Tuesday, March 26

Film: Us Click for more info

Although it just falls short of Peele's last film Get Out, Us is still an interesting enough movie to watch. More thrilling and in your face than the previous, it might be seen as a bit of a blunt instrument, but the great production and acting all prop up a film that shouldn't be this good.

I do have to note that the third act is a bit wonky, although I do appreciate Peele's habit of elucidating so I can forgive that much. And the rest of the movie is so well done that it doesn't matter anyway.

A great follow up and I look forward to what else Peele has in store for the future.

Wednesday, March 20

Film: Escape Room Click for more info

Firstly a public service announcement: there are at least thirty different movies named Escape Room, one of which was released less than a couple of years ago and is currently on Netflix. This review is for the 2019 version. That said, you should probably save some time and money and watch the Netflix version (or maybe even anything else on Netflix).

It's not to say the film was poor. It just wasn't very good. A promising start just degenerated into a rushed Saw-lite, and we all know how those turned out. The biggest shame is that it could have been so much more - all the ingredients were present.

A blatant laying up of a sequel might bring some hope to a wider franchise that might be good... but for now I can't quite bring myself to recommend this.

Saturday, March 16

BAHfest London 2019 Click for more info

So here we are, at the fourth (but my third) annual celebration of all things bad science-y. Tonight was so much fun that it's more than easy for me to say it was better than last year's. It was bigger, longer and just all round funnier.

Three out of the seven were repeat presenters, which is again a shame (are the rest of us really that boring?) but despite the repeat appearances their stuff was fresh enough. Which brings us to the line up:

  • How cheetahs were a necessary factor in Savannah tree control
  • The use of sewer systems as a mass transit system
  • How childbirth pains and issues were a direct consequence of a belief in a vengeful God
  • How dark matter was largely made up of vampires
  • The use of Dad Jokes to eject offspring from the nest
  • How to make global overview a viable mass cause of social change
  • How bipedalism was a direct consequence of social anxiety

Oh and there was an excellent keynote about the how the power of economists was rooted in their understanding of incentives.

Honestly, the BAHfest really has become one of the few things I genuinely look forward to and I can't wait till 2020.

The Ig Nobel Awards Tour Show Click for more info

In a brilliant example of genius and as a special one off treat, the clever people at Improbable Research and the SMBC webcomic brought both of their respective tours and live events to the same day and venue resulting in almost a FULL DAY of nerdy science fun. First up was the Ig Nobel Awards Tour Show, which was basically just a bunch of funny science lectures. In contrast to the following BAHfest, the Ig Nobels are actually rooted in real, albeit funny, science... and as a result generated a different kind of joy and laughter in the audience.

I wasn't too familiar with the Ig Nobels before today, so from an educational perspective it was well worth it too - at the very least it made me feel envious that I probably won't get to see the actual awards show live. And as its an event based in real science I also got more of an appreciation of its value (vs the BAHfest which, lets face it, is just for laughs).

Of course it's unlikely that today's double billing will be a regular occurrence (I don't think the tour is intended to be a regular thing) so I'm glad I caught it when I did.

Wednesday, March 13

Film: Captain Marvel Click for more info

As an origin story Captain Marvel does adequately enough. Amnesia was the tool used here, although I was looking at my watch during the first half as the movie laboured along. Fortunately the second half more than compensated for the build up and after summing all the bits the net result is an above average MCU film. Brie Larson was excellent in her sassy way, while her supporting cast all played their parts well. The action was on par, and overall the movie felt very feel good.

If any commentary on the feminism is required, well, it was a bit bemusing. The MCU decided to go the obvious route, with our super powered super hero being constantly repressed by her father/boss/AI Supremo and finally breaking free by embracing her ability to self determine. I did think it was a bit of a shame to have gone the common denominator way (the baselines being the usual twin goals of "doing what men can do" and "saving the world") but this is Disney so hey.

Social gripes aside, Captain Marvel was enjoyable enough and as a character I at least can't wait to see her in further MCU films (like the next one). Recommended.

Saturday, March 9

Food: Hamgipak Click for more info

As my general eating outings decrease over time it becomes all the more rare that I actually visit somewhere new. Enter Hamgipak, chosen not because it was good, or we were hankering for Korean food... but only because it was a stones throw from the the actual venue we were heading to after dinner.

That said, as a pick of convenience it wasn't too bad. The place was clean and friendly, and intimate containing no more than 30 covers or so. The five of us were able to enjoy a rowdy enough meal with some decent food, although marks were lost due to how late my own order took to arrive. Price-wise there weren't too many surprises with the bill hitting around £19 a head for a main each and shared starters.

It's unlikely that I'll visit Hamgipak again, mainly because I tend not to visit Fulham that often, but if you're ever in the area and in need of a meal you probably can't do much worse.

Wednesday, March 6

Food: Bim's Click for more info

I have a informal minimum requirement when it comes to food reviews. Fast food doesn't usually make the cut, mainly because there's not really much to say about a generic dirty chicken burger or grill-defrosted quarter pounder. On the other hand seeing as fast food makes up 70% of my eating out, and then even that proportion further split only between two or three places it probably makes those places the most important ones to tell others about about[1].

Crises of existence aside Bim's is interesting enough to share some thoughts about. Billed as the closest Muslims will ever get to a halal MacDonald's, the headliner here is the £1 cheeseburger which, to be completely honest, is exactly what you would expect a £1 cheeseburger to be like. It certainly wasn't enough for us and so we decided to explore the remainder of the menu, eventually settling on a Double Fumey (which, for those counting at home, resulted in three patties each). In short, as inoffensive as the food was here don't kid yourself - the £1 cheeseburger is a false economy and not a reason to visit Bim's.

The food is decent but between the location and waiting times I can't think of why I would ever recommend Bim's over other options - an established Peri Peri is far superior for that quick bite, while Bim's isn't exactly the place to go for a sit down meal (not least because it has no seating). I suppose there is a novelty factor somewhere - after all we did make our way there to try it - but by that measure almost by definition there's no need to go back now that we have.

[1] GG's and Ed's, both in Redbridge, are frequented by us almost weekly.