Part murder mystery, part post-cyberpunk cyberpunk, and part exploration of the fascinatingly intricate city of El-Iskandryia. The story begins with two mysteries: who killed the woman in the study, and who is ZeeZee? ZeeZee is a refugee from the USA. He has just found out that his real name is Ashraf al-Mansur, that he is the son of the Emir of Tunis, and that he has been brought to El-Iskandryia by his aunt so he can marry the daughter of the richest man in North Africa. ZeeZee/Ashraf is not a man to be confused by this, though. He is a natural chameleon, and he adapts to his new persona quickly. Grimwood weaves the two plot lines together skilfully with flashbacks and plenty of foreshadowing, but by the end of the book only one of the mysteries is resolved…. Brilliant writing, with well-rounded, interesting characters–something for mystery and SF lovers alike.
Windmills Pub (JD Wetherspoon), Stansted Airport
They blamed their crapness on the fact they had only just opened. That might work for a one-off pub/restaurant, but for a major chain like J.D. Wetherspoon it doesn’t hold water. Hostile, untrained bar staff didn’t know what dishes the kitchen had run out of, so they took our orders for one thing, and served us something else entirely. Hostile waiting staff didn’t know where the tables were for delivering food to. On our first visit (going to Rome) they had run out of ketchup and napkins; on our second visit (coming back) they had run out of forks. The food itself was appalling, too. Their burgers are limp, flavourless, and clearly straight out of a frozen multi-pack. And as for their BBQ chicken, I’ve had things that tasted just like chicken taste (and look) more like chicken than that did. The only good point was that we got a refund for the incorrect orders. Avoid this place at all costs.
X-Men 2
Longer, with more secondary plot lines than the first film, it felt like a good “superhero film”, but it just didn’t excite me in the same way. I kept waiting for a bigger climax to happen, but eventually it didn’t. There have been a lot of really good superhero films lately. Am I just feeling spoiled by quality, or disappointed that this wasn’t the new Matrix film?
John Gregory Betancourt – Roger Zelazny’s The Dawn of Amber
If you take this for what it is, an add-on novel in a shared universe, rather than an actual new Amber book by Zelazny, then it’s actually quite entertaining. If you’ve played the Amber RPG at all, then it will all seem very familiar: new relatives springing from the woodwork, the world or universe is in danger, intrigue and treachery yada yada. There’s nothing here that hasn’t already been done in dozens of Amber RPG scenarios. But nevertheless, it’s not bad at all. The plot moves along quickly, there are some exciting moments, and the scene is set for further adventure. Think of it as fan fiction done by a professional writer, and you won’t be disappointed.
George P. Pelecanos – Hell To Pay
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn deal with racism, poverty, prostitution, drugs and murder, as well as their own personal relationship and anger management issues. It’s a gritty, downbeat novel that makes many important points about many important issues. It’s also rather slow and dull. The pace doesn’t pick up until the last 50 pages or so, but by then it’s too late to salvage a decent crime story from the overbearing worthiness of the book’s central themes.
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Oddball story about a small-town barber whose chance meeting with a travelling salesman kicks off a domino train of events leading to betrayal and murder. It’s filmed in loving black-and-white, with a brooding, enigmatic performance by Billy-Bob Thornton as the barber, and the Coen brothers’ characteristic attention to detail. The pacing is slow, though, and the simple morality tale the plot hangs on isn’t all that interesting. Not quite up to the standards of Fargo or O Brother.
Training Day
Intense thriller about police corruption in Los Angeles. Fresh-faced cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) gets the chance to “try out” for an elite undercover narcotics unit, run by Detective Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). The film covers this one “training day” from dawn to midnight. Hour by hour, Alonzo grinds away at Jake’s belief in decency and honest police work. He drags Jake headlong into his world of compromise, kickbacks, and outright brutality, and offers him a golden career path, if only he is willing to accept that these shades of dark grey are a necessary means to an end. Which way will he jump? Washington is amazing as Alonzo, and Hawke matches him in every scene. Fascinating to watch.
Donnie Darko
Fascinating, but somewhat uneven tale about a mentally disturbed teenager who sees visions of a man-sized rabbit from the future. As he follows the rabbit’s orders, the small-town life around him unravels with tragi-comic effects. Heartfelt and genuinely poignant performances all round, with beautiful direction and cinematography to match. The scene where the high school is introduced is a masterpiece: long tracking shots with balletic camera swoops, speed-ups and slow-downs, all to the tune of “Head Over Heels” by Tears For Fears. Unfortunately the story’s pace feels off-balance, and the ending is too ambiguous to be completely satisfying. Nice if you want something to scratch your head over, though.
Lawrence Block – The Collected Mystery Stories
As with most collections, this one has some excellent stories in it, and some throwaway rubbish. They range from traditional mysteries, through folksy con jobs, to character sketches without even a hint of crime, with even a few tales of psychological horror tossed in along the way. The bulk of the stories are one-offs, and that’s where most of the variability occurs. It’s the ones about Block’s series characters (Bernie Rhodenbarr, Matt Scudder, Keller) that are the really worthwhile nuggets, though.
Knockaround Guys
Decent thriller about the son of a Mafia boss Matty Demaret (Barry Pepper) who tries to prove himself to his dad. All he has to do is arrange for a bag of money to be flown across country to New York. But his friend Johnny Marbles (Seth Green) loses the bag, and Matty and his friends end up in Wibaux, Montana to track it down. The contrasts between Matty’s generation and his parents’ plays off well against the contrast between the big city kids and the small-town folk of Wibaux. Solid performances, and a script that is lean and to the point.