The International Writers Magazine: Reviews of Film and Books 2009-2012

The Hunger Games (2012) Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match. Director: Gary Ross Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

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2012 Film The Descendants Director: Alexander Payne Sam Hawksmoor review Wife in a coma after a boating accident - Matt King (Clooney) a lawyer and landowner in Hawaii is faced with having to look after and understand his kids for the first time in his life. Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows Dir: Guy Ritchie Writers Kieran & Michele Mulroney Starring Robert Downey Jnr, Jude Law, Noomi Rapace,  Sam North review Purists look away now - the second outing of Robert Downey Jnr as the Victorian sleuth Sherlock Holmes is a LOT of fun.  It’s an action packed thriller with cross dressing and very big guns.  Anonymous (2011) Director: Roland Emmerich Stars: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave & David Thewlis Paul Valentine review As expected, a worthy number of the great and the good, albeit not wholly intelligent men of letters, have responded to this film with ‘tags’ ranging from ‘utterly outrageous’, to ‘preposterous’. More fool them. The Adventures of Tin-Tin The Secret of the Unicorn Director: Steven Spielberg Stars: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig 'a slick, machine polished rollercoaster of a movie' DRIVE Rob Myers Deliberate but pulsating, Drive is both as lean and as powerful as the machines it showcases. Like the cinematic icons of yesteryear, Ryan Gosling’s driver keeps his head down and his mouth closed Warrior Rob Myers Theoretically, Warrior is the type of film that audiences should flock to in droves. It is a sports drama (Mixed Martial Arts, in this case) with familial conflict at its center and the notion of overcoming all odds at its heart. Blue Valentine Directed by Derek Cianfrance Dan Schneider Blue Valentine is a film designed to stir debate, but not in the usual silly political nor emotional sort of way. Its debate is of a deeper and more profound measure, and that is it asks which of the two main characters profiled in the film is in the wrong? Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Daniel Cann The final big summer superhero film has hit our screens and it looks as if they have saved the best till last. Super 8             Director/Writer J.J. Abrams Producer: Steven Spielberg Stars: Elle Fanning, Amanda Michalka and Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths Must have been the perfect pitch session. ‘Stand by Me with Aliens’. There, you have it.  Sign the cheque, make the movie, form an orderly queue. Jackie Mason Dean Borok - an appreciation Why is it that Oprah Winfrey has got billions of dollars, millions of adoring admirers and her own television network, while Jackie Mason can only claim a handful of Staten Island garbage collectors as his fan base The Quiet Duel Director:Akira Kurosawa Dan Schneider Great artists have a way to make even their lesser works interesting, if not great. Such is the case with the 1949 black and white film, The Quiet Duel Sobre Las Olas and Latin Film Dean Borok review Of all the world’s language groups, the most fascinating and sophisticated film output derives from the Spanish-speaking countries of Europe and Latin America, with their diverse and unique historical experiences and cultural points of view I Vitelloni Dan Schneider Sometimes, after achieving a certain level, an artist makes a slight regression before hitting the heights of greatness. Such an arc is apparent to me after having watched Federico Fellini’s 1953, black and white Neo-Realist film, I Vitelloni StreetDance 3D Sam Faulkner review an enjoyable and crowd-pleasing portrait of some very talented entertainers The Cove - Shallow Water, Deep Secret Director: Louie Psihoyos, Shivani Shah If the people of Taiji in Japan are culpable, the world stands accomplice to the horrific massacre of one of the most intelligent animals on Planet Earth Robin Hood (2010) Directed by Ridley Scott Starring Russell Crowe Daniel Cann review This is unlike most other adaptations ... I found this refreshing rather than sacrilegious Iron Man 2 Directed by Jon Favreau Daniel Cann review At times it does play like a Republican’s wet dream Kick Ass Daniel Cann review This film takes a well-established genre and turns it completely on its head. Shutter Island - Directed by Martin Scorsese Sam Faulkner review Highly atmospheric thriller scores Leonardo another hit Green Zone Daniel Cann review ‘Bourne series’ Director Paul Greengrass and actor Matt Damon team up again this time in War film/ political thriller ‘Green Zone.’ The Crazies - Directed by Breck Eisner A Sam Faulkner review Refreshing remake scrapes all the right nerves Youth in Revolt Directed by Miquel Arteta - starring Michael Cera Sam Faulkner review a fresh, fun, and most importantly funny 90 minutes. Avatar - Written and Directed by James Cameron A triumph of spectacle and technology - a wonderful 'extra-human' drama Sherlock Holmes Directed by Guy Ritchie Daniel Cann review Thrilling and faithful adaptation captues new audience for Doyle Sherlock Holmes Directed by Guy Ritchie Richard Crawley review Robert Downey Jnr pulls it off The Wolfman (2010) Directed by Joe Johnston Daniel Cann review Disappointing remake of werewolf classic In the Loop - Directed by A Ianucci A Dan Crossen review Raw real politics with a sharp bite Generation Kill Creators: David Simon, Ed Burns & Evan Wright Dan Crossen review Iraq war and the role of US soldiers based there brought in sharp brutal focus Damages - Seasons 1-3 Dan Crossen High tension legal drama on the cutting edge of white collar crime ART & OPINION Didactic Science through Art Andres Botero The Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957); his artistic production can be understood as being a giant classroom for all the public in which science played a fundamental roll Life, Literature and the Europeans Allen Gibson It is a wet and dreary Sunday morning. Cool rain trickling down, birds chirping, green everywhere. The May long weekend – a bank holiday, as the English would say. And I find myself in a very unusual position, reading European literature The Nemesis that also faced Sylvia Plath Abigail George This is how I remember Helen Maartens. The Magi with their camels and the Owl House; their tethers tug like flame at my heartstrings and I wonder about her wounds, her coy magical healing, did she ever prepare a delicious, warm cake for her friend, that social worker that Fugard spoke so highly of

2012 Books The Mental Defective League Dan Schneider review One of the keys to Cochran’s success is that his book is utterly without pretense, something that Salinger’s book chokes on, from its lead character through its situations’ preciousness to its hordes of addled devotees’ wan and off-base interpretations. On Editing a Novel Sam Hawksmoor I approached my own edit with alacrity, but not without some professional interest Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Experience and American Prospects, 2nd by Dmitry Orlov, New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, 2011, 196 pp., ISBN: 978-0-86571-685-8 & eISBN: 978-1-55092-475-6 Charlie Dickinson Reinventing Collapse by Dmitry Orlov is a welcome addition to "doomer" literature about societal collapse. IQ84 by Haruki Murakami Books 1 & 2 It is always a pleasure to read a new Murakami novel and for once the hype over this new one is justified.  Having recently seen Norwegian Wood (the movie) I was reminded of the pleasure of reading his work and how he weaves so many simple inconsequential things into a complex and often fraught but always satisfying read. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt. Ecco, Harper/Collins, New York. Charlie Dickinson review I read THE SISTERS BROTHERS by Patrick DeWitt expecting a literary treat: Here’s one of six 2011 novels short-listed for the Man Booker Prize Trackers by Deon Meyer Sam North review Complex spy/action thriller set in crime infested South Africa that grips you completely Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov translated from the Russian by George Bird, Melville House Publishing, 2011, 232 pp. Charlie Dickinson Death and the Penquin by Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov recalls the classic Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West. Both novels are rich with black humor about writers working for cynical newspaper editors and publishing under pseudonyms. Things We Didn’t See Coming by Steven Amsterdam Publisher - Vintage ISBN 9780099547044 Sam North review a wonderful examination of a crack in time, haunting, passive, yet compelling. The Life of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski Sam Hawksmoor review an emotional roller coaster and well deserved of its worldwide success Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (YA Fiction) 'A brilliant thrilling insight into America's Post-Oil Future' Sam Hawksmoor B1137-NH3 The Fantastical Ascent Of Jason Sanford Dan Schneider essay While I think Sanford is a high quality writer, even more so than his quality being of the essence and cogence here, this essay will descry why Sanford is an Important writer Carte Blanche By Jeffery Deaver Daniel Cann The problem facing every author tackling James Bond is they will always be compared to creator Ian Fleming’s version.   The Identity Factor By James Houston Turner Dan Cann This thriller comes from an author with a past as colourful as the characters and events he creates. Ford County Stories By John Grisham (Pub May 2011) Daniel Cann What John Grisham attempts with ‘Ford County Stories’ is to take the reader into the world of the rural small town of Clanton, Mississippi in America’s Deep South. The Rational Optimist Nick Lewandowski The sky is not falling. Climate change will not destroy human civilization. Our fossil fuels will last long enough for us to develop alternatives and contrary to popular opinion the world will be a better, cleaner and safer place a hundred years from now. On Failure Michael Hoffman I am a failure. I am not boasting. I speak seriously and soberly, based on a modicum of self-knowledge painfully acquired. Lake Charles by Ed Lynskey ISBN-13: 978-1434430465 Wildside Press (June 2011) Sam North review What Carl Hiaasen did for Florida, Ed Lynskey has done for Tennessee in his funny and slick Appalachian noir thriller. The Makioka Sisters Dan Schneider Junichiro Tanizaki’s 1948 novel, The Makioka Sisters, or Sasameyuki, whose Japanese title is Light Snow), is often referred to as the greatest of last century’s novels from Japan The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy by Adam Tooze Nick Lewandowski review Adam Tooze’s mammoth dissection of Nazi Germany’s economy, The Wages of Destruction, is not for the faint of heart. The Three Stations by Martin Cruz Smith Sam Hawksmoor I admit I am a long serving fan of Renko, a cop in constant threat of dismissal, his brilliant record of solving crimes worthless in a country were corruption is the norm and no one actually wants crimes solved. Eastern Approaches: Shaken, Not Stirred John M Edwards Was Scottish Adventurer Sir Fitzroy Maclean the real-life prototype of  James Bond? Frozen Out by Quentin Bates Robinson Publishing (27 Jan 2011) Sam North review This is the first in a brilliant new detective series set in Iceland and featuring police sergeant Gunnhildur of Hvalvik’s small police force.  A body found washed up on a beach at her fishing village sparks a nationwide investigation that grows in proportions and national importance. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu Sam North review This a novel about the perfect time you will never have with the perfect girl you will never meet, in a life never lived in a time that never happened and a dog called Ed Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer Callie Wallace Usually averse to military sagas, and certainly not expecting to be captivated by Pat Tillman’s story, I nonetheless decided to give this book a chance. After all, Krakauer’s other books are full of remarkable storytelling and compelling characters.   Rat Girl by Kristin Hersh Paul Valentine review Let me get one thing straight. I adore Kristin Hersh, even knowing that she would hate that. The Magicians by Lev Grossman Sam North review Anyone who ever saw ‘Igby Goes Down’ or read Donna Tart's 'Secret History' would relish more of the same. Quentin Coldwater has discontent and preppy New York down to a tee and although being miserable is every teenagers right of passage, being excessively bright with it only heightens the disillusionment.  Mix in ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ and you have the right perspective to enter the world of ‘The Magicians’. Warrior Odyssey by Antonio Graceffo David Calleja review If you are going to set your sights on achieving a goal, approach the tasks with passion and ferocity. New York-born Antonio Graceffo’s sixth book, Warrior Odyssey, does just that, The Windup Girl Paolo Bacigalupi Sam North review Brilliant insight into our terrifying future after a population crash. Stunning and vivid biogenetic noir. I Have Waited and You Have Come by Martine McDonagh Now available as an e-book from Myriad Editions July 2010 ePub ISBN 9780956251596 A bleak take on a post-apocalyptic England; flooded, introspective, obessive and retreating into primitive eco-living. Dark literary lanscapes await you. Apathy for the Devil by Nick Kent Jordan Drury his commitment to narration is utterly compelling, with convincing yarns concerning his hand in the creation of the Sex Pistols A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Walt Bertelsen Burning the Ugliness: It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see The Immoralist, by Andre Gide Dan Schneider review One of the hallmarks of great art is that it not only defines its time, but transcends it, as well. In reading over the Dover Thrift Edition of Andre Gide’s 1902 novella, The Immoralist (L’Immoraliste), this fact came home pointedly. Della says OMG! By Keris Stainton Joanna Maclean review Good girls keep diaries. Bad girls don’t have time. Frank and funny teen diary novel Sphinx By T.S. Learner Review by Daniel Cann Alexandria, Egypt in 1977, on a dive to an old shipwreck archaeologist Isabella Warnock discovers an ancient artifact: an astrarium. This mysterious device is rumoured to have shaped the destinies of pharaohs and kings and even used by Moses at one time. Harri Stojka Marianne de Nazareth Legend has it that gypsies are born musicians. Harri Stojka awed Bangalore’s music aficionado’s with his effortless musical genius

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