mini-reviews

The Rats of Acomar [Book] by Paul Kidd. I do like Paul's books, primarily because we share the same sense of humour (as well as many interests). The Rats of Acomar is supposedly the first of a shared world series, The Tales of the Mornmist, but I can find neither hide nor hair of the remaining books, despite the fact this book is over 10 years old. And I use hide and hair advisedly, since those that know Paul will not be surprised by the fact it's a furry (anthropomorphic) novel. [And those that know Paul even better, will not be surprised that the focus is on his favourite furries: meece. Or in this case, rats.] The rats are the Itheem, the goblins of the world, confined to the bleak and poisoned wasteland that is Acomar. Kept confined behind The Wall by the dogs, it's a rat eat rat world (literally). The main protagonists are Ra'hish, an outcast warrior of the Itheem, who, in a weak moment, is adopted by an abandoned bunch of kitlings as their mentor, and on the other side of The Wall, Tupan, a coyote fool/trickster with an undeniable propensity for getting into trouble and an undeniable gift of being able to fix things. It was a book I didn't put down. Metamorphosis [Film] is a film shot in Hungary about some American students going to Csthje to look at Elizabet Bathory's castle for a research paper. Needless to say they meet a very attractive young woman (actually she's exactly my age to the day if you factor in when the film was shot) called Elizabeth, who offers to show them the way to the castle... ["Surprise surprise."] What raises this above the standard American tourists in Eastern Europe Vampire flick, beyond the undeniable charms of Ms Adél Kováts (who plays Elizabeth) is the rather surreal and disjointed climax, which definitely shows that it is either a Czech or Hungarian film, albeit one produced for the English market. Although rest assured, all is actually explained once you reach the end. Midsummer Madness [Film] is a comedy set in Latvia during Janu Nakts (St John's Night), the night of the summer solstice, when traditionally, young men and women would venture into the woods in search of a "magical flowering fern" (like many such festivals many of the social restrictions are somewhat more relaxed on this night). Quite an amusingly eclectic bunch of characters. It is more a collection of individual vignettes rather than an integrated story, although, as also is traditional in these festivals. most of the characters (including a rogue [and very poorly CGI] kangaroo) end up at the hospital at the morning after. The film deftly portrays the relaxed atmosphere of this night in post-Soviet Latvia as well as the traditional customs (and apparently the large number of desperate eligible beautiful young women that can be found there). Although the Hill of Crosses, in Siauliai, in neighbouring Lithuania, makes me sad I didn't go see Dead Can Dance in Riga and pop across the border to check it out. Very impressive, especially lit by a film company at night. Switched at Birth [TV]. For some reason ABC Family keeps making the occasional interesting show, probably because kids shows have the better writers, less network interference (it is only a kids show, after all), and less money to fool around with, so they actually have to fill the holes with plot. I'm quite enjoying this family drama featuring two girls who were accidentally sent home with the wrong parents from hospital. Of course, one is the obligatory spoiled rich kid whilst the other goes to the barrio. On discovering the mistake, the two families try to get to know each other better. Whilst most of it is fairly common drama fodder, what makes it interesting is that one of the girls is deaf from having contracted meningitis, and the barrier of communication between the deaf and the hearing is an excellently played metaphor of the hidden barriers to communication between the bewildered people caught in this situation.