Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice

I suppose it sounded like a good, commercial idea. Spend about a quarter of a billion dollars making a big, noisy, splashy movie involving two of the most popular super heroes of the past seventy years and watch the money roll in.

A week after its release 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' had just about covered its budget in box office returns which I presume means it now needs to cover its marketing costs before it moves into profit for its investors. A pretty expensive gamble which may pay off in the long run but probably not as yet.

The plot such as there is one is that Superman has become odious in the minds of the public - represented by the citizens of Gotham City and Metropolis - and an unprecedentedly down and charmless Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter ego) is going to rid the Burghers of those two cities of their fallen hero.

This requires two hours and thirty minutes of the loudest, most lurid action sequences imaginable interspersed occasionally by a minimal amount of insipid and unhelpful dialogue. Huge chunks of the film are quite confusing. Who is fighting who and why? What is going on? I didn't know and mostly I didn't care.

When in the final act of the film it turns into a 21st Century King Kong like epic with Wonderwoman added to the mix I would gladly have done away with Superman myself to end the torment.

Traditional lovers and students of the two super heroes must be aghast at the liberties taken with the well established characters. Or maybe not? I don't know.

What a muddle.

★1/2

Word for the day

putrescent

pjuːˈtrɛs(ə)nt/

adjective

1. undergoing the process of decay; rotting.

Bridge

Tonight, 54.70%, 5/15

Talk to each other

The sign on the Courtyard Cafe at Sydney Hospital; 'Sorry no free WI-FI, talk to each other'.

Bridge

Tonight, 43.39%, 8/8

Eye in the Sky

A joint British, American and Kenyan operation to capture three of the most wanted individuals on the US President's East African terror list enters murky territory when issues of potential 'collateral damage' arise.

'Eye in the Sky' is a depiction of conflict in the 21st Century executed with the use of high technology whilst political, warfare and ethical issues are discussed, finessed, bent and arguably ignored.

This is an unexpected and quite brilliant thriller on matters that we read about in the news but about which we have little real knowledge. I don't know how accurate are the depictions of the deployment of missile carrying drones and the decision making processes that go into employing them but this all has made for a very fine movie with much for the audience to debate about afterwards.

★★★★

A Bigger Splash

A record producer pays an unannounced visit to a singer and her photographer partner who are recuperating from health issues on an Italian island.

The threesome have some history between them and whilst they enjoy the delights of the island their history and prior relationships intrude in unexpected ways.

'A Bigger Splash' is a remake of 'La Piscine' and retains that European style. Slow development of story, more questions asked than answered and loose ends left unresolved. There is much nudity, Ralph Fiennes in particular, leaving little to the imagination. The Italian scenery and setting are interesting.

★★★

Sad reef

My weekend at Hamilton Island was the first time I have been in the vicinity of one of the wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef.

Until then my knowledge of the Reef has been confined to gorgeous images of colourful coral and marine life balanced by worrying reports of human generated deterioration that threatens the Reef's future. When I booked for a day's cruise and visit to the Reef I was in two minds about enjoying this natural wonder on the one hand and being a contributor to the deterioration by my, and so many others', intrusion to the area.

The catamaran we travelled on probably was carrying about three hundred sightseers. It took about two hours to reach the anchored pontoon on an edge of the Reef to which the catamaran was tied for the four hours of our visit.

Passengers could explore that tiny portion of the Reef in numerous ways. There was a submersible vessel that motored from the pontoon along a stretch of, I guess, one hundred metres of the Reef's edge. The pontoon itself housed an underwater viewing area alongside the Reef's edge. Passengers could, indeed did in large numbers, snorkel and scuba dive on a tiny section of the Reef and it's edge. There were two nearby helipads from which passengers could take helicopter rides over the Reef for periods of up to twenty minutes.

One way and another that seems a lot of potential disturbance on admittedly a tiny section of what is an enormous system. However there would be other daily visitors like ourselves at many other points not to mention disturbance from passing vessels, leakages and the many other events and accidents that impact on the area.

So did I observe the colourful life of the promotional images or signs of worrying deterioration? I am no expert on marine life or science and my exposure was for four hours only and at one very tiny section of the Reef. I don't suggest that my limited exposure is definitive but sadly what I observed was not the promotional images.

Here are several images of life under water.

And some images of life from above.

The Pontoon

Snorkeling on the Reef

Pontoon sundeck with Catamaran in background

Pontoon

Bridge

(Tonight, 51.39%, 9/17)

An update on the bank

After three wasted weeks waiting for the arrival of a replacement ATM card which was never ordered I was relieved finally to receive a card.

My relief was short-lived. It was chewed up by the ATM at my first attempt to use it. A call to the bank resulted in some words of sympathy but no explanation for this latest annoyance.

Another card was ordered which yet again the bank said I should expect to take 5-7 business days to reach me.  When it arrived I asked a reluctant bank officer to accompany me to the ATM to observe for themselves what might happen. To her disbelief, this second replacement card also was swallowed up by the ATM.

'This shouldn't happen' was her response. Further attempts to get the card working, this time at her desk seemed to have been successful until I took it back to the ATM where yet again it was swallowed up. This time with an explanation receipt. 'Too many PIN attempts. Card is retained' the clever-dick ATM informed me.

The teller remained confident the card would work, just 'not today'. Wait until tomorrow, she advised me.

I was back at the bank the next day and, relief of reliefs, the replacement card finally worked.

Then the following day I received a letter advising me of the PIN for the already activated card. This was a week after an earlier letter advised of the new (but different) PIN. I think the unsynchronised despatch of the two PIN advices for the two replacement cards might have been the problem.

Bye bye tropical island

The view from my hotel room

A last lingering look at my view for the past five days on Hamilton Island. I'll miss it....and the weather.

Back to Sydney today.

(Posted retrospectively. You will notice from the inclusion of a photograph that I am back on MacBook air; so to speak.)

Stalking the reef

An early start with a full cruise and visit to the Great Barrier Reef booked.

I got myself to the Marina with plenty of time and meandered around to Bob's Bakery for breakfast. I learnt quickly that Bob's establishment is very popular and it was no surprise to see a substantial queue even early on Easter Sunday (or should that be Easter Day?).

Then returning to the wharf I noticed the sullen youth from housekeeping yesterday studiously attending to his mobile phone in an adjacent park. Thirty minutes later I was even more surprised to find him sitting next to me at the wharf. I was just contemplating whether I was being followed by a stalker or even less likely a handsome youth who likes gay men 40 plus years his senior when he responded to an announcement to board a ferry. Not my ferry.

Thoughts of an Autumn/Spring relationship vanished like a soap bubble in a cyclone.

The day's cruise from which I have just returned was enjoyable and to be recommended for visitors to this part of the world. A two hour trip to the reef, followed by four hours at the reef, then two hours return trip. Whilst at the reef you can indulge in snorkelling and/or scuba diving; no experience necessary. You can view the reef from a submersible as well as from an underwater viewing chamber. You can take helicopter flights over the site as well. It is all very well organised and controlled including training and supervision.

Morning and afternoon tea and lunch are included although the best I can say about that is they provide food. Edible but not the lure of the tour.

Housekeeping, buggies, a surprise, orange

When you are at an island resort the last thing you expect at 8.15am is the sound of housekeeping announcing themselves with loud banging on your hotel door. It was clear they weren't going anywhere until I presented myself which I did with a towel covering the modesty of my not so modestly sized torso. A young woman gazed back at me rather sullenly as though my appearance was lowering the tone of the resort. Behind her was a young man with an even more sullen gaze whose youthful beauty would have had me inviting him in with alacrity in my own youth. But those days are long gone.

I asked them to give me a few minutes which, as I type this, they apparently interpreted as 'housekeeping is not required today'.

'What to do today' I wondered over a breakfast which included the curiosity of lamingtons amongst the croissants and Danish pastries. I sat myself down and read some of the literature promoting activities and decided on a full day cruise through the Whitsundays, which I booked at the Resort Centre. Booked for  tomorrow, that is; as I had missed today's cruise delayed, of course, by my unexpected early visitors.

So I was still left with the question, what to do today? I decided I would hire a buggy. The island is packed with holiday makers and indeed residents and workers criss crossing the limited road network on buggies.

As it turns out I was too late for a buggy. The hirers were overbooked and had a waiting list only. I decided to take the Green shuttle bus across the hill and to the marina area with its shops, eating outlets and general people watching activities.

Who should be the first person for me to watch but a fellow volunteer from the hospital who does the identical volunteer job to me at the hospital. She introduced me to her husband as 'Victor who does her job at the hospital' (on other days) when of course if it was me doing the introducing the correct explanation would be that it is she who does my job at the hospital. But let's not be petty.

The chance meeting was as amicable as you'd expect when one side (them) is staying at the most exclusive and expensive resort on the island behind a high wall and the other side (me) is staying at the all you can pack in, no fence at all, 'el cheapo' resort.

Not surprisingly no promises were made to catch up for pre-dinner drinks before holiday's end.

I made a quick departure just in time to catch the Orange shuttle bus for a sightseeing junket around the island which as Murphy's Law would decree included a run alongside the high wall separating my volunteer colleague and her husband in their resort from we sweaty mortals on the bus.

Don't you love chance meetings?

'Airlie dreamin'

Without any planning or forethought I turned up at the Marina and booked myself on the Port of Airlie via Daydream Island ferry route thus creating a day's cruising and sightseeing program for myself.

It worked quite well. The first leg of about thirty minutes through what I guess might be the Whitsunday Passage to Daydream Island was very pleasing visually. Arriving at DI we were serenaded by two Islanders playing gentle vaguely South Pacific sounding melodies. All very romantic for this ageing gay solo traveller.

I had two hours on the DI resort which was more than enough to get the feel of this tiny island resort. Quieter than Hamilton Island even with families and young children frolicking in the various pools. Somehow I managed to lose my cap during those two hours. I retraced my steps several times but found no trace of it. Added to the apparent death of my MacBook that constitutes two 'disasters' and no I wonder whether the proverbial third one awaits me?

Then on to Airlie on the Queensland mainland which was heaving with youthful energy on this hot Good Friday. I can't say there is a lot to see there on a quick visit but I had splendid stroll around the main town area and the garden lagoon packed with young semi naked bodies engaged in a surprising amount of romantic cuddling.

Then it was back to the Airlie ferry wharf for the return journey - including a second stop at DI - arriving back at Hamilton Island in the late afternoon.

All I all, a very satisfactory day of crushing and sightseeing considering that I had not planned a single activity for the day half and hour before the departure.

I put my feet up in the evening and read a book until sleep hit me like a bulldozer.

Hamilton Island and a modern disaster

Sharp eyed readers may have noticed something different about my posts for the two previous days and indeed this day's post. All will be explained in good time below.

This morning I flew the 1917 kilometres (according to Google Maps) from Sydney to Hamilton Island for the Easter long weekend.

The passenger in the adjacent seat was not exactly the passenger from hell but he was an irritant. First he was super fidgety, constantly moving about. Second he had no sense of personal space and repeatedly knocked my arm as he jumped about in his seat. Third, and worst, he sniffled non stop from when we took our seats until landing at the Island. It was two and half hours of irritation.

Arriving on the Island I can report the weather is sunny and delightful with temperature around 30°c and a nice breeze. It all feels very relaxing.

I have completed a brief reconnoiter of the resort. My room has a lovely view of the sea.

I would love to show it to you but that's where the disaster has struck.

Retrieving my MacBook from my case I find it has died a total death without the slightest forewarning. Did it suffer from some manner of behind the scenes Airport security screening? I don't know. I have taken it all around the world in the past couple of years without incident. Now I have to wait until return to Sydney to contact the Apple Store and either have the MacBook revived or replaced by a new model.

In the meantime this and the two previous (retrospective) posts have been created on my iPad on which I haven't worked out how to download my photos, images or symbols such as the stars I use for rating films and theatre.

First world problems!

Bridge

Tonight 34.81%, 15/16

Golem

Golem is the latest offering at the Sydney Theatre Company.

It is a performance piece by the British performance group 1927 and it mixes human performance with animation live on stage using split second timing and movement. It is a very clever piece which relates how humans are being seduced and overtaken by developments in technology and fashion.

It is quite fascinating, although at 90 minutes without an interval I felt it to be slightly overlong. Perhaps I was a little tired following two long days of work and evenings out.

Three and half stars.

Bridge

Tonight, 47.62%, 5/8

London Has Fallen

A Pakistani arms dealer whose family was killed by an American missile attack on his residential compound seeks revenge when world leaders descend on London for the funeral of the British Prime Minister.

As far as that goes, in these times, such a plot is quite plausible. Where 'London Has Fallen' extends itself into a universe of total implausibility, however, is the manner and extent to which that revenge is wreaked. It is not just the scale of the vengeance, nor the antics of its hero, Gerard Butler, which are laughable at times but even incidental moments are risible. Two examples. First, the British have perfected the ceremonial street procession into an art form and would never have a Prime Minister trapped in a traffic jam as depicted here. Second, the natural reserve of the British Public Servant would never allow the officers of London's Metropolitan Police to whoop and holler American style as presented in another scene.

As terrible as many of them are, I quite enjoy watching disaster movies where internationally known landmarks are destroyed. In this movie the CGI effects are reasonable if not always fully convincing and there was some fun in seeing those moments.

However the brain has to be switched off in order to sit through much of this film. One moment of personal amusement was my realisation that the actor portraying the Canadian PM also plays the American Ambassador in the Norwegian political disaster television series 'Occupied' which I have been watching on Netflix this week. Clearly if his acting career stalls he has a future as a Diplomat in disaster situations!

A lot of nonsense mostly and also quite brutal at times.

★★

The Daughter

'The Daughter' is an Australian film adaptation of an Australian theatrical adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 'The Wild Duck'. The writer and first time film director is Simon Stone who also wrote and directed the theatrical adaptation which was a huge success in Sydney a couple of years back.

Family secrets are revealed at a family wedding which have repercussions far beyond the wedding party.

Shot in semi-rural areas outside of Sydney as well as within the city this is a well acted film. The heartbreaking story unfolds slowly and packs a punch in its climactic moments.

Geoffrey Rush curbs his usual flamboyance and Ewen Leslie and relative newcomer Odessa Young are excellent.

★★★★