Beautiful Creatures

'Beautiful Creatures' could be easily cast aside as the new 'Twilight'/'The Hunger Games'/'Vampire Diaries' etc. But, don't dismiss it just yet. Supernatural and fantasy based, it is, but cringy, complicated and gloomy it is not.

The story is told from alternating viewpoints. The first is high school senior, Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich) who can't wait to escape the small town he's grown up in. The second is the mysterious new girl, Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert) who has just moved in with her uncle, the feared, Macon Ravenwood (Jeremy Irons). Setting the story in a small town in South Carolina allowed the writers to create a bitchy group of girls, driven by their parents strong religious views, to bring out Lena's darker side.

Of course, with any supernatural tale, a mortal human will fall in love with a supernatural being. Ethan falls for Lena, despite the fact that she's waiting for her sixteenth birthday to see if she will be claimed for the light or the dark. Lena is a 'castor' (nicer term for a witch, as they say in the film) and her powers will either be for good or for bad. Uncle Macon is trying to steer her towards the light, despite a family curse that runs extremely close to home.

I found 'Beautiful Creatures' to be a far superior story to predecessors within this genre. Lena is angsty, dark in physical appearance and rarely smiles throughout the film. She could be compared to Kristen Stewart in the 'Twilight' series or Nina Dobrev in 'The Vampire Diaries', but I found her character to be much more intriguing. She tries her best to believe she is good and not give into her darker side. She has a past, history with her mother and cousin (both claimed for the dark themselves) and is torn between resisting or allowing herself to go the same way. Her relationship with Ethan is sweet rather than sickly, and isn't so intense that viewers will find themselves rolling their eyes or groaning in dismay.

Overall, the film is a very likable watch. I hadn't read the book prior to seeing it, so I had no mental images of how characters/settings should look like. I do however have the book on my Kindle and do plan to read it and the rest of the series. The characters were much more entertaining, with a slight injection of comedy in places, which sets it apart from other series in this genre. Of course, the story does dip in the middle as Ethan and Lena's relationship takes form, but it is soon picked back up by the introduction of Lena's cousin Ridley (Emmy Rossum), who was claimed for the dark on her sixteenth birthday.

I did enjoy it. The younger actors are relatively unknown, which I prefer in these kinds of films. It stops viewers like myself comparing them to other roles they may have been in. A personal highlight was the introduction of Ridley, that is definitely when things are really shaken up. I would like it if the series was continued, but the ending was satisfying enough so that if another film wasn't made, viewers would still be content with the ending.

Mark Tremonti, 17/02/2013, Manchester HMV Ritz

Tonight the HMV Ritz in Manchester is packed. Floor and balcony are awash with a sea of Tremonti and Alter Bridge t-shirts. The atmosphere is quite calm, the result of an older, more mature fan base. Most of these people have been here before and will no doubt be back again.

Support tonight comes in the form of Heaven's Basement. They take to the stage ten minutes late and don't create much of a riot. Songs off the long awaited, debut album don't go down so well, and it takes a lot of jumping around, shouting and swearing for even the die hard fans at the front to move.

It isn't long before the lights go down and Tremonti strides into the green spotlights. Opener 'Leave it Alone' sets the tone for tonight. Tremonti's solo album, 'All I Was' is an angrier effort to previous works with both Creed and Alter Bridge. Some songs sound very Alter Bridge, the guitar riffs and solos are typical of the heavier songs that come from albums such as 'Blackbird and 'AB III', but 'All I Was' lacks in vocal ability.

Mark Tremonti is a good guitarist, there is no denying that. His technique is flawless, guitar fans the world over have snapped up his signature guitars. Every song is performed perfectly, matching the recorded version. Of course, his vocal ability isn't as good as that of Myles Kennedy, but for once, Tremonti isn't in the shadow of the front men he is used to playing with. It must be daunting to be thrust into centre stage, suddenly having to command a crowd, demand circle pits and clap-a-longs, but after a slightly awkward entrance, Tremonti takes to his new found role as front man of his band.

'All I Was' is an album filled with bitterness, betrayal and being hurt by the ones you once loved. It's nothing new or different, but it's still good. He has a following of extremely loyal fans, who sing the lyrics back at the risk of bursting a lung. Album tracks go down a storm, the emotional 'Proof' brings proceedings to a slight halt, only to be picked straight back up again with 'Decay'. Crowd pleaser power ballad 'New Way Out' has everyone singing along, and debut single 'You Waste Your Time' makes the floorboards shiver. It isn't until 'Wish You Well' that Tremonti demands 'a huge fucking mosh pit' and fans at the front oblige, creating a pit of head banging and hair swishing.

By the encore, Mark Tremonti looks like a very happy man. It isn't the first time he's played a venue of this size, of course he's played arenas with Alter Bridge, but this is all his own for the first time. A rejected B side is brought out for the encore, closing with the hate fuelled 'Brains'. Tonight has been a success. As the man who has walked in the shadow of Myles Kennedy and Scott Stapp for a number of years has finally come into his own, gained a legion of dedicated fans and will no doubt go on to continue doing what he does best. Will another album be on the cards? Maybe. AB 4 is due out at some point in 2013, but if Myles Kennedy abandons Alter Bridge in favour of Slash again, I'm pretty sure Mark Tremonti will be just fine.

Siege

Admittedly, 'Siege' isn't a book I would usually pick up. It was for a want of trying something different that made me purchase it for my Kindle.

As a girl that spent a lot of time reading young adult fiction (John Green, David Levithan) or 'chick-lit' novels (Sophie Kinsella), I wanted to get out of that cushy comfort zone and try something new. I've never been that brave and often find myself steering clear of action orientated novels, with lots of violence and gore. Fortunately, 'Siege' wasn't like that at all and has opened a whole new world of fiction that I plan to jump into. (Albeit after some light relief with a Sophie Kinsella novel...)

Simon Kernick is often referred to as 'the master of suspense' and I couldn't agree more. With short chapters, each from the viewpoint of a different character, Kernick manages to keep the pace up throughout the novel. There isn't a moment where it drags. Of course readers will find themselves preferring some characters to others. In particular, I found the chapters following terrorist, Fox, a lot more interesting than that of the cancer stricken hotel guest, Martin. Although, I find it depends on the events and what we find out about each character that makes them interesting overall.

The novel begins with the kidnap of two children, setting the scene for an explosive twenty four hours in which the terrorists create decoys, before finally taking hold of the Stanhope Hotel in London. For many of the characters it's a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The terrorists seem like ruthless killers at the beginning of their attack, but after a while when the cracks begin to show, that's when things get really interesting.

There are plenty of twists and turns, some unexpected, and remember the very first chapter, because those events do come back to affect one of the characters introduced as the siege takes place. The last ten chapters or so really will make you want to finish the book in quick time. Kernick has a wonderful way of building the suspense, creating characters that intertwine and dealing with such a big event in an intricate, detailed way. It's clear he has done a hell of a lot of research into the police, negotiations, terrorism, weapons and bombs.

Overall, an intriguing novel, one I would recommend to absolutely everyone. It isn't so squeamish or vulgar that it'd make the faint hearted feel sick. Of course there is violence and some gory bits, often it seems Kernick is writing it in such a casual way that makes it even more shocking, but he sets the tone for the terrorists perfectly, creating angry, cold blooded killers in most of them. The introduction of Tina Boyd was a surprise for regular readers, as I've since found out she's a reoccurring character in Kernick's novels.

A detailed, thought provoking story, where readers will be excited until the last page.