A Colony of Bats

 I have lots of horribly delayed posts, but there’s been so much Bat-news, and we all know I’m batty for Bats, so I couldn’t resist.

In choosing the format of the post, I have gone for the path of least incoherence. Least does not mean that there isn’t a lot of squeaky prose and exclamation marks below.

(Tumblr peeps will already have seen bits of this in a subtly different order)

Batfleck

Another thing which is not a secret is how much I loved Batfleck in Dawn of Justice. Afterwards, I wanted a solo Batfleck film so much. Reports of Joe Manganiello playing Deathstroke only encouraged me, even if Deathstroke wasn’t any of the villains I wanted, because I figured I’d already seen my villains on the big screen and it was time to let someone else see theirs.

And then … nothing.

Until there was the news that there *would* be a new Batman film but it would not feature Ben Affleck. I made my peace with that also (about which, more later).

But now, there will be more Batfleck, but not in his own film, but in the Flash’s. I am starting to feel that they are tormenting me deliberately.

JUST GIVE ME A DAMN BATFLECK SOLO FILM.

New Batman (are we okay with RBattz for this?)

Firstly, I rate Robert Pattinson as an actor, I’ve seen The Haunting of Toby Jugg which more than convinced me. So, I was cool with him as Batman. Admittedly, when I first heard he was going to be in a Batman film, I presumed he was going to be the Riddler, but you know, young, solid actor as Batman, that had potential.

Potential for Batman Beyond. That was what I hoped for when I heard the casting, Pattinson as Terry McGinnis with Michael Keaton as an aging Bruce Wayne, in the old Burton sets surround by vivid neon futurism. (Leave me my dreams, they are fun and have excellent cinematography.)

But you know, I got used to the idea of Pattinson playing Bruce Wayne and accepted it.

Then they announced the villains.

No-one can convince me that they didn’t take the names of three actors they wanted to work with and three characters they wanted in the film and then pulled character names out of a hat to decide who got what role. Because you can’t tell me that Paul Dano wouldn’t make an excellent Penguin, I had previously assumed Robert Pattison was the Riddler and Colin Farrell as Bruce Wayne is a swoon-worthy idea.

But again, I achieved calm on the matter. Messrs Dano, Farrell and Pattinson would do an excellent job, no matter how peculiar I found the casting.

Then I saw photos of RBattz and OMG!! He looks so much like Terry McGinnis and I want Batman Beyond so much more than the film they are selling.

On that point, in general, DC seem to have decided their identity is “Not Marvel” which strikes me as a particularly negative proposition. While Marvel have got stick for the colour palettes of their films, they still look a lot better than DC’s films. I know the person who liked the first Suicide Squad film has no right to an opinion since their taste is intrinsically wonky, but I really don’t have an interest in any of DC’s new films. 

Ferrari Foul-Up Bingo - After the Spanish Grand Prix

 I have been conservative with my dabbing.

I had intended to save "mind that kerb" for suspension failures, but a steward's enquiry decided that the "mind that kerb" was the best square to mark for an incident where the engine stopped due to an electrical fault caused by going over a kerb *.

If FIA had charged Leclerc for deciding to drive round a Formula 1 race track without his safety harness done up, that would have been "FIA can't save you now", but the FIA showed more restraint than Leclerc did.

Vettel meanwhile almost gave me a chance to dab "Vettel breaks the bleep button", and Ferrari's strategy team nearly dabbed "too indecisive to decide on a strategy" due to their mis-handling of Vettel.

Like I said, I could have dabbed many more squares because Ferrari never fail to foul-up.

Ferrari Foul-Up Bingo - After the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix

 Vettel's unforced spin in the opening stages has lead to an answer to the question "what will I do if Ferrari screw up in the same way more than once?"

I am double-dabbing.  Obviously, the square can only count once, but the frustrations mount.

The mistake was not an unexpected occurrence.  Mistakes beget further mistakes, and the spin seems to be Vettel's response to pressure.  I think the extra pressure is a mixture of two things, the first being exactly how bad this Ferrari is, and the second is how much better Leclerc, his own teammates, is doing in aforesaid rust-bucket.

Onwards and upwards to the Spanish Grand Prix!

Ferrari Foul Up Bingo - British Grand Prix Edition

No addition to the card, because, amazingly, Ferrari have not done anything unspeakably stupid two races in a row.  I know, I too am shocked and pleased.

Now if they could make a car that actually goes and doesn't require herculean efforts and what can only be described as exploding tyres to get a double points finish.

Yearly Film Location Post

The post is being made at the right time this year, but it only covers films mentioned up to December 2016.

Looking at all film locations, half of the films I have mentioned in the blog were set in the UK, the US or France.  Outer space is next, then Middle Earth is the top fictional location.

Looking only at real places, over half are still UK, US or France but the UK and US make a much larger proportion.

Looking at UK-located films only, they're still all in England or Scotland.

Hungarian Grand Prix

No update to the bingo card, because although Ferrari didn't do well, there was no grand idiocy worthy of blotting the card.  

Actually, despite Verstappen's best efforts to add excitement, was it me, or was that a terribly boring race?  

After the initial tyre flurry, nothing much happened.  When most of the racing that did occur was for positions outside the points, it's not a good sign.  I wasn't joking when I suggested that the Red Bull pit crew deserved Driver of the Day.

Ferrari Foul-Up Bingo - Two races gone and four foul-up bingo squares filled

There's a chance I might get to call "bingo" this season.  That is literally the only positive to be taken from the Styrian Grand Prix.

I am only blotting two spots, because I don't think the timing of Leclerc's tyre change in Q2 counts as "strategy decision is made, it is wrong".  Even the TV commentators said it was a tricky choice and the right one was only obvious with hindsight.

I am not forgiving Leclerc the "hey, let's get a penalty for nearly taking out Kvyat" moment or the "hey, let's take Vettel out" moment.

After two races, the card looks like this:

Or at least I thought it did. But then I made the foolish choice to look at the Constructor's Title standings.

Somehow, within two races, Mercedes already have a more than 25 point lead over Ferrari so 5 squares can actually be dabbed.

Please ignore any screaming!

Ferrari Foul Up Bingo

Being a Ferrari fan can be a frustrating experience.  The general feeling is probably best expressed in this brief clip (https://twitter.com/awaitingseason/status/1253540619781373953).  Yes, that is a Packers fan complaining about a draft choice but it feels familiar, and L swears he has actually heard me make this exact noise because of Ferrari.

I should be more calm about this - most of my early memories of Ferrari are of the great absence of 1990-1994. I am used to Ferrari not winning.  But at least with that car, you knew what would happen - about halfway through the race, the engine would go "splut" and that would be the end of it.  And oh what a beautiful noise it made.  That sound, right at the max, on the forest straight at Hockenheim - I will forgive a lot for that sound.

Yet I can't be calm about it.  In this recent disastrous patch, something different goes wrong each time, almost always something stupid, suggesting a deeper malaise.

Think about last year - if a strategy decision can be made, at any point in the race weekend, it will be the wrong one. If they go too defensive in one race, they will be too aggressive the next. If hard tyres are better, they'll go soft, and vice versa. The pitstop strategy, the actual pitstop, when to change to and from wet weather tyres, all of these went wrong at one point or another. Some of them went wrong several times, each time in a subtly different but equally annoying way. And it's not that these things can't be done right. Red Bull seem to get it right most of the time, even more so that Mercedes. (I am in awe of the Red Bull strategy team.)

And when the team get it right, the drivers decide to start smashing into other cars, each other, random kerbs ... Ferrari have moved me to beyond swearing a few times.

Due to all of that, in a fit of more than usual pessimism, possibly brought about by winter testing, I came up with a Ferrari Foul Up bingo card, mostly based on 2019's incidents.

 

For those playing along at home, by the time the season started, one square in the bingo was already filled.

 

Vettel and Ferrari is not working out, in much the same way as Alonso and Ferrari didn't work out.  I don't think Vettel's the problem here, and I don't blame him for leaving.  Then again, I don't blame Ferrari for changing the driver.  Vettel is making some odd driving decisions, and I think it's the pressure of driving for Ferrari, and of driving for this version of Ferrari.  Hopefully, the change will be good for both parties.

On Friday, before the race but after free practise, L and I had a conversation:

L: Would you like further F1 news, even if you don't like it? (You won't like it.) 

Me: Ferrari are setting their cars on fire in advance?

I said this in the spirit of flippant despondency, but got "good guess" and a link to a BBC article titled Ferrari forced to make a major redesign of their car as a reply.

I don't actually have a square for "this car is so bad that they're going back to the drawing-board." Somehow, despite everything, I hadn't expected this year to be that bad.

By the end of the first race out of who knows how many, because of course F1 hasn't decided yet, the bingo card has two filled squares.

Nope, no-one knows what Vettel was trying there.

I am going to try to take the positives from the Austrian Grand Prix.  It was lovely weather and an exciting race.  Somehow both Ferraris got points, somehow Leclerc dragged that car round to second place.  It could have been worse (it will be worse).  But for now, there was a second place. I can be happy about that.

Dune (2020)

I think Dune might be just the right film for Timothee Chalamet, because Paul is supposed to look scrawny, lost and slightly confused. I can already hear Gurney Halleck shouting at him.

I mock with some affection, I think Chalamet’s going to knock the Jamis scene out of the park.

Most importantly, I have seen pictures of Liet Kynes.

Doesn't she look magnificent!

It is no secret that Liet Kynes is my favourite character in Dune, and I am pleased to see they're doing him justice, in the photos at least. Of all the characters, if there was one they could genderswap, to try and balance out the number of characters of each gender (not that the women of Dune aren't all ... I'd say awesome, but just as flawed and vivid as their male companions is more truthful), then Kynes is the easiest, because there's nothing about him or his story that needs him to be male.

I've also found out that it's going to be two films, which might explain why they haven't revealed who is playing Feyd Rutha. Then again, he's important background for the plot and explaining the Baron Harkonnen's motives, so I remain dubious. Because that scene where the Baron watches Feyd Rutha fight is important, not just for the Baron's "be still my beating [redacted for the good of mankind]" at the sight of Feyd's body. It's so we know that although Feyd Rutha looks nice and, unlike the beast Raban, has manners, hygiene and charm, he's still a Harkonnen and enjoys fighting slaves who are drugged so they're no harm to him to make himself look good. It presages the end duel. You kinda need Feyd in the first half, if only for two scenes.

I withhold my fuller opinion until I see any of the Fremen's eyes.

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Last year I went to watch this with colleague I.  Colleague I wanted to watch it because it looked cute, and her cat looks very similar to Toothless, and I am very easy to convince to go see a film.

I am so glad I went.

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a little gem.

We get to meet old friends (Hiccup, Astrid and the gang, Toothless, Gobber) and see that they're still doing well.  And they're still warm, loving and ridiculous and everything we love about them, especially Toothless and Ruffnut.

Then there was Grimmel.  Oh he's a fantastic villain, mean, cruel and evil, but with a plan, and the will to carry it out.

The effects for the hidden dragon world are fantastic.  I don't know if it was filmed for 3D, I suspect it might have been, but it still looked amazing in 2D.

I enjoyed the fact that they whole-heartedly tell their story with such vim and vigour.

Definitely recommended.