Robin’s choices: Thursday 6th April 2023
Once again we were lacking key members. This time Hamish was in his sick bed and Keith was in Toronto however both had penned reviews. The remaining self styled famous five gathered at Robin’s Lewes penthouse to ponder Robins’s Murder themed selections
Theme: *Murder*
READ: Patricia Highsmith - Strangers on a Train (1950)
Patricia Highsmith's superb novel was praised fulsomely by us all . A perfect psychological thriller. The set up is clever and widely known, however it is the unsettling descriptions of the psychological impact of the book's events which are so powerful. Paranoia, guilt, manipulation, mental breakdown, and depression are all vividly described in a very murky stew. The reader lives the inner horror experienced by the two men at the centre of the novel.
Robin also loved the unsympathetic characters and evocation of the 1950s. Roland was entranced by the claustrophobia and realistically obsessive behaviour. Keith was less impressed despite enjoying it and stated it wouldn’t stay with him, and that he preferred the film’s rewritten plot. Tristan and others highlighted the underwritten female characters
So, in short, a hit albeit with some minor misgivings.
Nick 7 / Tristan 7 / Nigel 8 / Keith 6 / Roland 9 / Robin 8 / Hamish 7.5
LISTEN: Robin’s Murder playlist
Hamish blimmin loves a playlist and praised this one. We all found tunes we enjoyed but generally the consensus was that we found it harder to review a playlist than an album or song. The death of the playlist? Time will tell
WATCH: Memento (2000) dir by Christopher Nolan
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| Hamish wonders if he's seen Memento |
Everyone felt Memento stood up very well in the 23 years since it came out. One of Nolan’s best films.
HBG endorse it: 7th April 2023 -> 18 May 2023
Mad Professor (Live)
Duolingo (App)
Return to Seoul dir by Davy Chou (Film)
Walking in the South Pennines
Beef (Netflix)
Colin From Accounts (BBC)
I'm Not A Monster: The Shamima Begum Story (Podcast)
