Another night, another pay cheque

Image via Wikipedia

I am currently in the process of trying to combine a review of Ian Mortimer's extensively researched and detailed reappraisal of Henry V, "1415: Henry V's Year of Glory" with the warrior king's entry in my icon series. It's taking some time what with all my other commitments. Anyway, today's entry is not the sort of subject matter I normally put up on this blog, but it does have bearing on my interest in history...

"Night at the Museum 2" - A Review

Writing a review: my thoughts

Image by A river runs through via Flickr

 In response to a fellow writer and friend's concerns regarding writing a review (a task he is more than capable of doing) I decided to re-publish the below review for the "Dooyoo" site back in February. I hope this is useful.

In gratitude for the very kind acknowledgement made by Dooyoo this week by making me a celebrated member of the week, I thought I would give back a bit to the community. Here is a little of my background.

Replacing the Village Elder: Some Notes on the Counselling Age

wwwImage by alancleaver_2000 via Flickr

In 2007 I watched a very dear relative of mine die before my eyes. We were very close and I had known him all my life. It wasn't a sudden death, but his mind had been pretty sharp up until his final hours, which made his passing anything but a relief for those around him. He loved life and lived it to the full, and was positive right up until the very end. The whole experience was horrid for all those around him. An hour after his passing we all sat in the hospital reception, giving support to his wife as the nurses on the ward went through the basic formalities. The wife was asked whether she would like some bereavement counselling. Her response was a defiant,

Greatest Animated Fight Scenes

I’ll come straight out with it as much as I have a strong appreciation for well-plotted, well-acted, well-directed and well-produced dramas I have always enjoyed a good fight scene. What led me to like them were some of my earliest memories of TV, and these were watching cartoons like the animated series of “Godzilla”. The “Godzilla” TV series would often have at least one punch-up between the titular character of the show and some mythical or mutated beast. It wasn’t long after I became

Faust creates Satan - a review of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"

Plot:

Arctic adventurer Captain Robert Walton happens across a desperate man who he rescues and takes on board his ship. The man, a one Victor Frankenstein, befriends the explorer who he feels an almost immediate kinship with. Hearing of Walton’s ambitions to reach the North Pole he feels moved to tell the story of how he came to be in such a dire situation hoping it will serve as a cautionary tale for the driven captain.

The Best Films Inspired by Jaws

Image via Wikipedia

The film “Jaws” has gone down in celluloid history for many different reasons. It decisively put Steven Spielberg on the map as one of Hollywood’s master directors and it initiated the summer blockbuster. A great idea is bound to inspire imitators and “Jaws” has produced a massive legacy of films that transcend genres and continue to draw in audiences from lowbrow low budget eco-horror flicks to stylistic thrillers. It is perhaps worth noting that “Jaws” was also inspired in many ways by different classics. Based on Peter Benchley’s compelling thriller of the same name, “Jaws” is quite loyal to the novel, the ending being its most significant departure. Benchley’s own novel was inspired by true life incidents relating to shark attacks, the rogue shark theory and t

Sins of the father, sins of Man; the price of the Immortals

Cover via Amazon

“Tess of the D’Urbervilles” is a classic Victorian tragedy about the life of an impoverished and virtuous Wessex country girl who becomes a victim of her society and the forces of fate. Her destiny will be both in the hands of the changeable morality of her fellow humans and the consistent forces of nature.