David M. Brown's Blog, page 62
April 3, 2013
Game Review: Super Smash Bros Brawl
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Review: Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
Mario and Bowser lock horns in a fierce battle but unfortunately it looks like evil is going to prevail. Suddenly, a handy light saber falls from the sky, Mario grabs it and unleashes a series of strikes Luke Skywalker would have been proud of before sending Bowser hurtling off the screen and sealing victory for the forces of good. Released in 2008 to universal acclaim, Super Smash Bros Brawl has fought its way into the office at Tweedling HQ and thankfully it hasn’t lost any of its appeal.
The concept behind Super Smash Bros Brawl is delightfully simple. Enclosed in the tight space of a solitary screen, rival characters exchange punches, kicks, special moves and assaults with weapons, before launching their opponents off the screen. An added difficulty is that battles are often fought on floating platforms where one slip could see you fall off the screen and bring a premature end to the battle if you are unable to work your way back to safety in time. When battles begin, each character starts with a damage gauge of 0% which increases with every hit that they take. The higher the percentage, the farther a character is launched when struck, increasing the chances of being thrown off the edge of the screen. Each character has a series of moves that are easy to execute on the Wii Remote but there are also enough additional items to support your cause – the fabled light saber, a baseball bat, a Super Mushroom to increase a character’s size and power, a blast box to create devastating explosions, and a plethora of food to reduce your damage levels.
Super Smash Bros Brawl offers a rich assortment of characters including Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Zelda, Pikachu, Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake. Combining characters from other games and formats does not hinder the experience, but makes it all the more enjoyable. In fact, embracing such a variety can only bode well for any future titles in this series. The locations in Super Smash Bros Brawl more than match the welcome array of characters. Battles are fought in stadiums, jungles, cities, ruins and in notable settings such as Yoshi’s Island, a circuit from Mario Kart with the karts unwilling to swerve around your battling characters, and even Shadow Moses Island from Metal Gear Solid. Though battles are restricted to one screen, that doesn’t mean you can rest easy. Melee stages offer the added headache of the screen shifting up, down, left or right, forcing you to keep moving if you want to stay in the battle.
Super Smash Bros Brawl boasts two main playing options – Group and Solo. In Group you can indulge in a series of multiplayer games against friends and family or online. With up to 4 players being able to take part in a customisable battle royale there is fantastic scope for longevity here. In Solo mode there are five options to explore with most being open to one or two players. “Classic” allows you to pick a single character and face off against rival foes in a series of levels that become progressively more challenging. In some of the levels you will be joined by a CPU-controlled ally who will assist your efforts in battle and I found they were always valuable support if I was struggling. “Events” offers a multitude of mini-games to complete including racing contests or defeating large groups of foes. “Stadium” is all about breaking records be it in mass brawls or smashing targets and offers another string to Super Smash Bros Brawl’s already extensive bow. If you find yourself struggling with the game why not try “Training” where you can choose from a variety of characters and locations and pit yourself against a foe that doesn’t defend themselves – it’s a great way to brush up on your skills.
The other option available in Solo is the Adventure Mode entitled “The Subspace Emissary,” an engaging story-driven platform game combining exploration of a myriad of settings fused with constant brawls against minor enemies and testing bosses. The story pitches the likes of Mario, Link and Donkey Kong against the Subspace Army that harness the power of their enemies by turning them into trophies. The likes of Bowser and Wario, fighting for the forces of evil, are amongst the many foes your group of heroes will have to face in order to save the world. The story mode is divided into brief levels beginning with Mario and Kirby slugging it out in a stadium when the Subspace Army gatecrashes their contest. As you advance through the levels, different characters are introduced in their own unique environments and come up against the widespread Subspace Army. You play one character at a time, deciding the fighting order at the start of each level. If your first character loses a life, the second then steps in and continues exploring the level, fighting enemies, gathering items and bonuses before finding the elusive exit – a red door, lined with an incandescent light. Between the levels you are treated to some delightful cut scenes as the allies gradually join together for the final battle. It’s a welcome distraction from the brief but engaging battles in the other modes and makes Super Smash Bros Brawl more than just a fighting game.
For those concerned about Super Smash Bros Brawl losing its appeal after completing the Story mode, there are still plenty of options to enjoy. In the “Vault” you can view the trophies and stickers you have collected throughout your many battles, look back at photos you’ve taken in the midst of those exciting brawls and even relive your greatest moments with a replay option. If that’s not enough there is even a Stage Builder where you can create your own settings for characters to engage in brawls. Finally, there are further characters and locations to unlock which should keep gamers busy for many months.
In the Gamer’s Edition of Guinness World Records 2010, Super Smash Bros Brawl held the prestigious title of the most played Wii game with the average gamer clocking up an impressive 66 hours and 32 minutes. The extensive options for solo and multi-player gaming fully justify such a proud record. Super Smash Bros Brawl is easy to pick up, boasts some delightful cut scenes, action-packed settings and an accessible group of characters. This is great fun for friends, family and online gamers and will surely be a mainstay on the Wii…at least until the next installment.
Verdict: 4/5
Game Review: Super Smash Bros Brawl | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Starter for 10
Starring: James McAvoy, Rebecca Hall, Alice Eve, Mark Gatiss, Robert Cawsey
Directed by: Tom Vaughan
Runtime: 96 minutes
Studio: HBO Home Video
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Review: Starter for 10
Based on David Nicholls’ 2003 novel, Starter for 10 sees student Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) leave his working class roots in Essex for a place at Bristol University. Always thirsty for knowledge, Brian goes through the many trials of a first year at university, including winning a place on the team for University Challenge and falling for fellow team member Alice Harbinson (Alice Eve). Brian must balance his focus on the upcoming show with his feelings for Alice, problems with friends and family back home and his friendship with another student Rebecca Epstein (Rebecca Hall).
Brian’s is a fairly average background. We see him as a boy guessing answers on game shows in front of his proud father. In the present, Brian’s father has passed away and his mother Julie (Catherine Tate) has found a new lover, Des (John Henshaw), an ice cream van driver, much to Brian’s horror. In Southend Brian’s best friends are Spencer (Dominic Cooper) and Tone (James Corden) who are happy he is going to university but worry being with posh students might turn him into “a wanker.” At university Brian’s room mates are cross dressers and he prefers to keep to himself but he is soon making friends despite his passion just to learn. Rebecca is a Jewish activist Brian meets in a nightclub and they have a shaky start to their friendship but it’s clear they get along really well. However, when Brian joins the University Challenge team led by the strict Patrick Watts (Benedict Cumberbatch), he falls for fellow team mate Alice instead. Alice accepts Brian’s friendship but will anything else develop between them?
I actually enjoyed this film more than the adaptation of Nicholl’s more successful novel, One Day. I intend to read both books and compare them as well but in terms of the films I felt this was a better fit. James McAvoy is great in the lead but the only problem is it initially seems he’s meant to be a bespectacled geek but once the glasses are off it’s James McAvoy who appeals to many women. The rest of the cast are great. Hall’s Rebecca is the sort of girl you’d want to meet at university but Brian prefers Alice who will leave you pulling your hair out. The likes of Cooper, Corden and Mark Gatiss as Bamber Gascoigne complete this delightful film. It made me nostalgic for my university days but thankfully I didn’t end up in the same trouble as poor Brian does throughout the film.
Starter for 10 is a funny and charming British comedy about that tough first year at university. Combining a great cast with an amusing script, this works better for me than One Day did. I will look forward to reading Nicholl’s books and comparing them as well.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Starter for 10 | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
April 2, 2013
Film Review: Death Wish
Starring: Charles Bronson
Directed by: Michael Winner
Runtime: 93 minutes
Studio: Paramount
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Review: Death Wish (1974)
Last time out I reviewed Harry Brown (2009) which included a spot of vigilantism and today I’ve located the first instalment of a series I’ve never seen, also about vigilantism, and starring Charles Bronson – the Death Wish films. I’ve heard the basic premise to these films in the past but why I’ve not seen them until now I’m not really sure.
The film follows the story of Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) who is an architect in New York. One day his wife Joanna (Hope Lange) and daughter Carol Anne (Kathleen Tolan) are attacked in their home with Carol being raped by three hooligans while Joanna is brutally beaten. With the savage streets dealing him such crushing blows, Paul heads down a road of vigilantism, not against the three hooligans that attacked his family but against all criminals that plague the streets of New York City.
Paul Kersey is a peaceful and loving family man at the outset of the film but the attack against his family changes that. Having the misfortune of being in a supermarket at the wrong time, Joanna and Carol are followed home by a group of hooligans led by a young Jeff Goldblum who burst into the apartment intent on stealing what money they can. They find only a few dollars so beat Joanna before stripping and raping Carol. When Joanna tries to crawl to the telephone she is beaten into unconsciousness at which point the men flee. Carol rings the emergency services but by the time Paul gets to the hospital he learns his wife has died from her injuries, while his daughter is understandably traumatised by her experience, and lies in a bed blankly staring straight ahead.
With the police unable to do anything, Paul is left devastated. Through work he is given a business vacation in Arizona where he witnesses mock gunfights on a movie set in the style of the Old West. It’s in Arizona that we learn Paul was in the Korean War as a medic and in his youth he learned to fire a gun with great accuracy, only relinquishing his love of firearms when his father was killed in a hunting accident. Paul’s business contact in Arizona, Ames Jainchill (Stuart Margolin) is so impressed with Paul’s work he gives him a gun as a gift. On returning to New York, Paul keeps the gun in his jacket when he walks the streets and one night he panics when attacked by a mugger and kills the criminal. Seemingly disgusted at his actions, Paul is soon back on the streets, rescuing a defenceless man in an alley who has been set upon by three thugs. All of a sudden Paul is taking to the streets every night, gun in tow and targeting any criminals he can find, delivering his own kind of justice. However, pleased as the law are to be rid of so many criminals, they now have a new one to deal with in the form of this crusading vigilante. The police have opposition in the form of the public who are fully behind the unknown vigilante that is making the streets safer. Just how long can Paul keep his crusade going before the police catch up with him?
This was a popular film when it was first released and it’s not difficult to see why. The streets are not safe at night and the idea of being able to defend yourself as Paul does is appealing. I always question UK law where it’s possible for burglars to take you to court if you assault them! At least with Death Wish, it is satisfying watching criminals get their comeuppance. The film has aged somewhat but its message is still relevant today. Bronson makes for a good hero, still somewhat weak until he is standing behind an armed gun. The only downside is the film is crying out for a spot of vengeance for the opening crime against Paul’s family but sadly we never get it! Tainted by what I understand are vastly inferior sequels, Death Wish still offers a refreshing notion of citizens having the strength and courage to fight back.
Death Wish is a decent revenge film with a commendable lead in Bronson. This isn’t his best film by a long shot but his journey from architect and family man to crusading vigilante is worth following. Criticised for its glorification of vigilantism, audiences decided for themselves and liked what they saw. Satisfying rather than brilliant, I’d still give this is a try.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Death Wish | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
April 1, 2013
Film Review: Samurai Zombie
Starring: Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Issei Ishida, Tak Sakaguchi
Directed by: Tak Sakaguchi
Runtime: 91 minutes
Studio: MVM Entertainment
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Review: Samurai Zombie
Directed by Tak Sakaguchi, Samurai Zombie tells the story of a family on a road trip who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. They run into a man in the road (Issei Ishida) pointing a gun at them and though he gets up he is soon shot by a young couple (Tak Sakaguchi and Nana Natsume) who are on the run from the authorities. They take the family hostage and have them drive through a fenced off area which proves to be a source of strange phenomena. The sat nav and mobile phones cease to work, their screens turning blood red and then the family car breaks down. The father (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) is sent to get a fresh tyre when the abductors threaten his daughter (Airi Nakajima.) In his absence the mother (Keiko Oginome) has to keep the abductors sweet and protect her daughter and young son. This is far from simple though as the family and their abductors have wandered into the remnants of a haunted village and end up facing not one, not two, but three samurai zombies!
There’s a nice eerie feel to the film at the outset as the family car packs in and mobile phones also refuse to work. The outline of samurai warriors amidst the swirling mist is rather effective too but the blood splatter isn’t too far behind. I don’t want to give too much away but basically blood hits the earth where three samurai warriors are buried and they emerge one by one to attack the travelling family and their abductors. Guns seem effective to a degree on the samurais, flooring them at least, but they do seem unstoppable. In the abandoned village an old woman is wandering around and warning the group that they are all going to die. There’s usually one around who no one listens to. The most curious part of the film is the man who is run over and shot in the opening scene. He keeps getting up and pursuing the group as well, insisting he is going to die but he never does! Strange.
The film is heavy on the gore with those samurai swords removing fingers as well as heads with a ridiculous blood splatter to follow. The flight path of lopped off heads is a tad questionable as well but boy is it funny. The characters are an intriguing bunch and although it might not seem it there is a back story to these samurai warriors which is revealed at the end. This is actually a clever plot twist and really rescued the film from being utterly pointless for me. This will never win any awards for greatness but as a horror film there are some worthwhile moments.
Samurai Zombie is a flawed horror film but the ending saves it from obsolescence. A decent group of characters, especially the abductors, keep things ticking over while the samurai warriors stagger around the ghost village trying to pick them off. This is an okay but silly horror film with a conclusion worth waiting for.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Samurai Zombie | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Demons 2
Starring: David Edwin Knight, Nancy Brilli, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Bobby Rhodes, Asia Argento
Directed by: Lamberto Bava
Runtime: 91 minutes
Studio: Starz/Anchor Bay
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Review: Demons 2
The original Demons was an amusing, poorly acted film with some good special effects and it was also a lot of fun. This sequel is similar in story line. The movie theatre of the first film is swapped for a tower block of apartments and while a film on the big screen seemed to instigate the horror in the first film, it is a late night horror film that triggers things this time. Frustrated at her own birthday party, Sally (Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni) locks herself in her room and watches a group of teenagers on TV find the remains of a demon and inadvertently revive it. The demon kills them then heads through the television to take out Sally. A now demonised Sally then attacks her party guests and all of a sudden the apartments are swarming with demons with a large group of residents in a frantic battle for survival.
This is all very familiar having seen the first film and many of the elements from its predecessor are in place. The effects are good, the acting is dreadful, it’s funny in places and there is a great soundtrack in the background including The Smiths with, you guessed it, Panic. Among the residents are George (David Edwin Knight) and his pregnant wife Hannah (Nancy Brilli). George is a studious type, up to his neck in preparation for an exam but given a demon plague, the tie is off and he turns into an urban version of Rambo. The highlight of the film is the return of Bobby Rhodes as Hank. Rhodes was loud and an enthusiastic leader in the first film. In this one he’s loud, an enthusiastic leader and also the head of a group of bodybuilders that leads the residents into battle against the demons in the garages using cars, axes, fire extinguishers, you name it, Hank is up for the challenge.
Inevitably, the number of residents are whittled down to just a few and it is somewhat predictable who will make it through to the end. Not even a demonised boy or a baby demon you might find cute can stop our heroes reaching the final reels. This isn’t as good as the first film but it is still silly and fun. Hannah is a remarkable woman. She not only gives birth during the film but seems to do so without spilling a single drop of blood or anything. Just amazing. Watch out for Asia Argento, the young daughter of the film’s writer and producer, Dario Argento. Must have been a fun few days at the office with her father!
Demons 2 is an average horror flick with laughable acting, decent effects, amusing exchanges and a cute demon baby. If you enjoyed the first film then this one is certainly worth considering. If its predecessor wasn’t for you then I’m certain this one won’t be either.
Verdict: 2/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Demons 2 | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
March 31, 2013
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – Somewhere in My Heart
The eighties group with one of the more peculiar names hit their peak in 1988 with the release of this single that reached no.3 in the UK charts. It came from the group’s third album Love (1987) and very much epitomises that title. By 1995 the group had disbanded but lead singer Roddy Frame continued as a solo artist.
Somewhere in My Heart is one of the ultimate eighties’ pop songs. It’s all about love but performed in a somewhat playful manner and is completely upbeat. Many deride the eighties as a ludicrous decade for music but it will always have a distinct charm for me. Seeing what music has degenerated into these last couple of decades where Crazy Frog and Gangnam Style can be adored by millions, I’d much rather take a nostalgic trip and listen to the likes of Aztec Camera.
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – Somewhere in My Heart | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Sanctum
Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh of Moulin Rouge!, Mission: Impossible II) has explored the South Pacific’s Esa’ala caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank’s key team—including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield of The Black Balloon, Broken Hill) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd of Fantastic Four series, W.)—is forced to radically alter plans.
With dwindling supplies, the crew—including Carl’s girlfriend, Victoria (Alice Parkinson of Where the Wild Things Are, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and Crazy George (Dan Wyllie of Muriel’s Wedding, Chopper)—must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?
Starring: Richard Roxburgh, Alice Parkinson
Directed by: Alister Grierson
Runtime: 109 minutes
Studio: Rogue Pictures
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Review: Sanctum
Tales of survival are often engaging whether it’s in the desert or a struggle to overcome the cold in the Arctic. The human spirit is a powerful thing and has seen many people through some truly horrifying ordeals in the past. Sanctum embraces survival, putting a group of explorers in a subterranean network of caves, living the dream of adventure, only for it all to fall apart and leave them desperately fighting for their lives.
The film begins with Josh McGuire (Rhys Wakefield), Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd) and his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) who head for Papua New Guinea to the Esa’ala Cave, a vast subterranean cave network. Josh’s father, Frank (Richard Roxburgh) is in charge of an expedition that has already delved deep into the earth and to continue further requires heading underwater. While stationed beneath the ground, communications with the surface are cut off and a crucial warning of approaching storms does not reach the exploration team. As the storm erupts the explorers are trapped in the caves which quickly become flooded. With the way back to the surface no good they are forced to navigate through unexplored tunnels in the hope of finding a path to the sea.
The first thing Sanctum has in its favour is of course the terrain we get to see. There’s nothing quite like Mother Nature’s handiwork and though this is a disaster film there is still some impressive scenery on show. Over to the characters things are less aesthetically pleasing. Josh and his father, Frank, have a very fractious relationship which only gets worse when Frank explores an underwater cave known as Devil’s Restriction and fellow diver Judes (Allison Cratchley) drowns following an accident. Josh blames his father and Judes’ death causes a lot of tension in the group. However, they don’t have long to argue before the storms arrive and the caves begin to flood. Forced to head further into the caves, the group find themselves in a struggle for survival.
Deaths are inevitable given the obstacles ahead and while the film has some tense moments at times it’s not as edge of the seat as you might expect. Despite the divisions between the group members they do manage to work together to progress. Victoria isn’t keen on the enclosed spaces that are the underwater tunnels and getting her to keep going is difficult, while Carl deteriorates badly as the hours go by. Inevitably the father and son at the heart of this film begin with their differences but gradually start to bond as the water level rises and the group numbers diminish. It all gets a bit corny by the end, I’m afraid.
Sanctum looks great in places and will almost make you tempted to want to try a spot of this exploration yourself, at least when things are going right for the group. Sadly the survival story isn’t the most tense or nail biting and it’s quite predictable who will be around at the end and how they will have changed for the experience. I wouldn’t call this a dreadful film but I wouldn’t describe it as good either. It has some decent moments but these are lost down the flooded tunnels when faced with the bad points.
Sanctum has a good premise but the execution is sadly flawed. I just wasn’t gripped by the survival storyline and having to endure father and son bonding towards the end had me rolling my eyes. There’s always a place for survival films and I welcome future ones with enthusiasm but sadly I’ll have to say that Sanctum isn’t one of the best ones.
Verdict: 2/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Sanctum | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
March 30, 2013
Guest Post and Excerpt: Bear Season – Bernie Hafeli
We are delighted to welcome Bernie Hafeli, author of Bear Season, who joins us to share a guest post and excerpt.
Guest Post
My thanks to Donna and David for suggesting I contribute a post to their site.
I started becoming a serious fiction writer in late 2001, shortly after I was sacked by the advertising agency I worked for. At the time I was 51 years old, and with the unaccustomed luxury of time on my hands, I began trying to write short stories, something I’d always wanted to do but never had the time, or perhaps the nerve, to attempt. Life was slipping away, right? Time to get going. Aided by Madison Smartt Bell’s Narrative Design, I actually published a couple stories, two hopeful lights illuminating the dark fugue of rejection. Buoyed by meager success, I decided to apply to grad school and, somewhat serendipitously, was accepted at The University of San Francisco, a program that allowed me to attend classes at night, an important consideration since I was by now working again.
Eventually, I graduated. Now I had a novel and soon an agent who shopped the novel to over forty publishing houses. Although we received a few nice letters, the novel was rejected every time. My agent despaired. The economy was in a freefall not conducive to the publication of first-time novelists. By now I was working on a second novel and I was undeterred. When I finished, I showed my agent. The novel showed growth, she said, I was writing with more confidence and the story was unique. “But,” she went on, “given the market and the fact this is even bleaker than your first novel, I don’t see how I can sell it.” She told me she was sorry but she would no longer be representing me, not just me but any of her fiction clients. I can’t say I blamed her. She’d put a lot of time and effort into promoting my book. “Bleak” had been the most common criticism in all the rejection letters. For a while I was in the dumps.
However.
During the time I was writing the first two novels, my girlfriend Jinko had told me about a website featuring the exploits of Wojtek, the legendary Soldier Bear of WWII. “Write about Wojtek,” she said. “He’s not bleak.” Intrigued, I filed Wojtek away as I continued working on my two so far unsalable novels, at the same time keeping a brain module open for devising ways of expanding the Wojtek story, so I wasn’t merely fictionalizing a series of already amazing true-life events. At some point I came up with a plan. Now I had time to put it on paper.
I started writing. Compared to the novels, the words came easy. I was writing in the first person for one thing, not shifting points of view between multiple narrators. I’d envisioned a 50 or 60 page novella but it grew to over 150 pages. I’d become quite fond of the characters, always a good sign. When I finished, I sent the story to some small press publishers. Without an agent, the field narrows drastically. There were some rejections. But then a brave, kind soul published it. Published it! I was now a published author, something I’d had grave doubts would ever happen.
What stands out for me in all this—both in how I became a writer and in how I became published writer—is how a seemingly bad experience (losing a job, having a novel rejected, losing an agent) paved the way for an extremely good experience. I’m sure this happens all the time, but in my life before fiction writing I rarely, if ever, noticed it. Now I’m on the lookout all the time. To paraphrase Henry James, “A writer should be someone on whom nothing is lost.”
Excerpt from Bear Season
At nine o’clock the next morning we were roused by a rap at the window. By nine-thirty Nigel was behind the wheel and we were on the road to Edinburgh. It was still raining off and on, the clouds an advancing fleet of purple and gray reflected in the road water, bloated and woozy, like the whole world had a sickness. After a few miles, a band of salmon-colored sky formed on the horizon, resembling a thick slab of lunchmeat sandwiched between the earth and clouds.
“Look at that,” said Nigel, pointing at the ribbon of light. “You might have sun in Edinburgh. A rare occurrence.”
The ride had been quiet up to then. Nigel’s attempts to engage my uncle had been met with grunts of assent or denial, or the kind of empty response that discouraged further discussion. My uncle was hung over. To fill the silence, Nigel turned on the radio and found a dance hall band; the Guy Lombardo tune recommended enjoying yourself before it’s too late.
“What brings you to Edinburgh?” Nigel asked after a few minutes of chipper music, not to be dissuaded. He wore one of those hats with a snap on the brim, pulled low over his forehead. His skin was white as a fish belly.
“I’m seeing an old war buddy,” Uncle Izzy said.
“You were in the war? Fighting Jerry?”
My uncle said that he was. Particulars were exchanged; Nigel had also been in the war, a tail-gunner on bombing raids over Germany. He’d been shot down on one occasion.
“That was no bloody picnic, mate. Eight months POW. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
“I know what you’re talking about.”
“You were captured too?”
My uncle admitted he was.
“Where’d they stick you?”
“You’ve never heard of it. It wasn’t the Nazis. It was our enemy who became our ally and is our enemy again.”
“The Bolshies?”
My uncle nodded.
Nigel slowly shook his head. “May they burn in a red hell of their own making.”
“Like you said, it was no bloody picnic.”
Uncle Izzy sighed then, and looked out his window at the sodden fields. For a while we rode in silence, except for the jaunty songs coming from Nigel’s radio, which felt inappropriate now, like jugglers at a funeral. On a grassy hillside lingered a small herd of cows. They appeared scrawnier than the ones in Ohio.
“Who’s this buddy you’re seeing?” Nigel asked. “Was he a prisoner too?”
During the entire drive my uncle hadn’t once mentioned Wojtek. I suppose he was worried about Nigel’s reaction, or just tired of talking about the soldier bear.
“You could say he’s a prisoner now,” my uncle said, giving me a look then glancing back out the window. In the brief second I held his gaze, my eyes implored him to go no further, to resist telling the tale I thought might be forthcoming, where Wojtek steals the cans of peaches from the sleeping soldiers, which would lead of course to Wojtek stealing the panties of the women from the Women’s Signal Company, wrapping them around his head, and parading around camp. This story would appeal to Nigel on a number of levels, my uncle might think, and he could have been right if Nigel were to believe my uncle. I was afraid he wouldn’t, that instead he’d think him a barmy nutter and drop us both off in the piddling rain that had again started falling.
“That’s a queer thing to say,” Nigel said. “Are you speaking metaphorically?”
My uncle looked at Nigel, then tapped me on the knee. “Do you hear that, Czeslaw? British truck drivers are more intelligent than American truck drivers, wouldn’t you say?”
When I nodded, Nigel lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile.
“Look!” he shouted then, pointing out his side window, which he’d just wiped clean of condensation using the sleeve of his jacket.
In the distance, arching from a grove of dark, wind-tossed trees to a point miles away where the landscape escalated into copper hills, was a rainbow. It stood out like neon against the gray-backed sky.
“You’ll have the blessings of the fairies,” Nigel said.
“Your endeavors in Edinburgh will meet with success.”
“Good,” my uncle told him. “We need all the help we can get.”
About Bear Season (2013)[image error]It’s the story of a young first-generation Polish-American boy named Czeslaw who’s struggling to grow up without a father in 1950s Detroit. The only male role model he has is an alcoholic uncle who regales him with tales of the preternaturally talented bear who served with his unit a decade earlier in World War II. Teetering on the verge of disbelief in the bear and the mythology surrounding it, Czeslaw embarks on a road trip with his uncle in an effort to help him make peace with his painful, war-torn past. What follows is a tale that works both as a grail quest and a coming of age story highlighting the power of storytelling and exploring the relationship between the past and the ever-moving present.
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About Bernie Hafeli[image error]Bernie Hafeli graduated from the University of Michigan in 1972. In 2006 he received his MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco. In between he wrote advertising, so you might say he’s been creating fiction all his life. In addition to Bear Season, he’s published eight short stories and one poem in literary journals and maintains the hope (delusion?) that there may be more.
Guest Post and Excerpt: Bear Season – Bernie Hafeli | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Guest Post and Excerpt: Bear Season – Bernie Hafelo
We are delighted to welcome Bernie Hafelo, author of Bear Season, who joins us to share a guest post and excerpt.
Guest Post
My thanks to Donna and David for suggesting I contribute a post to their site.
I started becoming a serious fiction writer in late 2001, shortly after I was sacked by the advertising agency I worked for. At the time I was 51 years old, and with the unaccustomed luxury of time on my hands, I began trying to write short stories, something I’d always wanted to do but never had the time, or perhaps the nerve, to attempt. Life was slipping away, right? Time to get going. Aided by Madison Smartt Bell’s Narrative Design, I actually published a couple stories, two hopeful lights illuminating the dark fugue of rejection. Buoyed by meager success, I decided to apply to grad school and, somewhat serendipitously, was accepted at The University of San Francisco, a program that allowed me to attend classes at night, an important consideration since I was by now working again.
Eventually, I graduated. Now I had a novel and soon an agent who shopped the novel to over forty publishing houses. Although we received a few nice letters, the novel was rejected every time. My agent despaired. The economy was in a freefall not conducive to the publication of first-time novelists. By now I was working on a second novel and I was undeterred. When I finished, I showed my agent. The novel showed growth, she said, I was writing with more confidence and the story was unique. “But,” she went on, “given the market and the fact this is even bleaker than your first novel, I don’t see how I can sell it.” She told me she was sorry but she would no longer be representing me, not just me but any of her fiction clients. I can’t say I blamed her. She’d put a lot of time and effort into promoting my book. “Bleak” had been the most common criticism in all the rejection letters. For a while I was in the dumps.
However.
During the time I was writing the first two novels, my girlfriend Jinko had told me about a website featuring the exploits of Wojtek, the legendary Soldier Bear of WWII. “Write about Wojtek,” she said. “He’s not bleak.” Intrigued, I filed Wojtek away as I continued working on my two so far unsalable novels, at the same time keeping a brain module open for devising ways of expanding the Wojtek story, so I wasn’t merely fictionalizing a series of already amazing true-life events. At some point I came up with a plan. Now I had time to put it on paper.
I started writing. Compared to the novels, the words came easy. I was writing in the first person for one thing, not shifting points of view between multiple narrators. I’d envisioned a 50 or 60 page novella but it grew to over 150 pages. I’d become quite fond of the characters, always a good sign. When I finished, I sent the story to some small press publishers. Without an agent, the field narrows drastically. There were some rejections. But then a brave, kind soul published it. Published it! I was now a published author, something I’d had grave doubts would ever happen.
What stands out for me in all this—both in how I became a writer and in how I became published writer—is how a seemingly bad experience (losing a job, having a novel rejected, losing an agent) paved the way for an extremely good experience. I’m sure this happens all the time, but in my life before fiction writing I rarely, if ever, noticed it. Now I’m on the lookout all the time. To paraphrase Henry James, “A writer should be someone on whom nothing is lost.”
Excerpt from Bear Season
At nine o’clock the next morning we were roused by a rap at the window. By nine-thirty Nigel was behind the wheel and we were on the road to Edinburgh. It was still raining off and on, the clouds an advancing fleet of purple and gray reflected in the road water, bloated and woozy, like the whole world had a sickness. After a few miles, a band of salmon-colored sky formed on the horizon, resembling a thick slab of lunchmeat sandwiched between the earth and clouds.
“Look at that,” said Nigel, pointing at the ribbon of light. “You might have sun in Edinburgh. A rare occurrence.”
The ride had been quiet up to then. Nigel’s attempts to engage my uncle had been met with grunts of assent or denial, or the kind of empty response that discouraged further discussion. My uncle was hung over. To fill the silence, Nigel turned on the radio and found a dance hall band; the Guy Lombardo tune recommended enjoying yourself before it’s too late.
“What brings you to Edinburgh?” Nigel asked after a few minutes of chipper music, not to be dissuaded. He wore one of those hats with a snap on the brim, pulled low over his forehead. His skin was white as a fish belly.
“I’m seeing an old war buddy,” Uncle Izzy said.
“You were in the war? Fighting Jerry?”
My uncle said that he was. Particulars were exchanged; Nigel had also been in the war, a tail-gunner on bombing raids over Germany. He’d been shot down on one occasion.
“That was no bloody picnic, mate. Eight months POW. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
“I know what you’re talking about.”
“You were captured too?”
My uncle admitted he was.
“Where’d they stick you?”
“You’ve never heard of it. It wasn’t the Nazis. It was our enemy who became our ally and is our enemy again.”
“The Bolshies?”
My uncle nodded.
Nigel slowly shook his head. “May they burn in a red hell of their own making.”
“Like you said, it was no bloody picnic.”
Uncle Izzy sighed then, and looked out his window at the sodden fields. For a while we rode in silence, except for the jaunty songs coming from Nigel’s radio, which felt inappropriate now, like jugglers at a funeral. On a grassy hillside lingered a small herd of cows. They appeared scrawnier than the ones in Ohio.
“Who’s this buddy you’re seeing?” Nigel asked. “Was he a prisoner too?”
During the entire drive my uncle hadn’t once mentioned Wojtek. I suppose he was worried about Nigel’s reaction, or just tired of talking about the soldier bear.
“You could say he’s a prisoner now,” my uncle said, giving me a look then glancing back out the window. In the brief second I held his gaze, my eyes implored him to go no further, to resist telling the tale I thought might be forthcoming, where Wojtek steals the cans of peaches from the sleeping soldiers, which would lead of course to Wojtek stealing the panties of the women from the Women’s Signal Company, wrapping them around his head, and parading around camp. This story would appeal to Nigel on a number of levels, my uncle might think, and he could have been right if Nigel were to believe my uncle. I was afraid he wouldn’t, that instead he’d think him a barmy nutter and drop us both off in the piddling rain that had again started falling.
“That’s a queer thing to say,” Nigel said. “Are you speaking metaphorically?”
My uncle looked at Nigel, then tapped me on the knee. “Do you hear that, Czeslaw? British truck drivers are more intelligent than American truck drivers, wouldn’t you say?”
When I nodded, Nigel lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile.
“Look!” he shouted then, pointing out his side window, which he’d just wiped clean of condensation using the sleeve of his jacket.
In the distance, arching from a grove of dark, wind-tossed trees to a point miles away where the landscape escalated into copper hills, was a rainbow. It stood out like neon against the gray-backed sky.
“You’ll have the blessings of the fairies,” Nigel said.
“Your endeavors in Edinburgh will meet with success.”
“Good,” my uncle told him. “We need all the help we can get.”
About Bear Season (2013)[image error]It’s the story of a young first-generation Polish-American boy named Czeslaw who’s struggling to grow up without a father in 1950s Detroit. The only male role model he has is an alcoholic uncle who regales him with tales of the preternaturally talented bear who served with his unit a decade earlier in World War II. Teetering on the verge of disbelief in the bear and the mythology surrounding it, Czeslaw embarks on a road trip with his uncle in an effort to help him make peace with his painful, war-torn past. What follows is a tale that works both as a grail quest and a coming of age story highlighting the power of storytelling and exploring the relationship between the past and the ever-moving present.
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About Bernie Hafeli[image error]Bernie Hafeli graduated from the University of Michigan in 1972. In 2006 he received his MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco. In between he wrote advertising, so you might say he’s been creating fiction all his life. In addition to Bear Season, he’s published eight short stories and one poem in literary journals and maintains the hope (delusion?) that there may be more.
Guest Post and Excerpt: Bear Season – Bernie Hafelo | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
March 29, 2013
Film Review: The Girl Who Played With Fire
The new film sees Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) and crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) once again caught up in a brutal murder investigation. Having served his prison sentence, Blomkvist returns to Millennium intent on exposing a billion dollar sex trafficking ring.
When two of his researchers are murdered, Salander is framed for the murders and emerges as the police’s chief suspect.
Unconvinced, Blomkvist attempts to track her down and find out the truth, but secretive hacker Salander goes on the run and soon stumbles upon secrets of her own past.
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Sofia Ledarp, Peter Andersson
Directed by: Daniel Alfredson
Runtime: 129 minutes
Studio: Music Box Films Home Entertainment
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Review: The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009)
I’ve still to read Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy but saw The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo some months back which was superb. Naturally, I couldn’t wait to see the other two films and finally got my heads on the second instalment – The Girl Who Played With Fire which would surely be excellent if it retained the essence of its predecessor.
The film picks up some time after the first with Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) returning to Sweden and reuniting with Miriam (Yasmine Garbi) who is given Lisbeth’s old apartment for free on condition that Miriam will forward her mail. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is continuing work for Millennium magazine and has taken on a new journalist Dag Svensson (Hans Christian Thulin) who is working with his girlfriend Mia Bergman (Jennie Silfverhjelm) on a report to expose prostitution and sex trafficking in Sweden. Blomkvist is happy to help but things become serious when he finds Dag and Mia murdered. The gun that killed them is traced to Lisbeth’s abusive guardian Nils Bjurman (Peter Andersson) but when he is also found murdered it is Lisbeth that becomes the murder suspect. While Blomkvist follows leads left by Lisbeth, she is on a mission of her own that will lead her towards a surprising reunion.
The Girl Who Played With Fire sees a welcome return for Lisbeth and Blomkvist. Sadly, in this sequel they work together only online, maintaining the faintest of contact as Lisbeth eludes the authorities following the three murders that take place early in the film. Lisbeth pleads her innocence to Blomkvist and he is more than happy to follow her suggestion to go in search of a mysterious individual known as Zala. An even more fearsome adversary stalks the shadows throughout the film – Niedermann (Micke Spreitz). This tall, blonde-haired killing machine barely utters a word but when he appears there is always trouble. An added complication is a condition he is afflicted with that renders him incapable of feeling pain! Is this the man responsible for the killings? That I can’t say, but what isn’t without doubt is he is dangerous and has Libseth in his sights.
As good a character as Blomkvist is, this film is at its best when we’re in the company of Lisbeth. One of her earliest actions is to visit her guardian Bjurman after hacking into his computer and discovering he is trying to arrange removal of the tattoo Lisbeth gave him in the first film, revealing him as a misogynistic rapist. Watching Bjurman squirm once again when faced with Lisbeth is a pure delight but when he is suddenly found dead things become very precarious for our heroine. We’re given more of an insight into her past and the film’s title becomes ever clearer as we approach the final reels. I’ll warn you now that The Girl Who Played With Fire ends on a bit of a cliff hanger so be sure to have the third film within easy reach otherwise it’s a frustrating wait.
The Girl Who Played With Fire is undoubtedly good but in comparison to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo it falls a bit short. The sex trafficking plotline that engages us early on soon dissipates and as interesting as the respective paths of Lisbeth and Blomkvist are, they can’t match up to the murder mystery of the first film, a story I found utterly gripping from start to finish. The good news is our two leads are on fine form once more. Nyqvist is great as Blomkvist, the journalist that will risk everything to get a good story, but it is Rapace as Lisbeth that is the most striking presence throughout the film. The impending American remakes seem even more insulting given how good the performances are in these films from our two leads.
The Girl Who Played With Fire doesn’t dazzle as much as its predecessor but it’s still a tense and exciting thriller, aided greatly by the two leads. That cliff hanger at the end is a bit frustrating but certainly hints at exciting things to come in the final instalment – The Girl That Kicked The Hornet’s Nest. I intend to have a review of that one for you very soon so watch this space.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: The Girl Who Played With Fire | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
