4×4 = Death – Fermat’s Room Film Review

 

If you are asked to make a list of sexy things mathematics is unlikely to be high up.  In fact, it is probably going to be buried on page 45 below such things as muck spreading and belly button lint.  Maths is a subject for dry academics sitting in a room trying to work out the very building blocks that make up their cup of tea.  Nonsense, maths is sexy, because maths is sex!  Maths is everything!  You can whittle everything down to a bunch of numbers if you have the inclination and the time.  Whether your mathematics be pure, statistical or even discrete you can use the skills learnt to discover the very fabric of life – but it is unlikely to attract the opposite sex.  Can Spanish film directors Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopena make the subject sexier with their thriller ‘Fermat’s Room’? 

When the leading proponents of mathematics in Spain are sent a puzzle to solve the challenge proves too great for many.  However, four people are successful and as a reward they are invited to an evening of puzzle solving by a man calling himself Fermat. The group includes a cocky young maths success, an enigmatic woman, an inventor and an avuncular professor.  They are all given code names after famous mathematicians and asked to enter a plush room where they eat a meal.  Fermat enters, but is forced to leave when a phone call urges him visit his sick daughter, leaving the four strangers alone.  The door shuts behind Fermat and locks.  Suddenly, an entertaining night becomes deadly with the four geniuses trapped in a room that is shrinking.  The only way to stop themselves being crushed is to solve a series of puzzles as fast as they can.

Puzzle solving should not make for entertaining cinema, but ‘Fermat’ proves the exact opposite.  With a limited budget, but a great idea, Piedrahita and Sopena have taken their chance to make a film and run with it.  Around two thirds of the film is set in one room, and uses the one set that slowly decreases in size.  As the amount of space shrinks the level of panic and frustration increases and the importance of getting a puzzle solved heightens.  In essence the film feels like a cross between ‘Cube’, ‘Saw’ and Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’, it takes ideas from both of these films and makes them its own.

The comparison to ‘Saw’ is unfair as although this is a thriller it is not a horror.  As a 15 I was a little unsure what I was about to see, but this is an intelligent and adult film that contains no gore.  I think the 15 certificate is for the idea of the crushing room alone and perhaps that younger people would be scared of the idea.  There is little language or gore in the film and for me it could easily have been a 12A and not a 15.

Like any low budget film with a small group of actors in a limited space the characters and writing are integral to the film.  With only five people to write about Piedrahita and Sopena do a great job at giving them a fleshed out background and complicated relationships.  The twists and turns that the characters have with one another really help to heighten the tension in the film as revelations occur that turn things on their head on more than one occasion.

The film would also only work if the puzzles themselves were in keeping.  I really enjoyed the fact that although some of the mathematical algorithms were far beyond what any normal person could attempt, many of them were classic puzzles you would expect to see in something like ‘Professor Layton’ on the Nintendo DS.  This means that the film is more than just a series of complicated equations as the victims have time to talk between puzzles.  The room itself becomes the puzzle as they try and use any extra time they have to try and escape.  The puzzles on the wall are part of a larger meta puzzle that is the room!

In case of acting the film benefits from being in a foreign language.  Like ‘Time Crimes’ the very fact that the film is in a foreign language imbues it with a slightly surreal feel.  Perhaps this is unfair on British films, but I cannot see us being able to make something like this at home.  Stand out actor is Lluis Homar as the Professor type character, Hilbert; out of the four people that make up most of the film he gives the most compelling performance and seems to dominate the screen.

‘Fermat’s Room’ is an enjoyable thriller that is also intelligent.  The limited budget means that its scope is not great, but Piedrahita and Sopena do a great job with what they can afford.  Rather than lament the lack of finance they use the limitations to create a claustrophobic atmosphere and increase the tension.  The subtitles are easy to read and although some of the concepts are complex they are explained well.  For a film that is essentially about Maths, ‘Fermat’s Room’ has no right being so good – but it is and I recommend it to people looking for a different film experience. 

Director:           Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopena

Year:                2007

Cert:                 15

Starring:            Lluis Homar et al

Price:                Amazon uk       £4.08

                        Play.com          £5.99

Extras

The DVD is already at a decent price and although the extras are not abundant they are a couple of interesting featurettes on the making of the film.  As something filmed with a smaller budget viewing extras like these is more likely to aid aspiring film makers than those found on a big budget movie – you have to start small!

Trudi, Madli, Deepli – The Magicians’ Guild Review

 

Fantasy authors must live in a world were no editors exist.  They sit down in January and by December have written a 2000 page epic on the journey of a Noble Knight who travels across the sacred lands of Orian to aid the fair Elfin Princess who has been captured by Evil Lord Mirrodor.  It’s pretty all much nonsense, pretty much all the same and pretty much always too long.  When they do write far too much do their publishers send them away with a guide of how to use the Windows Recycle Bin?  No, they say lets make it a trilogy!  So many fantasy novels come in the form of a triumvirate that it is the defacto way in which a reader expects their swords and magic.  However, this format leads to many structural issues as Books 1 and 2 often feel like little more than filler leading up to Book 3.  Can Trudi Canavan’s ‘Black Magician’ trilogy avoid this in its first book; ‘The Magicians’ Guild’? 

Every year the King of Imardin requires the Magicians’ Guild to purge the city of the homeless and unwanted.  Too powerless to resist the weak are forced out and must wait to sneak back in another day.  The citizens of the Dwells don’t take their forced reoccupation well and a yearly fight breaks out.  However, each year the sea of stones crashes down harmlessly on the Magician’s shield, until Sonea wills her stone through and it strikes a Magician on the head.  Never before has someone from the Dwells developed magical powers and the Magicians want her badly.  Can Sonea hide from her powerful foes with the aid of her thief allies, or will the Magicians get her?  If they do are they going to imprison her or will they instead teach her the ways of their ancient art?

Trudi Canavan wrote this trilogy during the 00s and it has taken me a while to get around to reading this well received fantasy series.  As a book it is an interesting novel that plays safely within the confines of the genre’s clichés, whilst still being an entertaining read.  In terms of feel the book has a level of naivety that makes it more like teen fiction than an adult novel.  This is not helped by the lead being a teenage girl and having the usual angst.  The elements that really compound the juvenile feel of the book are the way that not many people are killed and there is little sense of dread.  Even the more stressful parts of the book are written in a light hearted way.

In this sense the book takes a lot from the Harry Potter series, a stigma that any book about Wizards and teaching is going to have.  However, this is a far more traditional period fantasy that feels like the medieval worlds of someone like David Eddings, whose influence is felt as much as J K Rowling.  Canavan has not set out to recreate the genre in any way, but provide a book that will be instantly recognisable to fans of the fantasy genre.  In writing with a more simplified style she has also managed to create a great introduction to anyone to the genre and in particular girls as they will find a protagonist that they can relate to.

In terms of character Canavan manages to balance cliché characters with likability.  Sonea as the lead is feisty enough to be interesting, but is never given any real edge.  The numerous thieves and magicians that scatter the book are either friend or foe to Sonea, but at no point are they bad enough that you feel any worry for her fate.  Here the book falls into one of the traps of the trilogy as it ends on a series of tantalising glimpses into possible futures for the characters.  Luckily, Canavan was able to create an enclosed story within this book, but the end does suggest that things will get more exciting in Books 2 and 3.

To dismiss ‘The Magicians’ Guild’ because of its light nature would be a disservice.  There are plenty of good ideas and Canavan seamlessly creates a city that feels both fantastic and real.  The world of nobles, wizards and the poor feels very feasible.  I also like the journey that Sonea goes on even if it was pretty obvious what was going to happen by a third of the way through the book.  The pace is a little slow at times, but I found the gentle structure a nice change and slowness is as much to blame on the reader wanting to get to the section they know is going to come up at some point.  For me ‘The Magicians’ Guild’ was above average fantasy fiction that would be perfect for first time readers of the genre of younger girls looking for a book with a role model they can relate to.

Author:                                Trudi Canavan

Year:                      2001

Price:                    amazon uk – £5.99

                                play.com – £5.99

FAQ About Good Films – FAQ About Timetravel Review

 

“Watch a British comedy film?  You could not pay me to watch one!  If they are not written by Richard Curtis they are some stupid inappropriate comedy about sex lives of potato men or suicides on the underground.”  This is an argument that a lot of people will feel when they think about the modern British comedy films, long gone are the glory days of Ealing and for the past few years there have been enough stinkers to turn a lot of people off.  This is a real shame as although never released on Cinema screens and never advertised well there are a few hidden gems that we’ve produced.  ‘Kinky Boots’ is a fun film (limited cinema release) and ‘Death at a Funeral’ was one of the best comedies of 2007 (so much so it’s getting an awful looking remake).  The slurry of rubbish should not stop you from seeking out the great stuff.  In which camp would ‘FAQ About Time Travel’ come under – another potato man, or a hidden gem?

Ray loves his job at the local theme park as presenter of their science fiction ride.  Perhaps he loves the job a little too much as he gets into character and scares the kids.  Therefore, the newly unemployed Ray goes to drown his sorrows in the Local Pub with best pals Toby and Pete.  Together they make an odd trio, Ray and his obsession with science fiction, Toby and his attempts to write the ultimate book and Pete a snidey bloke who does not really understand why he hangs out with the other two.  Their relationship will only get closer when Pete goes to the toilet; unbeknownst to him there is a time leaks whilst he leaks.  Now the trio are on an adventure through time as they try to get back to their present era whilst stopping a massacre they have seen in the future.  Can they stop bickering long enough to survive?

After seeing ‘FAQ’ I am glad to say that this film sits squarely in the camp as a hidden gem.  I had not heard of the film before renting it and was not expecting much; what I got was a very funny film with a tight script and a classy cast.  Chris O’Dowd, Marc Wootton and Dean Lennox Kelly as the leads are enough to make the film watchable.  All have done great work before with O’Dowd reprising a similar role to that of Roy in ‘The IT Crowd’.  Wootton is also excellent as the slightly offish Toby, but it is perhaps Kelly as the meaner Pete who is the best.  He is not given the most sympathetic role, but like the other main cast members he has great comic timing and can read a line well.
As an added bonus to film fans Anna Faris appears in an extended cameo as a time traveller sent to plug the leak.  I’m not a huge fan of her work, but she is not in the film that much and is a good foil for Ray’s shy attraction.  I’m assuming that her casting was a large part of how this film was given the green light.

As a script it is brilliant.  Like the best modern TV comedy it is full of good humour and wry observations.  The flaw could be that perhaps it feels a little too TV orientated.  There are special effects and the film is about time travel, but in essence the majority of the film is set in one or two sets around the Pub.  Personally, I did think that it transcended the small screen feel and was a proper film with a good story arc and some character development.  As a first time film director Gareth Carrivick has developed his skills as seen on shows like ‘The Smoking Room’, yet retained the quintessential British humour that makes the film so much fun.

As a 15 certificate I was a little worried that there may be some violence, but it’s just for the course language which is quite adult at times – yet in context with three lads ribbing one another.  The film is a triumph that is only let down by the obvious lack of finance for high end special effects etc.  However, I felt that Carrivick benefits like a lot of early directors from a limited budget.  It forces you to concentrate on story and comedy to get you through and in these areas the film shines.  There are three stellar comedy performances at the centre of this film that make it genuinely funny and laugh out loud.  I recommend this for film fans looking for a great Great British comedy.

Director:           Gareth Carrivick

Year:                2009

Cert:                 15

Starring:            Chris O’Dowd, Marc Wootton, Dean Lennox Kelly and Anna Faris

Price:                Amazon uk       £7.48

                        Play.com          £7.99

                        CD Wow         £11.99

Extras

I can’t remember any extras on the disc, but the film is worth it alone – especially as it has come down in price already.

Mandy, Why You Left Me? – Criminal Minds Season 3 Review

 

Some TV shows survive on an ensemble cast, whilst others rely on a single star.  Would ‘House’ work without Hugh Laurie at its centre?  Could ‘Lost’ still be acceptable if one or two of the cast were to leave?  American networks in particular use these two models and end up in a jam after a few seasons.  If you have one Emmy award winning star you will have to offer them Millions per season to prevent them leaving, in the case of an ensemble you hope to be able to offer them less as they are expendable.  Untrue, as shows like ‘Friends’ proved that cast members will often stick together and in other cases although you think you have an show built on several actors, people only tune in for one.  This is the case in ‘Criminal Minds’ were Mandy Patinkin’s portrayal as Gideon is the dominant force – could the show survive when Mandy stopped turning up to work?

 There is a special investigations unit in the FBI who use psychological analysis of a criminal to find their suspects.  For years Jason Gideon was the leader of this group, but after a case that shakes him he quits.  Without a father figure the younger members of the group, including hot head Derek Morgan, young genius Dr Reid and PC wizard Penelope Garcia, must work together.  To aid them FBI Agent Hotchner brings in an old master David Rossi, a charismatic psychologist who turned in his FBI badge many years earlier to make money on the lucrative lecture circuit.  Why is Rossi back and will the other members of the group accept him?  Office politics will have to be put to one side as once again the team must tackle some brutal crimes from across the nation.

When I read about the internal struggles during the start of Season 3 of ‘Criminal Minds’ it did not make for good reading.  Patinkin is a known problem actor who has walked out on work before; with no warning he quit.  Episodes 1-3 of Season 3 are a mess for this reason as the writers had no time to write a decent reason for Gideon’s disappearance or replace him.  As a viewer I was confused and could not tell if I had missed episodes; storylines were ignored as they hung in limbo.  On TV I gave up.  Fear not DVD boxset fans as it turns out that after I stopped watching some explanatory episodes were filmed – Patinkin had contract obligations.  This two part arch is has been moved to the start of disc 1 and makes the transition a lot smoother.  In fact, many people who only watch TV through boxsets will never know the original release schedule of the episodes.

With the linearity of the show back on track ‘Criminal Minds’ still had a chance of reclaiming past glories.  Its intelligent and fast paced stories have been a great companion to the likes of ‘CSI’.  However, there is no denying that Gideon was the dominant role in series 1-2 and without him the show would have to change.  Luckily, rather than directly replace Patinkin the writers brought in a new character and have pushed the other cast members to the fore.  Whilst once they were merely foil for Gideon’s genius, they are now fully developed.  Each cast member is given more to do with Shemar Moore and A J Cook as Derek and JJ standing out in particular as characters with previously no development coming into their own.

As a show ‘Criminal Minds’ has actually benefitted on a number of levels by the loss of their lead.  Now they can aim at writing good crime thrillers and have several character arcs.  That is not to say that the show does not have some serious issues.  After the confusing start it manages to get back on track with a set of generic serial killer episodes.  For several in a row different killers target young women.  For me this not only became a little samey, but was also a little dark as women were butchered one after the other.  It was not until the second half of the season that truly innovative ideas came in and that you felt the writer returning to form.

 As a show ‘Criminal Minds’ is still worth watching, but only for the strongest of stomachs.  In terms of gore and nastiness it sits between ‘CSI’ and ‘Law and Order: Special Crimes Unit’- two shows that you have to want to watch grisly stuff for.  The cast improve as the series gets over the loss of its lead, but they have to work through a lot of generic stories to get anywhere.  Overall, I enjoyed the season, flaws and all, and can see that the new ensemble dynamic could actually improve things for season 4.  Let’s hope that the writers continue to explore new ideas rather than reverting back to exploitation. 

Year:                2007

Cert:                 15

Starring:            Joe Mantegna et al.

Price:                Amazon uk       £15.98

                        Play.com          £15.99

Extras

There are some featurettes on the last disc that go through the development of the series. They touch upon the impact that Patinkin’s departure has on the show, but mostly use it as good PR.

Hollywood Lies – Skin Gods by Richard Montanari Review

 

The one private place in the movies used to be the bathroom.  You never watched Fred Astaire having a wash or Elvis popping to the lavvy for a Blue Suede Shoe (Tennessee Rhyming Slang).  Your heroes and heroines were free from the bodily functions that plague us all, except for the Queen (God Bless ‘Er).  Then as always Hitchcock came along and ruined it all by murdering Janet Leigh whilst she has a shower.  The one place that you feel most vulnerable is now open to abuse in the movies!  But perhaps Hitch has done us a favour?  Just because we never see anything nasty in the movies in the Porcelain Palace does not mean that in real life things couldn’t go wrong.  What if a killer took it upon themselves to recreate famous bathroom death scenes in real life?  You’ll never feel safe relieving water again!

Detective Kevin Bryne has just got over being shot when he and his newest partner, Detective Jessica Balzano, are thrown into another disturbing case.  At first the killing appears to be a one off undertaken by a sick film buff.  A VHS copy of Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ has been re-edited; the famous shower scene is now real.  When more films begin to appear that are similarly edited Bryne and Balzano realise that there is a sick and twisted psychopath out there who is taunting them.  Can they discover the killer before more people are murdered?  With a massive location shoot for a feature film in town there is plenty of suspects who have the talent and means to undertake the filming – but who is the killer?

Richard Montanari is a recent breakout success in the world of thrillers, although he has been writing for some time.  With the introduction of characters Bryne and Balzano he finally hit upon a successful formula in ‘The Rosary Girls’.  However, what is success?  Do you register it in terms of book sales or quality of writing?  Like a sane person I hope you opted for the money as Montanari did because his books are pure hokum, but entertaining enough.  The idea of using a film fan as a killer is decent enough, but is instantly pretty cheesy.  Rather than shy away from this and try and make a more intelligent portrait of a killer, Montanari goes straight for the no brains thrill ride.

In terms of action this is a pot boiler that sets off lickity split and doesn’t stop once.  If the pace begins to flag Montanari is just around the corner to throw in another death or chase.  The copious number of chapters and their short length is indicative of Montanari’s style, you only have to wait five pages before the action moves onto something else.  In some ways this is no bad thing as you do not get time to really dwell on some of the stranger avenues the book takes.  I like a good thriller and ‘The Skin Gods’ provides enough thrills.

There are many issues with the book that prevent it from being anything better than an average read.  Although the characters are likable enough and are developed slightly through the book – they are incredibly stereotyped and cliché.  The problem of cliché seems to run through all of Montanari’s recent books are he aims to please the middle ground of readers and not cater for those looking for something even vaguely cerebral.  There is an issue towards the end that I think is down to Montanari being too eager to always push pace.  He tries to hide the killer’s identity till the very end and he succeeds in doing this.  However, I was confused as to who the killer was and what their motives may be.  I don’t think this is down to impressive noir writing, but an inability to paint a clear picture.  Finally, for a 2006 book it already reads extremely dated.  The concept of VHS rentals was already over by then and any killer using the format would probably be caught in days just because there were only a handful of places lending the format.  This is a basic error that undermines many elements of the book.

To delve too deeply into the writing quality or loopholes in ‘The Skin Gods’ would be like pointing out to Simon Cowell that his TV shows are rubbish.  Yes, Montanari writes in clichés.  Yes, he writes in a naive style that confuses the reader when clarity is required.  And yes, even in 2006 VHS was deader than a Dodo riding Shergar.  However, despite these flaws the book is a fun read that has likable characters and a pace that will keep you going until the end.  The best way to read a novel like this is to disengage the more logical elements of your brain and read for fun.  If you do this you will find an entertaining read that is slightly on the average side.   

Author:                                Richard Montanari

Year:                      2006

Price:                    amazon uk – £4.49

                                play.com – £4.49

Wish You Were Here? Review of – Where the Hell is Tuvalu?

 

Life in London can be a bit daunting and a bit grim.  This is the opinion I have as a Northerner who on occasion travels to the Capital on business.  As a rule I try to avoid it as everyone seems a bit grumpy and they seem to have a sense of entitlement as if they travelled to London to become an Executive and are only working in this coffee stall until they get their big break.  Up North most people are happy to have any sort of job so you are likely to be treated well no matter who you talk to (just avoid mini-London i.e. Manchester).  If I worked in the big city the chances are that I would be just like Philip Ells and look for a way out as soon as I could.  Perhaps I would move to a smaller city, but I certainly would not go to the extremes that he did – become the people’s lawyer of the small island community of Tuvalu.

Philip Ells has somehow managed to grind out a successful career in the City of London, but despite his work going well he does not feel happy.  He decides to set himself a challenge and become a volunteer.  With his strong skill set he is given a surprisingly important role for his first excursion; he is to become the new People’s Lawyer of Tuvalu, an island community.  In this role he must act as impartial lawyer for people from the lowliest farmer to the President.  What greets Ells on arrival is an impoverished society that is happy, but poor.  He must tackle cases from as wide a range as pig rustling to murder.  Can he hack the two year contract and will he grow as a person?

‘Where the Hell is Tuvalu’ is part travelogue, part lad non-fiction (similar to Danny Wallace).  Ells has taken a real life experience and written it in a light hearted manner.  As a narrator Ells shows a lot of himself and it is certainly warts and all.  A perfectly nice man he comes to the islands a naive bloke and leaves wiser.  His pleasant nature comes through in the writing and it is clear that he genuinely wanted to help the people under his care.  As a volunteer he was never fully accepted into the culture and the book becomes as much about what it is to be a volunteer as it is island life, due to the fact that he spends so much time with his fellow volunteers.

At its strongest the book is genuinely funny and/or touching.  The first half is a light look at life and chronicles a series of minor cases that came across Ells’ desk.  We get to know some of the locals and their ways.  Ells is respectful throughout and never suggests for one moment that the Tuvalu lifestyle if worse than that of the West.  His offbeat style of living really works in the book as he gives a very personal view of life with no sense of pretention.  For 150 pages the book is a nice read, but here is where the problems begin.

The second half of the book takes on a far darker set of subjects, yet still keeps the same tone in most places.  Ells’ is given the opportunity to visit another larger set of islands and work as a defence lawyer for a few weeks.  Suddenly he is defending murderers and rapists who seem incapable at times of realising what they have done wrong.  In these moments of culture clash in which men can readily beat their wives, Ell’s style no longer sits easy.  He tries to convey his sense of distress and unease, but I feel that he is incapable.  The entire book has Ells’ being quite a solitary man and this comes across in his writing as if he is almost unable to express his inner self to others, either in life or through non-fiction.

The decidedly darker tone of the second half of the book did not work as part of the same experience as the jovial beginning.  If Ells wanted to tackles these very serious issues I feel that a more serious book throughout would have been better suited.  Your lasting image as a reader will not be of a peaceful island lifestyle, but one of easy violence and apparent ignorance.  This is not the image that either Ells or the people of Tuvalu expected or wanted.  I still think that the book is just about worth reading as Ells is a nice man who writes well.  His innocent volunteer act is fun and learning with him as he makes mistakes does put you in the shoes of someone who feels way out of their comfort zone.  These adventures alone would have made a good book, but together with the dark elements it leaves any exhilaration you had at the beginning long gone.

Author:                                Philip Ells

Year:                      2006 (although this is an updated version of an earlier edition)

Price:                     amazon uk – £7.19

                                play.com – £7.99

10 Little Plot Holes – And Then There Were None Film Review

Agatha Christie is rightly known for her great creations of Miss Marple and Poirot.  Between the two of them they have had many adventures that have been turned into TV shows, computer games and a fair number of feature films.  However, Christie was a prolific writer and some her most successful work were stand alone novels.  These contained books allowed her to create all new creations and assure that the reader could never be sure who the guilty party was; perhaps even the narrator themselves.  ‘And Then There Were None’ is the re-monikered name for one of Christie’s greatest selling books, as early as the 1940s her work was in demand to be made into films – this 1945 film was to show why.

When 10 strangers are invited to a remote island they have no real clue why they are there.  Everyone of them seems reasonable enough, but each is hiding a deadly secret.  Gathered together in the sitting room they listen to the voice recording of their host Mr Owen.  He reads out a series of crimes that each of the guests is accused of – he proposes that they are all guilty and must be made to pay for their sins.  When one of the guests suddenly dies panic sets in.  Is one of them a killer?  Are they all doomed?  And is everyone who they seem to be at first glance?

Christie was a great novelist and one of her specialities was creating mysteries within contained spaces, therefore a remote island is a perfect location for a book and a film!  Filmed in 1945 the adaptation of the book is certainly of its era and all the gruesome deaths that occur are seen off screen of merely hinted at. This works as there is not real reason to have to revel in the gore.  The mystery itself is the film, not the killings.

In terms of actors the ensemble cast works well.  Stand out roles are Barry Fitzgerald as the Judge and Walter Huston as the alcoholic Doctor.  It is great to see how they unravel from being cool professionals at the start into scared victims later on.  What makes the film tick is the suspicions that all the characters have of one another.  They believe that one of them is the killer so they try and ally themselves with someone who they think cannot have done it.  This leads to some great tense moments as groups square off, only for them to realise that perhaps they have sided with the wrong people.

For such a dark tale there are a lot of funny moments in the film, especially provided by the less than adequate butler (himself a potential suspect/victim).  By balancing the light and shade of the story it never descends into the perhaps the depressing state it should do.  There is a lot of death in the film, but it is treated so light heartedly that you question the 15 certificate the film has.  In a world where children can see ‘The Dark Knight’, this film will have little to no impact on their fragile psyches. 

The story itself holds up, but there are issues with the old fashioned direction.  Set in one manor house large parts of the film are on one or two sets.  Set work was very popular in the 40s, but a few more location shots would have given a larger sense of scale.  There is also an issue with the DVD that is unfortunate, but cannot be ignored.  The quality of the print has perished over the years and the copies available have not been restored.  This means that the entire experience is a little blurry and the sound a little off.

With such a strong story to base itself on ‘And Then There Were None’ was never going to be a failure in terms of story.  The actors successfully bring the characters of Agatha Christie’s book to life, but perhaps the direction leaves them a little lifeless.  The plot stays true to the novel, but for people who have not read it there is a great mystery to try and uncover. Although not a classic, this is still a film worth watching if you are looking for a pleasant black and white crime thriller.

Director:           Rene Clair

Year:                1945

Cert:                 15

Starring:            Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston et al.

Price:                Internet Archive – FREE

Extras

The film is available to watch online in legal form for free as it is out of copyright: http://www.archive.org/details/AndThenThereWereNone it is the transfer that I watched and although the sound and picture are not the highest standard – it is free and perfectly watchable!

Among Brilliance – Uncharted 2 Review

 

Where once barren sands lay; a fertile field of grass rises.  Where once men, women and children would hold precious few things dear; they now discard those things they no longer want.  The Playstation 3 (PS3) was for a long time a console that lacked games.  I bought one to watch BluRays and buy any exclusive games that looked good.  However, whilst the PS2 had many great exclusives, the PS3 had one ‘Uncharted’, my game of the year for that annum.  With ‘Heavy Rain’ and ‘God of War 3’ coming out in 2010 things are looking up for Sony, but what about winter 2009.  With the slippage of ‘Gran Turismo’ all their faith rests with ‘Uncharted 2’.  Could the sequel improve on the original and make the PS3 even more popular?

Gameplay

‘Uncharted 2: Among Thieves’ is a great third person shooter/platform game.  You play as Nathan Drake a modern day thief/adventurer/archaeologist.  The 3^rd person perspective means that you play the game from behind Drake.  You have to use a cover and shoot system similar to that popularised in the ‘Gears of War’ franchise.  However, unlike that game there is more to ‘Uncharted 2’ than just a shooter.  The game is split almost 50/50 between shooting and exploring.  This means that a lot of the game takes the form of a modern 3D platformer and as a fan of this genre the gameplay really appealed to me.

There are platformers and there are platformers.  You should not compare ‘Zool’ to ‘Mario’, even if they are the same genre, and in terms of modern platforming ‘Uncharted 2’ is without peer and only ‘Prince of Persia’ comes close this generation.  The sense of scale is brilliant with Nathan having to climb massive structures that leave the player giddy.  Pinpointed throughout are set pieces that heighten the play, especially on the first run through.  A crumbling ledge or the growl of a mysterious beast can easily quicken the heart.

The shooting aspects of the game are not quite as strong, but are none the less enjoyable.  You must use cover and pop up to kill enemies when you can.  I found myself out of ammo on many occasions and having to make suicide runs for another gun.  Despite my issues with the format many people love this side of the game.  No matter if you are a fan of shooting or platforming you will get another chance within a short while to have a go.  The fluidity of movement and sheer joy of scale means that playing ‘Uncharted 2’ is quite unlike any other game – brilliant. (5 out of 5)

Characters/Story

As a medium games suffer terribly in the story and character department.  Many times I have found myself giving 4 out of 5 to a game that has a story that would not even grace the most flimsy of films.  In comparison with the rest of the games market ‘Uncharted 2’ has one of the best stories ever.  However, compared to film and fiction it still has a lot to do.  The game has a matinee feel to it similar to ‘Indiana Jones’, the characters are all brilliantly written and have some fantastic one liners that they bounce off one another.  As a player you really get to like the cast and enjoy being alongside them, for this alone the game is 5 stars in this category.  The story is not quite as strong, but at least some attempt to have one is made.  It has a linear feel to it and is naive in places.  (5 out of 5)

Longevity

Unlike in the first game ‘Uncharted 2’ has more to offer than just a solo experience.  This is once again the main appeal and at approx 12-15 hours it is a reasonable length.  The sequel also contains two online modes – co-op and versus.  This adds a lot to the lifespan of the game for people wishing to venture online.  Also added since game 1 is the Trophy system.  This is Sony’s equivalent to Microsoft’s Achievements.  You are rewarded trophies for doing certain things in the game.  If you are someone who wants to 100% the game you will need to put in many more hours.  Personally, I mainly got this game for the solo campaign and judge it mostly on that, therefore it was a little too short for greatness in this criterion. (4 out of 5)

 Online

As mentioned there is an online aspect to ‘Uncharted 2’ that was missing from the first game.  There are plenty of online games now available for the PS3, but ‘Uncharted 2’ does offer something different.  I was a big fan of the co-op elements that allowed you to replay segments of the game with up to two other players.  This worked really well, but did feel a little disjointed as there was no story flow.  The versus mode is also a success, but I find 3^rd Person versus a lot harder to do than First Person.  (4 out of 5)

Graphics

Wow.  Yowser.  With over 150 games completed on the 360 you could probably say that I am a fan of that console over the PS3, but there is no denying when it comes to graphical capability the PS3 is King and Naughty Dogs are masters of the architecture.  There is no better looking console game out there currently, with only the recent ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ running things close.  The beautiful vistas, epic cliff faces, lush greenery, dilapidated cities and gorgeous player models pop off the screen in fantastic High Definition.  The advert in America suggests that someone is watching the game thinking it is a film.  Although this is slightly exaggerating it, you can see that at some point soon games may be photo realistic.  Want to impress someone with the graphical prowess of the PS3 – play ‘Uncharted 2’. (5 out of 5)

Level Design

Naughty Dog have given themselves a huge task in creating a shooter/platformer that has a coherent plot and great characters.  They could easily balance things wrong with too much jumping or shooting.  It is testament to their years of experience on top games that this does not happen.  The important thing behind ‘Uncharted 2’s level design is the flow.  You seamlessly go from platforming to shooting and back again and it all seems reasonable and natural.  There are no levels as such as you just enter new areas and are given a chapter number.  This makes the entire experience one of a feature film that flows effortlessly to its conclusion.

 Within this flow are some brilliant set pieces that could be describes as level design.  They are incredibly varied from the jungle, the mountains, a dilapidated city and ancient tombs.  You are asked to reach places that at first seem impossible, but by using the environment are reachable.  The handholds are slightly too obvious on occasion, but they are far better than in the first game at being hidden within the environment.  There are also a couple on rail levels that have you jumping from vehicle to vehicle; fun but not as interesting as the on foot sections.  (5 out of 5) 

Sound

A master class in sound is the best way to describe ‘Uncharted 2’.  The voice acting is once again brilliant and the actors were asked to perform as they spoke.  This means that the motion capturing on the screen is in keeping with the voice work.  The music is also excellent and rises and falls in keeping with the action. (5 out of 5)

Summary

With still relatively few exclusive games to entice people to the PS3, the fact that ‘Uncharted 2’ is so excellent could sell the console to millions of fans.  Is it worth buying a PS3 just for this game?  Not quite at the hefty £250 asking price, but the additional BluRay, third party games and games like ‘Heavy Rain’ and ‘God of War’ out early 2010, means that yes get a PS3 with this game.

The level design makes the game feel more like an interactive film as the story and player rolls fluidly to its conclusion.  Like all games it suffers from being what it is – a game.  This means that some moments feel contrived and the final boss is not in keeping with the rest of the game.  However, with a solid B Movie storyline populated with some great voice acting you are in for a visual treat that plays excellently.  For me this is the Game of the Year 2009. (5 out of 5)

Maker: Naughty Dog RRP £50
Amazon uk £34.99
Play.com £37.99

Players Again Sam – Players by Eugene Izzi

 

Noir as a genre is not always that easy to capture.  Plenty of authors think that by writing a book about a PI with an unusual surname who smoke copious numbers of cigarettes is enough.  Noir is not just a set of clichés, but should be dark and brooding.  The characters should never be painted in black or white, instead shades of grey dominate the day.  There is no time for pity in the world of crime noir and you are meant to support the murdering bully just as much as you are the innocent victim (but rarely is anyone innocent).  Capturing all this and creating a compelling storyline is very difficult.  Authors like Robert Ferrigno and Don Winslow are great exponents of modern noir, as is Michael Connelly of more marketable noir.  However, all of them take a twist on the core noir principles.  Eugene Izzi was an author whose writing was pure noir, which just happened to be set in modern day America.

Ben is a true player, never a Made Man, he demanded respect from the career criminals around him by having a ruthless streak, but also a strong sense of respect.  He now lives in a dive and has divorced is wife, leaving her with his two sons; diagnosed with cancer he only has so long to get enough money to see them through College.  But there is also an altogether different type of player; she is a real estate agent who specialises in ripping off people and paying less for their house than it’s worth.  Finally there is Mute, a beast of a man heavily muscled, but hideously disfigured.  He is a small time crook looking for that one big score.  Fate will draw these people together and in a game that not all the player can win, who will come out victorious?

Izzi is a great writer of gritty crime fiction and it is a shame that after his death we have seen the last of it.  ‘Players’ is a great example of his style that flirts with cheesiness, but manages to work anyway.  Written in 1995 the book has certainly dated, but as it feels so noir the book reads like a version of the 90s seen through a prism of the 30s/40s.  The reason that Izzi is so adept at noir in ‘Players’ is his use of first person through several different characters.  Pulling off this perspective is not easy when telling the entire book from one person’s point of view, but doing it from every character is insane!  Izzi was never the sanest of people so he does it brilliantly.  Highlights of the book are when two characters narrate the same scene from their own perspective.  The overlap is impressive and really gets you into the mind of the characters and their varied motives.

The ability to get to know the characters is what is so impressive with Izzi’s ‘Players’.  Out of the four or five people that we follow you are unlikely to really like any of them.  They all have deep flaws, most are selfish and some are borderline evil.  However, you are compelled to read about them.  This is because by using the internal view of his characters Izzi is able to explore their deeper motives and tease the reader as to why they have become the monsters they are.  Not one of the characters wants the reader sympathy; they just demand that you listen to them.  

Like lots of crime noir the story is a slow burn and this will put off some readers.  You are not really given any true action until towards the final section and when it does arrive I felt that it was handled poorly and was not in keeping with the rest of the book.  The sections that worked better were the smart punctuations of action that littered the everyday life of Ben and co.  The switching from passive cool professionalism to animal rage is made more effective by the casual feel of the book.

‘Players’ is a must for any fan of gritty crime noir as it is a well written book that paints a seedy world of intrigue.  However, it is not without its flaws as the dated feel of the book can be a little off putting and the final act is the weakest section.  Despite this I would easily recommend it to fans of Ferrigno or Winslow as like these two authors Izzi writes in a way that leaves you wanting to read more whilst being repulsed by the nature of the characters.

Author:                                Eugene Izzi

Year:                      1995

Price:                    amazon uk – £5.39

Word Up! – Up Review

 

Cartoons are for kids.  A bold statement that many people will try and convince you is true.  Surely they are full of talking animals and jokes based on bodily functions like the humble bottom burp?  Of course, this is nonsense as although the vast majority of the slurry they call CGI cartoons are for the kids, some of them span the generations.  The leaders at doing this are Disney Pixar who over the years have earned the right to produce what ever film they like – have they ever steered us wrong?  Well there was ‘Cars’.  Ok, apart from ‘Cars’ have they ever steered us wrong (literally in that case)?  Well paint me dubious when you hear that their latest film is about a pensioner and a young boy scout. 

Carl Fredricksen lived a happy, but childless, marriage for many years until his wife tragically dies.  Left alone in their home he retreats within himself and refuses to be sociable.  His house is the only thing in the way of a new development so when he mistakenly hurts a developer they decide he needs to go to a home.  Not for Fred!  As a former balloon seller he straps hundreds of balloons to his house and sails away to adventure. He plans to go to South America and visit the waterfall that he always promised to take his wife to.  What he didn’t expect was the company of the tenacious and annoying young Russell, a dopey dog and a chaotic bird!

With one of the most harrowing opening 10 minutes of any film, be it cartoon or drama, ‘Up’ starts with you crying!  The montage of Carl’s life up to date is a bittersweet reflection of a loving relationship and the constant battle to live life to the fullest.   In this brief period of time Pixar once again detach themselves from the other studios making CGI films as the moving opening is simple and intelligent.  Perhaps younger children will be upset with the sense of loss in the film, but as a man in a relationship I found it very heart wrenching.  However, like many films with such a strong start ‘Up’ could not quite live up to its own high standards.

Once the film has established the characters it reverts back to the more usual cartoon fare, but does comment on the theme of loss and life fulfilment on occasion.  The elements that take place in South America in particular are far more reminiscent of the works of DreamWorks that Pixar’s recent output.  However, even these more childlike moments are incredibly well done.  The introduction of Kevin the bird and Dug the dog seem like merely ways to sell a few cuddly toys and they do provide that function.  However, they also provide a lot of funny moments that I laughed out loud at. 

The mix of poignant drama and childlike comedy does not work as well as in Pixar’s own ‘Wall:E’.  However, the mere fact that Pixar understand that the best children’s films balance light and shade to work make is a must see.  For a child to learn about life surely they must be introduced to concepts as dark as death and loss?  There is plenty of simple slapstick here, but by adding real emotion to the film it makes it a much deeper experience that children should enjoy and learn from.  Perhaps the slow start and hurtful ideas may make the film unsuitable for the very young, but after 6/7 I think the film will work.

Continuing in their trend of hiring voice actors that work for the film and not because they are famous Pixar chose veteran actor Edward Esner as the voice of Carl.  He gives a gruff exterior to the character that works brilliantly, it is much better to hear a real older person than an actor putting an older voice on.  The voice of young Russell is played by an unknown Jordan Nagai; he is a little cutesy for my liking, but works.  The only real famous voice is Christopher Plummer who does a great job as the shunned explorer Charles Muntz.

The final elements that always shine in a Pixar film is the animation itself.  ‘Up’ was available to see in the cinema in 3D and I did just this to see what the fuss was about.  In my opinion the film did not really benefit from the third dimension and held up on story alone.  The sense of depth felt more like a series of staggered shelves to me than a continuous whole.  I don’t particularly agree with the recent trend in 3D as I worry that we will end up with 10 years of rubbish films all about special effects.  We have only just started to come out of a lull in cinema due to CGI.

Is ‘Up’ Pixar’s best film?  I’m afraid not.  For me that remains ‘Wall:E’ then the two ‘Toy Story’ films.  However, even as their 4^th best film (just better than ‘Ratatouille’) it is a must see for fans of good cinema.  The opening montage alone is enough to make you reminisce about what good cinema should be.  The film does flit from adult themes to aimless slapstick, but I think it works.  The film left me entertained and moved, not an experience that often happens anymore.  I’m just glad that the 3D glasses where dark as no one could see me getting upset! 

*Sammy Recommendation*

Director:           Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

Year:                2009

Cert:                 U

Starring:            Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai and Christopher Plummer