HAPPY NEW YEAR....! Let's HOPE that its nowhere as bad as we think it MIGHT be!

Just Finished Reading: Priests De La Resistance! - The Loose Cannons Who Fought Fascism in the 20th Century by Fergus Butler-Gallie (FP: 2019) [260pp] 

To be honest it was difficult to resist a book with a pun both in the title AND the sub-title. No doubt it helped that the book also covered an odd aspect of WW2 and I’m always looking for the odd nooks and crannies of that particular conflict. I’ve long been interested in resistance movements across the globe and across time with a particular focus on the French resistance in particular. My reading, up to this point, has looked at the political aspects of this resistance especially focusing on the Communists and local Nationalist groups in various European countries. This was something quite different looking instead at the religious (exclusively Christian here) side of things. 

Looking at around 15 examples (all but 2 from occupied Europe during WW2) this was a fascinating, uplifting, harrowing and sometimes honestly funny look at some of the priests, nuns and other religious characters who put everything on the line to fight Fascism. Sadly (showing my lack of knowledge in this area) the vast majority of the people mentioned where completely unknown to me. The only one I recognised was Dietrich Bonhoeffer – not a name easily forgotten once discovered. Naturally one of the things I love about books like this is that they introduce me too a whole new side of things and to fascinating people of which I was previously ignorant. Being an ‘odd-ball’ myself (although generally I don’t think of *myself* that way) I was delighted to see just how ‘odd’ this cast of characters was. I think almost without exception they were outliers in their own faith organisations and all too often barely tolerated by their ecclesiastical hierarchy. Honestly, I liked them instantly! But it didn’t surprise me that someone who was a constant thorn in the side of their bishops or others above them was equally a thorn in the side (and often much more) to the Fascist authorities who tried to control them. Above all else it was their faith that not only sustained them through the years of Occupation but it was their faith that drove their opposition to Fascist ideology and the practical effects of it – from deportation of Jewish populations to the general oppression of the local population. 

Reading these potted biographies its difficult not to be uplifted by their efforts (often valuable, life-saving, inspirational) to fight a very real evil in their midst. I also found it difficult not only to admire these men and women who put their lives a distant second to doing the right thing but to love them for what they did. They were probably ‘difficult’ people in a whole host of ways but I do think they would have been fun – lovely provocative fun – to have in your community and most especially to know them or, if you were very lucky, to be friends with them. Told with a wonderful style I really enjoyed reading about a whole host of people that shouldn’t really be allowed to fade into historic obscurity. Definitely recommended and I’ll be looking out for the authors previous work on the English clergy. 

MUST be almost New Year... My local supermarket has put the Easter eggs out..... [lol]

The Last 10 Movies – December 2024 Edition   

ANOTHER quick movie watch from me. No wonder my review ‘pile’ stubbornly refuses to increase! These were mostly re-watches with only TWO new films (to me at least) one of which I really enjoyed and the other I thought was terrible (but I finished it just to make absolutely sure). So... 

You Only Live Twice (1967) 

The last of the original/approved Connery Bond films. Mostly based in Japan and mostly very silly. Much as I do love Bond they haven’t aged very well! 

Free Fire (2016) 

I remembered seeing the trailer @ the cinema and thought this looked like FUN. It was – muchly. It's a very simple tale of an illegal gun-buy going very wrong indeed followed by a shoot-out in an abandoned warehouse. Almost TOO simple to work – but it does. 

Hang ‘Em High (1968) 

Rather crude Clint Eastwood western revenge flick. Another classic that hasn’t aged very well. 

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) 

The only Bond film starring George Lazenby as Bond. The first half was rather slow but it got there eventually. Starred Diana Rigg as the very attractive and self-destructive love interest. 

Black Adam (2022) 

I periodically try to ‘get into’ super-hero films after falling out with them after Avengers: End Game. This reconfirmed everything I hate about the genre. One of the worst films I’ve seen in years. 

Gorky Park (1983) 

I loved this when it came out and have really liked the book series it was based on. William Hurt was one of my favourite actors at that time and he played the role of a long-suffering Soviet policeman very well. Showing its age now but at least this has prompted me to continue with the books! 

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) 

Quite terrible adaptation of my favourite Holmes story starring Peter Cushing as Holmes and Christopher Lee as Baskerville. Honestly, they should both be ashamed of themselves. 

The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974) 

Very inventive idea and very well-made train ‘heist’ movie starring Walter Matteau completely out of character with Robert Shaw as the baddie. Really shows what a mess 70’s New York was. 

The Matrix (1999) 

Still stands up pretty well despite being 25 years old. It completely blew me away when I first saw it – both for the visuals and the concepts – and I still greatly enjoyed it. Shame they made the sequels. 

What’s Up, Doc? (1972) 

This was a random pick and I was totally surprised how much I still enjoyed it. Mad-cap, silly and non-stop. TOTALLY hilarious comedy about a mix up with hand-luggage. Both Ryan O’Neil and especially Barbara Streisand are brilliant in these roles. Loved every minute of it.  

Happy Birthday: Nichelle Nichols (born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer and dancer whose portrayal of Uhura in Star Trek and its film sequels was ground-breaking for African American actresses on American television. From 1977 to 2015, she volunteered her time to promote NASA's programs and recruit diverse astronauts, including some of the first female and ethnic minority astronauts.

Born in the Chicago suburb of Robbins, she trained in dance, and began her career as a dancer, singer and model in Chicago. As an actor, she appeared on stage, in television and in film.

On Star Trek, Nichols was one of the first Black women featured in a major television series. Her prominent supporting role as a bridge officer was unprecedented. She was once tempted to leave the series; however, a conversation with Martin Luther King Jr. changed her mind.

Towards the end of the first season, Nichols was offered a role on Broadway. Preferring the stage to the television studio, she decided to take the role. Nichols went to Roddenberry's office, told him that she planned to leave, and handed him her resignation letter. Unable to convince her to stay, Roddenberry told her to take the weekend off, and if she still felt she should leave, he would give her his blessing. That weekend, Nichols attended a banquet organized by the NAACP, where she was informed that a fan wanted to meet her.

I thought it was a Trekkie, and so I said, 'Sure.' I looked across the room and whoever the fan was had to wait because there was Dr. Martin Luther King walking towards me with this big grin on his face. He reached out to me and said, 'Yes, Ms. Nichols, I am your greatest fan.' He said that Star Trek was the only show that he, and his wife Coretta, would allow their three little children to stay up and watch. [She told King about her plans to leave the series because she wanted to take a role that was tied to Broadway.] I never got to tell him why, because he said, 'You cannot, you cannot... For the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day—as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing, dance, and go to space… who are professors, lawyers… If you leave, that door can be closed, because your role is not a black role, and is not a female role; he can fill it with anybody, even an alien."

Calling Nichols a "vital role model", King compared her work on the series to the marches of the ongoing civil rights movement. The next day, she returned to Roddenberry's office to tell him she would stay. 

Just Finished re-Reading: The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (FP: 1927) [293pp] 

Running to an even dozen stories this is the last set of Sherlock Holmes stories produced by the author after bowing to public pressure to produce more adventures for his fan base. This also means, of course, that it’s the last of the buddy-reads with Marian over @ Classics Considered. It's been a fun re-read over the year and I’m really glad we decided on doing this. Holmes is one of my three founding hero figures so it was good to reconnect after over 40 years. 

As usual with these things the stories are quite a mix of the Gothic, the simply mysterious and the criminal. One story in particular came as a bit of a surprise - The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier – as it was written by Holmes himself rather than, as usual, by Watson. It was interesting that despite (obviously) being penned by the same author it had quite a different ‘tone’. This was one of the gothic pieces and, as is common in these stories, had a link to the Empire, in this case South Africa which ACD knew well as he served there during the Boer War. 

One comment in particular made me LOL during the telling of The Adventure of the Mazarian Stone when Holmes shouted out “No violence gentlemen. Consider the furniture.” No doubt his rooms 221b had been set up just as he liked it and he didn’t want to waste his time furniture shopping! I think The Problem of Thor Bridge was probably my favourite story of the bunch. Not only was it very atmospheric but also very clever and hinged on a small, apparently insignificant, anomaly at the crime scene. I was impressed at ACD’s ingenuity.  

The Adventure of the Creeping Man (or should that be ‘creepy’ man) was interesting for a number of reasons – firstly that it gave some insight into Edwardian dating practices (and expectations) and also highlighted some fanciful pseudo-science. ACD should have known better... But it did show that the fear of the loss of male virility as age advances is FAR from new. The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger was another interesting one highlighting as it did Holmes’ basic humanity. It also dropped some interesting statistics – the fact that Holmes had been ‘in practice’ for 25 years and that Watson had been taking notes for 17 of them. Presumably Holmes had been operating for 5 years before Watson arrived on the scene? 

Lastly, The Adventure of the Retired Colourman had an interesting comment: Excellence at chess is the mark of a scheming mind! That’s good to know. I’m passable at chess but have never, thankfully, achieved anything close to excellence. 

Overall, this was a good to very good collection of Holmesian tales and I enjoyed them quite a lot. Being Edwardian rather than Victorian at this point I couldn’t help but notice how often the telephone made its way into the story and how access to that technology – growing more common throughout that age – affected the story. One other thing that I couldn’t help but notice (and honestly expect) was the occasional hint of racism or antisemitism sprinkled her and there. Although it did make me wrinkle my nose a bit, I’m glad they left it in so that we, as readers, can see how much we’ve progressed away from such things. 

Of course, after reading nine Holmes books over the last year, I’m going to miss the guys and their adventures. Fortunately, I have other options to continue my love of the characters and their interactions in what I’m called ‘Holmes Adjacent’ literature. I won’t be reading this quite as often as the original stories (other plans will intervene) but I will be dropping in at least a few such books per year going forward. The first of which will, probably, be another collection of short stories and another re-read: Sherlock Holmes in Orbit edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H Greenburg, but that won’t be for a few months at least.