What The Dead Want - MJ Lee

 

Tenth book in thrilling Manchester based detective series by MJ Lee

Author Lee burst into this reader's viewpoint in 2019 when the second book of the series Where The Dead Fall was released on NetGalley. From there this reader has looked forward to each release with relish as to how DI Thomas Ridpath, but his friends just call him Ridpath is navigating the delicate balancing act of working for the coroner's office and being seconded to the police office with the melting of law enforcement and investigation of suspicious deaths meeting.

At the end of book nine, What The Shadows Hide, Ridpath was dealing with the tragic injury of his boss Coroner Challinor who was attacked by an assailant and left for dead. The book begins with her still in a coma some months later, with Ridpath working for a new boss who is nothing like his predecessor. 

A good mark of any crime detective series is that the hero detective is only as good as his opponent, and in this new novel What The Dead Want, we have the unlikely return of the evil pathologist Harold Lardner who has planned a series of murders despite being behind bars..

A mysterious disappearance of a young boy in Manchester during the Covid lockdown is investigated and leads to a care home which itself had a spike in suspicious deaths with organs removed from cadavers from being moved from care home to the mortuary slab.

As ever, Lee writes with such efficient fluency and swiftness that you are never left in doubt about the action taking place. Ridpath continues to have to deal with office politics and the new know-it-all detective Helen Shipton brings its own problems, with her being in direct conflict to Ridpath's loyal footsoldiers.

The other notable note of credit to Lee is that he loves writing Ridpath and his characters, and he can still get me with a surprise twist in terms of narrative pull. Something else he does well is elicit correctly the feel and atmosphere of being in February - cold, miserable and dire. 

This is another excellent entry into the Ridpath series; and his second excellent novel of this calender year.

What The Dead Want is out now from Canelo on all formats.

Bedazzled

Bedazzled (2002)

Starring Brendan Fraser and directed by Harold Ramis, the remake of the 1960s cult classic of the same name which starred Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in a rare foray into feature film production following a successful television work. 

This 2002 released film was marketed as a platform for Fraser to cement his ever burgeoning leading man persona with a stab at broad out and out comedy having capably shown his comedic chops in action films such as The Mummy (1999) where his comedic timing and dialogue delivery was key to the film's success.

It was also an attempt to bolster Elizabeth Hurley's leading lady credentials as the well had gone dry since Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Hurley's casting was less to do with her ability and more to do as a nod of appreciation to the British heritage of the film now appropriated by an American comedic director.

This version of the film stars Fraser as Elliot, a well-meaning computer processor in San Francisco who wants nothing more than to fall in love with Alison (Frances O'Connor), who is cast as the unattainable ideal for him. Elliott meets the devil (Hurley) she grants him 7 wishes for his soul. 

From here the film becomes a showcase for Fraser to don many a hat and make-up in various guises and personas, yet each costume change comes with a catch - as a drug baron he has an unloving wife, Alison - who appears as the object of affection in each wish sequence-  as a sensitive soul he has no sex appeal and as a fantastic athlete he is unfortunately not that well endowed where necessary. 

Elliott's unfortunate shortcomings are an allegory for the film itself  which runs out of gas by the sixth and seventh wish when Elliott knows he is facing a losing battle with the Devil. The film itself was not met with universal praise or acclaim, yet over time Fraser's performance has grown to one of great appeal due to his changing gears from scene to scene - his ability to go from druglord to NBA superstar whilst still remaining essentially himself at the core is very hard to do, yet he is able to find layers amidst the latex.

Take the scene - his second wish - where he wants to be a sensitive understanding man. The scene is at a seashore, he has made a picture perfect picnic for him and Alison. Yet Alison feels drowned and overwhelmed in compliments and sensitivity and would prefer some a man who knows what he is doing in the bedroom department which this version of Elliott, heavily emasculated is lacking in. Yet the scene revolves around a sun setting during the Magic Hour (Terence Malick might approve) and how overcome with emotion Elliott is by this wonderful moment of nature as he bursts into tears everytime he looks at it. As the sun never goes down seemingly, he get more and more emotional with the moment building to a crescendo of tears when he summons the Devil to end this wish. It's the standout moment of the film and for Fraser it became meme worthy as time has past, sadly the remaining wishes could not measure up to this scene particularly.

The third wish sees Elliott as an NBA superstar, in this guise he has weird teeth but the intensity Fraser brings to the role as the boneheaded athlete who is more brawn than brain, establishes this character as lacking in comparison. This is cemented when Alison as a locker-room sports journalist is eager to see how endowed this athlete must be (you certainly would not be able to depict a female character like this in 2023), and beneath Elliott's towel is apparently a very small genetalia prompting Alison to leave for a 'big' story elsewhere.

The fourth wish depicts Elliott as a literary revelation, a maestro of wordplay hosting a swanky launch party at his penthouse apartment, which in his eyes is merely a ruse to woo Alison. As the scene plays out, you do get the impression that Elliott may have finally landed Alison as the party ends and they share longing looks over champagne, Elliott begins his seduction by talking to her about what he may do to her in the boudoir. Alison is a willing partner, and yet Elliott keeps talking they do not clinch and he keeps talking. As they enter the bedroom, fate hits and it transpires that this Elliott is gay with his same sex partner patiently waiting in bed for him. Foiled again, Elliott ends the wish.

The fifth wish has Elliott wanting to be President of the United States, and in the shortest sequence, the devil is clearly having too much fun as she makes him Abraham Lincoln on the way to the Ford Theatre on the night of his assassination. 

The cleverness and brilliance of Fraser's performance is the physicality he brings to it, a tall and broad man in his own right like his predecessor Christopher Reeve and his successors Chris Hemsworth, his presence alone brings so much to his roles from the outset - he is a person to take notice of, none more so than his debut as Encino Man (as a frozen caveman opposite Pauly Shore and Sean Astin), where he is mute for most of the role but his deftness of physicality adds to the slapstick humour of a man out of time as he comes to terms with modern conveniences and electricity.

Mentioning physicality you have to note that Fraser's natural stance and build is quite imposing, this is used to great effect in the film as he towers over the supporting players and cast and this gives Elliott a gentle giant quality that might have been lost on others. In other films it serves well, his underrated performance in The Quiet American opposite Michael Caine where he is shot a lot from underneath to give him this arresting presence in the Graham Greene adaptation, he comes across as akin to Orson Welles' Harry Lime from The Third Man, an enigmatic ingenue with his cards close to his chest.

Which all in all, it is a shame that this film did not connect as well as it was hoped for and perhaps began the slowdown of Fraser's ride to A-list stardom, and the years in the wilderness that would seemingly follow. The film may be called Bedazzled but if you have never seen it, do seek it out as Fraser's performance alone is worth the admission money.

The Eye of Horus - Ken Lussey

Fifth book by Ken Lussey released by Arachnid Press released 18th June 

Ken Lussey returns with another tale in his RAF series featuring Bob Sutherland and secret agent Monique

Starting the series in 2019 and based around the true story of the mysterious death of King George VI's cousin, Duke of Kent, Lussey took historical fact and weaved in an interesting premise of a detective with life skills imperative to tracking down the truth and one not without his obstacles to overcome. Bob Sutherland our loyal captain and main protagonist was a fine pilot with many messerschmidts as notches on his belt, yet a flight one night during the Battle of Britain cost him the sight in his left eye grounding him permanently from the war effort but still able to fly in daytime. 

Sutherland found his calling belonged in the Military Intelligence Service, and so the series of books have found him investigating cases amidst the rich Highland landscape with his now wife, Monique for company.

The problem any writer of a series would attest to, is the restrictions of their limited landscape has upon a character's growth, the confinement of war and the familiarity of problems may restrict other writers. However, Lussey has overcome this with great initiative. 

One book in the series was entitled, The Stockholm Run, where Bob and Monique took on the guises of Mr and Mrs Cadman to take over 

The new book starts us off with the couple in good spirits having just got married in secret. They are in the midst of enjoying their honeymoon - time away from work, relaxing as best you can during a war - yet that tranquility gets disrupted when an old friend of Bob's tells him of a missing relative on the island of Malta. Having been missing for nearly a week with no rhyme, reason or body to show; the colleague asks Bob and Monique to go to the island via Gibraltar and investigate.

Combining elements of war-time set films such as The Guns of Navarone and The Third Man; Lussey weaves another welcome addition to the Sutherland Series. Lussey's eye for historical period detail gives the reader a history lesson (such as the note that a third of young children died in Malta in 1942 due to the aerial bombardment and lack of medical supplies entering the island - sounds familiar as war carries on in the Middle East) and a reminder of how privileged we are to live in peace time in our country currently.

By the book's end, Lussey has again concocted a thrilling cat and mouse thriller helped by the limitations of the small island's geography and the ever impending threat of an aerial attack by the German air force.

For fans old and new, my hope is that these books do find the larger audience they so richly deserve.

The Eyes of Horus is out from Arachnid Press on Tuesday 18th June on all formats. 

Sorcery

 

Feature length film from Christopher Murray

Based upon actual 19th century witchcraft trials in Chile, Sorcery features a stunning lead performance from Valentina Veliz Caileo, a young girl using the title of the film to avenge her father's brutal death.

A wonderful premise of a film featuring enigmatic mystery and a key lead performance from a young adult, there is so much potential for this film to succeed and yet it fails to land unfortunately.

The use of landscape as a mystery to itself does not evoke the required atmosphere - long moments of quiet elicit feelings of monotony instead of haunting. 

When the trailer was issued of this title, it was sold as a forebearer and successor to Pan's Labyrinth - a mythical parable where a young girl must overcome the adversity of the German settlers amidst the Chilean landscape maintaining the truth to herself in her quest to avenge her father's passing. And yet when the moments of action come not as a shock to the system but a welcome change from moments of stillness that instead of offering moments of resonance instead make for an unwanted plodding to proceedings. 

Imagine all the council meeting scenes of Killers of the Flower Moon for an hour and a half, when a lot is said and not much done, and you would rather return to the threat and menace put upon the indigenous people to help thrust the momentum of the narrative which stagnates and treads water when it should be flourishing.

The intention is there but it just fails to match expectations of the trailer, and that is a shame as there are so many elements to make a great statement here on the Chilean spirit. However, the end product is lacking that one element of the spell to be magical.

Sorcery is distributed by Sovereign Distribution and on limited release from Friday 14th June

SheffDocFest 2024: The Boy and the Suit of Lights

First documentary feature from Edinburgh based film director set in Spain 

Inma De Reyes has crafted a fine modern-day document of an almost antiquated artefact of a bygone era in her hometown of Castellon, Spain. The Spanish title is El Nino Y El Traje De Luces.

Bullfighting is one of the most identifiable elements of Spanish heritage and yet it is a dying form of entertainment in the modern world with animal rights activists fighting for better care of the poor animals and also the stardom that came with the pastime waning due to the rise of better money in more mainstream sports such as football and basketball. 

De Reyes over the course of five years follows a young boy, Borja, as he navigates his puberty into young manhood with the dream of becoming a bullfighter while helping his single mother who works hard to provide for her and brother Erik. The other mainstay in his life is his grandfather, Matias, a man who could not fulfil his dream of bullfighting and so vicariously lives through his grandchildren.

The five year format - reminiscent of Linklater's Boyhood (2014) - does not use intertitles to inform the audience of a new year, instead we have the raising of a musical score to signify a movement in time sometimes bringing light to a new year or a dark cloud such as the passing of a loved one during the global pandemic. 

In terms of the lead character, Borja's expressive eyes allow us to see how he takes in this awe-inspiring arena of sport. He is very much aware of the opportunity to be something else in the world is being afforded in contrast to the underprivileged nature he finds himself in.

While filmed through the documentary medium, this is essentially a coming-of-age story for Borja and his younger brother; as they come to terms with the pressures of the decisions made in teenage years to better themselves and the hard work your parents do to keep the negativity of the world away from their children, and yet these obstacles cannot be ignored the older you become.

Empathetic in its tone and delicate handling of the complex sport while embracing the romantic notions bullfighting elicits in the Spanish cultural landscape; The Boy and the Suit of Lights is a film with lessons to learn and where even the best laid plans get changed. 

Financed by Screen Scotland, Chicken and Egg, Rustic Canyon and Women Make Movies; 

The Boy and the Suit of Lights receives its World Premiere at Sheffield DocFest on Friday 14th June in the International Feature Competition.

Sheffield DocFest: Sheffield International Documentary Festival (sheffdocfest.com)

Every Spy A Traitor - Alex Gerlis

 

First book of brand new series by prolific Alex Gerlis

Published by Canelo, Every Spy a Traitor, is the first in a prospective four part Double Agent espionage series by Alex Gerlis. The series will cover a dramatic 20 year period from the start of WW2, to the freezing of relations resulting in the Cold War .

It is 1937, as fascism is on the rise across continental Europe, fear is equally in the ascendancy. British Intelligence is trying to work out who the enemy is; whilst they have a spy amongst their own ranks named simply 'Archie'. 

Charles Cooper, a young British writer, is travelling through Europe seeking a story for his next novel. Yet his quest for research means that fact and fiction are going to merge together sharply and put him at the forefront of his next story.

Gerlis who came to prominence with the Spies series in books, is a passionate historian as well as a good yarn teller; those two passions finding a marriage together as the story of Cooper is relayed.

The first half of the book, which shows Cooper travelling the European railways and countries before the Second World War commences when Poland is invaded by Hitler's Germany; Cooper's journey is a romantic one full of notions and impulses of freedom. 

The second half when we become privy to Archie's true identity is heart-racing as Gerlis navigates the political landscape and ever shifting questions of loyalty abound in the back rooms. Little morsels of details such as an assassin dressed in a Cambridge University gown so as not to warrant suspicion on the school grounds is a delight especially; as are the ability to embrace historical fact with a highly digestable story much like Ken Lussey does in his Bob Sutherland novels. 

This is a whip-crack entertaining read full of nuggets of historical detail and full of great characterisation that while of the time also feel relevant to today's day and age. Top notch stuff from an established writer in total command of his powers seemingly.

Every Spy A Traitor is released from Canelo on 6th June on all formats.

My thanks to Canelo for the review opportunity.

Here

New film by Bas Devos out 7th June from New Wave Films

The story revolves around a Romanian construction worker in Brussels, Belgium who is considering going home until he encounters a Chinese specialist in moss. This unexpected connection between two wondering souls sparks the possibility of new beginnings for both in this 

The film was winner of the 2023 Encounters at the Berlin Film Festival and Best International Film at the 2023 Galway Film Festival

The film takes its time in bringing the two people together - they have a brief encounter about half an hour into the film, but the true connection does not take place until nearly an hour into proceedings. The attention to detail and our maintaining of attention upon the two leads is partly down to the restrained and nuance both convey. Stefan Gota has such an expressive face in the same vein as Matthias Schoenaerts, one that can be vacant yet also say so much with his presence alone.  Liyo Gong provides a performance of assuredness and calm nature.

The film, reminded me of Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem 'Nature' where Emerson relays about the essence of transcendentalism and gaining a divinity through nature, you can only understand reality through studying nature. Both of these souls like for instance Bob and Charlotte in Lost in Translation, are seeking answers in this mystery of life and find each other in this fleeting moment.

However, the star of the show is the director Bas Devos, a deliberate and methodical director, who is able to film wonderful images and allows the film time to breathe and not rush proceedings, much like the moss which as the forefront of the narrative for both of our protagonists.  These things take time.

But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile. In the woods, is perpetual youth - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The film is about connection and finding a place in this world that you can call home, when faraway from the first one; it will remind you of films you have seen before and yet is unlike anything you may have seen before. Reminiscent of the Dardennes naturally, a smidgen of the methodical technique of Tarkovsky and yet something of its own making and minute uniqueness.

Here is released by New Wave Films on Friday 7th June, my thanks to them for the review opportunity.