June: Got a job

I got a job!

That was the big deal this month.

After more months than I care to contemplate, someone has seen fit to finally gainfully employ me.

Hoorah for deregulated energy companies

Movie: Terminator Salvation

The fourth Terminator film needs to find something new to keep the franchise alive after a generally lacklustre third outing.

The trailers for the film have, I think, been rather good - showing a post-apocolyptic vision of a shattered World and certainly the imagary in the film is one of the strong points with effective use of CGI against some stunning, bleak backdrops. But, visuals alone do not make a film.

I want to like this film and, in some ways, I do. It's a massive departure from the previous Terminator films, perhaps not surprisingly given the setting, however this was a good choice since rehashing the old ideas again would just be a disappointment.

Where the film struggles is in stitching together the plot. The first act is generally incoherent - moody, interesting but hard to follow - the characters are only realised to a basic level and the focus is on action and visuals rather than dialogue but the basic seeds of the story are sown. The second act starts to bring some interesting twists and character pieces into play. Bale is mediocre - being given little to work with but it is Worthington who shines with a well considered, sometime subtle edge to his character. There are some more teriffic CGI sequences and some development of the story - it isn't a strong second act but brings more than the first.

Finally, in the third act, the film finds itself. This, alone, saves it from being a meaningless disaster and manages to present an enjoyable climax - with a few caveats. This deliberatly draws on previous Terminator films and gives the audience what they really want (I shall say no more).

Overall this is one of those films which is enjoyable enough, but not great. Bale's character needed to be more central, stronger and less conflicted to pull this off and it's only in the climax that we see this. Wothington is good and engaging throughout and Bonham Carter makes a good, effective, appearance. This isn't your traditional Terminator film but it has plenty of action, lots of great visuals, some good CGI and, if you can wade through the first two acts, a satisfying and enjoyable climax.

7/10

Return of the Jedi

Today, I have finally finished Lego Star Wars on the Wii.

I started back in January, after receiving it for Christmas, so it's been a good 5 months of work and 150 hours of play to get to the end with 100.0% complete.

I've enjoyed it, on the whole, it's quite good with a nice bit of humour. Not quite as polished as Mario Galaxy with a few more bugs and annoying bits, but - with the exception of 1 particular level, which I think is just dreadful - generally a good mix of gameplay and plenty to keep you busy.

Zelda Twwlight Princess is next on the list.

Final Frontier

I still get a thrill from images like this.

It's strange but true that, unlike a great many people, I still find the whole space programme rather inspirational and compelling. It's a rare sight these days to see a Space Shuttle being transported like this (they prefer to land them back in Florida), and it does look rather old and clunky in many ways (it was designed nearly 40 years ago), but I think it reminds us of a more optimistic and idealistic time.

The Space Shuttle was born at the peak of the Space race, conceived during the golden Apollo years when everything seemed possible - after all getting to the moon had only taken 7 years. The reality was somewhat different - with NASA being pulled in different directions, budget cuts and persistent problems it was 10 years after Apollo when the Shuttle finally took flight.

The history of the Shuttle has, perhaps, not been flawless, but when you remember that until the dawn of the reusable spacecraft a very, very small number of people had been into orbit. At the end of 18 years of service, there are now a whole army of those who have left the Earth. Although the craft never became what NASA envisaged - never the cheap, reliable, day-to-day space transport, but its achievments are nevertheless, remarkable.

The Shuttle will be retired next year and it will be the end of an era. Not just the era of the shuttle itself, but the era of optimistic, idealistic spaceflight. It is the legacy of the Kennedy space race, a bold, ambitious move to make space more accessible and a fitting tribute to all those who laboured to let mankind take its first, small steps away from the planet. Despite being an outmoded, expensive and none-too-safe system, I, for one, feel sadness at the end of such an era. It remains to be seen if the ambitions of NASAs current flagship manned space programme, Constallation, will have the same ability to inspire and compel attention - based firmly, as it is, in the budget mentality. Time will tell, but time will also remember the Space Shuttle.