tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64740343888262309322024-03-19T09:53:31.375+00:00A Gathering of OpinionsAnother review blog. This is where I expouse my opinions on things to the world.
Books, Movies, Music, Gadgets, anything I decide to review.Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-53425439801706550982011-07-21T16:42:00.003+01:002011-07-21T16:48:29.151+01:00The Office of Lost and Found by Vincent Holland-Keen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrInafLn3MaDr7NvTSxWRw3VkRp3rr_NlKpTjzcICmdCdnHEyimYldSo4KcwnF8d-aRFN8pzpYQK0bBMrLhS2Bh7q05xfYaKzoMJBSNEz_HVrtZQ3cbPd1eZCCLaCxsAuMsCjPKaROsU/s1600/TOOLAF+Cover+Art.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrInafLn3MaDr7NvTSxWRw3VkRp3rr_NlKpTjzcICmdCdnHEyimYldSo4KcwnF8d-aRFN8pzpYQK0bBMrLhS2Bh7q05xfYaKzoMJBSNEz_HVrtZQ3cbPd1eZCCLaCxsAuMsCjPKaROsU/s320/TOOLAF+Cover+Art.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631831702452584482" /></a><br /><br /><br />Thomas Locke can find anything and works for someone who communicates with him via messages written on slips of paper.<br />Veronica wants him to find her husband and she willing to pay him the generous price of not shooting him to do it.<br />This is how we meet our two main protagonists.<br /><br />As Thomas delves into Veronica’s life and her husband, he discovers a company that sell items that only cost certain parts of your psyche.<br />Just as you start to think, “This is getting interesting”, Thomas has solved the case and Veronica is free. For a given value of free.<br /><br />That was the first shock, for me. The first half of this book is taken up by a number of smaller cases, almost short stories, that progress Thomas and Veronica’s relationship and delve into the weird world of The Office of Lost and Found.<br /><br />It’s only as all the threads from the first half come together after the pair save a child and banish/kill Thomas’ employer (a place most stories would end) in the second half that the story really got going for me. I found that restarting with a new case every so often left the start of this novel very stop-start. It took me a good while to get into it.<br />It didn’t help that Veronica is almost defiantly unsympathetic in many ways. But it’s her caring heart that keeps you just interested enough in her to keep going.<br /><br />Once we’ve set up all of the major players and underpinned that this reality is maybe just a little bit off from our own, then TOOLAF really kicks itself into a high gear and gets running.<br />Gods, children worshipping roadworks, the fate of everything, friendly monsters under the bed and just maybe the end of the world all come flying in with great speed to make the second every bit as engrossing as the first half was frustrating.<br /><br />Thomas Locke is a fine entrant into the “weird detective” class. His methods are strange, and yet, if you’ve read Dirk Gently, quite familiar. Yes, this book is massively influenced by Douglas Adams’ quirky detective and it doesn’t really try to hide it. Instead Vincent Holland-Keen wears these influences on his sleeve and it’s all the better for it. He seems to have decided that there is room in the world for more than just Gently and his demented detective methods, and I’d have to agree.<br /><br />The secondary characters are well drawn, Billy – the boy with monsters under his bed – gets the best deal of them all. But each character gets their moment to shine.<br /><br />I enjoyed this book once the pieces were in place, it’s well worth the slight struggle past the necessary first half.<br />Definitely worth checking out.<br /><br /><br />The Office of Lost and Found can be purchased <a href="http://anarchy-books.com/books/the-office-of-lost-and-found/">here</a>Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-55821111736319589352011-04-10T20:28:00.001+01:002011-04-10T20:34:14.302+01:00Serial Killers Incorporated by Andy Remic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAL8RljF45EpXAzHRmDYKlOTbT2IiINivIhhfBtLIe7tAxF0IG68X5UfPhXqfuUaIofyOZDO4ATUb8t5uCwNK74y5qHk2HEHyAo_xWKn8LLxuiEHIILgpHD8qA-BHt9T0oJQQcGcgZsGE/s1600/SKINC_FINAL800.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAL8RljF45EpXAzHRmDYKlOTbT2IiINivIhhfBtLIe7tAxF0IG68X5UfPhXqfuUaIofyOZDO4ATUb8t5uCwNK74y5qHk2HEHyAo_xWKn8LLxuiEHIILgpHD8qA-BHt9T0oJQQcGcgZsGE/s320/SKINC_FINAL800.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594039592822355794" /></a><br /><br /><br />We begin with our protagonist naked on a balcony, quite literally freezing his nuts off, while his lover performs her wifely duties with her husband. A husband who is also a gun runner and killer of at least 34 men.<br />It’s very quickly apparent that we are not supposed to like or admire most of the people who are going to populate this novel. And that’s fine, you don’t need to like a protagonist to want to see what happens to them. In fact a good chunk of the enjoyment of this novel is following Callaghan and his miserable efforts to work out just who is doing what to him and why.<br /><br />A photographer by trade, Callaghan and his friend Jim get some of the best scoops in the journalism business by bribing, sneaking and occasionally making stuff up. So when they are led to a murder scene by an anonymous phone call, they don’t hesitate too long before checking it out.<br />The discovery of a brutal murder starts the ball rolling that sees Callaghan dragged further and further into a mess that he can see no way out of. By the time it’s all over a good number of people will be dead, there have been betrayals and a liberal use of expletives.<br /><br />Remic writes books that don’t hang about. His prose is solid and easy to read, it’s unlikely to win any literary awards but it’s perfectly suited to this kind of story. Violence, blood and sex are his forte and he uses them well.<br />Remic also creates whole characters, making sure none are left as a cipher unless that’s the point of the character.<br />Callaghan is an utter bastard, something he takes pride in to begin with and has that self-knowledge slowly chipped at as the novel progresses. Callaghan is the type of character that is never going to be a hero in the traditional sense, in fact, in most stories about a serial killer he would die horribly and messily fairly quickly. However he is someone that you are almost fascinated to follow. He survives not by much real planning on his part, but almost feral reflexes and luck.<br />Surrounding him are a wide cast of some of the more twisted members of society and we get to know the motivations of each of them.<br /><br />While it’s not going to be regarded as a classic of the genre, Serial Killers Incorporated does have a decent story. The final revelations may take people by surprise and if you can’t go with them then the novel is liable to lose you. I’m not going to spoil things too much here, but suffice to say, they remind me of Michael Marshall Smith’s novels.<br /><br />Did I enjoy it? Yes I did, the humour works, the violence is quite lovingly and inventively described and even the sex scenes are done well.<br />If you like bastards doing bastardly things to each other with a smattering of sex and much use of profanity, then I think you’ll dig this.<br />If you don’t, then you probably won’t.<br /><br /><br />The eBook is to be accompanied by an album. Only 2 tracks were sent with my review copy. I don’t really review music because I’m not really versed in it in that way. I will say I quite enjoyed the two tracks by th3 m1ss1ng and the closest I could find in my iTunes folder to accompany them while reading were some Cooper Temple Clause tracks.<br /><br /><br /><br />The book is available in eBook form from Anarchy Books <a href="http://anarchy-books.com/products-page/science-fiction-ebook/serial-killers-incorporated/">here</a>Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-70623938256889111102011-03-12T19:28:00.003+00:002011-03-12T19:36:54.846+00:00In The Skin - Gary McMahon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaayabPaV7DF7Y5g8U-79JsdMUSvzQu2yEF4R87Z3OvWmLm8CUqSMP-xPPLX7rCtHJZA4DT-O2l83FwhmbeMgHrhyTJjYsTLGcjgebBASpQH64-aEOO9zMiEmBQ2BHxCY-3Fa2KWEn90/s1600/In+the+Skin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaayabPaV7DF7Y5g8U-79JsdMUSvzQu2yEF4R87Z3OvWmLm8CUqSMP-xPPLX7rCtHJZA4DT-O2l83FwhmbeMgHrhyTJjYsTLGcjgebBASpQH64-aEOO9zMiEmBQ2BHxCY-3Fa2KWEn90/s320/In+the+Skin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583277905521820690" /></a><br /><br /><br />In The Skin is a short novella that is absolutely jam-packed with some of the bleakest writing you will ever find.<br />And I mean that in a good way.<br /><br />Our protagonist, Dan, is feeling a little dislocated from his life. At first I thought I had spotted the reason for this, but it turned out I was way off.<br />When Dan goes to New York for a business trip, ostensibly just to get away from his wife, things start to get weird for him.<br />A lingering smell of fish at the airport along with an horrific vision sets the tone.<br />As Dan's sense of dislocation continues he has a thoroughly unerotic encounter with a prostitute and meandering visit to New York.<br />But it is when he gets home that the dread and wrongness fill his life.<br /><br />McMahon has written a dark and disturbing fiction here, the word that most sums it up for me is Bleak.<br />There are no chinks of light, no snatches of hoope to be found. And yet the writing is compelling, his prose full of the delightfully uncomfortable metaphors that he excels at.<br />In short, this is not and easy or uplifting read - but it is a straight shot of disturbing horror.<br /><br />And at 70p/99 cents for the eBook - you can't really go wrong.<br />A solid recommendation.<br /><br />Buy it from amazon uk <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-The-Skin/dp/B004QZ9V1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299958149&sr=8-1">here</a> and amazon.com <a href="http://www.amazon.com/In-The-Skin-ebook/dp/B004QZ9V1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1299958580&sr=1-1">here</a>Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-8620106283279518712010-03-25T11:30:00.002+00:002010-03-25T11:32:49.301+00:00Kick Ass<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyk3rGQSSc4FNvCQO4_XQium2taNzZwoGd7nB5J8ZzCVGNiHmlxHD0W7xuuOmr1uL6s83W_8LUjBhthy83VH6lYBi5Ndeu0JQRvRLAcatAvGmOFT2aSFjcD393rwueGscpqg429SrtNI/s1600/kickass_poster.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyk3rGQSSc4FNvCQO4_XQium2taNzZwoGd7nB5J8ZzCVGNiHmlxHD0W7xuuOmr1uL6s83W_8LUjBhthy83VH6lYBi5Ndeu0JQRvRLAcatAvGmOFT2aSFjcD393rwueGscpqg429SrtNI/s320/kickass_poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452532801896392546" /></a><br /><br /><br />Opening with a flight through clouds as the titles rush at you and a score that sounds an awful lot like John Williams’ Superman score, Kick Ass appears to be going straight for the classic superhero start. We zoom down onto a man in a bright outfit, <span style="font-style:italic;">shu-shuck</span> wings open, people on the ground stare in wonder. He dives from the roof, down, down, the music swells, at any moment he’s going to soar!<br />Well, no. One destroyed taxi and little mocking voice-over later and it’s quite clear this isn’t your every day superhero movie.<br /><br />Kick Ass looks a lot like the other comic book movies being made, the colours are bright and primary, the costumes extravagant – except for Kick Ass’, we’ll get to that – and yet, beyond the look of it, there’s something unlike any of the other superhero movies out there.<br />When Dave (soon to be known as Kick Ass) asks his friends why no-one has ever tried being a superhero he’s told in no uncertain terms that it’s because they’d get the shit kicked out of them.<br />Undeterred, he buys himself a green wetsuit, a couple of batons and goes out to fight crime. On his first attempt he ends up in intensive care.<br />When he gets out he resolves to do better and here’s where the plot starts to kick in.<br />We are introduced to Damon MacReady and his little daughter, Mindy in the strangest fashion you are likely to see, as Daddy shoots his little girl so she’ll know what taking a bullet to the chest feels like and won’t be scared. Yup, this is the intro to the character all the advertising is being built around, Hit Girl.<br />Now, why is all the advertising being built around her? Well, the film might be called Kick Ass, but you are going to come away thinking Hit Girl.<br /><br />Nicolas Cage does a fine job a Big Daddy, his costume looks to have come from The Dark Knight, but the voice, it’s a pure homage to Adam West’s incarnation of Batman and it works beautifully. The character has the obligatory tragic back story, but it’s his love and pride for his violent child that will endear him to you.<br />Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin!) does a solid job as Chris/Red Mist. His motivations for getting dressed in a costume are unlike the others and I won’t spoil it here. As a character he gets a little bit of a short shrift and doesn’t really get the scenes to really show his acting chops. There’s a hint at the end that he may well get the chance if this does well enough for a sequel.<br />Mark Strong as the Mob Boss, Frank, does his usual sterling work, taking what could just be a generic mob boss, complete with relapse into coke habit, and making him shine. Delivering lines with venom and humour, he’s probably the films most unsung hero so far.<br />Aaron Johnson as Dave Lizewski/Kick Ass does a solid job at the film’s centre. He gives a performance that’s believable and real. His terror and fear as things keep getting worse is completely believable.<br />The actor walking away with all the plaudits is Chloe Moretz as Mindy/Hit Girl, and rightly so. She steals absolutely every scene she’s in. From messing with her Dad by asking for a puppy and not weaponry to taking out a corridor full of gangsters she just holds your attention. It’s helped by the fact that she’s got most of the best lines and action sequences to herself. But again, it’s the loving bond between her and Cage that really make the films emotional centre.<br /><br />But any big movie like this stands or falls on its action sequences, all of the above could be brilliant, but if the action was rubbish, it wouldn’t matter. Happily this is not the case. The three major heroes all have their own fighting styles and they are filmed in similar ways.<br />When Kick Ass fights it’s all wild flailing and hoping just to connect and not get too much shit beaten out of him. Just like anyone without training does. The camera goes with this in hand held, somewhat confusing, but deliberately so framing. Never so much that you can’t tell what is going on, just enough to disorient you like Kick Ass is.<br />Big Daddy is all business, one shot here, stomping and powerful. The direction here is smooth and clean, professional.<br />But the best is once again Hit Girl, she’s high speed, full octane and the scenes reflect this. Faster cuts, crazier angles as she bounces off of walls, these are the real action highlights.<br /><br />The film is also very funny, from a young girl swearing to the bazooka gag there’s a great deal to laugh at here.<br /><br />So then, is it worth watching? Worth plonking your hard earned down to see at the cinema?<br />A resounding yes. I’ll be going to see this again and I recommend it to you all.Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-34565553556755498172010-03-19T20:19:00.001+00:002010-03-19T20:19:42.535+00:00Green Zone<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vct9n6GjHHbQMVN1oYt3KXjNnSqj8eg0DHzQwhW6hyO5ysV8SmCfjuYddTGiVnDxSB4bDrpqqtiQ21DXKHEQIwkq_8BAUcrj1jEE8Gyjmg3Ws6QKofTs6rieg7E1voFaOd3jS50HMO4/s1600-h/green_zone_poster_01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vct9n6GjHHbQMVN1oYt3KXjNnSqj8eg0DHzQwhW6hyO5ysV8SmCfjuYddTGiVnDxSB4bDrpqqtiQ21DXKHEQIwkq_8BAUcrj1jEE8Gyjmg3Ws6QKofTs6rieg7E1voFaOd3jS50HMO4/s320/green_zone_poster_01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450442171157453938" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Green Zone opens with Baghdad under attack as the war begins. Huge explosions rip through the city as a General scrambles to gather all of his things, including a diary, before escaping.<br />A quick cut to four weeks later launches us straight into the heart of Roy Miller’s job in Iraq – hunting for WMDs in areas where there is looting and snipers. It’s breathless and highly charged and it feels like before you’ve had a chance to settle in, the first contact, and disappointment for Miller, is over. You’ll need to pay attention here as dialogue is delivered at the speed of men who know what they are talking about, have done it many times before and are in no way trying to make it simple for the average person to follow.<br />These opening scenes quickly demonstrate the pace most of this film is going to come at you. People speak, listen and respond. There’s no repeating of something hard to understand in simpler form, you need to keep up with what is being said.<br /><br />When Miller and his crew – a sadly under-characterised group of men whom we never get to know – are working on another clearly fruitless lead an Iraqi named Freddy informs them of a secret meeting.<br />When they act on this information this is where things start to get murky. From the appearance of the Delta team and the machinations of the various CIA agents working to opposite agendas, Green Zone doesn’t have any clean answers for most of its running time.<br />There is a slight sag in pace in the middle of the film as the flesh is laid on the bones of the secret, but then we head into the finale and the action ramps fully into gear.<br /><br />The director, Paul Greengrass, seems to have learnt a bit more about shooting action since The Bourne Ultimatum as he keeps his distance from the action while filming in shakey-cam, meaning you can actually tell what’s going on most of the time.<br />As Miller Matt Damon is in nearly every scene and carries the film on the back of his performance. Miller comes across as a decent man, a professional soldier who has doubts about those leading him but faith in his own men.<br />And apart from Miller, there are no real stand out characters. Because all of the focus is on him we get very little chance to know anything about the people helping or opposing him. The exception to this is Freddy, his Iraqi interpreter, who lends a voice to the Iraqi people in his simple determination to just survive for now so that he can rebuild his country, which he loves.<br /><br />The ending feels a little too much of a wish fulfilment, as we all know the events it portrays did not happen. Perhaps a few years down the line, when viewers who were too young to really know about what happened see it, it won’t be so jarring.<br />All in all it’s a solidly put together film. It’s no stand out and not one I’m in a rush to see again, but would probably watch it the opportunity presented itself.<br />For the action sequences, I say it’s worth a watch, for the story, worth a go, for the lack of real characterisation, probably worth a view if it’s on TV or someone lends you the DVD.Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-41825901678431951982010-03-18T13:05:00.001+00:002010-03-18T13:21:18.746+00:00Solomon Kane<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5q9mizya526kD7sVZtJxbn9RbJX_MrcFqU7qt5SSPElMPZJikbexzjLmgkaixtfolFl_SacB6QBBqgGsFEaNhKYUlsxHM5xJX0EOS0_5UZcAJI_57_ZV5JqrZS_594fVoNGd0lSNLoV4/s1600-h/Solomon1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5q9mizya526kD7sVZtJxbn9RbJX_MrcFqU7qt5SSPElMPZJikbexzjLmgkaixtfolFl_SacB6QBBqgGsFEaNhKYUlsxHM5xJX0EOS0_5UZcAJI_57_ZV5JqrZS_594fVoNGd0lSNLoV4/s320/Solomon1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449963041826674194" /></a><br /><br /><br />Starting with an impressive sequence that involves the assault on a foreign city and its strange castle, Solomon Kane wastes no time in getting into the action.<br />As Kane casually slaughters his way through guards, calling them foreign and pagan, you quickly get the impression that this is not a nice guy.<br />A creepy sequence involving mirrors and monsters leaves Kane alone in the throne room, but instead of treasure he finds himself face to face with the Devil’s Reaper – a suitably creepy monster – that tells him he’s going to be taken to hell, right now.<br />Kane escapes and renounces violence, going to live in a monastery.<br />When he is sent out from the monastery he encounters a Puritan family, after taking a severe beating by some bandits he refuses to fight, knowing the Devil will find him if he resorts to violence again.<br />Here the film takes a dip in pace. While we have sped along to this point there is a deliberate slow down as Kane learns about the family and the Puritan religion. With Pete Postlethwaite as the father, the story is never less than watchable, but I would have liked the pace to have been kept up.<br />When the villains finally appear and Kane renounces his renunciation of violence things start to move. The fights are brutal and violent, with Kane displaying a true talent for death dealing.<br />The story is quite strong and there are some fine performances from all concerned. James Purefoy makes a compelling lead, making a hero with a West Country accent seem like screen gold.<br />Yes, that’s right. Solomon Kane is from Somerset/Devon way and speaks like it.<br /><br />While this character comes from the pen of the man who wrote Conan, the tones of this and the Arnie Conan films could not be more different.<br />While Conan shone with bright colours and the glory of being a warrior and a man, Kane is muddy and grey, just like the shades of morality that run throughout the film.<br />That is not to say the film isn’t visually interesting, because it most certainly is. Creature design and some wonderful sets give your eyes plenty to look at. Even the scenes in the woods manage to feel less than familiar, given how many fantasy movies take place in them.<br /><br />Solomon Kane is a great slice of heroic fantasy and I would recommend it be seen. While it has probably gone from your local cinema by now, take a chance on it when it comes out for home viewing.Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-34800339862022575662010-03-18T13:02:00.004+00:002010-03-18T13:21:42.471+00:00From Paris with Love<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhTkdrAvSl3UGpSPuiZdWSccnoILSLJ4fvIswafZ7ncPCIp-I6Lujqm_9qxd_P1fEy-jVMOdIiRvr8bNTzX8KEz2QdFv-9qSnCFaZVJWMMC4YcHq2vltFt2nmpwjHEn3G-v4M_d1bLhY/s1600-h/from_paris_with_love_ver5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhTkdrAvSl3UGpSPuiZdWSccnoILSLJ4fvIswafZ7ncPCIp-I6Lujqm_9qxd_P1fEy-jVMOdIiRvr8bNTzX8KEz2QdFv-9qSnCFaZVJWMMC4YcHq2vltFt2nmpwjHEn3G-v4M_d1bLhY/s320/from_paris_with_love_ver5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449958882069510370" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />The film starts by introducing us to Jonthan Rhys-Meyers’ character, an assistant to the American Ambassador to France. He does some low level stuff for the CIA, changing a licence plate, planting a bug – a scene that doesn’t really milk it’s comedy potential for all it is worth – but all he really wants to do is get out a gun and shoot bad guys.<br />A simple introduction to a character we’re going to spend most of the movie with.<br />Then he meets his new partner – Charlie Wax. Loud, brash, abusive, xenophobic – he’s like the stereotypical American abroad. Portrayed with great zeal by John Travolta, who looks like he’s thoroughly enjoying every moment in this character, Wax starts to subvert our expectations almost instantly. The reason he’s there is because he’s the best and while his introduction calls that into question, his actions following that put that question squarely to bed.<br /><br />But this is an action film and as fun as the characters are to follow, if the action is rubbish or the story pointless, you just don’t care. Happily this is not the case.<br />While I did suss out who the villain was from very early on, it added an extra layer of tension to a later scene that wouldn’t have existed if I was behind on the plot. I’ll point out here that the reveal isn’t signposted, but I’m a paranoid suspicious person and that’s why I got it.<br />The story is fairly standard terrorist plot fare, with a few early attempts to hoodwink both Meyers and the audience. The pace of the film rattles along at great speed and has no real flab to drag down the pacing.<br /><br />So then, the action. Well, to start, this is directed by the man behind District 13 and Taken, two films with a solid action pedigree, so I went in expecting some good sequences. And I got them.<br />While none of the sequences are likely to live on as masterpieces, forever copied and imitated, they do their job exceptionally well. A car chase down the French motorway with Wax hanging out of his chase car holding a bazooka is great fun. The takedown of a group of street thugs is a fine piece of style and substance as we get a quick beat down as well as an insight into why the Americans have sent this guy to do their work for them.<br /><br />All in all From Paris With Love is a good solid action movie. I had an absolute blast seeing it and will definitely be picking up the DVD. Whether you need to see t at the cinema will depend on your love for action movies, but if you don’t go, I’d recommend a home viewing. It’s worth paying money for.Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-63302495509586317712009-03-18T11:46:00.002+00:002009-03-18T11:49:16.157+00:00Dalton Quayle Rides Out by Paul Kane<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO2IBnjTMpEI_9pYc3_swhBHLYVdyTrAVrnq_rZ20E0rS3R3WLLD93iE74OT2M9pIf29y0P3wButO3bjajdXTu6vRjwOXHxea-zUE6KMstFR5YGGoZbeUjhs4oZnBIFzQOSafS3H0iY8/s1600-h/dalton-web.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO2IBnjTMpEI_9pYc3_swhBHLYVdyTrAVrnq_rZ20E0rS3R3WLLD93iE74OT2M9pIf29y0P3wButO3bjajdXTu6vRjwOXHxea-zUE6KMstFR5YGGoZbeUjhs4oZnBIFzQOSafS3H0iY8/s320/dalton-web.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314493188017799490" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />This book contains two stories of the adventurer and detective Dalton Quayle, as written by his compatriot and partner, the gun loving Dr Pemberton.<br /><br />The first story is Dalton Quayle’s Wet One.<br />The story is quite a good one, dealing with the rise of sea-people and a creepy sea-side town. Unfortunately I had a terrible time making my through this story and all due to the huge number of punnish names given to the characters. The town is called Outsmouth where locals drink Craftylove’s Ancient Irregular, anyone who has read a decent amount of horror should be able to pick up on the reference there. If that were all then it would have been a nice nod to his inspiration, but this story doesn’t read more like that. Instead it reads like an attempt to show you how many books and films the author has read/seen. There is a three page retelling of Robert Shaw’s monologue from Jaws after a scar comparison that is a pastiche of Moby Dick, complete with Captain Abrahab and the monster Dopy Mick. With characters such as Island Police Chief Bodey (who later on is referred to as Brodey in a typo), Jacques Custarde the underwater expert, Captain Codeye who exploited children for his brand of fish food, the list goes on. Which is a real shame, because when he’s not just playing on names and riffing on other peoples stories, Paul Kane is pretty funny. Towards the end of the story everything picks up and barring the occasional distracting pun is great fun.<br />The problem with all of the puns and plays on names you know is that they are continually dragging out of the story. As I say, when they are left behind the story is actually a good, fun read.<br /><br />The second story, Dalton Quayle Rides Out, is much better. The pun names are mostly left out and when they occur, they are spread out to lessen the distraction.<br />In this story Quayle goes up against a Chinese Evildoer and genius called Fe-Man-Ho and his Mini-Fe, Fok-Yu. Going from the Chinese district out to the old west, this tale romps along a good pace, demonstrating the kind of humour Tom Holt praises him for in the introduction.<br />The verbal gags fly quite quickly and Pemberton and Quayle make entertaining heroes.<br /><br />Overall this book is quite fun. While a humorous Sherlock Holmes type lead doesn’t seem all that original, the characterisation of Quayle makes him a character you’d be happy to read the other adventures Pemberton keeps referring back to.<br />I only wish that the number of puns and constant references to other books and films was toned down in the first story. For me they aggravated me as I was constantly being reminded of who the characters were based on and what particular film or story was being mocked.<br />But then, humour is very subjective and I’m not a huge fan of puns anyway. If you’ve found the names I’ve mentioned herein gave you a chuckle, then you may well enjoy this book.<br /><br />You can order it from amazon.co.uk <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dalton-Quayle-Rides-Paul-Kane/dp/0955445221/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237376912&sr=8-1">here</a>Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-43723804866155853442009-03-18T11:43:00.002+00:002009-03-18T11:46:40.077+00:00Test Drive by DJ Burnham<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqpowwIwxQRZz5ZwHrZq_lCZgKRruJqHW14jl4z9nvqUZfaaJb6AKr765VylNbb_9FFOermLhIvinAJiMfjuw6cPaHk4cWRd8d_xTcryyxcKHPDFz8JuYLBx1BVTlJOiNmhuOqbadSho/s1600-h/rzTest_Drive.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqpowwIwxQRZz5ZwHrZq_lCZgKRruJqHW14jl4z9nvqUZfaaJb6AKr765VylNbb_9FFOermLhIvinAJiMfjuw6cPaHk4cWRd8d_xTcryyxcKHPDFz8JuYLBx1BVTlJOiNmhuOqbadSho/s320/rzTest_Drive.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314492865856092882" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Test Drive is the first collection of short stories by science fiction writer DJ Burnham. For a first collection, there is a very high hit ratio of really good stories. <br />One of the first things I noticed about the stories is that they all seem to follow a similar pattern, the first two thirds are on establishing the world and the characters and then the main thrust of the story comes in to play in the final third. In the hands of a less talented writer, this technique would make for quite a dull read but Burnham is very good. He makes his characters and story the focus of his writing, letting the ideas be a tool for the telling, rather than focus the story on the scientific idea – which makes a nice change from many other short science fiction stories I’ve read.<br /><br />There’s a comfortable familiarity in his writing, the stories, while new, feel familiar. Time to Leave is probably the best example of this. It’s a story I feel like I’ve read before, but not done like this or told in this way. It was this feeling like I knew the stories that made the writing so easy to read.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bid</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">One True Path</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">The Lighthouse Keeper</span> and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Biker’s Dozen</span> were my four favourite stories in the collection. Bid tells the story of an auction site entrepreneur and the expansion of his gardening business into and interstellar one. I have never been interested in gardening, but this story kept me interested and entertained throughout. One True Path tells of the arrival of a religious alien race at Earth and their attempts to discover if it is a spiritual world and without need of conversion. The deciding factor in their choice appealed to me on quite a few different levels. The Lighthouse Keeper is all about setting up a lighthouse on a rogue asteroid field that is causing danger to interstellar shipping. Finally Biker’s Dozen is essentially a travelogue around an alien world after a war. The writing in this story is wonderful and very descriptive.<br /><br />I have only mentioned four above, but nearly all the stories in the collection will have me reading them again. Only Blink disappointed me, as we never find out who it is that sets the chain of events in motion and while that might be the point, it irritated me. Home in Time for Christmas was probably the most disposable of all the stories in there. Even then, both of these stories are written with the same skill and care as the others.<br /><br />In all this a very good collection from someone I will be keeping my eye out for. While reading this collection, it made me want to improve my own writing so that I could be as good as he is. I can’t think of a better compliment than that.<br /><br />The author is donating all of the profits from the sale of this book to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)<br /><br />Find it on Lulu <a href="http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/test-drive-volume-1-of-the-collected-stories/823956">here</a>Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-37217440944207800792009-03-18T11:40:00.002+00:002009-03-18T11:43:21.509+00:00El Sombra by Al Ewing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2w3H2lXoxit-sbpcIn0CVaHyjWQVzu1HnlLPBBC4CNnxOyNpKLkb7EwB5vgOrgdF993iOiGiP2COb0nrgYQPXFzHWznEGGxUC-BkJfh8edMnDMCJ2wokioEXn1CwdWMuR5b3BL7C6ts/s1600-h/cover_sombra.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 188px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2w3H2lXoxit-sbpcIn0CVaHyjWQVzu1HnlLPBBC4CNnxOyNpKLkb7EwB5vgOrgdF993iOiGiP2COb0nrgYQPXFzHWznEGGxUC-BkJfh8edMnDMCJ2wokioEXn1CwdWMuR5b3BL7C6ts/s320/cover_sombra.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314491984948788466" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Opening with the words:<br />The man walked across the desert.<br />And the desert destroyed the man.<br />is El Sombra, the second book in Abaddon’s Pax Brittania line.<br />The plot could be summed up as an unhinged Zorro fights Nazis to reclaim his town, but that would do a disservice to the outlandish imagination contained within the covers.<br />The origin of El Sombra is neatly delivered in a prologue where a wedding is interrupted by the arrival of flying Nazis and our hero descends into madness in the desert.<br />We then skip ahead 9 years, the people of the town are as nothing to their Nazi masters, viewed as little more than clockwork people, there to do their job, but not to live.<br />The best defined of the villains is Alexis, son of the commander, his introduction is reminiscent of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, with all the references to male grooming products and the body in his bed.<br />It is not long before our hero arrives to stop a public execution and things just start going badly for the Nazis from here on.<br /><br />One nice and inventive trick is that every Nazi killed by the hero is given a back story, some lasting only a paragraph others getting a full history. Some we feel sorry for, others less so, but each becomes a real character before being unceremoniously slain by the laughing El Sombra.<br />Only once does this not happen and there they are casually dismissed as chaff, not important enough to know beyond being in the way of El Sombra as he rages.<br /><br />While there are no great surprises in how the plot progresses, this does not detract from the story in any way. The author bio describes it as his first penny dreadful and it reads as a great piece of pulp fiction.<br />The action is detailed and often entertainingly gory. There is a glee to be had at noting no two characters appear to die from the same wounds and guessing at just how El Sombra will dispatch the next.<br />There are some great set pieces, the highlight the attack of the ten foot tall clockwork, steam powered Nazi death robot, known as Der Zinnsoldat, the Tin Soldier.<br />There are suitably ironic ends for several villains, my personal favourite being the demise of the chief torturer in a new and inventive way that should bring a smile to your lips.<br /><br />Never letting the story get bogged down in talk, El Sombra still manages to create a wide number of notable and memorable characters. This is a book I devoured in just under 24 hours and would recommend to any fans of slightly deranged pulp fiction.<br /><br />The ending leaves it open for a follow up, but with the news that the originator of the series, Jonathan Green, will be writing all the further adventures in this world, we are unlikely to see it. A shame in my opinion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Fruiting Bodies by Jonathan Green</span><br />Included in the book is a short story by Jonathan Green (creator of the Pax Brittania series), featuring his dandy hero, Ulysses Quicksilver.<br />Fruiting Bodies is set some months after the events in Unnatural History and has Ulysses investigating a strange death in the East End. A prostitute is found dead, her body covered with strange fungus.<br />The investigation leads him to noted botany experts and he stumbles upon other deaths.<br />The story is short, snappy and retains the fun of Unnatural History. Quicksilver is unable to stop charming any woman he comes across or upsetting Inspector Allardyce.<br /><br />It’s a good piece of pulp fiction and it’s nice to see Abaddon putting a short story at the back rather than just the opening chapter of a novel. <br />The final revelation caught me slightly, which is always a nice surprise.<br />I am looking forward to the next book in the series. High standards have been set by all 3 stories so far, let’s hope they keep up.<br /><br /><br />You can buy El Sombra from amazon.co.uk <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/El-Sombra-Pax-Britannia-Ewing/dp/190543734X">here</a>Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-73058217624386624552009-01-31T18:06:00.002+00:002009-01-31T18:09:10.612+00:00Eulalia! By Brian Jacques<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrKoXxYo2RTrZBtWX15BSWr_1eZXDM5tedd8Z5lBzgnH7EKdprxFHEVWxUoBwFB8M2edsDJ4tsLDkdQgwBPbnHUnseuET24qjUH8mK05T_neL9BjKUlBs8VmTW_EM-X9h7mm9LQdixJE/s1600-h/uk_eulalia.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrKoXxYo2RTrZBtWX15BSWr_1eZXDM5tedd8Z5lBzgnH7EKdprxFHEVWxUoBwFB8M2edsDJ4tsLDkdQgwBPbnHUnseuET24qjUH8mK05T_neL9BjKUlBs8VmTW_EM-X9h7mm9LQdixJE/s320/uk_eulalia.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297521516665258850" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />With this being the 18th book in the Redwall series, Jacques has settled into a comfortingly familiar style of story-telling.<br /><br />For those who don’t know, the Redwall books are a cross between fantasy and medieval action/adventure stories with all of the characters being animals. Each type of animal has its own general personality, with the characters themselves being individuals. So rats, ferrets, weasels and other vermin type creatures are always the villains, roving bands of raiders or pirates. Moles are somewhat country-bumpkin like with their “boo-urr” speech patterns. Badgers are fierce warriors, otters are playful and good fighters. Hares are posh, stiff upper lip “what what” types who fight for the badger lords of Salamandastrom. My personal favourites have always been the GUOSIM – Guerrilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower. A bunch of homicidal, easily enraged shrews with rapiers.<br /><br />This particular book doesn’t mess with the pattern of previous books, there are two major hero stories, we also follow the villains (2 bands of them this time) and Redwall Abbey is in danger. Like I said, it’s all very comfortable. However, I don’t read Redwall books for something new each time, just like I don’t expect an episode of CSI to turn into Battlestar Galactica and Jacques has become a master at these stories.<br />Each of our heroes are likable, this time a hedgehog taken in by the Abbey exiled for a season for stealing, or borrowing as he calls it. A hare called Mad Maudie, regimental cook and troublemaker, also sent away from her home of Salamandastrom on a quest.<br /><br />The characters are well drawn, as I’ve come to expect from these books, and the author still has no qualms about calmly killing off one you’ve grown to like without remorse. It’s the constant sense that any of the characters could be killed that keeps it exciting. <br /><br />This isn’t the strongest of the series, but it’s by no means weak. If this was your first Redwall book, I have no doubt that you would hunt down the others to read and enjoy. The story isn’t quite as dense as some of the previous ones and it felt a little rushed through to me. I’d have liked a few more events fro the heroes to battle through and the final battle doesn’t quite reach the heights of previous books.<br /><br />This makes it just a solid entry to the series, without the truly memorable characters or deaths from some of the earlier books. Don’t let that put you off though, it still entertains and rattles along at a good pace. What more would you want from an adventure story for children?Rob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474034388826230932.post-70213150013184241162009-01-31T17:41:00.001+00:002009-01-31T18:07:15.019+00:00The SiteThe second of the BBC’s comedy pilots makes a much stronger case for getting a series than last week’s fairly weak opener.<br /><br />The Site is about a young man who left his family’s pig farm, coming back for his father’s funeral. While this might not sound like the greatest set-up for a comedy, it delivers plenty of laughs.<br />Much of the humour comes from the use of flashbacks to demonstrate the point a character makes. The first one is of a scarecrow having the day off, and we cut to him on a rollercoaster.<br /><br />It’s been compared to the League of Gentlemen in the papers, and I can see why. Although it’s not quite as dark as the Gentlemen, it does mine a rich vein of quite twisted humour. Gypsy terrorists blowing up cows, demon possessed pigs, not to mention Denzil from Only Fools and Horses pretending to be Tom Cruise and violently opposing any attempts to blow his cover.<br /><br />A wide variety of nicely drawn characters populate this pilot – from the son desperate to get back away, the somewhat dim mother, the pig-loving Yorkshire Mafia boss and a stupid work placement kid who can only tell if he’s met someone before by checking his notebook where he has sketched their faces, very badly.<br /><br />There are lots of familiar faces in this show and they bring a high quality to the material, which had me laughing out loud often.<br />I hope this gets picked up for a series, I would certainly watch more of this show.<br /><br />It’s still available on iPlayer until the 5th or 6th of FebruaryRob Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18382063783975784115noreply@blogger.com0