Dawn of Space Age

Dawn of Space Age
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

Big Screen Weekend:

Went to the flicks twice this weekend had some catching up to do.

First was MOON by Duncan Jones which is really good a simple cheaply but well made scfi thriller set on the moon. Excellent simple twisty story.

There's been some talk of cheap effects but I loved the Space 1999 style lunar models, that's what the moon looks like!
Sam Rockwell is excellent as the only actor! If you've not already I think you should catch it.

Next up and down to earth with a bump is The Hurt Locker by Katherine Bigelow who's always great at action . This one is set in Iraq and about UXB squad and is tense as F*CK. Excellent small cast and well done full on action. Not as comic book as some of her other films.Again if you like action I should check it out.

Weird addendum: Came out the flicks slightly wired from the tense scenes to find it all go on in the Middle of Greenwich, a guy rolling around on the floor claret every where. Fortunately I think it was old wound on his calf that had opened up and his mates where helping him but it was a bit intense.
Had to have long walk down my the river in moon light to blow away the Adrenalin!

Counting the Cost

Pause for thought

I’m not sure I have point here so bear with me.

Down the road from work is a (pictured) war memorial. As these things go it’s not a bad one. They are never going to show soldiers fighting on the Somme in their true state i.e. hiding in shell holes desperately trying to dodge machine gun fire. But at least this one shows a man in battle dress keeping an eye on us all looking like a normal if slightly heroic Tommy. Whatever you think of war having memorials to the people who died in them in and around where we live and work must be a good thing, even if sadly like me most people walk past them without taking much notice.

One of the most chilling things that probably goes unremarked by most people passing this statute is the inscription half way down that says.

“To the glorious memory of the 22000 Royal Fusiliers who fell in the Great War
1914 – 1919.”

That’s 22,000 dead or a well attended football match or maybe Oxford Street when it’s very busy.

The list of Royal fusiliers regiments (they were a London based Battalion) all have regiment names like the bankers, lawyers, public schools, sportsmen, East ham and of course “Young soldier” which serve further humanise the loss.

Underneath in a slightly legal phrase is:

"And those fusiliers killed in subsequent campaigns"

Being opposite the Inns of Court I suppose “subsequent” is appropriate cold legal term the sort you find in a lease “the landlord reserves the right... any subsequent damage...”
It almost seems like they couldn’t face counting once they’d reached 22,000.

Like I say I’m not sure if I have point really just that when it comes to people dying it’s too easy to get lost in statistics (putting aside Stalin's pithy remarks on the subject) each death on any side is tragedy worth remembering.