Monthly Archives: March 2018

A point of view about points of view

Posted on March 30, 2018 by

First-person, present-tense narratives seem to be increasingly popular these days. Zena Shapter’s Towards White is a good recent case in point. Her use of first-person present-tense places the reader on a thrilling and mysterious knife-edge. I’ve yet to write an … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Film Review – A Fantastic Woman

Posted on March 26, 2018 by

A Fantastic Woman, winner of this year’s Best Foreign Film Oscar, is a melancholy Chilean drama about a transgender woman coming to terms with the sudden death of her much older partner. Daniela Vega contributes a first-rate central performance, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Films | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Religious Censorship and related matters

Posted on March 23, 2018 by

In the past, I’ve had it put to me by some of my more hot-under-the-dog-collar fellow believers, that I have no business telling stories that contain sex and violence. My response to such accusations is to point them firmly in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

FREE Children’s Books Month: Echo and the White Howl

Posted on March 22, 2018 by

The final novel I am giving away for Free Children’s Books Month at Simon Dillon Books is my latest, Echo and the White Howl – available to download FREE from Amazon Kindle, between the 22nd and 26th of March. Echo … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Leave a comment

Film Review – Mary Magdalene

Posted on March 20, 2018 by

Lion director Garth Davis attempts to correct centuries of misconception in Mary Magdalene, showing how the eponymous disciple of Jesus was not a prostitute, as claimed by Pope Gregory I. That’s a laudable ambition, and certainly a fascinating point of … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Films | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Annihilation: The death of cinema at the hands of Netflix?

Posted on March 16, 2018 by

Any article moaning about Netflix is likely to provoke comments along the lines of “Times have changed”, “Technology has changed”, “Most people don’t go/can’t afford to go to the cinema” and “They are just responding to consumer demand”. I expect … Continue reading →

Posted in Films | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

FREE Children’s Books Month: George Hughes Trilogy

Posted on March 15, 2018 by

The George Hughes trilogy is a thrilling, action-packed space tale set just over a hundred years in the future. Each story is a stand-alone adventure, but I recommend reading the novels in order nonetheless, as they do follow on from … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Film Review – Red Sparrow

Posted on March 13, 2018 by

If you are considering seeing Red Sparrow, the new spy thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence, be warned. There are some surprisingly nasty scenes of violence, torture, rape, dehumanising brainwashing (often of a sexual nature), as well as sex scenes, nudity and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Films | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Swearing: Lack of command of the English language?

Posted on March 9, 2018 by

I have often heard it said: “Writers who use profanity don’t have a proper command of the English language.” To which I reply, bullshit. Or perhaps, a big steaming mound of male cattle excrement. I keep thinking of that scene … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Film Review – Game Night

Posted on March 8, 2018 by

“From the guys who brought you Horrible Bosses” isn’t perhaps the most promising of movie endorsements, but surprisingly Game Night is moderate amount of fun. Superficial and fluffy yes, but with more than enough laughs, some of them pleasingly dark, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Films | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment