New venue and return of a classic.

Geez, I'm back in the swing here.

Pointed in the direction of 'Logan Lucky' by a tennis pal, one of those rainy days came round again and I found myself searching for it's appearance somewhere in the North East of England....somewhere, anywhere.

Boldon, Boldon? played tennis there in the past but cinema? I gradually warmed to the idea of visiting an unknown venue and made my way there via Gateshead & a couple of buses.

Film started with just 6 of us watching a movie come to the end of its term but one which turned out to be a little gem.

Basically a heist movie, it's set in the deep south where, for various reasons, the takings of a NASCAR racetrack are required revenge for Channing Tatum's character. This would also reverse a supposed curse on the Logan family name. The undoubted surprise of the film is Daniel Craig who puts in a wonderful performance as a required member of the heist team currently in prison. Bleached blonde hair and a southern drawl, he steals the film with his gummy bears bomb and his carefree breeze through life. 

Directed by a resurgent Steven Soderbergh I recommend this to the house even though it may be a while before I return to an inhospitable Boldon. (Ooooo there'll be letters!)

Finally, some 30 odd years later Blade Runner 2049 hits the screen. Described as awesome by another of my pals,  I visited Newcastle's Cineworld and a packed cinema for a film that respectfully nodded to its original both musically and visually. The trend towards visual glitches I found very effective and it was clear that great imagination was at work here. 

 Set in distopian California of 2049 the intervening years had done little to improve the role of a Blade Runner or indeed the weather (Nice to see Peugeot still trading though)
Blade Runner Ryan Gosling's detective work for the LAPD was a little too drawn out for me but parallels have to be drawn with his character and Harrison Ford's Deckart, although who indeed is/was Ryan Gosling's character?- it wasn't what he thought it was. Did enjoy uncovering Ford's implacable love for Rachel with Jerod Leto's (Wallace) gaffe in respect of eye colour. 

In many ways I could go on and on about this film as perhaps too long, a little sterile in places but I can't help feeling I will look forward to viewing again and grab some of the more misleading material that the day's other distractions had brought. A slow burner?