"Retreat," directed by Carl Tibbets

Movie, 2011

A film which, once it finally gets going, is tense and questioning. For much of the early section, however, the story about a couple grieving and escaping from a miscarriage is a bit of a plod, which never then really ties up with the rest of the narrative. When the set ups half way through the movie start paying off, things get much better. The deserted location, zombie threat and psychopathic peril are all added to by a modern feel. By no means indispensable, but worth getting through the sluggish beginning. 

"Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class", by Owen Jones

Non-fiction, 2011

Compelling account which does what the title suggests, setting out how the working class has been set apart and savaged by contemporary power bases. Jones makes his arguments clearly and backs them up, then repeats them before going back again and doing it all over again. The book flags as a result - this feels like a tight documentary spun into a mini-series. A book that's hard to disagree with, but outstays its welcome. In doing so, however, it presents some clear examples of social engineering and manipulation.

"Albert Nobbs", directed by Rodrigo Garcia

Movie, 2011

Story of a female Irish hotel worker passing herself as a man in order to keep in employment, encountering a load of bad behaviour until finding a soulmate in a similar position. This is a film whose serious themes could perhaps have been visited more imaginatively, as Nobbs the "man" looks curious rather than believable and the story plods rather than sparkles and so fails to really hit home. Some nice detail and poignant scenes, but all in all, a little hammy and predictable.

Image by Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34076487

"Half Blood Blues", by Esi Edugyan

Novel, 2011

A story of betrayal and part reconciliation, looking at the relationships between members of a jazz band who'd split after the Nazi crackdowns in Berlin and then the invasion in Paris. This is an entertaining, vividly drawn work which occasionally veers perhaps a little too far into a retelling of history, but which nonetheless effectively tells a good story evolving round Sid, who's slowly revealed as an interesting main character. Maybe some of the historical detail caused very infrequent lags in the pacing, but then again, an interesting as well as informative and enjoyable read.