Monday 21 March 2011

"I only went out for a loaf."

Just one film in this weekend's film viewing: from Park Chan-Wook, who also directed the wonderful OLDBOY, we watched SYMPATHY FOR MR VENGEANCE. It's a dark and disturbing hard-boiled thriller about a steelworker who cannot hear or speak and who is sacked from his job. With the help of his girlfriend, decides to kidnap his boss' daughter in order to pay for a new kidney for his sister. This is a lovely looking film (even the bits I couldn't watch because they were so gory), but I didn't find any of the characters particularly sympathetic because you don't get to know them that well. As a result, I wasn't emotionally involved. Well worth watching though (but not as good as OLDBOY, which I loved).

Helen Fitzgerald needs your help - she's looking for a new title for THE DEVIL'S STAIRCASE. And, talking of Helen, she's doing an event at the Ramshorn Theatre in Glasgow on Wednesday. If you're going along, I'll see you there.

Ian Rankin will be at the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona on March 22nd and Alexander McCall Smith will be appearing at the Seattle Public Library on 1st April.

Jay Stringer and Russel McLean in a podcast interview with Tony Black (who is apparently being interviewed inside a woolly sock).

Robert Louis Stevenson's abandoned first novel has been found, completed and is set to be published.

Eurocrime reviews Grant McKenzie's NO CRY FOR HELP, Bookpage reviews Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG and The Guardian reviews Gordon Ferris' THE HANGING SHED.

And, finally, Stan Laurel's statue turns up after seven years. Brilliant.

7 comments:

  1. Donna - Thanks, as always, for the round-up! I just love that about that statue!

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  2. I hope they´ll feed Stan properly from now on! :D

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  3. Yeah, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance wasn't in the same league as Oldboy, for sure.
    Did you see Lady Vengeance?

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  4. Margot - you're welcome :o)

    Dorte - poor Stan!

    Heath - I did - again, I didn't like it as much as Old Boy. Another Korean film that was really good is The Chaser - have you seen that?

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  5. I haven't yet, but it's on the ole' Netflix list... the Koreans are making damn good, ultra-violent noirs these days...

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  6. OK Donna, I warned you so you so you'd have time to prepare!

    Here's my review of Old Dogs! :)
    http://booknutreview.blogspot.com/2011/03/old-dogs-donna-moore.html

    Don't worry it isn't too bad! :)

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  7. Andy - thank you so much - what a lovely review!

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