Paperback Pleasures

The Time of Angels is a novel ostensibly about an isolated and troubled household from the pen of Iris Murdoch but which overflows with ruminations on theology and morality. A new Rector moves into a bombed out parish with a couple of young wards and they live in a strange, cloistered bubble, relying on the devoted housekeeper to keep all and any visitors at bay. This unsettling inertia is slowly fractured by the presence of the incumbent caretaker and his wayward son. Each of Murdoch's characters have delicious tensions bubbling away under the surface but it;s rd. There's plenty of meat on the bones here but what's striking is Murdoch's skill in building and sustaining the most peculiar atmosphere and though, with hindsight, the denouement seems a little flat by contemporary standards it nevertheless kept me up late into the night in a race to the finish.

Cosmopolis is a tasty, toothy satire of American culture and excess from the brilliant Don DeLillo. The book follows the progress of a young, gifted billionaire trying to cross NY for a haircut in his fancy stretch limo. The slow pace allows for plenty of drop ins and outs, a little global market tinkering and smatterings of food, sex, death and the big city life. DeLillo's prose is pin sharp and jostles some serious criticism into our antihero's little odyssey who despite being thoroughly detestable still raises a few laughs as he crushes ideas, people and currencies with a wry indifference. It's a facile comparison I know but he seems to cover ground similar to Ballard, the pointed barbs aimed at our shiny modernity, vague psychology and amoral profiteering all with the whiff of anomaly and the unusual. A classy novella that's definitely worth reading and there's still time to get through it before Cronenberg's adaptation hits the big screen.

Four Finger Snaps

Supercharged Actioneering

The Man from Nowhere is a prime example of Korea's commitment to making blistering action thrillers that make their Western counterparts seem tame and toothless in comparison. Quietly running a pawn shop since the death of his wife our retired special forces protagonist is forced to dust off his deadly skill set when his neighbour's daughter is kidnapped by gangsters. Though the set up is brief and fairly hackneyed there's some heart to the script and some wry humour which go some of the way in alleviating the unrelenting violence as the hero spends 70 mins or so of the film smashing, snapping and pummelling his way through a slew of henchmen enroute to a very, very bloody finale. Brilliant but definitely not for the fainthearted.

The Raid: Redemption is an Indonesian film about a SWAT team attempting to clear a tower block that's firmly under the control of a drug lord and unsurprisingly things get very messy, very fast. The plot is paper thin and there's only the vaguest attempt at characterisation as this film is all about the action and bedlam and what a cornucopia of action is offered. I can't think of a single film which can match the ferocity, the merciless brutality of the violence on offer here as the squad shoot, hack, slice, punch, kick and gouge their way to the top. The action is beautifully choreographed, nicely shot but it's the incessant pace that's jaw dropping, literally breath taking and you'll find yourself, like me, unable to look away till it's conclusion. If you thought Man from Nowhere was too light and frothy try this instead, you won't be disappointed.

Whirring Cogs

Apparently mean/unpleasant internet comments aren't necessarily a result of anonymity more the lack of eye contact. Scientific American

Misunderstanding statistics isn't confined to students with lecturers failing to appreciate crucial concepts. PDF of the paper here.

'Global' brain connectivity seems to be a powerful new predictor of individual intelligence. ScienceDaily.

There's a nice bit on the psychology of persuasion on Farnum Street.

Kicking back against the so called wisdom of the crowds. Impactlab.

Studying the brains of lucid dreamers is helping to reveal the neurophysiological 'basis' of consciousness. Reddit.

Head injuries big and very small can have a lasting effect on our noggins.

There's a nice list of cognitive biases over here, via Reddit.

Fascinating article about psychosis and insight, via Mindhacks.

Black & White Gold

Sullivan's Travels is a delightful Preston Sturgess movie about a Hollywood film maker who, bored with churning out frothy comedies, wants to change direction and adapt 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' a worthy, depression set drama. As he's never experienced poverty he decides to live like a hobo to gain some understanding (much to the consternation of his studio execs) and a light, rather lovely comedy roadtrip ensues. With a quick witted script and some fine acting from Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea as the pair of psuedo bums, Sturgess balances the laughs, a little romance and a few poignant lessons about life effortlessly into what is a thoroughly enjoyable film and probably one of the best films I've seen in ages.


Before The Third Man, Carol Reed & Graham Greene worked together to fashion a wonderfully poised thriller called The Fallen Idol released in 1948. The young son of an Ambassador is left in the company of the butler, Mr Baines, and his harsh housekeeper wife for a weekend and quickly becomes embroiled in a web of secrecy and witness to the eventual dissolution of their relationship. Beautifully shot and with taut, restrained performances from the adult cast the tension builds deliciously until the climax and a torrent of emotion is unleashed. This is an excellent thriller that's sadly over shadowed by the pairs subsequent success.

Lame Lessons

Juno Temple stars as the school bike in the 80's set, bittersweet comedy Dirty Girl. After getting busted down to remedial class, the louche protagonist befriends a chubby, closeted dweeb and the pair go on the lam with a bag of flour baby in vague search of her father. It's quite funny but it's the excellent performances from Temple, H. Macy and Jovovich that give it some depth and though the plot is remarkably predictable it develops an unexpected edge. Maybe with a new title, a couple more gags and a little more imagination with the plot this could've been great but as it is, it's just a moderately enjoyable peice of fluff.

Bad Teacher, unfortunately, has less laughs and fewer decent performances to lift it's humdrum plot beyond anything other than factory floor Hollywood dustbunny. Cameron Diaz does her best as a loafing high school teacher who decides to put some effort in to win an award so she can pay for a boob job and finds herself drawn to a new upbeat teacher played by empty eyed man-doll Justin Timberlake. It's not an awful premise but there's barely enough laughs for it to qualify as a comedy a shame as I suspect, originally, it had a darker, filthier tone that's been washed out the way.

Sporting Goods & Not So Goods

Paul Giamatti stars as a struggling lawyer/part time wrestling coach in the comedy Win Win from Thomas McCarthy, the director of The Station Agent. With his business on the verge of bankruptcy our protagonist decides to fleece an elderly client who's suffering from dementia and it looks like things are on the up when the clients grandson, on the run from a drunken mum, turns up and seems to be a wrestling prodigy. Much like his previous films there's an interesting, quiet blend of comedy and drama throughout and McCarthy's writing and direction continue to impress. The assembled cast are all on great form and though it's gentleness may not appeal to everyone it's has an intelligence and emotional maturity that's not that common in contemporary Amurican comedies.

And to emphasis my point take Goon for example a mildly amusing but thoroughly infantile comedy starring doofus for hire Sean Wilson Scott as a bouncer whose skill in punching faces lands him a place on the local ice hockey team. Cue a predictable rise to fame plot arc that's dutifully populated with thumbnail characters painted in fingerpaint colours by hamfisted actors. There's a couple of chuckles along the way I suppose and it's slapstick violence picks up some of the slack in the script (which veers between trite and knowing simplitude) but mostly this a basic, hollow shell of a film that hasn't enough laughs and even less plot or character. If you're looking for something dumb and mindless as the main character look no further.

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