Film: Mama

Two young girls are rescued after spending years fending for themselves in a remote cabin and are sent to live with their Uncle and his musician girlfriend.

As the girls attempt to adjust to regular life the questions remain about how they managed to survive alone for so long.

It quickly becomes apparent that they weren’t exactly alone. Someone or something was watching over them, and they call her Mama.

This ghost story is superior to many similar films thanks to a great script and some fine performances. Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse are fantastic as the girls who struggle to live in everyday family life while still enjoying the company of their ghostly guardian.

The story behind Mama herself is also the type of tragedy befitting such a tale.

Ignore the silly special effects and enjoy a good old fashioned scary movie.

Mama is in UK cinemas now.

Ric’s Rating: Good. 

TV DVD: Top 100 Raw Moments

Here we have another 3 disc collection from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). This time it’s the top 100 moments from their long-running tv show Monday Night Raw.

Discs 1 & 2 feature the countdown from 100 to 1 which includes classic moments such as:

Ric Flair’s retirement.

DX imitating Shane & Vince McMahon

Vince’s “Bret screwed Bret” interview.

And.....The 123 Kid beating Razor Ramon.

These will appeal to WWE fans old & new but this set features lots of moments covered better in The Attitude Era set (see review below) and does feature lots of relatively recent moments. I mean who can really agree that Santino Marella’s comedy tea party should be included?

Disc 3 is the 1000^th episode of Raw with a “making of” thrown in.

This is decent enough but the fans that this will appeal to will enjoy The Attitude Era much more.

Available now in the UK.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy. 

TV DVD: The Attitude Era

“It was like a big party…and everyone was invited”. So begins the story of the most controversial and influential period in American professional wrestling.

The year is 1997 and WWE (then known as WWF) chairman Vince McMahon announces that the company’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, was about to become an edgier style of programme. This was an attempt to win the ratings war with rival company WCW.

The result was some fantastic tv. Gone were the typical hero vs. villain type storyline and in came an altogether different bunch of characters who blurred the lines between right and wrong.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was arguably the most popular and his long-running feud with McMahon himself resulted in some fantastic, and often hilarious, moments. Other characters who came to prominence at the time were The Rock (now a movie star), Mick Foley and his various personas and the outrageous group known as Degeneration X. An iconic moment of the era was when DX “invaded” WCW.

The Attitude Era has been released as a 3 disc set:

Disc 1 contains the documentary with contributions from various participants including Road Dogg, Stephanie McMahon, Pat Paterson and Christian.

Discs 2 & 3 feature many matches and moments from the show including dangerous ladder matches, a brilliant hardcore title match and the car crash tv that was the Brawl For All. This was WWE’s ill-judged attempt at having “real” matches. It was a career-ender for many of the participants, either through injury or a complete failure in their marketability afterwards.

The Attitude Era is available on DVD & Blu-ray in the UK now and it’s a cool nostalgia trip for anyone who remembers the time. It also works as a showcase for WWE, proving to some that it wasn’t always the kid-friendly show it was in the 80’s and has somewhat become again now.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.            

Book: The Party by JD Carter

Cab driver turned author J D Carter takes us into the London crime scene with this self-published debut.

A London gangster revels in the attention lavished upon him at his 50^th birthday party but little does he know that one of the guests plans to expose him as a murderer and informant.

At 181 pages The Party is a relatively short book which makes it suffer when too many characters are introduced. The plethora of “geezers” is hard to keep up with but the various trips into the murky past of all involved does keep the reader interested enough to see how events pan out.

Ric’s Rating: Good.    

Film: Death On The Staircase: The Last Chance

This captivating documentary film re-visits the case of Michael Peterson, a man convicted of murdering his wife, as he attempts to convince the court that he didn’t receive a fair trial.

Peterson has spent eight years in jail and with various appeals already rejected he cuts a rather forlorn figure as we see him in his cell and wandering around the prison yard.

Throughout proceedings Peterson’s dogged attorney David Rudolf and almost his entire family, including 4 out of 5 of his children, remain steadfast in their support of a man who has always protested his innocence.

You’ll notice from the poster that this is actually a sequel. The original series, The Staircase, covered the initial case & trial but thankfully we get enough of a re-cap here to cover all the pertinent points. The case is anything but straightforward and as the original trial moves toward it’s conclusion some surprising and shocking information comes to light.

Evidence later emerges that questions the motives and reliability of one particular prosecution witness.

Are Peterson and his team successful in their pursuit of a re-trial?

You’ll need to catch this riveting documentary from French film-maker Jean-Xavier De Lestrade to find out.

Death On The Staricase: The Last Chance was shown on BBC4 in the UK as part of their Storyville series but as you can see it’s also known as The Staircase II so keep your eyes open for it.

Ric’s Rating: Essential.          

Film: Bullet To The Head

Back in the days of good old VHS one of my favourite directors was Walter Hill. Hill was responsible for classics such as The Warriors, 48 Hours, Red Heat and Extreme Prejudice. Bullet To The Head heralds his return to the big screen and with Sylvester Stallone in the leading role we surely have an action extravaganza on our hands.

Stallone plays hitman Johnny Bobo who is determined to find those responsible for the death of his buddy (Jon Seda). Forming an unlikely alliance with a cop Bobo soon  sets about tracking down the bad guys, leading to a confrontation with the formidable Jason Momoa (Conan The Barbarian).

This formulaic action film is probably more suited to the bygone era of VHS. At 66 years of age Stallone shows he can still cut it but the story fails to engage and the mild attempt to resurrect the buddy movie falls flat.

Bullet To The Head is very predictable and could have benefited from some more action scenes but it’s still a must for Stallone fans. Catch it in UK cinemas now.

Ric’s Rating: Good.

Film: Wild Bill

Former tough guy Bill (Charlie Creed-Miles) has just been released from prison but instead of returning to the world of crime he concentrates on helping his two young sons. The boys have been fending for themselves for some time and teenager Dean, (Will Poulter) reckons they are better off without their Father around.

Actor turned director Dexter Fletcher (The Rachel Papers) has done a fine job with this genre-bending film. It’s a part crime drama, part comedy, coming-of-age tale that applies to both Father and sons.

The entire cast turn in decent performances with Will Poulter stealing the show as the troubled teen who has to deal with various family issues while pursuing a blossoming romance.

Funny, poignant and dramatic, Wild Bill is another example of fine UK film-making.

You can catch it on Sky Movies here in the UK and it’s available everywhere on DVD.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.     

Book: The Necessary Death Of Lewis Winter by Malcolm MacKay

In the first part of a planned trilogy we meet gunman for hire Calum MacLean who is asked by shady underworld figures to eliminate an up-and-coming drug dealer before he becomes more powerful.

The interesting thing is that the intended victim, Lewis Winter, has only manoeuvred himself into this position to appease his money-hungry young girlfriend, Zara.

Winter becomes quite the pitiful character and you soon begin to hope that he’ll escape his fate.

Will Calum execute Winter? What will the consequences be for those involved?

This is the second book in a row I have read that has been set in Glasgow (my home city) and it’s another cracker. All the characters have many layers. There are big-time villains, corrupt cops, innocents caught up in events and a scheming temptress. All of whom add to the tale.

The satisfying ending also wisely leaves the reader wanting more. A brilliant debut, bring on the second instalment.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.     

Film: Polisse

This powerful French drama follows the activities of the Paris CPU (Child Protection Unit).

By cleverly avoiding dwelling on the harrowing cases that the police officers deal with and concentrating more on their own lives and relationships Polisse is a more entertaining experience than I expected.

The team often socialise together, especially after resolving difficult cases, and this leads to relationships forming. There are marriage break-ups, custody issues, mental illness and rivalry to deal with.

The cases on show are based on real-life incidents and many of them are too despicable to mention but they do include rape, paedophilia, child slavery and suicide.

French cinema often has the guts to tackle things head-on, Irreversible springs to mind, it has also given us my all-time favourite film, Brotherhood Of The Wolf.

This isn’t quite up there with those two but it’s a satisfying, if often uncomfortable, viewing experience that will appeal to fans of hard-hitting drama.

Polisse is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.

Film: Les Miserables

The popular stage musical takes to the big screen in this lavish adaptation.

Hugh Jackman (Wolverine, Swordfish) is Jean Valjean, a former convict who has become a successful businessman while keeping his true identity a secret.

Russell Crowe (Gladiator, Cinderella Man) is the single-minded policeman, Javert, who tracks Valjean for years in an attempt to see him return to prison.

This is the main theme of the film but along the way Valjean encounters many other characters including Fantine (Anne Hathaway), her daughter Cosette, the wily Innkeepers (Sasha Baron Cohen & Helena Bonham-Carter) and young revolutionary Marius.

The tale of Valjean and Javert is set during the French Revolution but I found this element of the story slightly lacklustre and distracting. I didn’t feel as much for the characters presented during that segment of the film and I was eager for the Crowe / Jackman rivalry to resume.

Although I have never seen the stage show some of the songs were familiar. I Dreamed A Dream (famously sung by Susan Boyle) is beautifully performed by Anne Hathaway and Jackman delivers a powerful version of Bring Him Home. Even Russell Crowe can hold a tune, and what he lacks in singing prowess he more than makes up for in sheer on-screen presence.

This won’t appeal to everyone but it’s a passionate and emotional tale which features some amazing performances. If Anne Hathaway doesn’t pick up the Best Supporting Actress Oscar it’ll be a travesty.

Anyone keen to experience a different type of night at the cinema should check it out.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.            

Book: The Reluctant Detective by Sinclair Macleod

Glasgow insurance investigator Craig Campbell usually spends his working hours confirming the validity of claims regarding personal injury or property damage but his career takes an interesting turn when a grieving Mother asks him to look into the circumstances of her son’s death.

Rory Kilpatrick was a teetotal, focused and talented young man who turned up dead on a railway line after apparently falling over drunk.

Campbell soon discovers that there is more to the case than meets the eye and finds that this type of investigative work isn’t altogether different from his usual activities.

There is a comfortable flow to the story, helped greatly by the author’s obvious affection for the city of Glasgow. Being a native myself I was immediately immersed in this curious investigation which takes place in some very familiar locations.

Familiar and comfortable as the writing and location may be, make no mistake as to the serious nature of this novel. Things turn nasty when some unsavoury characters learn of Campbell’s investigation and he soon finds himself (and others around him) caught up in a very dangerous situation. 

Campbell is presented as a very likeable chap who almost jumps off the page when describing mundane tasks such as his weekly shopping trip and various household chores. The supporting characters are great too. There are too many to mention here but each one, whether good guy or villain, add their own unique qualities to the story.

In this self-published début Sinclair MacLeod has woven a cool tale of corruption and murder around some fine characters and a brilliant (ok, I’m biased) setting, making this an absolute must for any fan of the current crop of tartan-noir authors (Rankin, MacBride, Brookmyre) and a top recommendation for all crime fiction readers.

For more information on the author and his work, including more Reluctant Detective mysteries, check out www.reluctantdetective.com

Ric’s Rating: Essential          

Film: Jack Reacher

A former Army sniper is accused of killing 5 people but despite the overwhelming evidence he does not confess. Instead he simply asks the cops to “Get Jack Reacher”.

Enter Tom Cruise as the ex military cop now drifter from the novels of author Lee Child. In the novels Reacher is a world-weary 6 foot 5 man-mountain, so the casting of Tom Cruise, who still looks pretty much like Maverick from Top Gun, was met by scoff and scorn from many fans of the books, including me. Does he “nail it” as the recent posters proclaim? Read on...

Reacher is soon convinced to help the defence attorney (Rosamund Pike) investigate the evidence and inevitably there is much more going on than meets the eye.

With Reacher’s previous knowledge of the accused he quickly focuses on the mechanics of the sniping “mission” and concludes that it’s a set-up. A trail of corruption and cover-ups is then followed leading to a confrontation with some suitably nasty Eastern Europeans.

The choice of making the 9^th book in the series the first film adaptation is a curious one, I don’t remember it being a particularly exciting book but the interesting thing is, it does make a good film. The script is sharp and witty and there is plenty of tension, throw in enough action to keep fans happy and you have a surprisingly cool film.

So, does Cruise nail it as a man I imagine as a cross between Dolph Lundgren and Liam Neeson?

Considering that no film is ever gonna be a match for your imagination I have to say that, almost unbelievably, yes he does.

Jack Reacher is in UK cinemas now.

Ric’s Rating: Essential