THE TREE OF LIFE (Fox). A difficult childhood: mum is saintly but dad is a terrible disciplinarian. There is a quote from the Book of Job at the beginning. So you know it’s not going to be a bundle of laughs. But I had not realised just how serious, just how cosmic, just how pretentious, just how religious, it was going to be, starting with natural science footage of Creation and ending in a Federico Fellini-like Death reunion scene on a beach. Director Terrence Malick doesn’t make it easy. It’s a very long, fractured, mumbled haul, aimed at only the hardiest and probably best appreciated by Bible students.
SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (Exposure). This 1948 psychological thriller by Fritz Lang, which has not been seen for a long time, is better than its reputation. A rich young woman (Joan Bennett) impulsively marries an architect (Michael Redgrave, miscast) whose hobby (unbelievably) is recreating murder-rooms in his own home. Lang maintains a creepy atmosphere throughout with homage in the direction of Bluebeard and Alfred Hitchcock; but he should have got rid of the Freudian explanations. The melodrama doesn’t need it.
THE EMPEROR JONES (Odeon) is a former porter, thief, murderer and jailbird, who becomes a tin-pot dictator of an island and goes mad in the jungle. It’s a great role for a black actor. Eugene O’Neill never liked this very loose 1933 adaptation which gives a very poor idea of his expressionistic play; but the film does give an idea of the power and magnetism of Paul Robeson who had acted Jones (one of the 20th century’s most taxing roles) on stage in New York in 1924 and in London in 1925. It’s a film for theatregoers who are interested in theatre history.
BARKING (Acorn) was a little-seen Channel 4 sketch show, which aired in 1998 and introduced a number of comedians who went on to do greater things. There are funny moments, notably with Rhys Thomas as a very eager actor, with Marcus Brigstocke as an idiot airline pilot and with Mackenzie Crook as a useless teacher; but too much of it is just not funny at all.
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Campaigns & Issues
Lobby for libraries
The NPC officers have given their backing to a lobby being organised by UNISON, the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), Voices for the Library, The Library Campaign, Campaign for the Book and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) which will call on politicians to protect vital library services.
News
WRVS response to Health Committee report on social care
WRVS calls for a decisive leap towards joining up health and social care responding to the Health Select Committee inquiry report.
David McCullough, Chief Executive of WRVS said: “Delivering 21st-century health services will hinge on us switching considerable resources into keeping older people in their own homes and breaking the cycle of isolation that faces many people from their seventies onwards.
Competitions & Fun
Win a signed copy of Citizen James on DVD
CARRY ON’S inimitable Sid James is Citizen James in the hilarious 1960s BBC comedy, which finally comes to DVD for the first time. This long-lost classic comedy series makes its DVD debut, featuring the only known surviving episodes, the complete series one, and two episodes each from series two and three. They will be released as a two-disc set on 6 February 2012 courtesy of Acorn Media.
In series one written by Alan Simpson and Ray Galton (Hancock, Steptoe & Son), Sid (Sid James) is a hard-working layabout, gambler and con-artist, hanging out on the streets of Soho with his sidekick Bill (Bill Kerr), in Charlie’s Nosh Bar and occasionally paying a visit to his long-suffering fiancée Liz (Liz Fraser), to borrow money to pay off his gambling debts and cons gone wrong.
Advertorial
February is travel love month with Silver Travel Advisor
WIN £1,000 CRUISE VOUCHERS WITH VIKING RIVER CRUISES AND MANY OTHER PRIZES
Silver Travel Advisor is a friendly website packed with advice, tips, information and honest reviews written by and for silver travellers (aged over 50). A team of advisors are on hand to answer queries (for free), and you can share your own experiences too.
February is Travel Love month at Silver Travel Advisor, and there is a whole range of prizes to be found including the star prize:
Viking River Cruises – win £1,000 cruise vouchers
Health & Wellbeing
Scrap the government's health bill, say BMJ readers
More than 90% of British Medical Journal readers responding to a poll published today think the government's health reforms should be scrapped.
The poll asked: "Should the Health and Social Care Bill for England now be withdrawn?"
Property & Finance
Did you miss the Self Assessment deadline?
If you have missed the deadline for submitting a Self Assessment (SA) tax return and you can show that you should not have been in the SA regime in the first place, then you may be able to avoid any penalties.
Lifestyle
Paula's Wines of the Week starting 6 February 2012
If you really like a certain wine, rather than buying it in single cork-stoppered bottles why not get larger four bottle-sized amounts available in boxes? But if stepping along to the supermarket seems like too much of a chilly effort then try the online winebox retailer InspiredWine.co.uk because they’re offering free delivery during February.
There are advantages to buying wine in a winebox. As the wine is dispensed through a plastic tap all the annoyance of the cork is removed: no more tainted 'corked' wine (this spoils at least one in ten traditionally bottled wines due to improperly sterilised corks) and no more chasing around bits of broken cork that always sink when the index finger sent in to oik them out gets anywhere near them.
Travel & Leisure
£15m boost for sustainable travel
Transport Minister Norman Baker today announced £15m of new funding for sustainable travel projects across the country that will promote economic growth and cut carbon.
The investment is in addition to the £560m Local Sustainable Transport Fund announced in January 2011. This additional funding, heavily geared towards cycling, will support jobs, enhance access to employment and encourage greater use of more environmentally friendly transport.
I have received a copy of you paper from our Community Centre for the last two years and really look foreword to reading it. Thank you!