Film: Black Adam

Ooof. As much of a Dwayne Johnson fanboi I am, even he couldn't save this mess of a film. Weak plots and bad acting in a comic book film can be forgiven and even expected, but this was bad for its own reasons.

If anything there was just too much. Too much action, too many fights (some repeated), too much talking, too many twists. It felt like it was made for the sake of it, as if The Rock himself was in the cutting room glaring at anyone who hoped to make this a better movie by cutting out the fat.

There's some redeeming features I guess, but in this day and age that's just not enough. If you have to watch this, then wait for it to come at home, fast forward button at your fingertips.

Return To The Hellmouth: The Big Buffy Meetup

I'm not a Buffy fan. Despite ranking it as one of my favourite shows, skipping countless parties and social events during university to get home in time on a Thursday night, and being able to reel off quotes and plotlines on tap... I'm not a Buffy fan.

In many ways this could be seen as deflating. But no, I still had fun this balmy Saturday night at the Mockingbird cinema in Birmingham where a bunch of real Buffy fans congregated to celebrate 25 years of the TV show. Jeez, we're old. Still given the week I've had, I think my nerd credentials are still pretty good.

These real fans dressed up (although I was quite proud of my Sunnydale High t-shirt), knew all the words to the songs - and choreography - from "Once More With Feeling" and got more than a single question right during the Buffy trivia quiz. No, I'm no fan.

It was wonderful being with real fans though - real fandom being entertaining to watch, especially when you can partly relate to the source of that fanatical love. It was fun to see the karaoke, the drunken dancing, the pre-empting of script during the three episodes screened on the big screen. Tonight I realised how much Spike was loved and Dawn hated, and exactly how queer Buffy fans can be.

It was a great night, full of nostalgia and another reminder of how quickly time has passed. For me Buffy still holds up, and I left tempted to rewatch the show again - and who knows maybe this time I can actually become a real Buffy fan.

The episodes screened tonight were:

S3E16 - Doppelgängland

S6E07 - Once More, With Feeling 

S6E8 - Tabula Rasa

Back to the Future The Musical

A stage production for what I've accepted to be my favourite film of all time was never going to disappoint. I can say that, even after concluding that it wasn't the best show I've seen. That is the power of nostalgia and genuine 80s quality.

To be honest I didn't even know that this was going to be a musical - I expected songs from the movie OST of course, but nothing original. In many ways it was the songs that dragged the show - a result of my bias, I'm sure - and a lot of them seemed to have just been superfluous filler. Otherwise everything was spot on - the acting, singing and dancing made me want to join in (as all good musicals should) although while the production values were top notch, I did feel the show relied on video a tad too much - but that was more due to the nature of the story than lazy design. It almost felt like I was watching the original cast at times.

Being a stage production, some things had to go and other things were added. Some hit, and some missed and it made me genuinely sad that one of my favourite scenes was binned. By the end of the show I couldn't decide if my love for the movie enhanced or detracted from my appreciation of the show, but considering I'm still smiling I suspect it's the latter.

So definitely one for the fans, and perhaps for those new to the franchise given how the kid sitting in front of me reacted to the twists and turns. Recommended.