Tenderwire - Clare Kilroy

I first came across a reference to this book on the now defunct Irish radio arts show Rattlebag, where the author was interviewed and the book was reviewed favourably. I subsequently stumbled on the book shortly afterwards in a little book shop and thought why not? It sounded different.

The usual offerings by young Irish female writers in recent times haven't exactly filled me with excitement at the thought of the next release date, that is to say, and to put it bluntly I'm not really a Celia Ahern fan. The premise of tenderwire didn't seem to include love letters from dead people or lost loves so it seemed like a safe choice.

The story follows the adventures of Irish violinist Eva Tyne (isn't it a lovely lyrical name? It gets the thumbs up from me) as she stumbles upon what she thinks is a lost Stradivarius. The story follows Eva's struggle to take ownership of the instrument, her personal relationships and how they are affected by her urge and need to own this violin and the consequences of her action. It's part thriller, part love story, part something else. But what it turns into is an exciting story where you really want the heroine to succeed as she really has had enough crap to deal with and the fact that you care means the author has done a good job!

For a first book Clare Kilroy has done well, its an interesting page turner that hooks.

Cicero by Anthony Everett

For a biography on a man who has been dead for longer than I can properly imagine this book is truly gripping, engaging and fascinating. I tend to find biographies tedious and boring and as such avoid them as much as possible however this one has changed my mind.

Cicero is a figure that I was aware of in the historical context, and especially after watching the HBO series Rome I found myself increasingly curious about him and his role in history. Many books concerning this era are stuffy and academic and pretty boring and so it was hugely refreshing to find a book like this and to be able to recommend it to anyone who has a similar curiousity to mine!

Cicero's life spans a time of huge change and development in the Roman Empire. He had first hand knowledge and interaction with Julius Ceasar, Mark Anthony, and the cast of characters which led to the fall of the Republic. He was in fact a defender of the Republic and although unsuccessful in his attempt to preserve the old instiutions was an incomparably important figure in his day.

The Departed

The Departed is the latest Martin Scorsese offering and is a remake of the Chinese film Infernal Affairs which was released recently.

I loved the original so much that I saw it twice in the cinema and once on dvd and so was pretty sceptical about it being remade, even if Scorsese was the director taking on the project.

In the remade version Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio play the stooge cops and Jack Nicholson is the Don. The gangs are Irish American mafia gangs based in South Boston but the basic storyline of infiltration and subterfuge was kept and expanded upon.

Despite knowing the original story so well I found myself at the edge of my seat while watching this movie. DiCaprio did a magnificant job in convincing you of the vulnerability and sadness of his character and Damon was perfectly sleazy and dirty to the point where I shuddered when he was on screen. As for Nicholson he's sublime in this role it was made for him and he plays it to perfection.

Children of Men

I'm not a massive fan of Clive Owen as an actor, but as a fan of sci-fi in general I thought that the premise for this movie looked interesting and decided to have a look despite the Clive Owen involvement.

I was very pleasantly surprised.

The story is set in the not too distant future, in a world that has fallen into anarchy and open warfare. And to top it all off, women are no longer able to produce children. In this world of the future, Britain is attempting to maintain a semblence of the status quo and law order by strictly inforcing anti refugee laws. As a result the state establishes camps for the extradition of illegal immigrants which, in reality are no better than concentration camps.

In the middle of the mayhem, terrorist bombs and general dissoloution of society we meet our hero. He is an alcoholic, middle aged government pen pusher, who used to be a radical. His story as it progresses is an interesting and engaging one and by a process of the reappearance of people from his past he is drawn into a plan to save the life of a refugee who has miraculously fallen pregnant.

Clive Owen is fantastic in this film, however it is Michael Cain who steals the show, again.

If you like a bit of sci-fi and a good thriller then I would recommend this as a good movie to go see.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

This is a harrowing enthralling, unputdownable story of good and evil, nature vs nurture, disassociation and guilt.

The story follows the letters of Eva mother of Kevin who we quickly find out is a mass murderer of classmates and others from the school he attended. Eva through letters written to her estranged husband Franklin, tells us Kevin's and her story, of his life, her insight into his life as his mother and of all the warning signals she felt she should have acted on before he acted of his own free will.

This is a book that will haunt you. It will make you wonder about having kids, rearing them and all the mistakes that can be made as none of us are infallible. It will also want to make you pull your hair out in frustration as Eva accounts for her frustration and guilt. This book will make you gasp in horror, check yourself for resident evil and ultimately haunt you long after you have finished reading it.

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

This is a disturbing yet gripping book, and without a doubt lives up to it's reputation as a modern classic. Having watched the biopic of Truman Capote earlier this year, which tells the story of how he researched and wrote this book, only increased my feelings of discomfort and horror whilst reading.

To keep it short and sweet the title In Cold Blood aptly describes the murders as well as the writer's attitude to these acts. It's well written but chilling.

The Lake House

Ah yes Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reunited at last! How could this not be a movie worth going to see!

I took myself off to the cinema mid afternoon this week to indulge in a movie which I fully expected to be very silly, quite slushy and probably a bit crap!

I was pleasantly surprised by it however. From other reviews I've glanced at tonight it would appear that not everyone copped the twist as early as I did, however despite this I did spend the whole movie with my fingers crossed hoping I was wrong! Pathetic I know!

I have to admit that I really enjoyed it! It was a bit silly and if it were true then the time space continuum as explained to us trekkies ad nauseum would really have been messed up by this one! But putting that aside and leaving logic and physics at the front door makes this film enjoyable.

Warning though, don't bring the boyfriend, it's probably a movie best left to us girls, they'd only wreck your head about it!

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

This is not your run of the mill adult fantasy book with strange wacked out characters and heroes on quests. It's actually a very normal book which just happens to be about magic in England in the nineteenth century. I can't say it's beautifully written but it is compelling and drags you along into the story until you get to a point where you simply just can't stop reading it.

It's not the best book ever but it is very entertaining. The footnotes are a great idea as it adds the suggestion that the whole story is based on fact and is historically accurate, it also helps to sustain the illusion of reality created by basing the story around real events and battles/wars.

I personally love the fact that it is so thick! I love a good substantial book that you feel you could be reading for weeks. I think that comes from the enjoyment I always get out of reading the Lord of the Rings!

This one gets the thumbs up from me but with the caveat that it won't be everyone's cup of tea!

Persian Fire Tom Holland

I finally finished this book about a month ago after "reading" it for nearly 4 months! Pretty impressive even by my standards I have to admit! I don't know why I didn't finish it quicker than this because it's a really interesting book, a great story and it's very well written. It just became my bedside table book which I only picked up on occassion, read a few pages and then turned over to go to sleep.

However after saying all that I have no qualms about recommending this one! You should learn something!

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

I have to admit that it took me a while to get into this book. In fact I found it really difficult to read at first and also mightily confusing and a bit boring.

But I persevered and I'm delighted that I did.

This is the kind of book that sucks you in and takes over your imagination in every waking moment. I found myself reading it everywhere and anywhere, dying to know what happened next, and that's the sign of a good story in my opinion!

It's unconventional in its style, it's imagery is startling clear and the connections and coincidences in the story keep you thinking.

It's definately a book I would recommend!

Good Night and Good Luck

This film opens with a scene in which Ed Murrow warns his audience of how television can easily and was in fact rapidly becoming a means of mere and vacuous entertainment and was not being adequately utilised as a means of education, investigation or as a vehicle for change and good. For a speech made in 1958 it showed remarkable prescience and awareness by the speaker.

This is a challenging and engaging film which uses media coverage from the day to give the effect of a docu drama rather than a fictional movie. The resulting film is fast paced and informative as it follows the succesful attempt by Murrow and Friendly to stand up to and question the tactics of Senator Joe McCarthy during the infamous McCarthy era witch hunt.

There are many different layers to this film as it covers the story one of the most interesting to me was the parallel stroy of the young married couple who had to hide the fact of their marriage from the network as it was against company policy for colleagues to be married. When they were eventually discovered it was put to them that it had been in the company's knowledge all along that they were married but now that they were forced to aly off staff they were being approached to have one party resign in order to save the job of another person who wasn't breaking company policy. It wasn't clear which one would be resigning but I guess it was the wife as condidering the era the film was set in she would be the more likely candidate. The fact that the film was focused on the fight against injustice in society by a news room team and yet there was injustice happening under their noses struck me as a brilliant parallel and was just one of the impressive achievements in this film.

Match Point

Woody Allen's long awaited comeback to the silver screen is a real treat. He introduces the characters slowly and gives you tantalising insights into their hearts and minds without ever really showing you the real people, it is generally just hte facade that they use to portray themselves to the general public that is shown in the movie.

Jonathon Rhys Myers portrays the protagonist of the piece impecably. He is cool, aloof, manipulative and dangerous but these facets of his personality are revealed piecemeal to us until he becomes the only character we really understand and as a result and despite of his actions he becomes the only character for which we have any real sympathy for.

Scarlett Johanson plays a needy, poor, white trash American, aspiring actress who becomes caught upin the games and manipulations of upper crust English sociey without ever really seeming to understand what game it is that she is playing. She is very much the victim of the piece and while she justifiably deserves our sympathy it is very difficult to feel sympathetic towards her.

This film manages to turn on its head all that we are taught to believe about morality and right and wrong. The theme that life is based on a series of lucky calls and that there is no real free will at all is what drives this story.

It's a fascinting and entertaining movie and one that I would have no hesitation in recommending.

Munich

Spielsberg's latest offering is about as far removed from ET as Schindler's list and then some. This is a taught, emotional, depressing and difficult movie to watch.

I found myself wishing I wasn't there at that moment watching it at various different stages during the film and felt very confused and upset on leaving the cinema.

It's not that it's graphic in a visual way. I think it's graphic in an emotional way, which is something you don't get very often in a movie. Added to that is the fact that the emotion is itself understated and therefore creeps up on you and hits you when you really aren't expecting it.

For my part I felt it went on far too long I was itching to leave after 2 hours, I had had enough. The boy felt differently he reckons it's a masterpiece and he's not wrong it's an excellent film, but I wouldn't send people to go see it. You should make that decision for yourself.

Breakfast on Pluto

I can't stress enough how much I loved and enjoyed this film.

I found Cillian Murphy's portrayal of Patrick "Kitten" Murphy in a word fabulous. He had no trouble convincing me that he was exactly who he said he was and boy did he look fantastic doing it! Gavin Friday blew me away with his Glam rock hard man role, Brendan Gleeson as a Womble had me gasping for air I was laughing so hard and Liam Neeson as the priest with a heart and soul was a wonderful touch. But Cillian Murphy stole the show in every scene he appeared in. He was flawless, endearing, funny, loveable and likeable.

Go see it for yourself.

Homeland - Paul Mercier

There has been great excitement about the opening play in the Abbey's new season this year so I took myself off to see it at the weekend just to see what all the excitement is about!

Homeland is a modern adaption of the story of Óisín and Tír na Óg, in a very loose fashion. It's a very fast paced play and is only one act long and 90 minutes in length. But it is non stop rapid action from start to finish during that 90 minutes. The language and delivery is so quick and so full of information and story that I found myself at times really having to concentrate to make sure that I kept up with what was happening on stage. It was brilliant like a white knuckle ride in a fair and it was delivered by all on stage perfectly. If lines were missed of fluffed I certainly didn't notice.

The story tells the tale of how this country has degenerated due to the celtic tiger boom, development, spin and brown envelopes and if I talk anymore about it, it would just spoil the effect.

The Time Traveller's Wife

I first heard of this book on a radio advertisement when I was driving to the train station on the way back from my boyfriend's house at Christmas time. The ad made me howl with laughter and derision and I vowed never to read this book. Then I was purchasing some Christmas presents on Amazon this year and the book was on special offer for something like £4 and I decided oh what the hell I wonder how bad it really is!

I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised! I loved this book. The premise sounds really crazy, I mean why should a book based around the idea that this guy time travels throughout his lifetime, a bit like that programme Quantum Leap without the sciencey bit if you will, be in any way credible? It may not have been likely but I accepted it!

The story is a love story, a very quirky love story, that spans Clare (the wife's life) from the age of 6 to 82. It's beautifully written and really captivating and I just didn't want it to end.

If you enjoy a good read, an interesting if quirky story and memorable characters then you have to read this one!

Wuthering Heights

This was my second time to read this classic novel by Emily Bronte, the first time I read it was well over ten years ago so I only had a vague memory of not liking Heathcliff very much when I started this story again.

On the second reading I reaffirmed with myself that I still don't like Heathcliff, I know he's tortured and misunderstood and unlucky in love but he's still a brute! And as for Cathy she was a spoilt little wretch wasn't she?

However and Hareton stole my heart and despite my dislike of the main characters I loved reading this book again. I loved the passion it stirred in me for the characters and the outcome and it has to be said that the story remains a timeless classic!

King Kong

Being a Peter Jackson film I had great expectations about King Kong and all the reviews I came across only sought to increase my anticipation. I have to say I was not disappointed.

It starts off a little slow with probably a little too much background which is probably my only criticism of this movie.

The creatures are brilliant, the action is breathtaking. It's scary. It's funny and it's ultimately heartbreaking.

Naomi Watts is luminescently beautiful and stole every scene she was in. And as for Kong.... I just love Andy Sirkis anyway and he made him come to life in the same way as he gave Gollum his own personality and je ne c'est quoi. Jack Black also deserves a mention for playing the nasty man in his own inimitable way!

This is a classic remake of a classic film and everyone should see it. Small kids will probably be scared but it's a good type of scary!

The March of the Penguins

I wasn't too sure about this one before I went, because while I have absoloutely nothing against penguins and their life cycle, I did watch the David Attenborough version, which was made some years ago, recently and loved it, and I wasn't convinced that there would be anything more to see in this documentary.

Unfortunately, I was right. And in my opinion the David Attenborough one was better, and more dramatic. Or maybe I only thought that because it was new the first time and not so new the second time!

It's a lovely gentle film, perfect for families and people who go awww at cute things. It's an amazing story of survival and evoloution and I don't see how the creationism argument is strengthened by this film! But that's an argument for another day!

Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire

This HP film is by far and away the best one to date. It's a two and a half hour rollercoaster ride from start to finish and is to be highly recommended.

I am biased in that I love the books, but was very disapointed by the first two films in a massive way. In fact I didn't bother going to see the third one on the basis that I hated the first two so much. However I did see it at home and loved it, and was pleasantly proven wrong.

This film version is difficult to fault. The kids have come on in leaps and bounds in term of acting, the story is really entertaining and very dark. Voldemort makes a definitive appearance and is brilliantly portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, and the story has really begun to take off.

I think one of the best endorsements of this film is that people who have had no interest in the books or previous films have really enjoyed it. One caveat is that in my opinion this is not a film for little children. It's dark, it's violent and I jumped out my skin once or twice, despite the fact I knew what was coming!