David M. Brown's Blog, page 75
January 1, 2013
Book Review: Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey – Lori Perkins (ed.)
[image error]E. L. James’ Fifty Shades trilogy has fascinated and seduced millions of readers. In bedrooms, in book clubs, and in the media, people can’t stop talking about it!
In Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey, 50 writers—from romance and erotica authors, to real-world BDSM practitioners, to adult entertainment industry professionals—continue the conversation.
Fifty Shades as Erotic Fiction
Erotic romance writer Sylvia Day speaks to the new opportunities the Fifty Shades trilogy has opened up for writers (and readers!) of erotica
Fifty Shades as Sexual Empowerment
Romance novelist Heather Graham praises the way the books encourage women to celebrate their own sexual shades of grey
Fifty Shades as Fanfiction
Editor Tish Beaty relates the process behind turning Twilight fanfic Master of the Universe into Fifty Shades of Grey
Fifty Shades as Pop Culture
Fifty Shames of Earl Grey author Andrew Shaffer compares Fifty Shades to sister-in-literary-scandal Peyton Place
Plus
• Matrimonial lawyer Sherri Donovan examines the legalities of Christian’s contract
• Master R of BDSM training chateau La Domaine Esemar evaluates Christian Grey’s skill as a Dominant (and offers some professional advice)
• And a whole lot more!
Whether you loved Fifty Shades of Grey, or just want to know why everyone else does, Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey is the book for you.
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Review: Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey (2012)
I have no desire to read Fifty Shades of Grey but it’s in the media and social media so much at the moment that you can’t escape it. I am really interested to see what people think of Fifty Shades of Grey and that’s the reason I decided to read this book. Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey does exactly what it says on the tin. Fifty authors share their thoughts about the book. Some love it, some hate it, some are indifferent, but many people acknowledge that it’s done a lot to bring sex into the public forum. A debate on whether or not it’s done good things in bringing BDSM into the public forum is a different matter.
One thing that I really enjoyed about the book was that it really did showcase different opinions across a wide spectrum of people. Authors, counsellors, a lawyer, publishing insiders, sex industry insiders. This was a very comprehensive look at what has become the title on everyone’s lips.
There are a couple of things that come up as clear concerns when reading this volume. One is that James has brought sex into the public forum. Not that we didn’t talk about sex but it is now apparently acceptable to talk about being tied up while having your manicure. However, this book has also brought BDSM into that same forum and James comes under some considerable criticism for
1. Getting some technical details wrong that could actually make techniques dangerous if copied by beginners to BDSM
2. Inferring that the only reason Christian Grey is really interested in BDSM is because of a troubled past making him a damaged man, thereby making this seem unhealthy (great press for it!)
3. Equally inferring that if Ana is able to fix him his desire for BDSM will abate
I’m not here to do a critique of Fifty Shades of Grey. That would be unfair about a book I have not read. However, the fact that these criticisms came up more than once during the volume is concerning. Another concern which appears more than once is that somehow Christian Grey’s stalkerish behaviour during the course of the novel is portrayed as sexy. Yes, we can argue that it is fictional and fantasy but there are concerns. Given how many copies of the book have now been sold, some people may come to think that this is acceptable behaviour, that this is a sign of love and not something more sinister and controlling.
However, another point repeatedly made is that without this book it may not have become so acceptable to buy erotic fiction, read erotic fiction, talk about erotic fiction and talk about sex. In that respect many people acknowledge that James has done a great thing with this genre, even if they don’t all accept that the book is good or good writing, they accept that it has got people talking, buying and reading erotic fiction.
So has reading Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey made me inclined to read it myself? No. But it certainly was fascinating. Perhaps it would be fair to read Fifty Shades of Grey and then I could base my opinion on the book rather than this book but the words of fifty authors and countless others have yet to convince me. This volume, however, is an excellent read
Verdict: 4/5
Book Review: Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey – Lori Perkins (ed.) | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
December 31, 2012
Film Review: Plan 9 from Outer Space
[image error] This is it! The most popular Atomic Age cult film of the twentieth century. Winner of two Golden Turkey Awards for Worst Picture and Worst Director of All Time, the immortal Edward D. Wood, Jr.! It’s all here, the not-so-special effects, aliens in skating skirts zooming around in string-powered flying saucers to implement the ninth plan of Earth’s conquest (the first eight failed) with an army of zombies (well, three actually), Vampira, Tor Johnson and Bela Lugosi in his legendary “postmortem” performance (with Ed’s chiropractor standing in for Bela after his death). This truly original movie, Ed Wood’s “Citizen Kane,” is a hymn to all those who have ever tried to create something intelligent and meaningful, only to fail miserably every step of the way.
Starring: Gregory Walcott, Tom Keene, Mona McKinnon, Duke Moore, Carl Anthony
Directed by: Edward D. Wood Jr., Mark Patrick Carducci
Runtime: 78 minutes
Studio: Image Entertainment
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Review: Plan 9 From Outer Space
I loved Tim Burton’s Ed Wood (1994), which depicted part of the career of Edward D. Wood Jr., regarded as the worst movie director in history! Wood’s most famous film is one I had never seen until now – Plan 9 From Outer Space.
The films focuses on UFOs that come to California and begin reviving corpses from their graves. A young woman is the first to be revived and proceeds to kill the gravediggers. Pilot Jeff Trent (Gregory Walcott) then encounters UFOs while on a routine flight and begins to link their presence to the strange occurrences in the local graveyard. The police are also on the case but what are the UFOs up to and why are they reviving the corpses?
Plan 9 From Outer Space does not disappoint in its reputation as the worst film ever made. I certainly don’t agree with this tag but many aspects of the film are undeniably bad. Footage of the late Bela Lugosi from an abandoned project were put into the film where he looks like his famous Dracula character. Unfortunately, as the elderly husband of the young woman first resurrected, there wasn’t enough footage of Lugosi for the film. Wood therefore had his wife’s chiropractor star in the film, holding a cape over the bottom half of his face to try and deceive us into believing this is Lugosi. So, one moment Lugosi is happily going about as one of the undead, face clearly visible, the next he has his cape up! The actor standing in for Lugosi looks nothing like him either! The young woman who dies at the start is played by Vampira but she has no dialogue throughout the film and doesn’t even make a sound!
Wood also cast Swedish wrestler Tor Johnson as Inspector Daniel Clay and his dialogue is far from eloquent. Johnson makes a less than convincing zombie as well and watching him, Vampira and Lugosi killing people is highly amusing. If you watch carefully you might even see the gravestones moving as people walk by. Other highlights are the pilot’s very suspicious looking steering mechanisms for their plane, one is said to have his script visible in his lap as well! Then there are those effects. The UFOs which Jeff Trent describes as cigar shaped rather than saucer shaped will do nothing to astonish you visually or in any other capacity for that matter.
Normally, I would give a film like Plan 9 From Outer Space a big thumbs down but such is its reputation in the cult world for badness you can’t help but give it some plaudits. It’s almost like watching Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place, so painfully bad that it is good. Wood’s career never flourished and he died in his fifties with a collection of horrendously bad films behind him. Though Wood was dubbed the worst director ever, his work has now reached a loyal audience and propelled him to a modest status as something of a hero. It’s ironic he didn’t live long enough to witness this appreciation.
Plan 9 From Outer Space deserves credit as a piece of movie history. It is undeniably bad but watching it you will just be amused rather than feel angry or cheated. Worst film in history? No. Not by a long, long way.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Plan 9 from Outer Space | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Miller’s Crossing
[image error] Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest gangster films ever made, Miller’s Crossing is directed from an original screenplay by legendary left-field film-making brothers Joel and Ethan Coen (Intolerable Cruelty, Fargo, Raising Arizona and Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?). It is a brooding gangster noir movie, dark and cold as gun metal. Set in prohibition-struck 1929 in an unnamed eastern American city, the Coen brothers’ gangster drama is inspired by the works of Dashiel Hammett which will surprise and delight fans of the horrific Blood Simple and the manic Raising Arizona. In filming Miller’s Crossing, the brothers assembled a team of old and new collaborators and a first-rate ensemble cast.
It’s the compelling story of a friendship between the local political boss, Leo (four time Academy Award nominee Albert Finney - Tom Jones, Erin Brockovich) and Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne - The Usual Suspects, End of Days), the ‘man behind the man’. The men’s friendship is severed when Leo and Tom both fall in love with the same woman, Verna (Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden - Pollock, Mystic River). Tom joins ranks with Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito - Barton Fink, The Singing Detective) Leo’s foremost enemy and rival for political power, and a bloody gang war erupts. The lynchpin between them all is Verna’s brother, Bernie (John Turturro - Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, Mr Deeds) who crosses and double crosses all parties. Will Tom sell out to a friend? Is Verna still Leo’s girl? Can Johnny muscle in? Or will Bernie turn the tables on his friends and family? Miller’s Crossing is propelled by gripping action, stunning cinematography and black humour to create an intense and twisting plot that walks a deadly tightrope.
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, John Turturro, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Runtime: 115 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
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Review: Miller’s Crossing
I love the Coen brothers. I haven’t seen a bad film of theirs yet, ironically, I felt their Oscar-winning No Country For Old Men (2007) was probably the weakest of the ones I have seen so far. I’m still early in my Coen brothers’ education program but the next lesson looked like it would be a rewarding one in the form of Miller’s Crossing.
Set during the Prohibition era in America (1919-33), the film focuses on Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) who is a confidant of political boss Leo O’Bannon (Albert Finney) who runs the city. Problems arise when Leo’s Irish rival Johnny Casper (Jon Polito) wants to kill bookie Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro) and Leo decides to protect Bernie despite Tom’s admonishments. War is declared and Tom is caught in the middle of it. His dilemma isn’t helped by the fact that he is having an affair with Verna Bernbaum (Marcia Gay Harden), who is Bernie’s sister, and also the lover of Leo.
Poor Tom just wants to maintain the peace in the city at the outset but his boss Leo is always happy to get one over on rival Johnny Casper and war between the two men is inevitable. Tom tries to get Leo to sacrifice Bernie to end the war quickly but his efforts are in vain. The war escalates and Leo survives a gripping assassination attempt in his home, which then prompts Tom to reveal he has been having an affair with Verna. Leo turns on his confidant and Tom is suddenly out of a job but all is not lost. He goes over to Johnny Casper and works for him instead!
Tom finds little in the way of relief swapping sides. Johnny Casper is ambitious and wants to topple Leo from his pedestal as political boss. He is only too happy to take on Tom though one of his men Eddie Dane (J.E. Freeman) does not take kindly to the new acquisition, suspecting the one time confidant of Leo is up to something. How do you prove your loyalty to a new boss? Johnny Casper has the perfect test for Tom. He is driven to Miller’s Crossing and ordered to walk Bernie into the woods and kill him! Can Tom really kill the brother of the woman he loves? In short, no he can’t. Tom chooses to show mercy and allows Bernie to escape with the promise the bookie will disappear. Having pretended to kill Bernie, Tom is now safe but this being the Coen brothers at work, there are many more twists and turns to come.
I really enjoyed Miller’s Crossing. Byrne is great in the lead as the unfortunate confidant who can be brutal when he wants to be but does everything he can to keep the peace. The petty rivalry between Leo and Johnny proves costly to so many people by the end of the film and you know this simply cannot end on a happy note. A great supporting cast in Finney, Turturro, Polito and Harden make this another superb effort from the Coens.
Miller’s Crossing is a terrific gangster thriller. That it was released in the same year as Goodfellas probably didn’t help its cause but this one is still a must see whether you’re a fan of gangster films or of the Coen brothers. Great stuff.
Verdict: 5/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Miller’s Crossing | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
December 29, 2012
Film Review: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Comedy starring Kevin James as Paul Blart, a good-natured, quiet-living man working as a security guard at a shopping mall having failed in his ambition to become a state trooper owing to his weight problem. When a gang of criminals disguised as Santa’s helpers put the mall under siege and take hostages – including Paul’s young daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez) and the long-time object of his affections, Amy (Jayma Mays) – Paul takes matters into his own hands and becomes the unlikely hero of the day.
Starring: Kevin James, Keir O’Donnell, Jayma Mays, Raini Rodriguez, Shirley Knight
Directed by: Steve Carr
Runtime: 91 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures
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Review: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and in Steve Carr’s Paul Blart we have an overweight and lonely mall cop who is regarded as something of a joke in his place of work but an unexpected robbery allows him to shine. This is a well-used formula for a film but how does Paul Blart fare?
The story focuses, unsurprisingly, on mall cop Paul Blart (Kevin James) who dreams of joining the New Jersey State Police but frequently fails the training due to his hypoglycaemia. Blart spends his days working as a security guard at the mall, patrolling the walkways on his Segway PT, while at home he has a concerned mother Margaret (Shirley Knight) and daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez) who want nothing more than for him to meet a woman. Blart soon meets and falls for Amy (Jayma Mays) who sells wigs at the mall and is friendly with him but chances of romance seem slim. Blart also has to supervise a newcomer to the security department Veck (Keir O’Donnell) and train him to do his job properly, unlike the rest of Blart’s colleagues. Dismissed as a loner and joke, Blart is given the chance to come to the fore when a group of robbers infiltrate the mall and hold a small group of staff, including Amy, hostage!
The film begins with Blart’s latest attempt to negotiate a training course at New Jersey State Police but just when it looks like he’s going to do it, Blart’s hypoglycaemia causes him to collapse. We’re soon given an image of Blart’s everyday life, enjoying meals with his worried mother and daughter and losing himself in the working day. While Blart patrols the mall his colleagues sit back in their office and idly watch security cameras, enjoying earning money for doing as little work as possible. Taking the newcomer, Veck, under his wing Blart shows the rookie the ropes and on his latest patrol spots Amy. It is love at first sight and Blart resorts to some less than subtle tactics to draw her attention. Amy seems to respond quite positively to his advances and even invites him to a bar at the mall where many of the other staff are in attendance. Amy is delighted to see Blart turn up but he accidentally breaks his own rule about drinking alcohol and ends up assaulting a singer on stage before crashing through the nearest window. It’s nothing short of embarrassing.
Blart’s drunken antics augment his reputation as something of an outcast and fool but things become very serious when a group of robbers take the likes of Veck and Amy hostage at the mall bank. Their group are heavily armed and purveyors of martial arts and acrobatics on skateboards, tearing through the mall in their pursuit of credit card codes from the respective shops. While the mall is being evacuated, Blart is preoccupied b strutting his stuff at the arcades on Rock Band and the music is so loud he doesn’t hear anyone trying to alert him to danger. Once Blart realises what is going on he has to take on the robbers himself while the police gather outside to see if he can stop the robbery and save the girl, the traditional Hollywood style storyline but most heroes are not like Blart.
Paul Blart is very funny in places, that fall through the window in the pub being among the highlights, but his efforts in tackling the robbers is brilliant too. Try not laughing as Blart moves from the cover of pillars and always mistimes his advances. It’s predictable that Blart will prevail in the end but it’s not straightforward and you’ll have some laughs as he only just keeps it together in tackling the bad guys. You wouldn’t consider this to be the greatest comedy ever made but as light entertainment it should satisfy many audiences. Critically reviled on its release, the public responded well and made it a big box office success.
Paul Blart is a pretty good comedy about the loner who is a given the chance to show the world that there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. Somewhat predictable there are plenty of laughs and some decent performances that will make for a good night’s entertainment. Worth considering.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Paul Blart: Mall Cop | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
December 28, 2012
Book Review: The Uninvited – Liz Jensen
[image error] A seven-year-old girl puts a nail gun to her grandmother’s neck and fires. An isolated incident, say the experts. The experts are wrong. Across the world, children are killing their families. Is violence contagious? As chilling murders by children grip the country, anthropologist Hesketh Lock has his own mystery to solve: a bizarre scandal in the Taiwan timber industry. Hesketh has never been good at relationships: Asperger’s Syndrome has seen to that. But he does have a talent for spotting behavioral patterns and an outsider’s fascination with group dynamics. Nothing obvious connects Hesketh’s Asian case with the atrocities back home. Or with the increasingly odd behavior of his beloved stepson, Freddy. But when Hesketh’s Taiwan contact dies shockingly and more acts of sabotage and child violence sweep the globe, he is forced to acknowledge possibilities that defy the rational principles on which he has staked his life, his career, and, most devastatingly of all, his role as a father. Part psychological thriller, part dystopian nightmare, The Uninvited is a powerful and viscerally unsettling portrait of apocalypse in embryo.
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Review: The Uninvited (2013)
Hesketh Lock is an anthropologist with remarkable talents. He isn’t good with relationships but he’s incredibly good at spotting and analysing behavioural patterns. Therefore, when he’s called to investigate corporate cases of whistle-blowing in Taiwan and sabotage in Sweden, he’s looking for the individuals’ reasons for their actions. What he finds is something far more sinister, wide-reaching and difficult to analyse, as it seems that children across the world are embracing violence. Hesketh needs to rise above his natural inclination towards the logical, as the world around him becomes increasingly chaotic.
The Uninvited is an incredibly compelling read. Originally it feels like a mystery to be solved but as things develop the novel takes on an almost apocalyptic feel, raising many questions about our approach to life, overpopulation, the damage we do as a species. Casting Hesketh in the role of the main character adds an extraordinary twist that prevents this from being ‘another dystopian novel with a sexy hero’. Hesketh is good looking, smart, intuitively analytical but he is not a typical hero. He has Asperger’s Syndrome and this means he is not intuitively emotive or able to pick up ‘people signals’ easily. That said, this is also the reason he is a remarkable character in many other ways, such as his ability to be rational. He is also a wonderful step-father, showing a real tenderness towards his step-son, even when he becomes violent. He is not ‘a robot made of meat’ – a phrase that comes up repeatedly throughout the novel, having being cruelly levelled at Hesketh by his ex.
The Uninvited is wonderfully written with a great array of characters, situations and plot points. The ending was unexpected but touchingly satisfying. I read this in two sittings and enjoyed it immensely.
Verdict: 4/5
(Book source: Netgalley)
Book Review: The Uninvited – Liz Jensen | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
December 27, 2012
Film Review: The Machinist
[image error] Brooding psychological thriller, starring Christian Bale. Trevor Reznik (Bale) is a factory machine-operator who is suffering from crippling insomnia. His weight has plummeted, he suffers from hallucinations, and he finds himself unable to concentrate at work, leading to a horrific accident involving one of his co-workers. Ostracised from the other men at the factory, Reznik starts finding threatening notes and begins to fear that someone is trying to kill him. Is his paranoia part of his psychological breakdown, or is it possibly justified?
Starring: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian, Michael Ironside
Directed by: Brad Anderson
Runtime: 101 minutes
Studio: Paramount
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Review: The Machinist
I’ve never had difficulties with sleeping but I have known many people that have. Insomnia must be a terrible thing to have to endure, whether the problem amounts to days, weeks, months or even years. Brad Anderson’s The Machinist weaves a complex and fascinating thriller around one man’s year-long battle with insomnia.
Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) is the machinist of the title who has been suffering with severe insomnia and has not slept for a year! Trevor’s lack of sleep is not the only issue. He is emaciated and his colleagues gradually distance themselves from him. When Trevor is distracted at work and causes an accident to one of his colleagues, his life spirals out of control. He begins to see things and people that no one else can and an intriguing mystery develops which might lead to the core of Trevor’s battle with insomnia.
This is a gritty drama with Bale looking frighteningly thin in the lead role. The actor lost 62lbs for the role and wanted to go further but was stopped due to fears for his health having rationed extensively to look the part. Trevor goes to work each day, spends his free time with a prostitute Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and late at night heads to an airport diner where he is served by Marie (Aitana Sanchez-Gojon). Trevor’s routine is disrupted when he meets fellow worker Ivan (John Sharian). Helping a colleague, Miller (Michael Ironside) repair a machine, Trevor is distracted by the sight of Ivan and inadvertently turns the machine on with Miller’s arm in it! Miller consequently loses his arm and is out of work. Trevor is deeply remorseful for his negligence but his colleagues are wary of him.
Trevor begins to hallucinate and become paranoid. A post-it note depicting a game of hang man appears on his fridge, the answer he seeks is a six-letter word. Trevor begins to suspect those around him are in on some conspiracy especially when he is told fellow worker, Ivan, does not exist! Trevor continues to see the mysterious Ivan though, while his tender relationship with Stevie begins to crack amidst his struggle to understand what is happening to him. Trevor’s attempts to form a relationship with Marie also backfire when he takes her son on a ghost ride and the boy suffers an epileptic fit. Something has to give and as the film draws to a conclusion we begin to reach the answers we and Trevor have sought for so long.
The Machinist is a terrific thriller with Bale once again putting in an assured performance in the lead. The sight of the actor and his commitment to this role will make many grimace but such dedication has to be admired. There is a twist waiting at the end of the film, not just the answer to that game of hangman but also the source of Trevor’s insomnia. It’s well worth the wait and a very apt conclusion it is too.
The Machinist is a well-acted and sometimes unpleasant drama about one man’s nightmare of a year without sleep. You have to feel sorry for Trevor as he falls apart and begins to lose everything but as with all good films, you’ll be left to question your initial thoughts about the characters by the end.
Verdict: 5/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: The Machinist | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Game Review: Tomb Raider
[image error] Adventurer Lara Croft has been hired to recover the pieces of an ancient artefact known as the Scion. With her fearless acrobatic style she runs, jumps, and swims her way toward the truth of it’s origins and powers–leaving only a trail of empty tombs and gun-cartridges in her wake. On this trail are the most breath-taking 3-D worlds yet seen–where exploration, puzzle and platform elements blend in a seamless real-time environment.
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Review: Tomb Raider (PS1)
I don’t recall the day when I first heard about Tomb Raider but I do remember the fascination many gamers had with Lara Croft. Personally, I couldn’t understand an infatuation with a computer game character but beyond the appeal of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider sounded like a game worth trying. Playing back through many years later I was intrigued to see how well the game stands today.
Lara’s debut adventure begins in a hotel where she is approached by Larson Conway who works for Jacqueline Natla of Natla Technologies. Natla wants Lara to recover an artefact known as the scion from a temple in Peru. Lara later learns that the scion is in three parts scattered throughout the world and that Natla has hired a rival adventurer, Pierre Dupont, to find the other pieces. Lara decides to locate all the pieces herself but with Pierre ready to stop her can she succeed?
The original Tomb Raider brings back fond memories when you begin the first level. Occasionally a piece of music plays which often indicates some form of danger whether it’s a boulder or a pack of wolves about to attack. Lara’s path through each level requires you to locate levers and switches to open doors and hatches and continue your progress. You will be required to climb, jump and swim to access new areas as well. There are many ways to be killed in the tombs you explore so be on your guard.
Combat plays a big part in the game as well. After negotiating the tomb in Peru, Lara heads for Greece where rival adventurer Pierre awaits. You’ll bump into him frequently and have to engage him in a gun duel until he thinks better of it and runs away. As well as Pierre you will encounter Natla’s henchmen as well as crocodiles, rats, bats, gorillas and some mutants much later on as Lara’s adventure unfolds and your path leads you to uncovering the mysteries of Atlantis. You have an assortment of weapons to choose from such as your trusty pistols with infinite ammo, UZIs and a shotgun. You have limited ammo for the other weapons so use them sparingly while your health is replenished via first aid kits which are strewn throughout the temples. How these could be here along with ammo is of course a mystery but you wouldn’t get far without them.
Tomb Raider still plays well today and has a decent storyline as you take in Peru, Greece and Egypt before a final encounter against Natla and her henchmen. I’m still puzzled about the sexual appeal of Lara Croft but certainly welcome a game where a strong woman is the protagonist and more than capable of surviving the many dangers that she faces.
Tomb Raider remains the original and best of the series for me. You can’t really beat that anticipation and suspense of the opening few levels. This isn’t the fault of the sequels. I just think it’s hard to truly recapture that. If you can revisit this game it is still worth the journey.
Verdict: 5/5
(Game source: reviewer’s own copy)
Game Review: Tomb Raider | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
December 23, 2012
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week: A Spaceman Came Travelling
Though not a huge hit in the UK, Chris de Burgh’s festive song remains one of my personal favourites. It is an unusual take on the Nativity Scene that we associate with Christmas but a somewhat poignant one at the same time. Did I mention it’s hard to resist singing along to this one as well?
Combining religion with a touch of sci-fi, the song tells of the birth of Jesus and how a spaceman from a distant galaxy appears to bless this most auspicious of days. He brings not a material gift to Jesus but a song and a message of peace. De Burgh appears to foretell of Jesus’ Second Coming in two thousand years with the promise that this song will be heard once again. Thankfully, I haven’t had to wait two millennia to hear this gem again.
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week: A Spaceman Came Travelling | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
December 22, 2012
Film Review: Doubt
[image error] Based on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, Doubt is a mesmerizing, suspense-filled drama with riveting performances from Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis that will have you pinned to the edge of your seat. Sister Aloysius Beauvier(Streep), the rigid and fear-inspiring principal of the Saint Nicholas Church School, suffers an extreme dislike for the progressive and popular parish priest Father Flynn(Hoffman). Looking for wrongdoing in every corner, Sister Aloysius believes she’s uncovered the ultimate sin when she fears Father Flynn has taken a special interest in a troubled boy. But without proof, the only thing certain is doubt.
Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Directed by: John Patrick Shanley
Runtime: 104 minutes
Studio: Miramax Lionsgate
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Review: Doubt
Corruption has been known to exist within the Catholic Church and in other religions as well. I am not a religious person myself but value those that do have such faith. Any kind of corruption whether it’s social, political or religious is always unwelcome and wrong. In John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt we have a fierce conflict between a priest and nun over alleged corruption.
The film is set in 1964 and follows the story of Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who works at a church in the Bronx, New York. Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) is the principal of the church’s school and is very strict in her dealings with the students. One day a young nun and teacher Sister James (Amy Adams) voices her concerns to Sister Aloysius about Father Flynn’s relationship with Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), the only black boy in the school and a target for abuse from the other students. Sister Aloysius locks horns with Father Flynn, accusing him of wrongdoing but the good Father is adamant he is innocent. Is Father Flynn telling the truth?
Father Flynn opens the film with a sermon about doubt, his congregation sitting dutifully and listening to his every word. Those boys that are transgressing are quickly picked up by Sister Aloysius who does not tolerate any impropriety in the House of God. Something about Father Flynn’s sermon troubles her though and she beseeches her fellow Sisters to keep an eye out. It is Sister James that notices all is not well in the school. Donald is an altar boy at the church and during one class is summoned by Father Flynn. The boy returns looking somewhat shaken and has alcohol on his breath! Father Flynn is confronted about this and reluctantly admits Donald has been drinking altar wine and he wanted to protect the boy rather than dismiss him as an altar boy.
What follows is a fierce series of exchanges between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius which form the highpoints of the film. Sister Aloysius has little if any proof when she confronts Father Flynn but believes in the strength of her convictions and wants the priest to pay for his sins. Father Flynn has an explanation each time but the audience will be left feeling their own sense of doubt about whether anything sinister has been taking place. The film builds towards a final confrontation between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius but whether a resolution is reached is not for me to say.
Doubt secured no fewer than four Oscar nominations for its acting and it’s not difficult to see why. Streep is constantly good and puts in a great performance as the passionate and devout Sister Aloysius. Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as the priest accused of abusing his position and taking advantage of Donald. Amy Adams provides great support as the kind but naive Sister James while Viola Davis puts in a brief but memorable performance as Donald’s mother, wanting only the best for her son but willing to make some shocking sacrifices to get him there. The slightest thing seems to be lacking with Doubt but it is worth seeing for the performances alone.
Doubt is a well-acted drama with two terrific leads in Streep and Hoffman. The film remains intriguing throughout, reluctant to give anything away and we have to wait until the very end to see if this controversial matter within the church is resolved.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Doubt | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
December 21, 2012
Book Excerpt: The Midwife’s Revolt – Jodi Daynard
We are delighted to welcome Jodi Daynard to the blog today. Jodi has stopped by to share an excerpt from her book, The Midwife’s Revolt.
Excerpt from The Midwife’s Revolt
Before we knew it, Christmas was upon us; a carriage arrived for Martha—presumably from her brother, Thomas. By this time, I had grown attached to Martha and did not want her to leave me.
I told her to be careful, and indeed I was greatly worried. Rumors that Washington planned to attack the Regulars—even now, in winter, across the frozen Charles River—had our parish in a panic. The idea that the British commanders certainly knew of these rumors, if not of more concrete information, made me shake with fear at the thought of their attacking us first.
“I’ll take care, I promise,” she said as I wrapped a woolen scarf around her neck, patted her bonnet down, and kissed her. She laughed then, in good spirits to be on her way, finally, to a most beloved brother.
I waved goodbye until I could no longer see the carriage. Then I returned to the house. I felt restless and did some chores, baking bread for the week and spinning several skeins of wool. But when I paused for a moment, my fingers burning with the effort, the silence rang in my ears. I set aside my work and tried to read my beloved Shakespeare sonnets, but it was of no use. With Martha gone, the house felt too empty.
After pacing a while, I gave up in disgust and decided to visit Abigail.
Although the sun shone, it was very cold that day. I had Thaxter saddle Star for me. The horse seemed grateful for the work and trotted energetically down the lane as the afternoon light grew dimmer. Only the crows made the least bit of noise, cawing disapprovingly at us from their perches on neighboring fences.
My excitement at seeing my dear friend grew as I approached her house. I could not wait to tell her all about my new charge and share with her those things women shared with one another. I was ready to speak of my lost family, my hotheaded brother, and my dreams for the future. Despite the cold and the war and my loneliness, I had begun, just in the past few days, to hope that someday I might feel love again.
I arrived before the Adams house to find it all lit up. I was ready to dismount when a certain vision made me pause.
Within, a family sat around a blazing fire. John Adams, our celebrated delegate to the Continental Congress, sat in the great chair with little Tommy on his knee. He was reading the child a book with colorful pictures in it, and the boy clung to his neck. Abigail was winding yarn upon a clock reel, which popped at regular intervals. Nabby wrote a number down in a little book each time it did so, keeping track of its length for her mother. Charles and Johnny played chess on the table behind them.
Star scuffled his hooves impatiently, no doubt wishing me to make up my mind whether to descend or no. Abigail paused in her work and looked toward the window—a look, if not precisely of alarm, then of readiness. She knew from hard experience it could be anyone, friend or foe: a beggar, a drunk workhand, prisoners entreating a meal, officers needing a place to sleep out of the cold. That it was merely I she would not have guessed. She stood as if to move closer to the window, but I suddenly decided that I would not disturb her long-deserved idyll. I nudged Star with my heels and we returned back down the road, I having discovered a new level of loneliness, and Abigail having discovered nothing but a slight gust of winter wind.
The image of Abigail sitting by the fire with John and her children had brought me quite low. While I loved Abigail and rejoiced for her, reunited after nearly a year with her beloved John, the image of that family around the blazing hearth put me in a self-pitying frame of mind.
I could not bear going up to my cold chamber, whose fire had gone out, and so pulled a pallet by the kitchen hearth. I removed my bodice, petticoat, and stays, and lay in my shift to burn on one side and freeze on the other. I turned myself periodically, like a roast of meat on the grill.
From my shelf I took the volume of Shakespeare’s tragedies—the third volume from Pope’s six-volume set—and began to read. The light was dim and my eyes soon closed. I fell asleep, King Lear raging between my ears.
When I awoke, alone in my kitchen at dawn, it was Christmas morning, 1775. I rubbed the glass and gazed beyond my heat-fogged window. The fields shone with brilliant, blinding whiteness. It had snowed.
I lifted myself up with a heavy spirit. It was freezing cold, and I had not slept well. (It is not good to begin a winter’s day exhausted, as Nature takes no measure of one’s readiness before demanding Her tasks.) I moved to boil water for my coffee and spoke to myself with a firm tone. I told myself that I must stop sighing the lack of many a thing I sought. By many measures, I was a rich woman. I had a farm, a loom, a horse, two cows, and a servant. I had wood for fires, sheep’s wool for hats and mitts, milk for butter, porridge, and cheese.
Indeed, all about me were signs of my industry. Health and youth were mine as well. “The worst is not, so long as we can say, ‘this is the worst.’” Why, then, did these thoughts not console me? What heavy dolor could not be consoled?
The image of Abigail and her family. I did not have that. Nor would I ever, I believed.
It was in a feverish state of self-consolation that I did my chores that morning, and when I finally was able to make myself some porridge, I considered my relation to the parish women. They had been slow to call upon me—and why not? Could they not feel my self-pity? Could they not sense how I begrudged them their healthy babes? Henceforth, I resolved, I would endeavor to love my neighbor, not envy her. I had the gift of healing, and heal I would.
It was soon midday, and I had fallen asleep after taking a small meal of bread, butter, and ham. The stomp of boots by my door woke me. I had lain down in my petticoat and bodice with no stays. My hair was loose, and I hurried to wash my mouth with some salt water and put my fingers through my hair, knowing all the while it was a hopeless situation. I greeted Abigail at the door with a crooked smile.
“Come in,” I offered. “It is very cold today.”
“It is.” She nodded. She did not take her eyes off me as I led her into my warm kitchen.
I took her muff and bonnet and cloak and set them on a chair where they would stay warm for her ride home.
Abigail frowned. “You look strange this morning, Lizzie.”
“Thank you,” I said wryly. “Care for some real English tea? It was a gift of my horrid sister-in-law.”
“Oh, I would! So long as John is not about.” She cast a quick glance around, as if I might actually be hiding him behind a door.
“Fear not. If ever he honors me by a visit, I shall serve him good patriotic blackberry tea.”
She sat at the table, noticing the pallet by the fire and the tragedies open upon the floor. Her pale blue eyes noticed everything—quickly, too.
I served the tea with some Indian-meal cakes on a china plate, a beloved treasure of my mother’s.
“And you have been looking very carefully at me,” I said. “You see, I am astute enough to perceive your observance of me. What do you find, may I ask?”
She placed a hand on mine. “I find you alarming. Like those people left in forests to be raised by wolves.”
At this, I let out a decidedly unladylike snort. “No, indeed. Though I lay awake half the night, it is true.”
“Thinking what thoughts, may I ask?”
“That I must stop my self-pity and get on with the godly task of helping others.”
She smiled enigmatically. “That is indeed a Christian thought on this holy morning. But so hard to live up to in practice, I find. I often resolve to stop pitying myself, but am rarely successful.”
“In any case, I hope to try—” I said, not wishing my hard-won resolve to crumble.
“Oh—” she reached out to me “—I have given offense. I’m sorry. Don’t let my old, bruised heart keep you one minute from a true heroine’s mission.”
“You laugh at me, now.”
“Indeed, I do not.” But her lips tightened as if she would laugh at any moment.
I went to the fire to fetch more hot water. “The thing is, philosophical consolation is all I have. I cannot change my state. I can only change my relation to it.” I did not say, “loveless, lonely, barren state,” but it is what I thought.
“And you must keep that philosophy, Lizzie. But sprinkle upon it the flavor of the everyday. I mean only to warn you that it is human to feel lonely and sad and to pity oneself.”
We were silent for a while then, each lost in our own thoughts. Abigail was no doubt thinking of John’s imminent departure. In eleven years of marriage, they had lived together but half that time. Finally, she asked, “It was you last night outside my window, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” I admitted, ashamed.
“And why did you not stay? We would have welcomed you, Lizzie.”
“I didn’t wish to intrude. You looked…happy.”
“One is most inclined to generosity when one is happy, is one not?”
I felt her mild rebuke keenly. “Well—” I began.
“Well, nothing.” She stood. “I must go. But I—we—would like it very much if you joined us for Christmas dinner. My father will be with us, and the Cranches.”
It was an offer too tempting to refuse.
Oh, the memory of that dinner has lasted me many years: children ran everywhere, and Richard and John, still young and hale, carried on a most fascinating conversation about what kind of government we should have in the event of Independency.
“We shall have it!” Adams shouted, tongue loose with cider—or so I thought. When I knew him better, I would know he always spoke loudly, and with great passion. They spoke of bicameral and unicameral systems. Adams argued most vehemently that no branch of government should have overweening power over another and that, at all costs, one must have a separate judiciary to balance the executive—or was it the other way around?
We were all so merry, and with the din of children all around us, we women listened to this most historic of discussions with scant attention, for children were asking for meat to be cut and drink to be passed. A servant girl passed a savory tart, and by the fire in that tiny room it became so stiflingly hot that Abigail was finally prompted to open a window, letting in freezing air but stopping the conversation between John and Richard only momentarily. What a scene!
When I had kissed Abigail goodbye and shaken John Adams’s hand, knowing it was futile to refuse the offer of Mr. Cranch’s chaise, I departed, feeling as happy and full of life, friendship, and hope as I had felt lifeless, alone, and hopeless the night before.
About The Midwife’s Revolt (2012)
[image error]The Midwife’s Revolt takes the reader on a journey to the founding days of America. It follows one woman’s path, Lizzie Boylston, from her grieving days of widowhood after Bunker Hill, to her deepening friendship with Abigail Adams and midwifery, and finally to her dangerous work as a spy for the Cause. A novel rich in historical detail, The Midwife’s Revolt opens a window onto the real lives of colonial women.
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About Jodi Daynard
[image error]Jodi Daynard is a writer of fiction, essays, and criticism. Her work has appeared in numerous periodicals, including The New York Times Book Review, The Village Voice, The Paris Review, Agni, New England Review and in several anthologies. She is the author of The Place Within: Portraits of the American Landscape by 20 Contemporary Writers (W. W. Norton). Ms. Daynard’s essays have been nominated for several prizes and mentioned in Best American Essays. Her most recent publication is the historical novel The Midwife’s Revolt, which publishers weekly has called a “charming, unexpected, and decidedly different view of the Revolutionary War.” Ms. Daynard has taught writing at Harvard University, M.I.T., and in the MFA program at Emerson College, and served for seven years as Fiction Editor at Boston Review.
Book Excerpt: The Midwife’s Revolt – Jodi Daynard | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
