David M. Brown's Blog, page 60
April 14, 2013
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – It’s Only Love
Not a single but certainly one of the best of The Beatles’ songs from their Help! album which was first released in 1965. Primarily written and sung by John Lennon, the song was amazingly considered one of Lennon’s least favourite compositions and even Paul McCartney once referred to the song is an almost dismissive manner. That both men could frown upon a song as good as this is a great testament to just what they were capable of and why they, along with George Harrison and Ringo Starr, are still regarded as arguably the finest group there has ever been.
It’s Only Love may seem a simple song but it has real emotion behind it, not just in the lyrics but in John’s excellent vocal delivery. Rather than just telling us how hard love is, John’s voice manages to emphasise the difficulty of this most important of human emotions. Certainly a romantic song, this one also has something of a shadow over it contrasting the dream-like state of early romance with the long-haul challenge that comes with keeping that spark alive. It’s not often I would disagree about music with Lennon and McCartney but in this instance I think they’re both wrong to dismiss one of the best songs by The Beatles.
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – It’s Only Love | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: In the Valley of Elah
“Your son is missing.” It’s the phone call every soldier’s father dreads. What Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) had never thought to fear was that this call would come when his son was home in the U.S., on leave from service in Baghdad. Facing military indifference to the disappearance, Hank decides to take matters into his own hands and discover the truth about what’s happened to his son. With the reluctant help of police detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron), Hank embarks on a journey that will bring him up against the closed ranks of the armed forces and the harsh realities of modern warfare.
Written and directed by Academy Award ®- winner Paul Haggis and starring three Academy Award ®-winning actors – Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon – alongside James Franco, Josh Brolin and Jason Patric, In the Valley of Elah is the powerful story of one father’s search for the truth.
Starring: Josh Brolin, Barry Corbin, Wayne Duvall, Frances Fisher, Tommy Lee Jones
Directed by: Paul Haggis
Runtime: 121 minutes
Studio: Warner Home Video
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDB
Review: In the Valley of Elah
Paul Haggis’ In the Valley of Elah tells the story of Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) whose son Mike (Jonathan Tucker) has returned from fighting in Iraq and has gone AWOL. Hank and his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon) are naturally concerned and Hank begins looking into his son’s disappearance. Things take a dark turn when Mike’s burnt remains are discovered. Hank enlists the help of Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) who has the unenviable task of proving herself in a department dominated by men with accusations she has slept her way to her promotions. Hank and Emily clash frequently with the military and with each other in uncovering the truth about Mike’s murder but who is responsible?
More than just a murder mystery, In the Valley of Elah addresses some sensitive themes around the war in Iraq. Hank manages to steal his son’s phone from the military base and has the data downloaded by a tech expert who forwards video footage of the war and the atrocities that took place there. Rather than a heroic crusade, Mike’s videos expose the dark side of the war such as needless killing of civilians and even the torture of prisoners. From the outset, Hank is firm in his convictions about the man his son is and is determined to bring his killers to justice. Questioning fellow soldiers, it seems that Mike and many others were struggling with PTSD after all they had seen in Iraq. Hank even comes to learn his son was taking drugs and the next logical step appears to be a local band of drug dealers are responsible for killing Mike.
The film has strong central performances from Tommy Lee Jones as the tortured father and Charlize Theron as the sometimes tough, sometimes fragile Emily. Seeing the misogyny she has to face at work is appalling but it doesn’t stop her from doing her job and doing it well. Susan Sarandon is sadly underused here but the rest of the cast provide good support. As well as an intriguing thriller this is also a thought-provoking film in demonstrating what a war can do to soldiers and how much they can change for their experiences.
In the Valley of Elah is a solid thriller, backed by good performances and a strong storyline. The additional segments exploring the dark side of the Iraq War and the impact on the soldiers at home adds a lot of substance to the overall narrative. There are no real surprises by the end but even then the conclusion is cold and powerful.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: In the Valley of Elah | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
April 13, 2013
Guest Post: Michael Drakich
We are delighted to welcome Michael Drakich, author of Lest The Dew Rust Them, who joins us to share a guest post about the competitive world of being noticed on Amazon.
Guest PostI would like to thank Donna and David Brown of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave for the opportunity to do a guest post on their blog.
As a self published author, I face the challenge all indies do in Amazon, the 900 pound gorilla.
Everyone knows the joke – Where does a 900 pound gorilla sit? Anywhere he wants to.
When it comes to the indie publishing world, Amazon is the 900 pound gorilla. Self published authors have no choice but to accede to the whims of this monster. Because most self pubs rely on ebook sales only and Amazon has the giant share of that market they are forced to compete within that marketplace.
What does this mean?
One of the difficulties is Kindle Select and how nowadays, the number of free novels every single day of the week (over 5,000 the day of this post) makes trying to sell your product a challenge. I mean, why should a book buyer look at your reasonably priced product, most ranging from $.99 to $4.99, when they can get a competitor for $0.00!
But it doesn’t end there. Let’s say a buyer decides to actually shop because he wants to search for quality. So they search a category and the default search is by popularity. Well, unless you can generate a lot of sales quickly, your book will be so many pages in the buyer will never look that far.
Let’s say they change the search to average customer review. Again, unless you have had any luck garnering reviews in a massive amount, your book will be buried deep. What is purportedly happening is authors are buying 5 star reviews by the hundreds to give them a high rating. Amazon’s algorithm’s kick in and voila, a top rated book. No effective system is in place to stop such abuse.
So how do self published authors get their books found on Amazon? The simple answer is – they don’t. As long as Amazon is happy with the current system they will have no motivation to change it. After all, buyers want to find the most popular or the highest rated. Why would they introduce anything that would be counterproductive to that?
The 900 pound gorilla is sitting and you can’t move him. Or can you? I hoping it depends on how many authors who read this follow my example.
I’ve decided to write to Amazon to suggest a change to the way they offer their product. Besides the standard searches currently in use – Popularity – Price: Low To High – Price: High To Low – Avg. Customer Review – Publication Date, I intend to suggest a new category – Random.
Yes, Random. How difficult could it be to install a random generator for a new category? I bet their tech guys could do it in an hour. And think of what a boon that could be to new authors. It would introduce a chance, albeit a small one, but a chance that every now and then their book will attain the top posting. In that category, at least, it levels the playing field. Sure, it won’t be the search of choice, but there will be buyers who will have tired on the others and give it a chance.
And as an author that’s all I ask for – a chance.
In the meantime, I continue on writing and promoting. I have just released my most recent novel, a thriller, Lest The Dew Rust Them.
Homeland Security Director Robert Grimmson faces the task of catching five men in New York City. They call themselves the Sword Masters with a single minded plan of terror through decapitations. Barely has the task begun when a new arrival at JFK is a man importing thousands of swords! Alexander Suten-Mdjai is a trainer in the deadly art of swordsmanship and Robert cannot help but believe there is a connection between him and the Sword Masters. As he goes about the task, each step in his search is made more difficult through the interference of politicians, the media and his own government. Robert’s examination constantly draws him back to Alexander who regales him with a tale of swordsmanship from his lineage featuring events of mankind’s bloody past and often oddly having a connection to the case before him.
With the clock ticking as New York collapses into a deep panic, he must catch the Sword Masters before it is too late!
Amazon USAmazon UKSmashwordsGoodreads About Michael Drakich[image error]Speculative fiction author Michael Drakich - No awards, no accolades, no writing degrees or diplomas, only a deep rooted love of reading and writing. It is my hope that this love has translated into a work you will enjoy.
Guest Post: Michael Drakich | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Blackout
Starring: Amber Tamblyn, Aidan Gillen, Armie Hammer, Katie Stuart, Alvaro Roque
Directed by: Rigoberto Castañeda
Runtime: 120 minutes
Studio: Velocity/Thinkfilm
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDB
Review: Blackout
Many of us have a phobia or fear. There are plenty of them whether it’s a fear or heights or some material item which the majority of us can look at and use without thinking but other people cannot stand to be around them. Orwell’s 1984 gave victims targeted by Big Brother a stint in Room 101 where their worst fears were manifest and there was no escape. Rigoberto Castaneda takes on the claustrophobic world of an elevator for this tense thriller but is it worth the ride?
The premise to the film is three people who end up stuck in a lift together for a protracted amount of time. Karl (Aiden Gillen) is a doctor in mourning for his wife who has committed suicide. He asks his sister in law to look after his daughter for an extra day while he sorts things at home. Claudia (Amber Tamblyn) is keeping a vigil at the local hospital for her grandmother who has had surgery but isn’t expected to survive long. Claudia has to head back to her apartment to retrieve an item for her grandmother. Finally there is Tommy (Armie Hammer) who wakes with brusied and bandaged knuckles while the woman next to him appears to have been beaten. Tommy leaves without a word and makes for his apartment. Karl, Claudia and Tommy all live in the same building and end up in a lift together when it suddenly breaks down. The building is unusually quiet due to renovations so the trio have to sit it out and wait to be rescued. However, the prolonged hours confined together begin to take their toll and one of the trio turns out to very dangerous.
Any film where the majority of the screen time is set in one location is always a big ask to keep the audience entertained. This film has an interesting enough premise but the confinement in the lift does hinder it. The film displays flashbacks for each of the characters to inject some variety into the film and to reveal why each of the trio is in such a rush and cannot afford to be shut in a lift. The reasons are equally varied and two of the back stories involve some form of violence which doesn’t bode well for any hopes of peace existing between the trio. I can’t reveal the backgrounds, of course, that would ruin the whole story.
From the moment the lift breaks down the personalities of the three characters begin to unravel. Karl takes a picture of Tommy on his phone and receives a punch for his trouble. When the situation becomes dire Tommy climbs out of the lift after opening the doors with his knife. Trying to climb to safety the lift cable snaps and Tommy is left with a broken leg for his trouble, making the situation ever more serious. Claudia has both a chocolate bar and inhaler in her possession but as the tension mounts these are confiscated and one of her companions begins to smoke, which as you can imagine doesn’t help her asthma! Violence isn’t far away and when it finally comes it’s not pretty.
As interesting as the storyline is there just isn’t enough there to sustain this film. Having three people trapped in a lift would be a tense enough experience but having to have one person partial to violence just stretches the credulity a bit too far. The conclusion is a pretty bloody affair and the resolutions by the final reels leave the whole project feeling a bit pointless.
Blackout has some tense moments but it would have been better if the violence that takes place had escalated from someone with no previous history of it. That one of the trio is partial to violence in the first place just makes it bad luck for the others trapped in the lift and what are the odds of it happening in the first place? There are some gory moments at the end but there is little to redeem this by the final credits.
Verdict: 1/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Blackout | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
April 11, 2013
Film Review: Dead Silence
Starring: Amber Valetta, Ryan Kwanten, Donnie Wahlberg, Michael Fairman, Joan Heney
Directed by: James Wan
Runtime: 91 minutes
Studio: Universal Studios
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDB
Review: Dead Silence
I can remember a handful of ventriloquist acts when I was growing up in the eighties and nineties and was always impressed by them. Some people don’t share that sentiment, of course, and others find the ventriloquist dolls a tad spooky. James Wan’s Dead Silence may shatter your previous fondness for ventriloquism, putting one of the dolls at the centre of a dark horror film.
The film begins with Jamie Ashen (Ran Kwanten) and his wife Lisa (Laura Regan) receiving a ventriloquist doll in the post in an unmarked package with no return address. The doll is named Billy and it prompts Lisa to recall a poem from her childhood about a woman named Mary Shaw and her ventriloquist dolls. When Jamie pops out for a takeaway, he returns home to find Lisa dead with her tongue ripped out. Jamie becomes a suspect in the eyes of Detective Jim Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg) who keeps a close eye on Jamie as he heads for his hometown of Ravens Fair to unearth clues about Mary Shaw (Judith Roberts), the owner of Billy.
After the gruesome death of his wife, Jamie is soon doing some detective work back in his home town and he is reminded of the poem about Mary Shaw, “Beware the stare of Mary Shaw, she had no children – only dolls; and if you see her in your dreams, be sure you never, ever scream.” It seems the old poem is linked to the death of Jamie’s wife somehow but as Jamie digs deeper he finds that Mary Shaw has long since died so who is behind the murder at the outset of the film? Is Billy alive and able to think and act for himself?
The back story to Mary Shaw is interesting to say the least but regaling you with any of it here will only spoil the film so you’ll just have to trust me on that one. Jamie has the unwanted attentions of both Billy, whose eyes clearly move when no one is looking, while Detective Lipton clearly has no life or family as he is glued to Jamie throughout as if he is a shadow. The film manages to remain intriguing from the start but once the revelations about the past have come to the fore it settles into fairly standard horror fare. This film comes from the duo that brought us the first film in the Saw series so if you’re expecting a twist near the end you won’t be disappointed.
This is inevitably not up to the high standards of Saw but James Wan and Leigh Whannel are always going to struggle to reach those exceptional heights again. As it is, Dead Silence is a pretty good little horror film with a lot of care being taken with the storyline. If you can cope with the sight of a ventriloquist doll then you’ll not find this too scary but if seeing them leaves you unnerved then this may be an uncomfortable 90 minutes of film for you.
Dead Silence has enough of a story to maintain the interest throughout. It’s not a particularly scary horror film but I’d rather have one with a decent plot than just trying to freak me out. The twist at the end is a good one but for all Wan and Whannel’s efforts, this is certainly not a rival to the brilliant Saw.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Dead Silence | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Starring: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, Mary Demas, Anne Bartoletti
Directed by: John McNaughton
Runtime: 83 minutes
Studio: Dark Sky Films
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDB
Review: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Partly based on serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, the film focuses on the everyday life of Henry (Michael Rooker), a serial killer that tends to target women. Henry is sharing an apartment with Otis (Tom Fowles) who he met in prison and at the outset they have a new guest in the form of Otis’ sister, Becky (Tracy Arnold) who has left her husband. In the heart of Chicago, Henry’s life as a serial killer takes a sudden turn when Otis begins to join him on his killing spree while back home Becky develops feelings for Henry.
Gritty and often violent, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer leaves no stone unturned in its depiction of a killer at work. There are no good cop hunts down the bad guy storylines here. This is purely about Henry and the time we spend in his company. Henry takes Otis under his wing and begins to teach him the many methods he applies to being a serial killer. These range from using a different weapon or technique to kill each victim, the idea being to prevent the police linking a string of murders together, but most importantly there is the need to stay on the move and avoid the local law enforcers.
In many ways Henry, Becky and Otis are victims of troubled childhoods. Henry reveals to Becky that he murdered his own mother as she abused him while Becky reveals her father molested her as a child. Otis is often dangerous, a sexual predator whose advances are not bound by sexual preference or even affinity. Henry is the opposite, seemingly incapable of sexual desire and though he is fond of Becky, he is uncomfortable when they become closer and she clearly wants to take things further. Something has to give and in the end only violence can resolve brewing indifferences amongst the trio. The ending is shocking but at the same time the audience may be left thinking they should have known what was coming.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer will not be for everyone. It is violent and often unpleasant but on the same level this is a fascinating study with great central performances from the three leads. The ending is hard-hitting and there is nothing positive by the film’s final credits. This is real-life plain and simple.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Blue Valentine
On the far side of a once-passionate romance, Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) are married with a young daughter. Hoping to save their marriage, they steal away to a theme hotel. We then encounter them years earlier, when they met and fell in love—full of life and hope.
Moving fluidly between these two time periods, Blue Valentine unfolds like a cinematic duet whose refrain asks, where did their love go?
Starring: Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling
Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
Runtime: 114 minutes
Studio: Anchor Bay
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDB
Review: Blue Valentine
Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine is both a romance and a drama, depicting the lives of Dean Pereira (Ryan Gosling) and Cynthia Heller (Michelle Williams) at different points in their lives. In the present they are married, have a daughter but all is not well. Cynthia is a nurse while Dean is a painter. He has a better relationship with his daughter than with his wife and the cracks in their marriage are clear to see. Trying to inject some romance back into their lives, Dean takes Cynthia away to a hotel for the weekend. Intersposed with this narrative are events from six years earlier when Dean and Cynthia first met and how they came to be together.
Blue Valentine contrasts the changing state of Dean and Cynthia’s relationship well. When they first meet Dean is working for a moving company while Cynthia is at college. She has an uncomfortable home life with her parents arguing and when she isn’t at college she visits her grandmother and cares for her. Cynthia is in a relationship with Bobby (Mike Vogel) at the outset and suffice to say his primary concern seems to be getting her into bed. It’s a fragile relationship at the best of times and when Cynthia meets Dean they grow fond of one another much to Bobby’s annoyance. In the present, the romance has died. Dean is a good father to their daughter but Cynthia is frustrated with his lack of ambition even though he insists he is happy. Will their marriage survive or is it the end of the line for the couple?
Blue Valentine has two good central performances from Gosling and Williams. The contrast between when they meet and just six years later is staggering. They are two completely different people and appear to have aged more than six years, such is the strain upon them and their marriage. Although I had no issue with the performances I didn’t find myself caring about the couple as much as I might have done. Given the sacrifices Dean makes, Cynthia seems a bit unreasonable but then again his descent into drinking is a big catalyst in their faltering marriage. The conclusion is somewhat open-ended which may be fine for some but I felt the film seemed a little unfinished, as if something key was missing. When Cynthia bumps into Bobby in the present, there is a hint that this could be an important development in the story but it doesn’t lead to anything substantial.
Blue Valentine is a well-acted and tragic love story. It conveys well the dreams and hopes we have in our youth but hits hard in emphasising just how quickly a seemingly perfect idyll can deteriorate into domestic hell. Dean and Cynthia have something special at one point in the film but Blue Valentine injects a heavy dose of realism in reminding us that we don’t all have the luxury of a happy ending.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Blue Valentine | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
April 10, 2013
Celebrating Bloggers 2013
First of all, my thanks to Terri Giuliano Long, author of In Leah’s Wake and the upcoming Nowhere to Run, for hosting Celebrating Bloggers 2013.
Blogging & Bloggers[image error]The first advice I would ever give to an aspiring author is to start a blog. The world of blogging is such a vast and multitudinous one that you will struggle to find things not to write about. For me, blogging gives me the opportunity to still write but have something of a break from the world of fiction. I can put a WIP aside for a few hours and blog about whatever takes my interest. I’m still writing. I’m still doing what I love but that freedom of expression in a myriad of forms curtails any risk of me losing my passion for writing.
Over the last few years I’ve blogged about books, games, films, top 10 features, my cats trying to kill me (true story!), the standard stuff really, but it never becomes boring for me. These days I have somewhat limited my book reviewing. Books are still a great passion for me but it’s good to just enjoy them rather than always going through with a critical eye. I can’t pack up my judgement side when it comes to films and games though. They remain on my review list and you’ll find that films in particular are a regular feature on this blog.
I do believe that blogging prevents the onset of writer’s block. I have struggled with books in the past but I’ve never had a dry spell when it comes to blogging. Writing a review may not have the same creativity as depicting a fantasy world or writing a tragic love story in 19th century England but it is comforting to me to still be writing. Blogging has helped keep me fresh and the more variety I have the better I feel. Mental fatigue plagued me with the completion of my latest novel but a switch to blogging was like an adrenaline injection. The change of scene was always the boost I needed.
This leads me on to another aspect of blogging which is the amazing book bloggers themselves. I’ve experienced the author/book blogger relationship from both sides and suffice to say there are good points and bad. Thankfully, the good shines brighter than the bad. What frustrates me with authors is the small minority that treat a book blogger disrespectfully. Many approach book bloggers with this belief that they are doing the blogger a favour by offering a copy of their book. Newsflash, it is always the book bloggers that do authors a favour by giving up their precious time.
Many book bloggers receive more than ten review requests a day, leading to more than 3,500 book review requests in a year! When you think of it like that it’s hardly surprising that bloggers have to decline books but what is remarkable about so many is that even if they cannot fit your book in for a review, they’ll often bend over backwards to try and promote you and your work in another way, be it a guest post, interview or excerpt opportunity. It is the duty of writers to appreciate the hard work book bloggers put in each day and voluntarily as well. If they did earn an hourly rate they’d all be millionaires in no time given the amount of time devoted to their passion.
Finally, I’d like to hail book bloggers for their amazing memory capacities. No matter how many hundreds of books they may have reviewed you’ll struggle to find a blogger that doesn’t remember you or your work. As an author, the important thing is to ensure that a book blogger remembers you for the right reasons. I’ve had bloggers review all of my books, just one, or none at all but I treat them all the same. Any blog I have featured on for whatever reason, I make a habit of going back and sharing a post. It’s a tiny gesture given what I’ve received but to me it is an acknowledgement, a salute and a thank you, my way of saying I haven’t forgotten you or what you did for me.
Blogging is a writer’s safe haven from writer’s block and one dimensional writing, while book bloggers will remain an author’s best friends and the difference between success and obscurity.
Giveaway The rest of the hoppers!
Celebrating Bloggers 2013 | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Game Review: Beneath a Steel Sky
Point and click adventures were never better than the Monkey Island series though there were many competitors that tried to steal the crown from the hapless pirate, Guybrush Threepwood. Amongst the serious rivals was Beneath a Steel Sky, a dystopian adventure set in a futuristic Australian city. I remember owning the game when it was first released but how well has it aged?
The story is initially told through a comic strip and tells of a helicopter crash in the Gap (the Australian Outback) and how the only survivor is a young boy. He is adopted by Australians living in the Outback who name him Robert Foster, the surname coming both from him being fostered and a label of Fosters lager found amongst the wreck! Foster grows up in the Gap, learning to survive in the harsh terrain and even creating a robot, Joey, with a circuit board that can be transferred from one machine to another but retains the personality of Joey. Now an adult, Robert is abducted by security officers from Union City who destroy the camp in the Gap. Robert is flown to Union City without explanation, but something goes wrong and the helicopter crashes. Robert survives and becomes a hunted man known as Overmann. He must venture through Union City, avoiding security, finding out who Overmann is and trying to find his way home.
After a terrific opening the game begins quickly. No sooner has Robert crashed in Union City than he is pursued by a security officer, Reich, to a recycling plant. After restoring Joey in the form of a vacuum cleaner, Robert and his less than enthusiastic friend set out to solve the mystery of his abduction. There is a lot of intrigue from the start. Reich, who it seems will be the major villain throughout the game, soon corners Robert but when he draws a gun, a security camera opens fire and kills Reich! The slain security officer refers to Robert as Overmann and when addressing the camera calls it LINC. LINC is an omnipotent computer that controls the city, permitting access for individuals to certain levels through personal security cards, while cameras in the form of eyeballs watch the city inhabitants closely. Foster begins on one of the upper levels of the city and he needs to gain access to the lower levels as quickly as possible, but avoiding security and keeping out of sight of LINC is far from easy.
Beneath a Steel Sky follows the standard formula for a point and click adventure. Robert has an inexhaustible amount of pockets in his coat to stash a plethora of items and you’ll need to do some head-scratching to unravel the myriad of puzzles in the game. You’ll also meet some interesting locals including security guards, factory workers and even a sultry woman and her dog! The game was applauded for its visuals with some striking backgrounds designed by Dave Gibbons and depicting the heavy industry of the city and the polluted skies above. The game is undeniably funny throughout with Joey having many of the best lines whenever Robert moves his circuit board to a new machine.
Beneath a Steel Sky still looks fantastic. Its dull range of colours in many parts of Union City reflects the industrialised nature of this capital and you’ll find little greenery to really appreciate. The story remains fascinating throughout as Robert uncovers the truth about Overmann and gets to the heart of how LINC controls the city. Unlike Monkey Island there are some instances where it is easy for Robert to be killed. I should know, I think I uncovered them all! I still prefer the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood to Robert Foster but this is still a terrific game and worth seeking out.
Beneath a Steel Sky deserves to be spoken in the same breath as the Monkey Island games. Robert Foster may not have the same charm as Guybrush Threepwood, but he still makes for an amusing hero and his sidekick Joey is hilarious. Great visuals, a fascinating storyline and plenty of puzzles make Beneath a Steel Sky one of the best point and click adventures of them all.
Verdict: 5/5
Game Review: Beneath a Steel Sky | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Alice in Wonderland
Starring: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter
Directed by: Tim Burton
Runtime: 109 minutes
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDB
Review: Alice in Wonderland
Tim Burton has been one of the best directors since first appearing in the 1980s but some of his more recent efforts haven’t been up to his usual high standards. While the likes of Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Ed Wood (1994) saw Burton at the top of his game the likes of The Planet of Apes (2001) were not typical of his undoubted talent. A new version of Alice in Wonderland sounded interesting but I had had heard mixed reviews prior to viewing so was naturally concerned.
The film focuses on Alice (Mia Wasikowska) who is now nineteen is struggling to master etiquette of the upper classes, preferring to follow in her late father’s footsteps in the world of adventure. Attending a party at the film’s opening, Alice is proposed to by Hamish (Leo Bill), in front of a huge crowd but slips away when she spots a white rabbit with a waistcoat and a watch nearby. Alice finds herself back in Wonderland and rather than being the colourful, but eccentric, world we remember it is in the midst of dark days with the ruthless Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) at war with her sister the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). A prophecy has led the inhabitants of Wonderland to believe that Alice will return to Wonderland and slay the jabberwocky, which is owned by the Red Queen. Unfortunately, Alice is convinced she isn’t the girl from the prophecy and it is down to the inhabitants of Wonderland especially the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) to prepare Alice for battle.
The first notable point about Alice in Wonderland is the array of talent on offer here. Depp is a mainstay of Tim Burton’s films and delivers an interesting interpretation of the Mad Hatter, adding a level of poignancy when revealing aspects of the character’s past and his descent into lunacy. Michael Sheen (the White Rabbit), Matt Lucas (Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum), Alan Rickman (the Caterpillar) and Stephen Fry (the Cheshire Cat) are just some of the standouts the film has to offer. The effects are very good and Wonderland has been recreated on a grand scale but those that know me well realise that it takes more than fancy effects to tip the balance of a film in my favour and this is sadly the case here.
While most of the characters are fun to watch, Wasikowska is okay as the lead, being outshone by the likes of Depp and Fry, which is nothing to be ashamed of but with Alice being such a pivotal character the film does suffer. Her being older has affected the character too. She comes across as more stroppy and spoilt than in her previous visit, adamant she isn’t the Alice that will save Wonderland from the Red Queen but, of course, she does find the courage and a sword and some armour in the end to go off to battle. It’s all pretty predictable stuff in the end and doesn’t come across as overly dramatic which is a real shame.
Some of the performances in Alice in Wonderland are well worth seeing. Depp in particular shines as he usually does in most films I’ve seen. Bonham Carter (with a very large head) is delightfully menacing as the Red Queen too. Effects galore make this a visual and indeed colourful treat for the eyes but the film falls somewhat flat by the end. The obstacles to a happy resolution posed by Alice’s reluctance to believe her previous visit to Wonderland was real and not a dream is quickly overcome as we enter the final reels. She goes from being self-doubting to a champion warrior, fit to take on the huge and menacing jabberwocky. This is certainly not a bad film but there are many elements that could have been done a lot better.
Tim Burton’s latest project is more in the vein of Planets of the Apes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. These are not bad films but they are flawed. I admire Burton greatly as a director but for his next projects I’d like to see some of that Edward Scissorhands magic returning rather than just another adaptation of a story others have done before. Alice in Wonderland has its moments but by the end it’s somewhat unspectacular and clear that the effects were given the bulk of the films’ budget.
Verdict: 2/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Alice in Wonderland | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
