Mrs Doubtfire 2: It’s Happening!

Films buffs everywhere cheered last week as it was announced that classic Robin Williams fronted comedy Mrs Doubtfire is headed for a sequel. Why did we love the first film as much as we did and can we expect from this belated second instalment?

A 90’s Classic

Any kid growing up in the 90’s saw Mrs Doubtfire at some point in their young lives, it was practically mandatory viewing for the post Generation X set, and the light mix of comedy and heart inspired kids everywhere to learn that their parents are people too, a valuable lesson to remember through your mixed up teenage years.

Mrs Doubtfire tells the story of San Francisco based, recently unemployed voice actor and devoted father Daniel (Williams), whose wife Miranda (Sally Field) asks for a divorce due to his irresponsible and immature nature.

She won’t let him watch his own kids, but when he learns that Miranda plans to hire a housekeeper to do the job, he has a spark of inspiration. He adopts the drag persona of Mrs Euphegenia Doubtfire, and takes the job. What follows is a hilariously touching tale of a fathers struggle to prove himself to his ex and his children.

So why do 90’s kids everywhere love Mrs Doubtfire? I can think of several reasons…

· Drag: Robin Williams in drag as a Scottish nanny is simply too funny for words!

· Sally Field: An accomplished actress, Field brings a sense of gravitas to a story that might otherwise have been too rooted in its comedic nature.

· Real Life: Drag aside, this is a tale that a lot of children growing up in the 90’s could relate to. After all, two in three couples divorce now and many of their families struggle to deal with the aftermath.

· Cutting Edge: It’s was actually ahead of it’s time for Hollywood – the idea of a straight man in drag was pretty unheard of in this market before Doubtfire, and it hit home with a new, more tolerant generation.

The Curse of the Sequel

So is the second instalment of the classic comedy going to work, Oliver Rawlings readers? There is the curse of the sequel to contend with, but I think it could work, and here’s why.

It’s being directed by legendary Harry Potter director Christopher Columbus, who will no doubt bring his A-game to the film and it is so long after the first film came out, that the market hasn’t been saturated. People are ready for Euphegenia once again!

It’s a while until Mrs Doubtfire 2 is set to hit cinema screens – it’s not even in production yet, but I’ll be waiting anxiously to see whether the second film will be just as beloved as it’s legendary predecessor.

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The Rise of Wearable Technology

As a major tech buff, there are few trends that excite me as much as the wearable tech trend that has gripped the market over the past year or so. How might this trend play out and what could it mean for the future of smart devices?

A few years ago, I’m sure you were all like me, Oliver Rawlings readers. I was simply amazed at how quickly smartphone technology was moving, how it seemed to be diversifying every day. Suddenly you could bank with your phone, you could online date with it, you could even use it to get a (somewhat) accurate weather report.

What a difference a few years makes. Smartphones are only barely a decade old and suddenly we’re all talking about wearable tech. If you’re still stuck in the IPhone age, let me break it down for you.

Wearable tech is exactly that; smart technology that acts as a piece of clothing. Commonly we see it with the Google glass, a pair of glasses frames with ‘smart’ capabilities that you can wear as you would wear real glasses. We also see it with the new smart watches which perform similar functions.

So what are we dealing with here? Well, we’re really dealing with wearable smart technology. They perform the same functions as a smartphone and have the added advantage that they are more convenient, as they are on the body, as opposed to in your pocket.

But there are kinks still to work out. Namely, people aren’t out buying Google glass in droves yet, and experts are now partly putting this down to design. That’s why plans are currently underway to produce a version of the technology with Ray Ban.

So how might this trend play out? In the short term, it could go one of two ways and it depends entirely on the consumer. Wearable tech could remain the domain of tech buffs and millionaires. However, if it is marketed and delivered in the same way that smartphones were, wearable tech could become every bit as pervasive in society as the phone that changed communication forever.

In the long term, it’s clear that exactly this will happen. It’s actually something we see fairly often with technology; CD’s replaced cassettes, which were in turn replaced by downloads etc. It’s very much a natural progression.

It says something larger about the world in which we live. The tech age has blossomed, there’s no going back. Wearable tech is yet another sign that technology is our future. 

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The Ukraine… Is it Really Over?

Anybody who’s been keeping tabs on the situation in the Ukraine at the moment will have noticed that things have finally come to a standstill. What does this mean for the future of the country considering its larger problems?

Over the course of the weekend it seems that the leaders of the Ukraine have finally come to an accord. The president was kicked out, the protesters have stopped marching and elections have been called for May.

It would seem that the situation has finally settled. However Oliver Rawlings readers I would argue that this is part of recurring problems that elections aren’t going to solve.

Ukraine has been in this position before, multiple times. I would argue that in order to solve the problem for good we need to go deeper than just calling for another election. We need to look at the basic cultural divide that haunts the Ukraine and has done for decades.

The Ukraine for a long time was either under direct Russian control or a client state of the much larger nation. Indeed for most of its life it was either a part of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union. However the west of the Ukraine has been, at other points in its history, Polish, Austrian, Hungarian etc.

This means that there’s a basic cultural divide in the country, indeed this divide is what led to the clash in the first place. The protests were sparked by the Russian friendly government after they turned down a trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Putin’s autocracy.

This is what sparked the riots. People in the East rely on Russia and when they threatened to pull away trade, the government had to protect their interests. However the people in the west of the Ukraine were hoping that EU trade deals would bring living standards more in line with those enjoyed in the west.

This is a problem that runs deeper. What will happen in May is that the Ukraine will most likely elect a EU friendly government, then things will be quiet for a time before they make a decision that’s unpopular with the other half of the country. The merry-go round goes round and round as it were.

The nation needs to address this cultural divide if it ever hopes to survive. Should it even survive?  I’m guessing that this may be a question those in the Ukraine ask themselves in the coming days and months.

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The Internet Block: Was There Even Any Point?

The British government put a new scheme blocking certain websites from being accessed into place which officially began on 1^st January 2014. A month later and people are already up in arms about what this ban is doing to their right to surf the net. With this in mind we ask was there any point in the first place?

Have you encountered this ban Oliver Rawlings readers? The chances are that you will; the funny thing is that unless you’re a regular viewer of illicit websites (not judging if you do) then you shouldn’t have.

So this brings up the question, if you don’t view these websites then why are you coming up to banned webpages. It was never meant to actually be this way; however it looks like the people who have carried out this policy have made some mistakes.

The policy was brought in by the coalition government to curb access to porn. Basically Cameron introduced legislation that required internet providers to block porn and other controversial websites. However there’s more to the policy.

Naturally the ban was put in place to protect children; they’re too young to legally be viewing such content anyway. However many have argued that it’s a sort of shaming device. This is because you have to contact the internet provider to have the ban removed.

However it’s had unintended consequences. This ban was only supposed to effect websites with content viewed as a risk. However ever since the ban has been put into place, it has effected a whole host of websites that nobody could ever consider harmful.

It’s blocked access to harmless sites such as the BBC and there’s another unintended consequence. It’s blocking access to sites that provide help and education such as sex education websites and LGBT rights websites.

It’s clear to see how this has happened; these types of sites, whilst not gratuitous, do have content that is in some way linked to adult issues. However it’s clear that there are people out there who need access to these types of websites to get the type of information they need to make sure they stay safe.

So in this way the ban hasn’t worked. Would it ever have done really? I can see where David Cameron was coming from; however blocking these sites is a violation of freedom of speech, even if it is a somewhat minimal one. Should we ever be encouraging a restriction to freedom of speech in a democratic society?

So Oliver Rawlings readers it’s not a question I’ve got an answer to. What is clear is that the current system definitely isn’t working and it needs to be reformed. Only time will tell where it all goes from here. 

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It’s Coming Up: Valentines

February has officially dawned, Oliver Rawlings readers and with it comes that most loved up of hallmark holiday, Valentine’s Day. How should you handle the day of hearts and flowers?

There’s a reason that they call it the ultimate hallmark holiday; that’s because it most certainly is. The corporations of the retail world come together to convince you that your relationship will be unable to survive unless you buy the most expensive item on the list.

I can only speak from my own experience readers, but doesn’t this kind of negate the whole point of Valentines? This may seem odd but keep up with me here.

If you go around splashing the cash then it makes sense that eventually this is going to eat into your bank balance. If your bank balance only has a certain amount (like with most people) then eventually it’s going to drain it if your partner has particularly expensive taste.

Doesn’t this go against the very idea of a relationship?  Money is one of the most common problems in this country and statistically it is one of the most common causes of stress. Stress can actually have physical side effects such as high blood pressure. These are bad for your health.

Why would someone who loves you (or at least cares for you very much) want to put you in that position? At the end of the day your health should matter to them more than whatever you’ve bought them.

I’m not saying don’t spend any money; sometimes if you have a great idea that you know will appeal to your partner, you might need some cash to carry it out.  However when it comes to Valentine’s I believe that there should be one guiding principle; it’s the thought that counts.

This brings up a more central point about the Valentine’s Day phenomenon; it’s about showing you care. Spending nothing and writing a poem with your deepest feelings in it can be just as, if not more effective than buying a diamond bracelet. It’s a day about love so how about actually communicating that love.

Valentine’s Day really is the ultimate hallmark holiday and that’s not always necessarily a bad thing. When it comes down to it Oliver Rawlings readers, concentrate on the intention behind the gift rather than the price tag it carries. 

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Canada: A Ban Too Far?

News emerged this week, Oliver Rawlings readers, that Canada banned among others things, marmite. It seems ridiculous but it’s true. What we wanted to ask this week is; is this ban too far?

Canada announced last week that it was now banning the importation or sale of several key classic British foods and drinks. Amongst others these included marmite, Irn-Bru, Ovaltine and Lucozade. However this wasn’t just some arbitrary ban, there was a reason for it.

It was done on health grounds. Basically the owner of a British store was told to stop selling the products because food officials discovered that these items contained an illegal additive. Well, at least one that’s illegal in Canada.

Subsequently the man was made to stop selling these times. However it brings up a key issue for food enthusiasts and culture warriors everywhere. How much should we be restricting certain food stuffs?

It comes at a time where more and more people are worrying about what we put into our bodies. In particular people are worried about the effects of E-Cigarettes and sugar. This is likely to add to the chorus of people who are saying that we should be enforcing stricter laws about what we put into our bodies.

This is a debate that has been raging foryears, and it’s unlikely that we’re ever collectively going to arrive at a conclusion that everybody’s happy with. It’s one that asks how much should we be a nanny state?

We are somewhat of a nanny state these days. We restrict most drugs; we also have major restrictions on alcohol and tobacco. We have these restrictions in place because we recognise, to some extent, that we have to have rules in place to protect people from themselves.

However we certainly haven’t gone as far as this before. Addictive substances such as alcohol and tobacco are still legal and widely available. Sugar is laced into practically everything we eat and only Canada has banned these items; we still consume them by the bucket load.

So it’s a balancing act, which isn’t that surprising really. The real question is that now Canada has raised attention to these items, will other countries follow. Will Britain one day treat marmite as contraband? Only time will tell the answer to this question many of us never thought we’d have to ask. 

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Should ‘Get Lucky’ Have Gotten Lucky

Every so often at the Oliver Rawlings blog I like to step back from the current affairs and explore pop culture. With the Grammy Awards airing last night, I wanted to take this post to ask, should ‘Get Lucky’ have gotten lucky?

I’m asking this because Get Lucky; the Daft Punk collaboration with Nile Rodgers and Pharrell won one of the ultimate gongs; Record of the Year.

This wasn’t the only time Daft Punk got lucky on the night.  The tracks album, Random Access Memories, took home the prestigious Album of the Year award. However one of the night’s other top gongs, Song of the Year, went to New Zealand starlet Lordes for her mega hit ‘Royals.’

So what I want to ask is did get lucky deserve to indeed get lucky? Well we always knew it had the makings of a mega hit. It was the collaboration between three of the most successful acts in modern music history. Nile Rodgers in particular has been the moving force behind many hits; perhaps most notably Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin.’

So when it came out, you might have imagined that such a dream team would fall flat on its face; mega collaborations that are hyped up are often disappointments.

However this certainly wasn’t the case with Get Lucky. It was a monster hit. It topped charts all over the world, it made a lot of money and it entered the hearts and minds of people everywhere. It could very well be a top contender for the most successful record commercially in 2013.

However the Grammy’s aren’t just about commercial success. Time and time again commercial success actually hinders an acts crusade to score a Grammy; it’s almost as though they see commercial success as a badge of dishonor; as though they’re no longer worthy of being cool.

However Get Lucky wasn’t just a commercial success; it was also a critical one.  Critics around the world went crazy for it. If we’re being honest only ‘Royals’ itself saw as much critical acclaim as Get Lucky did.

So it appears that the Grammy’s really did get it right for once, and this time they actually managed to pick a track that is both critically and commercially successful. Here’s hoping that trend continues!

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