TV: The Mentalist vs. Lie to Me

The 2008/2009 US television season turned out to be quite an impressive season with some absolute gems. Sadly, I haven't finished catching up as I promised to do over the summer break but hopefully I will get closer to the goal line by the time broadcasting begins again in August / September.

Two very good shows that were aired this last season were The Mentalist and Lie to Me. The shows are quite similar in that the stories both revolve around people with advanced communication or people-reading skills but they are each unique in their own way and don't seem to be cancelling each other out. The excellent news is that both were renewed for a second season.

The Mentalist

Screencap: AmandaRighetti.net

I'm going to be honest and own up to the fact that I have a massive girl crush on the character Grace Van Pelt, played by Amanda Righetti. Of course, we could never actually get together as she's a girl I'm married we have the same first name but still, I do like to watch her on screen. She has a great fan site too, if you'd like to visit: AmandaRighetti.net.

Now, what would Emm Media be without some gratuitous perving?

Screencap: AmandaRighetti.net

The Mentalist is about a former charlatan psychic who joins the police force as an advisor after a serial killer murders his family in retaliation for his taunting him. His name is Patrick Jane and he is able to use various mentalist tricks and skills in getting perpetrators to own up to their crimes.

This is a crime procedural which has quite a lot of strong character development of the various parts of the team. This is great because it draws you in to the story nicely. The Chicago Sun Times ask What is it doing right? and one of the top factors is indeed the strong group dynamics.  Apart from Grace van Pelt, I like Patrick Jane and Agent Wayne Rigsby. I do hope Grace and Rigsby get it together!

Lie to Me

While I like The Mentalist, I love Lie to Me.  A lot. Lie to Me centres around Dr Cal Lightman, head of The Lightman Group.  They are a group of experts that consults to law enforcement agencies on matter relating to body language, facial microexpressions and other expressions.  In short, they can tell if you are lying to them.

You’ll likely recognise Kelli Williams who used to star as Lindsey Dole Donnell in The Practice.  She has always been a good actress but she plays a phenomenally strong character in Lie to Me and she is a real treat.  Nothing is as expected in this show and in her role as Dr Gillian Foster, Williams delivers some of the biggest surprises of the show.

Image: Flickscribe.com

Dr Cal Lightman is played by the awesome Tim Roth whom I also like. A lot.  There are three other supporting actors and they are all so good that I am going to go ahead and mention them: Brendan Hines plays Eli Loker, Monica Raymund plays Ria Torres and Mekhi Phifer plays Ben Reynolds (not pictured above). 

The first season of Lie to Me started midway through the 2008/2009 season in January.  It was only 13 episodes and has been renewed for a further 13 episodes due to start on 28 September 2009 on Fox.  I predict that we will be gagging for more by the end of next season – I wonder if they’ll open it up to a full 26 episodes or keep the short season format?

These are two shows that I highly recommend and I’d like to see them both have decent runs.

Book review: Scorpia – Anthony Horowitz

Scorpia is the fifth book in Anthony Horowitz’s immensely successful Alex Rider series.  This is a young-adult series about a fourteen-year-old teenage superspy that is used by MI6 on top secret missions.
In this fifth novel, Alex goes off on a quest to discover more about his father and he gets recruited by Scorpia, the clandestine criminal organisation that his father worked for.
The story is set in Venice and London and it is always nice to visit exotic locations in the Alex Rider books.  The book seems slower and less heart-stoppingly fast-paced than the others in the series but you do find out a lot of information about Alex’s father.
The last two books in the series (Skeleton Key and Eagle Strike) were unputdownable (how can that not be an actual word?) but this was not my favourite book in the series so far.  I look forward to the next book as I am sure Horowitz will dive right back into the break-neck-paced action.
The one thing that I liked best about this book is that Alex’s personality is beginning to emerge and I’m really beginning to like him as a protagonist.  He’s still not as strong as Matt is (from Horowitz’s Power of Five series) but he is definitely beginning to grow on me and remain in my mind long after the books are finished.

I give Scorpia 3.5 stars as it just didn’t hold my attention in the way the previous two books did.  Nevertheless, I still expect great things from the next book in the series.

Music Monday # 8: The Faint – Mirror Error

I love The Faint. I don't post enough about the music I love on this blog. The good news is that I've gone through a bit of a musical reawakening because I didn't listen to any music for two weeks while I was catching up with the audiobook version of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Now, two weeks later, I am gagging to listen to some quality music!

On my playlist this week will be Klaxons and The Faint.  These are two excellent Indie Electronic bands and I’ve been largely obsessed with both of them for a couple of years.  I would sell my husband to the slave trade just to see either of them in concert again.  Sadly, the slave trade has been hit by the recession so I don’t have enough money to justify going to one of the overpriced English summer festivals to see Klaxons and The Faint don’t seem to be keen on coming back over to England anytime soon.

This particular song is my favourite song off The Faint’s latest album Fascinatiion.  I loved it when I saw them live and I remember singing it repeatedly while I was studying for exams last November.  Silly, crazy, happy memories.  I like that.

Find more Music Monday posts at Lady Java's Lounge or by clicking my label below.

Film review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009)

It seems almost incomprehensible to me that there isn’t more about Harry Potter on this blog.  The reason for my concern is that if it weren’t for the Harry Potter franchise, there would most likely be no Emm Media.

In December 2005, we went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  I was so enthralled by this film that I decided that I had to read the books.  I bought Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets immediately and read them over the next two months.  This was something new for me.  In the fifteen years since I had finished school, I had barely read for pleasure and I was a painfully slow reader.  (In fact, my studies were somewhat hindered by my slow reading speed). 

Once I finished those two books (and not yet having the next ones) I started reading anything.  As my reading speed increased from one a month to two, sometimes three a month, I began posting my reviews on Amazon.

I then started keeping track of the music I was listening to and it seemed logical to start reviewing the films and the television I was watching too.

Having spread my reviews over Rotten Tomatoes, MovieTome, TV.com, Goodreads and Amazon, I decided about a year ago to start this blog.  Such is the power of one book because the story behind the film is what shone through in Goblet of Fire and made me go out and start reading.

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I love the Harry Potter franchise.  I’ve read all the books (most more than once), listened to all the audiobooks and watched all of the films so far.  My favourite book was probably Order of the Phoenix and my favourite film will always remain Goblet of Fire (although Order of the Phoenix is a close second).  My least favourite book was always Half Blood Prince but I have come to appreciate the story more as I’ve listened to the audiobook in the past two weeks.

So what of the film then?

There are a great many things about the film that I liked.  I enjoyed seeing the characters growing up, along with the actors that play them.  Once again, I liked seeing how they imagined the magical creatures  and the cinematography and views of the school.  I loved the quidditch match and seeing Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes brought to life.  I always knew it would be difficult to bring Half Blood Prince to the big screen because so little actually happens in the book. 

However, we were about three minutes into the film and Ste asked me how I was enjoying it.  I told him I’d let him know when they started bringing the book into it.  I hated the platform cafeteria scene.  It was appalling and reminded me of the regrettable scene in the Twilight film where they’re in the restaurant and Edward points out the man who is thinking about his cat.  Corny, unnecessary and not in the book.

And the burning of the Burrow… (I’m just shaking my head right now).  They burnt the Burrow (which wasn’t in the book) and left out the actual battle at the end of the book?  Right.  I wasn’t as sad about them leaving out the funeral though.

After the film, I asked Ste if he’d had any idea what was going on in the film.  Now Stephen is a ridiculously intelligent guy who understands all the most complex, technical stuff as well as high end politics and strategy.  He said no, he didn’t and I have to assume that is because they left so much out.

So, in the end, they left out too much and invented too much fluffy, ridiculous stuff.  Much more complex stories have been brought to the big screen without directors feeling the need for such cinematic conveniences – that is what wins accolades, nominations and awards.  Don’t make excuses that they needed to do what they did to adapt the story to the big screen; they are just average film makers, that is all.  And Harry Potter should never be average.

For upsetting and irritating me (but nevertheless being a Harry Potter film) I give it three out of five stars.

Oh and I think Harry Lloyd would have made a much better Tom Riddle if they couldn't get Christian Coulson back in to play the part.

Film review: Angels and Demons (2009)

Quite a while ago, we went to watch Angel and Demons. This film is based on Dan Brown's novel of the same name which actually came before The Da Vinci Code.
I'm sorry to say that the film was an absolute non-event in my life and absolutely forgettable. I have always half believed in the conspiracy theories surrounding the Illuminati. Well, that is not really accurate. In the same way as paranormal phenomenon and extra-terrestrial life on earth, I have enjoyed thinking about it, wondering if it is true and drinking in the mass of media on the subject. It is escapist on the one hand and on the other, there is the thrill of thinking that one day it could be proven to be true.
I expected Angel and Demons to stimulate my imagination and to make me come out of the theatre wanting to devour the books and the previous film. I expected to rush straight home to my computer and spend the evening Googling stories about the Illuminati and the Catholic Church. At the very least, I wanted to fall a bit more in love with Ewan McGregor.
But nothing happened. We came out of the theatre and forgot about the movie. And that is just about the worst thing you can say about a film, isn't it? It is a well known fact that I have wanted to visit Italy for almost as long as I wanted to visit New York and I didn't even find the cinematography in the film inspiring. And the big bad weapon was a load of crap.
On account of the fact that I couldn't find an image to represent zero out of five stars, I give the film half a star.

August Reading Challenge

I'd like to introduce you all to Pizza at Pizza's Book Discussion. Pizza is a fourteen-year-old boy from Australia who loves to read. He has worked very hard on his blog lately and it is beginning to show as more and more people are joining.

Not only does he like to read, he likes to encourage others to do so too. I invite you then to join his August Reading Challenge. The point is not necessarily to win the challenge but to challenge yourself and read as much as you can. After spending the past two weeks not reading a thing and listening to Harry Potter audiobooks, I will be more than happy to challenge myself to read four books in August. One a week. Please see the details below.

"At the start of August, I will hold a contest to see who reads the most books in August. The winner will not receive a prize but will win an award to put on the side of their blog, which I will post at the end of August".

Link to August Reading Challenge

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Book Review Blog Carnival

[Photo source]

Welcome to the twenty-second Book Review Blog Carnival.  This carnival is published every other Sunday on a different blog. You may submit a book review post from your own blog, for the next carnival here.

We’ve had 25 submissions in this edition and the quality has been extremely high.  I heartily recommend that you visit each and every one of the blogs below as I have really enjoyed reading them all.

Fiction

Clark Bjorke reviews The Development by John Barth at I'll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book! saying, “John Barth is a renowned author of literary fiction and a neighbor of mine. He has done much better than this”.  This is actually a collection of short stories and Clark wonders if it isn’t a bit tired for someone once on the cutting edge of 20th century literature.

Joyuna reviews The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold at This Girl's Bookshelf concluding, ”A worthwhile read, to be sure. Full of a wide range of emotions - sadness, grief, yearning, but also love, suspense, and sweetness - but never sappy. The writing is smooth and pleasant, and in places quite beautiful”.

Darren reviews Gold by Dan Rhodes at Bart's Bookshelf saying, “This is a lovely cosy read (the title perfectly captures the warmth and feeling in this book) that for nearly all of the book, just fills you with a lovely warm feeling”.

Jim Murdoch reviews Lowboy by John Wray at The Truth About Lies saying “William Heller (a.k.a. Lowboy) is a paranoid schizophrenic who believes that the world will end in ten hours due to a sudden, apocalyptic episode of global warming. Unless he loses his virginity. John Wray's novel 'Lowboy' been called a “psychotic, subterranean, environmentally conscious, coming-of-age novel" and that just about sums it up”.

KerrieS reviews The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson at Mysteries in Paradise saying that it is “Swedish crime fiction at its best. The second in the Millenium Trilogy”.

Jim Murdoch reviews Shadow by Karin Alvtegen at The Truth About Lies. Jim gives the following synopsis: “An old woman dies of natural causes in her flat in Stockholm. A social worker is dispatched to wind up her estate. As part of her job she tries to find any friends or relatives. Her diligence sparks off a series of events that with shock the whole of Sweden and will reveal just what lengths people will go to to keep up appearances. Not your typical crime novel”.

Emm reviews Succubus Dreams by Richelle Mead at Emm Media saying, “This is the third book in Richelle Mead’s urban fantasy series about succubus Georgina Kincaid.  This is a competent novel and had me thirsting for the next in the series”.

Classic Fiction

Surbhi Bhatia reviews Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand at The Viewspaper saying, “The book, although written more than half a century ago, holds relevance at all times, and especially today, with the criticisms levied against capitalism in the face of the global financial crisis”.

Young Adult Fiction

Darren reviews Sweethearts by Sarah Zarr at Bart's Bookshelf saying, “Sweethearts is a story about the power of memory, the bond of friendship, and the quiet resilience of our childhood hearts”.  Darren gives the book four stars and notes that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover!

Manula Joshi reviews Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling at her blog named Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. This is a wonderfully in-depth review of the book but does contain spoilers so proceed with caution if you have not yet read the book.

By The Book Reviews reviews Nicola and the Viscount by Meg Cabot at By The Book Reviews saying, "Another great book by Meg Cabot and another one that I could read over and over! This book is just as good as Meg’s other Historical Fiction book, Victoria and the Rogue. This is a great book for anyone 13 years or older!"

Children’s fiction

Tanya Turek reviews The Little Secret by Kate Saunders at books4yourkids.com. She describes it as a "delicious new fairy tale of diminutive proportions! When Kate accepts an offer from her new friend Staffa to visit her family home in the north of England, she has no idea she will be eating slug steaks, flying on bumble bees and fighting on the side of the revolutionaries in an attempt to depose the evil Queen Matilda - Staffa's mother!"

Pizza reviews The Giver by Lois Lowry at Pizza's Book Discussion concluding, “I rate it 3.8 stars out of 5, a very interesting concept, an addictive and light read, great for younger levels. If you are older do not be put off by it, it is still a good read”.

Non-fiction

Deanna reviews The Soiling Of Old Glory: The Biography Of A Photograph at Collectors' Quest. This is a  “biography of a very famous photograph, the Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph by Stanley Forman, taken on April 5, 1976 at a Boston rally against forced school busing”.

Marjorie Morgan reviews The Woman's Guide to Boating and Cooking by Lael Morgan at GO! Girls Outdoors concluding “The Woman’s Guide to Boating and Cooking is not just an interesting read, it’s also a fascinating look at how much the way in which women are viewed by our society has changed in the last 40-50 years”.

switch2life reviews Turknama by Meena Prabhu at switch2life. This is a travel book about Turkey and switch2life concludes, “I say this is ‘Must Read Book’ for everyone. If I have to rate this book I will give it 10 out of 10”.

Derek reviews The Dangerous World of Butterflies by Peter Laufer at Collectors' Quest.  The book is subtitled ‘The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists’ and Derek notes that “the dangerous world of a butterfly is, in fact, the world of humans”.

Elizabeth Hargrave reviews Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy at The Natural Capital saying that Tallamy’s manifesto could be summarised as "Plant native plants. As many as you can. Especially trees". 

Deanna presents Defying Autism? More Like Damning Autism at Motherhood Metamorphosis. This is a review of Defying Autism by Karen Mayer Cunningham and Deanna notes that “as the mother of one child diagnosed Asperger's (and one being screened for the spectrum), I found the condemnation of a "curse" far overshadowing any ability to commiserate, let alone be hopeful. In fact, I found Karen Mayer Cunningham's book inflammatory & antagonizing”.

Woman Tribune presents Book Review: Law of Connection by Michael J. Losier at Woman Tribune. This is a book about using neuro-linguistic programming to become a better communicator.

Jim presents Review: Money Strategies for Tough Times by Matt Bell at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity concluding, “I think the book has good, albeit somewhat pedestrian, information. The true value is in how Bell ties in the Bible and if you are someone who responds favorably to that, then this may be the right book for you. If you’re turned off by linking finances and religion, this book will be less valuable to you”.

Martin Russell presents “Conspiracy of the Rich”- A Review at Word of Mouth Marketing. Conspiracy of the Rich is written by Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Martin says, “more than any other of his books this one covers alot of territory for the newcomer. It is also one of his most in depth books about money and financial literacy and deserves to be read widely”.

Jim presents Review: The Educational of an American Dreamer by Peter G. Peterson at Bargaineering.  This is an autobiography and Jim says, “if you want to read his story, go to Wikipedia. If you want to hear him tell it, you have to get this book”.

Reading lists

Not a book review but rather an essential reading list, Susan White presents 100 Non-Business Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read posted at Online Universities.com.

Finally, Jeanne presents The House Was Quiet and the World Was Calm at Necromancy Never Pays. This isn’t a book review but it is an excellent post about moving out of your comfort zone when it comes to books and reading something that will challenge you or that you don’t necessarily agree with.  Jeanne gives several suggestions for fiction books.

That’s all for this edition!

Submit your blog article to the next edition of book review blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

TV: Robin Hood cancelled

[Image source] © guardian.co.uk

The best news I’ve received in a long time is that the BBC has decided to cancel Robin Hood.  Almost two months ago I had a healthy and lengthy whine about the third season of Robin Hood.  We were a couple of episodes in and I just wasn’t enjoying the show. 

Now to be fair, I’ll admit that since then I really enjoyed the episode where Guy and Robin go back into their past and discover that they share a half brother, Archer.

[Image source] © guardian.co.uk

I thought Clive Standen as Archer was gorgeous and I’ve really been appreciating Richard Armitage (who plays Guy of Gisbourne) lately since seeing him in Spooks season 7.

In the end though, I thought that Robin Hood was too politically correct, too historically inaccurate and the story was such  a train wreck that millions of people “forgot” to switch over from the tennis during the final episode to watch it.  So the BBC cancelled it.

As I said in my previous entry, I thought one of the reasons the show was declining was that key characters kept leaving.  I therefore think it’s rather rich for Jonas Armstrong to be complaining about the cancellation after he announced a year ago that he was leaving the show.  Come on, Jonas!  What the hell did you expect?  There has to be something that keeps viewers watching.  They lost Marian, Will Scarlett, Robin Hood and Guy of Gisbourne plus the show was completely historically inaccurate and not true to the Robin Hood legend.  Television viewers are not idiots.  Treat them like they are idiots and they’re just going to move on to something better, something more rewarding of their loyalty.

Upcoming TV: Freefall

Aidan Gillen as Gus in Freefall

I was just gushing about the lovely Aidan Gillen on Saturday and lo and behold, he is on our screens tomorrow night.

The Independent reports that he will star as high flying City boy Gus in Freefall which airs tomorrow night at 9pm on BBC 2.  The show also stars Riz Ahmed whom I adore!

Tonight also signals the return of the acclaimed BBC 1 series The Street which enters its third season.  Looks like we finally have some great British drama back on our screens.

Ryan Reynolds to play The Green Lantern

[screen cap] © Twentieth Century Fox

Hot on the heels of his performance as Wade Wilson / Deadpool in Wolverine, the gorgeous Ryan Reynolds has been confirmed to play the title role in The Green Lantern.  The Green Lantern will be released in the summer of 2011. 

Den of Geek asks whether this means that he is putting his role as Deadpool in the upcoming X-Men spin-off movie on hold for this and THR.com notes that this will make him the first actor to star in both DC Comics and Marvel films.

I’m just glad that I get to see more of Ryan Reynolds on screen as he is fast becoming one of my favourite new obsessions.

Film review: Race to Witch Mountain (2009)

From the moment I first saw the trailer, I really wanted to see Race to Witch Mountain.  Two alien children suddenly appearing in Dwayne Johnson’s taxi cab?  It’s the sort of story that’s right up my alley! A remake of the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, Race to Witch Mountain features AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig as sibling aliens Sara and Seth.

They enlist the help of taxi driver Jack Bruno (played by “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson) and scientist Dr Alex Friedman (played by Carla Gugino) in their race to reach their ship which has been taken by government officials and hidden in Witch Mountain.  Pursued by the government and a cyborg assassin from their own planet, they need to get to their planet in time to prove that our atmosphere  can sustain and regenerate their plant life thus making an all-out invasion and occupation of our planet unnecessary. 

There are countless car chases and far too much dialogue comprising of only “go, go, go!” and “come on!” but in the end this is an adequate film that will please (much) younger audiences.  Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino are okay, I guess.  I liked the extra sensory powers that the alien children had and I quite liked Alexander Ludwig in this role – he was like a mini Jack Bristow.  Still, I expected the film to be slightly better than this and so I give it 3 stars.

TV: Torchwood – Children of Earth

© BBC [source]

I didn't think it was going to work.  I certainly didn’t expect it to become the Best Television I Have Ever Seen in My Life™.  How thrilled am I to say that I was wrong?

There are spoilers galore all over the Internet and the blogoverse has gone into overdrive posting reviews of each of the five episodes in this latest instalment of Torchwood.  (I personally recommend the reviews over at Behind The Sofa but please don’t click over there unless you want to read spoilers). 

Torchwood: Children of Earth was the third season of Torchwood and aired over five consecutive days.  There were five one-hour episodes that were preceded by three 45-minute radio dramatisations that can be downloaded from BBC Radio 4.

Everything you thought you knew and everything you came to expect after the first episode was blown out of the water.  In my mind, Russell T. Davies has finally redeemed himself for Planet of the Dead and his various other Doctor Who crimes.  The story was the antithesis of predictability and was masterfully written and superbly acted.

I honestly believe that this is award-winning material. 

© BBC [source]

Articles such as this one from guardian.co.uk confirm that I am not the only one who has been taken by surprise.  All I can say for now is watch it.  I might review each of the episodes at a later stage when all of the Internet spoilers have died down.

Film review: 12 Rounds (2009)

12 Rounds is a WWE Studios film featuring professional wrestler-turned-actor John Cena. 

Stephen had seen a feature on the film and pretty much told me the entire story there at the ticket counter.  I think he assumed that I wouldn’t be interested in the story and to be honest, I had my doubts when I heard that it was a WWE film and it starred an ex-wrestler. 

Despite that, I decided I had nothing to lose and we bought tickets anyway.  We went into the film expecting absolutely nothing more than to wile away another two hours at the movies as we had already seen Night at the Museum 2 that morning.

Well, we were pleasantly surprised.  This is a classic action, race against time film with Cena playing Detective Danny Fisher and Aidan Gillen playing the sociopathic genius Miles Jackson.  Jackson’s girlfriend is accidentally killed as the cops bring down his heist and he escapes from jail a year later to seek revenge against Detective Fisher.  He takes him through twelve rounds of near-impossible tasks and puzzles which Fisher must solve if he wants to save his fiancée. 

Cena is surprisingly funny and not as wooden as I would have expected.  Aidan Gillen steals the show though.

Aidan Gillen stars as Miles Jackson

He is brilliant as the evil and unhinged Miles Jackson and his performance has me once again wishing I’d watched The Wire, in which he plays duplicitous Mayor Tommy Carcetti. 

I really enjoyed this film and while it certainly isn't award-winning material, it was a good suspense thriller and two hours well spent.

I give the film 3 stars plus an extra star for turning me on to a New Favourite Actor.

Film review: Gran Torino (2008)

As a rule, I try to review all the films I see and books that I read. I really enjoy doing so – it’s a hobby for me and I see this blog as a kind of scrapbook where I can stick in all of my memories and look back over time at the brilliant stories I’ve encountered and the worlds I’ve visited.

Sometimes though, I’ll encounter a film or book that I just can’t review immediately and it is partially for the same reason that I review less of the television or music that I consume. It has to do with the greater depth at which I experience it and the impact that it has on me. Sometimes, words just won’t do it justice. Detractors of television often seem to imply that it is a lesser art but they’ve obviously not been exposed to some of the most powerful and moving moments in television history.

Gran Torino was just such a film for me. It is a really fantastic film with a strong cast and well-written script. Clint Eastwood gives a powerful performance and greatly deserves the various award nominations that he received. I first watched Gran Torino back in April and I let it brew in my mind for a couple of months until I watched it again on the plane on the way back from New York.

Gran Torino deals with themes of racism, intercultural relations and the scourge of gangs and its impact on youth culture. Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran who finds that his neighbourhood has become increasingly populated by Hmong people from Vietnam. In his first interactions with his neighbours, he stereotypes them and lumps them into the “gook” category and he is hostile and antagonistic towards them. The onscreen relationship develops subtly and masterfully though and at no stage does it feel forced or contrived. What emerges is an incredible relationship and a strong bond that changes all of the characters’ lives forever.

Gran Torino has been doing really well on the DVD charts lately and has topped the charts for several weeks.

This is another film that I happily give five stars for!  We’re having a good year.

Book review: Succubus Dreams - Richelle Mead

This is the third book in Richelle Mead's Georgina Kincaid series about a succubus and her posse of immortal friends and colleagues. In Succubus Dreams, Georgina has to contend with a new succubus in town and not only does she have to mentor this particularly useless new recruit, she also has to figure out why the angel mafia is in town and who or what is sucking her succubus energy out of her body during her dreams.

Mead continues her character development in this book and manages to escape the trap of falling into comfortable and familiar stories and patterns in this third installment. I really enjoyed this book and as usual, my favourite characters were the jaded and sardonic angels and we were treated to a whole gang of them this time! What is the collective noun for a gang of angels anyway?

I wouldn't say this is my favourite book in the series so far. That might be because I didn't like the ending but that fact makes me respect Mead for delivering an ending that people aren't necessarily going to like. Also, I think it is that I specifically liked the Nephilim mythology in the first novel and so that will always be my favourite in the series.

This was a competent third novel in the series and it makes me look forward to the next instalment in the series. In the mentime, I've started reading Mead's young adult novel Vampire Academy. It is okay so far but I am not yet finding it as engaging as the Georgina Kincaid series.

For keeping me delighted after the third book, I give this one four stars. It loses a star because the ending was sad but that also paves the way for a higher rating of the next book.

Click here for my review of the first two books.