Word of the day: bloviate
May 4th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
To bloviate is to speak pompously.
I came across this word for the first time in a recent Facebook posting by the political commentator Robert Reich who described Donald Trump as “a bloviating bigot”.
I couldn’t agree more. Let’s hope that American voters understand this in the forthcoming Presidential election.
Posted in American current affairs, Cultural issues | Comments (0)
The vast majority of films still failing the Bechdel Test
May 3rd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I’ve blogged before about the Bechdel test.
The Bechdel Test was inspired by animator Alison Bechdel’s 1985 tongue-in-cheek comic strip ‘The Rule’. In order for a film to pass The Bechdel Test, it must have at least two named female characters, who have a conversation with each other about something other than a man.
You’d be surprised how few movies meet this test. One that will is the remake of “Ghostbsters” which is due to be released this summer. Astonishingly the film has attracted a massive backlash even before it’s been released. Could this be a case of misogyny?
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Three reasons why Leicester is a great city
May 3rd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
- King Richard III is buried there.
- They are Premier League Champions.
- My wonderful sister lives there.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Word of the day: Holodomor
May 2nd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I came across this word very early in the film “Child 44” which I have recently viewed [my review here]. Holodomor is a composte of two Ukrainian words and means ‘extermination by hunger’.
It is a reference to the man-made famine in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1932 and 1933 that killed somewhere between 2.5–7.5 million Ukrainians. It was part of the wider disaster, the Soviet famine of 1932–33, which affected the major grain-producing areas of the country and a major feature of Stalin’s terror war on his own citizens.
Since 2006, the Holodomor has been recognized by the independent Ukraine and 14 other countries as a genocide of the Ukrainian people carried out by the Soviet Union.
You can learn more here.
Posted in Cultural issues, History | Comments (0)
A review of “Captain America: Civil War”
May 1st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
First, there was “Captain America: The First Avenger” [my review here]. This was was followed by “Captain America: The Winter Solider” [my review here]. This weekend saw the release in the UK of “Captain America: Civil War” – the best of the three – which I’ve reviewed here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
A review of the new release “Demolition”
May 1st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Canadian Jean-Marc Vallée has made three successive response-to-grief films. Following “Dallas Buyers Club” [my review here] and “Wild” [my review here], this weekend has seen the release in the UK of “Demolition” which I’ve reviewed here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Today is May Day – a celebration of the workers of the world
May 1st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
“On May Day, we celebrate the worker of the world: blue collar, white collar, pink collar, in hoodies, hijab, or prison green, this day belongs to the entire working class.”
Peter Linebaugh, American author of “The Incomplete, True, Authentic, and Wonderful History of May Day”
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Bluebells herald the arrival of Spring (at last)
April 30th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Vee with her twin sister Mari among bluebells
down on the south coast
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (1)
10 reasons why the UK should remain a member of the European Union
April 30th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
One of my Members of the European Parliament Seb Dance has put together an informative but succinct case on why we should vote ‘Yes” in the referendum on 23 June. You can check out his 10 reasons here.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of the thriller movie “Child 44”
April 29th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I haven’t read the book (should I?) but I have now seen the film of the novel “Child 44”. It should have been a better movie but it is still worth viewing and I’ve reviewed it here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)