I see a little silhouetto of a film

Will they do the fandango? Malik and Lee as Mercury and May, Hot Space style

I don’t go to the cinema that much.

For starters, there’s no way I can drink a litre of cola (which appears to be the smallest size available now) and then sit for two hours without needing to take a ‘comfort break’. Then there’s the trauma of contending with other cinema-goers, most of whom seem to have come to talk, deliberately rustle crisp packets, or be unreasonably tall and sit immediately in front of me.

It looks like I’ll have to brave all that come November, when a movie about rock band Queen scaramouches it’s flamboyant way in to your local flea pit. Cunningly titled “Bohemian Rhapsody”, it charts the history of the band from their early 1970s formation through to their remarkable performance at Live Aid in ’85, which is often cited as their best on-stage performance ever.

Judging from the trailer, which was released this week, the attention to period detail looks to have been dialled up to “obsessive”, as the band’s look has been faithfully recreated for all their many incarnations.

Rami Malek (of ‘Mr Robot’ fame) seems to have pulled off larger-than-life frontman Freddie’s mannerisms perfectly (even if his diminutive stature doesn’t match Mercury’s), whilst Gwilym Lee not only looks and sounds like a younger Brian May, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover the big-haired lead guitarist had discovered the secrets of time travel and was playing himself.

Ben Hardy’s Roger Taylor looks like a reasonable fit for the blonde-haired drum wizard, whilst bassist John Deacon gets the talents of Joseph Mazzello – who will have to work very hard indeed to bring the band’s most anonymous member to life.

The trailer features big hair, fisticuffs, a great gag about the length of their epic hit, a cockerel (no, me neither)... and lots of trademark moustache.

Let’s hope that the years of difficulties the film endured, including lead actors dropping out and a revolving door of directors, hasn’t blunted what could well be a great film about the band I loved so much in my younger years – and still do.

In a shock move, May and Taylor are serving as music producers.

Still, regardless of whether the film itself is magnifico or very very frightening, you can at least guarantee that the soundtrack will be awesome. Of course, they could just stick a new label on Queen’s Greatest Hits – the UK’s best-selling album of all time.

Save me some popcorn.

This post first appeared as my "A wry look at the week" column, in The Mail, on Friday 18th May 2018. It was re-titled as the somewhat uninspiring "I will have to brave the cinema again", and accompanied by a picture of some popcorn, rather than an image of Queen, or a picture related to the film.

So this is the first outing of my column in it's new, reduced, format.

Still - I am stoked for the film, which is actually coming out in late October - the November date on the trailer appears to be for the US market. I've no idea where the nearest cinema is to me, but I definitely need to go! If you haven't seen it yet, here's the trailer that got me all excited...

(CD A-Z: The X-Files: The Album.)

Malaysian Grand Prix - Vettel hot, but not bothered

Malaysia. It's always hot, and it always rains. Except the 2nd part is no longer true (unless you count the drizzly bit around lap 14). Saturday's qualifying session had highlighted the fact that Red Bull and McLaren seemed well matched on pace, but also that Ferrari were struggling. Whilst Vettel bagged another pole, followed by Hamilton, Webber and Button, Alonso was only 5th, and Massa 7th, with Nick Heidfeld an excellent 6th on the grid between the two red cars. At this point, I would like to break momentarily for a small rant: How many times do I have to say Heidfeld is good? Why wasn't he given a top drive years ago? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! ARE YOU BLIND!!!?? Ahem. The Hispanias somehow managed to a) turn up b) remember to bring cars c) get both of them on the track d) actually get both of them within 107%. Pretty remarkable really. Oh, and it didn't rain. Race day looked a more likely candidate for a drop of the wet stuff. The start was exciting, with...

"It's all gone quiet..." said Roobarb

If, like me, you grew up (and I’m aware of the irony in that) in the ‘70s, February was a tough month, with the sad news that Richard Briers and Bob Godfrey had died. Briers had a distinguished acting career and is, quite rightly, fondly remembered most for his character in ‘The Good Life’. Amongst his many roles, both serious and comedic, he also lent his voice to a startling bit of animation that burst it’s wobbly way on to our wooden-box-surrounded screens in 1974. The 1970s seemed to be largely hued in varying shades of beige, with hints of mustard yellow and burnt orange, and colour TV was a relatively new experience still, so the animated adventures of a daft dog and caustic cat who were the shades of dayglo green and pink normally reserved for highlighter pens, must have been a bit of a shock to the eyes at the time. It caused mine to open very wide indeed. Roobarb was written by Grange Calveley, and brought vividly into life by Godfrey, whose strange, shaky-looking sty...

A fisful of change at the shops

A recent day out reminded me how much the retail experience has altered during my lifetime – and it’s not all good. I could stop typing this, and buy a fridge, in a matter of seconds. The shops are shut and it’s 9pm, but I could still place the order and arrange delivery. I haven’t got to wander round a white-goods retail emporium trying to work out which slightly different version of something that keeps my cider cold is better. It’ll be cheaper, too. But in amongst the convenience, endless choice and bargains, we’ve lost some of the personal, human, touches that used to make a trip to the shops something more than just a daily chore. Last weekend, we visited a local coastal town. Amongst the shops selling over-priced imported home accessories (who doesn’t need another roughly-hewn wooden heart, poorly painted and a bargain at £10?) was one that looked different. It’s window allowed you to see in, rather than being plastered with stick-on graphics and special offers calling ...

grumpyf1

Search This Blog