Entertainments.

The last week has been a bit of a mixture. I will concentrate on the lighter side here.

Friday and Saturday night were social occasions where I met up with old friends and colleagues. On Friday a member of my team at work retired. It was a great opportunity to catch up with retired colleagues. On Saturday, I took in the Champions League final in the Abergeldie (my local) with my old friend Phil. After the game we watched a great set from CODA, a boy/girl duo who performed covers of songs in an alternative style.

Film wise, I took in The Great Gatsby last week and Epic yesterday, both in 3D.

The Great Gatsby was one of the texts I did in English in my schooldays, so I was familliar with the story. Having seen other Baz Luhrman films, I had some fears about how this film would turn out. These were unfounded. The film moved along at a cracking pace with the music from JZ and his mrs, Beyonce, complementing the action and, I think, trying to link the past to the present. Modern songs had a 20s treatment and 20s songs were played in a modern stylee. All in all a good film. The 3D did add quite a bit, but watching in 2D will not really effect your experience.

Epic is an animation. A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group of characters in order to save their world -- and ours.

This film is a bit like Avatar meets Lord of the Rings with elements of Star Wars. Although it is a U film, it is perhaps a bit too dark for really young kids: at least three families had to leave early due to their screaming and crying offspring. It is about relationships: a father and daughter and ours with the environment. In 3D, the film was spectacular, particularly the battle scenes. Animated films seem to take to 3D better than live action. Cristoph Waltz gives a good voice performance as Mandrake, in what is a better film than I expected.