Flat characters that all meld in to one during dialogue. This man needs to spend time with human beings and study interaction before he is given the chance to put pen to paper again.

Pointless brief chapters. He likes to chop his chapters into bite sized portions. I have no problem with that but he starts a new chapter in the middle of an action sequence. By doing this he makes it seem like the book is irresistible. Very annoying. Other times he goes from one scene at one location to another with only a paragraph change. No warning to the reader and very disorientating.

The ending (no spoilers) was akin to written diarrhea. He spewed out point after point in an endless ‘look at me I know stuff’ fashion. He was preaching to the reader through the characters who by all means could have exchanged their lines and you would not have cared one bit.

I freely admit I downloaded this book and I still feel ripped off. I apologise for not being able to articulate to the best of my ability for I feel dumberer for having read this tripe.

Last Sunday was my first race and I was rather nervous. It was an early morning start at the end of a two week holiday from work and waking up before 6am was not easy after being used to sleeping in. All that was forgotten on the lovely drive out to the track. It’s absolutely gorgeous seeing a Winter’s sunrise come over the hills while you cruise on your very own very deserted freeway.

The nerves increased as I was scrutineered but were all gone with the first practice session. The atmosphere was pretty relaxed and everyone was out there for a bit of fun. My day went really well with no serious problems. I got to experience a spin off as someone bumped my kart into a corner. I led the pack on a couple of occasions and at the end of it all came away with a trophy for second place in my class! Beginners luck it might be but a wonderful day that made me hungry for more. Just what I needed really…

We all know the tale of Frankenstein so I’ll spare you the details. I’m certain that this movie in its time was superb and even today it does hold up OK but that’s about it really. When we have so many wonderful films that have come out since I can’t for the life of me pick this one over the hundreds of others that I would prefer to watch. I often think that some of these classics are highly rated simply because they are vintage. In this case I’m afraid that’s not enough for me so I’ll leave it with a 6/10.

Frankenstein (1931)

Magnolia is a long and interwoven tale of the people connected to two men who are about to die. Both men have estranged children well into adulthood who want nothing to do with their fathers. We also see a child who is a great chance of being emotionally scarred for life by his father and his simple attempt to prevent this. This is a highly charged movie with amazing confrontations and some quirky weather to boot.

Long and painful but a really rewarding experience and a hope filled ending. Nothing less than a 8/10.

Magnolia (1999)

Amidst the almighty Rome of 73 B.C. a Thracian slave by the name of Spartacus refuses to remain beaten and treated like a dog. His ambitions run higher than simply escaping with his life. He intends to free all men, women and children from Rome and her iron grasp. He is driven by the idea of freedom and the love of a beautiful woman.

I fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it years ago and it gets better each time I see it. A classic that ages incredibly well and certainly a must see.

It would be criminal of me not to give this film a 10/10.

Spartacus (1960)

A fast talking Rosalind Russell steals the show in this one. She’s adorable as one of the guys and deserves an 8/10.

His Girl Friday (1940)

A satisfactory performance by Sidney Poitier but in my opinion he was outclassed by the superb Rod Steiger as Chief Gillespie.

An enjoyable flick but hardly more than a 7/10.

In The Heat Of The Night (1967)

Truly a wonderful movie that has to be seen. It has a wholesome goodness to it that might be over the top for some but it’s simply wonderful story telling for the whole family. This is one of those movies that makes you look back on your life and question yourself just how much have you really lived.

Some rushed scenes with forced acting prevent an otherwise top mark. 9/10

Big Fish (2003)

She plays Princess Anne who’s on a tour of European cities when she gets tired of her demanding schedule and escapes her minders in the city of Rome. She happens to meet an American newspaper man by the name of Joe Bradley who is played by Gregory Peck. Joe figures out who she is and secretly tries to get an exclusive story out of her while they both lie to each other, in as far as their identities are concerned, in order to spend a day sight seeing together. Inevitably the day has to come to an end but their time spent together changes both their lives.

I found the last scene particularly interesting and moving. Not the whole 5 minutes but the very last 30 seconds before the credits role. It’s slow and painful and yet passes all too quickly and you feel good about the characters. All in all a very nice wholesome movie at 7/10.

Roman Holiday (1953)

An engaging look at a couple and their problems which sustain their relationship. Set in one drink fueled night George and Martha air out their problems in front of their guests, Nick and Honey.

It’s all about the dialogue and it’s absolutely fantastic. The performances by all 4 actors is superb and I’m finding it hard to believe that A Man for All Seasons (1966) took out the best picture over this masterpiece. What a joke.

If you appreciate films this one will surely entertain you at 9/10.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf (1966)