Rome 2.4 Testudo et Lepus dir. by Adam Davidson
When last we left Rome we all thought that evil slimy servant dude was going to succeed with Servilia’s plan to off Atia. He had, after all, found an opportunity when...
3 July 2007
Rome 2.01 Passover dir. by Timothy Van Patten
Rome returns.:”(Yay!)”: Starting up just where last season left off, with the death of Caesar:”(poor old Julius.)”:. Cue plenty of threats and plenty of political scrambling as the implications become clear. Honesty didn’t Servilia even think about the aftermath? I guess not, too tied up in the “jealous scorned woman role”. Anthony isn’t best pleased, as you might suppose. Especially when that dog Quintus and his posse try to kill him. He escapes, and ends up in Atia’s house making plans to escape to the North, and of course then return in order to eat the livers of his enemies:”(Maybe he said that later, Im not quite sure, but the threat stands either way)”:. Don’t you just love Anthony’s threats:”(and just Anthony in general. Complete and utter bastard, yes, but still.)”:?
21 June 2007
On Raven’s Wing by Morgan Llywelyn
The atmosphere surrounding the little boy vibrated with tension. He could not see the stifled anger and baffled desire, but he sensed their residue accumulating like dustballs in the corners of the fort. Unspoken recriminations crowded the silences; bitter glances were hurled like spears over small Setanta’s head.
When I first read this book I wrote the month and year inside the cover, so I know that I first read it in February 1994, but I’ve reread it plenty of times in the past 13 years. It has been one of my favourite books ever since. That might possibly be because it is based on the Irish legend of the Táin Bó Cúalnge, or Cattle-Raid of Cooley. The Táin is made up of a collection of stories, based around the heroes of the Red Branch, the warriors of Ulster, and especially Cúchulainn.
23 May 2007
The Extremes by Christopher Priest
ISBN: 0575075783 Christopher Priest.co.uk ; The Universal Library ; Her name is Teresa Ann Gravatt and she is seven years old: She has a mirror through which she can see into...
19 April 2007
The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
ISBN: 0586087494 See also: Scriptorium ; Ted’s Thoughts Not everyone knows how I killed old Phillip Mathers, smashing his jaw with my spade; but first it is better to speak of...
15 April 2007
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
by Neil Gaiman
There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart’s Desire.
And while that is, as beginnings go, not entirely novel (for every tale about every young man there ever was or will could start in a similar manner) there was much about this young man and what happened to him that was unusual although even he never knew the whole of it.
When Tristran Thorn heads off into Faerie to find a star he has no idea of what is about to happen. All he cares is that the beautiful Victoria has promised that she will grant whatever he wishes if he brings the star that she saw fall.
10 April 2007
300 [based on the book] by Frank miller, Lynn Varley dir. by Zack Snyder
I have a feeling that how you feel at the end of seeing this film will be hugely coloured by your mindset before the film began. Personally I loved it. Wonderful visuals and a great story. Wasn’t overly impressed with the characterisation, but you can’t have everything.
The film begins with a voice-over, and this narrator pipes up throughout the film, sometimes describing the action that we are watching on screen. I have no doubt that some will find this redundant, but, given the ending and who the narrator is I think this device actually works really well. Plus he does add to the melodramatic, over the top atmosphere that make this such a good film.
23 March 2007
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Author: Irene Nireovsky
Two novellas and some appendices make up this book. The two fiction pieces were intended to be part of a series of books about France during World War II, but the author, Irene Nemirovsky died in a concentration camp in August 1942, and that is what makes up the non-fiction element of this book. Of course the real like story of Nemirovsky, and how this book came to be published makes up a large element of the media coverage surrounding the novel, but the fiction element alone deserves attention. The background, and fact that it was written as these events were taking place, adds to the work as a whole.
19 February 2007
Hot Fuzz dir. by Edgar Wright
Basically, if you didn’t like Shaun of the Dead you probably won’t like this film. Okay, so there are no zombies here, but the style of humour remains the same. Personally...
14 February 2007
The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb
Books in series: Ship of Magic The Mad Ship Ship of Destiny reread with ffseries She wondered what it would have been like to be perfect. I really love Hobb’s writing....
20 January 2007
The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas
The first Vargas book I read was Seeking Whom He May Devour, which I loved, and the reason I picked it up was because I liked the cover, well, this one doesn’t have quite such a gripping cover, but it really did grow on me. It is quite simple, just a tree picked out by a shaft of light in a garden, everything else is half hidden in the darkness. It really suits the story.
As I’ve mentioned before characters are what make, or break, a book for me. And this book has great, if slightly odd, stars. Eccentric is probably the polite term.
10 January 2007
The Departed dir. by Martin Scorsese
It took me a while, but I finally managed to go see this film last night, and now I want to go again, because it really is fantastic. Bloody, violent, full...
1 December 2006
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