The Lovely Bones

Author: Alice Sebold

Pages: 336

Published: 2002

ISBN: 9780330457729

My name was Salmon, like the fish: first name Susie.  I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.  My murderer was a man from our neighbourhood.  My mother liked his border flowers, and my father talked to him once about fertiliser

So begins the tale of a teenage girl’s murder and its aftermath, as narrated from heaven by the dead girl herself.  The Lovely Bones is a dazzling and daring novel about life and death, forgiveness and vengeance but above all, an unforgettable novel about hope and finding light in the darkest of places.

Goodnight, Beautiful

Author: Dorothy Koomson

Pages: 488

Published: 4 September 2008

ISBN: 9781847442727

An ultimate chick-lit drama and tear jerker of note;  I picked up this book and judged it wholly by the cover.  It was chick-lit and I am not the one for a Mills & Boon marathon. Despite my gut feeling, I listened to that little voice in my head urging me to broaden my reading experience, opened the book and fell in love with Koomson’s writing.  She writes like an old friend writing a letter.

Dorothy Koomson is a British novelist with many bestsellers under her belt, including The Cupid Effect, My Best Friend’s Girl and Marshmallows for Breakfast. I personally had not heard of her since I randomly picked this (Goodnight, Beautiful) book up.

When Nova agrees to be a surrogate mother for her best friend Mal and his wife Stephanie, she didn’t expect to be abandoned when they decide they no longer want the baby. Nova moves to Brighton and brings up Leo alone until she marries the steadfast Keith.

Tragedy strikes and Leo is lying in a coma on the brink of death. Nova invites Mal back into their lives to allow her son sometime with his real father.  This is where this oh-so-dramatic drama picks up its pace.  You are whirled through memories of Mal and Nova from their childhood to the most recent memories that bring the reader to the hospital room where Nova now struggles for hope and the want for her little boy to wake up.  Now I am not going to tell you the ending, it is no doubt shocking and tear-jerking as human mistakes being to dictate these characters lives.

Read it…

6 out of 10

District 9

Release: Friday 28 August 2009
Running Time: 111 minutes
Age Restriction: 10 (Language, Violence)
Website: Official site, IMDB

If you have been hiding in a cave or wherever you go that doesn’t let you access news or any hype of any kind, let me break down what District 9 is. It’s a South African directed movie, based in Johannesburg, about a group of aliens that get stranded on Earth and are put into a special district for them that quickly degenerates into a slum. Now, in an eerie mirror of real life forced evictions, the aliens must be moved into a new area specially built for them, and that’s when things get interesting…

Ok now you know the basic premise of the movie. I suppose it doesn’t sound like much when it’s all in black and white like that, but really it’s quite a powerful movie. Interspersed with interviews of experts, the story is told of how the aliens arrived on Earth, how they got stuck and what we know about them. The story then shifts onto Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) who has just been appointed head of the operation to evict the aliens from District 9, where they are living in squalor.

Seriously though, this movie has it all. From moments of comedy from the seemingly inept and well-mannered Wikus (some of the more memorable quotes and moments had me laughing out loud), to deep introspective moments where you think to yourself “wow, mankind really is the worst”. Just little details that have been added, like the aliens all been given easy-to-pronounce human names like the black people were given during Apartheid, or the way the aliens are treated in general (called Prawns, abused, no effort made to relate to them). It really made me think.

In addition to the comedy and introspective moments mentioned above, District 9 also had action scenes and tearjerkers. I won’t spoil the tearjerkers, but let’s just say the action involves some pretty sweet alien weaponry and a giant mech.

I think everybody should go see District 9, if only to see what all the fuss is about. You’ll either love it or hate it, but chances are you will love it. I did. 10/10.

And now, some bonus facts about the movie that you may not know.

• A single actor (Jason Cope) played all the Prawns in the movie.
• Most of the dialogue in the shack eviction sequence was improvised between Cope and Copley
• The alien shacks featured are actual shacks that actual people had recently been evicted from.
• The film is based on director Neil Blomkamp’s short film “Alive In Joburg“

Short Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel

Author: Baroness Emma Orczy
Pages: 264
Published: 1905
ISBN: 9780553214024

A fantastic classic and a must for all lovers of Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas.  Set during the French revolution; a secret agent, the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel, is smuggling French aristocrats into England.  Renowned for his bravery and clever diguises, he remains a mystery to his sworn enemy (agent Chauvelin), and to his devoted admirer (Marguerite Blackeney).

10 out of 10 (Just for pure adventure)

Short Review: Night World Bind Up Vol. 1

Author: L.J. Smith
Pages: 608
Published: 2009
ISBN: 9780340996621

Three stories of vampires, werewolves and witches.  Good guess, the night world is a secret club of all the above.  Though all three stories are very different the stories centre on the same characters’ connections and ‘family’.  It’s nothing special, but defiantly better than Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight.

4 out of 10

Short Review: The Boy In the Striped Pajamas

Author: John Boyne
Pages: 224
Published: 2006
ISBN: 9780385751063

A haunting tale of two very different boys: one German, one Jewish.  As they begin a journey of friendship with a fence separating each from the others world, the story of WWII Germany is told through the eyes of innocence and confusion of a child during that time.  Read it…

9 out of 10.

Short Review: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett
Pages: 464
Published: February 2009
ISBN: 9781905490431

A sad but truly enjoyable read with a shade of hope on the last page. You get wrapped up in the lives of these characters, their friends, family and communities. Sincerely written with a “complicated” topic for the time it was set in.  I fell in love with the people and the words!

8 out of 10.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Release: Wednesday 15 July 2009
Running Time: 153 minutes
Age Restriction: 10 (Violence)
Website: IMDB, Official

I must say, before I start this review, that I didn’t have particularly high hopes for this movie. I’ve seen all the previous ones, and honestly they disappointed me. Maybe it was just that they didn’t capture every single thing that happened in the books, or maybe the director’s (David Yates in this case) vision of Hogwarts differed from mine. Whatever it was, it blunted my view of the movies, as in the back of my mind I was constantly nit-picking the movie: “That wasn’t in the book.”, “What was that? Where did that come from?”, “Oh they totally ignored that whole sub-plot.”

Half-Blood Prince was no exception to the above, and I felt myself constantly thinking back to the book and comparing it to the movie I was watching. In comparison, it is no contest: the book wins hands down. As a movie by itself, however, I think that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a decent movie.

For the two people in the world who haven’t read the book OR seen the movie, here is a brief plot synopsis: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is in his sixth year of school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Attending school with him are his best friends Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). This year, however, is marked by dark undertones, as the evil Lord Voldemort has openly declared war on the wizarding world. It is against this backdrop that Albus Dumbldedore (Michael Gambon) sets out to learn more about Voldemort, and find his weaknesses to ultimately destroy him.

There isn’t much more to be said about Half-Blood Prince. If you’ve seen the other movies, you will be familiar with the various faces and characters, and will ultimately enjoy the movie’s high-budget special effects and quality script. If you’ve read the book, the same things will impress you, but perhaps your enjoyment, like mine, will be dampened by having read the books. Either way, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is my favourite of the Harry Potter movies so far.

Final verdict: 7/10. Now go read the book.

Van Wilder: Freshman Year

Release: Tuesday July 14 2009 (DVD only)
Running Time: 98 minutes
Age Restriction: 18 (Language, Sex)
Website: IMDB

You must surely have heard of 2003’s Van Wilder: Party Liason? Not? Ok well basically it was awesome, telling the story of a legendary college guy, Van Wilder, and the parties he organised. After that was the sequel, Van Wilder: Rise of Taj, which didn’t even feature Van Wilder. I didn’t enjoy that one at all. The third movie in the series in this one – Van Wilder: Freshman Year.

I didn’t go into this movie with very high expectations, because generally sequels are bad. Especially to movies which didn’t require them, such as the aforementioned original movie. However, with Freshman Year, I was pleasantly surprised. Let me just say that I feel Freshman Year is more of a reboot of the series than an actual prequel: for example it’s supposedly set years before the original, but everybody’s using iPhones. That being said, I’m all for a reboot, as long as they do not get bogged down in mediocrity. *cough* American Pie: Beta House, American Pie: Naked Mile *cough*.

The story is basically exactly the same as that of the original: Van Wilder (Jonathan Bennet) is introduced, hot girl (love interest) Kaitlin Hayes (Kristin Cavallari) is with asshole boyfriend who makes Van’s life hell. Lots of sex, character development, typical gross-out scene, feel-good moment, partying, resolution. This is all nothing new. However, why change a formula that works? I enjoyed it in the original movie, and I still enjoy it in this one.

If you get this movie expecting anything less than a gross-out comedy, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for something slapstick and relatively mindless, then this is the movie for you. The girls are sexy, the jokes are funny, the slapstick is well done, the acting is believable and the characters are just crazily over the top to be enjoyable.

While not as good as the original, Freshman Year is an excellent addition to the series, (and I feel it far exceeds Rise of Taj) and I hope they continue with Van Wilder: Sophomore Year. All in all, I give Van Wilder: Freshman Year a solid 8 / 10.

Killzone 2

Developer: Guerilla Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
HD Resolution: 720p, 1080i
HDD Space: 77MB install, ±1MB saves
Genre: First Person Shooter
Mode: Single player. Multiplayer online only.
Rating: ESRB: M. PEGI: 18+. BBFC: 18
Released: February 27, 2009

Killzone 2 is the name of one of the PlayStation 3’s many exclusive for 2009. It’s a sequel (obviously) to Killzone on the PS2 and Killzone: Liberation on the PSP, and sets you right down in the middle of a huge interstellar war between the essentially human Vektans and the mutated, evil Helghans.

You play the entire game as Seargent Tomas “Sev” Sevchenko, a member of the elite Alpha Squad, and you begin the game on the flagship of the invading Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA). After the events of Killzone, the ISA have orchestrated a massive invasion of the Helghan homeworld, in an effort to break the morale of their enemy and end the war. The primary objective of the invading force, Alpha Team, and you is to capture the Helghan leader.

Graphically, Killzone 2 is amazing. I think it would be fair to say that there is no better looking game on the console; or at least that it is one of the best looking games. Everything is realistic looking and will probably blow your mind. You really feel like you are part of the ongoing war, as bullets fly over your head, RPGs explode right next to your cover and your comrades die all around you.

The environment of the planet Helghan is that of a smoky, lightning filled rock, and the graphics convey that sense of doom. Everything is dull and metallica to survive the harsh climate, or perhaps because of it, and this is reflected in the textures and lighting. Don’t expect all the colours of the rainbow on this game, because you are going to be disappointed.

Gameplay wise, Killzone 2 is a fairly straightfoward FPS: kill enemies using a variety of different weapons, advance to next area, repeat. However, Killzone 2 introduces a cover system, that allows you to hide behind nearby objects and evade enemy fire. While not perfect (I sometimes found myself just wanted to crouch next to an object, not stick to it in cover), this works well most of the tim, and is a nice touch.

Let’s talk about A.I. The Helghast you are fighting against feature brilliant A.I. and you probably won’t find them doing the same thing on subsequent play-throughs. They will flank you if you stay in cover for too long, and they surprised me a number of time with something really sneaky, for example when they flushed me out of my comfortable cover with a grenade and then shot me dead when I ran out. Unfortunately, the amazing A.I. does not extend to your squadmates, who will sometimes stand right in front you as you’re firing, block your path as you’re trying to run and just generally not aid you as much as you would like. I think I can count the number of times my partner killed a Helghast on one hand…

The character development is a little weak, and the character you play: “Sev”, is little more than an ISA grunt with a bad haircut. That being said, I actually found myself getting into the characters in subsequent playthroughs, which shows that it’s not all bad. Storyline … well aside from the grand “invade the enemy homeworld and end the war” there is none to speak of. You and your team go to various places, finish various objectives and carry on. It’s a little weak.

Multiplayer wise, I can’t comment accurately as I haven’t had any first hand experience with it. I’ve heard good things, however, and the availability of two (with a third in the works) DLC map-packs must mean that something is right about it.

Your playtime of this game will vary, depending on how much you want to beat it. While multiplayer ensures a theoretically unlimited amount of gaming, the single player is not so fortunate. If you just finish it once on the medium difficulty, you are probably looking at maybe six hours of gaming. If you comb each level looking for all the collectibles and getting most of the (offline) trophies, you are probably looking at about a good 20 hours. For all the (offline) trophies, you are looking at may 40 – 50 hours, as the “Complete all mission on Elite difficulty” and “Complete all missions on any difficulty level without dying” will rack up that playtime. Here’s a nice overview from my trophies: first trophy: 17 June 2009. Final trophy: 10 July 2009. So lots of value for money.

At the end of the day, I really enjoyed playing Killzone 2, and aside from a few minor annoyances (like why is Sev so short?? He comes up to the chest of other Alpha squad members and struggles to see over low walls), Killzone 2 is highly recommended. I give it a solid 9/10. If you have a PlayStation 3, at least rent this game, to see what all the fuss is about.