News and views

Well we have snow in this part of the world. It is almost like proper snow not that namby pamby stuff we usually get. The thing that always amuses me is the reaction of the country to this particular weather phenomenon. At the first prediction of snow the south of the country appears to go into meltdown and gridlock. The northerners look on and laugh and the rest of the world not protected by the jet stream in the northern latitudes just doesn't see how we can't deal with this simple weather type. The country is a laughing stock. The government argues that it cannot justify spending money on what are supposedly rare events. Well to be honest that doesn't wash as on the basis of that argument they wouldn't have bailed out the banks. For a simple one off infrastucture investment we can put in place sufficient material, bodies etc to deal with what are in actual fact probably going to be much more common occurrences.

In the lead up to Christmas here are my recommendations for the week. Tonight you can watch either Tombstone (BBC1) or Gremlins (ITV2). The former is a wonderful adaptation of the OK Corral story and the story of Wyatt Earp. The stand out performance comes from Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. Kilmer who can now be heard as the voice of KITT in the new version of Knight Rider often fails to deliver but this performance is a masterpiece. Gremlins is a delightfully anarchic film which plays around with a number of holiday traditions.

On Wednesday we have Arnie in Terminator 2: Judgment Day(itv2). This was a jaw dropping film when it came out and I remember the reaction to the special effects in the cinema. There are 2 versions of the film out there. The US version has a few more scenes which add a little but missing them does not detract from the enjoyment this film provides. It still stands up today and in a review for James Cameron's latest film Avatar it is argued that without T2 Avatar would not exist.

Christmas Eve brings Four Weddings and a Funeral (Film4). My best man and I went to watch this with a priest friend of ours and could barely stop laughing at his reaction to the opening sequence between Hugh Grant and the late Charlotte Cornwell. It is a bit twee but it is worth a look. Tragically it remains Hugh Grant's finest piece.

Not surprisingly the best day of the week is Christmas Day with three offerings later in the day. The stand out film of the day is Gladiator. This is a truly epic film with stunning effects and incredible performances not just by Russell Crowe but the supporting cast is truly stunning. Oliver Reed delivers a powerhouse performance. Another underrated film is Mercury Rising featuring Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin. Baldwin is arguably the better performer here and is at his menacing best. A more light hearted offering is Speed. It works because Keanu Reeves doesn't have to stretch himself as an actor. The film is stolen, as always seems to be the case, by the villain, in this case Dennis Hopper. All in all good friendly mindless fun. Stick your brain in neutral and just be entertained. Blues Brothers 2000 is on and whilst it isn't a patch on the original it too is very entertaining as a vehicle for all the wondrous music.

In one final seasonal plea do not under any circumstances watch Elf. Will Ferrell is very overrated in my opinion and by watching his tripe you only encourage him to make more of it.

Seasons greetings to one and all