Tag Archives: entertainment

A Candy-floss Killer – Review of Stephen King Joyland

Entertainment, , , , , , , , ,

Do you like a good whodunit?

Stephen King’s latest novel about a serial killer and a traditional fairground is a departure from his usual dark horror territory, but it’s a swift enjoyable and cracking read.

review of stephen king joyland
Book cover

I’ve struggled with some of Stephen King’s recent novels which are over one thousand pages long. Joyland is short by his standards, at just under 300 pages, more like the short novels that appear in his story collections. As such it is an ideal summer read for the garden or on holiday by the pool with an ice cold beer in your hand.

For someone who grew up near Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach with its smells of candy-floss and popcorn; the rickety racket of old wooden roller coasters; the eery sounds of the Ghost Train and the screams of thrill riders, King’s book describes perfectly an imaginary seaside fairground in the USA. Thanks to his excellent prose it’s easy to see the Carolina Spin Big Wheel and the Horror House Dark Ride and the Thunderball coaster as the backdrop to a murder mystery.

Devin Jones is a student running away from a doomed romance who seeks solace for the summer at Joyland Park. He learns to run the rides, banter with the eccentric employees, entertain children by “wearing the fur” – a very hot and sweaty Howie the Happy Hound costume, and masters the “carny” – the secret language of the fairground industry.

Joyland employees tell the story of Linda Gray, a pretty girl whose killer cut her throat on the Horror House – a dark ride like Blackpool’s Ghost Train. Some of them claim to have seen her ghost and Devin becomes intrigued by the story. A little investigation reveals that there are more victims of the same killer. Who is he and most importantly does he work at Joyland? Is he one of its eccentric showmen?

Away from the park, Devin strikes up a friendship with Annie Ross and her terminally ill son Mike who he teaches to fly a kite. Stephen King creates a very convincing relationship for these three and within a few pages he coaxes us to believe in and indeed to love them. Mike might be able to see ghosts. Could he be the key to setting the troubled spirit of a murdered girl free so she can rest in peace at last?

Devin’s life in and out of Joyland come together in a satisfying reveal off the killer’s identity at the end, and an emotional conclusion to his friendship with Mike and his mother. It takes a skilful author to bring tears to my eyes but Kings last pages had me sobbing into a hanky.

Joyland is a joy. Part murder mystery, part romance, part carny history with a little touch of the supernatural to remind you that the master of horror wrote it.

Your turn: Do you agree with my review of Stephen King Joyland? What other books have you read this summer? Please leave a comment or a link to your own views.

The Secret of the Grand National Roller Coaster Blackpool

Travel, , , , , , ,

If you’ve ever been on The Grand National roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, you may have noticed that it performs a very clever magic trick.

The ride tries to replicate the thrills of the Grand National horse race by having two roller coaster trains race each other round a twin track circuit.

But if you board the “blue” train on the right hand side of the station, when you have enjoyed your thrilling journey you will find yourself back on the left side of the station. The other “green” train has swapped sides with you.

Secret of the Grand National Roller Coaster Blackpool
The full figure eight layout.
But nowhere on the ride do the tracks actually cross over. So what is the secret behind this switching?

This mystery puzzled my grandfather for many years.

Every week he would collect my sister and I from school and take us to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. We would watch the Grand National from many vantage points and listen to the screams of the passengers and the roaring clatter of the trains as the rickety wooden structure vibrated and shook.

But even from high up on the Cable Car Ride, or from the observation window overlooking the “chain lift hill”, he could see no evidence to suggest that the tracks actually crossed over. And yet no matter how many times we watched the trains would always return to the station having changed sides.

Sadly the secret of the Grand National roller coaster eluded my grand father. He never found out the answer before he sadly died.

Secret of the Grand National Roller Coaster Blackpool
The trains at Beecher’s Brooke.
And then one day, many years later, whilst surfing the internet, a childhood memory flashed back into my mind. Could I solve the secret of the Grand National roller coaster? Of course, Google was my friend. Within minutes I had solved the mystery.

The Grand National is a wooden twin track racing roller coaster by category. Known affectionately as “The Nash” by people who grew up in Blackpool, the ride offers many moments of “airtime” that stomach churning moment of weightlessness at the top of each drop.

They built it in 1935 to the plans of respected roller coaster designer, Charles Paige. And they incorporated into the track the special feature that was to befuddle my grand father and many others for years until the internet revealed the answer.

And what is the answer? Well the Grand National is not a twin track at all. It’s only one track. The station is actually at the half way point. So after giving passengers one ride, each train has only completed half a circuit and has ended up back at the station on the other side of the boarding platform. The illusion is that they have swapped sides.

It’s called a Mobius loop.

There are only two other roller coasters in the world that do this illusion. The Racer at Kennywood in the USA, and Montaña Rusa at La Feria Chapultepec Magico in Mexico City, Mexico.

The sad thing however is that I never got to tell my grand father the secret of the Grand National roller coaster.

But I suspect he knows it by now too. And on the day I worked it out, he’ll have looked down from where ever he is, lit his pipe, and smiled.

Take a ride on the Grand National with this YouTube video from the Theme Park Review.

Your turn: Have you ever been on the Grand National roller coaster? Did you notice the magic trick of changing sides. Did you know the Secret of the Grand National Roller Coaster Blackpool? I’d love to hear your roller coaster stories. Please leave a comment or share a link to your own articles.

Are the Cybermen scary again? Review of Doctor Who Nightmare in Silver

Entertainment, , , , , , , , , ,

Back in the 1960s the Cybermen were quite scary (I’ve seen  the DVDs – I’m not that old!). They met Patrick Troughton’s Doctor Who many times, towered over their victims and spoke in an unsettling electronic monotone.

When the BBC brought the Cybermen back in the 1980s they were less formidable, less scary and almost became figures of fun. They were susceptible to gold and at a real low point in their history, the Doctor’s companion, Ace, dispatched them with a pocket full of gold coins and a catapult.

Even the Cybermen in the rebooted post 2005 Doctor Who have suffered from poor stories and have been too easy to defeat.

Show runner Stephen Moffat promised us that Neil Gaiman’s script Nightmare in Silver would make the Cybermen scary again.

Review of Doctor Who Nightmare in Silver
Movie of the week poster

 

So did it succeed in its mission?

The new Cyberman design actually looks very like the 1960s creepier versions so I approve of that. And that they can detach their hands and their heads to attack their enemies is innovative but hardly the stuff that nightmares are made of. I liked their new ability to speed up and their time flow to dash in and kidnap the children, but then found it confusing later when they did not use this technique to attack the castle. Cybermites – tiny little robotic bugs, are an excellent evolution of the Cybermats. The Cybermen’s other new ability to “upgrade” to counteract new threats reminded me of The Borg in Star Trek The Next Generation.

So I think Neil Gaiman has made the Cybermen interesting again but I wouldn’t go as far as scary.

The cast is very strong with Matt Smith showing absolute relish playing an evil “cyber-planner” version of himself. His interactions with himself were very well-played. Jenna-Louise Coleman continues to shine as Clara proving that she is one of the strongest companions the Doctor has had since the show returned in 2005.

I didn’t particularly like the soldiers who just came across as buffoons and ultimately served no purpose other than as Cyberman cannon fodder.

Warwick Davis, I felt, excelled as Porridge, the little chap who the Galactic Emperor. But as has happened to much this season the ending was too easy. Porridge arranges for everyone to be teleported off the planet so that they can use a huge bomb to destroy the Cybermen. Another Deus Ex Machina which left me feeling a little disappointed at the end of what was undoubtedly a very entertaining episode.

Your turn: Do you agree with my review of Doctor Who Nightmare in Silver? Did Neil Gaiman succeed in making the Cybermen scary again? Please leave a comment or post a link to your own review.

Alien trouble up north – Review of Doctor Who The Crimson Horror

Entertainment, , , , , , , , ,

For the first fifteen minutes of Doctor Who The Crimson Horror I thought I was watching the pilot episode for a spin-off series featuring Victorian London detectives Madame Vastra, her wife Jenny, and their Sontaran side kick Strax. And very entertaining it was as well indeed I do hope they make such a spin-off series.

Strax gets all the funniest lines as he constantly suggests grenades and other war hardware as solutions to every problem. Madame Vastra remains an intriguing character, noble, and despite her lizard-like features, quite sexy. Jenny gets much more to do in this episode and I liked the moment when she steps out of her Victorian garb to show her Avengers style leather cat suit underneath. Perhaps this was a cute nod towards guest star Diana Rigg who, of course, was an Avengers girl back in the 1960s.

Review of Doctor Who The Crimson Horror
Movie of the week poster.

The BBC really do period drama well and the costumes, props and locations in The Crimson Horror are of a particularly high standard.

“To find him she needs only ignore all keep out signs, go through every locked door, and run towards any form of danger that presents itself.”

The Vastra Crew are investigating the disappearance of people who go to Sweetville a seemingly idillic town up north away from corrupt London. Eventually Jenny finds The Doctor (Matt Smith) locked in a room doing his best Hell Boy impression with bright red skin and agonised moaning. This leads to an impressive flash back sequence told in a sepia tone like an old news reel. Once cured, the Doctor can also rescue Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) and finally face the spooky harridan Miss Gillyflower.

“Yes, I’m the Doctor, you’re nuts, and I’m gonna stop you.”

Diana Rigg, who is also delighting audiences in the third series of Game of Thrones, stops just short of hamming up her part. Her interactions with her real life daughter, Rachel Stirling are a delight, and Stirling’s character, Ada,  is both sad and brave, especially when she realises her mother’s betrayal and becomes stronger as a result.

The Crimson Horror is a great episode of Doctor Who, funny and entertaining but I thought it was quite light weight. The reveal of the scarlet monster, Mr Sweet, attached and suckling on Rigg’s chest could have been a genuine horror moment but it was too cute. When Strax takes directions from a boy who reveals his name is Thomas Thomas I wanted to phone Stephen Moffat straight away and complain at the awfulness of this joke.

Overall it did feel as this was genuinely a children’s episode. If this was indeed a blue print for a spin of series about the Vastra Crew then I think we can expect a drama along the lines of The Sarah Jane Adventures rather then the more adult oriented Torchwood.

Your turn: Do you agree with my review of Doctor Who The Crimson Horror? Would you like to see a spin-off series featuring Vastra, Jenny and Strax? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think or post a link to your own review.