The Death Of Stalin

Now that the vaunted Clive James has shuffled off the proverbial, I suppose I ought to nominate a new incumbent for the post of my favourite living cultural commentator. Come on down .... Armando Iannucci.

Iannucci's The Death of Stalin is not for those of a delicate moral disposition. This is black comedy (very, very dark) about the death of, and subsequent rush to succeed, one of the twentieth century's great monsters - and let's face it, that century produced some considerable competition in the monster field. Bloody funny. 8/10.

So Begins The Task

I am still absorbing the hugeness of my father's death. There have been various administrative hurdles to negotiate - a reference to the coroner's office, a reference back from that office to the hospital (basically telling them to get on with it and not to pass the buck) and, at last being able to register the death. Registration took place this morning and then it hit me - I had in my hand certification that this moral giant is dead. Now we can start to plan a fitting memorial.

Dad, at his beloved School

So, private grief aside, what is the world up to as it faces a brave new year? Quite a lot actually. America took it upon itself to execute an Iranian alleged mass-murderer. The world thereby shivers in the shadow of war. It would be nice to have greater (no, any in fact) faith in the U.S. President who ordered the act. It is possible to do the right think for entirely the wrong reason. The defining story of 2020 will be America's response to the opportunity to eject Trump by the ballot box. The fabulously ill-judged impeachment of this wretched man will be the prelude to the democratic denouement.

South East Australia is ablaze and it is apparently my fault. And yours. What are we going to do about it? Should my next car be a hybrid?

Scotland worries me. Actually, scratch that - Scotland annoys me. You may remember that a matter of a few years ago we had a 'once in a generation' referendum on Scottish independence. The nationalists lost that vote 45/55. Those same nationalists have just (by an ironic fate) achieved 45% of the vote in Scotland in a national election. The remainder voted for various hues of unionism. According to La Sturgeon this gives her (please bear in mind that she was not even a candidate in these elections - at least Salmon took the fight to Westminster) 'an overwhelming mandate' for another referendum. Beam me up Scotty.

Let's finish on an optimistic note. Last Saturday prior to the two Aston Old Edwardians fixtures against Aldridge RFC, sixty plus players and officials and a large throng of spectators were whistled to attention and stood in a solemn silence in memory of Brian David Roberts. He would have loved that and, yet more, he would have smiled to see the old ground so full. Furthermore he would have allowed himself a brief triumphant glow in face of the results which saw Aston win on both pitches by a combined margin of just eight points. The sun shone and perhaps, just perhaps, God was in his heaven.   

Twelve Films At Christmas: 12

A good old-fashioned epic to finish us off this Yuletide. The Fall of the Roman Empire bankrupted its producer Samuel Bronston by all accounts, which is a pity because it's actually not bad. Conceived and delivered on the grand scale, it is rather intelligent in its fanciful treatment of the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. A thinking man's Cleopatra perhaps. And if there is no Elizabeth Taylor to distract us there is instead Sophia Loren, my liking for whom the Groupie can never understand - I know what I like and I like what I bloody well know. 6.5/10.

Twelve Films At Christmas: 11

Before we get to the film, a Happy New Year to all our readers.

Courtesy of Amazon Prime we discovered a gem of a film last night, one that belongs alongside other youthful rites of passage classics such as The Railway Children, Gregory's Girl and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The film is Lad: a Yorkshire Story. Made on a shoestring budget and shot beautifully in the Yorkshire Dales this film is moving without being cloying and funny without being silly. It has tragedy and redemption. Highly recommended. 8.5/10.