The Life of Chuck (5 Stars)

Magic. Pure magic. This is a film like nothing I've seen before, and it's the best film I've seen this year.

It's best to know as little as possible before seeing the film, so all I'll tell you is that it's about a man called Charles Krantz, nicknamed Chuck, who likes to dance.

I'll add that Tom Hiddleston is a much better dancer than Ryan Gosling. No competition.

The film is still in the cinema, if you hurry. It's worth seeing, especially with a group of friends. The film's meaning isn't clear. I have an idea what it means, but I'm not completely sure. I'll know more when I've seen it again.

Fantastic Four: First Steps (5 Stars)

I walked into the cinema today with zero expectations. No, that's not quite true. I was expecting it to be bad. From the beginning the Fantastic Four comic was Marvel's flagship. Starting with the fourth issue the words "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" appeared at the top of every comic. As long as Stan Lee was writing the stories (the first 125 issues) the comic lived up to this claim. After he left there were ups and downs, some writers better than others. Nevertheless, any film about the Fantastic Four should live up to the hype made about the comics.

The Fantastic Four's origin story isn't told yet again. That would have been tiresome. The film starts four years after the group gained their super powers. In televised news reports their early adventures are related. Marvel comic fans like me will immediately remember the stories that are mentioned. Then Galactus comes, and the adventures leave the path of Marvel canon.

This is when Galactus and the Silver Surfer were first introduced. (Actually it was an issue earlier, but Galactus wasn't on the cover). The film shows Susan Richards (or is it still Storm?) being pregnant, which didn't happen in the comics until 18 months later, but it's typical for Marvel to telescope events from different times.

So much in the film deviates from the comics, in particular:

The Silver Surfer is a woman.

Reed Richards has a moustache.

Ben Grimm wears a shirt.

These are things that really bugged me when I saw the trailers, but the film was so good that I was able to accept them. Okay, it's a parallel universe, Earth-828. I need to update the list that I wrote four years ago.

When the film ended people in the audience applauded. They were impressed, and so was I. Are Marvel Studios and Disney finally turning things around? Have Kevin Feige and Bob Iger finally realised that writing good stories is more important than presenting DEI propaganda? Can we expect better Marvel films from now on? I hope so.

R.I.P. Ozzy

Farewell to Ozzy. I don't need to say his last name. Everyone knows who I mean. Ozzy isn't even his real name, it's his nickname that he had since school and later made his trademark. All of his solo albums are credited as Ozzy. Just Ozzy.

He became famous as the lead singer of the band Black Sabbath. The brains behind the band was the guitarist, Tony Iommi, but it was always Ozzy that everyone knew. Most people can't name all four of the original band's members, let alone the later singers who temporarily replaced Ozzy, but everyone knows Ozzy.

I shan't write anything about his life. Other people have already written better tributes than I could ever write. I'll just give a few details about my relations with him.

I first encountered Black Sabbath when Dave Pace, my best friend at school, lent me "Paranoid", Black Sabbath's second album. I loved it immediately. A few months later "Master of Reality" was released, which I liked even more. I remember countless arguments with Dave. He thought "Paranoid" was better, while I preferred "Master of Reality". But who cares? They're both fantastic albums. On the other hand, I didn't like Black Sabbath's self-titled first album as much. Their first album was very blues based. On "Paranoid" they abandoned blues, which set them apart from all the other rock bands of the early 1970's.

Round about that time Dave and another friend, Philip Parkin, decided to start a group. They asked me to be their drummer. I have no idea why. I bought the drum kit from the drummer of a local amateur band, Savoy Truffle, who was giving up music. Let's be honest... I was never very good. I didn't practise enough to improve in the two years that we played together. My only real contribution was that I picked the band's name, Electric Embryo. We didn't have our own songs. We just covered the songs of Black Sabbath and a few other bands. We never performed in public. My drum kit stood in the shed of Dave's uncle, and we practised our songs once a month at most. School was more important to us.

Things changed in 1973. Black Sabbath played at the Odeon in Birmingham. That was the only time I ever saw them live. It was terrible. It was the worst concert I'd ever seen. Ozzy's voice was sore. Tony Iommi couldn't keep up and was playing too slow. Geezer Butler was just waving his bass guitar from side to side, hardly playing at all. The only competent musician was Bill Ward, the drummer. I was so disappointed. After the concert Dave said to me, "That's how I want us to play". I was astounded. Hadn't he noticed how bad the music was? The next day at school I told Dave I was quitting the band. Without me, Electric Embryo died, as it should have died years ago.

The poor concert didn't put me off my love for Black Sabbath's studio music. Their fourth album, with the unimaginative title "Vol 4", was released shortly afterwards. I didn't find it quite as good as the two previous albums, but I still liked it. It was one of the first albums that my sister Shirley bought, so she played it non-stop for months. I don't have clear memories of their following albums, except that I bought them regularly as soon as they were released.

Then something happened. In 1979 Ozzy left Black Sabbath and was replaced by Ronnie James Dio, who'd previously been the singer of Rainbow. I was shattered. Remember, those were the days before the Internet, so I didn't know what was going on. For me it was sacrilege for someone to take Ozzy's place, so I turned against Ronnie and refused to listen to the Black Sabbath albums he appeared on. It wasn't until 30 years later that I read an article in which Ronnie said that he was never Black Sabbath's real singer, he was only filling in for Ozzy until he returned. So I finally forgave him and listened to the albums he appeared on. They were good albums, and he was a good singer, but he wasn't Ozzy, as he never claimed to be.

It was a long time before Ozzy actually returned to Black Sabbath. He rejoined them for tours in 1998, appearing on several live albums before Black Sabbath finally made another studio album in 2013.

I was aware of Ozzy's solo career, but I didn't buy any of his albums. I don't know why. I downloaded a few of them. Illegally. Later I began to listen to them legally with an Amazon Music subscription. I only realised today that I've never listened to his 2005 album, "Under Cover". I'll make up for it tonight.

In 2002 Ozzy and his family did a reality show called "The Osbournes", which ran for four years. I only watched the first two episodes. It was embarrassing. For me Ozzy was a god (with a small G), but in the reality show he looked like a buffoon. Whose idea was it to make the show? It must have been Ozzy's wife Sharon. I can't imagine that a rock star like Ozzy would want to make such a fool of himself.

On 5th July I watched the live stream of Black Sabbath's final concert with Ozzy. Tony Iommi said that he was open to playing future concerts without Ozzy, but it was definitely Ozzy's final concert. There were great bands who played all day, some unfortunately with very small sets. Every band played at least one cover song of Black Sabbath or Ozzy. At the end of the evening Ozzy performed five songs, and Black Sabbath performed four songs. I was disappointed that Black Sabbath's set was so short. At first I thought that it was because Ozzy was tired and had to stop, but a few days later Tony Iommi said that Black Sabbath was planning to perform seven songs. They had to stop early because the concert was running late and they were legally obligated to stop at 11pm. The Aston Villa football stadium is in a built up area, and the noise would have disturbed the residents. That's unfortunate. Couldn't they have shortened Metallica's set instead?

Ozzy's set was an emotional affair. The fans were crying, especially when he was singing "Mama I'm coming home". They must have felt he didn't have long to go. They were right. He died 17 days later, in the city where he was born.

I've created an Amazon Music playlist containing all of Ozzy's music, with Black Sabbath and solo. 214 songs. Maybe I've missed a few which weren't included on his albums, but I shan't search for missing songs. I've decided that for the rest of July I'll only listen to Ozzy's music. That's a promise. I'll probably extend my Ozzy-only session until the end of August, while I'm on holiday.

TV Series: The Sopranos Season 3 (Part 3)

Look at that! Tony Soprano is advertising Tropicana. What a sellout!

The main events in the third part of season three (episodes seven to ten) concern relationships. Tony Soprano meets another patient in Jennifer Melfi's waiting room. She's Gloria Trillo, a saleswoman for Mercedes. She's being treated primarily because of her repeated suicide attempts, but Tony doesn't know this. She revels in the fact that Tony does anything she asks of him. Even alpha males can turn weak when they see a sexy pair of legs.

Tony's daughter Meadow doesn't waste time after being dumped by her last boyfriend. She begins to date Jackie Aprile Jr, the son of the previous New Jersey boss. Tony has his doubts about Jackie's suitability. On his deathbed Jackie Sr asked Tony to make sure his son didn't follow in the family business. He wanted him to become something special, like a doctor or a lawyer. Unfortunately, Jackie doesn't have the intelligence to follow those career paths, and he has a longing for the life of a gangster. He doesn't last long in college. He drops out, and he says he wants to become a fashion designer.

Meadow is a beautiful girl. Men must be lining up to date her.

Janice is dating a man from her church, Aaron Arkaway. He's a ridiculous character. He suffers from narcolepsy and spontaneously falls asleep at any time, alone or in company,

Is it really possible to fall asleep with a knife in your hand? It looks dangerous.

As you might have guessed from the slumber scene, Janice was preparing the Thanksgiving dinner. But time goes by fast. Tony and his wife soon set up the Christmas tree. That's big! How did they get it through the door?

Another important development is the appropriation of the Lollipop Club. The owner is in debt, so the club is taken away from him. Christopher gives the club to Adriana as a gift.

She renames it Crazy Horse. That's a much better name. It doesn't sound as sleazy.

Tony finally makes peace with Ralphie Cifaretto, out of necessity. Ralphie is a loose cannon who annoys everyone around him, but as Silvio reminds Tony more than once, "He's a good earner". It's all about the money. Tony promotes Ralphie to capo (captain), hoping that he'll calm down when he has new responsibilities.

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Jurassic World: Rebirth (4 Stars)

This is the seventh film in the Jurassic Park franchise, presumably the first film in the third trilogy. What is it with all these trilogies nowadays? Can't they just make films one after another, each one a standalone?

"Rebirth" – I'm shortening the title again – is the first film in the franchise directed by Gareth Edwards. He gets back to basics, with a lot more people running from dinosaurs. There's also a higher body count. In "Dominion" too many people survived.

I groaned when I heard that Scarlet Johansson was appearing in the film. I have nothing against her. On the contrary, I think she's a wonderful actress. What bothered me was that I had the impression they only added her to the cast to attract more viewers with a big star. That was probably the studio's intention, but she fits in well. I assume she'll be back for the next two films. Only time will tell.

Without giving any spoilers, the film makes repeated nods to the previous films. Things happen that seem like repeats of previous scenes, or at least close copies. Gareth Edwards is making a conscious effort to make the viewers feel like they're in familiar territory. It works well.

I hesitated before buying "Dominion" on disc, but I already know that I'll buy "Rebirth" as soon as possible, if the price is low enough. It's a better film in every respect.

Jurassic World: Dominion (3 Stars)

I've waited a long time before buying this film. I only bought it this week because the seventh film in the Jurassic Park franchise has just arrived in the cinemas. I need to catch up before I go to see it. "Jurassic World: Dominion" should have been the final film as the third film in the second trilogy. That would have meant the franchise ending on a whimper, not a bang. It's the weakest film in the franchise, despite its success at the box office. Maybe people only flocked into the cinema because they'd enjoyed the previous instalments so much.

The trouble with "Dominion" (please excuse me for shortening the title) is that it's drifted too far away from the initial premise. Back in 1993 "Jurassic Park" was all about people running away from dinosaurs. Put like that, it sounds like a primitive idea, but it was a great film in the capable hands of Steven Spielberg. Most of "Dominion" has the form of a spy thriller, chasing someone who's using dinosaur DNA for his own devious purposes.

Okay, I watched it today, but I feel reluctant to ever watch it again. I hope the next film is better when I go to see it at the weekend.

Success Rate:  + 3.4

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Infinity Pool (4 Stars)

People like to go on holiday to exotic foreign locations. It's a thrill to see things that are totally different to what they have around them at home. But is it a good idea to go to a country where you don't understand the language? The novelist James Foster goes on holiday to the country Li Tolqa to find inspiration for his next book. He accidentally kills a man on the road when he's driving at night. That can happen anywhere. But James is dragged into a prison and forced to sign a statement in a language he doesn't understand. From that point on his life spirals downwards.

James makes friends, but are they friends he can trust? They've all been on the wrong side of the law in Li Tolqa, and they revel in it. They encourage James to commit crimes with them. He's caught up in drug excesses and orgies. The whole vacation turns into an erotic nightmare.

The film is directed by Brandon Cronenberg, the son of the legendary David Cronenberg. I haven't seen his other films, but based on "Infinity Pool" he seems to be following in his father's footsteps. It's the sort of twisted film his father could have made. I hope to see his other films soon.

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TV Series: The Sopranos Season 3 (Part 2)

Is this what enlightenment looks like? After an argument with her mother's former maid, Svetlana, Janice steals her artificial leg. Svetlana sends two Russian thugs to beat her up and get the leg back. Tony visits Janice in hospital and offers to get revenge on her behalf. But Janice doesn't want revenge. She forgives Svetlana and says that it's God's way of talking to her. Normally I'd shout Hallelujah and wish Janice all the best, but she's someone who has a habit of jumping from one fad to another. Let's wait and see how long she lasts.

Forgiveness is a recurring theme in the fourth episode of season three. Jennifer Melfi is raped as she leaves work. The man is arrested, but a few days later she's told that he's been released. The police have mishandled the chain of custody, whatever that means. Jennifer's son and her ex-husband yell for revenge. She knows who the man is and where he works, and she knows that she can ask Tony to take revenge on him. She has an appointment with him, and she intends to tell him what happened, but she breaks down and cries. When Tony asks if he can do anything for her she answers No. I wouldn't have made that decision. I believe in law and order, so I would have asked the police to act, but if the police fail I would turn to Tony Soprano and ask him to serve justice. Now the rapist is allowed to walk the streets and look for his next victim. Jennifer acted wrongly.

When Tony is stopped for speeding we get a close-up of his drivers license. These are good questions for a pub quiz, so remember them well.

Address: 633 Stag Trail Road, North Caldwell, NJ 07006

Date of birth: August 22, 1959

And in case you're interested, Tony doesn't forgive the policeman who stopped him. Tony rings a New Jersey assemblyman who gets the policeman fired.

Johnny Sacrimoni, usually called Johnny Sack, is a friend of Tony Soprano and one of the New York crime bosses. He moves to New Jersey, which causes unease. Tony and his crew are afraid that he'll interfere with their business. Johnny insists that this isn't the case, but it's noticeable that he frequently visits the Bada Bing and other Sopranos dens on social calls.

This is the lamp that the FBI bugged in the first episode. Meadow comes home from university and says she needs a lamp for her room, so she takes it. So all of the FBI's efforts were in vain. At least they had the chance to ogle Adriana at the tennis court.

Meadow goes to bed with her college boyfriend Noah and loses her virginity. A few days later he dumps her because he says she's distracting him from his studies. Poor Meadow, but that's what men are like. They get what they want, then move on.

The problems with Ralphie Cifaretto escalate. He imitates a scene from "Gladiator", swinging a chain at Georgie in the Bada Bing VIP room. The chain hits Georgie in the eye and blinds him, which Ralphie finds funny. Paulie says that one day soon someone will find Ralphie in a car trunk.

Ralphie is sharing a house with his goomah Tracee, a stripper at the Bada Bing. Strange. Ralphie is dating Rosalie Aprile. I thought they only have goomahs after they're married. The day after blinding Georgie, Ralphie has an argument with Tracee outside the Bada Bing, and he beats her to death. How long will Tony put up with him?

Junior Soprano, Tony's uncle and the official head of the family, finds out that he has cancer.

And as if that's enough drama in these three episodes, Artie Bucco's marriage is over. Tony offers to go into partnership with him, preparing food that they can sell wholesale. Artie's wife Charmaine tells him not to do it, because she doesn't want him to be drawn into illegal business. She tells Artie she has to choose between Tony and her. And he chooses Tony.

Choosing Tony Soprano over a beautiful woman like Charmaine? There has to be more to it. When Artie is drunk he confesses to Tony that he's in love with Adriana. Silly man. He has no chance with her. Is it really love, or is it lust? Has he been spying on her at the tennis court as well? He should keep his hormones under control. Charmaine is a good woman. He should be happy with her.

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Back To The Beginning - Brief Thoughts

Yesterday I watched the live stream of Black Sabbath's final concert at Aston Villa's stadium in Birmingham. I'm no expert in writing music reviews, so I'll just write a few thoughts.

There were 12 support groups and various supergroups made up of famous musicians. Each group played a cover song of Black Sabbath or Ozzy Osbourne. The show was hosted by Jason Momoa.

1. Mastodon

I knew their name, but I don't think I've ever listened to them. The music was fantastic. I'll definitely check them out in the next few days.

2. Rival Sons

This is another group I didn't know. I was less impressed. Their music isn't bad, but I have no interest in listening to them again.

3. Anthrax

Anthrax is one of my favourite groups, but I've always found their studio albums better than their live performances.

4. Halestorm

I used to listen to Halestorm a lot ten years ago. Their performance was great. I need to follow them again.

5. Lamb of God

Lamb of God is a group I've always liked, but their performance yesterday blew me away. Incredible.

6. Supergroup A

Five songs were played with rotating members, all songs by Black Sabbath and Ozzy. A surprise appearance for the fifth song was made by Yungblud, who hadn't been announced in the program. I didn't know him, but evidently he was well known to the crowd, because he was booed when he came on stage. Then he sang "Changes" so convincingly that he won the crowd over. He has a terrific voice, but let's be honest: "Changes" is a ballad, not a rock song. I checked out his songs on YouTube this morning, and he's not a rock musician. Not even close. His participation was probably kept secret because they knew he'd be unpopular.

7. Jack Black

This wasn't a live performance. It was a video shown in the arena. Jack Black did an incredible performance of "Mr. Crowley".

8. Alice in Chains

I like some of their songs more than others, but their on-stage performance today was great.

9. Gojira

I've been listening to Gojira a lot lately. They were terrific on stage.

10. Supergroup B

Eight songs were played with rotating members. I'm surprised that Ronnie Wood was invited. He's never been a good guitarist. I was amazed by Travis Barker. I've never been overly keen on Blink-182, but he's an incredible drummer.

11. Pantera

Pantera is a group I've never liked much, but they were excellent today. Jason Momoa went into the mosh pit and did crowd-surfing.

12. Tool

At the risk of offending their fans: Tool isn't a live group. Tool is a group to listen to at home with headphones. They did a terrific version of "Hand of Doom", but that isn't a Tool song.

13. Slayer

This was the best band so far. The crowd went wild, and I loved them too.

14. Guns'n'Roses

Disappointing. Axl Rose isn't what he used to be. He should quit and let the group find a better singer. Maybe they can hire Yungblud?

15. Metallica

I loved Metallica's first two albums, maybe the third, but they've been downsliding ever since. They're not what they used to be. Their set started out sounding dull, and only their last song, "Master of Puppets", really excelled.

16. Ozzy

Ozzy can't stand, but his voice is better than ever. It was an emotional show. Many of the fans were crying in the audience, especially during "Mama I'm coming home". But his backing band was incredible. Who are those musicians? If Ozzy has retired, they should form a band without him.

17. Black Sabbath

This was the main act and the highlight of the evening. A first class performance. I'm sad that they only played four songs, but Ozzy's health obviously didn't allow him to stay on stage any longer.

I can watch the concert again as video on demand for the next 48 hours. After that I'll wait for it to be released on Blu-ray. I hope it will be remixed and/or remastered. In the middle of the concert there were problems with the vocals not being loud enough, especially Alice in Chains and Gojira.

Reservoir Dogs (5 Stars)

Michael Madsen is dead.

I heard the news late last night. It saddens me, because he was an outstanding actor. I have about a dozen films in which he appears, most of them directed by Quentin Tarantino. I wasn't sure what film of his to watch today, and then I read that he's best known for his role as the psychopathic Vic Vega in "Reservoir Dogs". After a few minutes thought I agreed with this statement, but actually he's hardly known at all. He's an actor that only dedicated film fans know. When I mention him to my friends the reaction is "Michael who?" It's only when I mention a few films that they say, "Ah, so that was him".

In case you're one of the people who doesn't know him – which I doubt if you're reading my blog – he's the man who dances to "Stuck in the middle with you" by Stealers Wheel while torturing a policeman. I'm not a fan of the song, fortunately, because the scene has ruined it for me. Every time I hear the song I can't help thinking of Michael Madsen dancing with a knife.

"Reservoir Dogs" is a milestone in the history of cinema. It was an independent film that proved that independent films could have great artistic value. It took a few years to be recognised, but now it's a cult film which has a lasting legacy. There were many famous actors in the film, but Michael Madsen, relatively unknown at the time, contributed to its success.

The film opens with a scene in a restaurant in which eight men are sitting at a table discussing popular music and tips. Mr. Pink refuses to tip and complains that waitresses have to pay taxes on their tips. That was 1992. Now Donald Trump has passed a law that tips are no longer taxed. Good for him. His opponents claim that he's only done this to gain favour with lower paid voters, but I think it's something he always had on his mind. I too have always considered it somehow immoral to tax tips. Tips are a gift that I give a waitress out of the goodness of my heart, so the IRS shouldn't take part of it. Mr. Pink thinks it's wrong, so do I, and so does Donald Trump. That's one of the few good laws that he's passed since becoming president.

Farewell, Michael Madsen. You'll be missed by your friends and fans.

Success Rate:  + 0.3

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Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (4 Stars)

This is a direct sequel to "Sister Street Fighter". Koryu Lee, a Japanese woman who lives in Hong Kong, receives news that her sister Birei is being forced to work for a diamond smuggling gang in Tokyo. She heads to Tokyo to rescue her single-handedly, although to be fair, she does have occasional help.

I enjoyed this film, but it isn't up to the quality of the original. The plot is strung thinly. The film seems to be an excuse to show as many fight scenes as possible. But wow! The fight scenes are amazing. The actress Etsuko Shihomi, who holds black belts in Karate, Kenjitsu and Shorinji Kempo, has formidable skills.

The film has the annoying habit of pausing whenever a new fighter is introduced to tell us the name of his fighting skill. I don't need it. I'm watching the film to be entertained, not to be educated about martial arts. Descriptions like that belong in the commentary track, not as on-screen text.