What I thought of… The first fifteen lives of Harry August #book #review

Every now and then a book comes along which, when you’ve finished reading it, you’re pretty sure is not only the best book you’ve ever read, but is likely to remain that way for the rest of your life.

That’s how I felt when I read THE TIME TRAVELLERS WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger; I couldn’t see how anything could possibly beat it.

Then something did.

A friend bought me JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORREL, and by the time I finished it, it had squeezed itself into the number one slot. I couldn’t look at THE TIME TRAVELLERS WIFE on my bookcase without feeling terribly guilty.

(Incidentally, let’s not confuse the novel THE TIME TRAVELLERS WIFE with the movie adaptation which was a steaming pile of horse poo.)

I held JS&MN aloft for many years, creating a shrine for it surrounded by candles in a dedicated room in my basement. No small feat considering that I live in a first floor flat.

Then one day I discovered Miss Niffenegger had written another novel. And a few weeks later I became convinced that nothing, NOTHING, could ever be better than HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY. Audrey once again occupied my top slot. How could I have ever doubted her.

Until recently.

A couple of months back I finished THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST by Claire North. For the second time. And Oh My God!

Chapter one is your standard ‘something very strange is happening – how on earth did we get to this point!?’ malarkey.

Chapter two (which is when the story really starts) begins with Harry August describing his illegitimate birth – and death of his mother – in a public toilet, on a railway station platform, in the dead of night, in 1919.

I’m not going to lie to you. This second chapter is hard going. I could have easily put the book down at this point. I’m so glad I didn’t.

Then in chapter three Harry grows up, Harry gets old, Harry dies. And then Harry gets reborn. In a public toilet, on a railway station platform, in the dead of night, in 1919.

And so begins the story of a man who soon discovers he is a kalachakra; a person destined to live the same life over and over and over again, but able to retain the knowledge of their previous lives.

Just like THE TIME TRAVELLERS WIFE much of the book explores what it might be like to live with such an extraordinary gift. Is it even a gift!? Is it… a curse? How would you cope knowing that for you there is no heaven, no hell… no end?! That you’re essentially immortal, but only within the same 70 years of human history. Like 25,567 Ground Hog days laid out end to end.

And what if – after your third or fourth life – you suddenly discover you’re not the only one?

This is one of those rare books where I got to the end, and immediately started reading again – right from the start. I’m glad I did too; some of the plot was easier to understand the second time through. Much like life, one imagines.

And when I finished the book, that second time, I was bereft. Because I knew – in my heart of hearts – that no other book will ever be as good, and that I will never again have any need to go into my basement.

Although… it has been a while since I had a look to see whether Audrey’s written anything new…

Got a book suggestion for me – why not pop it in the comments below. If you’re reading this in an email, click here.

What I thought of…. Passengers #movie #review

So I finally got to see Passengers.

I originally wanted to see this movie at the cinema because, from the trailer at least, it looked like my kind of flick combining two of my favourite subjects in fiction; science & technology, and romantic relationships.

But then the reviews started rolling in and every one I dared to glance at suggested that the film, whilst good, was also a disappointment – specifically ‘the ending’. And the last thing you want to feel as you walk out of the cinema is ‘disappointed’.

So I bumped Passengers to my ‘when it comes out on DVD’ list, and yesterday, finally, it made it to the the top. And can I just say… what film were those reviewers watching!??

Firstly, it’s not quite the lovey-dovey, explodey-wodey, romance-in-space slash adventure-popcorn-fest that I thought it would be. It’s quite a lot smarter than that. It starts funny, moves to heartwarming, but half way through the film I found myself nervously biting my nails and genuinely wondering if the so-called unsatisfactory ending was going to be a lot darker and more sinister than I would have liked. It’s a movie that doesn’t want to fit comfortably in one genre.

I won’t spoil it for you, but here’s the back-of-the-box blurb (or at least, how I would have written it) because the trailer, whilst good, is REALLY misleading: Jim Preston (played by Chris Pratt) is one of 5000 passengers on a 120 year one-way trip to Earth’s newest, and most distant, colony. But when the ship (on auto pilot) encounters unexpected problems, a computer malfunction results in Jim – and just Jim – being brought out of hyper sleep 90 years too early. After a year of going steadily out of his mind trying everything he can to either wake the crew, or figure out how to get back in his pod, he comes to the conclusion that there are only two remaining options: Jettison himself out of the airlock without a spacesuit, or wake someone to be his companion, thereby condemning someone else to a similar fate.

It’s brilliant: Cracking performances throughout, fabulous special effects, completely believable and most importantly of all… a fantastic plot. INCLUDING the ending, which in my mind was just perfect. Honestly, I don’t see how it could have been better.

But maybe you disagree. Post your thoughts in the comments below – including perhaps the ending you would have liked to have seen.

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What I thought of… Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them #movie #review

It’s been a while since I did a ‘what I thought of’ blog post, so yesterday – as part of a Boxing Day – I toddled off to the cinema to see JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Now, I probably ought to mention at this point that I’m not a huge fan of the Harry Potter films (though I read the first three books before they started making the movies). The films are okay. I mean, I’d happily watch two and three again anytime, the others… well they were a bit of a yawn fest. Especially the last one. IMHO. Sorry about that.

*This* on the other hand was an absolutely delight, and if it had been twice as long I’d have sat there as happy as a pig in muck.

Interestingly, as I left the cinema, I came to the conclusion that although it doesn’t seem like it at the beginning, the whole film is a little light on plot. Sure, there’s a big swirly thing tearing up New York, there are magical monsters running amok, there’s a small group of stern looking people who’ve just about had it up to here with the Witch/Wizarding community, and there’s a non–magical person caught up in the middle of it all… but… well… it’s not quite as involved as it may appear. There’s the odd *twist* but you can see them coming a mile off (and I speak as someone who was genuinely surprised by the ending of Sixth Sense when everybody else I know seemed to think that was obvious from the beginning). But it doesn’t really matter; the characters are lovely, the dialogue is tight, the effects are amazing, and the magical creatures are fabulous – it’s all good. I look forward to the next one.

But what did you think? Have your say in the comments below.

What I thought of….. Single Woman Seeks Revenge #book #review

“She was a Jenga stack on the brink of collapse, just waiting for someone to take out the wrong block.”

If you’re a regular reader of this blog you might have wondered why I post fairly regular reviews about films I’ve seen, but not much about books that I’ve read. Why is that? Do I not read books?

Well of course I read books! But – well – I’m quite a critical person when it comes to literature (and movies, and food, and well, ok, everything), and I find it hard to reign in my thoughts if something is, in my less-than-humble opinion, slightly less than perfect.

This isn’t a problem when it comes to films. I’m unlikely to bump into Tom Cruise any time soon, or anyone else in the movie biz – but when it comes to books… well these are my peers. And us writerly types are a sensitive bunch. And it’s hard enough to make money at this game without me throwing my ten penneth into the mix and potentially messing it all up for someone who’s worked really hard to get this far.

So it’s with some trepidation that I’m going to review Single Woman Seeks Revenge by Tracy Bloom.

Here’s the gist: Local newspaper columnist & agony aunt Suzie has just been ditched by Alex – the smooth talking, devilishly handsome, sales executive who works for the same paper. Suzie, it seems, has a somewhat disastrous track record when it comes to romance, and her work desk has become a shrine to various multi-coloured ‘Troll’ dolls, each of which represents a failed relationship. Come on! Don’t tell me you don’t have a troll collection of your own – real or imaginary. We’ve all been there.

Actually, someone who doesn’t appear to have been ‘there’ is friend and long-suffering, sensible work colleague Drew. And whilst he clearly likes Suzie (but how much, we’re forced to ask ourselves) he’s ‘happily’ engaged to the lovely Emily. Well, I say lovely, she’s more ruthless than lovely. But ruthless in a cuddly divorce-lawyer kind of a way. ie. Not cuddly. You can see where this is going can’t you.

Meanwhile, our Suz has decided to take revenge on every man who’s ever broken her heart, ever – and pretty soon she’s dishing out advice to her love lorn readers about how they can do the same. Until… well, I’ll just leave it there for you to find out for yourself.

Did I enjoy it?

Of course I bloomin’ did. It’s quirky, comical, and pacy. What’s not to like? And if you’re looking for light hearted read this summer, and you’re a fan of rom-coms, well this might be right up your street. Find it on amazon here.

Phew! That wasn’t too difficult was it. Nobody died, nobody got offended. But maybe I’ll take a lie down in a darkened room for a while…

 

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The film will be along some time in the next decade.

What I thought of… Mercury Rising #movie #review

This week I finally got around to watching Mercury Rising. I have to say, this restored my faith in Bruce Willis somewhat after it was all but annihilated by Die Hard 4 (in the DVD extras Mr Willis actually says he’s not sure there’s anything more he can bring to the ‘action movie’ genre – a very telling remark).

ANYWAY, this film is brilliant. Based on a novel (the good films always are it seems), this is an old fashioned thriller with a hero you’re rooting for and a story you can believe in. It’s set in the 1980s and the whole film feels as though it was made twenty years ago and someone just found it – but don’t let that put you off, it’s a delight. The hideously misleading trailer is below or here if you fancy having a look.

What I thought of… X-Men: Days of Future Past #movie #review

Another film I’ve seen this week is X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Here’s a picture of Wolverine watching the same film. How do I know? Because he’s wearing an expression that clearly says “are we ever going to find out how Professor Xavier came back from the dead?”

The answer Wolverine, me ol’ mate, is no. You’ll sit there for two hours, like I did, wondering why the writers seem to have ignored the inconvenient fact that they killed off one of the characters in a previous movie, rather than coming up with some sort of story line to explain it. Grrrr.

I’m really going off these superhero movies.

Incase I haven’t put you off and you want a superhero fix the trailer it is below or here.

What I thought of… Lucy #Movie #Review

Finally got around to watching Lucy last night. I really like director Luc Besson so I had very high hopes. Were they met? I’m not sure.

It was a very good film, but I was kinda left thinking that Mr Besson had come up with an idea, written a screenplay, secured two of the biggest names in Hollywood, and then started filming, when a few days thinking between having the idea and writing the screenplay might have resulted in something absolutely amazing. Something on a par with The Matrix when that first came out and we all went “Woah!”

I remember Neil Gaiman saying something along the lines that a really good story is the combination of TWO good ideas, and that’s what this film needed; ANOTHER good idea, to combine with the one it has.

The concept is similar to Limitless (it could almost be a prequel) which in my mind is the better movie, trailer here

Let me know what you think of Lucy. The trailer is below or here.

What I thought of… The Grand Budapest Hotel #Movie #Review

Saw The Grand Budapest Hotel last night.

A far-fetched tall-tale of a comedy with exaggerated larger than life characters. I enjoyed it. Very much so. Would watch it again in a heartbeat. Might watch it tonight.

BUT… who is the girl in the cemetery at the start and the end of the film??? I feel like I’m supposed to know, but I don’t.
And the fact that the film kind of just ‘ends’, leaving you thinking, “oh, was that it? Did I miss something?” underlines that feeling.
That said, 30 minutes of googling hasn’t answered my question, so I maybe I didn’t miss anything after all. Watch it. See what you think.

If you haven’t seen the trailer and are intrigued then here it is, or just click the screen below.

What I thought of… I Frankenstein #Movie #Review

Keep meaning to post this; saw I, Frankenstein the other night. Wowsers. Total drivel. I mean, really bad.

Sadly it’s quite a good concept, it’s just that no one thought to commission a writer to come up with a script. Or if they did and just paid him peanuts. Or someone pretty declared themselves a script writer and that was enough for the man in charge of the budget. Whatever. It’s a big fat miss.

(On a side note though, the Battle of Los Angeles which is on Film 4 at the moment and stars the same guy, is a modern day b-movie which starts really badly and just gets better and better until actually it’s quite good) Want to have a look? – ok here you go… the trailer.

Brace yourself if for the I, Frankenstein trailer – here, or below.

What I thought of… The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Definitely, Maybe #Movie #Review

                            

Saw two films over the weekend. One that I really wanted to see, one that I didn’t. One that blew me away, and one that I switched off half way through and vowed to slaughter the cast and crew and should I ever meet them.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was DREADFUL – which was doubly disappointing as I’ve been wanting to see it for ages. It starts really well, very quirky, nice set up and then it’s like, “hey, did anyone write a script?” “Er, no” “Oh, ok, no worries, we’ll just wing it – that’ll work right?” The result is a weak story around a missing photographic negative, interspersed with odd fantasy scenes that fail to move the story on, and a romance sub-plot that’s stunningly rubbish.

Below is the trailer, or you can watch it here.

Definitely, Maybe on the other hand looks like it’s going to be awful (even this trailer is somewhat cringeworthy) – I literally only watched it because there was nothing better. But, it turns out to be an absolute delight. If you’re a fan of good rom coms, tight scripts, and clever dialogue, this should be right up your street.

Click below to watch the trailer or watch it over on youtube.