All Consuming : Kieran Lynam

A story about "Perilous Power: The Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:36:48 GMT

Perilous Power: The Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy

by Noam Chomsky

Very interesting indeed.

Does a very good job of making it clear just how not black and white the situation in the Middle East really is.

A review of "There Will Be Blood"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:06:08 GMT

There Will Be Blood

I adored it: in fact, it blew my mind! I found it utterly original, a tad bonkers, and completely mesmerising … my head was spinning afterwards!! As soon as I watched it, I wanted to see it again. The structure, and the approach, the depth, the score, the photography, the mood — and of course Day-Lewis; he’s on-screen pretty much for the full 2 hours 45 minutes, and while the performance occasionally became baroque, I just didn’t care: you simply could not take your eyes off him. Spellbinding stuff.

The movie explores a national loss of innocence: the black heart of capitalism – here perfectly represented by the oil industry – rotting the soul of America. The secondary target was that religion, as opium-of-the-people sham – and in its own way as greedy as the oilmen. Needless to say, I could hardly be happier: both capitalistic greed and religion taken to task, perfect! :-)

In fact, I reckon that it’s this deliberate debunking of certain American fundamentals, and America’s founding myth, as opposed to its self-consciously cinéastic approach that scuppered its Oscar bid. I’m a big fan of the Coen Brothers, and I loved No Country… but There Will Be Blood is a true original, and head-and-shoulders the best movie I’ve seen in years.

A story about "No Country for Old Men (MTI) (Vintage International)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:38:06 GMT

No Country for Old Men (MTI) (Vintage International)

by Cormac Mccarthy

The prose is lean and mean, the dialog is sparkling, and the characters are great!

Above all, the mood is haunting and disturbing. A great read!

A story about "House of Meetings (Vintage International)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:30:15 GMT

House of Meetings (Vintage International)

by Martin Amis

A wonderful, touching experience. Perfectly formed, brilliantly executed. It made me wonder why most books take twice as long as the 200 pages here to tell their stories?

Why I recommend "Midnight's Children"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:56:56 GMT

Midnight's Children

by Salman Rushdie

Utterly magnificent—I was mesmerised from start to finish!

A story about "Herzog (Penguin Classics)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:30:29 GMT

Herzog (Penguin Classics)

by Saul Bellow

Loved it. Witty, humane and sophisticated. The prose is mesmerising, and the Herzog character brilliantly realised.

Bloody brilliant!

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:33:05 GMT

Master and Margarita, The

by Mikhail Afanasevich; Ginsburg, Mirra (translator) Bulgakov

I can’t imagine the effect the (admittedly horribly delayed) publication of this must have had on Russian society at the time!

A brilliant book—ironic as hell, funny, gothic (with brilliant imagery through-out), immensely imagnative. I loved equally the two sides of the novel: especially the acidic critiques of Soviet bureaucracy and fleshy retelling of gospels.

A work of some imagination, humour, and – above all – bravado!

A story about "The People's Act of Love"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:20:54 GMT

The People's Act of Love

by James Meek

What a narrative!!

The prose is lean but the overall effect is a belter of story told with gust and brio!

Highly recommended.

A story about "Never Let Me Go"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Wed, 23 May 2007 11:32:09 GMT

Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Disarmingly simple and direct prose; very tight plotting; and a deeply human story.

A brilliantly executed book… the work of a master craftsman in full flight!

A story about "The Lives of Others"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Mon, 21 May 2007 09:43:05 GMT

The Lives of Others

by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Just fascinating… I was gripped and enthralled!

Mesmerising (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Sat, 12 May 2007 13:30:21 GMT

Black Swan Green

I remember being dazzled a few years back by the technical virtuosity of Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas... but Black Swan Green is altogether different beast: a delicate, deeply human – and utterly mesmerising! – coming-of-age.

A year in the life of 13-year-old Jason Tyler in a sleepy 1980’s English village; set against a slow-motion divorce, burgeoning literary aspirations, the cruelty schoolyard intimidation.

The poetry of childhood, and no mistake!

A story about "The Shadow of the Wind"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Tue, 01 May 2007 08:35:57 GMT

The Shadow of the Wind

by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

An enjoyable, old school kind of read… I enjoyed the first half much more than the second (and the final quarter not at all), though the author’s (and, I guess, translator’s) unaffected and witty style saw me out…

Not for everyone.

A story about "Memories of Murder"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Tue, 01 May 2007 08:30:19 GMT

Memories of Murder

by Joon-ho Bong

A riveting nicely-played movie… I particularity liked the exploration of the differing approaches to detective work, the provisional grunt-work way or the big-city fancy-pants “use the head” technique!

Exuberant (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:12:29 GMT

The Moor's Last Sigh

by Salman Rushdie

The bloody tale of a Cochinese dynasty of spice merchants, artists, and crime lords; set against a fading world and the violent birth-pangs of the modern Indian nation.

This is a wildly inventive, magical, captivating book; sometimes surreal, always incredibly witty (utilising a fair dose of black humour). The prose is vivid, lyrical and beautiful. I loved the narrative digresions on art, religion, ethniticy, morality.

Playful, unforgettable, exuberant – reaffirmed my love of reading! :)

A story about "The Last King of Scotland"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:11:38 GMT

The Last King of Scotland

by Kevin Macdonald

Fascinating and entertaining movie with great performances… especially Whitaker who is absolutely sensational (by turns charming, ruthless and very scary)

A review of "Money" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:40:42 GMT

Money

by Martin AMIS

Acrid, pitch-black satire… deeply deeply funny!!!

The narrative acrobatics are startling, Amis is a formidably talented writer. Above all, I’m unlikely to forget the crass, profoundly repulsive, vice-addicted anti-hero protagonist, John Self, in a very very long time. Fantastic!

A story about "Cache (Hidden)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:40:36 GMT

Cache (Hidden)

by Michael Haneke

Brilliant article from Sight & Sound

Loved It (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:54:42 GMT

Collector Edition 10 Years

I think it was first movie I saw that left a real, lasting, profound mark on me.

A day in the life of three underclass youths (one Arab, one Jew and one black) – in the banlieue, projects, outside Paris – as they basically lay about and talk nonesense. When a friend is beaten to an inch of his life in a police station after a riot, the housing estate erupts and our three protagonists are drawn into the festering violence.

Visceral, gritty, raw, important, real, energetic—and very funny! It successfully and entertainingly weaves the personal tales of the three youths/yobs into a wider social context. The black and white photography is both bleak and beautiful – and there is one staggering aerial tracking shot over the estate, as an amateur DJ fills the open space with sound from the decks at his high-up window.

The film seems to take on even further importance after the French riots last year… but, irrespective of all that, it is close to my idea of a perfect cinema experience! :)

IMDB

A story about "The Piano Teacher (Unrated Edition)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 10:31:23 GMT

The Piano Teacher (Unrated Edition)

by Michael Haneke

A grim watch, to be sure, but a fascinating and thought-provoking one. Isabelle Huppert is simply outstanding as a musician who sacrifices her humanity, and eventually her sanity, in an attempt to attain perfection in her art.

Gritty and Gorgeous!

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 17:23:49 GMT

Children of Men

by Alfonso Cuarón

A bravura visual tour-do-force – one of the most astounding-looking film I’ve seen in quite a while – textured, detailed, believable. The numerous extended tracking shots get longer and more impressive, climaxing in an staggering, viseral siege sequence, where the characters are very much in the thick of things, as the camera swivels and turns and surges… as a refugee camp seems to come to pieces all around!

The recreation of near-future dysoptian England is scarily believable (and, weirdly, more satisfying therefore for a European audience than if it has been set in L.A. or New York).

I think that some people will be frustrated by the missing plot exposition – but I didn’t bother me at all, and it mirrored the confusion of protagonists. Maybe it was a little heavy on the religious allegory, though.

Colourful, Accessible and Engaging

nobody@allconsuming.net (Kieran Lynam) — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 18:10:35 GMT

Persian Fire

by Tom Holland

2500 years ago, the Persians – the world’s first superpower – bent literally on global domination, decided to invade Europe to put an annoying backwater force there to sword. The backwater was Greece; the force – wrought with infighting, jealousy and pettiness – was a precarious coalition of Sparta and Athens. The future of Western civilisation was to be set in motion by what followed: the David/Goliath battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea.

Holland was done a terrific job of putting together a colourful, accessible and engaging narrative. On top of that, the East-West, clash-of-civilisations, subject matter seems very, disturbingly, relevant to today’s reader.

A cracking book.