FILM: Jerry Maguire (8/10)

Why did I watch it?

I was lent this by a friend at work. It had always been a film that for some reason I had never known much about despite knowing its popularity.

What's it all about?

A Tom Cruise vehicle, Jerry Maguire is a sports agent at a lucrative firm, who suffers a crisis of conscience over the money first, clients second approach of the firm and finds himself fired for it. Broke and having lost his client roster, Maguire persuades idealist assistant and single mother Dororthy (Renee Zellwegger) to join his new firm. While trying to succeed with one client, the loyal but strong willed and eccentric footballer Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Dorothy falls for Maguire's charms.

Should you watch it?
Sitting down to watch Jerry Maguire I didn't know what to expect. I was aware it dealt with a sports agency firm, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn't know it was part sports film, part comedy and part romance, and a pleasing combination of all three. Neither did I know that Gooding Jr. won a richly deserved Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Tidwell. Not short on referenceable lines or highlights owing to director Cameron Crowe's script, Gooding Jr. was the film's main highlight for me. His charismatic and boisterous character stole the majority of scenes he appeared in, be it dancing around his kitchen or tenderly showing his affection for his wife.

Crowe also encourages Cruise and Zellwegger to turn in excellent performances, Cruise's slightly unhinged and borderline OTT portrayal of Maguire being one of the best I have seen him give, teeth and shades and all. He also achieves a genuine tenderness in the scenes he shares with Dorothy's son.

Show you my WHAT?

The ending may have been a little too sugar coated, mainly in the sense of Tidwell's new contract value rather than Maguire and Dorothy's relationship, but all in all Jerry Maguire is an enjoyable feel good romantic drama that has stood the test of time so far and one that is definitely worth checking out if, like me, you haven't yet seen it. 

FILM: The Rock (7/10)

Why did I watch it?

This is one of those films that I should have seen but for no particular reason I haven't. Instead I've managed to see Con Air probably half a dozen times. 

What's it all about?

Ed Harris plays disillusioned US general Frank Hummel, who leads his rogue team of Marines to seize control of Alcatraz, taking 81 hostages in the process. Armed with biological VX missiles aimed at San Francisco, Hummel demands funds for the families of those marines who have died in deniable operations. The US governments teams up FBI chemical specialist Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) with former SAS operative and Alcatraz inmate John Mason (Sean Connery) to save the day.

Should you watch it?

The Rock is a straight forward action film with no regrets. Bang for your buck director Michael Bay's second film delivers gun fights, car chases, explosions a plenty, all tethered to a pretty zany plot. He finds time to squeeze in some instantly recognisable shots, namely the slow motion shots of Cage getting to his feet a la Will Smith in Bad Boys.

The three leads play there characters well. Harris plays Hummel dead straight and manages to give him several dimensions. Cage is his fairly usual character, the goofy, funny, out of place hero. Connery brings some extra class to the film although he does have a few cheesy lines that would make a Bond script look Shakespearian. Producers Bruckheimer and Simpson gave soundtrack duties to Hans Zimmer, who delivers another fantastic Zimmer special.

As 1990's action films go, The Rock is up with the best of them.

BOOK: Enemy of God, Bernard Cornwell (7/10)

Enemy of God is the second book in Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles trilogy chronicling the story of Arthur and his battle against the Saxons.


Following on from the first book, The Winter King, Arthur has achieved temporary peace across the south of England via shrewd diplomacy and on occasions, war. Cornwell's trilogy portrays Arthur as an oath-bound Lord sworn to protect the kingdom of the infant King Mordred against the Saxons as the country itself is torn apart by warring Christians and pagans. Arthur is a principled leader who remains true to his oaths even as they overpower him and conflict with each other.


As with the first novel, the story is told retrospectively by the main protagonist Derfel, a former warrior and now monk loyal to Arthur. By telling the story in such a way, Cornwell maintains the suspense as the reader is aware of Derfel's present situation (writing the story in a monastery) but unclear how he ends up there from the story he is telling which is a world apart.


The book has an underlying theme of atheism common to modern times as Cornwell narrates the escalating threat to peace of the warring Christians and pagans and Arthur's struggle, despite all his best diplomatic efforts, to bring harmony to the rival religions.


I am largely unfamiliar with the story of Arthur and his knights of Camelot, and I enjoyed Cornwell's attempt to retell the story without all the usual romantic legends, however, in comparison with the first book, Enemy of God does feature more magical goings on as Merlin ropes Derfel into his quest to find the Treasures of Britain. The ending is particularly exciting as Arthur's friend Lancelot shows his true colours and places the story's heroes in danger while setting the scene for the final instalment of the trilogy.


A good mixture of history, legends, magic and religion.