Category: Commentary
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March Reads

A mixture of genres this month. A couple of American big hitters were a disappointment – Stephen King and Paul Auster. However, a cracking debut novel, a non-fiction account of The Troubles and a classic graphic novel were standouts. Short reviews available on my Goodreads page. The Names – Florence Knapp *****Four Shot in the…
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REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME

I’m breaking my own rule for once and writing something overtly political: an opinion piece, and it’s just my opinion, so feel free to disagree. Regardless of the eventual outcome of the US Presidential election, more Americans have voted for Donald Trump in 2020 than they did in 2016. Let that sink in. Half of…
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NOSTALGIA CAFE

‘What’s that?’ Jessie pointed outside at the stars and stripes fluttering on the flagpole. ‘That used to mean something.’ ‘I like the colours, it’s pretty.’ ‘It sure was. Ready for your food?’ ‘I can’t wait to try it. You used to eat these ‘hot dogs’ all the time, Gramps?’ ‘And burgers, chips, pizza.’ ‘This food…
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BAD BRUCE WILLIS: The Forgivable Sins of LOOPER
Rian Johnson’s Looper is a good film, with touches of brilliance, but equally with a central dubious morality and the plot weaknesses inherent in any film that uses time travel as a central plot structure. The way that these central problems are addressed by Johnson, and how they interact with one another are essential to…
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A Rant About TAKEN
If I was to be topical, of course, this blog should be a review of the current Taken sequel taking vast amounts of box office money around the world, the imaginatively titled Taken 2. It’s not though, for one fundamental reason – I shan’t be going to see Taken 2 at the cinema. I may stumble…