2007
Best & Worst Movies
of 2007
Hackwriters makes the list
The
Golden Compass
Directed by Chris Weitz
Sam North review
'Brilliant
production. Mrs Coulter is truly evil. The Bear battles are terrifying,
the daemons are just wonderful - Lyra is a tough little cookie.
Roll on 'Subtle Knife'.
Save
The Cheerleader
Heroes: A Cultural
Phenomenon
Calvin Hussey & Ruby Harrison
Heroes is rapidly becoming a cultural phenonemon
Control
(2007)
Directed by Anton Corbijn
Russ Thomas
Starring Samantha Morton and Sam Riley Control is the tragic story
of Ian Curtis, ex-frontman for Joy Division
Ratatouille
Nicloe Folger
This has to be the best Disney/Pixar film I have seen in an awfully
long time. This is the one that will be joining the classics
Superbad
Greg Mottola (Director),
Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (writers)
Russ Thomas
Superbad is testament to the fact that teen movies based in and
around American high schools will never be exhausted.
Transformers
Directed by Michael Bay - starring Shia
LaBoeuf
Jack Clarkson
When I went to see Transformers it was a pleasant and heartwarming
romantic comedy that I would have enjoyed even more if Michael Bay
hadnt kept bringing in all those scenes with the Giant Robots!
The
Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)DVD
Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck 2006,
Josef Fiser review
There are different ways how film-makers from formal satellite states
of the Soviet Union deal with their communist past.
Reign
Over Me (DVD review)
Directed by Mike Binder
Josef Fiser
Dr. Johnson a dentist, meets his friend Charlie (A.Sandler) whose
family died in one of the planes on 9/11, who suffers from post-traumatic
stress disorder
Babel
(2006)
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarrito
Starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchette
Tabitha Parkes
A simple gunshot takes us on a journey from Morocco to America
through to Mexico and into Japan
The
Invasion (2007) Dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel
Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig
Stephanie Vile Review
I was really excited to go and see this film because I like horror
films.
Borat:
Dir. Larry Charles
Emma King
If there was ever a comedy that made such a phenomenal impact on
its audience, it must be Borat: Cultural Learnings of America
for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
Shoot'Em
Up
Written and Directed by Michael Davis
starring Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci
Sam North
Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, was smart as a whip and self knowing,
Smokin Aces, was relentless and often funny, despite
the inevitable bloodbath and Bourne Ultimatum was slick like
a machine with dizzying but refreshing cinema verité action
photography. So what the hell is Shoot Em Up?
Heart
Of Glass
Dan Schneider
German filmmaker Werner Herzog is not an artist to be underestimated,
even in his lesser films, like 1976's Heart Of Glass (Herz
Aus Glaus) because his films tend to have a cumulative power,
The
Wild Party
Tiffany Lee
Crash
landing right in the middle of an age obsession with chaos and scandal,
soon to be dramatic legend Rosie Kay has hurled at us a play that
cannot be silenced.
In
Rainbows - Radiohead
Aby Davis
I bought Radioheads new album online. It set me back £1
FRESA Y CHOCOLATE
(Strawberry and Chocolate)
Dir: Tomas Gutierrez Alea & Juan Carlos
Tabio
Anne Marie-Dover
A bigoted and fervently heterosexual young man and an older, decadent
homosexual non-conformist artist is already very promising, the
plot reveals a sensitivity that has made Fresas y Chocolate
one of the most celebrated Latin American films of the 90s.
SAW 1V
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Calvin Hussey
The film starts with perhaps the most climatic opening sequence
of the series as we see a blinded man pitted against a silenced
man in a high-octane clash
V
for Vendetta (DVD)
Dir James McTeigue
Robert Hillum
When V for Vendetta was originally written, way back when, over
two and a half decades ago, the political power was very different
to the ones in power now, but being politics what very different
is, eventually becomes the same.
Brazil
(1985) Directed by Terry Gilliam.
Russ Thomas reappraisal
With such films as Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Time
Bandits behind him, one has to expect a little surrealism with
Terry Gilliam
This
is England Directed by Shane Meadows
Tiffany Lee
Every now and then a film emerges that grabs you by the eyeballs
and prevents you from ever being the same. Britain hasnt achieved
this since Ewan McGregor asked "who needs reasons when youve
got heroin?"
Black
Sheep
Madeleine Collis
Never looking at sheep in quite the same way again is a by product
of viewing "Black Sheep".
Elizabeth: The Golden
Age
Dir: Shekar Kapur
Anna-Marie Dover
Brilliant costumes a historical drama do not make
Dr.
Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the
Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Paul Rumble
Stanley Kubricks Cold War comedy is positively chilling. Dr. Strangelove
still remains frighteningly relevant
300
(DVD)
Directed by Zack Snyder
Jack Clarkson
World renowned historian Frank Miller enlightens us all on what
really happened at the battle of Thermopylae.
All
Quiet On The Western Front (1930)
Directed by Lewis Milestone
Russ Thomas
Few films can boast relevance to all eras. All Quiet On The Western
Front, a 1930 screen adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's novel
written from a German perspective is one of these films.
Pride
and Prejudice (BBC 1995)
Director: Simon Langton
Emma King
Out of all the historical fiction out there, my favourite
has to be the 1995 BBCs six hour adaptation of Jane Austens
Pride and Prejudice.
Munich
Richard
Parry
On the 5th September 1972, with the Summer Olympics in their second
week of competition, eleven members of the Israeli athletics team
were killed in what would later become known as the Munich
Massacre.
Star Wars: A New Hope
Dir. George Lucas
Robert Hillum
1977 was a good year to be a geek. If there were a moment in time
I would travel back to, this would be it.
Perfume: A Story Of A
Murderer
Director: Tom Tykwer
Aby Davis review
The opening sequence of Perfume: A Story Of A Murderer stinks.
I mean, it almost literally smells. Which is probably the affect
director Tom Tykwer was after
Deus Ex
Developed by Ion Storm
Jack Clarkson review
"Deus Ex" is the first half of the Latin saying, "Deus
Ex Machina", God from the machine. Nowadays its the term
for a plot device in which something comes along and just makes
everything better like some kind of narrative Chuck Norris.
The Digital Photographer's Software Guide
by John Lewell- Pub Oct 2008
Publishers: Course Technology USA
ISBN:13:978-1-59863-543-0
A comphrehensive guide to the full range of photographic
software and plug-ins available to assist in digital photography
editing and output: For novice to serious hobbyist
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photographers-Software-Guide/dp/1598635433
Very useful guide - Hackwriters recommeded |
2007
John Dies At The End
by David Wong
Jack Clarkson
If Douglas Adams had written Horror instead of Science Fiction
he would have written something a bit like this
Kings
of Leon
Aby Davis review
On the 10th of December 2007, the Kings of Leon opened their Birmingham
NIA set in a burst of yowling voice and raunchy guitar.
Behind You! by
Linda Regan
Daniel Alves review
Life long feuds, unsolved hatreds, and more than enough lies to
twist the plot into a maze. This detective novel boasts all the
themes that darken in the eye of betrayal; sex, money, and murder.
Understanding
Miss Jones
Alana Hebenton
Bridget Joness diary chronicles the life of the attractive
thirty something Bridget, round a years worth of her diary
entries
The
Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Matt Alison
On my recent rereading of The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
I felt that I truly grasped and appreciated the importance of
this classic.
Bob
Dylan and his Band play Seattle
Jeffrey Beyl listens to Modern Times
I was eleven years old when I first heard Bob Dylan. I was singing
what is still to this day my all-time favorite song, Mr. Tambourine
Man.
On
The Road @ 50
Jack Kerouac's Peripatetic Ode
You're not really writing a book till you begin to take liberties
with it - Jack Kerouac
James Campion
Jean-Louis
Le bris de Kerouac wrote the above in a 1949 journal two years
removed from his first of three free-wheeling cross-country road
trips
Faculty
of Color: Teaching in Predominantly White Colleges
and Universities, Christine A. Stanley (Editor)Anker Publishing
Company, 2006, pp373.
Dr Mawan Asmar review
Reem Al Haj Ali moved from being a dental student at the University
of Jordan into an award winning professor at the School of Dentistry
at the University of Missouri, Kansas in the United States.
The Writing Escapade
Marwan Asmar
Words and sentences take a life of their own, dancing in
front of you, picking themselves up from the gray lines and pages
and appealing to your senses and thoughts.'
Turning
The Wheel by Charles Johnson
Dan
Schneider
Charles Johnson is a fictionist best known for his award winning
novels like Oxherding Tale, Middle Passage, and
Dreamer. He is one of the rare published writers and intellectuals
willing to publicly state his displeasure with the current low
state of American writing.
Another
Place to die by Sam North
Ian Middleton Review
A powerful portrayal of an underestimated threat. Fascinating,
frightening and compelling read.
After
Dark by Haruki Murakami
Sam North Review
At last I thought, a new novel not a collection of short stories.
The thrill of a new Murakami was present. I settled down to read
and within one chapter I was once again wondering what has happened
to this author...
New
Moon by Stepahnie Meyer
Nicole Foulger review
Stephenie Meyer loses none of the drama in New Moon the sequel
to the breathtaking Twilight. We enter back into the mind
and life of ordinary teen Bella who has the most extraordinary
boyfriend-Edward Cullen, a Vampire.
The
Savage Altar by Asa Larsson
A Josephine Green review
The Savage Altar is Larssons first thriller and this
unusual piece of detection takes us into the hidden depths of
Sweden and a cult that holds many individuals secrets, lies and
fates
Perishable by Dirk
Jamison
Charlie Dickinson review
Dirk Jamison's childhood memoir, PERISHABLE, is about, among
other things, a dad who decides a few minutes of daily Dumpster
diving will put food on the table for the family.
The Sorrows of Young Pamuk
Istanbul: Memories of a City
Stefanie Stiles
Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul has the feeling of a biography written
about a lost and lovely woman by a still-besotted ex-lover; it
is an elegy for the city of Pamuk's youth.
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
Sam North review
'Papa,' she whispered. 'I think I am going to hell.'
Remarkable compelling WW2 story
Salmonella Men on Planet
Porno by Yasutaka Tsutsui
Translated by Andrew Driver
Sam North review
'A terrific introduction to this hilarious and perceptive Japanese
Sci-Fi author.'
The Frugal Book Promoter
by Carolyn Howard Johnson
Ian Middleton review of essential POD advice
Swan Lake On Ice
The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
Performances: Monday Feb 19th Saturday Feb 24th
Jo Green - A brillant night out
Empire Falls
by Richard Russo
Dan Schnieder - a bad book by a bad writer
The Rough Guide to
Slovenia - Edition 2
By Norm Longley
Ian Middleton review
Insightful and informative, Rough Guide to Slovenia is an
essential part of anyones Slovenia travel kit!
White
Teeth
by Zadie Smith
Dan Schneider
I get really tired of negative criticism. In it, a reviewer
who is scared shitless of making an enemy of a writer, or a publishing
house, writes a few mild rebukes of the writer, but ...in the
end praises the writer as being terrific, as a person, and that
it was just this book, or a portion of it, that failed.
Twilight by
Stephanie Meyer
Nicole Foulger
A gripping romantic vampire story with bite...
Everyman by Philip
Roth
Josef Fiser
It just opens the door. It is like a picture, nicely painted
picture which can just please you by its colours as well as take
you as deep into life (and death) matters as you can stand.
Londonstani
by Gautam Malkani,
Anna-Marie
Dover
Londonstani bursts with strong colours and fast action. Written
in the first person, with a believable and strong dialogue, this
novels vivid imagery jumps out of the page like a Roy Lichtenstein
cartoon.
Hollys Inbox
by Holly Denham
Chris Burden
Hollys Inbox tells the story of this years
Bridget Jones, Holly Denham, a lovable, modern woman with the
flaws of a real person.
Mansfield Park,
by Jane Austen
Madeleine Collis
Yet Mansfield Park takes the feminine ideal in a direction
so far north of any modern reality its almost unfathomable
to believe in such a world.
Batman: The Dark
Knight Returns
Written By: Frank Miller 1986
Stephen Doyle
The Dark Knight Returns is long considered to be one of
the graphic novels to be read. It is often held in
high regard alongside Watchmen, Maus and The Sandman
Man Bites Dog
Directed by Remy Belvaux
Paul Rumble
Benoit is well-spoken, well-dressed, often witty and loves to
quote poetry. He also likes to kill people.
Machuca
(2004)
Directed by Andres Wood
Tabitha Parkes
30,000 children killed. 100,000 arrested without trial. 22,000
expelled. 150,000 exiled. Chile 1973
Stalins Ghost
by Martin Cruz Smith
Louise Webster
For those who want something perhaps slightly unusual or
written with depth, then this book is highly recommended - it
is definitely a compelling read.
The Last Great Dance
On Earth by Sandra Gulland
Ruby Harrison
I was not born for such grandeur Josephine, in a letter
to her daughter Hortense.
Moll Flanders, by Daniel
Defoe (1722)
Daniel Alves
Moll Flanders tells us everything that could not be spoken about
in the eighteenth century. Pretending to be factual truth, this
novel explores the taboos of the time.
The War of the Worlds
by H.G. Wells (1898)
Stephen Doyle
The War of the Worlds is the forerunner of that science-fiction
staple, the Alien Invasion story. Independence
Day and dozens of other movies, books, and TV programmes pay
homage to this original tale,
The Sorrows of Young
Werther
Author: Goethe
Joseph Grosso
However if there is one work that must be named as having captured
my personal Sublime as having described my own life experience
up till now, it would have to be Goethes groundbreaking
novel 'Sorrows'
Consequences
Dont call me baby by Laurie Depp
Alana Hebenton
Dont call me baby creates a realistic teenage voice
with is use of contemporary cultural references to Hello
magazine and celebrities like David Beckam,
An
Artist Of The Floating World, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Dan
Schneider
Kazuo Ishiguro's 1986 novel, An Artist Of The Floating
World, which won that year's Whitbread Prize, may be a great
novel
Call Me Elizabeth
Dawn Annandale
Emma King review
A story of abuse, rape, prostitution, marriage, money and family
values, there are few issues Call Me Elizabeth doesnt explore.
The
Wayward Wind by Ashleigh
Bingham
Publisher: Robert Hale Ltd (1 Nov 2007)
Lisa Timmermann review
At its best, Ashleigh Binghams The Wayward Wind
can be described as an atmospheric and suspenseful adventure novel
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