BOOK: A Clash of Kings, George. R. R. Martin (7/10)

Why did I read it?
I own the A Song of Ice and Fire book boxset but rightly or wrongly my policy is to only read the book having watched the associated HBO Game of Thrones series. I had heard that elements of the second book A Clash of Kings were being split between the second and third season so having recently finished the third season it was time to return to George Martin's epics.   

What's it all about?

Civil war begins in Westeros as Renly Baratheon and his brother Stannis both refuse to recognise their nephew Joffrey as King of the Seven Kingdoms. Meanwhile Robb Stark is crowned King of the North and Baron Greyjoy declares himself King of the Iron Islands. Split between Winterfell, King's Landing and everywhere between, the Stark family is caught between the warring factions. Elsewhere, Jon Snow ventures North of the Wall to hunt wildlings and Daenerys tries to recruit support for her cause in Qarth.

  

The Good:

• The depth of Martin's universe is staggering
• Chapters told from the point of view of nine characters breaks the story down and keeps the plot compartmentalised
• Theon's humbling return to the Iron Islands and foolish return to Winterfell
• Tyrion's appointment as the Hand of the King 

The Bad:

• Picky, but the sheer length of the book. 915 pages is a very long read to commit to and the level of detail can be confusing if not read regularly.
• Daenerys' story often seems too detached from the majority of the book's events occurring simulatensously in Westeros

Favourite line:

'Only a fool humbles himself when the world is so full of men eager to do that job for him' - Theon

FILM: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (9/10)

Why did I watch it?

The question should be 'How has it taken me 15 years to watch this?'. Almost a British institution, it is shameful that it has taken this long!

What's it all about?

Four East End wannabe laaaaaads, Bacon, Eddy, Tom and Soap, end up in debt to the tune of £500,000 to local gangster Harry The Hatchet with a week to pay up. When they discover that the flat next door is occupied by a gang of like minded part time criminals who are planning a robbery of their own, an opportunity presents itself to recover their losses.

Should you watch it?
The film that launched Madonna's one time husband Guy Ritchie to the masses is a triumph of the East End gangster culture laced with a heavy dose of humour and inept characters. One long Mexican stand off in the making with a sharp script full of memorable lines, 'it's been emotional', it's easy to imagine Lock Stock as a film Tarantino would be proud of.

The opening scene belongs to Jason Statham, in his first film, playing a dodgy dealer in a role different to the action tough guys he would go on to trademark, as he wheels and deals fenced items with a Cockney slang heavy script, 'it's a deal, it's a steal'. Ritchie does a good job of gradually introducing the film's characters as the layers of the story develop through narration and hearsay and the characters, from drug kingpin Rory Breaker to Rob Brydon's traffic warden, score the film major plus points.


Lock Stock also boasts a brilliant soundtrack of contemporary British music, Ocean Colour Scene, The Stone Roses and some classic songs, Zorba the Greek, that are well used in the film.

FILM: American History X (9/10)

Why did I watch it?

Recorded this one a while ago while it was on as it's always been one of those films I've wanted to watch, purely based on its controversy, but somehow never got around to.

What's it all about?

Norton beefed up for the role 

A story of two LA neo-nazi brothers, American History X stars Edward Norton and Edward Furlong as Derek and Danny Vinyard. Angry with perceived injustices against the white population of Venice Beach and the nation as a whole on top of the murder of their father by a black drug dealer, the pair embrace the teachings of a local supremist. The film alternates between the present day and flashbacks chronicling the relationship of the pair as the older brother, Derek (Norton), gets drawn into trouble with the gang and later tries to prevent his younger brother from making the same mistakes as him.

Should you watch it?

Violent, powerful and controversial, American History X is a hard-hitting drama dealing with a difficult but realistic subject and at times can be hard to watch. Obviously bearing in mind the subject matter, the script is unpleasant at times but the decision to give both characters a high degree of intelligence was a smart one as it at least allows them to put forward their argument in a reasonably articulate manner.
Edward Norton is absolutely excellent as the older brother before and after his run in with the law and totally deserved his Oscar nomination. Furlong also deserves credit for his performance and it's disappointing that he didn't go on to better things from this. The black and white older footage, when Norton is at his angriest, adds to the powerful nature of the film and was a masterstroke. Norton's angry, shaven-headed, white and Nazi-tattoo clad torso in black and white is, from a cinematic perspective, a pretty powerful and controversial image.