Black Swan

Synopsis: A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.

Thoughts

Okay so for a long time I debated about whether I should finally sit down and watch this film; I'd heard good things, bad things, and of course it was winning awards aplenty. I like to think I'm not a naive person, but I foolishly led myself to believe that this would be a film solely based on ballet, and therefore I wouldn't enjoy it at all.

I can safely say now that I was wrong. The principle plot within the film is one in which we say a young girl, Nina (Natalie Portman) struggle for her breakthrough into the ballet limelight; something she's worked for, aiming for perfection all her life.

But in this case, perfect is too much. As she fights to win the lead part in Swan Lake, she struggles to let herself go; to let herself be at one with the music. She must play the parts of both the White Swan and the Black; the former she can do gracefully, wonderfully, flawlessly. However, Nina doesn't have the eccentricity or flair needed to become the Black Swan, and she goes home in tears at losing her chance; dejected, defeated and alone.

She doesn't give up, however; the next day she storms into the director's offers and asks for the place. Thomas looks at her, telling her she doesn't have the edge needed to be who he needs. He leans in to try kiss her and receives a bite to the lip in response. This makes him see that Nina has potential, casting her in the lead role and from then on transforming her life entirely.

Mystery and intrigue leave the audience captivated for the rest of the film, as we begin to see Nina consumed by the stress of her role. She becomes confused, believing Lily (Mila Kunis) her under-study, is trying to steal her role away from her. Her mind becomes a mess of incoherent thoughts, dark and disturbing, intense, leaving the audience entranced by what they are seeing on screen.

This film is simply beautifully crafted, and with such careful precision. As the audience becomes drawn in by Nina's sudden loss on reality, the film moves towards a tremendous climax; one which epitomises the entire film's message and direction. If you are interested in films which capture you and never let you go until their very conclusion; films that can be racy and mysterious, captivating yet dark and disturbing, then Black Swan is for you.

5/5.

The Rembrandt Secret - Alex Connor

Synopsis: A serial killer keeping the past's darkest secret hidden. A centuries-old conspiracy is about the explode into the present with devastating consequences. The first victim was forced to swallow stones. The second victim was whipped to death. The third was stabbed in the heart. A deadly serial killer is taking people down across London and New York. What did they all know? Why were they butchered? Who else is in the killer's sights? And how can they be stopped?

Review

Okay, so although I said I was starting this novel a few days back, I only managed to get around to starting yesterday. By the end of the day I had finished; one sitting, four hundred and forty-eight pages. A truly fantastic read.

This novel is one which is written so wonderfully; the story seemingly weaved so effortlessly, but with yet such precision. What makes the novel so intense, such a page-turner, is the pace at which the story flows. From London to New York, from galleries to exhibitions, a tale so gripping; dripping with mystery, intrigue and the blood of those murdered in an effort to keep a secret that will turn the art scene on its head, and ruin the reputation of one of the greatest artists to ever live.

The secrets are never-ending, the characters consistent in their battle for success and power; doing anything and everything to achieve their goals and stop themselves from going under. Someone believes that the papers are important enough to murder, to torture; recreating scenes in such a way that shows in a sadistic manner that he's cultured and recognises the importance of the Rembrandt letters.

Nobody can be trusted, everyone has a motive, and it's impossible to know who to have on your own side. Is it someone trustworthy, believable; someone malicious and manipulative? You'll find yourself engrossed, captivated by events, following the characters' journeys like its conclusions will go so far as to effect even you.

If you enjoy a roller-coaster of a novel; fraught with danger, deception, cunning, remorse and revenge - but at the same time littered with instances of love, affection and heartbreak - then this novel is for you. It has everything to keep you entranced, glued to your seat, for even when you think the surprises have stopped and the end reached, the shocks won't falter; everyone has something to hide, perhaps some people more than others.

5/5.

The Redbreast. - Jo Nesbo

Synopsis: Harry Hole, drunkard, loner and brilliant detective is reassigned to surveillance after a high profile mistake. He's bored by his new job until a report of a rare and unusual gun being fired sparks his interest because of its possible links to Neo Nazi activity. Then a former soldier is found with his throat cut. Next Harry's former partner is murdered. Why had she been trying to reach Harry on the night her head was smashed in? The investigation leads Harry to suspect that the crimes have their roots in the battlefields of Eastern Front during WWII. In a quest that takes him to South Africa and Vienna, Harry finds himself perpetually one step behind the killer. He will be both winner and loser by the novel's nail-biting conclusion. The Redbreast. He's your judge, jury and executioner... And he must be stopped.

Review

Okay, so I have just finished up the last hundred pages or so of The Redbreast and I have to firstly say that for me the conclusion delivered perfectly. I didn't settle into this novel with a blistering pace, even abandoning it for a while to read something fresh. However, once I allowed myself to settle in, the novel got progressively better.

I enjoyed the way Nesbo weaves the different characters' stories into one spectacular story-line which leaves you flipping the pages in anticipation throughout. Those more observant reader will pick up the clever twists and turns, but nevertheless the author delivers them fantastically.

In essence this novel is one of revenge, tragedy, love and heartbreak, as you begin to feel what the different characters are going through. An old man who wants nothing more than to deliver the revenge he feels is necessary; a policeman struggling with the death of a comrade; the strikingly beautiful women he loves but who is also loved by another, a man in a position of high-standing, determined to have her for his own.

The many plots and sub-plots of this novel make for an entertaining read and I think I'll be looking for more of Nesbo's work soon.

4/5.

Midnight Sun

Okay, this is the most recent of my work; there's still something I'm not quite feeling about it, but again needed to get some thoughts down.

Midnight Sun

There will often be moments in life,

When you care far more than it appears;

When you're surely too scared to confess,

And to face up to your sudden fears.

You suffered in painful silence,
You considered, pondered too long;
Then all of a sudden it became too late,
To right the things you did wrong.

You believed that time was on your side,
That those difficult decisions could wait;
Although at heart you knew what was right,
You faltered; acted far too late.

Stop, pause, think back, reflect upon,
Those ridiculous mistakes you so often made;
That fantastic future you always wished for,
Had begun to steadily shimmer and fade.

Never hold back again, don't watch from afar,
Fight for that glimmer of hope; that ever-shining star.
Or then yet be left unhappy; consumed, alone, so cold,
I guess you'll truly never forget, those words remain untold.

That persistent, agonising reminder,
Of what you know you should have done,
The frustration etched deep within your heart,
As you gaze wearily up at the pale, midnight sun.

© Ben Johnson 2011.

Duma Key - Stephen King

Synopsis: When Edgar Freemantle moves to Duma Key to escape his past, he doesn't expect to find much there. But Duma Key and its mysteries have been waiting for him. The shells beneath his house are whispering to him, and something in the view from his window urges him to discover a talent he never knew he had. Edgar Freemantle begins to paint. Even though he has lost an arm. And the hand he uses is the one he lost..

Review

Well, where on earth do I start with this one? Towards the final stretch of this novel, I read over two hundred pages in one sitting, and that alone is surely a tribute to how much I enjoyed it.

It is a lengthy read but in some ways you can't even tell; the pages seem to turn themselves as you read on. I was gripped with humour, tension, mystery and in some cases I even paused for a second to think. Now, I'll be the first to admit that any book that has the power to make a reader pause at the end of a sentence and reflect, is surely a book worth reading.

Duma Key is a novel which in essence questions reality itself: it seems to hint that in essence there is no structure to life, only randomness. Throwing aside the idea of fate, of destiny, we are instead led to believe that life and death are purely the product of unrelated and spontaneous events.

This book is both terrifying and beautiful; a book about friendship and about life. I would recommend this novel to anyone who wants to become involved with a journey; a journey which stretches long into the night and the darkness, struggling to find the light.

5/5.

Timeless Values

A recent experiment, differing from what I normally attempt. Something isn't quite right with this.

Timeless Values

Melancholy voices,

A moonlit serenade

Haunted shadows,

The phoenix flies

Whispers conflict
Darkness replenished

Words glitter the page,
Beautiful shimmering gold

Contrasting colours,
Sweet serendipity

Lights dance brightly,
Wind whistles tunelessly

Thoughts distraught,
Destined forever more

© Ben Johnson 2011.

A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

Synopsis: In this nightmare vision of a not-too-distant future, fifteen-year-old Alex and his three friends rob, rape, torture and murder - for fun. Alex is jailed for his vicious crimes and the State undertakes to reform him - but how and at what cost?

Review

Well, here it is, the third finished novel of the year, and by far the strangest book I've ever had the - shall we say - pleasure of reading.

Although the book deals with some serious issues such as rape, violence and crime - enough to put some people off - I feel that this is a piece of literature that everyone should read. My reasons for this are simple: the novel is thought-provoking, intriguing, and throughout I felt connected with the main protagonist, Alex; perhaps a strange thing to say about a fifteen year delinquent who enjoys gang-crime and extreme violent acts, but who also enjoys classical music. Particularly Beethoven's Ninth.

Some people who will read this novel, will have no sympathy for a child who shows no remorse and causes so much hurt and violence to perfectly innocent people as he turns them into his victims, but as the novel progressed I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who began to sympathise with the troubles that the government force upon him after he is finally arrested and put in jail for his actions.

Now, I feel it necessary to mention the language used within this novel, as it can be challenging at first to understand. I've even know people cast this book away on the principle that they can not get used to the language used; Burgess uses an experimental teenage-slang language at many points during the book. However, I feel that with a little bit of perseverance you can soon begin to decipher what means what, and it doesn't distract from the plot at all.

Now, in conclusion I imagine that opinion about this novel is divided right down the middle; some will say he got what he deserved, others will disagree. I do know one thing for sure: this novel is one that everyone should read at some point in their lives.

5/5.