hscptcrash

Film Review: The Mummy (2017)

Length: 1hr 50
Rating: 15
Release: 9th June 2017
About: Nick Morton is a soldier of fortune who plunders ancient sites for timeless artifacts and sells them to the highest bidder. When Nick and his partner come under attack in the Middle East, the ensuing battle accidentally unearths Ahmanet, a betrayed Egyptian princess who was entombed under the desert for thousands of years. With her powers constantly evolving, Morton must now stop the resurrected monster as she embarks on a furious rampage through the streets of London.

The Good

It finishes? If my dad wasn’t watching, I would have turned it off and I do suspect that if I’d gone the cinema, I would have walked out.
Jake Johnson being Jake Johnson. Although, all it really did was make me miss his presence in Jurassic World 2. I would have been happy if he fronted the movie if I’m honest.
Seeing an ambulance filmed ‘Hollywood style’ strangely made me happy. Yay, don’t our med vans look cool in a high speed chase! (Yup, I’m clutching at straws to give another ‘Good’)

The Bad

Did we really need the Jekyll and Hyde sidebar?! Crowe was doing an alright job until he started ‘Hulking’ out. While I like that he didn’t grow in size and gained a garish Cocky accent, I just felt it was a pointless world building plot device that is unnecessary when the turd is as ill formed and prematurely presented as this one.

The Ugly

Why Tom Cruise?!?! Like what the actual fuck?! He was not right for the role. I felt like I was watching Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise and the plot was written around that.
Tom has zero chemistry with anyone onscreen, including the woman he’s meant to have shagged and have ‘feelings’ for never mind the Mummy who is meant to have enchanted him into having a desire to return to her.

Final Thoughts

With no characters you’re invested in, the story loses its audience almost right away. Watch while its on Netflix, but remember; it’s two hours you will never get back.

Film Review: Simon Birch (1998)

Length: 1hr 54

Rating: PG

Release: 25th June 1999

About: Simon Birch (Ian Michael Smith) and Joe Wenteworth (Joseph Mazzello) are boys who have a reputation for being oddballs. Joe never knew his father, and his mother, Rebecca (Ashley Judd), is keeping her lips sealed, no matter how much he protests. Simon, meanwhile, is an 11-year-old dwarf whose outsize personality belies his small stature. Indeed, he often assails the local reverend (David Strathairn) with thorny theological questions and joins Joe on his quest to find his biological father.

The Good

The plot- memoir meets mystery. Has the Stand by Me vibe that was popular in the 90s. Nothing says Sunday afternoon movie more than a 1950’s nostalgic flash back with a calming ‘Wonder Years’ narration.
Jim Carey as the older Joe/narrator really works. He has a beautiful voice that really carries the memoir tone. Something that really surprises me seeing as the last thing I saw him in was Earth Girls Are Easy.
Oliver Platt is somewhat of an underrated actor in my opinion. This film is a perfect example of what a rich performance he can bring to the table and how he is able to balance humour, charm and charisma. He could not have been in this move enough.
Joe Mazzello and Ian Michael Smith Have this amazing chemistry throughout the film that I want so many movies with the two of them. Joe always seems comfortable within the 50s and this film sees him give some of his most powerful scenes I’ve ever had the privilege to see. From standing up to Simon’s excuse for a father to his response to the ‘lefty’ reveal, Mazzello gives emotion by the bucket load. It’s hard not to see the parallels with Three Wishes, but watch them in close succession and you can see how much stronger a person in a similar circumstance can be so different with a true best friend to escape with. Less brat and more of a level head makes Joe of Birch a favourite character of mine.
Ian Michael Smith gives the most incredible performance. I hate the response of the adults, including those within the church. He is a beautiful and caring child, despite the discouragement he experiences. There’s a cheeky side to the character that makes this film such a joy to watch despite the bittersweet ending you know is coming.

The Bad

I’m sad we lost the relationship between Rebecca and Ben so soon. While it does have an impact on his relationship with Joe, and I love their bond, I’d have loved to have seen them as a family unit a little more.

The Ugly

It’s all ‘My Girl’ in places so prepare yourself with a tissue or, you know, a million. Although while My Girl gives you a really amazing happy ride until that blub-fest, this will have your eyes like Niagara Falls from the midway point onwards.

Film Review: Toy Story (1995)

Length: 1Hr 21

Rating: PG

Release: 22nd March 1996

About: Woody (Tom Hanks), a good-hearted cowboy doll who belongs to a young boy named Andy (John Morris), sees his position as Andy’s favorite toy jeopardized when his parents buy him a Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) action figure. Even worse, the arrogant Buzz thinks he’s a real spaceman on a mission to return to his home planet. When Andy’s family moves to a new house, Woody and Buzz must escape the clutches of maladjusted neighbor Sid Phillips (Erik von Detten) and reunite with their boy.

First Thoughts

This film scared the crap out of me and seemed to angry to enjoy. I think this was a cinema trip with my neighbour.

The Good

“You uncultured swine” there are so many pun-tastings lines in this beauty. It makes the dialogue smart, funny and, therefore, a film that grows with a child.
The Joss Whedon influence. ‘They’re not lying down on the job.’ – scene moves to the soldiers lying down on the job. While I don’t know I can confirm that he wrote THAT line, but Whedon has explained that it’s something he did in Avengers Assemble. There’s a few other lines like this and in this they come across like dad humour, which I find strangely comforting.
You couldn’t have better actors than Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. That line ‘you. Are. A. Toy.’ has perfect delivery and one I parrot.
It’s pace is brilliant and never has any lulls. In fact it’s the perfect cause and effect movie for any Film Studies student to analyse.

The Bad and the Ugly

Sid scared me as a child. He still scares me now. The only thing that scares me more are the mangled toys. I don’t know if this makes me a pussy, but it gave me nightmares and was pretty much the reason why I didn’t like it as a kid.

Final Thoughts

It was, much like a Lion King, a film I disliked as a kid. However, I’ve grown to love it and I’m very much looking forward to part 4 in a few weeks time.

Film Review: Aladdin (1992)

Length: 1Hr 30

Rating: U

Release: 17th November 1992

About: When street rat Aladdin frees a genie from a lamp, he finds his wishes granted. However, he soon finds that the evil has other plans for the lamp — and for Princess Jasmine. But can Aladdin save Princess Jasmine and his love for her after she sees that he isn’t quite what he appears to be?

First things first

This was my birthday movie for 1992. My neighbour went to see it just before Christmas and invited me, but I was a tool and turned the offer down under the argument of ‘it’s my birthday movie’. I was very surprised when my dad picked this to watch, but I suspect it’s because he wants to watch the new one that’s about to be released and can’t get to the cinema.

The Good

• Robin Williams marked a change in animation. Yes, Angela Lansbury had leant her vocal talents to Mrs Potts the year before, but she had always been part of the Disney stable and I would argue her box office potential. Williams brought about the start of employing box office stars to headline animations. What a choice it was?! There’s been so much talk about the upcoming live-action release and that’s centred around the casting of the Genie. How can anyone replace someone who made the role iconic?!

• It’s not only Williams’ familiar tones that we all love, it’s his humour that has adults and children alike belly laughing. The imitations and nods to pop culture are perfect and make sure that adults feel invested in the film too.

• The music is delightful and I think I prefer it to The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. It has a happy beat, reminiscent of Jungle Book that you will always hum for hours after finishing the film. My personal favourite is Prince Ali. The only shame is that the songs are front heavy and we only get a brief reprise and reworking of Prince Ali at the climax.

• My favourite characters will always be Abu, the monkey and the carpet! I love the humour gained from both. I would say the Carpet is the precursor to BB-8; cute but sassy.

The Bad

• There are a few scenes that are using the high tech computer graphics. Only problem is, that what was high tech in 1992 no longer looks the case. As a result, the escape from the cave of wonders and some of the palace doesn’t blend as well with the rest of the traditional animation. It is perhaps why it’s not long before the Mouse House trade in traditional methods for a consistent computer created approach.

The Ugly

• It’s very Hollywood and very white washed. While the story is, without a doubt, perfect this was one of the animations in Disney Vault that should be given the makeover treatment. The animations are perhaps ‘culture neutral’, however when you see that most of the voices are produced by white Americans, it’s hard to deny it’s a little questionable. It’s certainly enough for me to feel a little uncomfortable and welcome the new live action.

• (Side bar): I find it quite interesting how many people of ethnic origins are voicing white characters in animations. I’m not sure where I stand on this; should it go with the ‘no straight actor should play a gay character’? It’s something I want to consider further, but surely if I’m offended by Anthony Hopkins black facing Othello, this is of a similar ilk?

Final Thoughts

Casting aside, this is a perfect animated classic; funny, action packed and with a good hearted protagonist.

Film Review: Three Wishes (1995)

Length: 1Hr 55

Rating: PG

Release: 15th December 1995

About: Description

When single mother Jeanne Holman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) turns to avoid hitting a dog with her station wagon, she unwittingly hits bearded drifter Jack McCloud (Patrick Swayze). Against the protests of her scandalized neighbors, Holman insists that the injured man stay at the Holman residence to heal. As the eccentric McCloud recovers from the accident, he becomes a positive influence on — and an unexpected father figure to — her young sons, Tom (Joseph Mazzello) and Gunny (Seth Mumy).

For Starters

I am pretty certain I saw this in the cinema. The only thing I’m not sure about, is who I went with. I’m convinced it wasn’t my birthday movie so it must have been a pre-Christmas trip with my neighbour. However, what I’m certain of is that it was something I chose to watch because ‘the kid from Jurassic Park’ was in it. It was one of many films I coerced my mum and others into taking me to see with that line. Jurassic Park also saw me watch Tremors at a much younger age than I should have because Mazzello’s onscreen sister was in it.

Anyway, I definitely saw it in the cinema and I think I’ve only seen it that one time before today. I have fond, feel good, memories linked to it.

The Good

• Its a beautiful story; the sort that isn’t made today. That dreamy, feel good nostalgic look at the 50s that was seen in films like Now and Then, Stand By Me and Forest Gump.

• At its heart this is a baseball movie. Tom and his team pretty much suck, but over the course of the film, they improve enough to win a game. As much as I would have loved to have seen more of this, it was more about Tom earning his place within the group that segregates him.

• What struck me when watching this time was the Buddhism approach to baseball that Patrick Swayze’s Jack teaches the boys. Not only does it help transform the boys and helps them win, the coach embraces the approach Jack offers. It’s quite a stark contrast to the toxic masculine leadership originally shown and something I couldn’t appreciate at the time.

• Joe Mazzello demonstrates once again why he was one of the best child actors around. His chemistry with Patrick Swayze is something I truly love; the distrust that melts away to accept a different father figure that the 50s was pumping out. How Tom is treated is heartbreaking; he’s not accepted because he doesn’t have a father. Mazzello has this amazing way of being a brat, but you knowing deep down he’s a good (if not impressionable) kid. There are actors out there who would make Tom an unlikable character, but it’s with scenes like the batting practice that shows you how much Tom wants to be happy.

• I love how strong the film allows Jeanne to be. In a period of time in which is was expected for her to remarry, she passes up a proposal and chooses to raise her boys alone. It’s empowering as a female viewer

• Finally… a film that shows the passage of time with the moon. This is silly, but I’ve been very frustrated to see a full moon in pretty much every single tv show or movie that shows the night sky. I was so very happy to see that when the moon appears for a second scene, days later, it is in fact waning.

The Bad

• The fantasy element is really good and I really wish there was more to it. This suffers in much the same way as Radio Flyer, the fantasy is so subtle you wonder if it really takes place. In Three Wishes, it might just be the case; the fantasy aspects only really present themselves once Gunny is diagnosed with cancer. It’s a shame, as if this was the main focus it would have added a lot of charm.

• Phil, the man courting Jeanne, is a dick. I really hate that he’s in it at all although I understand why. He enables the commentary of Jeanne ‘having’ to remarry in order to fit in within the nuclear families that were blossoming in the prefab homes.

The Ugly

• The target audience is a little unclear and while it’s sold as a family film, there’s a little too much adult-only screen time for little ones to enjoy and it really has such a slow pace that I don’t think would make this an all time favourite with adults.

• The narration approach doesn’t work with how the story unravels. We discover at the end that it was being ‘told’ by Tom. Yet there was so much of what we see that Tom wouldn’t know. I think it’s in this where the answer lies; he should have been the sole protagonist rather than it being an omnipresent narrator. By having that shift and perhaps allowing him in on the fantasy Gunny sees, it would make for a much more fluid story.

Final Thoughts

I’m so very glad I watched it again. I’m having fun going back and watching Maxzello’s early work. There was also a lovely surprise in catching sight of a pre-Arrowverse Neal McDonough and a pre-Gilmore Girls Scott Patterson.

It’s by no means perfect, but it’s a perfect Sunday afternoon watch with family.

Meat Market by Juno Dawson

Details: Jana Novak is catapulted to superstardom when she’s scouted by a model agency. But the fashion industry is as grimy as it is glamorous, and there are predators at every turn.

Meat Market is the read of 2019!
I’ve read all of Juno’s work since 2014 and I’d just arrived in London. I’d been given news that an amazing up and coming author who loved Point Horror just as much as me was going to be a contestant on a literary radio game show. Juno was the first published author I’d ever met and the experience was AMAZING.
I can’t deny that Juno’s back catalogue represents a talent I’ve not seen elsewhere in a long time. However, even then, there was just something about Juno’s books that didn’t match the person I’d met.
Then came Clean and I realised what it was. Juno had yet to give her full self to her books, Hell, everything before Clean is flawlessly written and I adore Say Her Name (It’s my favourite non PH EVER), but Clean was real. There was no holding back and it’s what made it the success it was.
I’m not going to lie, I didn’t think Juno could do better. Not because of any limitations, but because I didn’t think anyone could craft something better than Clean.

Then I got two chapters into Meat Market and I realised just quite how wrong I was. What hit me first was that voice. It was a carefully crafted, fully engaging and lyrically beautiful voice that Jana was given. I’ve never wanted to be a model (I’m 5’5 and a hippo in human skin. Seriously, I often think there’s a hidden zipper back there and a Slitheen is going to come farting its way out), so I was half expecting this to be a surface read for me, but I was full invested before we even left Thorpe Park.

The story pulls no punches and you get an itchy sense of foreboding very early on, but you do fall under the same spell as Jana and you are convinced that things aren’t as bad as they seem. Until they really, truly, fucking are and as a reader, you’ll be gasping for air and begging your stomach to keep calm.
It mirrors the time so aptly, so cleverly, that Juno Dawson will forever be the woman that has done for modelling, vulnerable young girls using YA literature what Shonda Rhymes has done for women, people of colour and politics within the realms of TV.
Meat Market is not a book you go into to enjoy, there are elements that make that a side effect. No, you read Meat Market to become an educated, informed and empowered individual regardless of gender. This is a book that makes you feel uncomfortable, demands you sit up and evaluate the systems that society have allowed to exist for too long. Dawson dares you to understand that there are no excuses left, that there’s nowhere predators should be allowed to hide and, most importantly, that no one should ever accept being shut down or silenced when it comes to the #metoo movement.

We often talk about how Handmaid’s Tale is a groundbreaking, trailblazing, story that is still relevant today. It would be so easy to compare Meat Market to Atwood’s dystopian future, but it would do Juno Dawson a disservice. What Dawson has done is groundbreaking in its own merit.

Blog Tour: Beauty Sleep by Kathryn Evans

Published: 4th April 2019
Publisher: Usborne
Pages: 336
About: Who am I? What am I? When am I?
Laura can’t remember who she is. But the rest of the world knows. Because Laura is famous – a dying girl who was frozen until she could be cured. A real-life Sleeping Beauty.
But what happens when you wake up one day and the world has moved on forty years? Could you build a new life – while solving the mystery of what happened to the old one?

Characters

Laura is a stunning and vulnerable character that you wi ll instantly fall in love with. She has the nostalgic brilliance of an 80s girl in a modern world. Shem is a completely different type of vulnerable. He’s a lost boy, abandoned my the society around him.

Plot

It’s a thrilling mystery that you’re thrown into; one that is fast paced and will have your heart in your mouth the entire time. I don’t want to give too many details as it would ruin the experience of reading. You’ll want to figure the mystery behind Laura right away, but not before you experience life at a boarding school.

Writing

I fell into the writing of this book. It’s almost as if it was written for me in a style that would easily transfer to film; something I hope it eventually does. Having a protagonist from a different time allows for some changes in language to be explained. That type of language prediction is something I love. There’s an asymmetry to the duel narrative that with any other writer would not work, but Evans makes it work and ensures the perspective of Shem adds to the story, rather than detracts.
While it’s compared to Stranger Things and Black Mirror, I feel it takes the best from each and makes it something much more accessible.

Final Thoughts

It’s the perfect read for those who love Big, Back to the Future and Pretty Little Liars as well as the aforementioned Black Mirror and the brilliant Stranger Things.

Detective Pikachu

Length: 1Hr 45

Rating: PG

Release: 10th May 2019

About:

Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.

Forethought

I’ve not seen a single episode of Pokemon. I once had a dream about owning a Pokemon, called squirtle. I looked it up, and it was real. As in it WAS the Pokemon called Squirtle. I’ve played Pokemon Go… until it updated and lost all my progress. Then I waited until the Jurassic World one was up and running!

So I pretty much into this with no knowledge of the franchise and just to hear Ryan Reynolds.

The Good

• The story was quite clever and was able to give us a world that embraced what came before and give the audience something unique.

• Jurassic Park alumni Justice Smith holds his own as the human protagonist in the film. While Tim perhaps doesn’t have the character development you’d expect, he really does charm and endear himself to the viewer. I’m hoping if we get a sequel, we get to see his confidence grow.

• Pikachu has the perfect voice with Reynolds. Not going to lie; I wanted more Deadpool in a cute outfit, but I’m happy he wasn’t completely PG’d. There were a few quips that will go over the little one’s heads and give the adults a giggle.

• Having a London/USA/Tokyo mashup city was a brilliant touch and they blended it all really well. The CGI was on point, although time will tell if it stands up to repeated viewing.

The Bad

• The casting of Chris Geere actually reveals more of the plot that it should have. It’s a shame because if they’d cast someone else, someone like Raffe Spall for example, I think the impact they were going for would have been achieved. As it stands, I saw the ‘twist’ a mile off.

• There’s slightly too much slight of hand and throwing the viewer off the ‘truth’. Which is fine if you don’t make it so obvious that’s what you’re doing.

The Ugly

• Kathryn Newton’s introduction as Lucy was appallingly clunky and does the actress, or the character, little justice. The visual set up of her being a femme fatale is awesome: and then she opens her mouth. I’ve seen the actress in other things and she’s good, so I’m not entirely sure how this made the cut.

Final Thoughts

It’s viewer newbie friendly, funny and with a lot of heart. It’s certainly worth a watch but dude to its ‘go big or go home’ approach, I’m not sure it’s going to give us another instalment.

Movie Review: Long Shot

Length: 2Hr 5

Rating: 15

Release: 3rd May 2019

About:

Fred Flarsky is a gifted and free-spirited journalist who has a knack for getting into trouble. Charlotte Field is one of the most influential women in the world — a smart, sophisticated and accomplished politician. When Fred unexpectedly runs into Charlotte, he soon realizes that she was his former baby sitter and childhood crush. When Charlotte decides to make a run for the presidency, she impulsively hires Fred as her speechwriter — much to the dismay of her trusted advisers.

The Good

• There was a good story underneath all the shit. In fact, the characters of Frank and Charlotte were really good.

• Charlize Theron was actually really good in this and she reminded me of Michelle Pfeiffer. Had this have transitioned from stoner rom-com to something more mature, Theron would have easily been able to carry it over.

• Ya man from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul does a brilliant job as mash up president of Trump, Brush and the fictional Barlett. When they started to describe POTUS as playing a president in TV, I so thought we were getting the West Wing alumni, Martin Sheen.

• Frank’s concern about helping Charlotte was on the mark and made a very powerful message about politics and media.

The Bad

• There’s something about Seth Rogan’s comedy that doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not a confident or sharp sort of humour which I think this film needs. It often comes across like he’s practicing a routine in his bedroom and knows that he’s shit. Too many of his lines just patter out and are almost lacking punch lines.

• While I laughed at the sex references, I know it’s what will stop me coming back to it for repeated viewings. Its slightly too immature and repetitive; it strips the film of any charm it might have had.

The Ugly

• The drug humour doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t like that some celebrities abuse the health system and degrade mental health issues. I don’t agree with people in positions of trust and power casually using illegal drugs and I certainly don’t find it funny when it’s made light of in films.

• I find it hard to buy Frank’s insistence of Charlotte having/needing a moral code… when he’s got a pocket full of drugs!

Final Thoughts

I don’t feel like I wasted two hours of my life, but I do feel like there was a better film to be made, if only Rogan did as many of the cast told him to throughout the movie and toned it down.

With a little more of what he gave in Zack and Miri or Green Hornet and less of The Interview and The Night Before this would have been a gem of movie.

Collision by Victor Dixen

Published: 18th April 2019
Publisher: Hot Keys Books
Pages: 736
About: The third book in a heartstopping, high-octane new space series.
The Genesis Programme reality TV show has brought twelve young astronauts to Mars, to face unprecedented hostility. An even greater danger is now threatening Earth, but the viewers are too glued to their screens and the rescue mission to see what is really happening.
Leonor is ready to risk everything to bring out the truth and warn the world. She can never admit defeat – but can she fight her last fight alone?

Review

This is quite possibly the best conclusion to any trilogy I’ve ever read. It retains it’s blockbuster feel throughout and you won’t want to come up for breath.
I did find myself reading this much more slowly than the others as I was conflicted; part of me wanted, needed, to know what happened but there was a part of me that wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this world, or Leo.

There are two new frames of reference for me with this final installment. Since reading Distortion, I’ve watched Capricorn One, which is this amazing American Consiparcy Thriller from 1978. Wow, the tone from the movie was pitch perfect for this final book and it has me itching to see this trilogy on the silver screen even more.
The other was Brexit. I know it’s been around in the UK since 2016, but it’s Collision that holds a lot of the political vibe and characterisations of those in power at the moment.

There is amazing resolves for all of our favourite characters and while I’m left feeling satisfied by the plot resolutions, Victor doesn’t hide away from adding new elements in during this final act, which allows it to feel even more like the world will continue beyond the final page.
The establishment of rules and laws on the planet is a particular highlight and does raise a number of ethical questions about creating an isolated society. It gives us some of the best interactions between the characters.

The writing, as always, is perfect and flawlessly translated. I’m hoping the end of this trilogy will mark the start of more translated work of Victor Dixen as his imagination is daring, challenging and wonderful.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Published: 2nd May 2019
Publisher: Electric Monkey
Pages: 432
About: The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.
But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?
A debut YA crime thriller as addictive as Serial and as page-turning as One of Us Is Lying.

First Thoughts

I’ve been waiting for this book since YALC last year. I love crime thrillers and have done since I was introduced to Faye Kellerman’s ongoing series back in 2003. It was a genre that had remained rather quiet within the YA section for a long time. While I love the detective thrillers, especially those from Chris Carter and Chelsea Cain, there’s always something a little more passionate when it’s a teen sleuth whose not paid to solve the crime.
As soon as I’d heard the plot of Holly’s debut novel, I knew it was going to feel like a painful wait until the publication. I’ve never heard of such a brilliant ARC campaign either; those who were lucky enough to get their hands on one were missing one key thing; the ending.
Since reading the opening chapters and the whole book, I’m very happy I didn’t get a copy. I think not having that ending for so long would have driven me insane.

Characters

I love Pip as a character and as a person. She’d determined, passionate and headstrong. Her character is motivated from the start, and while its personal for her, it’s given that sense of objectivity you would want from a detective.
Her relationships and friendships are key to the progress of the story; she’s unapologetic about her geeky personality. It’s a humbling confidence that will endear her to any reader.
Pip is supported, challenged and scared off by a well rounded selection of friends, classmates and adults. Whether they provide leads, red herrings or suspicions, they all feel like important interactions.
Andie and Sal are interesting characters in the sense that they are ever changing. We only get other people’s opinions and with each reveal, you are left questioning who they really were.

Plot

Well, it’s really hard to talk about the plot because I don’t want to give anything away. Safe to say, the book opens five years after the case regarding Andie Bell has been closed. Pip is constructing an essay on the evidence for and against Sal being the person who abducted and killed his girlfriend on the night in question. There was no trial as Sal’s suicide note was considered to be a confession to the crime.
Pip pulls on threads throughout the narrative and it leads to some excellent questions, curious reveals and plenty of dead ends. You’re with Pip every step of the way and the reader will be just as invested to get to the truth.
It’s pacing allows for only the slightest of pauses for you to catch your breath and asses your own thoughts on who the criminal really is.

Writing

Jackson’s writing is unique and rather clever. It’s so clear and descriptive that it felt like a cinematic thriller, much in the same style as Se7en, Kiss the Girls and Along Came the Spider.
The narrative is presented to the reader in so many different forms; Pip’s essay logs, transcripts and even text messages. Its a refreshing way to tell a story and actually would be a perfect book for students in school to study.
I would have personally have liked a larger printed font and I would recommend those of you who struggle, purchase this amazing book in Kindle so you can alter it to your liking.

Final Thoughts

Not many books would have me buying multiple copies so I could get to the end. I was so invested that when I’d left my copy on holiday at my brother’s (late night followed by an early morning flight meant I was a little sleep deprived) and had to buy another copy on my way home.
I couldn’t wait. There was no way I was waiting for it to be posted to me so my trip home included a stop off at the Waterstones.

My advice is; buy it now, read it quick and keep your copy safe.

Love Han x

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion

This was an Easter cinema trip for me and my mum in 1997. I’d wanted to see Men in Black, but mum refused point blank. The Lisa Kudrow film with the pinks and glitter would be more up her street, right?! Well, she took me and I enjoyed it. I remember her saying she regretted it, but I wasn’t certain why until rewatching it years later.

The Good

• It’s a cool, quirky and funny story that nearly everyone can relate to. It’s retro camp, styled beautifuly and the only thing that improves it, is going to an independent cinema and being handed a post-it by the boy behind.

• The sound track is fabulous. It’s that retro vibe that’s in right now. Hadn’t spotted it the millions of times before, but Whip It is played at the prom.

• Janeane Garoflo was the definition of angry sarcasm in the 90s and she steals any scene she’s in. Underused, as she is in many movies, but she’s certainly memorable and the film manages to give her a strong story arc that I prefer to the main two.

• Alan Cumming is a sweet, low key Hugh Grant in this. He’s able to switch from geek to chic with ease, but the perfect part is that he’s a likeable love interest. Perhaps rather unknown at the time, to me he was part of the High Life cabin crew and has forever remained a joy to watch.

• It’s as quotable as other 90s films, but the killer line comes after the quick outfit change. Who hasn’t wanted to bark Romy’s Line “and I don’t give a flying fuck what you think…” to their bully? It’s pure brilliance.

The Bad

• I still find that the dream sequence throws off the narrative. While it’s weird enough for me to like it in itself, as part of this film it’s very out there.

• The tone and it’s perceived target audience is totally off. It’s not the double entendre humour of Shrek; that ‘he’s making up for something’ that gets the parents chuckling, but a much more obvious humour that doesn’t altogether fit well with a film that could double with Clueless.

The Ugly

• That dance. It’s unbelievably cringe. As with the dream sequence, there are times when I watch and love it and its certainly what makes this film a cult classic, but it would never help Romy and Michele’s cause.

• Alan Cumming in the dream sequence is too ‘blow up doll’. It freaks me out and is as not, as Michele puts it, ‘dreamy’. I’d put it in with the same trope of the ‘ugly’ girl who just needs her glasses taken off to make her ‘hot’.