Movie of the week: The Kid Who Would be King

This was actually much better than i expected it to be. A take on the Arthurian legend complete with the sword in the stone and Merlin as both a schoolboy and a old man (Old Merlin played whimsically by Patrick Stewart in a dandelion clock wig.)

Louis Ashbourne Serkis is Alex, the titular sword-drawer. You'd expect Andy Serkis' son to be a decent actor, and he is, but kudos also to Dean Chaumoo playing Bedders (Sir Bedevere), in his first film role according to IMDB. Angus Imrie, playing a good ten years below his actual age playes the gawky young Merlin. The young actors are definitely the stars of the show.

Morgana is on the rise and Alex first has to deal with school bullies before he can fight Morgana's demons with an army of secondary school kids.

Booklog 14/2019 - Liz Williams: Phosphorus – A Winterstrike story

A novella set largely on Liz Williams' cold, bleak Mars of her novel Banner of Souls. There are two separate stories that eventually unite. Canteley, on Mars, is in Winterstrike with her family, but bombs are falling. She is taken to safety by Aunt Sulie. She keeps having dreams, strangely non-human-like dreams.

Across the galaxy Kesh, a hunter, is dead, along with her people. She alone has been reanimated for a purpose. Perhaps to protect her developing brood. All she has for company is her spear, Thousand Voice, as she journeys in space in an intelligent ship, searching for new hunting grounds.

Liz Williams writes excellent aliens, the richness of their civilisation described in few words, but every word counts and the background unfolds as the story progresses. Similarly in the Martian section of the story. You don't need to have read Banner of Souls to enjoy Phosphorus. This is a feminist cold Mars with canals and red deserts. The writing is so elegant you barely notice how good it is first time round, so this is not only worth reading, but worth reading twice.

Movie of the Week: Green Book

About as far away from Aragorn in Lord of the Rings as you can get, Viggo Mortensen takes the role of Tony Lip, a working-class Italian-American bouncer who becomes the driver (and trouble-sorter) for Dr Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali) a refined African-American pianist on a tour of venues through the American Deep South in the 1960s.The Green Book of the title is a list of hotels, and such, friendly to black faces. Racial tensions are high and Tony's own prejudice is gradually worn away by the Doc until the two men become firm friends, though from vastly different worlds.

It's a buddy movie, a road trip movie and a movie about prejudice and friendship. Thoroughly enjoyable and even uplifting. Highly recommended.