brought all European, and British flight to a standstill.  Yeah, I know sunshine, springtime, travel…NOT.  It was interesting to watch BBC’s coverage of the flight ban, day after day of where the ash cloud was and sound bites from upset travelers.  Train trips and ferry rides were the saviors for many.

Current Ash Cloud Location

I am glad that I didn’t book a flight during this time like I had initially planned to, I would have been one of those disappointed, frustrated travelers.  Since I wrote the first section you just read another ash plume has been released and all flights out of Ireland and Scotland were canceled.  I had the fortune to fly out to Dublin the morning after the ash release and get stuck.

If you’re gonna get stuck somewhere Dublin’s a good place.  I did loads of site seeing and shopping.  Had a ball then returned to Liverpool the next day.  No damage at all.  Of course the ominous ash cloud continues to loom overhead currently wreaking havoc on Spanish airports, looks like Portugal and South of France are next.

It’s been interesting to watch the election unfold here.  As it stands today a deal has yet to be struck to determine who gets to be prime minister.  There is the first hung parliament since 1974 which is good for the Scotts and Welsh parties.  They have a better chance of having issues addressed and not being ignored.  A friend and I were discussing how ironic it has been to watch  a conservative candidate,  David Cameron, a Tory, use liberal President Barak Obama’s campaign for change strategy.  Philosophically as well as politically they couldn’t differ more but it may indeed work for Cameron in the end.  As deals are being discussed we will soon see.

Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard

If you’ve read this blog at all  you know I want Man U to win the FA Cup which would break Liverpool’s 18 title  record.  Unfortunately that future rests in the hands of the Wigan FC.  If they can keep Chelsea from winning and Man U beats Stoke the FA Cup goes to Old Trafford.  Go Man U go.  Liverpool’s debt will not put Steven Gerrard or the delicious Fernando Torres up for sale supposedly.  Fernando is a huge part of Liverpool’s success scoring 72 goals in 1116 games since he came from Athletico Madrid. Liverpool needs him,  but financial woes can change any situation.  I think we will see Fernando in a Man U uniform within the next few years.  I think Sir Alex has his eye on him.

Finally, I have to talk about my love, NASCAR.  Oh my but my driver Carl Edwards seems to have found some mojo.  I don’t know if it’s his mojo or not but someone’s.  After a lackluster season start Carl has had repeated top ten finishes.  I have my fingers and toes crossed for him to have a good finish or better yet a win.  And then there’s Clint Bowyer, my second favorite driver.  Potential is his middle name.  This man can step into the winner’s circle again I know and stay there.  His team is putting it together.  I think this week’s track Darlington is a good, fast track for Clint.  Show em what you got babe.

Ta luvs.

I wanted to make a quick comment about the Carl Edwards, Brad Keslowski debacle 2 weeks ago in Atlanta.  As a Carl Edwards fan I admit I didn’t’ want to see Carl fined for wrecking Brad.  Anyone who has watched Sprint cup and Nationwide racing has seen Brad drive very aggressively and collect many people in wrecks.  Who can forget Denny Hamlin’s statements about Brad at the end of last years nationwide season.  I think Carl was the first one at that pay window.  I know what Carl did wasn’t the safest thing but wait a minute neither is driving at almost 200 mph.  I hope that Bradley K. calms down and gives some respect to the cup guys because if he doesn’t this will continue to happen to him.  It probably won’t be Carl.  And it says something when Denny Hamlin of all people say that Brad is there because he’s a talented driver not his aggression and brad should continue doing what got him to the show.  Listen to your peers Brad and understand that as a rookie various of the cup boys are gonna do things to make sure you understand that respect must be paid.  And by the way, who won that race anyway?  Do you remember?  All I remember is Carl and Brad.  I’m just saying.

Ta Luvs.

Went to Cain’s brewery for a tour and some free beer a few nights ago with friends and had so much fun.   If you’re in Liverpool and want a fun evening take the tour.  You will see the Brewery, open since 1850.

In the lobby of the brewery

See the beer being made although the night I went they weren’t running any lines, get the explanation of how beer is made and get lots of entertaining stories and jokes from the tour guide and of course sit in the Grapes Inn and drink some beer.

Now for something completely different – Manchester United beat AC Milan 3-2.  Go Man U! I have been a Man U fan for eight years.  One of the best things about being in England is that i can see them play on their homefield, Old Trafford stadium.  Even though Beckham no longer plays for Man U I still love to watch him play.

In case you didn't know, David Beckham

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney scoring twice and giving Man U the win was brilliant.

A few words about the Daytona 500.  Crazy…

Jamie McMurray Daytona 500 winner 2010

Jamie McMurray won the race.  It’s great for Jamie after a couple of lackluster years at Roush racing.  Both my drivers finished in the top ten: Carl Edwards, my favorite driver, finished 9th and Clint Bowyer, my second favorite finished 4th and lead the race for a number of laps.  Is this the year Carl wins the big one and spoils Jimmie Johnson’s Drive for Five?  We shall see.  The big hole in the track was a spoiler for lots of drivers particularly,  Jimmie Johnson and as the fates would have it Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 2nd, about time.  I miss the fact that I can’t tune in and watch racing on telly but it’s only for a while.  Next up Fontana!