MID-WEEK UPDATE AS PROMISED!

My trusty counter informs me that you indeed have been checking back for the promised update! Thank you so much! I am much embarassed by the delay :S Your very intelligent author forgot she used Windows Vista at home and XP at work and so had to enlist the help of a collegue so she could get to her articles that were on her hard drive.
So, below you can find two fresh reviews - North Face and Genova. I will resume normal broadcasting on thursday. I have a nice medly of independent - award winners and Oscar winners / nominees lined up so don't forget to check back!:)
And by the way, don't hesitate (well I know you won't but still) to comment and let me know what you think if you watch / have watched any of the films! Looking forward to hearing from you!
In the meanwhile, thank you for reading Essie's Pics and see you on Thursday!
Essie

NOT THE KIND OF BATTLE YOU'RE THINKING OF : NORDWAND / NORTH FACE

If you have had the patience to trawl through this humble blog for any amount of time, you may have noticed that your humble author has a soft spot for “true stories”. This is another one. Set in Nazi Germany in the late 30’s just before the Second World War it is not what you think if you have got thus far. No. Not a war movie this time. 
Well, it is 1936 and the race is on in the field of… Mountaineering!  But no, it is nothing to smile about actually, it was a truly serious business. The aim was to conquer one of the last natural “frontiers” in Europe the “unassailable” north face of the Eiger Mountain in Switzerland. Many attempts had been made and many lives lost in this quest. And in the political climate of the time being the nation to “conquer the Eiger” was a great matter of national pride, especially for Nazi Germany. North Face is the story of one of the boldest attempts to be “the ones” to conquer the Eiger. In the summer of 1936 teams from many countries all over Europe gathered in Switzerland in a “race” to the top of the North Face of the mountain. Among these teams was an extraordinary couple - Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser from Nazi Germany. The two were well on the way to becoming famous in their field despite their young age and had actually had to leave their army posts to take up the challenge. North Face is the breath taking account of this attempt, documented by Luise Fellner their childhood friend who coincidentally was covering the attempt as a reporter…
Now, you may not be a great fan of sports movies. I could not agree with you more. And you might think “two guys on a mountain. So?” But no. The characters are so well portrayed and the filming so extraordinarily good that excitement reaches its “peak” (hoho) by the second half of the movie and you will, I guarantee it, be gripping the arms of your seats in anticipation. And the photography alone during the climbing scenes is something to be experienced. Definitely a good quality adventure for those who are seeking one from the safety of their living rooms…

A JOURNEY OF REDISCOVERY... TO "GENOVA"

While watching Genova, I was struck by how closely related the art of painting and the art of cinema are… Not necessarily in the physical sense either, I mean sure, films are made up of a series of pictures, 24 frames per minute, but that is not what I mean, even though the photography in Genova is simply amazing… Some films sort of suck you up into them and you “live” the adventure with the hero. Others are like a beautiful painting. They unfold before your eyes and you watch moved, astounded or however you feel at the time… Michael Winterbottom’s Genova is one of these films. Unique and simply beautiful.
Oscar ® nominee Colin Firth stars as university lecturer Joe, who is faced with major trauma and life decisions to make after his wife dies, leaving him with his two young daughters. The suffering of the family is great and the house full of memories so Joe decides that a clean page is what everyone needs for this “new” life they are faced with… So, he packs their things, finds a good teaching job and settles his young family in Genova. The historical and sunny Italian city is as far as can be from their previous lives in the States. With the help of friends (double Oscar ®nominee Catherine Keener among others) all starts off pretty smoothly, but the family will have their ups and downs (older sister Kelly spending more and more time with her new boyfriend and neglecting her younger sister, while her little sister claims to be communicating with her dead mother’s ghost…) But Genova is mainly a story of looking for a way of moving on. A fresh start in the true meaning of the word.
It is, in my view, a bit of a gamble to make a film like this, unless of course you are Michael Winterbottom and you know the film is very well directed indeed . If you don’t let yourself go with the balmy, Mediterranean flow of the movie and lose yourself in the exquisite details, you may well find the film boring. A film for a certain kind of person, or a certain frame of mind maybe. And then again, not everyone is into painting either, but that doesn’t lessen anything of say Monet’s paintings does it?... :)

ABOUT THE SLIGHTLY SHORTER UPDATE THIS WEEK

Hi y'all :)
You may have noticed a slight dwindle in the number of posts in this weeks update, and I want to appologise to you all about it. I have a whole list of films in mind that I want to write about but "real life" has momentarily held me back, and I haven't been able to put finger to keyboard. However I will be back, with a longer, fuller "menu" next week, or I may possibly do a little "extra update" at the begining of next week, so don't forget to check back!
In the meanwhile, thank you for reading Essie's Pics!
Essie

TRIBUTE TO THE MASTERS : BABEL

I have to admit that I am rather disillusioned by the number of film festivals and awards cropping up lately, even though it is of course a sign of growing interest in the arts. But luckily the good old quality festivals still remain to point us to the great work out there, and if you win, say, the award for Best Director in the Cannes Film Festival, you probably won it for a reason. The example in this case is Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu and he most DEFINITELY deserves every award he got for one of his latest masterpieces, Babel…
If you read the blurb, it seems dubious at first glance whether the film has anything original to offer. True, there is an all-star cast with such “tried and proven” names such as Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael Garcia Bernal. The story of various seemingly unconnected lives clashing and connecting in a big chaotic world is not the most original story in the world; it has been tried more than once by many directors in many contexts and the list in fact includes Inarritu himself! (Remember Amorres Perros?) But this time, Inarritu takes the method and uses it in such a way , with such skill and such successful actors that the result is breathtaking, heartbreaking and mindboggling…
And naturally, the actors deserve a mention in all this! Pitt and Blanchett give steady but not astounding performances so that don’t (perhaps luckily) overshadow the rest of the cast. And Gael Garcia Bernal definitely deserves a mention as the passionate and rebellious Santiago (read developing countries rebelling against the “great” politicians). But I think one of the greatest successes of the film is UNDOUBTEDLY Koji Yakusho who gives a harrowing and sometimes shocking performance as the hearing impaired Cheiko.
Without giving too much of the plot away, Babel is a story of innocent victims, endless prejudices, mindless beaurocracy and the countless human souls that get crushed in the midst of it. It is the story of that butterfly that beats its wing to cause a tragic storm… I will stop eulogizing and end this post now :)

TRIBUTE TO THE MASTERS : "THE BIG LEBOWSKI"

At 26, I am very probably the last person of my generation to watch this Coen brothers classic. I hang my head in shame. Here comes the review for those of you who were too young, too old or like me just too darn lazy.
Ok, so let me sum it up right away. Yes; it is as good as they say it is. I am a massive Coen brothers fan – and the brilliant way they seem to blur the line between the believable and the absurd. Here the use of hallucinogenics (Ehm ehm) among other things help to blur the line even further making it in my view one of the best examples of absurd comedy I have ever seen. As far as the acting goes, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi – two of the Coen brothers favorite actors and don’t get me wrong though they’re two of my favorites too! – are absoloutely hilarious. Recent Oscar winner Jeff Bridges who needless to say became part of movie legend as “The Dude” and simply has to be experienced to be believed. And another small point I found amusing (something that doesn’t seem to get mentioned on the DVD sleeve, possibly because our actor hadn’t “made it” at the time) is the prominent presence of one of my favorite actors : Philip Seymour Hoffman!
Tradition dictates that I touch on the storyline a little: well, this is a story of mistaken identity. Of ruined rugs. Of framing innocent men. Of severed toes and White Russians. And a Vietnam vet with SERIOUS anger-management issues.
Just watch the bloody thing, it’ll make more sense… :)

TEENAGE PREGNANCY MADE AMUSING – MEET JUNO!

I kinda like the idea of honoring Oscar ® winners past and present seeing as the awards season is upon us. So I’m going to keep it up for a bit… Now, do you remember Juno? Won the Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay, was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress the same year. I bet that got your attention, even if you didn’t remember it before!
Well, I’m kind of sure my title got your attention too. And of course, teenage pregnancy is nothing to be scoffed at or laughed about. But this is not any old film. And Juno ain’t any old girl…
Ok, so meet Juno (our Oscar® nominee Ellen Page). She is an eminently original and down to earth 15 year old, and she is in a bit of a predicament. Because after having “tried some sex” with her best friend Bleaker (Michael Cera – possibly one of my favorite actors of his generation) she is pregnant. Abortion seems the only sensible course of action and Juno actually almost has her foot through the clinic door when she is reliably informed that her baby has fingernails. That does it as far as Juno is concerned, and the baby has to be born. It will just have to be put up for adoption. So Juno and her best friend start looking for a suitable couple (in Pennysaver) and find a perfect looking ad, right next to the advertisement for parakeets. And they indeed seem to be the ideal couple. She (Jennifer Garner) has a good job in the city; he (Jason Bateman) is actually a composer and kinda cool. So all seems to be going well. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as “the perfect couple” and life tends to throw curveballs in these situations, as Juno and her baby are about to find out…
There is so much I simply LOVE about this film. Ellen Page and Michael Cera make a brilliant couple. The characters are out of the ordinary in more ways than one – both from real life and nothing you’ve ever seen at the same time. And the story-line is also fresh, I mean seriously, how many amusing takes on teenage pregnancy have you watched before? There are many twists to the tale and I promise you, you will not be expecting them. Last of all, ok, the main characters are 15. But that DOES NOT mean this is a children’s film. Oh no. Not by a long shot.

JULIE & JULIA

Ok, so “the spirit of Oscars® past” is right above us, how about the spirit of Oscars® present? And it would be a shame to finish the week without at least one “true story”, right? Well, technically it’s “two true stories” as the film says, but I’m getting slightly ahead of myself…
Julie and Julia is based on two books. One is “My Life In France” by Julia Child – one of the greatest cooks and cooking writers of the 20th century. The second is “Julie & Julia” written by Julie Powell, who is possibly one of Julia Child’s greatest fans… Now, Julia Child (as some of you may know) was the wife of a diplomat. She discovered and fell in love with French cuisine when her husband Paul Child was posted to Paris in the 60’s. She then discovered she had a distinct talent for it. Her life’s ambition became to popularize French cuisine “for the servantless American cook”. And boy did she succeed. As we all know, her recipe book is a household stable item pretty much all around the English – speaking world. Julie Powell was a secretary in a government agency in 2002. She had a loving husband and an OK life but she felt in a rut and was looking for direction. Then one evening, completely by chance, she and her husband happen on an idea. Julie will take Julia Child’s 524 recipe long book, cook every single recipe in it, and try to finish it within one year. She will share this experience with the world, via a blog. By the end of the year, Julie has been through more than she could ever possibly imagine… Throughout the film we go back and forth through time hearing her candidly sharing her experiences via her blog on one hand, and learning about a truly fascinating cooking icon on the other…
First and foremost, this is a film the “gourmands” of this world MUST NOT miss. Cooking and food dominates the film and some of the food shots simply make me salivate to think about them… Secondly, the acting was top notch. Meryl Streep gives a brilliant performance as Julia Child, and Amy Adams as Julie Powell is not too far off… (interesting to note by the way, that Stanley Tucchi who plays Paul Child, Julia Child’s husband and Meryl Streep were also in The Devil Wears Prada together!) This film is good quality, heart warming and fulfilling entertainment at its best. Many “entertaining” films will come and go without a trace, this is not one of them. It will leave its mark. Now go on, take a bite – and bon apetit!

OUT OF SYNCH BUT NEVER OUT OF STYLE – MEET THE “SOUL MEN”

Soul Men is neither brand new, nor an award winner. But I happened on it the other day and had the chance to watch it and I knew I had to share this with you! Starring Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac it is one of the funniest and most endearing films I have ever watched. Now first of all, heads up all 70’s lovers. For the older ones, prepare for a trip down memory lane. For the younger ones, prepare for a toe-tapping time! Well, with a title like “Soul Men” and Emmy® nominee Bernie Mac on board, you can expect nothing less…
Here’s how the story goes : The Real Deal was massive in the 70’s. They were a soul trio and did quite well for a time, but after two of the members – Floyd (Bernie Mac) and Louis (Samuel L. Jackson) had a fallout the band split up. While their lead singer raced on to solo stardom, Floyd and Louis vanished into backstage oblivion… Until said lead singer passes away 25 years later. All of a sudden the two of them have a chance to shine. Well, it is a memorial concert but still, the stage is the stage… For Floyd (now retired from a successful car dealership business and very bored) it is a chance to get back into the limelight he simply cannot refuse. For Louis (now finally out of jail) it’s a pain in the backside and not worth bothering with. And the organizers for the memorial concert want both of them. Just one will not do. So there is one thing left for Floyd to do. He must somehow hunt Louis down, convince him to go on stage again, sort out their differences, get to the Memorial concert 4 days later on time and in the meanwhile somehow get the very rusty remaining members of “The Real Deal” back into shape…
You may say “2 old geezers rocking and rolling. Really?” I have to say “Yeah, really.” Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac are one hell of a comedy duo. The music is absoloutely superb (if you like Soul that is – and I do). And there are even a few musical surprises (in the nice sense) further down the line. In short, for a Saturday night movie, you simply could not ask for more…

HONORING ACADEMY WINNERS PRESENT - PRECIOUS

Well, the Oscar® season has come and gone, it would be rather strange if I skipped the award winners completely, wouldn’t it? I was recently able to watch double Oscar® winner Precious, and oh boy, was I impressed…
Now, just in case you have been living in the desert for the past couple of months, I should give you a short synopsis… Precious is the true story of Clarice Precious Jones (played by Oscar ® nominee Gabourey Sidibe). When we meet her, she is 17 and already pregnant with her second child. The father of both her children is not her own boyfriend, no, it’s her mother’s boyfriend and Precious’s own father… Precious’ mother (played superbly by a VERY Oscar ® deserving Mo’nique) survives on welfare alone. Precious is responsible for what part of the housework that gets done; her mother spends most of her time on the couch and bullies Precious. Precious’ first child, Mongo (who has Down syndrome) is taken care of by her grandmother. Now, when we meet her, Precious is in a bit of a predicament more so than usual because she is going to be kicked out of school for being pregnant again… But luckily for Precious, life is full of surprises and not all of them are unpleasant…
Now, as most brutally true to life , Precious makes very difficult viewing indeed. The arguments between Precious and her mother are, in a word, harrowing. And the fact that this film is based on a novel by the real life Precious is constantly at the back of one’s mind… Lee Daniel’s film is a very masterful reminder that one doesn’t have to travel to the third world to witness true tragedies. Ignorance, poverty, twisted relationships bring promising young women, just like Precious, to their knees every day. And it is thought-provoking that something similar could be happening very close to you… An appropriate film for the week of International Women’s Day, methinks…

HONORING ACADEMY NOMINATIONS PAST - PARADISE NOW

Well speaking of Oscars ®, I think it’s an opportune moment to honor past nominees… Paradise Now was among these past nominees, infact it made history – the first Palestinian film to be nominated for an Oscar® (for Best Foreign Picture in 2005). Infact, while we’re on the subject let’s look at Paradise Now’s credentials: The film actually took the 2005 – 2006 awards scene by storm. Apart from the Oscar ® nomination, Official Selection for the Toronto Film Festival and in New York, Blue Angel Award and Golden Bear nomination in the Berlin Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Picture… All these prestigious accolades, could it all be “political”?
Well, it could, but the fact is it isn’t. The Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad has accomplished quite a feat. He has made a completely objective film, about an explosive subject. Oh yeah, you guys will be looking for a synopsis…
Meet Said and Khaled. They are childhood friends and they grew up together in the Gaza strip and they are about to embark on their next project together : becoming suicide bombers… One day they are contacted – they have been selected and they are being sent on the same mission, together, just like they had imagined. They will go to Tel Aviv and blow themselves up, the very next day… But when unexpected developments put the mission off, Said and Khaled get something no one imagined they would get – time to think things over…
When I first read the reviews on this film and saw how everyone said it was “completely objective”, honestly I had a job believing it, for obvious reasons. I was surprised to find out this was actually true. The film is in fact purely psychological and although politics do graze it, it’s marginal at best. And think about it, there are a plethora of emotions to explore. First there is the shock of finding out you are going to die tomorrow (our two friends are “sleeper cells” leading perfectly normal-looking lives). There is the mental preparation for death. Then the shock of finding out you aren’t dying after all. Then there is the moment you stop and ask yourself what on earth you are doing, and why…
Like a lot of my choices, Paradise Now isn’t easy viewing. But it is a completely non-political and objective stare into the depths of the human psyche. Give it a spin – if you don’t mind being stared at that is…

HISTORIAS MINIMAS / MINIMAL STORIES - WHERE THE SMALL THINGS TAKE CENTER STAGE

Historias Minimas is the first in the “Argentinian Stories” trilogy by Argentinean director Carlos Sorin. Bombon El Perro is the second, andI have enjoyed both thoroughly. I am looking forward to getting to watch the third…
As I watched the film, I remembered once again the reason I love South American Cinema so much. Sorin’s film, like so many films of the genre, is full of the stories and the life of the continent. I know, I should be giving you a synopsis around now but in fact I am not sure where to begin, because the film, like life itself, doesn’t have a concrete theme… An old man takes off on his own to a distant town on a search for his lost dog, but is this really the only reason for his travels? A traveling salesman is preparing a birthday surprise for the child of a pretty widow he has met on his travels… A poor peasant woman is selected to participate in a TV show where she may win a trip to Brazil or a food processor – but she neither has much food or electricity in her house! All these completely unconnected stories come together and drift apart again, along with many other little things to make a perfect mirror of life, full of laughter, irony and tragedies both small and large…
Historias Minimas is indeed minimal. It reminds us that life, for many reasons – mainly economical – in South America is tougher than others. The “trappings” other people (Hollywood for instance) posses may not be at hand. Therefore, the things that matter, life itself, comes into perspective. The little things in life that are actually so important but get overlooked get center stage for a change… Minimal Stories is a down to earth and “real” film. And it was VERY refreshing in many ways, even though I am not a big fan of minimal cinema. Definately watch it, and maybe get introduced to the Latin American style while you’re at it. If you haven’t been introduced yet you honestly don’ t know what you’re missing and Carlos Sorin is a brilliant way to start…

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SOME HISTORY, SOME POLITICS AND SOME "HUNGER"

If you looked at the summary of this film and said “God no, not another film about The Troubles!” I could actually relate to that. But if you want to watch one and decide to make it this one, you actually wouldn’t be doing that badly for yourself.
Hunger, is another true story (you may have noticed I have a soft spot for those). Through the eyes of Davey (played by Brian Milligan), a new IRA prisoner in Maze prison, we witness the “Blanket Protests” during which Republican prisoners led by Bobby Sands (played rather superbly by Michael Fassbander) protested in various ways to gain political status (one example is that since as political prisoners they would have been allowed their own clothes, the prisoners attired themselves only in their prison issue blankets and refused to wear prison uniforms – hence the name “Blanket Protests”). The various forms of non-cooperation and dissidence culminated in a hunger strike that led to the death of some of the protesters, including Bobby Sands himself.
Now once again I have to tell you, this film is not for the faint of heart. The film is, by nature, very political, and discusses the morality of the protests and the motivation of dying for a cause very effectively. But it is far from being all ideas and “heroics”. You will watch the prisoners and the guards “face off” in all its terrible glory. The film skimps on no detail, including the details of the protests (and believe me the Republican prisoners were “imaginative” ),the hunger strike and its physical effects on the strikers.
But if you force yourself past this undoubtedly disturbing side of the film, you find yourself faced with a fascinating narrative where many forms of hunger are discussed. Of course there is the physical hunger, predominant in the film but also the hunger for political rights, glory, righteousness… But at the end, my feeling was that the greatest “Hunger” was one that is not mentioned at all but to my mind was painfully present throughout the film : the hunger for peace. A thought-provoking and sensitive film you should not miss…

SOME HISTORY, SOME POLITICS AND SOME "HUNGER"

If you looked at the summary of this film and said “God no, not another film about The Troubles!” I could actually relate to that. But if you watch only one film on the subject and decided to make it this one, you actually wouldn’t be doing that badly for yourself.
Hunger, is another true story (you may have noticed I have a soft spot for those). Through the eyes of Davey (played by Brian Milligan), a new IRA prisoner in Maze prison, we witness the “Blanket Protests” during which Republican prisoners led by Bobby Sands (played rather superbly by Michael Fassbander) protested in various ways to gain political status (one example is that since as political prisoners they would have been allowed their own clothes, the prisoners attired themselves only in their prison issue blankets and refused to wear prison uniforms – hence the name “Blanket Protests”). The various forms of non-cooperation and dissidence culminated in a hunger strike that led to the death of some of the protesters, including Bobby Sands himself.
Now once again I have to tell you, this film is not for the faint of heart. The film is, by nature, very political, and discusses the morality of the protests and the motivation of dying for a cause very effectively. But it is far from being all ideas and “heroics”. You will watch the prisoners and the guards “face off” in all its terrible glory. The film skimps on no detail, including the details of the protests (and believe me the Republican prisoners were “imaginative” ),the hunger strike and its physical effects on the strikers.
But if you force yourself past this undoubtedly disturbing side of the film, you find yourself faced with a fascinating narrativewhere many forms of hunger are discussed. Of course there is the physical hunger, predominant in the film but also the hunger for political rights, glory, righteousness… But at the end, my feeling was that the greatest “Hunger” was one that is not mentioned at all but to my mind was painfully present throughout the film : the hunger for peace. A thought-provoking and sensitive film you should not miss…

SWEETEST ROAD MOVIE EVER : AWAY WE GO

Away we go is an absolute gem of a film by successful director Sam Mendez. It is the story of life, searching, looking for the next step, trying to find where one belongs. And it is told in a very human and approachable way, which makes it a joy to watch.
Burt and Verona are a rather non-conventional couple. They live almost completely by themselves in the middle of the forest in Madison and live their lives working online / on the phone and pretty much minding their own business in a rather New Age and Hippy-ish kind of way. This all changes when Verona realizes she is pregnant. And just as the couple is getting used to the imminent advent of their baby girl they receive another blow. The main reason the couple had moved to Madison in the first place was to be close to Burt’s rather tactless but well meaning parents. However, Burt and Verona find out that they are in fact moving to Belgium (a 15 year-old plan nobody ever believed would come true), leaving the new parents to fend for themselves. The couple is incensed but once their anger dies down they decide that they also must move homes. They have to have a more stable and grown-up life now the baby is on the way. Thus starts one of the funniest and most endearing road-trips (an endearing road-trip is a bizarre concept but you will know what I mean if you watch the film), where Burt and Verona look not only for a new city to live in but a new lifestyle to adapt to…
“Burt, are we fuck-ups ?” asks Verona at one point of the film. I feel this is exactly the human condition Mendez has tried to (and succeeded in) portray in his film. Burt and Verona’s road – trip is almost an allegory of couples everywhere, on the road of life itself, going down the road hand in hand, but not quite sure what the next turn will bring and sometimes rather worried about whether it will really work out in the end. On top of that, all the characters are very well studied so the film pokes fun at American national quirks without being crass or over-the-top. It is a more “home grown” feeling, a witty joke by someone who knows what he is talking about...
Away we go is, in short, a top notch film especially for all you fans of that “fuzzy feeling” inside. And for those of you who want a quiet contemplation on life. Enjoy.

SOMETHING TO READ FOR A CHANGE : THE WINNER STANDS ALONE

Allthough this is mainly a blog on films I will occasionally share my thoughts on the books I have read aswell. This is one of these cases :)
Now, the risk one runs in reviewing such writers as Paulo Coelho is that one realizes that one simply has nothing left to say. It is as if somehow all has been said before. And when reviewing successful writers, one must always be careful as to how one says what one has to say otherwise I feel there is not much point… However, to my way of thinking, The Winner Stands Alone was such a great work that I could not possibly leave it unmentioned…
“This is not a thriller” says Coelho in his short introduction “but a stark portrait of where we are now.” This is undoubtedly true. The Winner Stands Alone lays bare the entire capitalist society and all its trappings and trickery set in possibly one of the shamest industries in a world based purely on “image” – the cinema. But the setting is any day in the film industry but the prestigious Cannes Film Festival no less. Now I’m sure you all realize that I adore the cinema and wouldn’t’ have started a blog about it if I did not… But I believe it was Rupert Graves (one of my favorite actors incidentally) in one of his interviews who described acting as “grown men and women playing make believe” – and who can fail to see the parallelism of the cinema with our world today where we have so many roles to juggle, appearances to keep up and where almost all of us dream of money, fame and glory “one day” “somehow”…
Besides asking whether it should really be this way and showing us the ugly backstage of glamour and what us mere mortals must do to realize our dreams of glory that may even not be our own, Coelho also delves into the human psyche. Such eternal subjects as love, jealousy, obsession and madness are explored with mind-numbing skill… It is not only a criticism of society as a whole but of what the individuals in this unnatural state have become…
The winner stands alone may not be a thriller but it is indeed thrilling from beginning to end. And you may say that well, after a tiring day at work you do not need to think about “where we are today”. I say read it anyway. The setting for all these messages is a griping tale of obsession and murder, a true page-turner in its own right, even without any of the underlying messages. I guarantee that you will go through it at break-neck speed from beginning to end. And in a world where advertisers play practically exclusively to our sub-consciousness, a few more underlying messages will do no harm 