The Labour Party: What Went Wrong?

Rather than being an abstract discussion about the topic at hand, today's event hosted by Faiza Shaheen was was more of a conversation with the investigative journalist Paul Holden, mainly using the case study of the think tank Labour Together as a vehicle to demonstrate some of the less robust processes that have been occurring in the Labour party of the last decade or so.

Most of what was said was in the public domain - or at the very least in Holden's hefty tome. Nevertheless everything discussed was shocking. Nothing discussed was surprising. All the while, the frustration that such concerns are niche was constantly buzzing throughout. We left the event optimistic that that might change.

In a surprise twist, the Q&A was not awful, with some decent (and mercifully short and outward facing) questions prompting some equally insightful answers.

This was my first Faiza event and I look forward to future ones. It's another positive sign that these spaces and discussions are no longer rare and intermittent - whether they become mainstream is of course something to wish for, but the fact that they exist at all should not be taken for granted.

 

Film: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

It's not like Nintendo to fail at these things, and yet here we are. Where the first Mario movie reached a chef's kiss level of finesse, its sequel is an empty shell in comparison. 

It's hard to say what's missing. And it could be that nothing is. The plot is okay, the jokes okay. The fan-service is... well quite fantastic actually and possibly the only reason to watch this movie.

So perhaps the failure is it's own fault, and the movie just doesn't reach the heights that we know such a franchise should - a theory proven once already at least. As it stands we are left with a very plain film that you should probably labour to watch at home.

Film: Undertone

Perhaps I'm getting a bit old, but I'm of the opinion that horror movies need to be more than just a series of (even excellent) scary set pieces. This is as opposed to certain other genres - an action or fighting movie can probably still be entertaining even if the plot is non-existent. But a horror movie needs the background engagement of its audience in order for them to suspend their disbelief. Just being good art or leaving things overly implied or ambiguous harms that.

Undertone was a series of excellent scary set pieces that did very little to progress a plot. It's especially unfortunate, given how novel it otherwise was - using some great sound tricks and the limited cast to really bring out the creepies. This made the lack of any payoff even more jarring, enough to overall cause the movie to fail to reach its potential.

It was a good timepass I guess, but overall undertone is one to watch at home. 

 

Film: Project Hail Mary

The whole book vs adaptation conversation will always be a paradox. A film was never going to be as good as the book it was based on, and yet the book would never have been as good if read after watching the film. As such there is no perfect set up where you can enjoy both to the maximum, and such is the case here.

But it's more than the reasonable expectation that a lot was going to be cut out. The film itself seemed very rushed and pacey - a bit like a 2h40m extended trailer for a better film to come. As such a lot of the ingredients that made the book magic - the charm, the science, the story.

My only hope is that the film pushes more people to the book, so that they can experience the more fuller and rounded story. Whether that experience will be as good as having read the book first, well we'll never know.

Book: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Aainst This, Omar El Akkad

Apart from being wonderfully written, brilliantly concise and amazingly clear, the real value in this book isn't how well it is put together, but as medicine for those who perhaps struggle for articulating the feelings and positions they have over current and recent world affairs. In that sense it's a bit cathartic, a welcome release valve for us to realise that, no, we are not mad nor alone.

It's a short book and I recommend everyone to read it. 

Ilford in Conversation: Women Challenging the Political Status Quo

Tonight's conversation was of particular interest to me having been moved from the host's constituency to the guest's, Faiza Shaheen's. It turns out that this didn't make much of a difference to the latter, but was of benefit to the former... leaving the redrawing of the boundaries largely an academic exercise.

But that detail aside, tonight was less explicitly about women in politics and more about political troublemaking - although given the vicinity of the two impressive figures on stage you can't help but feel that their power may have come from their chromosomes after all.

I think the main takeaway was one of inspiration and hope, reassurance that there are people who think about things and more, take action. Both were soaked in their humility as well as their struggle, and it was nice to hear first hand Faiza's historical position with Labour.

Film: Send Help

I think it's safe to say that I'll never be disappointed by Sam Raimi. That said I'm always surprised to hear that he has a new film coming out, given he's been treating us to such awesomeness since the 70s.

But I digress. Send Help is exactly what you would expect it to be, a not so straightforward bunch of set pieces asking far more than "what would an office power dynamic look like when reversed on a desert island". 

It's that subversion which elevates his films, but also the fact that they're so solid, concise and ridiculous in a good way. They never feel overwrought and end exactly when and how they need to.

Send Help was no different and so it obviously gets a recommendation from me.

Film: Primate

Maybe (definitely) I'm getting a little grumpy in my old age, but any film that has a man in a monkey suit as its main antagonist (while keeping a straight face) is destined to be pretty awful.

And turns out that Primate was pretty ridiculous. Not because of its premise and in fact had it been just another horror with, I dunno, a zombie instead it would have been quite enjoyable. It was the implementation here that failed.

So perhaps if I'm being charitable I'd describe this as a good idea that didn't quite make it. Either way this one might be one to miss. 

Book: Aurora, Kim Stanley Robinson

I've always maintained that there is Science Fiction and there is Science Fiction. Aurora can be firmly placed in the more genuine of the two buckets, appealing not to popular sentiment or in anticipation of a TV deal but setting out to tell a hard story (with hard science) answering hard human questions.

It's this "rough around the edges" feel that makes the book so great - that's not to say it is of low quality, since however abrupt the prose seems the plot, characterisation and narrative are all as polished as it gets. Indeed the real genius in the book is being both authentic while keeping its depth accessible.

Perhaps a bit over long, the story remains gripping throughout. I'm left hopeful that modern robust Science Fiction can be a thing, even if it remains rare. Recommended.

Umrah 2026

I was going to full tilt rant about how each trip to the two holy cities is less pleasant than the last, about how there are too many Muslims there now, and how the whole thing feels like a Disneyland resort what with all the selfies and content being generated.

Except that it turns out I had exactly the same thoughts the last time we visited, down to the Disneyland quip. So much for originality then, but at least the consistency in my feelings lends some robustness to them.

New this trip was us flying Wizz Air, a budget airline. This isn't my first taste of a cheap flight to Saudi - last time I flew there via Pegasus and that long haul flight destroyed me even with the stop in the middle, so the thought of a long haul 6 hour flight was a little scary. Turns out that it's not too bad - the return leg from Madinah was worse than the trip going out but we'd probably do it again in order to keep to a budget - it may even lend itself to a new model where we go for an even shorter amount of time to a single city and instead include a day trip to the other.

Otherwise the trajectory is the same: more people, more problems and more changes. Of note: all of my post-Umrah tawafs were done in outdoor footwear which was a bit of a sad indictment. To the credit of the Saudi authorities they seem to be doing okay managing the crowds, but until they do something extreme like banning smartphones I can't see any kind of reversal in the lack of etiquette shown by the great unwashed.

Ilford in Conversation: Hunger Strikers #Filton24

I've mentioned before how important the Ilford in Conversation talks tend to be - they manage to remain current, honest, and present a depth that is far more than the usual talking points. The guests have been relevant, the audience (largely) sensible and all this with a sense of intimacy that can actually obscure how special and valuable this forum is.

Take tonight's topic for example - yes we may each have some preliminary knowledge into the hunger strikes being held by the Filton 24 but to hear accounts from those closest to them added a dimension you can't get by following social media accounts and reading blogs. I learned plenty over what I already knew, but the real value was in having the story shared.

The evening held no surprises, but that's okay - this particular subject matter wasn't about shock and awe. However if my suspicion about how many such forums have been held covering the topic holds (that they can be counted on one hand), the fact that we were fortunate enough to be present in one is of value enough.

Film: Wicked: For Good

There are a few potential problems with splitting a film that didn't require any splitting into two. Firstly there would always be comparisons - this kind of two parter lends itself to is as close an apples to apples comparison as you can get.

The graver issue is that of structure. When you split a typical three act story into two, then one of the films will end up being of a single act. This can be jarring as without the context it all feels rather flat. And that, my readers, is why Wicked: For Good fell way short and ultimately was a disappointing way to experience the conclusion of a fantastic show.

Everything from the first film stood here - the acting, the production, even the Defying Gravity-less soundtrack were all beyond passing. The whole thing just felt like it was limping across the finish line - not quite because it was an obvious cash grab but just because it didn't offer anything of any depth. It felt rushed, even though both films together weighed in at twice the runtime of the stage show.

All very disappointing really, and it sucks that this is the only way to see how it all plays out. 

Film: The Running Man

Perhaps the mistake I made was watching the original 1987 just yesterday, because even though this new version wasn't bad per se... it did jar a bit. What it gained in sophistication it lost in feeling, charm and simplicity, and ultimately... I really didn't dig it.

I can talk about the decent action, so-so plot and fair acting, and still struggle to get excited. Maybe The Running Man is just a case study in the blandness of modern film? One to watch at home if you ask me. 

Ilford in Conversation: The Rise of the Far Right and the Fight Back

Regardless of what you might think of Ilford or Leanne Mohamad, Ilford in Conversation is starting to become a very decent forum to hear people who have something to say, speak. Tonight we had the journalist Taj Ali to talk about the development of the Far Right phenomena, both in the UK and elsewhere. Where it could have been a very shallow topic ("everyone is racist, amiright?"), Ali gave it a sense of depth and nuance that I'd have struggled to find elsewhere.

The conversation format seems to work well versus the typical speech style. Various perspectives were covered: the historical, the theoretical and the practical aspects of the Far Right. It was also a very human conversation - not quite "we should all hug a racist" but the vibes were there - without compromise.

All in all, another impressive show, accessible and free. It's the kind of altruistic stuff that goes beyond typical politics, and as a result always manages to be refreshing.

Film: Predator: Badlands

There was a period in the late 90s and 00s where, for some reason, film makers were failing to capture the magic that the preceding couple of decades or so gave us. Impressively they managed to both overreach and underperform leaving some pretty forgettable stuff.

Predator makes for a great case study given how long the franchise has been around. Like its peers it suffered through its midlife, but I'm glad to say that Trachtenberg has managed to succeed where his predecessors fell short.

His Predator films (this being the third after the excellent Prey and Killer of Killers) seem to be very much to the point, while adding enough sophistication (both in terms of the action and plot) that a modern rendering demands. I guess its in how easy he makes it look that belies the genius here.

Anyway, Badlands was great and I recommend it (and the previous two if they were missed). 

Book: Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir

Although I very much enjoyed The Martian at the time, after reflection I saw it for what it was - a book of puzzles and problem solving using creativity and science. It was like the analogue version of watching a physics experiment on YouTube or something. As such, I didn't have much interest in reading much more from the author, expecting anything he wrote to be more of the same. Given that I'm between franchises and a film is due for release next year I thought I'd give this one a shot. And (spoiler alert) Project Hail Mary is pretty much the same book.

That's not a bad thing of course. Being so formulaic meant reading more puzzles, seeing more problems solved - unlike many others I don't see these books as sci-fi but just examples of very tight storytelling, something that is a treat to those who thrive on feeding their mild OCDs. One evolution Hail Mary has is parallel storytelling in the form of flashbacks, lending some further twists and drama to another dimension of the story.

It's short, punchy, and (unlike certain other books I've been reading recently) doesn't require access to the Internet to follow. Any questions the reader has are headed off - the author has a natural ability to anticipate any queries had - in that sense he carries you with him on the ride as the book unfolds.

And yet the conclusion remains the same - there's something about this book that makes it feel like a novelty, cheap and fun calories that you won't necessary regret but probably won't stay with you in the longer term. That's not a totally bad thing, particularly given the size of the book, and so Project Hail Mary receives a recommendation from me.

Film: Him

In was turned out to be a perfect counter point to last week's One Battle, Him is a masterclass in how to make a short film feel bloated and clumsy. As opposed to the former movie, which used solid and to-the-point film-making to make its 2h45m feel like a breeze, Him chose convolution and overreach in a manner that got in the way of itself.

It's a shame, because otherwise Him had some good bones on it. The story may not have been the most original, but the context was and it could have survived if it decided to tell it in a more simple and straight forward way. Instead we got a mess.

So no, not really a recommendation here, even considering its blessedly short runtime.

Film: One Battle After Another

At a mammoth 2h41m, it took a lot of faith to sit down for this film. A confused and manic trailer didn't help much but in we went. And I'm rather glad that we did. One Battle After Another is another great example of a film getting the basics so right that everything else just gets pulled up with it.

A great cast, solid plot, equal sprinkling of drama, comedy and action makes it a film for almost everyone. The subject matter was topical (and perhaps deliberate), and any slight flaws with the story were quickly forgiven.  

The scary runtime evaporated as we watched it was that good, and so I can not recommend the film enough.

Ilford in Conversation: Marking Two Years of Genocide: Courage and Sacrifice

Titles aside, this was actually a conversation between Leanne and Ibtihal Aboussad, famous for making that stand against Microsoft, her employer at the time. Today's talk showed that Ibtihal wasn't just full of hot air, but a principled, thoughtful and meticulous activist who is very clear on what she sees as our responsibilities in this world we find ourselves in.

Leanne deserves some credit too, being a host asking some decent questions while making us all forget exactly how young she is. Of course, as is par for the course, the lowlight of the session was the audience Q&A with the usual droll and self-serving questions being asked. Thankfully it didn't make up the meat of the talk.

For a last minute gathering the space worked well, and I look forward to the next one. 

Book: Isles of the Emberdark, Brandon Sanderson

In many ways Emberdark is the opposite of Wind and Truth, the last "main" Cosmere novel that I read. It's concise (well, relatively anyway), it doesn't hold back on the fun - it even goes to a pretty extreme length to catch the reader up in the form of recounting the previous short story set in First of the Sun in the form of flashbacks.

The characterisation falters at times (I've somewhat given up on searching for this in the Cosmere now) but the story and worldbuilding is more than enough to carry it all through. Yes, there are implications and teases, but these seem far more respectful of the reader than they do elsewhere - I suspect due to the shorter length of this book.

Emberdark has quickly become one of my more favoured Cosmere novels and reminds me why I've put so much into this universe so far. Recommended.

Film: The Long Walk

Sometimes a film just needs a single concept to focus on and do well with. You can't really get more simple than a film about walking - you won't find any twist or complication or multi-faux-dimensionality here.

As such, there's really not much to talk about either. If you want a solid buddy movie about men bonding over a shared mission, then this is it. It's pacey, concise and to the point, and the 110 minutes seems far short than it was. Recommended.

The Lioness of Justice: Dr Naledi Pandor vs Israel

Apart from obvious contextual stuff, there were a few other things that I learned during tonight's audience with Dr Pandor. The most striking was that, yes, it is possible to have a genuine, humane, intelligent and articulate leader (where "leader" is to be taken in its most literal, governmental form).

Perhaps it's as basic as being highly educated, or maybe something a little more deeper about not having travelled through the usual path of hypocrisy and compromise that makes one a candidate in western democracies. Whatever the reasons, this alone, the fact that leaders can be excellent and are not inevitably awful, brought hope (and possibly despair if it's proven such integrity is impossible where we live).

But to the talk itself. A lot wasn't new, apart from in how it was presented (I may have mentioned how excellent the speaker was), and it's the precision and conciseness with which Dr Pandor expressed ideas the audience already knew of that shows why she is so valuable to the cause.

Aamer Rahman was excellent as the QA host - he kept out of the way and acted as a filter to a passionate, yet potentially tiresome, crowd. It was especially cute when the event ate itself when the question of SOAS's actions against its own Palestinian advocates was raised.

The topic is hot, with various deadlines approaching (both legally and on the ground in Gaza), so this was a useful opportunity to re-shift our minds to the apparent working of justice going on miles away from ground zero. 

Twenty One

It only occurred to me as I write this how post count could be a pretty good indicator of blog productivity. I'm on for around 40 posts for 2025, which sounded pretty impressive until I saw the almost-500 that were being created during The Good Times.

That's not to say I'm too sad about the slowing down - for example I've long realised that I don't care enough about food to write about or recommend restaurants and as such I no longer spend time thinking about what I'm eating. I think that's a win win? The point is that as a litmus test of who I am (or rather, what I think about), this blog holds some useful insights. It's like an objective measure of where I am.

Otherwise 21 is a milestone apparently, although perhaps not as much in the UK. One odd observation is how it's approaching the age that I can remember being, which probably says something about my conscious or mental development at the time or something. I wonder what further years around here will reveal?

Book: Wind and Truth, Brandon Sanderson

More often than not, bigger is never better. At [stupid number] of pages long, WaT is the longest volume in the Stormlight Archive, and therefore also the longest book in the Cosmere - in fact, it might be longer than some trilogies in this particular universe.

That isn't enough to wreck a book, but it didn't help that this one was especially terse. The time passed since the previous books (as well as the dragging of the Roshar stories) didn't help, and I got up to page 13 before giving up and going to the Internet to read the four 200 page summaries of what came before. Doing so was helpful both in getting me up to date, but also allowing me to think about the series as a whole.

You see, The Stormlight Archive isn't a book or even an epic - it's a lifestyle choice. To get the most out of it you have to be part of the meta, read and contribute to forums, follow off-book developments. That kind of thing. Needless to say I didn't sign up to that.

In some ways the summaries were actually better than the books themselves, distilling the story to the essentials, while skipping some of the more dubious character development present here. And indeed that might have been my issue with this series - the characterisation failed at what it tried to do, and for me any development was cheap, gimmicky and shallow, especially in the shadow of the faux-depth they tried to have.

Another example of the gimmicks at play here were the epitaphs sprinkled throughout each chapter start. Perhaps I'm too procedural or one dimensional, but having to read in two different directions was a chore and reminded me of how much this book felt like work.

The multiple threads were somewhat tied up - or at least reduced - by the end of the book, and we finally have the wider Cosmere context that's been promised for so long. Given that this is the first arc (of two) in Stormlight, I'm not sure how excited I am for things to proceed.

So here I am over six months after starting Wind and Truth, complaining about how much it all was. In many ways I had the same complaints during the middle of The Wheel of Time, and in many ways Stormlight was a bit of a rip off of that series too. I can only hope that, like in the WoT series, the ending made the middle worth it in the end.

Film: Weapons

It was only as the credits rolled that I realised what Weapons was calling me back to. So it was with little surprise to learn that yes, Weapons is from the same people who brought us Barbarian, and just like that previous film it was great. In fact more than great - you could even call this Barbarian+.

The film was excellent whichever way I cut it. The acting, plot, characters, production - there wasn't any aspect which I felt was lacking. Like Barbarian (and to an extent, Companion), the mix of horror and humour was subtle and understated in a way that horror-comedies aren't. In many ways this is a film that rejects any genre you put it in.

It's August so I guess around the time one can make the call - and so for me Weapons is definitely contender for film of the year. Highly recommended.

Film: The Naked Gun

Nostalgia aside, this 2025 rendering of a spoof classic was experimental in many ways. How would it fare in this post-political correct world? Do these kids even find spoofs funny? I was a little unsure before sitting down to watch The Naked Gun, but am pleased to say that it just about managed to pull it all off.

It might be offensive to say that these kind of films don't really need any real acting chops, but regardless our Liam and Pam did more than enough to keep the show rolling. The film wasn't thick with laughter but in many ways that kept the interest levels up. Plot wise, well there was enough to frame the laughs anyway.

All in all we have here an unoffensive 90 mins that won't be film of the year but wasn't a total failure either.

Film: Saiyaara

It's fair to say that I've been absent from the Bollywood scene for a good while now. I didn't recognise anyone in this film nor had any idea about what it was about. I had been dragged along by a friend who was being dragged along by his wife after what seems to have been a compelling social media campaign mesmerising young and old alike.

Anyway. Saiyaara wasn't the worst. In some ways it was a bit of a throwback to the YR era at the turn of the century. Yes, it had been updated with sex and nudity and kissing that did nothing for the film (never has a movie make me feel so old), but the emovibes were there and the plot enough to get us to the end.

Without spoiling too much, I'm not sure if the subject matter was given the full justice it deserved but on the other hand the 150+ minutes runtime did kind of fly by.

So perhaps not quite a full recommendation, but not something I hated myself for watching either.

Film: The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Sometimes you go into a film with such optimism that you forget to keep yourself in check. I'm not sure why I thought this would be different in a declining MCU, but that's okay - I forgive myself. What I don't forgive is this film for being so awful.

The trouble is that I can't quite put my finger on why I found it to be so bad. The acting was fine, the plot alright, the production overall passable. Maybe that's just not enough these days and I've just been spoiled by a certain recent superhero movie?

But it's okay - this wasn't really the main event anyway. That will all happen next year and I'm 100% certain that those films are going to be brilliant. Sigh. 

Film: Superman

Sometimes a film comes along that you just vibe with, that you get, and seriously enjoy. For me Superman is such a film - from the immediate start to the almost constant humour (even during the darker times) through to the telling plot and acting, there really is very little I am able to complain about with this movie - I even liked the dog.

It manages to both pack in a lot (particularly of note is the wider superhero cast) and remain concise in way that makes me want to watch it again and again. It's fun, breezy and even managed to prove an effective troll for certain cohorts in real life.

I guess there's not much else to say without more gushing except that Superman is very much recommended and quite probably will be my favourite film of the year.

Film: Jurassic World: Rebirth

I don't think there's anything wrong with going back to where it started. After the wildness (and I don't mean in the wildlife sense) of the second trilogy Rebirth goes back to basics - we have people stranded in a jungle with dinosaurs going after them. That alone makes this more of a Jurassic Park film than at least two from the Pratt era.

The structure of the movie has pros and cons. On the one hand, it's almost like a video game, with three separate levels almost treated as the independent set pieces that they are. On the other hand... the plot is as thin as that of a video game.

Overall though, I liked Rebirth. It was a solid dino movie, not a patch on the original, but making its way back to the place that made the first so special.