I review children's books from picture books, middle grade fiction, non fiction and young adult books. Formerly the children's book reviewer for The South Wales Evening Post
Eva was once a legendary fashion designer until, mysteriously, she retired. Now widowed, she lives with her family in Salix House, the home she's owned and loved for forty years. When the family announces it's time to sell, Eva is deeply reluctant. The house contains memories and secrets that are part of her, although she never shares them. Megan is a fashion journalist working in London who interviewed Eva for a magazine. Torn apart by the brutal end of a love affair, Megan is drawn back to Salix House and Eva. Decades apart in age, the two women share a bond. Both are hiding something, but perhaps together they can confront their fears, their past pain and their uncertain futures - and discover the truth of Salix House's secrets
My Musings
A story of two women at different times in their lives, a young writer Megan is having an affair and Eve, an 80 year old former fashion designer is about to be forced to leave her home. Their lives entwine and secrets are uncovered. Megan, ends up becoming a nanny and companion for Eve and her grandchildren after being dumped by her married lover and leaving her job. Intermingled is Eve's story of her loves and career. Geras is a wonderful children's writer but this is the first adult fiction book of hers I have read. The premise of two strong women is interesting but the fragile balance between the two are, I found, too fragmented, which meant I became irritated about where the story was going. That said I was tempted enough to carry on reading. I also had an issue with both protagonists. They are both selfish in their own way and you feel little sympathy for them, especially in the beginning. However the story reveals how they battle with their own demons past and present which keeps you hooked. It was this that will keep you reading even though Eva's story especially is a little far fetched. Would the trauma of a four year old really crystalise into having a cold relationship with her daughter. There is also a ghostly presence that I never quite got. This dual plot formula seems to be very much of the moment but it could have been handled better , especially by such an experienced author. I felt it was rushed out to the orders of her publisher. It was unbalanced and even though the ending was very neatly tidied up I felt it was too neat for the extreme events that had preceded. Eva exposes her secret to her daughter and they go on to play happy families? And why has it been kept secret? Megan falls for a property developer and suddenly he has a crisis of conscience? I really felt that this could have been great but needed more editing and sharpening up. Its a good holiday read but instantly forgettable. Disappointing from such a gifted writer. One's to read by Adele Geras Troy- Great retelling of a Greek Myth from the servants point of view. Suitable from 11+ For Dual plot Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
I always loved Geoffrey Holder in Live and Let Die.He is one of my favourite Bond Baddies. I will never forget at the end of the film him sitting on the train laughing insanely. It always sent chills through me but at the same time totally caught my imagination and I was fascinated. Brilliant character acting and, like the ballet dancer Robert Helpmann ,before him, who played The Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang his dancing skills certainly brought life to his performance and added an extra edge of menace. Brilliant and very sorry to here of his death. RIP Geoffrey Holder
Article about Geoffrey's life from Variety.com
Geoffrey Holder, a dancer, choreographer, an actor (famously in the James Bond film “Live and Let Die”) and a two-time Tony winner for “The Wiz” who was famous for his deep voice and hearty, enthusiastic laugh, died of complications from pneumonia on October 5 in New York. He was 84.
Despite his wide range of artistic achievements, Holder probably reached his widest audience in his role as pitchman for 7UP in commercials of the 1970s and 1980s, in which he pushed the virtues of the “un-cola.”
Holder’s film career began with 1962’s “All Night Long,” a version of “Othello” adapted to the London jazz scene.
In “Doctor Dolittle,” he played the leader of the natives on Sea-Star Island — experiencing racism while on the shoot.
Holder appeared in Woody Allen’s “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask” as the Sorcerer before taking on the role of Baron Samedi in “Live and Let Die,” which had a considerable amount of Caribbean-flavored choreography.
In John Huston’s 1982 feature adaptation of “Annie,” Holder played Punjab, one of Daddy Warbucks’ bodyguards.
In 1992 Holder had a supporting role in the Eddie Murphy vehicle. In 1998 he appeared in the Claude Lelouch film “Change and Coincidence.”
Holder was born into a middle-class family artistic family in Port of Spain, Trinidad. He was mentored by his older brother Boscoe Holder, who led a dance troupe, the Holder Dance Company. After Boscoe moved away, Geoffrey assumed leadership of the troupe while still in his teens in the late 1940s.
Agnes de Mille helped bring him to the U.S., where he arrived in 1954, soon making his Broadway debut in the original, Caribbean-themed musical “House of Flowers,” for which he choreographed the Banda dance number.
For a year in the mid-’50s, Holder was a principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. He was a performer in an all-black revival of “Waiting for Godot” in 1957, and in 1964 appeared in the musical review “Josephine Baker.”
For original musical “The Wiz” in 1975, he was both the director and the costume designer, winning Tonys for each.For original 1978 musical “Timbuktu!,” Holder was director, choreographer, costume designer and even the illustrated the Playbill cover.
Holder was director and costume designer for the 1984 revival of “The Wiz,” and he did the staging for a 1993 concert featuring the Boys’ Choir of Harlem and Friends.
He is survived by his wife, Carmen de Lavallade, and their son, Leo.
A young Scottish woman joins the French Resistance during World War II to rescue her Royal Air Force boyfriend who is lost in France.
My Musings
This film had such bad reviews I only watched it out of duress to avoid X Factor. Released in 2001 I can't believe I took this long and it was a revelation. I am not saying that this should have won awards by the bucket load or the reviews were unfounded but they were unfair and maybe at the time expectation was too high.
Cate Blanchett can certainly carry a film, she is luminous in this. Acting as a British spy in occupied France while trying to find her pilot boyfriend who has been shot down, it sees her being drawn into helping the French resistance against the Nazis. Forging a close friendship with a father and son looking after two Jewish boys it proves a intimacy and growing tension in the film as the net slowly closes around them all.
For a war film it is gently powerful and subtly tense. Billy Crudup who plays the french resistance son and love interest, brings a strong and sensitive performance that is not overshadowed by Cate's dominating presence. The horror of that time is nodded to in the end and left to the viewers imagination which can be more dramatic that showing the aactual events. The weaknesses come from the gaping holes in the plot and the action scenes could have been more dramatic and tense at times. When a group of friends are shot it should have been horrifying but just missed a little on impact for example.
It is beautifully filmed and the camera loves Cate with more than a nod to the golden age of Hollywood.
This is a film that takes its influence from the old school of film making and in this case it does it justice. This is a film which has certainly stood the test of time against the odds and it is a film to lose yourself for a couple of hours. Definitely worth a watch.
Happy Birthday to Brigitte Bardot! This picture is of her with Picasso, during a visit to his studio at Vallauris, near Cannes, during the film festival in 1956. He actually refused to paint her!!
Most romantic story is about her romance with playboy Gunter Sachs. Hours after they met, he arranged for a helicopter to douse Bardot's house in red petals: "It's not every day a man drops a ton of roses in your garden," she wrote, and married him precipitately in Las Vegas.
Let me know your favourite doggy movies, would love other suggestions!
1.Eight Below
This is my all time favourite and based on a true story. All about an Alaskan dog team surviving a bitter winter on their own. Beautifully filmed with Paul Walker playing second fiddle to the dogs. A real treat.
2.Lady and The Tramp
A Walt Disney classic. A Love Story that has seduced generations of children and adults.
3.White Fang
A wild dog, part wolf finds friendship with a young miner whilst running from a brutal past owner. Stunning backdrop and gorgeous dog. I have watched this so many times and never get tired of it.
4.Lassie Come Home
All time classic. So many Lassie films so little time! I have picked the Elizabeth Taylor version but honestly you can't go wrong with any of them. The modern version from a couple of years back is also lovely if you don't like old movies.
5.101 Dalmations
Mix loads of Dalmations with Glenn Close as Cruella DeVille and you have an instant hit. Funny, cute and a little dark. Something for all the family. Of course I do have to mention the cartoon version as well. Both have a charm that you can watch again and again
6.Beethoven
A family adopts a St Bernard puppy and as he grows watch chaos ensue. Laugh out loud film. Brilliant!
7.Because of Winnie Dixie
Lovely little film based on a classic childrens book. A little girl finds a dog and wants to keep it despite there being a no pet clause in their trailer park. Beautiful sentiment and wonderful characters. Divine Dog.
8.Bolt
Brilliant and clever animated adventure about Bolt, A Hollywood Dog Star who gets lost and has to find his way home. Funny for all ages
9.Hotel for dogs
Adorable family film about a group of kids taking over a disused hotel to rescue and home abandoned dogs. Inventive.
10. Turner and Hooch
Classic with Tom Hanks and his sidekick Hooch, a French Mastiff. If dribble is not your thing then you should give this a miss. However Tom is at his funny best and a perfect foil to his dog partner. Funny and poignant.
Honorary Mentions
The Incredible Journey The story of three pets, a cat and two dogs, who lose their owners when they are all on vacation. Can they find their way home? The Call of The Wild Jack London's classic story from 1903 about Buck, a dog kidnapped from his home in California and taken to the Yukon where he is mistreated until a prospector discovers him and relates to his situation.
All Dogs Go to Heaven dog returns from the dead looking for revenge on his killer using an orphan girl who can talk to animals Cats and Dogs This never appealed to me but its been so popular i thought I'd better put it in!! A look at the top-secret, high-tech espionage war going on between cats and dogs, which their human owners are blissfully unaware of. K 9 To stop an elusive criminal, a maverick detective enlists the aid of a police dog who's an unusually intelligent smart alec. Marmaduke A suburban family moves to a new neighborhood with their large yet lovable Great Dane, who has a tendency to wreak havoc in his own oblivious way. Snow Dogs When a Miami dentist inherits a team of sled dogs, he's got to learn the trade or lose his pack to a crusty mountain man. You'll Need A Tissue, You Have Been Warned
These films I can't watch without shedding a tear. They are all beautiful films but don't watch if you want to cheer yourself up! Grey Friars Bobby Marley and me Hachi
Richard Kiel will be forever remembered as one of the best Bond Baddies of all time. Seven foot 2 with metal teeth that could bend steel bars he terrified me as a child and I loved him for it. He and Roger Moore were the perfect foil. Entertainment at it's best. Richard Kiel Actor 1939-2014
UK gay and lesbian activists work to help miners during their lengthy strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984.
My Musings
We were lucky to be given early bird tickets for this film for a showing at 10.30 am on Sunday morning. There are not many things that will prize me away from my coffee and sunday papers but I was dying to see the film featuring a star turn from our very own local actress Menna Trussler and so off we zoomed, blurry eyed and coffeeless.
We were so glad we made the effort. Definately one of the best films this year.
Setting the stage we meet the first half of a large ensemble cast, a gay London activist group led by Mark played by the brilliant Ben Schenetzer, (recently seen in The Book Thief) and includes older couple, Andrew Scott(Sherlock's Moriarty) and Dominic West, Freddy Fox and George Mackay with Faye Marsay as the token lesbian. They all have their own personal issues to deal with but also decide to show solidarity with the Welsh miners and raise funds for them during their fight against the closure of the pits. It would sound very far fetched if it wasn't absolutely true and because of that it is immeasurably heartwarming.
When they raise enough money the group feel they should go and give it to a community in need and after picking a welsh mining village they all head off to donate their support in person.
This is where the fun really begins, seeing two cultures clash as each side go on a journey of discovery about the other. Set against the backdrop of the fragmentation of these tight welsh communities and the emergence of AIDs and the backlash that came with it the many individual stories that are weaved throughout the film could have been a mess but was told sensitively and intelligently.
It was also nice to see no stereotyping on either side and all the ensemble cast were fantastic. The Welsh contingent was led by Billy Nighy who underplayed the quiet stern Welshman with a sensitive side and Mena Trussler innocently playing the perfect foil to the gay activists while on a steep learning curve. One of my favourite parts of the film was Mena and Imelda Staunton dancing with Dominic West. Who knew he had moves like that! Brilliant. Talking of which the music score of 80's hits are brilliant and will have you toe tapping through out.
This isn't your usual comedy as it is touched with a serious message and note of sadness in that the miners lost so much with their community and work and the gay community had to deal with aids and the hysteria and ignorance that came with it. The ending was very unhollywood in that the miners lost their fight and the gay community continue to fight ignorance on several fronts however in the film many of the individuals won on personal levels. The film ends with a really positive and extraordinary true scene showing the Union joining the 1985 Gay and Lesbian Pride Rally in London, and helped push through gay rights policies at the 1985 Labour Party Conference, in the face of opposition from that Party’s National Executive.
This film will make you laugh and cry and more importantly leave the cinema filled with PRIDE
