Spectre

Behold...Bond is back! Yes, three years after the epically awesome landmark Skyfall, Daniel Craig returns as 007 in the eponymously titled Spectre.
As the name suggests,  this film hones in on Bond facing a modern take on a classic organisation of evil (which we first saw referenced way back in Dr.No). As the antagonistic side of the film seems to be harking back to classic Bond, so too I feel does Daniel Craig take the whole tone back to basics, and not only that but succeeds in embracing and embellishing the basics of what a good Bond film should be.
After all the fuss that was made of Craig as the new Bond and how he really shook up the franchise, and rightly so, here he seems to be treading through more familiar territory.
Casino Royale saw Craig and James Bond almost totally revamped and stripped down to raw essentials. Quantum of Solace saw Craig's transition from one-Bond wonder to consistent action hero begin and take shape. Skyfall went all out to mold the past and future of James Bond the man and the franchise together in one barn-storming adventure. And now, Spectre sees the relative calm after the Skyfall storm, but plants Daniel Craig's James Bond firmly where he should be, delivering pretty much all we expect from a Bond flick.

By and large, no Bond fan can have many complaints with this one. Sure it is not mind-blowing, life-altering cinema; but for a non-stop, action-packed, stylish, swaggering, thrill-seeking belter that puts a smile on your face in oh so true Bond style - look no further.
Like all Craig's Bond films, Spectre follows a loose narrative from the last outing, dealing with the aftermath of the fallen (but sill formidably fabulous) Judi Dench as M, the resplendent Ralph Fiennes as her replacement, and we even get a direct link to the awesome climax of Skyfall as a lead in to the new plot. What I loved though was that in the re-emergence of Spectre into this new 21st century Bond, and a new Blofeld in the form of the ever-brilliant Christoph Waltz  we also get an apparent puppeteer-esque saga, throughout all of the last three big Bond villains, and thus the action-packed (and often for Bond painful) plot developments.

In actuality, this link, whilst powerful to see played out, is when you look at it closely quite tenuous, and in another's hands might have fallen flat. Thankfully, in an inspired bit of casting the delightfully talented Christoph Waltz steps into the shoes of Ernest Stavro Blofeld to utterly superb effect. Waltz brings his uncanny ability of being supremely horrible and wonderfully charming simultaneously to this iconic Bond character to perfection - he was a joy to watch and very nearly stole the show in every scene he was in.
Playing off him and fighting against him of course, we have Bond himself in the form of Daniel Craig. There can by now be no real doubt - James Bond is a role Craig was made for and by and large he delivers again in Spectre. Still rough around the edges, still has that broken edge to him and still delivers on all the action. Yet there were a couple of moments, where we saw his Bond fall into the more conventional moments of plot that we have come to expect from Bond films (such as romancing the women, ordering the vodka martini or using the gadgets) that I detected a hint of the dejected. I am not for one moment saying he seems tired in the role, far from it. It is an odd thing to find and to say, yet it just seemed that in certain shots and small sequences, Craig's Bond just faded into the backdrop somewhat a tad too much. Nevertheless, Craig is more than capable of taking the lead in a Bond film, and indeed with regards to the whole franchise, and I for one think he has one or two more in him yet.

Other casting high notes included the return of the superb of Ben Whishaw as the new Q, and likewise the delicious Naomi Harris as Moneypenny. Rory Kinnear as Tanner is always nice to see too in the MI6 lineup.
It was actually  Spectre's own Bond women that  had me most dissapointed actually. Monica Belluci's age and Bond woman status was made a meal of in the press pre-release, and whilst I do not think this is an issue at all I do feel that, despite her relatively short period of screen time, she did not do nearly enough to stay in our minds. Yes she had style and sex appeal but relatively little substance, and in the end I was sad to see her as quite a minor plot device.
Bond's main love interest is Dr. Madeline Swann, played by Léa Seydoux. Again she has the charisma, the beauty and the sex appeal but she does not have much in the way of character for me. Yes her performance is just enough to see her through to the end of the film, but I thought in terms of being a memorable match for Bond, she doesn't fair too well by journey's end.

Regardless, I always rejoice when a new Bond film is released, and Spectre holds no exception. You really have to look hard to find fault and, despite there being a few foibles I did really enjoy Spectre and I feel it still does justice to the legacy of 007.

Albert's

A quick word about a new eating establishment experience I had tonight. Albert's in Salford is a sister operation to the very popular Albert's Shed in Manchester, albeit slightly shinier and glitzier.
Whilst I recognized that the place had clear potential, with attractive modern decor, nice peripheral touches and a menu that reads very well, there were just far far too many fundamental errors for me to give it anywhere near a clean bill of hell.

The staff were many and busy, but far too disorganized. Far too much rushing, not enough thinking about the customer experience; even to the point where I for one felt like cattle at times. Having young, energetic and modern staff may be good on one hand and may be in-keeping with the feel of the place, but the lack of care and experience did show drastically in places.
One staffing highlight, was the maitre d'-ess, who was very polite, attentive and professional; but only in response to a lot going wrong.
Lack of staff organisation also meant that a lot of tables were left in a void for long periods. Various tables you could see were waiting for over forty minutes between being seated and being served.

But one of the key no no areas for me by a mile was the state of the food. On the menu it read very well, but in practice when it did arrive it was badly prepared, poorly cooked and lukewarm at best. My starter of scallops were almost cold (apparently this was the idea according to the waiter but I am sorry that is total nonsense) and one half of my main of venison was near-raw and the other was near-burnt. At least the kitchen staff were consistent in their lack of conviction and ability as I certainly wasn't the only one (check Trip Adviser if you don't believe me). We were fobbed off at the end that the head chef had to go early because his wife was in labour, yet even if that is true such shocking products coming out of that kitchen was almost unacceptable.
It is a shame more than anything because I could see the potential in the menu, but it is a long way from being realized at that rate.

The Dresser

There are moments when you just have to sit back and simply enjoy seasoned and sensational performances. Moments where you just go - "yes - that is right, that will be wonderful!" When I heard Sirs Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins were coming together for the first time in a BBC televised production of the classic Ronald Harwood play The Dresser...well...that was certainly one of those moments.

Even before watching it, I yearned to because to put it quite simply, I knew it would be good. Verily, I was more than half expecting to be blown away by this one-off TV version, and indeed I was. Directed by another legend, Sir Richard Eyre, The Dresser came to life for a new generation and it was beautiful to behold.

Set in a war-torn London theatre, in the space of one showing of King Lear during the blitz, The Dresser sees Sir Anthony Hopkins as Sir, an ageing actor who whilst seasoned in experience and talent, is losing his grip on life and reality. He is aided by Norman, played by Sir Ian McKellen as his dresser backstage, who as well as being his constant source of support and guidance, is equal to him in sheer character. As if that wasn't enough, we are also treated to great appearences of further acting royalty in the form of Emily Watson and Sarah Lancashire, plus an extended cameo from Edward Fox.

The cast is of course great, but the performance level each one of them delivers throughout is nothing short of phenomenal. The whole thing is shot beautifully, with perfectly pitched music and cinematography; but you cannot deny the stellar, powerhouse performances as the main thrust of the whole affair.

Sir Anthony Hopkins is instantly formidable yet terribly fragile as Sir, moving from heart-wrenching tender embers to booming bursts of power instantly. His every look, his every sound and every gesture as Sir once again proves (as if we needed any more proof) that he is one of the finest acting talents of all time. And we also get another, often standing right beside him. Sir Ian McKellen as Norman is delightfully perfect. A lovely mix of hilarious humour, cracking northern wit (it was a joy to see McKellen hark back to his roots!) steely determination, loveable charm and tragic despair, all rolled up, intertwined and presented into the marvel that McKellen is as Norman.

Individually the two great stars are amazing; together they are sublime. Instant rapport, instant play off each other and instant chemistry that (despite this being the first time in their long careers that they have acted together) feels like it has lasted a lifetime.

Supporting them is the serenely majestic and tragically beautiful Emily Watson who is equally delightful to watch as Her Ladyship to Hopkins' Sir. She too fits supremely and effortlessly into the perfect pool of chemistry that the characters provide. Potently punching into this every so often in the plot, we also have the gem that is Sarah Lancashire. On paper hers is the character who may be seen to be the most supporting, but the presence she offers and the delicate serenity she gives to match Hopkins, McKellen and Watson scene-by-scene means she is certainly not overshadowed.

Together this cast takes on a majestically understated journey through one performance of King Lear that is earth-shattering - to the characters and to us the audience.
I cannot be more supportive of the BBC for giving us the likes of this, nor can I be more praising of The Dresser, and I urge you to watch it. Not just for the great names featured - but to simply watch and enjoy as they do what they do best.