Now for the August reviews. I really want to go to the cinema but there's just nothing to see.
I bought this on the strength of Play, having heard none of the tracks for this but hoping it would be just as good. I've found in the past that you should never get your hopes up when getting the second album, because you are so often disappointed. As far as 18 goes though, I quite like it. It's not as good as Play yet, but the more I listen to it the more it grows on me. The advantage with Play was that I already knew and loved the two tracks used in X-Files episodes. That was why I bought it. This time round I didn't know what to expect, but I really like the mood of the whole album. It's not quite so eclectic as the last one, which was a plus point for that as there was such a variety of styles. However, the pieces are still different and enjoyable on this, there just aren't any which really jump out at me as being brilliant. There's only one that I don't like, out of 18 tracks, which is pretty impressive! That one is Jam for the Ladies, if anyone was wondering. Moby is always good for background music and 'thinking music', as I like to put it, when you are reflecting on life. It's inevitable that I would keep comparing it back to the first album I bought, but I think in time I might like this one just as much, so for that reason it gets a 7 out of 10.
This is one for Gillian Anderson fans, though she's not in it that much. It follows the individual stories of about 6 different people, so it's like a bunch of mini movies, all based on love and relationships. Sounds a bit cheesy I suppose, and it's not a brilliant movie, but I like the way the stories are connected and the acting is all first class. Some of the strands weren't that interesting to me, but the film as a whole passes the time quite well, so perhaps a good film for a rainy day. Gillian of course is excellent, in yet another different role, although I thought I spotted traces of Scully in there! This time she's playing a very sensitive, insecure character, which is fun to watch. There are a few implausibilities, things that just didn't work, but on the whole it's a nice film. Great to watch Sean Connery, and listen to him, but I found Angelina Jolie a bit irritating at first. I'll give this a solid 6 out of 10, thought Gilly of course should get a 10 for her part in it :-)
Those who did Gothic Fiction with me at A level might have come across this one. I was reluctant to read it, as it sounded too sordid, but after the things I had to read last term this was tame! I found it quite gripping, and I probably got through it much quicker than the shorter things I had read before. It has all the conventional trappings of Gothic novels - the supernatural, estranged families, subterranean passages, the works. Despite these cliches, it works very well and is far more engaging than some of the other standard horror novels I've read. I think perhaps it is due to the characterisation, and the extra sub-plots which have nothing to do with the main story, yet are very entertaining. There are two main stories taking place, though they become connected later. My only criticism would be that women are essentially labelled as the root of all evil, very typical from novels of this time. I also would have to disapprove of some of the distorted religious elements, but I will admit that it certainly gives food for thought on man's fraility and propensity for falling from grace. I just don't think man should blame woman for their own weaknesses! That aside, it was far more enjoyable to read than I expected and probably the best of my uni reading list so far, so it gets 7 out of 10.
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