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A Damn Fine Cup of Culture
Pop culture musings
Who watches the Watchmen? – We do, we do!
July 23, 2008 MattLeave a comment
Okay, 95% of the people reading this will already know, and the other 5% are probably not interested – but for the remaining 0% (yes, that means you!), here's the Watchmen trailer that came out recently:
Now, part of me looks at this trailer and thinks, "Wow… that is almost picture perfect!" Another part thinks that the last thing Watchmen is about are pretty pictures. This is a trailer, yes, which has one purpose: to get people excited and put asses in seats. But Zack Snyder strikes me as a director enamoured with glossy, stylised images – and that sort of thing tends to detract from the humanity of the characters. And one of the major points of Watchmen is that the superheroes in it (excepting Dr Manhattan, although that would make for a longer discussion) are utterly human. And the book is about ideas, not about wowing the audience with cool visuals.
Having said that, I like much of the casting. I like that Snyder didn't go for the superstars (although I do think that Adrian Veidt could easily have been played by a good-looking star, since he is pretty much one of the biggest celebrities in the world he inhabits). I like the visual metaphor of the clockwork in the trailer. And I find the CGI representation of Doc Manhattan strangely affecting, especially in that shot where you've got three of them.
What worries me, though, is what I've heard about the ending. If it's true… well, there's one way of pretty much ruining Watchmen, and that's by screwing with one or two elements of the ending. I just hope that they will be able to resist killing the 'bad guy'.
Oh, and one last thing…
Heh...
Books, Comics, Movies, Videoadrien veidt, alan moore, clockwork, dr manhattan, milhouse, rorschach, simpsons, superheroes, trailer, v for vendetta, watchmen, zach snyder
May 29, 2008 May 29, 2008 MattLeave a comment
Okay, this is a bit of a cheat entry – but I was just surfing DVD reviews and was reminded of one of my favourite trailers ever. So, without much further ado, here it is:
What else? I've started rewatching The Sopranos, and I'm surprised at how many of the scenes I remember best are actually from the first season. What happened in seasons 2 to 5? (I haven't seen the final season yet, but I'm very, very curious. From what I've heard and read, I could imagine being one of those Hipster Douchebags(tm) who actually like the way the series ended.)
Movies, Videocomedian, dvdverdict, hbo, seinfeld, the sopranos, trailer, youtube
Marie Antoinette… She's just zis girl, you know?
December 30, 2007 December 30, 2007 MattLeave a comment
Apparently, Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette was booed in Cannes. Now that I've seen it, I am tempted to say that French film critics are pretentious shrinking violets with an utterly neurotic attitude to their own past. It's not a great film, and I would rank it lower than both The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation (both of which I liked a lot), but it's a well made film with some good performances, and it's definitely beautifully shot and edited. Frankly, I don't know what les critiques Françaises are on about.
However, Marie Antoinette has one big problem: the beginning is by far the strongest, most subtle illustration of the film's main motif – a young woman taken into a world that is foreign to her and that regards her as an alien intrusion into their rules and conventions – and almost everything that comes after is much more obvious, much less elegant. Coppola's use of anachronisms, especially in her choice of music (but also in one semi-witty image of a Converse sneaker among the hundreds of Baroque shoes the young queen tries on), works well enough, but once you've seen one scene indicating that "she's really just a lost, rich, poor teenager… and in the end, aren't we all?", you've seen them all.
In addition, the film does suffer from being under-plotted. This may be strange coming from someone who loves Lost in Translation, hardly the most plotty of movies, but because Marie Antoinette sticks pretty much to history, there's little of the smooth flow that a well-told story has. There's a sense that you could walk out for five minutes, to get yourself a drink or have a bathroom break, and come back without having missed much. I don't think that films have to be plotted tightly, and in fact many of my favourite movies aren't, but if you know from the beginning where the story will end – off with her head, and all that jazz – then the film can't really afford to meander.
On related news, I'm going to keep myself short on Deadwood and Six Feet Under. Just know that there are things more frightening in Deadwood than Al Swearengen on a good or bad day, Francis Wolcott, or even E.B. Farnum talking dirty to a leather bag…
P.S.: Brian Cox should be a fun addition to the citizenry of Deadwood… I wonder whether he'll ever get that theatre built – I'd love to see auditions for amateur night!
Deadwood, Movies, Six Feet Under, TV, Videoal swearengen, baroque, cake, cannes, cinema, converse, Deadwood, e.b. farnum, film, hearst, kirsten dunst, lost in translation, marie antoinette, movie, sneaker, sophia coppola, trailer, virgin suicides
Films that didn't click – the introduction
November 29, 2007 Matt1 Comment
No news on the game front, really; I'm still playing Stalker (pure nukular goodness!), Neverwinter Nights 2 (it's okay, but I still don't get the enthusiastic reviews), Anachronox (slowly getting to the end) – and a rallye game called Colin McRae DIRT, best proof that the streets are safer with me off them.
I also haven't watched any new films (or rewatched old ones), so I'll take this opportunity to write about films that I expected to like – but didn't. Usually when that happens, it's that I like the director's previous work a lot, but then fail completely to connect with the film. Or it's that a reviewer I like gives the film a glowing review that I fall for. By the way, I don't share the dismissive arrogance many people have when it comes to reviewers – good critics don't necessarily share my opinions 100%, but 1) they have to recognise what a film is trying to do and 2) I have to know where they're coming from after reading the review. What I do hate is critics who pan a genre film, for instance, because it isn't Truffaut, critics who mistake their dislike for a certain kind of story or storytelling for its inherent unworthiness. And with a good reviewer, it doesn't really matter whether they liked a film or not – I will have a good idea from what they write and how they write it whether I'm likely to enjoy the film.
Before I get started on this in earnest, though, I'll have to come up with a list of films that fit. I've got a few ideas: Punch Drunk Love, for one, and my own favourite, Russian Ark. (Okay, technically that latter one is a "Film that this blogger hated with a vengeance", but more of that later.) So, tune back in very soon!
P.S.: Films that – ironically, predictably – didn't click for anyone, part 1:
Games, Movies, Videoadam sandler, anachronox, cinema, click, colin mcrae, critics, dirt, film, mindnumbing boredom, movie, neverwinter nights 2, nukular, punch drunk love, rallye, review, reviewers, russian ark, stalker, trailer
What do you mean, I'm a funny guy?
November 22, 2007 November 22, 2007 MattLeave a comment
Okay, lots of work today, so this blog entry will be short on me and long on my favouritest Internet video service ever – YouTube!
Just a couple of clips you may or may not have seen – but if you're into films, subversion and felt puppets, give these a try:
Or how about this one – computer-generated misery, courtesy of Pixar and Darren Aronofsky:
(If the embedded video doesn't work for you, try the direct link.)
And thanks to these crazy kids I can pretty much take the day off from blogging – and do the heaps of work that need to be done… Bye!
Quick P.S.: I got a kick out of reading The Onion's AV Club blog entry on the Madonna sex vehicle Body of Evidence. (It's part of their "My Year of Flops" series.) Here's a quote to get you all wet (why do I think that I've just lost 3/4 of my readership?):
"[Madonna's character] is a beautiful woman. But when the trial is over you will see her no differently than a gun or a knife. Or any other instrument used as a weapon. She is a killer and the worst kind—a killer who disguised herself as a loving partner," Mantegna thunders to the jury. Now, far be it from me to challenge the veracity of anything said by a character played by Joe Mantegna, but I would argue that the worst kind of killer is one who wears a necklace made out of puppy skulls and a rain poncho made out of the stitched-together torsos of murdered kittens. That, to me, is worse than a killer disguising herself as a loving partner.
Movies, Videoaronofsky, film, killer, madonna, mashup, mean streets, pixar, puppy skulls, requiem for a dream, scorsese, sesame street, too much work, toy story, trailer
Western promises
November 3, 2007 Matt2 Comments
The title should already give it away: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is not the kind of movie you watch in order to find out what happens at the end. If that's why you go to the movies, don't see this film. If you tend to use the words "pretentious" and "artsy" fairly often when talking about films you didn't like, don't see this film. If slow equals boring when it comes to movies as far as you're concerned, don't see this film. If you're hoping for gunslinging action, don't see this film.
However, do see this film if you want to see a beautifully written and shot, psychologically fascinating, immensely atmospheric and deeply sad movie, and especially if you're interested in good acting. Down to the last part, The Assassination has an impressively talented cast; for instance, even the few scenes that focus on Garrett Dillahunt's Ed Miller (I've been a fan of his ever since watching Deadwood) tell volumes in themselves. But the film stands and falls with the two title characters, and they both carry their share of the load with distinction. I'd only seen Casey Affleck in the Ocean's Double-Digit films, where it's difficult to judge his acting, but his Robert Ford is a complex, riveting creation: in turn wheedling, puffed up, disturbing, pathetic, deluded, but finally truly tragic, he's a relative of Matt Damon's Tom Ripley. At one point James asks him: "Do you want to be like me? Or do you want to be me?" Their relationship recalls that of Tom Ripley and Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) in Anthony Minghella's movie, but it goes further than that. And Ford's longing, loathing looks at Jesse James carry so much.
I must admit that I am also becoming quite the Brad Pitt fan. I used to think that he was a star, but not much of an actor – and there are films where you need stars. It was only in Babel that I recognised he could play a part that was in no way that of a movie star. In that film I forgot for the first time that he's a pretty boy, and I saw him as the character. The star quality is back in The Assassination, but it needs to be – Jesse James is a myth, so Pitt has to portray that facet of the character – and it's made deeper and richer by Pitt's performance. This quasi-mythic outlaw is also a paranoid, superstitious and at times cruel and petty bastard, and he's got a deep streak of self-loathing. When he turns his back on Ford for the last time to wipe the dust of a picture, we're basically seeing a suicide at least as much as a murder. While James is no Christ figure, Ford is as necessary as Judas to complete the narrative – and to some extent this is because James lacks the courage himself to end it all, nor to live on. It's by no means clear whether Robert Ford is really the coward that the title suggests.
I don't want to go on too much, because otherwise this blog entry will rival the film in length. If you don't mind slow, long films, if you don't mind portentousness, if you think that the western genre can do tragedy successfully; if you don't mind hearing the same three pieces of music repeated frequently (and they fit very well), if you don't mind artsy choices in the photography, editing and writing. Or simply if you want to see Nick Cave hamming it up with a guitar in a Brad Pitt movie. If any of these apply, go and see the film.
Deadwood, Movies, Videoassassination, brad pitt, casey affleck, cinema, coward, Deadwood, film, garrett dillahunt, jesse james, movie, nick cave, outlaw, poster, pretentious, robert ford, talented mr ripley, trailer, western, wheat
October 30, 2007 MattLeave a comment
Yesterday I started watching Miami Vice, Michael Mann's recent film update of the quintessential '80s neon series. I'd seen it at the cinema, and while I'd enjoyed the gorgeous visuals, I'd been rather underwhelmed on the whole. Now that I'm seeing it on DVD (in a slightly longer version), I like it a lot more. Some of that is probably down to the lack of expectations on my part. (I've talked about my Mann-love here before), some of it may be due to the Michael Mann atmosphere: his films tend to have a strong streak of loneliness going through them, which may not work as well in a packed cinema.
It's rare that my appreciation of a film changes from "meh…" to something better on repeat viewings. The opposite happens a bit more frequently, but it's still fairly unlikely. But sometimes I see a movie at the cinema and something about it stays with me. SOmehow my brain knows it needs to give this film a second chance. And sometimes it's those films that I end up liking most.
Just for the record: 12 Monkeys was a film that I needed to see two or three times to like.
And now, for your appreciation, some more Mann love:
Movies, Videocinema, eighties, film, homoeroticism, miami vice, michael mann, movie, neon, pastel, remake, trailer
Since I feel like I've come down with something, I'm going to take it easy today. No long speeches, no pretentious analyses of videogame narratives.
Just a trailer for one of the films I've been looking forward to most.
Oh, and it's got that coward Jack McCall and Francis Wolcott in it. Playing the same character.
Moviescinema, coen, movie, trailer
Weee are alien magicians!
October 15, 2007 Matt4 Comments
Videogame critics keep saying that there's precious little humour in video games (or at least humour that isn't unfunny at best and cringeworthy at worst). Now, it may be true that the humour in most games is made up of stale wisecracks and one-liners that make you groan… but then, most movie comedies aren't really very funny, are they? There's little good comedy in games as in films, but there are of course gems in both media. The games I'm thinking of, for instance, are many of the old LucasArts adventures (Grim Fandango, Sam & Max Hit the Road, the Monkey Island titles minus Escape from…), No One Lives Forever, Psychonauts – and Anachronox.
I never finished Anachronox when I originally played it; the pre-patch version was so buggy that it started to crash frequently halfway through the story. Now, thanks to some new tech and inofficial patches, I'm finally able to play it again, and in spite of the engine showing its age, I'm riveted. The game's the strange offspring of Japanese RPGs, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Raymond Chandler crime novels. It's got some of the best writing and voice acting ever in computer games. Even though I don't particularly enjoy the gameplay itself, I still can't stop playing, no matter that I've got newer games waiting for me both on my computer and on PS2.
It's a shame the game didn't sell very well at all, since it was meant to be followed by a sequel. As it is, Anachronox ends on a cliffhanger, and it's unlikely that we'll ever get the follow-up. Which is roughly like ending Lord of the Rings on The Fellowship of the Ring, with Frodo and Sam going off to Mordor – THE END. NO, WE WON'T TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENS. It's a crying shame that good writing sells less well in videogames than big boobs, big guns and uninspired franchises.
P.S.: Anachronoxis a good illustration of my theory that humour is usually funnier when the characters aren't just Punchline Delivery Agents(tm), but are actually fleshed out. There are moments of surprising poignancy in the game, which make the comedy shine more brilliantly.
P.P.S.: Here are some more trailers of genuinely funny games – because it's these kind of games the medium needs if it wants to be more than just adolescent (male) power fantasies. I also hear that the new game Portal, scripted by Eric Wolpaw of Psychonauts fame, is very funny, and very good.
Psychonauts:
Grim Fandango:
Games, Movies, PS2 gaming, Videoanachronox, computer games, Games, grim fandango, humour, portal, psychonauts, sequel, trailer, videogames
I'll throw you the whip…
Today's entry is very short (for a change). Since I went on at great length yesterday about appreciating great craftsmanship, here's an example of brilliant genre cinema that isn't deep or existential – but it may just be the best film in its genre.
I still get the same kick out of watching Raiders of the Lost Ark as I did when I first saw it, even though Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was my first Indy movie. Arguably, it's one of the most fun films ever.
And who couldn't love a film that has this scene in it?
Movies, Videocinema, film, indiana jones, indy, movie, trailer
The Rear-View Mirror: The Hobbit (1937) January 17, 2020
Into darkness: Midnight Family (2019) January 15, 2020
I'll be in my trailer… watching trailers: Grim tales, growing pains, taking flight January 12, 2020
The Rear-View Mirror: Raymond Carver (1938) January 10, 2020
How to recognise Star Wars from quite a long way away January 9, 2020
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a damn fine cup of culture alan moore bbc buffy the vampire slayer cinema Deadwood film greys anatomy hbo house ingmar bergman joss whedon leftovers lost magnolia mcu movie neil gaiman paul thomas anderson quentin tarantino series Six Feet Under star wars television the sopranos the wire They create worlds trailer TV twin peaks
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The Barista Collective


Summer has only just begun, and already it's proving to be a hot one. Finding your favourite treat is a great way to beat the summer heat – and we know summer and frozen treats mean good times for all.
Nestlé Drumstick has been a perennial top choice for ice cream, and this year, when you unwrap a Drumstick cone, you'll find an exciting chocolatey surprise at the bottom: a larger chocolatey nugget.
So while you make your way through the creamy taste of a Drumstick, with its crispy sugar cone, crunchy roasted peanuts and rich chocolatey coating you know and love, you'll now find an even bigger chocolatey nugget. It's pure delight when you make your way from the top to the tip of the cone. And who doesn't love more chocolate!
For smaller appetites and snacking, check out Mini Drumstick cones – mini versions of the classic, offering the same great taste at just 110 calories each.
Nothing unwraps summer fun like a Drumstick!


"Lady Louisa longs to marry for ardour and love -- yet will she locate happiness within the hands of the duke?
Lady Louisa Wentworth understands she's going to by no means marry well--her family's impoverished property has ensured as a lot. Resigned to spinsterhood, the proud attractiveness has agreed to chaperone a tender American heiress who seeks a titled husband throughout the turbulent waters of London society.
The rushing Duke of Hawkhurst needs to marry wealth for the sake of his relatives. This well-heeled younger American, leave out Jenny Rose, may do particularly well. however the girl's infuriating chaperone turns out made up our minds to maintain them aside. And worse nonetheless, Hawk reveals himself way more drawn to the intoxicating woman Louisa than to her blameless cost!
From the instant Hamilton stay clear of set eyes on Southern attractiveness Starla Fairfax, the sparks flew. She used to be flirtatious, frivolous. . . every thing that he was once now not. And but he couldn't get her out of his brain. So he requested her to marry, by no means dreaming she'd say definite. finally, he used to be a Yankee who'd come to satisfaction County to rebuild his existence, and he or she used to be one of many town's prime belles.
But Hamilton didn't idiot himself--Starla agreed to be his spouse in identify in simple terms simply because she wanted a powerful guy to guard her honor. but as their cool contract gave solution to the fires of ardour, Hamilton discovered he'd by no means leisure until eventually Starla grew to become his wife--in each method.
Pass over Jane Fairfield has made a profession of social catastrophe. She wears outrageous robes and says much more outrageous issues. the one cause she's invited anyplace is due to her great dowry--which is all a part of her plan to prevent marriage and continue the fortune-hunters at bay. Mr. Oliver Marshall is the illegitimate son of a duke.
Shunning the glittering elite of excessive society Kieran, Baron Rothewell, prefers the harmful targets of London's demimonde. Hardened via a tormented earlier, he cares little for an individual or something. So how can he withstand the guess proposed via the dissolute Comte de Valigny? A hand of playing cards for the ownership of the comte's beautiful daughter.
Abandoned by way of her highborn father -- until eventually he comes to a decision to take advantage of her -- Mademoiselle Camille Marchand places no belief in an aristocrat's honor, particularly that of the infamous baron. She too is playing -- for her lifestyles -- and Rothwell is only one extra card for use. yet no matter what darkish wishes run via his veins name to her personal, and the center performs its personal video game -- winner take all!
Kitty Robertson has grown up filthy rich and influential, and she's by no means extra at domestic than whilst in an English parlour exhibiting her social graces. while she appears to be like for a husband, after all she seeks a guy simply as domestic in his position—hopefully a lofty one—as she is. Nicholas Glenville, Marquess of Greystone, is simply one of these guy.


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City are Still Favourites: Hazard
Chelsea star Eden Hazard is sticking to Jose Mourinho's 'underdog' script, despite the Blues now being seven points clear of Liverpool at the top of the table and favourites with Paddy Power to win the Premier League.
Chelsea's early exit from the FA Cup meant that they were able to pull further clear this weekend whilst their rivals enjoyed a rest (in the case of Liverpool) or endured a humiliating cup defeat (in Manchester City's case).
The Blues' comprehensive 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur sent their clearest message yet that they are the team to beat this season, but Hazard remains cautious. "Manchester City will become champions if they win all of their games," Hazard said. "We have enough quality to play for first spot, but City are still favourites as they have the better players," he added.
Hazard may view City as favourites to take the title but they now have to win all three of their games in hand just to draw level with Chelsea, and above them on goal difference. With Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool still to come in the league for City, Hazard accepts that he would rather be sat on top of the table with the points already secured but he is certainly not becoming complacent. "It's more difficult to be second or third with some games less as you have to win those games. We'll see what happens at the end," the Belgian said. "If we want to win something this season, we'll have to survive games like those against Spurs."
Jose Mourinho and his team have been quick to play down their chances all season but, after Saturday's win, the title is surely theirs to lose. Hazard can make out that he believes that City have the stronger squad but he, and his manager, aren't fooling anyone.
March 10, 2014 |	Category: Chelsea News | Tag: Hazard
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tag: Japan
He is a completely unremarkable man. Who wears the same black suit every day. Boards the same train to work each morning. And arrives home to his wife and son each night. But he has a secret. He likes to kill people. With just weeks to go before the Olympics and the world's eyes firmly fixed on Tokyo the body of young British student, Skye Mackintosh, is discovered in a love hotel. Tokyo's Homicide Department are desperate for a lead. As a last resort they enlist the help of a brilliant former detective whose haunted personal life has forced him into exile thousands of miles away. But it isn't long before Kosuke Iwata discovers the darkness in the neon drenched streets as Skye, like so many others, had her own secrets. Lies and murder haunt a city where old ghosts and new whisper from its darkest of corners and the truth is always just out of sight..
So we come to the last instalment of Nicolas Obregon's remarkable Tokyo trilogy featuring former detective Kosuke Iwata. Having previously reviewed both Blue Light Yokohama and Sins As Scarlet and quite frankly, raved about both, I approached Unknown Male with more than a sense of delicious anticipation. What I love about Obregon as a writer is the way he so consistently holds his reader in the palm of his hand and the sense of real storytelling that is so absolutely central to the narrative. I must admit that I find it hard to define what it is about his writing that enthrals me, but will try in my own ham-fisted way to do so…
Firstly I think Obregon's obvious love affair with Tokyo is absolutely central to this book, and his fearlessness in portraying this city with very much a love/hate edge to his depiction of it: "As he walked, he inhaled a cologne of rubbish, exhaust, wet concrete. No city had more nameless streets or alleyways…To walk through her ways was to be inveigled in her web…She murmured from steam vents and snickered from overflowing gutters." All through the book the intangible hold of the city both on the main characters, and the general populace is front and centre, with Obregon exposing the pulsing beat of a city where there is a real sense of sink or swim, poverty or success and a constant feel of movement in "this shingle beach of crossed purpose". Obregon also emphasises how easily people become lost, in this teeming morass of people, whether slaves to a wage, slaves to people basest violent desires, and how people seek to navigate a society that slows for no man. Although our detective figure Iwata is a native to the city, Obregon also instils in him a feeling of having to get to grips with this mercurial city after time abroad, and the very particular problems that arise in having to almost start afresh in navigating its unique idiosyncrasies.
Iwata himself is also a complicated soul, imbued with a deep sense of morality pertaining to his professional standards and the way he conducts himself in relation to this particular investigation. However, back amongst his countrymen he does at times seem like a square peg in a round hole, as his methods and thought process put him at odds with his fellow investigators. He is an outsider, but in that mould proves to be extremely effective at approaching the case from a different angle, and intuitive thinking. The issue of morality is explored in many ways throughout the book both through Iwata who is also seeking some personal retribution, but also through the British female detective Anthea Lynch (who finds herself despatched to Tokyo after a serious blip in her own career) and individuals involved with Skye, the murder victim. Throw into the mix one of the most strangely motivated serial killers I have encountered for some time (the thermos flask-eugh) and what Obregon gives us is a real smorgasboard of the good, the bad and ugly where the lines of morality and decent behaviour become fractured, and at times difficult to discern. People acting in surprising and unpredictable ways give a real emotional heft to this book, and also work beautifully in concealing the real villains of the piece, with revenge being another incredibly strong motif resonating through the characters.
I think it goes without saying that Unknown Male has secured a place in my Top 5 of the year with its masterful depth of characterisation, use of location with Tokyo as a living and breathing entity so crucial to the lives and crimes unfolding within it, and the way that the book keeps you in its grasp from beginning to end. It is the close to a trilogy which left me tinged with sadness as I loved these books so much, but also heartens me that hopefully more readers will discover these for themselves. Absolutely outstanding.
(I bought this copy of Unknown Male published by Michael Joseph)
Tagged detective, Japan, Nicolas Obregon, serial killer, Tokyo2 Comments
A Quick Round Up-Sara Flannery Murphy- The Possessions/ Mikel Santiago- Last Night At Tremore Beach/ Nicolas Obregon- Blue Light Yokohama
For five years Edie has worked for the Elysian Society, a secretive organisation that provides a very specialised service: its clients come to reconnect with their dead loved ones by channelling them through living 'Bodies'. Edie is one such Body, perhaps the best in the team, renowned for her professionalism and discretion. Everything changes when Patrick, a distraught husband, comes to look for traces of his drowned wife in Edie. The more time that Edie spends as the glamorous, enigmatic Sylvia, the closer she comes to falling in love with Patrick and the more mysterious the circumstances around Sylvia's death appear. As Edie falls under Sylvia's spell, she must discover not only the couple's darkest secrets, but also her own long-buried memories and desires — before it's too late…
Billed as a thriller, a ghost story and as a tale of sexual obsession, The Possessions was one of the strangest reading experiences I have encountered for some time. With comparisons to the work of such estimable authors as Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro and Daphne Du Maurier, Sara Flannery Murphy encloses the reader in a world of grief, guilt, love and obsession where irreality, spirituality and human emotions are inextricably entwined…
Curiously I am still unsure as to how much I really enjoyed this book, despite being initially enraptured at its highly original approach to the bridging of the gap between the living and dead. Equally, at first I was held in the thrall of the author's emotive and completely accurate exploration and characterisation of the human response to personal loss and the assimilation of grief. She explored well the feelings of guilt and emotional stress that the recently bereaved experience, and the need for us to hold on to the one we have lost on some level to eventually move on to emotional closure. Her depiction and description of these differing but highly intense feelings of grief could not be faulted. By using Eurydice (whose name conjures up images of mythical strangeness) an isolated and emotionally closed off individual to act as a conduit from living to dead was expertly handled from the beginning, but as her strange relationship with the recently bereaved Patrick comes to the forefront, I started to find myself doubting her credibility. There was an escalating amount of repetition as the book progressed, with the author re-treading themes and images that started to irk me as the book progressed, and I began to care less and less about Eurydice's increasing involvement with the spirit of Patrick's dead wife. As a very obvious plot reveal came to life, I began to falter, and despite reading to the end, I felt strangely unsatisfied by what at first had held my interest entirely, and undoing my initial general crowing about this weirdly good book I was reading. One to make your own minds up about.
(With thanks to Scribe for the ARC)
When Peter Harper, a gifted musician whose career and personal life are in trouble, comes to northwest Ireland and rents a remote cottage on beautiful, windswept Tremore Beach, he thinks he has found a refuge, a tranquil place in a time of crisis. His only neighbours for miles around are a retired American couple, Leo and Marie Kogan, who sense his difficulties and take him under their wing. But there's something strange about the pair that he can't quite figure out. One night during one of the dramatic storms that pummel the coast, Peter is struck by lightning. Though he survives, he begins to experience a series of terrifying, lucid and bloody nightmares that frame him, the Kogans and his visiting children in mortal danger. The Harper family legend of second sight suddenly takes on a sinister twist. What if his horrifying visions came true, could tonight be his last…?
With one reviewer billing The Last Night At Tremore Beach as a cross between Don't Look Now and Straw Dogs, I can only concur thus leaving me only a little to say about this one. I found it a slightly unbalanced affair, although I was intrigued by the back story of Peter's coast dwelling neighbours, and the secrets in their shady past. With shades of Dean Koontz and Stephen King in the portrayal of Peter's supernatural gift, I felt that this was to some extent, a bit superfluous to the plot, as a more linear depiction of his uncovering, and being threatened by, his neighbour's former lives could have been portrayed without this. It felt a little padded. Peter's character left no real impact on me, and found him generally a bit woolly around the edges. However, on a more positive note I did enjoy Santiago's attention to the geography of this barren Irish coastline, and how he built tension through the secluded position of this location, and the natural elements that assailed its shores. A mixed bag.
(With thanks to Simon and Schuster for the ARC)
Inspector Kosuke Iwata, newly transferred to Tokyo's homicide department, is assigned a new partner and a secondhand case. Blunt, hard as nails and shunned by her colleagues, Assistant Inspector Noriko Sakai is a partner Iwata decides it would be unwise to cross. A case that's complicated – a family of four murdered in their own home by a killer who then ate ice cream, surfed the web and painted a hideous black sun on the bedroom ceiling before he left in broad daylight. A case that so haunted the original investigator that he threw himself off the city's famous Rainbow Bridge. Carrying his own secret torment, Iwata is no stranger to pain. He senses the trauma behind the killer's brutal actions. Yet his progress is thwarted in the unlikeliest of places. Fearing corruption among his fellow officers, tracking a killer he's sure is only just beginning and trying to put his own shattered life back together, Iwata knows time is running out before he's taken off the case or there are more killings . . .
So saving the best until last, I was incredibly impressed with Blue Light Yokohama based on the real life, and still unsolved, slaying of a family in Japan, and the suicide of its lead investigator. Obregon has beautifully manipulated and used the details of this original case to construct a real slow burning thriller that kept me gripped throughout. Aside from referencing a real case which is one of my favourite tropes in crime fiction, there is a consistency of atmospheric building of tension, punctuated by moments of extreme stress and violence that demonstrates what a good writer Obregon is. His characters, particularly Iwata and Sakai, are completely believable, and undergo real trials by fire throughout, with their reactions and actions also entirely plausible. The story of female officer Sakai is heartrendingly honest and how her story plays out moved me greatly.
Although the book does not contain the level of attention to Japanese culture and social mores as that of an authentically Japanese author, the strength and gradual build up of an excellent plot cancelled out this slight disappointment. I delighted in the red herrings and false alleyways that Obregon navigates us through, and there were genuine moments of utter surprise and shock throughout. I felt emotionally invested in both the story and the personal travails of Obregon's protagonists, and knowing that this book was so firmly grounded in reality further added to my enjoyment. When I finished this book I tweeted that I needed to take a breath. I guarantee you will too. Highly recommended.
(With thanks to Penguin/Michael Joseph for the ARC)
Tagged American crime fiction, bereavement, Ireland, Japan, lightning, Mikel Santiago, Nicolas Obregon, psychological suspense, psychological thriller, Sara Flannery Murphy, serial killer, Straw Dogs5 Comments
February 2017 Round-Up + more… and Raven's Book of the Month
After a little hiatus in January, my reading rate has improved significantly, but alas, I am still a little off the pace in terms of reviewing. So, I'm going to cheat a wee bit, and incorporate a few additional reviews into this round-up, before I storm into March where five reviews await already, as there are some cracking releases coming up.
Jonelle Patrick- Painted Doll Claire Macleary- Cross Purpose Andrew Taylor- The Ashes of London Kate Rhodes- Crossbones Yard J.P. Delaney- The Girl Before Rory Clements- Corpus Su Bristow- Sealskin SJI Holliday- The Damselfly Orlando Ortega-Medina- Jerusalem Ablaze
I was mightily impressed by Paradise City by Joe Thomas, which takes us deep into the throbbing heart of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the violent favela known as Paraisopolis. Low ranking detective Mario Leme drives through this favela everyday, as this is where his wife, Renata, a lawyer, was gunned down a year previously, the victim of a bala perdida– a stray bullet. One morning at the same spot, Leme witnesses a car careering out of control, but sees that the driver has several bullet wounds, although the incident is written off as a traffic accident. Leme finds himself embroiled in a tale of murder and corruption at the highest level, which puts him at odds with his superiors, and onto a dangerous path. What I liked most about this book was the colour and exuberance that Thomas injects into his vivid realisation of the pulsating favela, albeit suffused by violence. There is a wealth of local vernacular sprinkled throughout the book, and for those, like myself, who know little of Brazil, Thomas paints a broad and wide reaching picture of the social and financial chasm that exists between the different stratum of San Paulo society. Also, Leme, is an incredibly empathetic character, regularly overcome and clouded by grief by the loss of his wife, but also portrayed throughout as a decent man, a fair detective, and more importantly feeling his way back to normality, and the recovery of a life torn apart. Highly recommended.
(With thanks to Arcadia Books for the ARC)
Having made a new year's resolution to myself that I would endeavour to read more historical crime fiction, I was made aware of E. S. Thomson and Beloved Poison by one of my bookselling colleagues, who couldn't recommend it highly enough. Set in the crumbling St Saviour's Infirmary in the 1850's the story centres on Jem Flockhart, an apothecary's daughter who disguises herself as a man to practice her medicinal craft. It is a world of stinking wards, visceral medical procedures, and professional rivalries. As the demolition of the hospital looms, six tiny coffins are discovered, which provide a strong link to Jem's past, and as a series of murders ensue, she finds herself in terrible danger. I thought this was a terrifically bawdy romp, with a host of beautifully named characters that Dickens would be proud of. Thomson's precise and graphic description of the disinterment of bodies from the graveyard attached to the hospital, the medical practices of this time, and the detail of the more natural cures available to apothecaries of the era, were rich and lively in a darkly delicious way, bringing a colour and vivacity to the whole affair. This worked perfectly in tandem with a well plotted and sporadically shocking plot, as Thomson so adroitly immerses us in a tale of murder, sex and jealousy peopled by blundering doctors, whores, sharp tongued servants, and the wonderfully empathetic Jem herself, disguised as a man with the necessary toughness of demeanour, but at the mercy of her finer feelings as a woman. I fair scuttled through this one, with its colourful characters, menacing atmosphere and brilliant period detail. Sordid, rumbustious and totally enjoyable. Highly recommended.
(I bought this copy of Beloved Poison)
I cannot resist the allure of a new title from Chris Carter (One By One, An Evil Mind ) and his dynamite pairing of detectives Robert Hunter and Carlos Garcia of the LAPD. Once again in The Caller our intrepid duo are drawn into the nasty world of another completely loco serial killer, who operates via the world of social media, exacting some wonderfully visceral, and cruel and unusual punishments on his victims and those closest to them. Throw in a hitman looking for revenge on the killer too, whilst hoping to dodge the radar of Hunter and Garcia, and what Carter dishes up is a spine chilling, violent, read in one sitting (in subdued lighting if you dare) serial killer thriller with some very nasty surprises indeed. Typical Carter fare, but highly enjoyable nonetheless.
Without a single moment of doubt, hesitation or procrastination, it can only be…
Mesmeric and lyrical writing, weaving a folkloric tale
that will enchant you from beginning to end.
Tagged 1850's, 1930's, Aberdeen, Andrew Taylor, Brazil, chris carter, Claire Macleary, E. S. Thomson, Great Fire of London, historical crime fiction, J. P. Delaney, Japan, Joe Thomas, Jonelle Patrick, Kate Rhodes, London, murder, psychological thriller, Rory Clements, Scotland, serial killer, SJI Holliday, Su Bristow, United States of America, West coast of Scotland6 Comments
#BlogTour- Orlando Ortega-Medina- Jerusalem Ablaze
In Jerusalem's Old City a young priest and a dominatrix converse in the dying light; on Oregon's windswept coast a fragile woman discovers a body washed up on the beach after a storm; and in Postwar Japan a young protege watches his master's corpse burn, with bitter thoughts blazing in his mind. An eclectic collection of thirteen short stories…
I do love it when I am approached by publishers offering me books that take me outside of my comfort zone, as they so often provide some magical reading experiences. Jerusalem Ablaze is one such example, as I rarely read short stories of any description. So it was with a wonderfully blank mental slate that I dived into this intriguing collection…
Orlando Ortega-Medina has produced a remarkable volume of stories that are not only far reaching in terms of location, but also in the very recognisable aspects of human emotion he weaves into his character's individual experiences. Across the stories, he addresses the themes of love, death, ageing, sexuality, family conflict and obsession with an intuitive and engaging style, that at times brings the reader up short to truly sit up, and think about what they have just read. For the purposes of this review, and so as not to mar your discovery of all the stories in this collection, I just wanted to write a few words on a couple of the stories that made me sit up and think too.
In a guest post at Reader Dad, Ortega- Medina talks about his experience of writing short stories, and makes reference to After The Storm, my particular favourite in the book, and the number of revisions he made to it, right up until the point of submission to his publisher. This story runs to about 18.5 pages, but to me encompassed the emotional breadth and detail of a book many times this length. Focussing on a woman's chance discovery of something on a beach (no spoilers here), Ortega-Medina constructs a story that is heart-rending and thought provoking, on the breaks in communication, and loss of awareness that occurs in many personal relationships. The story is darkly strange but underscored by an innate feeling of truth and observation that takes hold of the reader, and even in the aftermath of reading reoccurs in one's thoughts. Susan's actions seem so totally alien and discomforting at first, but when seen through the eyes of others, are imbued with a real sense of poignancy. Also, the author's depiction of this wild coastline where Susan and her husband dwell in their secluded lighthouse, is described with such clarity that you can sense the thrashing sea spray, the keening of the gulls, and the smell of the seaweed. Perfect compacted prose that reveals a world of emotion.
The intensity of Susan's experience set against the broad, unending landscape of the natural world is mirrored in Star Party, where the theme of human relationships is played out beneath a huge expanse of sky where people have gathered to star watch. I like the way that Ortega-Medina transposes the small but intense insecurities and problems of his protagonists against this broad canvas, which puts our relative importance in the universe in perspective, but never lessening the real concerns of his characters' lives. Equally, in The Shovelist, the financial security of an old man and his wife is seen to be dependent on the coming of the snow, and his neighbour's willingness to pay him to shovel their driveway, a fairly humdrum problem you would think, but one that in the author's hands, explores community and the realisation of, and sympathy for, other's troubles.
As much as every story works in this collection as a self contained tale, the two part story of An Israel State of Mind had me wanting more. Narrating the events of a young man and his girlfriend's trip to a kibbutz, I loved this tale of pent up emotion and unresolved love, the exploration of difference and misunderstanding, all within the framework of a shared, and what should be a life affirming experience. I think it's a real feat of Ortega-Medina's writing that he so quickly enables the reader to connect on an emotional level with his characters in this story and others, when whole books can pass you by without this essential connection as a reader. I still want to know what happens to these characters beyond what is written here.
So as a non-widely read short story reader, I gained much from Jerusalem Ablaze, and it has honestly awakened an appreciation of the form for me. An alternately dark, emotional, tender, and violent contemporary collection that I enjoyed greatly. Highly recommended.
(With thanks to Cloud Ledge Books for the ARC)
Catch up with the blog tour at these excellent sites:
Tagged ageing, Canada, death, Israel, Japan, love, obsession, Orlando Ortega-Medina, sexuality, short stories, USA2 Comments
To begin, I would like to thank all of you who left such lovely messages here and on Twitter during my self imposed break from blogging. Although little has been resolved on the personal front, I have continued to read, but circumstances have curtailed the production of reviews. Realising I'm about a gazillion books behind, here for your delectation and delight is a round-up of some terrific, and not so terrific, smorgasbord of reads that have helped keep me sane along the way and more to come. It's good to be back, and enjoy!
First up, all the way from the USA is a highly readable Japanese set thriller, Painted Doll by Jonelle Patrick. Part of the Only In Tokyo series. Tokyo detective Kenji Nakamura is more than a little distressed to discover that the death of his mother ten years previously in a supposed accident, is actually connected to a string of murders of young women attributed to the Painted Doll Killer. What follows is not only a complex and compelling investigation to catch a killer, but also a brilliant study of Nakamura's emotional turmoil when dark secrets from his own familial background come to the surface. Patrick balances both facets of the book with a deft touch, producing a genuinely gripping crime thriller which wrong-foots and perplexes the reader throughout, and drawing us in emotionally to Nakamura's travails both professional and personal. The case proves itself to be violent and disturbing in equal measure, and there are some good turns of pace in the narrative. The book is steeped in Japanese cultural references, and proved to be incredibly enlightening about the conflicts of old fashioned tradition, and contemporary society, and the gaps between the generations, as well as being highly informative on Japanese life generally. Suffice to say, I will be seeking out the other instalments of the series. Highly recommended.
In a change of pace, Cross Purpose by Claire MacLeary, quickly revealed itself to be a quirky, but nonetheless absorbing debut. When Maggie Laird's disgraced ex-cop husband is found dead in the office of his private investigation business, various distasteful truths come home to roost, leaving Maggie financially strapped, emotionally wrought, and drawn into the dark criminal underbelly of Aberdeen. Through necessity, and some cajoling from her loud, blousy and utterly loveable next door neighbour 'Big Wilma', who joins forces with her, the intrepid duo set out to clear the besmirched name of Maggie's husband, but find themselves navigating some dark and dangerous waters along the way. MacLeary's prose is assured and engaging, bursting with the liveliness of the Aberdonian vernacular, particularly in evidence in the contrasting personalities and social standing of Maggie and Wilma and in the criminal world of the drugs trade they find themselves immersed in. Not only does MacLeary paint an unflinching picture of the sink estates, and those drawn into the drugs trade, but also a simple but effective study of people doing what they need to, to simply get by or to profit by the misery and dependency of others. I found it interesting how every character had some semblance of damage or insecurity in their characters in some form or another, and the way that these flaws evinced themselves in their actions or moments of epiphany. Despite the grim realities of life that MacLeary explores, the book is underscored by a wonderful black humour at times, which drew more than one chuckle or knowing nod from this reader. Really enjoyed this one, and an impressive debut.
Right, from Aberdonian sink estates let's time travel back to 1666 and the Great Fire of London, in Andrew Taylor's The Ashes of London, where the body of a man is found in the smoking ruins of St Paul's Cathedral, stabbed in the neck, with his thumbs tied behind his back. So far, so good, and what unfolds from this is a delicious and vivid exploration of London society, and through a world of cheats and traitors, class and gender oppression, and a damn fine murder mystery. Absolutely central to my enjoyment of this book, apart from the perfectly realised period detail, was the character of Catherine 'Cat' Lovett, a young gentlewoman, and daughter of a notorious regicide, condemned to live with grasping relatives. As a result of an attack on her person, she goes on the run, assuming the position of a housemaid, but is drawn into the sphere of the men charged with redesigning London, but into further danger due to her father's reappearance having plotted against the former king. Cat is a mercurial and striking character, compartmentalized by society by virtue of her gender and class, but with a keen mind and inquisitive spirit which reveals itself in her aptitude for, and interest in the world of architecture. Equally, she is feisty and brave, and has a determination to track down and confront her father at odds with the demeanour that society expects from her being of a certain social class. Taylor's characterisation throughout is lively and reminiscent of the band of good natured fellows and absolute rotters that inhabit the works of Dickens for example. Outright villains sit cheek by jowl with characters you root for throughout, particularly those labouring for acceptance in the shadow of the sins of their fathers. Taylor conjures up all the sights, smells and atmosphere of the period with aplomb, and provides an intriguing and twisty murder mystery into the bargain too. Recommended.
Now to London in the contemporary era in the company of Kate Rhodes' Crossbones Yard which has been languishing on my shelves for far too long. The first of a series introducing claustrophobia-suffering, relationship-fearing psychologist, Alice Quentin, who finds herself unwittingly drawn into the world of a serial killer by virtue of her consultancy work for the Metropolitan police. Using Crossbones Yard, a neglected piece of London ground that was used as a cemetery for fallen women as a locus, Rhodes weaves an intriguing psychological thriller, with a sublime nod to the real life case of murderers Fred and Rosemary West. Alice is a likeable enough character, fitting wonderfully into the mould of psychologically troubled psychologist- physician heal thyself perhaps- who finds herself in some degree of peril throughout. Perhaps, because of my voracious crime reading, the identity of the perpetrator of the heinous crimes was a little too obvious quite early on, but despite this I had a resolute compunction to read on, as I found Alice a compelling figure throughout, and found the band of emotional misfits and miscreants she encounters both professionally and personally rather engaging. I have bought the next in the series so that's probably a good recommendation.
And so to the pseudonymous J. P. Delaney and The Girl Before, the first contender for the mantle of this year's Girl On The Train. Brace yourselves. Despite my resolution to steadfastly avoid any domestic noir thrillers in 2017, I had already signed up for this one and its attendant blog tour. Having read the book, I then bowed gracefully out of the blog tour (thanks to Quercus for their understanding) as I really, really disliked this book for a whole host of reasons. My trademark tag-line of Grand Designs meets Fifty Shades of Grey, probably tells you most of what you need to know, about this tortured tale of enigmatic, but emotionally stunted control freak architect, entrapping hapless young women in a prison of his own creation. Still with me? Good. Excruciating dialogue and clunky plotting dismayed me further. However, with a prime spot on Simon Mayo's Radio 2 Bookclub, soaring sales, and probably a film, my opinion matters little. One to make your own minds up about.
(With thanks to Jonelle Patrick for the review copy of Painted Doll, Saraband for Cross Purpose and Quercus for The Girl Before. I bought The Ashes of London, and Crossbones Yard.)
Tagged Andrew Taylor, Claire Macleary, Great Fire of London, historical crime fiction, J. P. Delaney, Japan, Jonelle Patrick, Kate Rhodes, London, psychological thriller76 Comments
May 2016 Round-Up and Raven's Book of the Month
Words cannot express how much I have enjoyed the month of May with a whole two weeks off work, a brilliant trip to the CrimeFest crime writing convention and some jolly good reading too! Had an absolute blast at CrimeFest (superbly organised by Myles, Donna and Adrian *round of applause*) where I attended 18 panels, saw Ian Rankin brilliantly interviewed by Jake Kerridge, and discovered a whole host of new and exciting crime authors through the Fresh Blood sessions. Thanks to all the authors for their wit, intelligence and truly entertaining panels, and for their general good-natured bonhomie in the face of their adoring fans. Lovely to see my favourites again! I would also like to give a special mention to all the authors and publicists who bombarded me with praise for my reviews. I would say that you guys do all the hard work- I am a mere conduit- but thank you, I appreciate it very much. I met a whole host of wonderful people including the blogging posse, Liz, Christine, Victoria, Lisa, Shaz and Tracey, where it was lovely to put faces to Twitter handles- you are excellent people- and fab to catch up with some familiar faces from the blogging community too- interesting discussions guys! As usual there were also late night shenanigans, near the knuckle tales and drunken high jinx- but alas my beak is sealed. Sorry… Can't wait for next year…
May has been an excellent month in terms of volume of books read, but have let it slide it bit with actually writing reviews. Consequently, there is a small pile of books nestling by the laptop, waiting for their moment in the sun. Their time will come. June will hopefully then be a bumper round-up and with another two blog tours on the horizon, there's lots of criminal goodies to bring you next month. Have a good one!
Abir Mukherjee- A Rising Man
J M Gulvin- The Long Count
Steve Cavanagh- The Plea
William Shaw- The Birdwatcher
Tetsuya Honda- The Silent Dead
Raven's Book of The Month:
This month I could easily say all of them! It's a rare occurrence to love every single book you've read, but you wouldn't go far wrong picking any of these at random, depending on your mood or preferred location. Add them all to your summer reading list. But, having to adhere to my self-imposed convention, I'm choosing the one that really struck an emotional chord with me, with its sublime mix of location, shifting timeline, an appreciation of the natural world, and faultless characterisation. Step forward…
Tagged Abir Mukherjee, America, historical conflict, India, J M Gulvin, Japan, Kent, legal thriller, mental illness, police procedural, psychological suspense, Steve Cavanagh, Tetsuya Honda, Vietnam, William Shaw4 Comments
When a mutilated body wrapped in a blue tarpaulin is found in a quiet neighbourhood, Lieutenant Reiko Himekawa and her squad are assigned the case. As the youngest female detective in the Homicide Division, Reiko has a lot to prove, but she has an undeniable ability to solve crimes. When she uncovers more murders with the same signature, she knows there is a serial killer at work. What is Strawberry Night, the dark web group that links all the victims? And how long will Reiko survive, now the killer knows her name?
I will put my hands up straightaway and confess that my prior reading, and knowledge of, Japanese crime fiction is rudimentary at best, so please forgive any noticeable faux pas' or misunderstandings on my part of the genre. So here we have Raven's first introduction into this potentially interesting subgenre of crime fiction writing…
Shining a light into the contemporary sinister recesses of the dark web, The Silent Dead, is the first of Honda's ongoing crime series featuring Reiko Himekawa, a Homicide Detective with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. In common with the best socially driven crime fiction, Himekawa is a female detective in an extremely patriarchal institution, and much of the book focuses on not only her as a woman with an emotionally fractured past, but the attitude displayed to her by her male counterparts within the police force. Indeed, this examination of Himekawa, and by extension, her role in this testosterone-fuelled world was central to my enjoyment of the book. Hence, the latent and overt sexism she experiences by word and deed, and her critical self-examination throughout the book, moulds her into one of the most compelling and real female characters I have encountered for some time.
I like the way she continually questions the noble intentions of her chosen career, but yet is self aware enough to realise that this success has made her arrogant in some respects to her relationship with the victims she encounters. I also enjoyed the way Honda stretches and exerts pressure on her to continually reassess her sense of self, as the story develops, and her realisation that she is prone to moments of weakness, despite her seemingly cast iron intention to overcome the emotional and physical damage caused by a crime in her own past. She is surrounded by a mixed cast of male characters who exhibit contrasting attitudes to Himekawa which range from dislike, to mild flirtation, to professional jealousy, and the casual sexism that defines most of them gives rise to a mixture of feelings in the reader, and toys with our empathies. Equally, I liked Honda's depiction of the professional and territorial rivalries that exist between the competing police units that spilled over into Himekawa's investigation, and the attitudes of her counterparts outside her own Metropolitan police department, to her and her team of murder detectives.
The plot is compelling, and there is a killer twist- quite literally- at the close of the book which was wonderfully disguised up to that point. The examination of the dark web and the way that even the most ordinary citizen can be drawn into, and excited by, public execution was a consistent theme in the book as the body count mounted exponentially. So many serial killer thrillers fall victim to obvious tropes within the genre, but this book in common with the best, provided some thoughtful and genuinely intuitive psychological insights into the killer gene that may lurk within us all, and what drives seemingly ordinary people to derive pleasure from violence.
With such strength in the characterisation, narrative and plot, it does feel a shame to draw attention to the one weakness in the book, which is no criticism of the author. There is a noticeable flaw in the translation of the dialogue, which has the snappy rhythm typical of the American crime fiction genre, but seemed quaintly old-fashioned in some of the turns of phrase used. Indeed, at certain points I felt I had wandered into the black and white world of Dixon of Dock Green, where I expected characters to be all 'Cor, lummy' and 'You're nicked'. Some of the expressions used just felt a little disingenuous and out of place, but I think this more a consequence of the translation itself than the author's original intention.
So all in all my first dip into Japanese crime fiction was an extremely pleasurable one, though not without a minor flaw. Loved the characters, the tight plotting, and the playing out of a visceral and psychologically interesting dimension to what could have been just a standard addition to the serial killer thriller genre. Will certainly be seeking out not only more of the books in this series, but this has also sparked my interest in further exploring this crime sub-genre generally. Recommended.
(With thanks to Titan Books for the ARC)
Tagged dark web, Japan, murder, police procedural, psychological suspense, self harm, serial killer, sexism, Tetsuya Honda, Tokyo3 Comments


In a 1970 Los Angeles Times interview, Williams remembered how difficult it was to cater to newly affluent clients with little experience living with the trappings of wealth. His final design was often the result of balancing their taste with what the architect considered "the bounds of grace." (October 11, 1970) Lon Chaney, however, was a star with a quiet, private life—shunning public acclaim. He once said "My home is my own. The public I am sure has no curiosity about my domestic life." Unlike other movie stars of the time, studio publicity departments were never allowed in his home to photograph the interior. (The Tuscaloosa News. September 1, 1930) Williams recognized Chaney's innate shyness and need for privacy. He designed his Beverly Hills home as a sanctuary. Williams said, "He hated going to a fine restaurant and having fans gather around and watch which spoon he was using." To accommodate Chaney, Williams designed a posh, formal dining room where the star and his wife could dine alone.
Chaney and Williams were both masters of disguise. Using makeup Chaney created scores of exotic characters. Paul Williams used a variety of new and old building materials to transform many of the mansions he designed into homes with an instant history. In the Chaney home the architect created this allusion by combining recycled 65-year-old bricks, traditional hand-made roof tiles and mature landscaping.
Chaney, who was slow to transition to the new talking movies, insisted that his home be wired with the latest sound technology. "A combination radio and phonograph that can be controlled from any principal room was built into the house" with the speakers hidden behind decorative screens. (Los Angeles Times. September 14, 1930) Williams created a series of chestnut wood, secret panels to conceal the many modern conveniences Chaney wanted.


text:
Q: Java Web App Inserting into mysql, best way So I'm building a register/login form on java web app and I want to make it nearly perfect. By that I mean secure, fast, clean code.
So right now my code is like that. I have a private structure of User, with setters and getters and a method of registration:
db dbconn = new db();
Connection myconnection = dbconn.Connection();
String sqlString = "INSERT INTO users (name, password) VALUES ('"+Name+"','"+Password+"')";
try {
    Statement myStatement = null;
    myStatement.executeUpdate(sqlString);
    myStatement.close();
    myconnection.close();
}
catch (SQLException e) {
    System.err.println(e);
}

But the thing is I heard ( not sure ) that just running SQL queries like that is bad example and I shouldn't do that? So I'm just wondering, what is the best way to register a user into my MySQL database? Using procedures? Or is using Statement like that is valid as well?

A: If you just use JDBC (and not an OR mapper) you should use prepared statements due to security reasons. The way you're doing it allows for SQL injection.
Problem: if you concatenate parameter values like you do one could alter the query.
Example: if Name had the value x','y');DELETE FROM users;SELECT * FROM users WHERE name in ('whatever
the query would become:
INSERT INTO users (name, password) VALUES ('x','y');DELETE FROM users;SELECT * FROM users WHERE name in ('whatever', 'password')

Now execute that query and you might wonder where all the users are gone.
Using a PreparedStatement the statement would look like this:
PreparedStatement pst = myconnection.prepareStatement("INSERT INTO users (name, password) VALUES (?,?)");
pst.setString(1, Name); //btw, Java coding conventions state it should be "name" instead of "Name"
pst.setString(2, Password); //your password should be hashed and salted btw!
pst.executeUpdate();

Note how it's not necessary to use single quotes in the statement. PreparedStatement will handle that for you and also escape the values to prevent injection.
A second thought (from a design point of view): you might think about separating user registration etc. from the user objects holding the data (see Single responsibility principle). This is just meant to be a suggestion and there surely are others that don't agree (with valid arguments, often depending on the situation though).

A: *

*Move

db dbconn = new db(); Connection myconnection = dbconn.Connection();

To a utility class.

*

*As proposed in the comments, use PreparedStatement to avoid SQL injections and String concatenations (use ? and don't try to concatenate)

*I would put all SQL statements in a util class as public static final String

*See some real world examples on how to do it, for example use a finally block to close the statement and the connection (it will look ugly with the try/catch also inside the finally block)

*Here's a link to a JDBC best practices refcard (although a bit advanced)

*A couple reference small tutorials:
Vogella.com
Oracle's official docs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
All This Huxley
Philadelphia Indie Band
All This Huxley is an eclectic indie band from Philadelphia, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Trevor Serine, John Corcoran, Josh Mayer, and Alex Marlys. Known for layering beguiling melodies and dueling lead guitars with their trademark folksy, dystopian lyrics – they continue to expand their truly diverse catalog, with a new EP – We Can Still Be Friends – out March 5, 2021.
Since forming in 2014, All This Huxley has played dozens of shows and festivals; they've been guests on radio shows ranging from the Netherlands to Nashville; their music is on Internet & FM radio in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America – and streams online to fans in over 45 different countries via Spotify and Apple Music. They have held #1 on the local Philly Indie Charts for dozens of consecutive weeks following each release.
In December of 2019, 'Comrade II' was selected Top Ten Single of the Year, continuing their run of critical success and acclaim.
Full Bio:
In 2017, All This Huxley put out their debut eponymous album, which "show[ed] off the band's considerable talent for pairing their erudite, dystopian lyrics with majestic guitars and insistent riffs," from the impressive lead-driven tunes like 'Counter-Clock World' and 'Comrade Winston Smith' to the acoustic-folk inspired, 'Two Feet in the Sand' and 'Queen Bee,' the album is an experience from start to finish.
In July of 2019, Huxley released the EP Home Stockholm, a "melange of indie rock, folk, and good old-fashioned alienation.." The EP is "refreshing and artful, fascinating, passionate.. with enjoyable grooves [that] holds you captive with uniquely expressive, consistently appealing vocals."
Following the release, All This Huxley was selected as an exclusive Featured Artist by the print-magazine Music Connection Magazine, and which published a review for Home Stockholm in their June Edition.
Copyright © 2022 All This Huxley Privacy Policy | Euphony by Catch Themes


Could anyone please help me to understand a few rather confusing moments in one particular Copyright Transfer Agreement? The said Agreement is issued by the Journal of Materials Research and can be accessed here (via the link at the bottom of the page) or here (a direct PDF link).
I've read the Agreement forms back and forth a few times and couldn't find neither the manner in which the authors names and affiliations should be provided nor how should all the authors acknowledge that they are aware of this form and accept its terms. Am I right that in Agreement there is no explicit indication of how exactly should all the authors affirm that they understand and agree with these forms?
So, does it mean that one author can sign the form on behalf of all of them? What gives him the authority to do so? As far as I see, in the forms provided there is no explicit way to acknowledge that one author is (sorry) authorized to act on behalf of the others. Isn't there a legal loophole that, after the forms are signed and filed, allows the co-authors to claim that they did not permit that one (corresponding) author to transfer the copyright?
So, from the point of view of thoroughly correct legal English, is the said Agreement as dubious as I perceive it, or did I miss something?
What you are overlooking is agency law. The person who is signing the document is representing to the other party that they are authorized by the other authors to act as their agent. The other party is entitled, through agency law, to rely on that representation unless they have reasonable belief that the agent is not so authorized.
For example, when you buy your groceries, the cashier is an agent of the supermarket. You are allowed to assume that they have the right to sell the supermarket's product. If you couldn't do that you (and everyone else) would have to ask to see a letter signed by all of the directors of the supermarket giving that particular cashier such authorization. And you'd have to check the cashier's ID and make sure that the directors who signed were the current directors etc. This is clearly unworkable - hence agency law.
If the author who signs does not, in fact, have the authorization of the the other authors that's a problem between them - it does not invalidate the contract they signed.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged copyright copyright-transfer or ask your own question.
Could asking an author for a copy of their research article be illegal?
Is it necessary to audibly announce a copyright notice when using music licensed under Creative Commons Attribution?


On the occasion of International Women's Day, our organization with the help of its volunteers organized today in the center of Kosovska Mitrovica a called "Respect women = prevent violence" aimed at raising awareness among citizens about the unequal position of women in our society.
We fear that 8th March has began to lose its meaning over time. A large number of people are not even aware of what 8th March symbolizes. Everyday news about attacks on women, about discrimination against women in the workplace, about the fact that women are paid less, or that pregnant women lose their jobs due to the maternity leave talk about the position of women in our society.
It's time to raise the voice and give support to our mothers, sisters, girlfriends, female friends… They are strong, but they need our support more than ever. 8th March is not a day of flowers, but the day when we summarize the position of women in our society. Let us make sure that on the next 8th March women are more equal and more respected, the responsibility is on us, men.
Dear ladies, happy 8th March!


text:
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MAKING OF AN ASTRONAUT
MAKING OF AN OLYMPIAN
© 2020 NBCNEWS.COM
Artificial blood vessels that come to life could improve medical care. Here's why.
Preliminary research points to a new approach for treating medical conditions ranging from heart disease to gunshot wounds.
Humacyte is developing bioengineered blood vessels.Humacyte
Get the Mach newsletter.
April 9, 2019, 8:35 AM UTC
By Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky
Fake blood vessels are starting to get real.
New research shows that "bioengineered" blood vessels are able to incorporate living cells after being implanted in the human body, becoming blood-carrying, self-healing tubes that function less as substitutes for human blood vessels and more like the real thing.
The so-called human acellular vessels (HAVs) are experimental devices and aren't yet ready for widespread use. But if the new research is supported by subsequent studies, HAVs might someday be used to treat medical problems ranging from cardiovascular disease to gunshot wounds.
"This is the wave of the future," said Lola Eniola-Adefeso, a University of Michigan biomedical engineering professor who was not involved in the research, which was described March 27 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
For the research, scientists and biomedical engineers at Yale University and Humacyte, a regenerative medical technology firm in Durham, North Carolina, created HAVs by taking arterial cells from cadavers, growing them into new vessels and then stripping out the cells. After the processing, all that remained was the so-called cellular matrix — the web of collagen and protein that gives a vessel its structure.
Science3 ways science aims to end the organ shortage crisis
Then the HAVs were implanted in the arms of 60 kidney disease patients in Durham; Norfolk, Virginia; and three cities in Poland. The HAVs were used during thrice-weekly sessions of hemodialysis, the blood-cleansing treatment that takes over for ailing kidneys.
Hemodialysis is typically administered through a fistula, a surgical connection between an artery and a vein that is easy to access; or through a graft, which connects the two blood vessels through a synthetic tube. Both approaches have shortcomings: Not all patients are good candidates for fistulas, and grafts are prone to clots and infections.
The researchers followed the patients for three years after they received their implants. Whenever a participant went in for routine surgery to fix or maintain their implant, researchers harvested a tiny square of their artificial vessel. All told, the researchers obtained samples from 13 patients. Subsequent analysis of the samples showed that the prebuilt matrix was filled in with the patients' own cells.
"Your own stem cells crawl into the spaces, realize that they're in a blood vessel, and then differentiate into your own tissue," Humacyte CEO Jeffrey Lawson said.
The analysis also showed evidence that the artificial vessels were able to heal themselves. In one sample, extracted about 10 months after implantation, new cells were seen growing around holes poked by needles during dialysis.
Eniola-Adefeso called the results promising but said there's much to learn about how the vessels perform — including how well they hold up over the long term.
The scientists at Yale and Humacyte are looking ahead, too. Lawson said the artificial blood vessels could someday be kept on hand in hospital emergency rooms.
"This sci-fi notion of tissue engineering — we're on the doorstep of doing it for real," he said.
Want more stories about bioengineering?
Lab-grown lungs successfully transplanted into pigs, raising hopes for human use
These tiny robots could be disease-fighting machines inside the body
Why tiny Neanderthal brains are now growing in petri dishes
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Does Acai Detox Pads Work? And What You Should Expect?
The danger we currently face from the media is very challenging. It can change your decision in matter of minutes based on an assumption. Detox patch is an intriguing topic that should be addressed in an unbiased form.
On daily basis we are poisoning ourselves with unavoidable toxins from the food, water and air we breathe. In 2007, Detox pads were introduced on the market. With claims to help detoxify your body and revitalize your entire system by removing metals, toxins and other bad things that are making you feel bad. The science is said to come from China where doctors developed technology to detoxify your body and making you feel healthier and cleansed.
Recently many manufacturers of Detox pads make extraordinary efforts to create the illusion of scientific legitimacy and use it as a selling point for detox pads.
So Does Detox Pads Work?
The Chinese believe every meridian point in our foot reflex to a part of our body system and that is the base idea of these "Detox Pads" were originally derived from the Chinese alternative medicine called "Reflexology".
Reflexology is considered a "complimentary" healing practice based on the principle that "the feet represent a map of the whole body, so that by working manually on the feet, distal areas of the body can be treated" (Tiran, 2004). It is an ancient natural therapy which utilizes energy zones on the hands and feet to provide relief for a variety of illnesses as well as to energize the body system. It has been in practice in China for thousands of years and till today, remains a popular and common therapy in China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand and is also increasingly popular in other parts of the world including Europe, Australia and USA.
When the waste products in our body reaches an excessive level, they can cause fatigue, lethargy, restlessness or other health problems. There are various methods to clear the buildup of these waste products(toxins) in our body; including fasting, dieting, sweat out in a sauna, regular physical exercise or even colon-cleansing.
The Chinese and Japanese have known about the detoxification effect of certain tree extracts and the meridian pressure points of relexology and accupressure. Combined with other herbs and when applied to the sole of the foot, it has been found to vastly improve circulation and promote detoxification of the human body leading to general better health and well-being. This combination of toxin cleansing and reflexology has made this formula a favourite among Asians, young and old, healthy and weak.
This obviously tells you that using detox pads on your foot doesn't mean it'll accurately work on a from western medicine approach. No body knows exactly the mechanism of action of these pads.
The polarity is reversed periodically, creating positive and negative ions, which are then taken up into your body through your pores. Your cells are then supposed to be energized by the ions form the acai pad, which encourages your cells to release oil, acid, fat, heavy metals, and other debris and waste which has accumulated in your cells and bloodstream over your entire lifetime. As your cells release the toxins, again through osmosis, the toxins are carried out of your feet and back into pad.
I have to say sounds too good to be true? Too easy to be real?
Dr. Sairwaa Prevost — a board-certified internist who is on staff at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif.,– said the science behind the ionic foot makes sense.
This what you see here is a result of what happens when you get a traditional Chinese treatment in a western culture that only approves of the western medical school approach.
On the other hand, Traditional Chinese Medicne favors a holistic approach, views the universe and body philosophically and develops inductive tools and methods … to guide restoring the total balance of the body." Now tell this point to any western medical professional. He/she without doubt would consider this an absolute non-sense. And if that is non-sense how many Asian countries including China relies on that kind of treatment and have cured millions of patients over the last centuries with that method.
These conflicts add to the growing debate on the regulation of health marketing, the role of direct-to-consumer advertising, and marketing efforts to promote a health lifestyle.
So deciding to go with Detox pads or not. Is simply up to your decision. Go all the way with the western medicine or try the Traditional Chinese.
However, returning to a crucial point… Detox pads are not all the same. Many are scams few are legit. So far we have several positive feedbacks on Acai Detox Pads. Also you can check Amazon for reviews on any pad/patch you decide to try.
Disagree? Want to comment? We welcome all comments, positive and negative, particularly those with sources for scientific and medical opinion.


text:
Q: Binding a click event to tr elements in jQuery Datatable on() doesn't work I am developing a table that will contain all our users which can also be changed by clicking the tablerow and editing the data in a form that will open once the click was performed.
If i have all the users loaded at page load, my code works fine.
Once i change my datatable to load the users at datatable initialisation it will only work on the first page.
If i uncomment the lower part of my ready(function()) and delete fnInitComplete it wont even work on the first page.
Here is the relevant part of my code:
        $(document).ready(function(){
            tbl = $('#nutzer').dataTable( {
                "bJQueryUI": true,
                "sScrollX": "100%",
                "bProcessing": true,
                "bServerSide": true,
                "iDisplayLength": 10,
                "sAjaxSource": "xhr.php",
                "sPaginationType": "full_numbers",
                "fnInitComplete": function() {
                    $('#nutzer tbody tr').on("click", function () {
                        aufklappen(this);
                    } );
                }
            } );

            $( "#create-user" ).button().click(function() {
                $( "#dialog-form" ).dialog( "open" );
            });
//            $('#nutzer tbody tr').on("click", function () {
//                aufklappen(this);
//            } );
        });

        function aufklappen(row) {
            if ( tbl.fnIsOpen(row) ) {
                tbl.fnClose(row);
            } else {
                set = tbl.fnSettings().aoOpenRows[0];
                (set != null) ? (tbl.fnClose(set.nParent)) : null;
                $.post("benutzerBearbeiten.php", {
                    funktion : "benutzerDaten",
                    id : $(row).children( "td:first-child" ).text()
                }, function(data){
                    tbl.fnOpen( row, data);
                    $( "#deaktivieren").button().click(function(e){
                        e.preventDefault();
                        deaktivieren();
                    });
                    $( "#speichern").button().click(function(e){
                        e.preventDefault();
                        speichern();
                    });
                }
            ) };
        }

After page load or page change through the datatables pagination i can manualy call
$('#nutzer tbody tr').on('click', function () {
    aufklappen(this);
} );

and the click function gets bound to the tr's perfectly.
Seems to me that the elements created by datatables-plugin are not getting up the dom to the on() handler that i defined but i cant figure out why.

EDIT
Utilising "The System Restart"s answer i ended up deleting the fnInitComplete part and add
"asStripeClasses": [ "odd nutzer_tr", "even nutzer_tr"]

to the initialisation part and
$("body").delegate(".nutzer_tr", "click", function () {
    aufklappen(this);
});

to the ready(function()). The additional class nutzer_tr is to prevent the opened tablerow from closing.

A: I think you need live event:
$('body').on('click', '#nutzer tbody tr', function () {
    aufklappen(this);
});

or can use delegate()
$('body').delegate('#nutzer tbody tr', 'click', function () {
    aufklappen(this);
});


Jay welcomes you to The Anfield B&B, we are superbly located just 100yds from Liverpool Football Club providing a convenient location for anybody needing to visit Anfield to watch LFC in action.
Dunsandles is a Victorian guest house lovingly restored to its original standard by local interior designer and upholsterer Helen Keating. It offers 6 guest rooms, comprising of two family rooms, twin room and a further 3 doubles.
We are a few minutes away from Liverpool John Lennon Airport but it's very quiet as we are in Hale Village. We are ideal for families with children as we have plenty of space outside for children to play.
Court Farm is a traditional Cheshire farmhouse dating back to the late 16 th Century. The house itself is a listed building and retains many of the original internal features.
Listing your Liverpool bed and breakfast on ClickBedAndBreakfast.co.uk will get you noticed by thousands of potential guests every day.
Thank you for viewing our list of Liverpool Bed and Breakfast properties. Click on any Liverpool B&B shown above for more details, or to book direct with the B&B owner.


text:
6 Elephants Die at Thai Park After Trying to Save Fallen Calf
"We understand that the elephants were trying to cross over to the other side of the river," a local official said
Published October 6, 2019 • Updated on October 6, 2019 at 5:48 am
A herd of wild elephants was swept away by raging waters in a national park in Thailand, drowning six, while rangers helped steer two of the animals out of a deep ravine.
Staff at Khao Yai National Park discovered the two struggling elephants and the carcasses after dawn Saturday near the Haew Narok waterfall, also known as the Ravine of Hell.
The two elephants were trying to reach a dead calf, park officials said.
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Park rangers helped lead the two elephants from the ravine and said they will monitor their condition throughout the week. The waterfall was closed off to visitors while officials remove the carcasses.
"The two elephants right now are taking a rest. They are exhausted from trying to cross the stream," said Chanaya Kanchanasaka, a veterinarian at the park, located 120 kilometers (74 miles) northeast of Bangkok.
The ravines usually fill up with gushing water during the rainy season. In 1992, eight elephants died after falling into the water.
The park is home to about 300 wild elephants and is part of Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Copyright A
veterinarianThailandSierra JacksonBangkokUnited Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization


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