A fine work of least matter Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1856, 352pp) Madame Bovary is far more than just the unhappy marriage between Charles and Emma Bovary. As a work of literature it transcends mere story-telling to become a work of art, each action and character depicted in precise and skilful brush strokes. It [...]
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Thor He’s a Jolly Good Fellow (Thor, Kenneth Branagh, US, 2010, 114 mins) Kenneth Branagh isn’t a name you’d link to a fresh foray into Marvel’s cinematic universe, but for the Shakespearian actor and director, the gig has a classic appeal, not immediately apparent to its target audience. He’s on record, comparing the story, with [...]
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Never say never (Arthur, Jason Winer, USA, 2011, 110 mins) It would not be surprising if audiences are apprehensive for this remake of the 1981 comedy written and directed by Steve Gordon and starring Dudley Moore (also Patch in Santa Claus: The Movie, 1985) with his infectious laugh. Russell Brand is an actor who is [...]
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“They’re Amish!” (Witness, Peter Weir, US, 1985, 112 minutes) A young boy, having witnessed a grisly murder in a train station bathroom, must help police to find the killer; his widowed mother, lonely and grieving, catches the eye of the cop assigned to the case and a brief emotional affair ensues. So far, so standard-romantic-thriller. [...]
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Through The Keyhole. (Life: A User’s Manual by Georges Perec ,Vintage, 579pp, RRP £9.99) Ever looked at a building and wondered what goes on in there? Ever looked at a lit window across the street and wanted to know what the person inside was thinking or reading? Ever seen an old lady, dressed in vintage [...]
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“Oh, bother” Pooh? Not at all. (Winnie the Pooh, Stephen J Anderson & Don Hall, USA, 2011, 73 mins) Writer A.A Milne has created something of a legend; a set of animated friends that without each other fail to portray the importance of companionship and personality. The Tigger Movie (2000), Piglet’s Big Movie (2003), and [...]
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Schrödinger’s Train (Source Code, Duncan Jones, US/France, 2011, 93 mins) Genres can be funny things in the realm of film. Take science fiction, for example. In the wrong hands, the cinematic baggage that label carries can result in little more than explosions, screaming, awful CGI, and characterisation with all the depth of a slow-punctured paddling [...]
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Craven Images (Scream 4, Wes Craven, US, 2011, 111 mins) [Warning: This review reveals the killer’s identity] Years ago I began to draft a book called Film Underground: An Anthology of Cult Movies, composed entirely of fictional capsule reviews. Sadly my computer’s hard drive crashed and the file was lost, but amongst the entries I [...]
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Money and Melodrama Old Goriot by Honoré de Balzac Old Goriot (Le Pere Goriot, in the French original) is considered one of the most important books by one of the most important and prolific of French 19th century realist authors, one which changed literature and the depiction of reality forever. It tells the story of [...]
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Raindrops The sky cracks and raindrops tumble Like coins from a sundered pocket. You shatter your stride and duly wait, Neck arched, eyes clasped and lips unlocked, For the first bead to stroke your skin. And there, in those iced-over moments, The world entire draws deep, heaves and holds, As blinding white scores the [...]
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