Review of 2008

As this seems to be the time for assessing what has happened over the last 12 months, I thought I'd add my penn'orth. So, the best film I saw last year was The Simpsons Movie, simply because I went to see it with misgivings. I couldn't see how it could work - how they could bulk out the usual snappy 30-minute format into a full length film of three times that length - but it does work, and really well. The best book I read (and remember my taste is basically for thrillers) was Val McDermid's "The Grave Tattoo", which managed to weave an absorbing mystery plot around the story of the Mutiny on the Bounty and the life of William Wordsworth. And as far as music is concerned, my find of the year was coming across Jane Monheit, as a result of hearing her sing "Over the Rainbow" on the soundtrack of "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow". Such a pleasure to find a modern balladeer whose performances can live alongside the greats of the golden age of swing. What will this year bring?