Sweeping Strings

A chap can end up not knowing where to look at a convention (and then gives up and looks anyway) ... some of those female cosplayers, HOT DAMN. It can be a strange experience finding yourself in a vast conference space on a Saturday morning realising that if you don't stop staring at Poison Ivy's ass soon, somebody's gonna notice. Allegedly .

Can vaguely remember reviews of the time saying that what Quinn's character does to them (especially Stowe's character) is particularly vicious.

Didn't buy her as an FBI agent in Sicario, but she's fine in anything else I've seen her in.

Maverick being a huge hit in the summer of '22 and MI : Dead Reckoning failing to be last summer (especially unexpected for a franchise that has delivered success after success) illustrates 'nobody knows anything' quite well, I think.

And as one the altar boys chorused 'Ain't that the truth'.

I last saw them in '91. Good show, as much a theatrical performance as live gig.

Transporter 2 - the Stath unleashes his 'certain set of skills' on more Eurotrash baddies in another enjoyably silly actioner. Also starring Jason Flemyng and an arguably slumming it Matthew Modine.

I'm off to this on Sunday night - I went last year and had a great night ... nostalgic air-punching singalongs aplenty. Also, I saw The Bowie Experience for the second time earlier in the month and that was also a good time. Got the Pet Shop Boys coming up in June, too.

Can't really recall a proper 'Bond as bon viveur' moment since 'The brand was questionable Sir, so I took the liberty of choosing something else' in Daylights. Probably be regarded as elitist and unrelatable nowadays.

There was an April Fool's that Bond's smoking in past movies was going to be digitally removed for future Blu-Ray releases (but villains smoking would be left in).

Or 'close but no triple gold-banded Morlands', to go back to Fleming.

It coming down to between him and Craig last time round and having The Cold Light Of Day, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., MI : Fallout, Argylle and The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare on his resume ... has there ever been a more 'close, but no cigar' actor when it comes to Bond than Cavill?

That genre's posters are definitely ... of a sort, shall we say. You're not wrong about the money, Andy ... Hawk's budget was £600,000, which even back then would've been low.

The finest line is probably when (after escaping the tiger hunt) Bond is pulled from the river onto a cruise boat and asked 'Are you with our group?' to which Moore responds (in a tone considerably drier than he is) ... 'No ma'am, I'm with the economy tour'.

'That ought to keep you in curry for a few weeks'.