The Book Tower

David Thomson’s Have you Seen…? could easily be passed over as an old fashioned, frankly unnecessary brick of a book. At 1000 pages, this is a film guide that recalls the era when Halliwell’s, and then later perhaps Time Out, provided your unputdownable film reference. Do we need such a heavy manual in this age of gadgetry? Can’t we just look for reviews on our iPhones? Well we can, although Thomson provides a very refreshing collection of film writing that’s worth investigating if you have the muscle.

How do you read a heavy film guide? Do you simply plough in from the start? Do you do what I did and look up all of your favourite films from memory until you are exhausted? Thomson lists his reviews alphabetically, beginning with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and ending with Zabriskie Point. He also provides a chronology, listing the films he’s covered from 1895 (L’Arrosseur Arrossé) through to 2007 (You, the Living). He doesn’t provide an index, however, so if – like me on my second interrogation of the book – you want to look up specific actors or directors, you’ll find this harder to do.

Like every film reviewer, Thomson is opinionated, and, like every film book, you’ll find opinions you’ll agree with more than others. You’ll find opinions that will make you cross. The films left out can also annoy, so while he includes Kind Hearts and Coronets, he doesn’t include The Ladykillers. Where’s Get Carter? Where’s Billy Liar and A Kind of Loving? Why does he include some tv such as The Sopranos? And so on. It’s also very easy to tell who his favourites are; he’s obviously a fan of Ridley Scott (next time you’re in the bookshop have a sneaky read of the excellent Alien review) but not so much of Spielberg. And he’ dismissive of Star Wars to the point that it’s hardly worth him including it at all. Of all the film genres out there, he’s most baffled by horror, and repeats himself several times by stating that the genre dates badly. But when he does tackle it, for example Rosemary’s Baby and The Silence of the Lambs, he writes well.

Of all the geniuses of film, Thomson writes best on Hitchcock. On Psycho:

After one of the great night drives in American film, with torment in the rearview mirror, Marion comes to a shabby motel bypassed by the new highway – in the fifties, America’s rural character was erased by freeways. Yet something remained in the bypassed spots – rancor, regret, revenge, as mothers and sons huddled together in the same lamplight.

Elsewhere in the book there’s excellent musings on Hitchcock’s other major films, as well as interesting insight into the careers of Welles, Polanski and Kubrick. But this is a film guide beyond review, mostly because I’m still reading it, and I’ll be reading it for years to come. Now I’ve got to know Thomson, agreed to disagree in several areas, I’m moving on to the discovery phase – reading about the cinema I’ve missed, avoided or simply don’t know. Because this guy has seen an awful lot of films…

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As usual the papers are full of Christmas Books articles, where authors and critics list their favourite titles from the last year. Do we care? Possibly the only enjoyment to be had from this sort of thing is in writing your own lists. Let’s have a go.

Fiction

Very early in 2008 I enjoyed Skin Lane by Nigel Bartlett. Feels like I read this one in the dim and distant past, just like the 60s era that he so expertly recreates. A great read, but only if you’re into disturbia.

I also managed to complete my first ever Will Self novel, The Book of Dave. Having congratulated myself on this epic task I have no further urge to read anything else by him. Good while it lasted though.

Remainder by Tom McCarthy was possibly my read of the year. This is a book that’s had a lot of attention from reviewers telling you to read it. So do. I’ve nothing more to add really.

Both Slam by Nick Hornby and Gold by Dan Rhodes were enjoyable light reading. Hornby explores teenage pregnancy with wit and originality, and Rhodes is a real comic talent to watch out for. Okay, teenage pregnancy isn’t a light subject but … Hornby .. light .. good writer … sigh, see what you think. What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn is a much darker novel exploring the disappearance of a child. It’s a real sleeper of a book, with great reports still coming long after its original publication.

Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks was an enjoyable addition to the James Bond canon, although my thriller of the year was Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. This is the book that caused aghast cries from some quarters (including blogs) when it was placed on the Booker longlist. I can only put this down to snobbery – I found it a very well written and original novel.

As far as ghost stories are concerned, I liked The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill, although Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book was my favourite supernatural tale of the year. It joins Remainder as this year’s best read, alongside Just After Sunset by Stephen King.

Before I turn to non fiction it’s worth mentioning a book that defies any category. Born Yesterday by Gordon Burn. This examines real life events in 2007 but wraps them in a fictional premise that forces you to look at the news afresh. Highly original.

Non Fiction

Miracles of Life by J.G.Ballard is an excellent autobiography that brightened up the early part of the year.
I also enjoyed Bill Bryson’s Shakespeare, a light read that’s set me up for some of the other bard biographies around.

Kate Summerscale’s The Suspicions of Mr Whicher was a book I didn’t expect to enjoy, but it’s a very engaging look at a real Victorian murder mystery and its far reaching consequences.

For a weightier read, there’s John Lennon: The Life by Philip Norman which took me three posts to review and is my non-fiction favourite of 2008.

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This year I’ve been busy compiling our Christmas music. Pausing for thought, I’ve noticed that some of my choices are a little eccentric. Let’s go through them.

All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

My daughter asked for this one, so I downloaded it from iTunes in one of my isn’t technology great? moods. My argument was that it was a joy to purchase a song in several seconds for only 79p – the same price that Woolworths charged for singles 30 years ago. And you had to leave the house too. It’s been less of a joy to have to listen to it though.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams

What’s Christmas without a bit of easy listening? It’s also easy to imagine the accompanying film to this one. A perfectly groomed Williams in a snowy outdoors that doesn’t look cold at all. Rosy cheeked kids on sleighs, leaping off them to run indoors and open presents. But not Nintendo DSs – just simple and humble teddy bears and wooden toys. This song plays throughout – on wind up gramophone.

Stop the Cavalry by Jona Lewie

What, I don’t own this song already? Well, the thing is that our usual Christmas CD, called something like Now That’s What I Call the Best Christmas Compilation Ever Although in Truth Featuring Only About 40% of What You’d Really Call Decent Christmas Records, is damaged through overplaying. The terrible irony – you’ve guessed it already – is that whilst classics like Stop the Cavalry are damaged beyond repair the lesser songs, such as Sleigh Ride by the Spice Girls, play with perfect clarity.

Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses

Ditto.

Last Christmas by Wham

My download excuse for this one is “my wife likes it”. You can tell I’ve been practising this one. I saw the video for this song recently and it’s weirder than I remember. A big haired George Michael looked very miserable at a Christmas gathering with Andrew Ridgely and Pepsi and Shirley. You can’t really blame him can you. Dreaming of a more fulfilling solo career, although not of the problems his later indulgences would invite.

It’s Christmas Time by Status Quo

I downloaded Status Quo’s 2008 Christmas single. “Why?” you demand. The funny thing is that the first time I heard this I thought it was truly awful. The second time I heard this I announced in the car that it was truly awful. However, by the time the boys had finished singing I was singing too – I’d grasped the simple pleasure of the song. My first Status Quo purchase. “About time too!” Rick and Francis will cry.

The downloading continues … but I’ll spare you the results.

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