Author insight

A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.

G K Chesterton (1874 - 1936)

Bloggers 1 Rambo Nil

In a sudden about turn the fourth (why?!!) in the Rambo franchise to hit our screens soon has been renamed John Rambo after Stallone caved in to feedback from disgruntled web fans who basically thought the title Rambo: to Hell and Back, announced last week, was quite frankly 'naff'.

If web communities can influence Hollywood stars and film executives to change a film title how long before they start to influnence the concepts or script writing stages? I for one would like to see someone with the guts to give it a try.

Be Near Me – andrew o’hagan

What’s it about?

Father David, an Englishman and a Catholic priest, in a small mainly protestant Scottish town, gets more than he bargains for when he befriends two local teens in a bid to relive his youth.

Highs n lows

I’m wondering whether this Booker Prize nominee got this book published just on the strength of his nomination. Yes it’s beautifully written in places, but the basics:

• Gripping storyline
• Believable characters
• Engaging sub plot
• Exciting dialogue

Just aren’t there!!

The main character feels unrealistic and hollow for a man of the cloth. Great chunks of his work life are skipped or just glossed over so you don’t get a sense of how his inner turmoil impacts on his work or how he relates to people in the village – key factors I’d have thought to successfully depict a priest. As a result we are left with far too much introspection with very little about what’s going on outside to balance it. There are few who can pull off an engaging and rounded story written in the first person, unfortunately O’Hagan failed miserably in this case.

Throw in some irritating inconsistencies for good measure, which you might forgive in a more enjoyable book, such as Mrs Poole saying they have a son, and Mr Poole saying they have no children, and you have a potentially shocking plot premise, which could have exploded across the page that has all the final appeal of a damp squib.

Is it any good?

A desultory 2 out of 5

Book club discussion primer

• What does Father David’s tale about why he became a priest say about the Catholic Church?
• Would Mrs Poole have been happy had she married someone she considered her equal?
• Why do you think Father David didn’t say ‘no’ when asked if he would have gone further when questioned about Mark?

We came we saw we made a difference

October is Black History Month in the UK, and if you've not had your fix of culture yet there's plenty to take your fancy whether you're a history buff or just want to be entertained.

If you don't do it normally, the month is a great opportunity to find out something new about Black culture and history. It was founded in 1987 with three aims:

• to address the historical black hole of African Caribbean people
• to commemorate those who fought and continue to fight for the freedom and human rights of those of African Caribbean descent
• and to celebrate and recognise the diverse lifestyle, experiences and cultural contributions African Caribbean People and their descendants have made over the past Millennium to the development of Britain, Europe and the Commonwealth.
  

Make it a personal journey by reading a book or poetry by one of our many Black British authors such as Jean Binta Breeze, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Andrea Levy, Benjamin Zephaniah, Caryll Phillips to name but a few. If film's more your thing Spike Lee isn't the only Black (American) director in Hollywood these days. Check out work by the likes of John Singleton, Doug McHenry, and Robert Townsend for a different take on Black Film. If you prefer to make a date of it with like minded souls there's bound to be something going on near you. Many UK councils run events during the month so contact them or visit http://blackhistorymonth.org.uk/ for a list of events by region and further information.

Change

It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.

- James Gordon, M.D.

Ugly – constance briscoe

What’s it about?

A heart rending true story of a black child growing up in sixties London, who is severely abused by her mother.

Highs n lows

This is very much a tell it as it was book. Written almost like a diary, in the first person, everything is told in a very matter of fact manner ‘that’s life get on with it’ is the viewpoint. You are given just enough explanation about why nothing was done to stop the abuse, for the question not to take away from the main story. Surprisingly, she doesn’t allow any self-pity or judgement to creep into the narrative, and part of me wonders how she could remain so dispassionate, but then I’m guessing this wasn’t the first draft. More practically, if more life and emotion was injected into it instead of the plainer description of events that we have, the book would be far too harrowing because the level of abuse is so bad. Despite this Briscoe’s style is very readable, and slightly older readers will appreciate the short reminiscences about some iconic sixties celebs ranging from Big Daddy, to Crown Court, and the extremely loud fashions of the day.

You won’t be left untouched after reading this. I was left horrified that any mother could be so inhuman to her own child just because of the way she looked. Jamie Oliver’s people I’m sure would find it a boon for his school dinner campaign as school dinners literally saved Briscoe’s life as a child. But the main thing that struck me was the amazing strength of character the author showed as a child, to make it through the way she did, many others would have crumbled from such abuse, I’m sure.

Although the book finishes at a natural closure with her change of name, I was left with so many questions about how her later relationship with her family and how she recovered emotionally from all this – perhaps there’s a sequel in the offing (please!)??

Is it any good?

5 out of 5

The New Contented Little Baby Book – gina ford

What’s it about?

Routines to ensure a contented baby and parents. Covers baby’s first year, and includes how to get baby sleeping through the night by 6 weeks (!), feeding (breast and bottle), naps, weaning, dealing with problems eg sleeping and how to increase breast milk production, and even how to wash baby’s clothes.

Highs n lows

Now let me debunk a few myths – something Gina herself spends 20 pages doing at the start of this rewritten book (raw nerve perhaps?). She doesn’t advocate not feeding a baby when s/he’s hungry or leaving her/him to cry (except in exceptional circumstances when treating a behavioural problem) but she does advocate no eye contact with baby at bed time, and is very specific in terms of what you must do and when. The whole tone of the book is quite authoritarian, so prepare for your hackles to bristle when reading it. If you like routine and order, and would appreciate being told what to do and when for every 24 hours during your baby’s first year, this could be the book for you. If not, don’t buy it because you won’t stick to the routines, you’d be better off reading a few books taking the advice you need and leaving the rest. Personally this wasn’t my cup of tea, although I did find the section on weaning quite useful.

Is it any good?

3 out of 5. Don’t let the negative press prevent you from at least leafing through this to judge for yourself.

RL’s Dream – walter mosely

What’s it about?

Soupspoon Wise has been searching for the Blues all of his life. Now, with his body being eaten away by cancer, he takes one last journey, reliving his youth whilst making the most of the sweetness of his last days.

Highs n lows

No one writes the pain and disappointment of life like Mosely. His writing is raw emotion. Every word jumps off the page and rips into your head, imprinting every ache, every leaden disappointment of each character in your mind.

We’re used to him dealing easily with the harsh realities of life, but here Mosely reveals the depths of his credentials by making the Blues sing out to you from the page. Read it for a harsh slice of American life, and for just a taste of the Blues.

Is it any good?

4 out of 5

Spiderman III

What’s it about?

Spidey returns battling his own demons, plus Junior Goblin, Venom and Sandman. Phew!

Highs n lows

This third incarnation of the Marvel comic doesn’t let us down. Action packed from the beginning and with its fair share of laughs, it’s that rare breed of sequel that’s actually as good as the first film. Some film snobs might complain that it relies too much on CGI but I say to get the breathtaking fight scenes and recreate that comic book feel the CGI adds rather than takes away. Despite the modern techno tricks with all the characters in up to date action gear (btw someone tell me how they manage to make geeky looking Tobey Magujire look so good in a Spidey suit??). This movie has a decidedly retro feel starting with the use of that old stalwart the trip wire to win a fight, and borrowing from eighties box office hits Greece and Back to the Future with a reincarnation of the hover board and Travolta’s dance moves.

Is it any good?

A bit too violent for very small fans, but otherwise a marvellous 4 out of 5.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

What’s it about?
Bridget’s back. Gaaah!!

Book vs Film
Take a couple of seconds to take this a tiny bit seriously, and it could tell you a lot about modern society. With the constant obsessing about relationships, inability to trust or communicate, dump before you’re dumped mentality, and (Bridget Jones’ own theory) the replacement of faith with that of self help books … (Hmm okay maybe that’s a little bit far fetched).

Anyway, having put myself through the trauma of the first book, I thought I’d better have a go at the sequel just to see how far things could sink. Surprisingly enough, although you could never say the book was deep, I did like the way relationships were handled particularly the importance of friendships. The characters from the first book were developed further, making them slightly more interesting, but the plot, even wackier than the previous book, was too far fetched if written well enough for you to engage in the action. And yes I did laugh, once or twice.

The Film however, was crap; far too simplistic and sickly sentimental. As usual, the script writer took the big scenes from the book but changed who the action happened to so it all focused on Bridget, that plus the added ‘bonus’ of a wedding at the end was just too much.

Renee Zellweger’s Bridget became too dippy (okay we know she’s not mastermind, but still), and what was with that walk?? Overall I felt they were trying too hard for laughs and failed miserably. The whole thing really suffered from leaving out other characters’ relationships which are very simply explored in the book, but which provide some of the comic moments. The result, a claustrophobically dull ‘chick flick’. The one and only high point being Firth and Grant’s smacking fight in the fountain.

Is it any good?
Film a disappointing 1 out of 5, book a surprising 3 out of 5

Charmed the Gypsy Enchantment – carla jablonski

What’s it about?
The Halliwell sisters go up against dark forces conjured up by gypsy magic at the local circus.

Highs n lows
Created for teens as a follow-up to the hugely popular TV series, I was really looking forward to this read, being a bit of a fan of the series. Again, making an assumption that the book is generally better than what you see on screen I was looking forward to some really vivid character development, lively writing with great action sequences and even more sizzle to the magic. If only. I think the author could have done with some help from one of the writer’s master classes being run as part of today’s London Book Fair.

Overall this was a dull read. Far too reliant on the reader having seen the TV shows, it was even lacked some of the basics. Devoid of character development, with very little character description, the plot was slow and I certainly can’t say that the thrill of the magic sequences on screen was completely recreated on the page. Somehow even the plot line felt less complicated than in the series, with none of the sub-plots which funnily enough are routinely included on screen. Sadly it’s another case of there not being enough material from the TV screens for the book, and no attempt was made to develop it.

Is it any good?
A disappointing 2 out of 5.

Return Of The Trek

To Trekkies’ delight, Paramount is set to release the long awaited Star Trek XI on December 25th 2008. The studio plans a complete revamp concentrating on the younger days of Captain Kirk and his mentor Mr Spock. Just how much younger has yet to be determined. Let’s hope Scotty (James Doohan) some of whose remains will be taken on a last space run in April this year, and the rest of the original crew will approve of their youthful high jinks to be.

The Eyre Affair – jasper fforde

What’s it about?
Welcome to the world of Thursday Next, where classic literature is enjoyed by the masses, a Will Speak (Shakespeare) machine is on every street corner, and forgery of original works is big business. Plus, the Crimean War is still raging, videos are still done on tape and a computer takes up a whole room, but book worms can create whole new worlds and people can literally stop time.

Complete with a whole new take on the origin of the banana and it’s own version of Blade this world might sound crazy but you quickly accept each new twist on reality because none of it phases the leading character Thursday, who herself is just a little busy trying to solve the mystery of who stole Dickens’ last manuscript ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’, whilst also saving her Aunt and Uncle, finding Acheron Hades, saving characters stolen from original manuscripts; and let’s not forget a little thing like finding a husband too.

Highs n lows
This was my first introduction to Fforde’s extraordinarily clever other dimension. The first of a series of four books about LiteraTec Thursday Next, the last of which came out in 2006, I’m not surprised this has such a huge following.

Fforde obviously enjoys his craft and has a great sense of humour which is woven easily throughout this beautifully written sci fi best-seller, which is strewn with gloriously vivid but efficient character descriptions, and demonstrates a keen sense of pace to match the slightly complicated plot.

Endlessly inventive, engaging, funny, and if you know your classic English literature you’ll probably get even more laughs out of this one. For more suitable ridiculousness, as well as background on the characters and the author visit www.thursdaynext.com

Is it any good?
4 out of 5. Scarily imaginative, and thoroughly enjoyable.

British Book Awards in the Limelight

At last books and their authors are getting the limelight with The British Book Awards Oscar style celebration being televised tonight in the UK, backed by a £1.4M advertising campaign for the awards by sponsors Galaxy. The awards aim to extend Britain’s relationship with books and reading. The winners announced on Wednesday are:

• The Book People Lifetime Achievement Award - John Grisham
• The Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year - The Interpretation of Murder Jed Rubenfeld
• Reader's Digest Author of the Year - Richard Dawkins
• Amazon.co.uk Biography of the Year - The Sound of Laughter Peter Kay
• Borders Book of the Year - The Dangerous Book for Boys Conn and Hal Iggulden
• WHSmith Children's Book of the Year - Flanimals of the Deep Ricky Gervais
• BCA Crime Thriller of the Year - The Naming of the Dead Ian Rankin
• Waterstone's Newcomer of the Year - Victoria Hislop The Island
• Sainsbury's Popular Fiction Award - Anybody Out There Marian Keyes
• Tesco Sports Book of the Year - Gerrard: My Autobiography Steven Gerrard
• PLAY.COM Film & TV Book of the Year - The Devil Wears Prada Lauren Weisberger
• decibel Writer of the Year -Jackie Kay Wish I Was Here

Courting to Prostitution??

So Leanne Battersby (a character in Britain's best loved soap Coronation St) is now working as a high-class prostitute, claiming that women prostitute themselves all the time, the only difference is she gets money for it instead of just a few drinks and a meal.

Forty years ago she wouldn't have had a point, but nowadays 'binge drinking' amongst young women in the UK has become so rife in some areas, that a guy doesn't necessarily have to take a girl out to get lucky. Because it seems girls are drinking so much, they think nothing of getting off with a guy that gives them a bit of attention at closing time.

It’s pointless to go into the morality of either situation, because in my opinion neither is better than the other. What worries me most is that many girls in their teens and early twenties are risking their health, and personal safety on a regular basis without much thought. Statistics already show that the level of STIs, unwanted pregnancies and number of injuries sustained whilst drunk and requiring treatment at A&E have rocketed amongst this age group over the past few years. And what's worse, in an age where respect is given more weight than morals, I would question how much respect young women have for themselves and how much young men have for young women, when it's accepted that having a laugh means being taken advantage of.

Now I'm sure there's loads of you out there who will say what kind of fuddy duddy am I to criticise people who want to have a good night out with their mates, the girls know what they are doing and look out for each other. I’m all for having a good night out and a few drinks with it, but I say if you can't remember what you did last night the morning after, chances are you weren't in a state to make an informed decision about what you were doing in the first place, or to control the situation.

Just over fifty years ago, after a long hard fight, women's right to equality was enshrined in UK law, but if all this means to today's youngs people is freedom for women to be disrespected and taken advantage of even more in the name of having a good time, what was the fight for?

Celebrating achievement

In a month that traditionally sets out to highlight Women’s achievements, I was delighted to hear about a new Women in Cinema Lifetime Achievement Award launched this month at the Images of Black Women Film Festival (IBW). The first winner of the award was US film Director Julie Dash (Funny Valentines, The Rosa Parks Story) who is also the first African American woman to have a full-length general theatrical release in the United States. Fingers crossed it’ll be a UK contender taking away the award next year.

WAG Train

Not content with blighting the World Cup, Kissing and telling all over the red tops and scrapping on our TV screens in the name of a good cause and boutique fashion; they will be landing at a bookshop near you too with a fictional version of the events in Germany. Sports Journalist Alison Kervin will pen two books, focusing on a fictional WAG. The first due to published in the autumn will be called a WAGs diary, and the follow-up a WAGs diary in Los Angeles.

Also cashing in on the WAGs phenomenon is Sven-Goran Eriksson's on-off partner Nancy Dell'Olio, whose autobiography is to be published by Transworld this year, and will also give her version of the Brenner's Park events.

Please send your ideas for WAGs to make even more money to ....

NEWSFLASH : 30 March – Ok when I asked for more ideas to fuel the WAG gravy train I wasn’t expecting such a quick response! But it seems Danielle Lloyd, who left Celebrity Big Brother amidst accusations of racist behaviour, is reportedly in a £1 million bidding war for the rights to a book in which she’ll tell all about the whole Jade/Shilpa affair.

All hail female heroes

It’s not often that we take time to think about how much women have achieved, and I was reminded just how dynamic we can be when I went to the first showing of Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame, back on our shores for the first time in twenty years at the Hackney Empire. Starting with Black Queens including Hatshepsut (first female Pharaoh), and Charlotte Sophia (Queen Victoria’s grandmother) right up to today’s working mums, and a reminder that we only recently got our third black woman in Parliament here in the UK (Dawn Butler joined Oona King and Diane Abbott in 2005).

With time to hail only some of history’s black greats we are taken on a whistle stop tour through the centuries covering Kings and Queens, freedom fighters, heroes sheroes and legends from the worlds of sports and entertainment. Taking only a short pause for breath for a heated debate between Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther king, and Nelson Mandela on some of today's issues including hurricane Katrina, black on black violence, and women's hair.

If you forgive the slight American bias, some of our more recent British achievers are obviously missing; it's a fun and inspiring musical feast that’s as educational as it’s uplifting. So until we do get that Hall of Fame don’t feel bad about taking the kids, your mum and your dad.

Harry potted?

Okay I know I was a bit sceptical about this earlier in the year, but the publishers have hit back and promised that the seventh and reportedly last book in the series will hit the shelves this year (Harry Potter fans rejoice) on 21 July – I’m still holding out on Harry’s survival though.

Living the Dream

As Dreamgirls prepared to light up our screens this week, I took the opportunity to meet some of the cast, and get their take on the movie which recently received 8 Oscar nominations..

Jennifer Hudson (Effie White)
Did you look at specific singers when you were researching the part ?
Florence Ballard was definitely one of the people I looked at, but I feel that Effie’s story and I guess the Dreams story in itself is a bit of everybody’s story. As for the music I looked at Aretha, I looked at Whitney and Jennifer Holliday, and I tried to tribute all of the great female vocalists in almost every song that I did.

[On the Oscar nominations] How do you feeling about getting that level of recognition on your first film?
It’s something that was totally unexpected. Last year at this time I was just trying to get my lines right. So it’s an honour just to be a part of the Awards season, just to hear my name mentioned in that is enough.

Jennifer Holliday really made the role of Effie her own on stage. Did you feel any trepidation filling her shoes?
Oh definitely, that was the most intimidating part to think that I had to go behind Miss Holliday. But I had to realise that I needed to create my own Effie just the same as she created her own. Once I got past that I was like phew, I can do this.

Bill Condon (Director)
Is Diana Ross happy or unhappy?
The fact is it’s not her story. And I think basically she understands that Dreamgirls was always a highly fictionalised version of real events, you know it isn’t her life, it’s her right to tell that story. It’s a tribute to her as an icon and frankly as a pioneer. She changed the world you know, so I hope she takes it in that spirit when she does see it.

Did you have to persuade Beyonce to take on the role, or did she come to you?
Beyonce did come to us. We met and I loved her, but I still had two questions one was that it was a level of acting she’d never attempted before, but more than that, for someone who has such a well developed stage persona, could she adapt to something which was so different? Take the way she is sexually on stage, she’s so powerful and so contemporary, and this was about something so different, about withholding and a certain kind of sixties sexuality. So she volunteered to audition, and we didn’t even have to see anybody else.

Did she actually go out and get a specific outfit to wear?
She did, she went out the night before and got this incredible kind of Marilyn Monroe dress, and she did the title number with piano. You’d think she’d do Diana Ross and she had a little bit of that, but she had a lot of Marilyn. She understood that Deena at that point was going to try and imitate the white sex goddesses of the period, you know, it was really very inventive her audition.

Anika Noni Rose (Lorrell Robinson)
One of the many things to admire in the film was Eddie Murphy’s performance. What it was like to work with him?
What people don’t know is that he is very still and very subdued and so working with him you’re not working with somebody who is constantly trying to make you laugh, you’re working with somebody who when they say ‘action’ will give you the most amazing performance, and is so totally open to whatever it is that you’re giving him. What he has done in this film, I think, is open up a brand new avenue of performance for himself. I don’t think that people were really prepared to see him do something like that.

The movie is essentially about people being pushed in various directions. Are there still Svengalis around in the movie business?
I think so, if you allow yourself to be susceptible to that. I think it’s up to you to decide how far you will go and to know what it is that is out of your comfort zone, and what you want. Agents will try and type cast you, and that’s not something that I want to be. I’m the type that is needed at the time that it needs to be there. And I think it’s important to make those choices. For some people it works to be a type to be in that box, but for me I choose to make my own path. And I’ve been lucky enough to have some great people to help me walk it.

There’s been some criticism that there’s not been many strong positive African American movies in America, especially with strong female role models. How do you feel to be part of quite a historic cinematic moment?
I am very proud and honoured to be a part of this project, and to be a part of something so positive and yet honest. There’s ugliness in it, but it’s not taking you to that stereotypical place that says all we can do is shoot each other and shoot up drugs. It’s the other story, showing us in glamour mode, because we do that too. It’s a really wonderful feeling to have young people come up to me and be excited about this, and send me messages telling me I want to do what you do, this movie has made such a difference in my life. When that type of thing comes to you and you realise that you have touched somebody in that way, and allowed them to see something else of themselves, that is the most amazing and fulfilling thing ever.

Danny Glover (Marty Madison)
What was it like working on this film?
One of the reasons that this film is so important is that they say that black films don’t sell, and we want to use this as a platform to prove them wrong. We want to use this extraordinary film, this extraordinary talent that you’re going to see, to show that they do sell. The key is to have a story that touches people’s hearts, a story that has a level of universality in it, that people want to come and see, and then maybe we can change that paradigm.

Blood Diamond (15)

What’s it about?
A fisherman’s way of life and family is torn apart by the resistance group Revolutionary United Front (the RUF) who ransack his village and enslave him in the diamond mines. He finds and manages to hide a rare pink diamond, starting on a race to save his family, outwitting the government, RUF and diamond smugglers in the process.

Highs n lows
A harrowing insight into the little known world of diamond smuggling, and the high human toll that surrounds it. Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990's Sierra Leone, it captures the reality of the country with a great deal of violence, but violence which is realistic portrayal of to what happened there. You come away with a real sense of why people want to escape the living hell of life in war torn countries. A council estate and minimum wage here is paradise in comparison.

Director Edward Zwick and writer Charles Leawitt have been bold enough to tackle (successfully) in graphic detail, the issue of the kidnap and indoctrination of child soldiers as an integral part of the story, which is played out through the uneasy triangle formed by 3 characters bound together by their own interests. Leonardo DiCaprio cultivates a convincing South African accent and puts in a strong performance as South African mercenary (Danny Archer). Djimon Hounsou is magnificent as the big hearted and not so simple Mende fisherman Solomon Vandy. Whilst the third major role is Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) an American journalist, Connelly is Marjorly upstaged by David Harewood who is evil personified in a small part as Captain Poison, responsible for indoctrinating child soldiers and running the diamond mines.

Ultimately this is a movie with a dual message. One about what is precious - Djimon Nounsou sums this up “Archer is pursuing a diamond, but Solomon’s diamond is his son.” The other about how our actions can fund war in other countries. We can all do something about this by thinking twice about where our jewellery may have come from, and only purchasing from retailers who can guarantee the diamonds they sell are conflict – free.

Is it any good?
4 out of 5 – riveting.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is a self regulating agreement between diamond exporting nations “to monitor effectively the trade in rough diamonds in order to detect and to prevent trade in conflict diamonds.” It requires all diamonds to come with government certificates proving that the diamonds were mined in that country and are not benefiting rebel armies.

Bobby

What’s it about?
We follow the lives of guests and staff at the Ambassador Hotel on June 4th 1968, the day before Robert Kennedy was assassinated. The hopes of the time are thoughtfully reflected in the ups, downs and frustrations of their lives, which are devastated by Kennedy’s assassination. Providing a snapshot of this unique time in American history.

Highs n lows
The measure of a good film is being able to go in, sit down, and be hooked from the outset. Now I’m not the slowest one off the starting block, but I went to see this without knowing exactly what it was about, and struggled until about half way through before twigging that there wasn’t an overall story, just interwoven vignettes of people’s lives each throwing a bit of light on issues of the day. Had I read the synopsis in advance I might have formed a different view, but as it is, this is a poignant portrayal of life at a point in history, but not a must see.

Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, this is however worth a look just for the sheer number of stars in the cast, effortlessly portraying a vast mixture of characters with the minimum of lines, including amongst others: Christian Slater (bigoted boss Timmons) Laurence Fishburne (outspoken sous chef Edward) and Freddy Rodriguez (kitchen hand Jose) whose story shows what life was like struggling to make it in a country where open prejudice was rife.

The struggle between the sexes is shown by switchboard worker Angela who hopes her affair with boss Ebbers (William H Macy) will lead to a promotion; juxtaposed pointedly by the despair of older women Sharon Stone (Hotel Hairdresser) and Demi Moore (alcoholic singer Virginia Fallon) – watch out for their dressing room scene.

Whilst society’s respect for older people and disrespect for the Vietnam war are shown through the eyes of retired doormen (Anthony Hopkins and Harry Belafonte) and the young engaged couple (Elijah Wood and Lindsay Lohan) marrying to save him from going out to Vietnam.

Events are movingly tied together with actual audio footage of Kennedy’s speeches, many of which are, sadly, still relevant today.

“What I think is quite clear is that we can work together in the last analysis. And that what has been going on with the United States … – the divisions, the violence, the disenchantment with our society … whether it’s between blacks and whites, between the poor and the more affluent, or between age groups or over the war in Vietnam – that we can start to work together again. We are a great country, an unselfish country and a compassionate country. And I intend to make that my basis for running …”
- Robert F Kennedy’s final speech, June 5 1968

Is it any good?
3 out of 5

Arthur and George – julian barnes

What’s it about?
Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle inventor of the Sherlock Holmes detective stories, comes to the rescue of George Edalji a mixed race lawyer imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Based loosely on the true case of The Great Wyrley Outrages of the late 1800s.

Highs n lows
This isn’t really a detective novel, in fact two thirds of the book is spent getting in to the heads and lives of the two main characters, before the crux comes in the last third where the creator of Sherlock Holmes turns detective in ‘real life’.

This novel is notable for its detailed and vivid expose of the everyday lives of two very different main characters, as much as it is for its highlighting of a long forgotten case of injustice.

It’s not a page turner, but if you’re interested in finding out about how life was lived one hundred odd years ago, Sir Arthur, the vagaries of the British justice system, the impact of spiritual beliefs or the state of race prejudice at the time you’ll probably enjoy this. Don’t read it for the intrigue of solving the crime, you’ll be disappointed. Information about the crimes involved in the case, though detailed, is patchily outlined. The action is slow, and the resolution of the actual case no more than a one line postscript towards the end of the book.

Is it any good?
3 out of 5. Those who care will want to know that this was a Richard and Judy book club recommendation for the British Book Awards 2006, and shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2005.

Writers discriminated against?

Last week The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) ruled that a literary prize run by the Arts Council England and Penguin UK for writers from minority ethnic groups had to include entrants of all ethnic groups, after complaints that it discriminated against white writers.

The Decibel Penguin Prize was originally to be a short story competition for British writers of Asian, African or Caribbean origin and was set up to encourage diversity. Since the ruling, the Arts Council England have said that the second year of the Prize will focus on “personal stories of immigrants to the UK.” that way “the spirit” of the original prize can be retained.

Taxpayer's money
The issue seems to be that the Prize is funded by the taxpayer. If it had been funded privately or, for example, from entry fees, there wouldn’t have been an issue. Many prizes do in fact target specific groups like the £30,000 Orange Literary Prize, which recognises women’s writing.

So should government funding be made available for prizes that encourage the talent of certain sections of society? Diran Adebayo, British writer of Nigerian parentage, commented recently that the quality of a book mattered more than whether its author happened to be black or Asian. But isn’t there a place for initiatives that break down barriers and encourage those who wouldn’t traditionally do a lot of reading to do more, like black boys for example? It can be argued that having books written by people who understand their lives, such as their peers or male role models who they can look up to, might help.

Lack of Opportunity
Positive discrimination is always a tricky subject. There will always be those who say it’s not helpful, you’ll be stopping talented people from other ethnic groups from competing and the winner will always be seen as someone who wasn’t good enough to succeed any other way. Leaving aside the fundamental flaw in this argument, in that it confuses the issue of opportunity with that of talent, and doesn’t recognise that often talented people from these groups are up against additional obstacles which have traditionally made it more difficult for them to participate; there are already many instances where government funding is used for specific groups, whether for a specific ethnic group or section of society like job seekers, so why not for a literary prize?

Dreamgirls (12A)

What’s it about?
Musical based on the Motown years, centring on the rise and rise of a trio of black female singers the Dreamettes who manage to ‘crossover’ from a black fan base to a wider market. The group freakily mirror The Supremes, though we are told that this is not based on them – see what you think.

Highs n lows
Wow! If I had to sum this up in one word that’s the one I’d use. Everything about this film is amazing. The costumes, the make up, the sets, everything was given that distinctive Motown touch. Matched by an all star cast including Beyonce Knowles (Deena Jones/any similarity to Diana Ross??), Danny Glover (Marty Madison), Jamie Foxx (Curtis Taylor Jr /possible similarity to Berry Gordy??), and Eddie Murphy who is pure class as Marvin Gaye type character James 'Thunder' Early (I didn’t realise he had such a singing voice on him!!) But the real revelation of this film was newcomer Jennifer Hudson (Effie White), what a voice! Just hearing her belt out those tunes will set the hairs on the back of your neck on end. The music is pure sixties R N B with which will have your toes tapping all night, to a racing script that deftly paints the greed and monopoly on the American music business at that time, and single mindedness that was needed to get to the top. It will keep you mesmerised.

Is it any good?
5 out of 5 – Out in the UK February 2007. Winner of Golden Globe Awards 2006 Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.

Death Knell for Harry Potter??

There’s been a lot of speculation about whether or not the latest Harry Potter novel will be the last.

Speculation has come about due to the novel’s title ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’, and J K Rowling reportedly hinting that two characters are expected to die in the finale - and Harry himself might not survive - saying: "We are dealing with pure evil here. "They don't target extras, do they? They go for the main characters - well, I do."

Personally, I’m not going to be so quick to add my voice to the speculation. I may be a cynic, but come on, if you were on to such a money spinner, would you be so quick to call it a day? Still the rumours have been great for pre-sales which have gone through roof, pushing it to the top of Amazon’s chart since December 23rd, and of course for the bookies who are taking bets on who might kill Harry. Is this nothing more than a good PR stunt? Well we might have to wait a while, as publishers Bloomsbury, are keeping very quiet about the publication date, which might not even be this year…

Babel (15)

What’s it about?
A heart wrenching tale of four families whose lives are suddenly intertwined by a rifle. A bullet fired irresponsibly by a young boy unleashes a tragic chain of events that has a significant impact on all of their lives.

Highs n lows
Although a great idea and meticulously crafted, for me this was a very slow storyline that never really got going. The story is told in vignettes, starting from the present looping back through the past and finishing where you started. The script very cleverly and minutely links four families from very different walks of life: a Moroccan goat herd, an illegal immigrant to the USA, a Japanese businessman and an American couple. But to my mind it could have been cut by a good half hour, which would have sped up the action without losing any of the detail vital to the plot.

Unsurprisingly, having been filmed on location in Mexico Morocco, the US and Tokyo, it has a very authentic feel with extremely well-rounded characters that you can largely empathise with. Add to this impressive performances by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett as the American couple Richard and Susan, whose relationship is shown in brief but telling scenes, dissolving from brittle animosity to touching and achingly close shots that grab you by the gut, in one of the most believable performances I’ve seen since Forest Whitaker’s portrayal of Idi Amin. Mix in the realism of a couple of non professional locals as the two Moroccan brothers and the determined and loving portrayal of Mexican nanny Amelia, played by Adriana Barraza, and you have a telling multicultural cocktail that makes a strong statement about the irresponsible use of guns, and the impact of the excesses of the US authorities. The only down side was the over long scenes involving the deaf mute Japanese girl (did someone got carried away with the cinematography there ??)

One quick health warning, I wouldn’t watch this if you’re feeling down, it’s likely to make you feel worse.

Is it any good?
3 out of 5. Note: some nudity. 2006 Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture - Drama

Golden Globe Award Winners 2006

In another step towards this February’s Oscar ceremony, half of last night’s Best Performance awards at the 2006 Golden Globe ceremony, were taken by black actors:

Forest Whitaker took Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, for Last King of Scotland
Eddie Murphy was awarded Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, for Dreamgirls
Jennifer Hudson got Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Dreamgirls

It remains to be seen if this is a trend we’ll see repeated at Hollywood’s most prestigious awards ceremony next month.
In a nod to two doyens of the big screen, let’s not forget to raise a glass to Helen Mirren who took the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, for The Queen.

50 Cent in Book Deal

In yet another change of direction, 50 Cent has added publishing as another string to his multi-million dollar business empire. In a joint venture with MTV/Pocket Books, his new line of "gritty and true-to-life," hip-hop novellas launches this month under his G-Unit Books label, with 3 titles: Death Before Dishonor by Nikki Turner, Baby Brother by Noire and The Ski Mask Way by K. Elliot.

In 2005 the rapper turned actor earned almost $41 million dollars (£21,037,724), from record sales and branding deals that include a clothing line, a line of sneakers, a video game and his G-Unit line of clothing.

Costa Book Awards Category Winning Authors

The work of five authors based in Britain and Ireland was recognised this week when the Costa Book Awards 2006 (Formally the Whitbread Book Awards) announced their category winning authors. They were:

2006 Costa First Novel Award winner

Stef Penney - The Tenderness of Wolves

2006 Costa Novel Award winner
William Boyd - Restless

2006 Costa Children's Book Award winner
Linda Newbery - Set in Stone

2006 Costa Poetry Award winner
John Haynes - Letter to Patience

2006 Costa Biography Award winner
Brian Thompson - Keeping Mum

Established in 1971 by Whitbread Plc, the Awards celebrate the most enjoyable books from the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland. The overall winner will be named at a ceremony in London in February.

The Pursuit of Happyness (12A)

What’s it about?
Will Smith and his son Jaden Christopher Syre Smith bring to life the true story of Chris Gardener; a Salesman who overcomes serious odds including homelessness, jail time and a broken marriage, to train as a stockbroker whilst taking care of his 5 year old son.

Highs n lows
This is real inspiration for anyone who’s having a hard time of it, and is
as much a testament of the relationship that Will Smith has with his son, as of his acting abilities. The pair make the film, the other roles including Thandie Newton’s are really just bit parts. The relationship is as enthralling as the story which is the epitomy of the American Dream.

I saw this with two fellas and they both admitted to ‘slight moisture around the eyes’ at the end of this one. Dads out there this is one for you.

Quote to note:
“Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something … You got a dream, you gotta protect it … If you want something, go get it. Period.”

Is it any good?
4 and a half out of 5

Tipped for 2007

I realise you’ve probably had a belly full of best of worst of 2006 so as we’re now well into 2007, I won’t go there, so instead here’s a quick don’t miss list for the first quarter of 2007.

Best in Film
I Feel privileged to have seen such a wide range of films over the past few months, some well before their UK release dates. But if I had to choose just one must see for this Winter? I’d have a hard time choosing between Dreamgirls and Last King of Scotland. Dreamgirls left me with serious goose bumps, bedazzled and with aching feet from the amount of tapping they did throughout the film. On the other hand Forest Whitaker’s performance as Idi Amin really blew me away and just has to get my top vote.

Last King is out in the UK in January, Dreamgirls in February.

Also out first quarter of 2007 and worth a look if you can spare the time are:
Venus
Blood Diamond
Fast food nation
Babel
Bobby
Bamako (didn’t catch it during BFI but will be seeing it)

Check out my reviews on this site for more on these.

Best in Books
So that’s the best in film, what about the best in books? Well I have to say my top tip for 2007 if you’ve not already got it has to be Bernadine Evaristo’s Emperor’s Babe – if you didn’t’ check it out back in October, do it now and let me know what you think.

If it’s the best sellers you’re more interested in, the top UK best sellers at the end of 2006 were:

The Sound of Laughter – Peter Kay
Why don’t penguins’ feet freeze
The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger

Let me know if you think any of the above’s worth reviewing.

Did I say a few days? I think I meant a couple of weeks!

Okay, I hold my hands up I massively underestimated the amount of time it would take to get myself vaguely back on track whilst also looking after a new baby. For anyone who took me at my word and checked back every few days thank you for your patience and your messages of congrats.

I hope 2007 has been good to you all so far and has plenty more good in store. Filmwise there’s definitely some treats to look forward to, so check back this week for my top picks to catch this Winter. Book fans I hear there’s rumours of a couple of big launches this year, mum’s the word (no pun promise) for now but all will be revealed soon.

WOIM