Having four boys at home, superheroes are a big thing. So when the advertisements for the movie Iron Man 2 started up, we were all excited. The commercials made it look great. There appeared to be plenty of action and even a little romance. We made a special effort to get to the movie theater on the Saturday after the opening. This is a true event with four kids under eleven. We load everyone up, including popcorn and Coke. The kids even had money for candy from their grandmother. We are all excited and pumped up about seeing this movie.

The basis of the movie is that Iron Man is being taken to task by the government because they claim his suit is a safety risk to the world. At the same time a criminal is making another version of Iron Man suit on the other side of the world in an effort to get revenge. Concurrently Mr. Tony Stark’s “Iron Man” health is declining fast and is quickly running out of solutions to keep himself alive. He hands over his company to his favored assistant and is promptly labeled insane. I won’t spoil the remaining events however I would like to say that for all of the action in the commercials, I was bored. Really bored. As in, if this was on dvd I would have fast forwarded through it. As in most of the problems in this movie could have been easily solved in three seconds by an apple mac repair person. Two of my kids loved it. My oldest fell asleep through 90% of the movie and my youngest could not sit still.

I walked out of the movie feeling like I wasted my time and my money. I wouldn’t have minded watching it on dvd but not paying $50 to watch it. The only action was at the beginning and the very then. Even then it was almost anti-climactic. It did leave open the possibility for a third movie or even other possible superhero movies due the added characters that showed up. I liken it to the Star Wars movies. Star Wars and Return of the Jedi were full of action while Empire Strikes back seemed to lag on. Yet the middle movie was still necessary to move the storyline along.

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James is widely considered to be the greatest living mystery writer and in this book, she lives up to that honor and more. She has told an intricate story in the most lucid yet compelling manner. Her characters are vividly etched and appear as genuine as actual people. And, there is something for both a serious booklover and a suspense aficionado in this novel.

The story is absorbing in its own right. The isolated and rugged shoreline of East Anglia and St. Anselm’s, the theological college located there, far from the mundane world, provide an evocative backdrop for themurder mystery. The characters such as the priests, the ordinands, and the employees are all multidimensional and therefore, not easily fathomable. Each one is capable of suggesting innocence or candor and yet they all become suspects in a brutal case of murder.

The detection crew is headed by the poet detective, Commander Adam Dagliesh. He is experienced, intelligent, authoritative, and self- possessed. He is also, deeply thoughtful and poetically imaginative. His character is not that of a cut and dried detective but of a hero, in the truest sense of the word. Hence, the hint of romance surrounding him in the novel is convincing, even pleasing.

The leisurely, deliberate pace and extended descriptions and meanderings could have been tedious but they give layers of significance to the narrative. James gets the readers involved in this sensational story about ambition, revenge, love, incest, failure, and murder. She makes them uncomfortable by posing questions about belief, sin, and the consequences of action.

The ending might seem somewhat anticlimactic but A Death in Holy Orders closes on a balanced and almost hushed note that is satisfying. Justice prevails, the old and rigid ways are set aside, innocence is salvaged, and love is promised.

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Every year we get plenty of film releases. Comedies, chick flicks, action movies and thrillers, not to mention the ridiculous amount of slasher horrors there seem to be. They are all American or British movies. Rarely is a foreign movie released to an American or British audience, and even rarer is anyone going to see one. The truth is, people are missing out. Just because the movie is subtitled or dubbed, does not make it a bad movie. I was cleaning out my storage space yesturday and this is what I discovered:

There are some really great foreign movies that have slipped past the radar unnoticed and it is a crime that they have done so. So here I will write about a few of the best foreign movies so you can watch and appreciate them as much as you should!

Brotherhood of the Wolf - Set in France during the 18th Century, Brotherhood of the Wolf follows two companions as they hunt down a mysterious wolf-type creature (the Beast of Gevaudan) that has been terrorizing the countryside. Part fantasy, this movie can get a little silly, but is thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless

Life is Beautiful - One of the best movies around. This movie will tug at your heart strings as you follow an Italian Jewish family who are taken to a concentration camp during the Second World War. The father’s attempts to shield his child from what is really going on at the camp will have even the most manly in tears.

The Seven Samurai - This old gem of a movie is set in Japan in 1587/1588 . A village under attack from bandits seeks the help of Samurai warriors to help defend themselves. And, you guessed it, seven of them answer the call. A timeless classic.

Jean De Florette - This is a rather slow moving movie, but it has a wonderful script and some stunning photography. Gerard Depardieu is phenomenal as Jean, a man who inherits a farm in Provence, where two local farmer try to trick him out of the property.

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Considering the number of ultra-funny comedy films out there, it’s surprising the amount of people who haven’t even heard of them. Due to their smaller production costs and less in-your-face marketing campaigns there are dozens of hilarious films which should have made it big, yet somehow fell just short of the mark. Think you know comedy? Read on and find out.

1) Harold And Kumar Go To White-Castle: the first of two hilarious (and equally foul-mouthed, debauched, and strangely compulsive) exploits which sees the now cult-status Harold and Kumar go on a trip to find the legendary White Castle fast-food restaurant. Only this isn’t like your average trip to the drive-thru. On the way the pair do what they do best: running in to more trouble than you’ll find in any big-name comedy movie. They really are films you just have to see to believe–

2) The Forty Year Old Virgin: probably one of Steve Carrell’s finest comedy vehicles, this one marks the start of the Apatow collection. The premise is simple: Andy, the uncoolest virgin on the planet (seriously, this guy makes everyone working a permanent vet job look like a rock star), needs to not–well–be a virgin anymore, and his friends take it upon themselves to make this happen. With some of the funniest scenes ever, including the infamous waxing debacle, Forty is a film which every man needs to see. If you’re a woman you may even like it, too.

3) Evil Aliens: technically this is a horror film–but the horror is done so badly (it’s hard to tell if this was meant to be the case or not), and with such comedic genius that everyone should see it–if only for the horrific opening sequence which leans towards all the alien abduction stereotypes and involves the word Probe, a man’s bottom, and the kind of camera-work which would make an experienced gynecologist blush–

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The Road is quite clearly brilliant, whatever your take on the style of writing is. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t parts which drag and seem to mull too long on things which aren’t ever fully explained.

The format of this book is what makes it truly unique. Stripped down to the barest of grammar and punctuation, commas are scarcely used and the result is a stream-of-consciousness, slow-burning build up of constant tension and daily misery. This may put some readers off, but, in fact, the style is perfectly suited to the story. In the tale, which sees two simplified characters traipse across post-apocalyptic America after an unexplained natural-disaster wipes out the most of mankind, the reader is subjected to not only the nastiness of life on the road, but the mundane, mind-numbing drag of it. On top of this is a religious thread which burns into every page. Will the pair survive? Moreover, what is there to survive for?

The Road is undoubtedly more poetry than prose; the story a fearless quest into what makes us human and how we endure the worst of mental states. It is a book which everyone should read. Whether you appreciate the format is irrelevant. There is enough hope here to drive any reader to wonder, what if this happened to me?

Before I go, I have just updated the illustrations on the website for heating oil supplier, I know that it might surprise you that I am doing some stuff for an oil company; but I don’t think they are as enviromentally irresponsible as I once concluded. Plus, I’ve sold out, I need the compensation! The point is that I quite like them, what do you all think?

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Where 28 Days Later achieved new levels of horror quality, Weeks stooped to a level untouched by such horror flops as Nicholas Cage’s Wicker Man abomination and even, dare I say, the hilariously terrible The Hitcher. The strangest thing about Weeks, though, is that mostly it has all the good qualities of a sequel. Unfortunately though, all of these potentially good qualities are marred by the editing: sloppy, incoherent and generally incomprehensible at all times. And it all starts with the zombies.

By zombie standards, Days pushed the boat out enormously. It dared to make zombies faster, stronger and more vicious than perhaps any other film. You could believe this, though, because the story was so captivating. Had Weeks taken that approach it may have at least saved itself from awful-status, but sadly it didn’t. The zombies in Weeks are even faster and more bloodthirsty than in the original film. As a result the entire premise is ludicrous, hard to watch and action-packed to such a degree that watching it too closely could induce an epileptic fit. Need a comparison? Let’s just say that Weeks makes The Bourne Ultimatum look like a film shot in slow-motion.

More good news, I have just gotten paid for the image work that I did on those pop up display stands last month. Turns out that Stephen was right, and the purple was much more attractive.

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The subject is this: the much under-rated bus-stops.

Take our bus-stop for example. It was an amazing wooden shack built by craftsmen—and women, of course, even if they only made their crafts-men husband’s tea they still played their part—and was so much more than a bus-stop. It was beautifully made from dark oak, housed a small table inside for putting stuff on, and had a bench that was made with real love and care. Unfortunately some youths didn’t hold quite the same affection for this structure. They burnt it down; in an hour it was reduced to black ash, the space left open for the first time in fifty years.

Then came outrage. Our village people formed a petition for the rebuilding of the shelter, knowing full well that the council would go and stick a hideous plastic one there.

So we had a meeting: we want a proper shelter, that was our statement. The council listened, and we thought they had actually taken it in–

Until the new shelter arrived on the back of a lorry. “Wow!” we all yelled. “That looks identical!” But on closer inspection things were not as they seemed–

It turned out that our new identical ‘wooden’ shelter was made of PLASTIC. It just looked like wood! How horrendous is that? So now we’re back at step one, campaigning for a brand new bus-stop, only this time, a bus-stop with soul. One which is worthy of human habitation (however temporary).

Before I go, I am attempting to sort something for my mother as a gift. When I was having a chat with her the other night she said that she would like a new pair of running shoes. Anyone know of a good place to get them?

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I read the first book when I was travelling in Australia as my travel buddy insisted I must as it was so amazing, so I settled down to read it. I can’t say I was impressed. I thought the main character Belle was just a complete and total wet drip that needed a good slap, and Edward Cullen? Get a grip and stop being so intense; it’s really not an attractive quality.

When I got home I returned to my office job where some of the women have pictures of the male cast members from the film on their desks, and they drool over them all day dreamy-eyed and gush over how ‘wonderful’ they are. REALLY? Do I need glasses? I don’t see the fascination myself.

The film Twilight came on TV and I watched it, with no real sense of anticipation, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and why grown women turn into gushing, blubbering wrecks. Well what can I say? Oh my god I was so BORED. It was utter trash. The acting was horrendous and Belle was even worse than in the book. What is that god awful permanent pout about? Its like she’s trying to compete with the equally horrendous Keira Knightley on who can look the most gormless. And that Robert guy, is he really supposed to be a heartthrob? REALLY?

There was no chemistry, the script was plain, and nothing grasped me in the slightest. I always thought the whole thing about vampires was supposed to erotic, but this film was about as erotic as wiping snot from a baby.

I can safely say I will not be watching any others. In fact I would rather stick hot pokers in my eyes and shelf designer bathroom accessories in a home store for the rest of my life.

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Neil Marshall has made some inspired horror films—top of the list has to be The Descent—but he’s also made some shockers, too, and not in he way cinematic nature intended; Doomsday, for example, the 2008 science fiction action film set in an apocalyptic Scotland, was made with an enormous budget but transpired to be laugh-out-loud bad.

Fans only recently aqcuainted with Marshall’s work might not know that long before The Descent, the director made a solid action-horror called Dog Soldiers (2002); set in the Scottish highlands, it tells the violent story of six British Army soldiers who stumble across a Special Forces operative lying mutilated in the woods, and later find themselves holed up in a cabin besieged by werewolves, fighting for their lives.

Up until Dog Soldiers came along werewolves had pretty much been left on the horror movie shelf in favour of more eloquent, trendy monsters such as vampires, and why not? For every good vampire film it’s fair to say there are probably ten bad werewolf ones pulling the reputation down; so Marshall was taking a big creative risk here, and not one that other directors were eager to follow. And with so many bad films littering the past, I have to say I didn’t expect much. My number one concern was how the werewolves would be brought to life; something which the film handles brilliantly, in a way which has more in common with theatre than film (something which can easily be explained by the wereolves themselves being played by trained dancers).

For what is actually a very simple story, Dog Soldiers packs in laughs, thrills and climactic scare scenes, all the while moving towards a nasty twist which should catch most viewers completely off guard. There are few bad things to be said about the film; the acting is a morbid mix of black humour–provided by top British talent including Sean Pertwee–and the werewolves are brought to life super-stylistically, making Dog Soldiers the werewolf film to beat.

One last thing, I have been allocated to set up the stand for my work at the commerce convention this friday. Does anyone know where I can get some good pop up display stands at short notice?

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