David M. Brown's Blog, page 68
February 24, 2013
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – Black Hole Sun
I first came to know about Soundgarden when watching MTV and seeing the video to this song one morning in the mid-nineties. I think the video fascinated me first and foremost but on repeat viewings I realised just how good the song was too. This is arguably Soundgarden’s biggest hit to date and it’s not particularly hard to see why.
What the song is all about is hard to say. Lead singer and songwriter Chris Cornell insists that not too much should be read into it though it is a sad and dark song rather than a happy and upbeat one which many fans have come to interpret. The classic music video with some delightful effects and suburban locals being sucked into a black hole remains one of the finest music videos I have ever seen. I could never tire of seeing it but what enhances it most of all is the quality of this song.
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – Black Hole Sun | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Young Adam
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Peter Mullan, Emily Mortimer, Jack McElhone
Directed by: David Mackenzie
Runtime: 94 minutes
Studio: Warner Home Video
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Review: Young Adam
David Mackenzie’s bleak drama is set on the canals of 1950s Scotland where drifter, Joe (Ewan McGregor) is currently working on a barge owned by Les (Peter Mullan) and Ella Gault (Tilda Swinton). At the outset Joe and Les find the near naked body of a young woman drifting in the canal and lift her from the water before notifying the police. Continuing their work and operating between Glasgow and Edinburgh, Joe seduces Ella into a passionate affair while the media is gripped by the death of the girl in the canal, a girl Joe knows from his past.
We learn of Joe’s involvement with the dead girl, Cathie (Emily Mortimer), through a series of flashbacks but the circumstances leading up to her death are left till near the end. While Joe keeps quiet about knowing Cathie he pursues Ella who is sexually frustrated with her husband due to his incessant drinking. She and Joe begin an affair, snatching moments alone whenever Les’ back is turned. As the police investigate the death of Cathie they find a suspect for her murder, a plumber Daniel (Ewan Gordon). Will Joe come forward and reveal what he knows about Cathie? What involvement did he have in her death? What is he hiding?
This was a well-acted drama with the grim life on the barges well-conveyed through back breaking and filthy work Joe and Les endure, while Ella is a strong, independent woman, running both the business and trying to keep her family together. What begins as a simple affair with Joe blossoms as the time passes but does Joe feel the same? The characters are not the most likable with Joe being easy on the eye for women but he’s easily maladjusted and never settles harmoniously for long. The ending continues the bleak outlook that reverberates throughout the film. There are no winners by the film’s conclusion. Though we have the answers to the questions raised at the start it’s an unhappy denouement.
Young Adam is a gritty drama with an intriguing plot, carefully built through Joe’s flashbacks. A good cast handle proceedings well though the film’s conclusion is not a completely satisfying one with the lives of the characters changed but certainly not for the better.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Young Adam | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
February 23, 2013
Book Excerpt: ‘The Former World: A Little Forest Paranormal Mystery’ – Jessica Coleman
Today Jessica Coleman stops by to share an excerpt from her book, The Former World: A Little Forest Paranormal Mystery .
Excerpt from The Former World: A Little Forest Paranormal Mystery
Prologue
October 31st
Little Forest is the only place I’ve ever lived, and it’s the place where I’m going to die.
Tonight.
My life wasn’t flashing before my tear-filled eyes and no beloved childhood memories entered my muddled, exhausted mind. There was no time to remember loved ones, no chance for bravery of any kind and absolutely no hope that I’d somehow be saved from this crushingly swift fate.
At 21 years old, my time was up.
Considering what had happened to me over the past couple of months, it seemed darkly poetic that everything should catch up with me at Hallowe’en.
It would make a sensational headline.
If I was ever found.
For just one second, the sheer terror of my current situation was overridden by another – more unexpected – feeling; wonder. Pure and simple wonder that the tiny village I’ve lived in my whole life could harbour such sinister secrets. Wonder that the place I’d always moaned about being boring was actually anything but. Wonder that I could have ignored all the signs for so long.
My persistent tears had at last succeeded in blurring my vision and everything in front of me was now in an eerie soft focus; the ground, the grass and the trees were now just smudges in the darkness.
With my sight impaired, the sounds of the forest suddenly bombarded my ears. I could hear the cold autumn wind blowing shrilly through the leaves of the surrounding trees, the scuttling of some small, nearby animal, and the calm hooting of a distant owl.
But there was only one sound that I was waiting for; the sound that would be the last I ever heard.
At this gut wrenching thought, my trembling legs finally crumbled and I reached out to hold onto the rough bark of the tree branch in front of me, scratching my already bloodied hand in the process; I didn’t even register the pain.
I was just steadying myself when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I blinked frantically to remove my cloud of tears and shifted my now slightly clearer gaze to the large hollow tree about ten feet away. I saw a silhouette of someone standing next to the bark and for one brilliant second my heart leapt in hope.
The Woman.
I blinked some more, wanting to get a better picture of my possible saviour. I felt a familiar sick feeling clawing at my stomach as my vision cleared and I realised there was no one there.
No one could help me now.
My desperate thoughts were cut off as the distressed voice next to me rasped, “I’m so sorry, Beth.”
It was the first thing either of us had said since we’d realised it was the end.
I didn’t even try to reply; the effort of talking seemed impossible. I wanted to tell him that it was alright and that it wasn’t his fault, but words, like my courage, failed me.
I let the stinging tears run freely down my damp, dirty skin as I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and waited for the gunshot.
Chapter One
Sometimes, ‘impossible’ is just an excuse.
It is a convenient defence for the billions of people worldwide who just refuse to believe their own eyes. These people go out of their way to make sure they don’t believe. They ignore what’s right in front of them in favour of a logical explanation, they pretend to miss the unmissable, they try and rationalise even the most bizarre of occurrences.
How do I know this?
I used to be one of them.
I used to put bumps in the night down to the house settling, shadows in the corner of the room were just my imagination, wailing screams in the night were just the wind.
I played this game with myself for years, but I didn’t win.
Sometimes, impossible is just an excuse.
I say ‘sometimes’ because, more often than not, the bumps in the night will be the house settling, shadows will be your imagination, and unearthly wails will be the wind. Sometimes, they will be something else entirely; I learned this the hard way.
I don’t expect everyone to believe my story anymore than I expect them to suddenly start trusting their own instincts and accepting what’s right in front of them. For most people, this will never happen. They won’t let it happen. But for those who find that the following pages conjure up familiar feelings, resurrect cryptic childhood memories, or make your stomach churn with reluctant acknowledgement, I urge you to open your mind up to the possibility that my tale, like many others before me, is true.
Sometimes, you need to look past the impossible and see the world as it really is.
Sometimes, you just need to believe.
About The Former World: A Little Forest Novel (2012)[image error]Twenty-one year old Beth Powers is fed up with living in the tiny, gossip-fuelled village of Little Forest and resolves to escape to London with best friend, Veronica Summers.That is, until the body of Beth’s colleague Emma Harris is found in the nearby woods, setting off the small community’s well-oiled rumour mill. Beth soon finds herself in the middle of a bizarre village conspiracy: was Emma’s death really accidental? Why are Beth’s nearest and dearest cutting her out of their lives? And what does it all have to do with the conveniently-timed arrival of handsome new resident, Connor Maguire?
With the help of new ally Will Wolseley, Beth delves into the village’s sinister secrets and uncovers a terrifying truth about herself that could change her life forever.
Will Beth decide to leave her childhood home for good? And, more importantly, will Little Forest let her go?
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About Jessica Coleman[image error]Jessica Grace Coleman was born in Stafford, England and raised in the nearby village of Little Haywood, a quaint English location that would later be remodelled into Beth Powers’ home village in the Little Forest novels.
She studied Film Studies and American Studies at the University of Sussex in Brighton, and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for a year as part of her course. A big fan of travelling, she has road tripped around North America and backpacked across China, South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Jessica also runs monthly short story, poetry and flash fiction competitions at Darker Times Fiction (www.darkertimes.co.uk), which focuses on finding new and exciting horror writers. A compilation of these works is now available as the Darker Times Anthology Volume One ebook and paperback, with more Anthologies and Collections planned for the upcoming months.
When not writing about ghouls and ghosts, Jessica edits Rock Pulse (www.rockpulse.co.uk), an online UK music zine, and has had the pleasure of interviewing many bands and artists in the past including The Darkness, InMe, Simple Plan, Bowling for Soup, HIM, Sugarcult, Less Than Jake, Yellowcard, Taking Back Sunday and Funeral for a Friend.
Jessica has so far self-published three books in the Little Forest series: ‘The Former World’, ‘Memento Mori’, and ‘The Exalted’. Her first collection of short stories, ‘Grown By The Wicked Moon’ will be available soon, as well as the fourth novel in the Little Forest series, ‘Carnival Masquerade’.
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Book Excerpt: ‘The Former World: A Little Forest Paranormal Mystery’ – Jessica Coleman | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
February 22, 2013
Book Review: Blog It! – Molly Greene
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Review: Blog It! The author’s guide to building a successful online brand
When you’ve been blogging for a while, it’s really easy to forget how overwhelming the combination of setting up a new blog, new social media accounts and so on can be. Well, here’s the good news: it does become second nature. Here’s the bad news: it takes some work and time.
Molly Greene is a fantastic blogger. She has built up a loyal following by posting excellent content on a weekly basis. Sometimes the posts are from guest visitors to the blog, sometimes they are from Greene herself. They are always well shared and Greene gets great numbers. In short, her new book Blog It is definitely based in her own experience!
There were three things I loved about this book:
- It is straightforward: Greene doesn’t get too technical or formal. Instead there’s a feeling of ‘We’re all friends here’. Frankly, it kind of built up my expectations that she might walk in with a latte and a digestive biscuit for me, so that was a vague disappointment (because it didn’t happen, obviously). Seriously, though, the book has the warm and welcoming tone of a good teacher, rather than a condescending and formal approach that might send blogging beginners running for the hills.
- The book is aimed at authors (though I think it would be useful for any new blogger) and the message is very clear: this is part of your platform, part of a long-term strategy, not an overnight scheme to sell thousands of books. Blogging is just one of the (many!) things an author needs to commit to when building a following.
- Greene very succinctly extols the virtues of self-hosted WordPress. Hooray! A free blog is all well and good but self-hosted offers so many benefits. Authors struggle enough to get their books to stand out in the crowd. Why on earth would any author want a free – and likely generic – blog? To be fair, Greene shares info on Blogger and WordPress.com but I think I’m still going to have her on my team…
So, if it’s good for new bloggers, does that mean it doesn’t offer any benefit to more seasoned bloggers? I’ll be honest that I didn’t learn anything brand new BUT I have been blogging for several years. Also, I might not have expanded my knowledge but it’s so so easy to slip into bad habits. For me, this was an excellent best practice checklist, to make sure I was doing the things I should be. Certainly worth it for less than the price of a coffee for a comprehensive self-review guide!
Well-written, with smart advice, this book manages to be refreshingly free of assumptions about what beginners should and shouldn’t know, while at the same time avoiding treating readers like children. Certainly a feat of balance and care! My only question is will we see follow up volumes for intermediate and advanced readers? That would be a must-buy series for authors wanting to move from blogging basics to blogging brilliance.
Verdict: 5/5
(Book source: reviewer’s own copy)
Molly Greene will be appearing on The Indie Exchange BlogTalkRadio next week (28th) to chat about blogging, while Coral Russell will be discussing social media for authors. Do you have any questions about blogging or social media for them? If so, just leave a comment and I’ll be sure to pass it on.
Book Review: Blog It! – Molly Greene | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
February 20, 2013
Film Review: The Tortured
Starring: Erika Christensen, Jesse Metcalfe
Directed by: Robert Lieberman
Runtime: 85 minutes
Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
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Review: The Tortured
Directed by Robert Lieberman, The Tortured is a horror thriller centring around Elise (Erika Christensen) and Craig Landry (Jesse Metcalfe) whose lives are thrown into turmoil when their son is kidnapped and murdered. Aggrieved at the leniency that the courts hand out to the killer, John Kozlowski (Bill Moseley), they decide to pursue justice of their own. After a nifty bit of spying, the couple learn Kozlowski is being transported. Craig manages to hijack the van but ends up crashing it, injuring Kozlowski. Craig and Elise then take their captive to a remote cabin where they begin to take their revenge.
The murder of their son tears Elise and Craig apart, with Elise moving out. With justice failing them Elise wants bloody revenge against Kozlowski but Craig disgusts his wife with his hesitation. When he changes his mind they are soon working together again. Craig is a doctor on six month leave from work but he steals some equipment from the hospital and patches up the wounded Kozlowski before leading the torture of the child killer. Injections, cuts, suffocation, pretty much anything their son went through, the couple inflict on their prisoner. The experience begins as one they savour, even heading eagerly to bed at one point! I know, worrying, right?
Although the couple are initially enthusiastic about the torture they inflict it soon begins to wear at them. Their cause isn’t helped by the police trying to track down Kozlowski. The torture scenes are unsurprisingly unpleasant and any satisfaction Kozlowski may have taken in killing the Landry’s son is soon paid back tenfold. The question is how far will the couple go? Will they kill Kozlowski or will the police get to them first?
I found The Tortured to be a flawed experience. There is a good twist at the end but the rest of it didn’t really convince me at all. It’s painfully short as well and could have used more development of the characters and the storyline to add some more substance. While the torture scenes are undoubtedly gruesome it all seems a bit over the top. Interesting emotional dilemma at the heart of the story but badly executed.
Verdict: 2/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: The Tortured | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Fahrenheit 451
Starring: Oskar Werner, Julie Christie, Cyril Cusack, Anton Diffring, Jeremy Spenser
Directed by: Francois Truffaut
Runtime: 113 minutes
Studio: Universal studios
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Review: Fahrenheit 451
I’d be lost without books to read but sadly many people would disagree with that sentiment. Francois Truffaut’s adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic 1953 dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, offers a frightening future where books and reading are taboo and the firemen don’t fight fires, they start them! Bradbury’s novel is a stunningly good read so I was intrigued by how well Truffaut adapted it.
The story follows fireman Guy Montag (Oskar Werner) whose profession is not in fighting house fires but in burning books. Society decrees that books are an abomination and anyone caught reading them are severely punished, often having their homes burned to the ground. Montag is a dutiful citizen in a somewhat stale marriage with his wife Linda (Julie Christie) who is glued to their television screens and often overdoses on sleeping pills. One day Montag meets the free spirited Clarisse (Julie Christie) who makes him question his life and his profession. During an assignment, Montag surreptitiously bags a book out of curiosity and starts to read!
Montag’s life is turned upside down both by Clarisse and by his encounter with books. Prior to meeting Clarisse, Montag is content but not necessarily happy. Returning home from work he finds Linda has overdosed but, being the future, this isn’t cause for too much concern. One quick phone call later and two men have popped round to the Montag residence to bring Linda round. Montag’s wife is obsessed with her television screens and sits for hours absorbed by them, something of an impressive prophetic vision of the future here from Bradbury. Montag lives this life, works hard, puts up with his wife but after meeting Clarisse everything changes.
Clarisse is a school teacher who fears for her future given her somewhat unorthodox views. When she questions Montag’s work he starts to think about life differently. When the firemen head for their latest assignment at the home of an old woman they find her house is full of books. After the firemen pile the books up, the old lady stuns everyone by starting a fire herself and choosing to be burned alive with her books. Montag is badly affected by the incident and after stealing a book he starts to read at home, his relationship with Linda deteriorating and suspicion being aroused with his work colleagues. The question is where does Montag go from here? Turn his back on society for the love of the written word or bow to the suppression of convention.
Bradbury’s dystopian society is somewhat colourful in Truffaut’s adaptation and loses some of the essence of how dark the novel is. That said, this is still a solid interpretation of a much loved book. Werner is great in the lead as Montag and Christie does just as well juggling two roles. The film changes elements of the book with Bradbury’s novel remaining vastly superior. This should have been a lot darker in my opinion but it retains many elements of the book and for that reason alone is still worth watching.
Fahrenheit 451 is an important story and it transmits well to film. While this doesn’t have the dark feel of the dystopian novel it still retains the hallmarks of the book and for that reason alone is well worth your time.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Fahrenheit 451 | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Game Review: Treasure Island Dizzy
Back in the days when I was playing on the humble but brilliant Amiga I recall a day out with my mother, grandmother and brother. I couldn’t tell you where we went, perhaps the coast, but we ventured into a market at one point and from a very small games stall I purchased a box set of five Dizzy games. Amongst these was Treasure Island Dizzy, easily one of the best of the collection.
If you’re still young, unlike me, you may be wondering who or what the hell Dizzy is. Well, he was the star of a series of games on the Spectrum, Amstrad, Commodore 64, Amiga, NES etc and was a bit like Humpty Dumpty, an egg with a face and arms and legs. Dizzy’s plethora of titles would see him journeying through a series of different worlds and settings, gathering items, collecting coins, solving puzzles and avoiding some pretty nasty enemies too. Treasure Island Dizzy sees our friend on a desert island and eager to find passage across the sea and home. Along the way he has to acquire parts for a boat to suit a very demanding shopkeeper and get to the bottom of a mystery involving the lost treasure of the dead pirate, Hookjaw.
Treasure Island Dizzy allows our friend to carry up to three items at once as he aims to solve a variety of puzzles. However, call it cruel or sheer genius, there is a trick to the use of these items. To select an item to use in a given situation, you have to choose to drop it first. Whenever an item is picked up it goes beneath any previous items you may have picked up and, if there are none, it goes to the bottom of three slots in your inventory. If you gather two more they go into the second and third slots, and push the first item into the top spot. When you decide you want to use an item it will either need to be at the top of your inventory or you’ll have to drop others to use it. This presents a difficulty in that Dizzy’s first item is a snorkel allowing him to explore under the ocean but if you’re not careful you may inadvertently drop this while underwater and drown our hero!
There are some great sections to explore on the island include a series of tree houses and some subterranean caves beneath the ocean. The puzzles are not the most straightforward and you may be reduced to some trial and error at times but given the limited amount of items in the game you’ll get there. The difficulty with the game comes in two forms. Firstly, Dizzy has just one life so one little slip and it’s game over, no mercy from the producers of this game, and this may lead to frustration. The other factor which annoyed many gamers, myself included, was that once you had gathered parts for a boat to escape the island you are then told the game is only won if you collect 30 gold coins. Treasure Island Dizzy isn’t the only game in the series where it’s difficult to accomplish this. Some coins stand out a mile away but others are hidden in bushes, behind doors and only standing in a certain spot and hitting the action button will reveal them, which makes it pretty challenging.
Those grumbles aside this is still one of the best of the Dizzy games. The graphics are simple, colourful but effective, doing exactly what the game requires. That background music is one that will still play in the hearts of many a gamer from the late eighties and early nineties too. This one is probably third behind Magic Land Dizzy (1990) and Dizzy: Prince of the Yolk Folk (1991) but is still a memorable journey back into my childhood. Like many films today, games have become more about the visceral experience which is a shame. Despite its simplicity there is a lot of charm to be found in many of the titles from the Dizzy series. They don’t last long but what is there is often brilliant.
Treasure Island Dizzy is one of the best of the Dizzy titles. There are some frustrating elements in there which would be addressed with later games but this still a fun way to pass an hour and immerse yourself in a bit of gaming history. Visuals wise this isn’t jaw dropping but game play wise it’s memorable and fun.
Verdict: 4/5
Game Review: Treasure Island Dizzy | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
February 19, 2013
Book Review: Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed – Jeremy Greenberg
Inside Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed, writer and comedian Jeremy Greenberg presents a collection of laugh-out-loud letters and photographs that offer a cat’s eye view on common feline vs. human cohabitation conundrums. It’s the perfect gift for crazy cat lovers and anyone who appreciates hilarious (and so true!) insights into cat—and human—nature, including:
Your cat sits on your laptop not just for warmth or attention, but to prevent you from interacting with the outside world. After all, isn’t the main reason to have a cat so you don’t have to waste time developing normal human relationships?
If you spent a third of your life licking yourself, you too would occasionally forget to stick your tongue back in your face.
Eating grass has medicinal purposes, and most cats believe grass should be legalized.
The cat feels bad about barfing on your bed…because now it must get to up to go sleep on your clean laundry instead.
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Review: Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed
Kitties? Check! Kitty pictures? Check! Letters from kitties? Check! Well, heck, what’s not to love?
This is a really sweet idea, the kitty version of Sorry I Pooped in Your Shoe, featuring letters from pets to their owners. They are sort of excuses but, let’s be honest, these are cats and in true feline style the apologies lack a little sincerity. Which captures the cat spirit beautifully!
I love cats (I hope so – I have six rescues!) and I am utterly convinced these are the type of letters I would get if they were forced to write some. The combination of ‘What? I’m so cute!’ photos and ‘Well, yeah yeah, sorry, yada yada (but it’s not really my fault!)’ had me chuckling throughout.
This is a very cute volume, which cat lovers will get a real kick out of. Non-cat lovers will probably like it too but they’ll use it as a weapon to try and show cats are bad! (No……….). I wouldn’t say I found it hilariously funny but it was touching, amusing and entertaining. It’s a great gift book: short, sweet and packed with meaning. Especially for anyone who has ever had their bed barfed on…
Verdict: 4/5
(Book source: Netgalley)
Book Review: Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed – Jeremy Greenberg | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
February 17, 2013
Film Review: One Day
Directed by Lone Scherfig (director of An Education, Academy Award-nominated for Best Picture), the motion picture One Day is adapted for the screen by David Nicholls from his beloved bestselling novel One Day.
After one day together – July 15th, 1988, their university graduation – Emma Morley (Academy Award nominee Anne Hathaway) and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess, The Way Back, 21) begin a friendship that will last a lifetime. She is a working-class girl of principle and ambition who dreams of making the world a better place. He is a wealthy charmer who dreams that the world will be his playground.
For the next two decades, key moments of their relationship are experienced over several July 15ths in their lives. Together and apart, we see Dex and Em through their friendship and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. Somewhere along their journey, these two people realize that what they are searching and hoping for has been there for them all along. As the true meaning of that one day back in 1988 is revealed, they come to terms with the nature of love and life itself.
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Romola Garai, Rafe Spall
Directed by: Lone Scherfig
Runtime: 108 minutes
Studio: Universal Studios
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Review: One Day
Directed by Lone Scherfig and based on the novel by David Nicholls, One Day is the story of Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess) who first meet after graduating on 15 July 1988. They spend the night together but agree to be friends afterwards. The film then traces their lives in each of the following years, always on 15 July. As they live different lives and meet new people the audience will be left wondering whether they end up together or not.
I haven’t read David Nicholls’ novel but Mrs B has and it made her cry so I pretty much knew what was coming but that didn’t spoil things too much. Emma and Dexter are complete opposites. He comes from a wealthy family and soon finds himself working in television as a presenter. Emma’s life after university begins modestly with work in a Mexican restaurant in London. She finds romance of sorts with Ian (Rafe Spall) who professes to be a comedian but Emma doesn’t really share the sentiment. Dexter enjoys the glitz and glamour of his life with alcohol, drugs and women on tap though he is not without his difficulties, especially when he visits his mother (Patricia Clarkson) who has been diagnosed with cancer and his father (Ken Stott). Dexter visits them clearly feeling the effects of late nights and drug taking and his warned to only return when he is in a better state.
Dexter and Emma meet infrequently and things look as if they are over between them when Dexter takes Emma out for the night only to eye up any woman that passes and be generally lacking in interest about Emma. In one of the film’s best moments Emma tells Dexter she loves him but she doesn’t like what he has become and storms away. As the years pass Dexter marries and has a daughter but he and Emma are always drawn back to one another. Dexter’s career flounders while Emma begins to progress first as a teacher then a writer. We eventually come to the present day and twenty years have passed but where are our two protagonists now?
I may have rated One Day higher if I didn’t know so much about the book from Mrs B. I intend to read the book myself, but I understand some elements are missing which are critical to the characters, especially Emma. Knowing what I do about the book it is hard to look beyond some of the parts that have been removed. The film could have been extended to include some more aspects and made for a more rewarding experience. It does many things right but ends up being quite good rather than brilliant. Much has been made of Anne Hathaway’s accent, with Emma being a Yorkshire girl, and yes there are issues, quite a few, but the novel was never about the accents more about the relationship between these two people. The varying accents Hathaway seems to use can’t be avoided but I wouldn’t say they were detrimental. The premise to the book and film remains a good one though and some elements of the film remained fresh in my mind for days afterwards. If I could I’d lean towards 3.5 but having a preference for round numbers it will have to be 3.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: One Day | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Unforgiven
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Runtime: 131 minutes
Studio: Warner Home Video
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Review: Unforgiven
Clint Eastwood has become better known behind the camera in recent years and remains one of Hollywood’s enduring legends. Back in the early nineties he directed this Oscar-winning Western, one I had heard heavily praised but shamefully one film I had never seen before. My favourite Western is Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West so I was eager to see if Unforgiven could surpass that masterpiece.
The film begins in a brothel in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, where prostitute Delilah (Anna Levine) is brutally attacked and knifed across the face by two cowboys Quick Mike (David Mucci) and Davey Boy Bunting (Rob Campbell). Rather than have the men killed, local law enforcer Sheriff Daggett (Gene Hackman) stuns the prostitutes by having the cowboys compensate the brothel owner with livestock. The prostitutes, led by Strawberry Alice (Frances Fisher), put up a reward of $1,000 to any man that will kill Mike and Bunting. A trio of men step forward to claim the reward, one of them being William Munny (Clint Eastwood), a former outlaw now retired family man who is lured into picking up a gun one last time for the reward.
The opening reels offer some brief background to Munny and how his wife tamed his savage heart and made him a family man before leaving him a widower. When we first meet Munny he is struggling to keep his livestock alive despite the help of his two children. Munny is visited at his Kansas pig farm by the Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) who tells him of the reward in Wyoming. Munny refuses to join the Kid but he later changes his mind at the thought of how the reward money can help his family. Munny invites his friend Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) along and they hook up with the Kid to claim the reward money.
Big Whiskey is not the easiest place to visit for our intrepid trio. Sheriff Daggett is keen to maintain order whatever the cost and makes short work of another opportunist, English Bob (Richard Harris), who is humiliated after being forced to surrender his weapons to the local authorities as all cowboys have to. It turns out that Munny, Logan and the Kid are not the most ideal candidates to take out the two notorious cowboys. Though Munny has a violent past, he now steers clear of alcohol and struggles to fire a gun given the many years since he was a criminal. The Kid, confident at the outset, soon reveals that he is a novice at this game, while Logan is also far from at his peak. The question is can the trio complete their task and bag the reward money or will they fall foul of Sheriff Daggett?
Unforgiven is a solid tale of justice and revenge as the prostitutes defy the law to avenge their scarred friend. A great cast are on offer here with Eastwood a standout as Munny whose violent past comes back to life as he is immersed deeper into the deadly task of killing the two cowboys. Hackman is also good as the strict but sometimes corrupt Sheriff Daggett. The ending is somewhat abrupt, which is a shame and the ease with which Munny goes from an uncertain and struggling old man to an accurate and bloodthirsty killer may be a bit of a stretch but it’s still worth watching.
I’m not sure I would have given Unforgiven an Oscar. It’s a solid Western that ticks many of the boxes and Eastwood is great as leading actor and director. I still prefer Sergio Leone in the Western field but Eastwood is a valuable part of this genre and Unforgiven simply cemented his reputation.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Unforgiven | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
