The first episode of Michael Palin’s “Ripping Yarns” began with a quote from G. K. Chesterton: “The follies of men’s youth are in retrospect glorious compared to the follies of old age.” I didn’t expect to think of this when I bought my tickets to see “American Pie: Reunion”. I thought I’d get a dose [...]

See larger image The Jonathan Meades Collection [DVD] (DVD) Starring: Jonathan Meades Rating: Exempt List Price: £34.99 GBP New From: £14.02 In Stock Used from: £14.00 In Stock Release date September 29, 2008. I was introduced to the works of Jonathan Meades a few years after I moved to Britain. I didn’t find out his [...]

See larger image The Stoning of Soraya M [DVD] (DVD) Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh Starring: Shoreh Agdashloo, Jim Caviezel Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over List Price: £12.99 GBP New From: £2.43 In Stock Used from: £3.70 In Stock Release date February 14, 2011. Not every film is meant to pull on one’s heart strings [...]

See larger image The Ides of March [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Director: George Clooney Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over List Price: £24.99 GBP New From: £12.99 In Stock Used from: £7.99 In Stock Release date March 5, 2012. In my experience, every [...]

I open this review with a bit of a confession. When the last book in the Harry Potter series was released, I was out at midnight in my town, queued around the corner to get into Waterstones. My ex-girlfriend had introduced me to the books; prior to her suggestion, I’d been reluctant to embrace something [...]

See larger image Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea (Paperback) By (author) Barbara Demick List Price: £14.99 GBP New From: £10.38 In Stock Used from: £9.06 In Stock If there was a competition for the “most pointless” country in the world, North Korea would be a strong contender. It has built up a [...]

Movies about the apocalypse are commonplace. Late last year, audiences were “treated” to the latest in a long line of films which contemplated the end of the world, namely “2012″, which was based on a ridiculous misinterpretation of the Mayan calendar. Like many of its ilk, it was little more than a demonstration of advanced [...]

Apart from “I love you”, perhaps the most dangerous statement in the English language is “Things couldn’t get worse”. In my experience, uttering this phrase is an invitation for evil to arrive. Indeed, I have wondered if the present Prime Minister has said it more than a few times. Faced with a teetering economy, he [...]

Going to see a Harry Potter film bears a similarity to attending a family reunion, particularly if the relatives live far away. At each event, one expects changes, one sees changes: the kids grow up, the adults get older. There are interesting stories to tell about the intervening period and much to catch up on, [...]

See larger image Another Gulmohar Tree (Paperback) By (author) Aamer Hussein List Price: £6.99 GBP New From: £1.09 In Stock Used from: £0.97 In Stock Few nations have as an anarchic a reputation as Pakistan. Because of its present political instability, its possession of nuclear weapons, and its proximity to the war in Afghanistan, it [...]