Saturday, August 1, 2015

Movie Review ... Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

 

 

mission_impossible_rogue_nation-posterTom Cruise has made the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise his own.  This is no small feat given the enduring popularity of the original TV series.  Taking the best aspects which made the small screen version so popular, Cruise has stayed true to its action-packed ethos.  Continuing the spectacular action and genuine suspense of previous instalments, ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ is a worthy addition to the explosive series.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) faces his most deadly mission.  A skilled agent for the IMF organisation, his life becomes endangered due to The Syndicate.  A sinister cabal filled with assassins and wayward spies, it aims to destroy the IMF.  With his job and life on the line, Hunt gathers his team to destroy the latest threat to world peace.

‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ is a grandiose epic of the highest order.  The villains are suitably wicked, the heroes virtuous and the action is ramped to the max.   There aren’t any hidden meanings - just wild escapist thrill-ride only mega-bucks can buy.  As we journey with Hunt on this incredible quest, the mix of action and humour perfectly blends.  Aided by co-stars including Simon Pegg, Cruise gives a fine performance as a hero determined to right wrongs.

Making ‘Rogue Nation’ work is its vision.  Embracing the story’s world-wide scope, director Christopher McQuarrie ensures the global threat feels real.  The gorgeous locations are a bonus, giving the film a lushly stylised look.  The stunts are what everyone expects and they don’t disappoint.  Effectively utilising their possibilities, McQuarrie brings energetic pace.  Thankfully remembering to tell an engaging story amidst the dazzling mayhem, ‘Rogue Nation’ should delight thrill-seekers.

‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ is a top notch addition to the franchise.  Continuing the high standards of previous adventures, the consistent quality should enable further impossible missions for years to come.

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Movie Review Rating out of 10:  8

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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Trivia Bits 01 August

 

Tony Award 

Starting with 11 awards in 1947, The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known informally as the Tony Award (pictured), recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre for Broadway productions and performances with an award is given for regional theatre.

English professional footballer Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick in the 1953 FA Cup Final at Wembley, becoming the first player ever to do so.

One of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century was Canadian Glenn Gould who in 1945 gave his first public performance, playing the organ, and the following year he made his first appearance with an orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the age of 14, in a performance of the first movement of Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto.

The National Gallery in Berlin expanded from its original 1876 building into five others, including a Schinkel church and two palace outbuildings in Charlottenburg.

South Australia was the first colony in Australian to grant restricted women's suffrage in 1861, and in 1895 became the second place in the world to grant universal suffrage (after New Zealand), and the first where women had the dual rights to vote and to stand for election.

The limited car model Commodore SS Storm is manufactured by Holden (General Motors) in Australia.

Released by Columbia Records/550 Music on 9 November 1993, The Colour of My Love is the third English-language studio album by Canadian recording artist Celine Dion and features two cover versions of The Power of Love and When I Fall in Love.

Suffragist Louisa Lawson (1848–1920), publisher of Australia's first female-run journal, The Dawn, was also the mother of the great Australian poet Henry Lawson.

The Gulf of Mannar separates the Asian countries of India and Sri Lanka.

Quotables 01 August

 

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Friday, July 31, 2015

Trivia Bits 31 July

 

President Hugo Chavez 

Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (pictured) once said that a podium smelt of burning sulphur after US President George W Bush had stood at it.

When a female horse and male donkey mate, the offspring is called a mule, but when a male horse and female donkey mate, the offspring is called a hinny.

As a child, American musician B.A. Rolfe was billed as The Boy Trumpet Wonder who went on to become a bandleader and significant film producer with his last production being the 15-part 1919 mystery serial, The Master Mystery, starring Harry Houdini.

In golf, a hole-in-one on a par five hole is called a condor.

Starring as the shape-shifting mutant and Charles Xavier's childhood friend and adoptive sister Raven Darkhölme / Mystique in the 2011 superhero film movie X-Men: First Class was American actress Jennifer Lawrence.

In 1939, Vern Wicklund, at the age of 13, fashioned a shred deck in Cloquet, Minnesota and the modified sled was dubbed a “bunker" by Vern and his friends then he, along with relatives Harvey and Gunnnar Burgeson, patented the very first snowboard twenty two years later.

Written by Alan Moore, the 1982 graphic novel V for Vendetta was made into the 2005 movie of the same name starring Australian-British film and stage actor Hugo Weaving as V - an anarchist freedom fighter who stages a series of terrorist attacks and attempts to ignite a revolution against the brutal fascist regime that has subjugated the United Kingdom and exterminated its opponents in concentration camps.

Scientists believe that Europa, a moon of Jupiter, could potentially host extra-terrestrial life.

Time is never time at all is the first line from The Smashing Pumpkin’s song Tonight, Tonight which was the third single and second track on the first disc from their third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness released in April 1996.

Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong is better known as Dido, a British singer-songwriter who attained international success with her debut album No Angel in 1999.

Quotables 31 July

 

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Thursday, July 30, 2015

Trivia Bits 30 July

 

Draped Reclining Woman 1957-58

Draped Reclining Woman 1957-58 is one of the best known works by 20th Century British sculptor Henry Moore with six casts of the completed sculpture made, which are currently displayed in the UK, Germany, Israel, America, Australia and Belgium.

Situated on the north-western side of Wilpena Pound and at 1,171 m / 3,839 ft, St Mary Peak is the highest point within the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

In the American television period sitcom That 70’s Show, the role of the generally geeky, physically slight, and somewhat clumsy Eric Forman was played by American actor Topher Grace.

Dresden is one of the most populated cities of Germany and is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border.

Columbanian monk Jonas of Bobbio based his Life of St. Columbanus, written between 640 and 643, on the recollections of Benedictine monks who had known the Irish saint personally.

1600's Italian Baroque composer Domenico Gabrielli, one of the first composers to write solo music for the violoncello, was himself a virtuoso cello player and earned himself the Italian dialect nickname Minghino dal viulunzeel, meaning Dominic of the cello, among his contemporaries.

A cormorant is a bird that traditionally has been used for their fishing skills, in China, Japan, Greece and the Republic of Macedonia, where they have been trained by fishermen.

The 1994 American legal thriller film The Client featured a lawyer named Regina Reggie Love played by Susan Sarandon in the movie adaptation of the 1993 book of the same name written by American author John Grisham.

Before gaining independence in 1966, the African country of Lesotho was known as Basutoland which was a British Crown colony established in 1884.

Bellatix and Rigel are stars in the constellation of Orion named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.

Quotables 30 July

 

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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Trivia Bits 29 July

 

 The Seventh Seal poster

Considered a classic of world cinema, Antonius plays chess against Death in the 1957 Swedish drama-fantasy film The Seventh Seal (poster pictured) written and directed by Ingmar Bergman establishing him as a world-renowned director.

Folie à deux, French for a madness shared by two, or shared psychosis, is a psychiatric syndrome in which symptoms of a delusional belief are transmitted from one individual to another.

Former Sri Lankan cricketer A. R. R. A. P. W. R. R. K. B. Amunugama has more initials than any other first-class cricketer with his full name being Amunugama Rajapakse Rajakaruna Abeykoon Panditha Wasalamudiyanse Ralahamilage Rajitha Krishantha Bandara Amunugama, better known as Rajitha Amunugama.

The compound eyes of arthropods like insects, crustaceans and millipedes are composed of units called ommatidia or singular ommatidium.

The mystical knowledge, enlightenment or knowledge of spiritual things is known as gnosis.

Russian native Emilio Kosterlitzky, known as the Mexican Cossack, spoke nine languages, jumped ship in Venezuela, fled to Mexico where he fought in the Apache Wars and in the Mexican Revolution, and eventually became an undercover operative for the U.S. government during World War I.

Louis the Pious, the son of Charlemagne, was the king of France from 841AD and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 813 to 840 and was crowned by Pope Stephen IV on 5 October 816 in Reims, France.

Between the towns of Ooldia and Nurina in Western Australia, is the world's longest straight stretch of railway, 478.4 kilometres in length.

Charles Schepens, an influential ophthalmologist and regarded by many in the profession as the father of modern retinal surgery, was also a leader in the World War 2 Nazi resistance movement in France.

The six main events in individual Olympic Men’s Gymnastics are floor exercise, Pommel horse, Rings, Vault, Parallel bars and Horizontal – High – Bar.

Quotables 29 July

 

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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Trivia Bits 28 July

 

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

The 1968 book on which the 1982 movie Blade Runner was based, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (covered pictured) was written by American novelist, short story writer, essayist and philosopher Phillip K Dick.

Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra wrote the 1605 book Don Quixote, considered to be the first modern European novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written.

In 2011, Namibia ranked fourth worldwide in uranium production, behind Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia.

The Comal River is the shortest navigable river in Texas (USA), running entirely within the city limits of New Braunfels beginning at Comal Springs in Landa Park and flowing 2.5 miles (4.0 km) until its junction with the Guadalupe.

Romain Rolland was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production and to the sympathy and love of truth with which he has described different types of human beings" with his bibliography including Jean Christophe (1904-1912) and the play Le Loups (1898) based on the Dreyfus Affair

American screen and stage actor and cultural icon Marlon Brando was eighty years old when he died in 2004 and is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time.

When potatoes first appeared in Europe in the seventeenth century, it was thought that they were disgusting, and they were blamed for starting outbreaks of leprosy and syphilis and as late as 1720 in America, eating potatoes was believed to shorten a person's life.

The Romans named Saturday Sāturni diēs ("Saturn's Day") no later than the 2nd century for the planet Saturn, which controlled the first hour of that day and was also referred to as "Sæternes dæġe" in an Old English translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People.

The southernmost State of Mexico, Chiapas, officially Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the 31 states of Mexico with its capital city being Tuxtla Gutiérrez and is home to the ancient Mayan ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilán, Bonampak, and Chinkultic.

Lysa Hora, a large woody hill in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, is both a historical fortress and a mystical "bold mountain" where witches are believed to gather for their sabbaths.

Quotables 28 July

 

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Monday, July 27, 2015

Trivia Bits 27 July

 

 Teatro alla Scala

In the Italian city of Milan is Teatro alla Scala (pictured) a world-renowned opera house which was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala.

From 1908 to 1940, over 100,000 of the 447 different models for Sears Catalog Homes were sold in the United States.

Livadia Palace in Crimea, a summer retreat of the last Russian tsar, was the setting of the 1945 Yalta Conference between the Big Three - leaders of Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States who controlled Allied policy.

On the western shore of the Paraná River, Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, in central Argentina with the city's patron is the Virgin of the Rosary, whose feast day is October 7.

It is in the science of astronomy that a supernova would be studied.

Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and released in May 1960, Roy Orbison’s song Only the Lonely was his first major hit and in 1999, Only the Lonely was honoured with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

In the 1999 Davis Cup a total of 128 nations participated in the tennis tournament with Australia defeating France at the Acropolis Exhibition Hall in Nice, France, on 3–5 December, giving Australia their 22nd title.

There are four dot colours that appear on the mat in a game of Twister - red, yellow, blue and green.

With lyrics and music written during 1938 by Robert MacArthur Crawford, the United States Air Force does not own the copyright to its official service song, The U.S. Air Force which is owned by New York music publisher Carl Fischer Inc., and includes a perpetual performance release in favour of the U.S. Air Force.

The Isle of Man in the Irish Sea is divided into areas called sheadings - Ayre, Glenfaba, Garff, Michael, Rushen and Middle, and were originally introduced as areas of administration in the late 14th Century.

Quotables 27 July

 

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Sunday, July 26, 2015

Movie Review ... Mr. Holmes

 

Mr._Holmes_posterSherlock Holmes is one of history’s most enduring fictional characters.  Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, his hero has been re-interpreted many times.  ‘Mr. Holmes’ is the latest to trade on a character seen in all forms of entertainment media.  Providing a fresh slant on the popular defender of rights, ‘Mr. Holmes’ captures the elegant air of mystery first portrayed via Conan Doyle’s pen.

Living in a farmhouse in remote England in 1947, Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) enjoys retirement.  Aged 93 and beginning to lose his memory, he is cared for by housekeeper Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her young son Roger (Milo Parker).  When former partner Watson publishes a book giving a different account of Holmes’ last case, Sherlock endeavours to tell his version of the story.  Attempting to piece together facts before his mind fades, Holmes sharpens his detection skills a final time.

‘Mr Holmes’ is based on Mitch Cullin’s book ‘A Slight Trick of the Mind’ and offers an absorbing psychological mystery.  Wearily coming to terms with the inevitability of his advancing years, Holmes determines to hold onto the last vestiges of his abilities.  Using them to face past grievances and present dilemmas, his relationships with Mrs. Munro and her son increasingly become important.  The central cast provide under-stated performances effectively highlighting the frailty of the situations in which their characters find themselves.

More drama than traditional Sherlock Holmes thriller, ‘Mr. Holmes’ adds an interesting coda to the mystique.  McKellen’s strong rendition makes the character feel more human than the indestructible hero usually seen.  Regret, anger and joy are all etched onto the detective’s face with Bill Condon’s direction teasing out the best of a sedately paced script.  Mystery is there for audiences to uncover but it’s the relationships making ‘Mr. Holmes’ intriguing viewing.

‘Mr. Holmes’ is a successful take on a much loved character.  Holmes’ inquisitive curiosity is still evident with his gift for solving puzzles adding another layer of enjoyment in a generally fine movie.

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Movie Review Rating out of 10:  7

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

Agree with Patrick's Movie Review? Then please use the comment box.

Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at movie releases in Australia.

Official HomePage click HERE

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Trivia Bits 26 July

 

Spinone Italiano 

A Spinone Italiano (pictured) is an Italian dog breed originally bred as a versatile gun dog, is a loyal, friendly and alert dog with a close lying, wiry coat and is an ancient breed that can be traced back to approximately 500 BC.

Spanish merchant and whaler Francisco Portusach Martínez was appointed acting-Governor of Guam after the capture of the island by the U.S. Navy in 1898 because he was the only U.S. citizen living there.

From 1988 until 2000, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open golf tournament was known as the du Maurier Ltd Classic.

The BBC1 1992 television sitcom Grace & Favour was the sequel series to the long-running programme Are You Being Served.

It is in the back of the head that you will find the occipital bone.

Formerly the Danish West Indies and sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of 1916 what is now known as the United States Virgin Islands.

The 1957 novels The Guns of Navarone by Scottish writer Alistair MacLean was set in World War II with the Greek island of Navarone and the plot is fictitious; however, the story takes place within the real historical context of the Dodecanese Campaign - the Allies' campaign to capture the German-held Greek islands in the Aegean Sea in 1943.

English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1787 to 1802, Thomas Lord started Lord's Cricket Ground, the Home of Cricket in 1814.

Repnin Sejm of 1767-68 in Poland was so named after the Russian Empire ambassador Nicholas Repnin, who coerced the Sejm (Polish parliament) into accepting his demands of shaping legislation more favourable to Russia under Russian Empress Catherine the Great.

Britain's present royal family was originally named Saxe-Coburg and Gotha but was changed in 1917, during WW1 because of German connotations with Windsor suggested by one of the staff. At the same time the Battenberg family name of cousins to the Windsors was changed into Mountbatten.

Quotables 26 July

 

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