Linus Roache Books

Still fresh after 45 years, Waterhouse's novel about a compulsive liar who can't handle reality is funny, sweet, and heartbreakingly sad. Set at the tail end of 1950s, the story is told by Billy Fisher, who lives with his parents in the fictional Yorkshire town of Stradhoughton. Billy can't cope with his tedious clerking job at a local funeral parlor, living at home, or really anything about his life, and so, spends a great deal of time escaping into fantasy world in his head called Ambrosia. When he's not imagining life as prime minister of his make-believe country, he's spinning mostly purposeless lies to almost everyone he meets. Sometimes he's lying to cover up real misdeeds, such as his smalltime embezzling, other times, his lies are completely pointless, such as telling a friend's mother about his fictional sister.

At first, his carefree, devil-may-care insouciance is amusing and the reader is drawn into Billy's bizarre self-vision as lively raconteur and comic wit. However, as the story progresses, he becomes a more troublesome figure. He's engaged to two different girls, and apparently in love with a third. More problematically, he has no emotional connection to realityóevery episode in his life takes on the aspect of a sketch or scene in which he struggles to determine what role to play, what accent to adopt, or what pose to strike. It becomes heartbreaking to witness Billy's belief that he's smarter than everyone around him and destined for great things, when everyone else can see right through his poses and tired routines. (It'd be interesting to know what a psychiatrist's diagnosis of Billy would be.) As the lies pile up, Billy finds himself painted into a corner from which only drastic action will free him. His only avenue of escape is to actually pursue his longstanding claim of a job offer in London writing scripts for a standup comic. The reader is torn between wanting Billy to stay and face up to his misdeeds, and wanting him to get on that train to the Big Smoke and realize his dreams. Of course, the outcome is inevitable.

Waterhouse grew up in Leeds, and like Billy, worked as a clerk in an undertakers. The prose is liberally sprinkled with Yorkshire dialect, and does a brilliant job of capturing the small town atmosphere, from the grubby disco, to the local cafe, and claustrophobic house. The book was turned into a play the year after publication and into an excellent film several years later, a TV miniseries in the early 1970s, and an insipid American TV series called Billy. A sequel called Billy Liar on The Moon appeared in 1977, and more recently there are allegedly plans for an American feature film remake, although I'm not sure who thought that would be a good idea..

EXCELLENT!!! I wish I could forget all the other Batman movies, even the ones that Tim Burton directed. Although Michelle Pfeifer was pretty hot as Catwoman. If only ALL Super Hero movies were done like this movie. In my opinion this was even better than Spiderman. Even women that I know who don't like super hero movies love, that's right, LOVE, this movie. It is basically a character driven drama with action. And for once, the villains don't upstage the main character as they did with ALL the previous Batman movies. If you are looking for a Super Hero movie that has it all, look no further. THIS IS IT! I can't wait to see the Dark Knight this summer!!!

By Far the Best Batman to come out since the original with Michael Keaton, Christian Bale plays the role of Bruce Wayne perfectly. Excellent Movie

THIS IS THE ONLY BATMAN FILM I HAVE EVER REALLY CARED FOR, BUT BOY DID I LIKE THIS ONE!!!

THIS FILM WAS EXCELLENT IN MY EYES, AND BETTER STILL, THE HD DVD WAS OUTSTANDING. THE VIDEO AND AUDIO ARE STELLAR.

I CAN NOT OVERSTATE THAT THIS IS A MUST OWN FOR ANYONE WITH A HD DVD PLAYER. AND HEY, IF YOU ARE BLU ONLY, PICK THIS UP AS SOON AS IT IS RELEASED.

I erroneously thought that this version was already in Blu-ray but that is not the case since I've yet to see it at either of the 2 leading stores, Circuit City or Best Buy(you have to pre-order at Amazon). Anyway I have it it in HD and it's simply reference quality Hi-Def. Enough has been said about the excellence that Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia) brought to this film and of course the fine cast (Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer, Gary Oldman, etc). The only weak member of the cast would be Katie Holmes (Sorry, Tom!!), she is just too wan and detached for us to root for her as Bruce's love interest but thankfully Maggie Glyenhaal will be better in the sequel!! This disc along with "King Kong" and the recent final cut of "Blade Runner" will definitely show off the benefits of HD. Plus you could probably get this much cheaper than the Blu-ray edition when it comes out perhaps as low as $10 or $12 used and $14.95 new!! Am looking forward to the follow-up, "The Dark Knight", in the summer or fall, I suppose.

Batman Begins tells the story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman. It explains how his parents were killed, his fear of bats, and some of the extremities he went through with some of his training...among other things. Gotham City is dying since guys like Carmine Falcone are practically able to get away with anything because "he keeps the bad people rich and the good people scared," as Rachel Dawes would put it. Bruce Wayne trains with Henri Ducard, the right hand of Ra's Al Ghul, and the Legion of Shadows before things turn ugly. The Legion of Shadows believes in justice, but doesn't think people who have committed such crimes deserve to live while Bruce Wayne believes in compassion and thinks criminals should have a fair trial before passing judgement. Leaving the Legion of Shadows in shambles, Bruce Wayne makes his way back to Gotham after a seven year abscence. As Bruce Wayne said, "As a man, I'm flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a symbol...as a symbol I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting." This is the story of Batman's uprising and the criminals he encounters along the way.

Let me start by saying this is my favorite film of the franchise. That may change once The Dark Knight is released, but I'm sticking with that statement as of this writing. None of the other films are as dark as this one. Tim Burton's original film comes close, but I think Christopher Nolan's version surpasses Burton's in almost every way. This film has a lot of strengths and I think it starts with the storyline. It doesn't stray too far away from Batman classics like "Year One" and is just as dark in tone. It's also incredibly well-written, which is something that is always a plus in my book. None of the dialogue seems forced or out of place and everything seems to take place in a consistent and reasonable fashion...or at least as reasonable as superhero films go. The acting is also impressive as the main cast is filled with excellent actors. With actors like Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, nobody can really go wrong as they always bring their best to whatever project they're involved in and this film is no exception. The other thing that people are going to notice is how this film is shot. It's beautiful. The colors are so bright and vibrant and the scenery is gorgeous. While watching this again today, this is the only time I wished I had some sort of high-definition entertainment system because it would really pay off with a film like this.

One of the elements of the film I really enjoyed was Cillian Murphy as Johnathan Crane/Scarecrow. I tend to be a fairly big fan of his anyway thanks to films like 28 Days Later and Sunshine, but I think he does an exceptional job in this role even though it's a little small. The other actor who seems to be a bit overlooked in the film is Liam Neeson. He does a great job as Henri Ducard and is part of the film's twist that Nolan has been known to put into his films. Gary Oldman, who's another actor that's a bit underrated in my eyes, also seems to steal just about every scene he's a part of. It's just rare to see a supporting cast that's as strong as the lead actor(s) in the film.

Now a movie that's this good and has this many strong points has to have a few weaknesses, right? Right. This may be considered knitpicking to some, but here are the things that bugged me a bit about the film. I thought it was a little weird that Christian Bale had to put on his "Batman voice" whenever he was in costume. It's like he talked normally while he was Bruce Wayne, but he had to talk in this rough, raspy voice when he was Batman. I guess it could help conceal his identity and add a bit more realism to the film and character, but it just seemed awkward the first time I heard it. I hardly notice now, but it's something that stuck out like a sore thumb when I first watched the film. Katie Holmes was a little bland as Rachel Dawes in this, as well. She just seemed to kind of be in the background in every scene she was a part of. It's like she was there and everyone knew she was there, but she didn't really do anything to grab anyone's attention. I think Maggie Gyllenhaal will be a better fit for the role as she's impressed me more than Holmes with what little I've seen of her in the trailers. The other thing that I hear a bunch of people complain about is the tumbler and how ugly it is. I mean, I agree, it's ugly but I don't think it takes away anything from the film because Batman is driving an ugly car. I feel the same way about the Batpod or Batcycle or whatever the vehicle in The Dark Knight is called. It matches the tumbler, so of course it's going to be ugly.

If there is one Batman film anyone should see, this is it. It's a superhero film with a dark tone that's very well-written with nothing but incredible actors involved. In a world where most movies these days are usually either remakes or films that are made as quickly as possible to cash in on the latest trend in Hollywood, I think the well-written part should say a lot. If there was one film that could make somebody who didn't care about the Batman character like a Batman film, I think this would be it. This is a good enough film to stand on its own regardless of how the viewer feels about Batman going into it. So, if anybody hasn't already, check this out before The Dark Knight hits theaters on July 18th. Or if they already have, tell them to watch it again so the events from the first film are fresh on their mind before they see the sequel.

Rating: 9/10

Warning: spoilers contained. Julianne Moore leads the cast as a grieving mother on a tour de force that draws her into her personal hell, driven by heart alone as everyone, and everything, around her discounts her inner conviction that something else has happened to her missing son. Her husband is of no help, even trying to convince her that they never had a son. But just as she seems to be headed straight for a straight jacket, pieces of the wallpaper start to peel away and eventually the top is taken off of the day-to-day conventional notion of reality, plunging it into something that is totally unknown territory. Not only is the movie an almost continuous metaphor of messages, it provides a revelatory experience for the viewer as the plot unfolds and while some characters are unknowing, others, in the roles of authority to whom we have been taught to trust, are found out to be playing a pantomime while knowing of a deeper line of subterfuge. Why are they doing this when it appears that they are selling us out? What force would have the ability to alter our perceived reality so thoroughly and completely? A moody movie of foreboding overtones with many shades of blue that, along with Ms. Moore's performance, makes for sumptuous viewing, a preview and a catalyst for a meta-level of consciousness, a wave of awakening that is coming to engulf us all in a time of disclosure that is unparalleled in human history. If you felt uncomfortable or if it went over your head, try watching it again. You are close to something.

The Forgotten features Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore), who has been in mourning because of the death of her 9-year-old son, Sam. She's been grieving for over a year, and like a prisoner counting the days incarcerated, she can recite the time since his death down to the millisecond.

The thing is, everyone is telling her she's delusional. Even though she swears he lived, and subsequently died in a plane crash, everyone, her shrink (Gary Sinise), and even her husband Jim are telling her the kid didn't exist. They even go so far as to remove all personal objects one day when she is gone, just so they can convince her she is insane. Telly, on the other hand, knows what she remembers, and enlists the help of Ash Correll (Dominic West), the father of a little girl who was killed on the same plane flight. Ash doesn't remember his daughter, but with some help from Telly, and the Detective on the case (Alfre Woodard), they are able to convince Ash.

I suppose this could have been taken two ways. One, we know beforehand that she had a kid, and the kid is missing, but everyone is trying to convince her otherwise. Or, two, the suspense and mystery is lengthened so that we are unsure if she is actually delusional or not. As it stands, we know she is telling the truth, and that all others are attemping to convince her otherwise for some strange reason.

Anyway, the suspense is top-notch, and the audience is kept guessing until the very end. It's god an eerie, old-school Alfred Hitchcock feel to it. What I mean by that is the story is told in such a way that there is genuine intrigue, and not the foreshadowing nonsense of most contemporary movies that allows the audience to figure things out about halfway through the viewing.

Be on the lookout for a specific special effects scene in which a reverse bungee jump type maneuver is accomplished. It's gasp-worthy, and a nice touch that allows the viewer to empathize a bit with the helplessness being experienced by Telly.

Okay. Let me try to make sense out of this ridiculous movie.

Premise: Julianne Moore plays a women who remembers having a son who supposedly dies in a plane crash while everyone seems to forget including her husband. She laters links up with a friend who forgets that he had a girl named Lauren who used to play with her son named Sam. He remembers later and what ensues is some test run by the government to erase the memories of those people whose kids died in that plane crash.

Opinion: This movie had potential but the plotholes, lousy script and the asinine twist kill whatever chance this movie had to be great. If they would have kept the movie simple it could have been okay. The story of the government running a test that erases memory seemed interesting enough until the movie threw supernaturalism into the mix. Julianne Moore is not bad in this movie but there is little she could do to save it. Alfre Woodard is a great actress but even she seems out of place in this suspense-turned-sci-fi flick. You want me to believe that a government agent can absorb bullets like T-1000 in Terminator 2? Talk about ripping pages out of X-Files! There are other moments when your intelligence is insulted like when Alfre Woodard's character gets sucked into thin air or when they hit an agent at a car rental place who manages to get up afterwards or their car getting hit by an SUV driven by those insufferable agents and they still manage to get away without a scratch. In short this movie is a mess that could have been avoided. If kept simple it could have worked but when they throw aliens into the mix, they turned what could have been a decent movie into a foolish parody of X-Files and the Twilight Zone. This movie is called The Forgotten and if you were smart enough you would forget that it even exists.

THIS MOVIE IS ALMOST UNWATCHABLE; UNLESS THE ACTORS ARE STANDING STILL! OUT OF
FOCUS AND MOTION BLURRING. I CAN SEE WHY THEY HAVE IT FOR ONLY 99 CENTS. BUY
THE DVD OR RENT IT FROM ITUNES.

I can't say much about this film as it is just a real dud. The plot is totally unbelievable although it has a clever premise. The acting is strictly by the numbers, the direction pedestrian at best, and the effect were just average. Maybe I'll rewrite this review when I'm in a better mood, but for now, this is film is one to forget renting or buying.

Warning: spoilers contained. Julianne Moore leads the cast as a grieving mother on a tour de force that draws her into her personal hell, driven by heart alone as everyone, and everything, around her discounts her inner conviction that something else has happened to her missing son. Her husband is of no help, even trying to convince her that they never had a son. But just as she seems to be headed straight for a straight jacket, pieces of the wallpaper start to peel away and eventually the top is taken off of the day-to-day conventional notion of reality, plunging it into something that is totally unknown territory. Not only is the movie an almost continuous metaphor of messages, it provides a revelatory experience for the viewer as the plot unfolds and while some characters are unknowing, others, in the roles of authority to whom we have been taught to trust, are found out to be playing a pantomime while knowing of a deeper line of subterfuge. Why are they doing this when it appears that they are selling us out? What force would have the ability to alter our perceived reality so thoroughly and completely? A moody movie of foreboding overtones with many shades of blue that, along with Ms. Moore's performance, makes for sumptuous viewing, a preview and a catalyst for a meta-level of consciousness, a wave of awakening that is coming to engulf us all in a time of disclosure that is unparalleled in human history. If you felt uncomfortable or if it went over your head, try watching it again. You are close to something.

The Forgotten features Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore), who has been in mourning because of the death of her 9-year-old son, Sam. She's been grieving for over a year, and like a prisoner counting the days incarcerated, she can recite the time since his death down to the millisecond.

The thing is, everyone is telling her she's delusional. Even though she swears he lived, and subsequently died in a plane crash, everyone, her shrink (Gary Sinise), and even her husband Jim are telling her the kid didn't exist. They even go so far as to remove all personal objects one day when she is gone, just so they can convince her she is insane. Telly, on the other hand, knows what she remembers, and enlists the help of Ash Correll (Dominic West), the father of a little girl who was killed on the same plane flight. Ash doesn't remember his daughter, but with some help from Telly, and the Detective on the case (Alfre Woodard), they are able to convince Ash.

I suppose this could have been taken two ways. One, we know beforehand that she had a kid, and the kid is missing, but everyone is trying to convince her otherwise. Or, two, the suspense and mystery is lengthened so that we are unsure if she is actually delusional or not. As it stands, we know she is telling the truth, and that all others are attemping to convince her otherwise for some strange reason.

Anyway, the suspense is top-notch, and the audience is kept guessing until the very end. It's god an eerie, old-school Alfred Hitchcock feel to it. What I mean by that is the story is told in such a way that there is genuine intrigue, and not the foreshadowing nonsense of most contemporary movies that allows the audience to figure things out about halfway through the viewing.

Be on the lookout for a specific special effects scene in which a reverse bungee jump type maneuver is accomplished. It's gasp-worthy, and a nice touch that allows the viewer to empathize a bit with the helplessness being experienced by Telly.

Okay. Let me try to make sense out of this ridiculous movie.

Premise: Julianne Moore plays a women who remembers having a son who supposedly dies in a plane crash while everyone seems to forget including her husband. She laters links up with a friend who forgets that he had a girl named Lauren who used to play with her son named Sam. He remembers later and what ensues is some test run by the government to erase the memories of those people whose kids died in that plane crash.

Opinion: This movie had potential but the plotholes, lousy script and the asinine twist kill whatever chance this movie had to be great. If they would have kept the movie simple it could have been okay. The story of the government running a test that erases memory seemed interesting enough until the movie threw supernaturalism into the mix. Julianne Moore is not bad in this movie but there is little she could do to save it. Alfre Woodard is a great actress but even she seems out of place in this suspense-turned-sci-fi flick. You want me to believe that a government agent can absorb bullets like T-1000 in Terminator 2? Talk about ripping pages out of X-Files! There are other moments when your intelligence is insulted like when Alfre Woodard's character gets sucked into thin air or when they hit an agent at a car rental place who manages to get up afterwards or their car getting hit by an SUV driven by those insufferable agents and they still manage to get away without a scratch. In short this movie is a mess that could have been avoided. If kept simple it could have worked but when they throw aliens into the mix, they turned what could have been a decent movie into a foolish parody of X-Files and the Twilight Zone. This movie is called The Forgotten and if you were smart enough you would forget that it even exists.

THIS MOVIE IS ALMOST UNWATCHABLE; UNLESS THE ACTORS ARE STANDING STILL! OUT OF
FOCUS AND MOTION BLURRING. I CAN SEE WHY THEY HAVE IT FOR ONLY 99 CENTS. BUY
THE DVD OR RENT IT FROM ITUNES.

I can't say much about this film as it is just a real dud. The plot is totally unbelievable although it has a clever premise. The acting is strictly by the numbers, the direction pedestrian at best, and the effect were just average. Maybe I'll rewrite this review when I'm in a better mood, but for now, this is film is one to forget renting or buying.