DVD review: The Paperboy starring Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman and Matthew McConaughey

Dark, disturbing and full of unlikeable characters, The Paperboy is a gritty thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

It's a hot summer in the 1960s, and successful reporter Ward (McConaughey) returns home to his southern town with colleague Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo). The pair are out to prove the innocence of Hillary van Wetter (John Cusack), a nasty, nasty man who has been wrongly put on death row for murdering a sheriff.

They're helped by Charlotte Bless (Kidman), a needy, overly sexualised woman who has been writing letters to van Wetter in prison, and who plans to marry him when he's released.

As Ward and Yardley dig deeper, Ward's brother Jack (Efron) becomes obsessed with Charlotte, and the group find themselves being drawn ever deeper into the swamp that is van Wetter and his family.

The Paperboy is full of black humour, interspersed with disturbing scenes which will leave you wondering where to look. Standout moments of crassness come in two scenes - the one with the jellyfish, and the one with the first visit to van Wetter in prison. Both will have you glancing away, and feature Kidman as you've never seen her before (and never want to again).

While the central aim for the characters is proving van Wetter's innocence (you can't help but wish they fail), The Paperboy isn't about who actually murdered the sheriff. That plot is simply a tool to learn more about Ward, Yardley, Jack and Charlotte, and the things they learn about each other are often unappetising but can lead to some touching moments - we are shown Ward and Jack's bond as brothers, for example, multiple times.

The Paperboy features some great performances from all its central cast, as well as from supporting actress Macy Gray, whose servant Anita is both friend, adviser and mother to Jack, and whose husky tones narrate the whole film.

A sweaty noir, The Paperboy is compelling viewing, even when you don't like what you're seeing.

•The Paperboy is out on DVD and Blu-ray from July 29.

Book review: A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD

Goodness, where do I start with this book? There's no way to discuss it without spoiling it, so if you haven't read it, go and do so and then please come back and get discussing!

A Pale View of Hills was Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel, although now he's more famous for Remains of the Day (which I haven't read) and Never Let Me Go (which I have and which broke my heart).

In England a middle-aged Japanese woman caled Etsuko is visited by her daughter Niki, shortly after the death of her older child, Keiko. As the pair spend a few days with each other, Etsuko has a dream, which brings back memories of her time in Japan.

She recalls post-war Nagasaki, and a mysterious woman she met, Sachiko, and her young daughter Mariko. The story she tells is of one summer where she was pregnant, her father-in-law was visiting, Sachiko was trying to escape to America, and someone was murdering young children in her neighbourhood.

But rather than a straightforward narrative, Ishiguro flits around, leaving huge gaps in Etsuko's story. A Pale View of Hills is partly a story about memories, and how we remember things. This tool is used to greater effect in Never Let Me Go, but you can clearly see Ishiguro exploring the concept of memory in A Pale View of Hills.

With all the gaps, it's up the reader to decide what happens, and there are two main theories:

• Etsuko is Sachiko, but because she is ashamed of her earlier behaviour (Sachiko is not a very good mother), Etsuko decides to remember past behaviours as though they belong to someone else. This would make Mariko, who we see as a depressed, lonely young child, Keiko, which fits with what we know of Keiko in later life - that she killed herself because she was depressed.

• Etsuko and Sachiko are two separate characters, and Etsuko is actually the child murderer. Very little is said on this subject, but there comes a point at the end of the book where Etsuko confronts Mariko, who is visibly afraid of her and a rope she holds, and who runs away from her.

I'm more in the camp of the first interpretation, although on reading that final scene between Etsuko and Mariko I thought she was about to kill the child. Then again, that final scene also goes in favour of the first argument, as Etsuko suddenly starts speaking to Mariko as though she is her mother. Perhaps A Pale View of Hills is both theories combined?

There is plenty left unanswered in A Pale View of Hills, and neither theory fits perfectly. As a debut novel, it's an interesting book, but I wonder if it would be different if Ishiguro sat down to write it now, with more experience and books under his belt. As a coherent novel it doesn't quite work, there are too many gaps and things that don't quite fit. As a piece of writing however, it's got Ishiguro's poetic style all through it, and it's a great exercise for later novels (having only read Never Let Me Go that's the only one I can attest to). I recommend A Pale View of Hills, but warn that it will probably leave you confused. And if it does, come and let me know what you thought happened.

How I got this book: From the local library

Review: Thorpe Park and The Crash Pad

The Tidal Wave ends with a wall of water coming over the boat you're in.

Full disclosure - at theme parks I'm that person that holds everyone's bags and coats while they go and have fun on the really massive, hugely terrifying rollercoasters.

So how did I find myself at Thorpe Park, for not just one day but two? I'm not entirely sure, but with three friends I embarked on a weekend that was full of hot weather, plenty of water rides, some dizziness, and even one massive rollercoaster, all of which amounted to a fun two days.

We arrived at Thorpe Park as it opened on the Saturday, parking in the car park for those staying at The Crash Pad, the amusement park's new "hotel" - it's located on the park with rooms made out of old shipping containers. More on that later.

After picking up our tickets, collecting locker tokens and stashing our bags, we headed into the park, which was already pretty full - it seems the hot weather had drawn the crowds. We decided to start with something easy, so picked Quantum, which one friend described as a bit like a magic carpet. How wrong she was. You sit down in your seat, pull the safety bar over your lap and then the ride, which swings from front to back before going over the bars (it never goes upside down), starts. It sounds so innocent, but it's scarier than it looks, because your back isn't supported at all. I felt like my head was going to fly off my shoulders, and my friends didn't fare better.

Next to Quantum is Rush, which we all queued for, before me and one of my friends chickened out. We're so glad we did. Rush is like a giant swing, full of people who are either gritting their teeth or screaming in fear. One of my friends, let's call her N, crossed herself before the ride started, and she's not even that religious.

With the sun shining down, we decided to cool off by heading on to Storm Surge, which is a water slide of sorts. You sit in round dinghy things, which take you up a steep slide, before you twist and turn down a flume back to the bottom. We weren't expecting the dinghys to spin so much, but it did make us all laugh.

With our feet wet (literally) we headed onto Tidal Wave, a ride where you're warned you'll get very wet. That is a huge understatement. Tidal Wave is an amped up log flume, and the wall of water that comes flying up at you at the bottom of the ride is...refreshing, to say the least. It was easily the best ride we went on (in my opinion), simply because it was so funny. And made funnier by the fact that my friend V, who wore a cagoule during the ride and managed to escape getting soaked then, managed to get soaked while walking away from Tidal Wave, after she'd taken her protective layer of clothing off and another boat came down the ride.

A quick break for lunch (Thorpe Park offers the standard amusement park fare) and mostly dry, we decided to be a little more adventurous. I say we, I mean N and F. They headed onto Stealth, a ride which boasts that it takes you from 0mph to 80mph in 2.5 seconds. They ended up going on it again later in the day, this time managing to keep their eyes open and enjoy it, rather than being caught out by the speed.

Nemesis Inferno, one of Thorpe Park's rollercoasters, was terrifying.

It was then on to my nemesis, Nemesis Inferno. After being peer pressured by N, V and F, I found myself being strapped into my seat. The first 20 seconds of the ride were fine, we headed out, the seats moved to the side slightly, it was all good. And then we started going faster, there was some spinning, some going upside down, some looping the loop and some going backwards. I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed at a pitch that probably only dogs could hear the whole time. It was terrifying, I hated it, I'll never do it again, but it was weirdly fun and I'm proud of myself for surviving.

From there, we made our second attempt at getting onto X (a fire alarm went off the first time we tried earlier in the day). X is a rollercoaster/train ride in a dark warehouse with strobe lights and loud music. It was the least impressive ride of the day, because it didn't offer any thrills, and because on such a gorgeous, bright day, it's a pity to be inside for any length of time.

We tried a couple more water rides, Logger's Leap (the actual log flume), and Rumba Rapids, both of which made us all smile, before my three friends headed on to Colossus, which loops the loop about 10 times. The picture I managed to catch of them shows them on a scale of fear to fun, and made me laugh.

Saw - The Ride offers a vertical drop.

N and F headed onto Saw - The Ride, a rollercoaster which has a section where you're taken up practically lying back, and then hurtle down almost on your front, while V and I headed onto Tidal Wave again.

The Crash Pad can sleep four to a room.

And then, as thousands of people left the park for home, it was time to check in to our room at The Crash Pad, which overlooks a lake. The hotel isn't for people who like a lot of space - the rooms are tiny, with a double bed and a bunk bed, and a wet room/bathroom. Once all four of us were in there wasn't room to move. 

Still, we were prepared for the smallness. What we weren't prepared for was how lovely the room was in spite of its size. The bedding was super comfortable, there was a flat screen on the wall, the toiletries and towels were of high quality, and The Crash Pad even provided bottles of water in the room.

Don't actually do this, there's not room.

A brief rest later we headed to Bar 360 on the park, where we ate dinner. Despite the restaurant's huge size and the fact there were about 10 people serving drinks, guests at The Crash Pad apparently have to book for dinner. We hadn't booked. After some waiting around, the kind manager seated us in a separate area and served us himself. The food is standard fare, it's tasty but functional, there's no frills or gourmet dining here. We hung around for a bit longer, taking part in one of the quizzes, before deciding we'd had a pretty long day and turning in.

Breakfast, a continental buffet, was also in Bar 360, and we tucked into hot croissants and tea to the sounds of people screaming on Vortex (lots of spinning, we didn't go near it). Guests at The Crash Pad get exclusive access to Saw - The Ride before the park opens, an offer we didn't take advantage of but which plenty of others did.

After breakfast, we packed up and checked out. A brief discussion later, we decided to head home, having packed in all the rides we needed to on the first day we had in the park. The Crash Pad is great for those wanting to spend two full days at Thorpe Park (families in particular) or those, like us, who didn't want to sit in traffic the night before having exhausted ourselves. Instead, we got a good night's sleep and headed home in the late-morning sunshine, leaving the screams from the amusement park behind.

•Two day packages at The Crash Pad start from £44.50, based on four people sharing. To book call 0871 360 2629. Thorpe Park is open from 10am to 6pm until August 1, with later opening hours in September and October. For more information, click here.

Book review: After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross

What would happen if all our major banks collapsed?

It's not such an out there question, considering how close Britain came just a few years ago to financial disaster. Even though we didn't hit rock bottom, we're still feeling the effects of a recession.

The extreme situation is one explored by Gillian Cross in her novel After Tomorrow, which follows Matt and his younger brother Taco as they are forced to flee through the Channel Tunnel to France after their home situation deteriorates.

The pair live with their mum and Taco's dad, growing their own vegetables to trade in for other food. But they're soon targeted by armed robbers and dubbed 'scadgers' - the term given to hoarders.

After one attack leaves Matt's grandad dead, and another results in his mum suffering a horrific attack, the family decide to head to the continent, just hours before the French shut the Channel Tunnel. At the last minute Matt's mum has to stay behind, leaving Matt, Taco and Justin to fend for themselves.

I found After Tomorrow really difficult to put down, it was just so interesting. Cross often leaves out the nastier elements, such as the fact that Matt's mum was raped by the armed robbers, but it rings true to life because that's something Matt wanted to gloss over, and by doing so he was able to deal with it.

Cross is good at exploring what it means to be a refugee. So often we see pictures on television of people fleeing their country because they're in danger, but when Matt and Justin find themselves in that situation they find it difficult to cope. Matt goes in to a denial of sorts, refusing to learn a word of French (he even calls the place where the refugee camp is Lemon Dough throughout the book) and entertain the prospect that the camp they are forced in to stay in will be their long-term home.

Matt is tied to home by his grandad's bicycle, which somehow survived the trip to France, albeit a little damaged. The bike is almost a metaphor for different stages of Matt's life - back at home it represents safety, order and family, in France it represents a family that has been dented and damaged and still survives, and in the end it proves to be just an object, worth a lot but still less than a family.

Justin copes in a different way, by falling in to a depression. It's only when he finds a way to make himself useful (tending the garden of a French woman) that he feels better. Even then, despite the fact that Justin is the adult, it's Matt who so often acts like the one in charge.

The secondary characters in After Tomorrow are also excellently rendered. There's Bob, the fixer, who helps Matt's family escape to France and then helps Matt to find a way to earn money in the camp. Paige and Muriel, two of the other refugees (Bob' daughter and another woman) prove to be confidants and helpers, although at first it may not seem that way. Stef, a Frenchwoman, becomes a saviour of sorts, while other minor characters all play their part.

Cross uses After Tomorrow to explore moral issues. If you're hungry and need to fend for your family, is stealing okay? Is it alright to rob people who have more so that you can survive? Those are questions that don't have right or wrong answers, not in the context of this book, but Cross convincingly portrays both sides of the argument.

One of the best things about After Tomorrow is that its exploration of character and issues takes place over just one book - there doesn't appear to be a sequel on the horizon. Nowadays, it seems all children's and YA authors are writing series and sagas for the sake of it, so it's great to see an author who is not afraid to leave some things untold, who will let the reader imagine what happens next. 

Cross's novel is dystopian fiction at its finest, partially because it seamlessly blends our current reality into a situation that is all too easy to imagine could be possible.

How I got this book: From the library

The Sunday Post (#13)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

I've been a bit busy lately, so this is two weeks' worth of Sunday Post.

Book stuff this week on Girl!Reporter
Fortunately...the Milk by Neil Gaiman (review)
Book of the month - June 2013
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (review)
Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter (review)

Non-book stuff this week on Girl!Reporter
Theatre review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Music review: Michael Buble at The O2
 
Coming up next week on Girl!Reporter
I'm sort of going to be taking a mini-hiatus over the next month (Ramadan beckons) so my posting will be sporadic, but there should be some reviews coming through.

What have you been up to? 

Book review: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

I'm not entirely sure what made me pick up Alice in Zombieland, since I've never really been into reading about/watching zombies, but I have a feeling it's because I thought the cover was interesting, and because it's a "re-telling" of a classic story.

Perhaps it was my lack of interest in zombies that meant I didn't love the book, although I did manage to finish it, and enjoy parts of it.

Alice Bell lives with her parents and younger sister. Her dad refuses to let the family out at night, and is always talking about the zombies who haunt the area. One night, Alice persuades her dad (via her mum) to take the family out, and on the way home everyone bar Alice is killed. As she lies injured, Alice sees strange creatures sucking the life out of her family.

Once recovered Alice moves in with her grandparents, and at her new school discovers a group of students, including the handsome Cole, who fight zombies, and gets caught up with them.

Alice in Zombieland is an interesting read, but I found it quite wordy, and I found that many of those words just didn't need to be there. Chapters seemed to go on endlessly, and I'd find myself thumbing through the book trying to work out when I could get to the end of a section and put it down.

While Alice's story was compelling, I did find it hard sometimes to like her. She flitted between grief for her family, and love for Cole pretty quickly, and I felt one emotion never really fed into or affected the other.

I'm usually a big fan of romances, but in Alice in Zombieland I couldn't bring myself to get excited about Cole and Alice. While Cole is no controlling Edward, Alice definitely displayed some Bella-like qualities, and acted really feeble sometimes, which didn't fit with her character the rest of the time.

I also found the zombies a bit complicated to understand. There was all this stuff about spirits and Blood Lines and a group trying to work out how zombie powers could be used in humans, and I still am not able to explain any of it, despite reading 400+ pages.

On the other hand, I did really like some of the other aspects of the book, particularly the regular teen stuff. This is where I felt Showalter shined - with her insights into high school and friendship.

I loved Alice's best friend Kat, who was fun, funny, loyal and had an interesting back story. I also enjoyed Alice's negotiations in trying to find a place to fit into the high school hierarchy, and her dealings with Cole's ex and friends.

Overall, Alice in Zombieland was a slightly disappointing read, and unfortunately I don't think I'll be picking up the sequels.