I was all set to blog about the book I'd just finished reading, when I woke up to find the whole experience had been a dream, and the book didn't even exist. Which is probably just as well, because it wasn't a particularly good book anyway.

Previously on IndyWatch: our intrepid hero watched the first of the BBC's weekly re-runs of the Indiana Jones movies, and found it quite entertaining. Will the second be as good? Read on to find out...

Hmm, I'm starting to think that maybe it's not such a good idea to watch all of Indy's adventures so close together, as it does tend to highlight how similar they are. At the start of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I was grinning at the brio of the action, just as with Raiders of the Lost Ark. But I must admit to feeling a bit jaded by the end (even though Temple has the better ending of the two, as at least Indy has to do some work to beat the bad guys), even though there were genuine thrills like the mine-car chase (I wonder, did they make a theme park ride of that?).

I suspect this was mainly down to the script, which seemed quite... uninteresting in the middle; and in particular made the mistake of having a 'heroine' who was completely useless -- 'I broke a nail' gags are funny once, but not for two hours. These films would have told much better stories if they'd had female leads who could (and did) take care of themselves instead of needing to be rescued. Hopefully there'll be a character like that in the next two movies...

I'd hoped to write more than that, but there's really nothing else I want to say. Then again, maybe that says more than anything.

To be continued...

Here we have two character studies with very different settings -- and I think one puts the other firmly in the shade.

28. One Story, Issue 101: 'Familial Kindness' by Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum (2008)

Alma and Sara were sisters who led very different lives: Sara married Charlie, moved to Indiana, and severed most of her ties to Alma, who stayed in the family home even after their parents died. Now Alma's daughter Lovisa (the father is a nameless fling from years before) is getting married; Sara has died from cancer, but Alma invites Charlie (whom she hasn't seen for thirty years and is not too bothered about seeing again) out of courtesy. The story begins as Charlie arrives at Alma's house, and the subsequent thirty pages are essentially them (particularly Alma) reflecting on the choices they've made in life.

I haven't much else to say about 'Familial Kindness', unforturnately. It's not a bad story by any means; but it didn't really grab me, or stay in my mind. The characterisation is fine; the story just doesn't... say as much (overtly or otherwise) as I;d have liked.

29. One Story, Issue 102: 'What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us' by Laura van den Berg (2008)

Perhaps the best explanation is a comparison, because I found this story to be much richer. Celia (who must be in her late teens or thereabouts as the story begins) has ambitions to be a professional swimmer; but her mother June, a primatologist, keeps dragging her off on her study expeditions. The latest is to Madagascar, to test June's ideas about the relationship between lemurs and reforestation -- but the relationship between mother and daughter will also be tested, and to the limit.

Van den Berg's depiction of the two women is acutely observed: June is a larger-than-life character, whose life is so dominated by her work that everything else comes second -- including Celia and, ironically, the real point of the work; June seems to care more about using her work to validate herself than about the fate of the animals she studies. As for Celia, it's no surprise that she doesn't share her mother's passion for science when June insists on drumming into her pointless lists like famous scientists who committed suicide ('she said I needed to understand the toll answering important scientific questions could take on a person' -- and, oh, how June demonstrates that toll in her own way). It's great to see the daughter break free and start finding her own way over the course of the story.

I read in the back of the magazine that Laura van den Berg has a story collection coming out next year. If only it weren't such a long time away.

Which is the odd one out in each group and why?

1. cucumber, lemon, pumpkin, rhubarb

2. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester (clue: postal)

3. C, GD, R, WA

WARNING: Comments contain the answers.

Small Voices, Big Confessions edited by Chris Lee Ramsden (2006)

Frustratingly patchy anthology from the EditRed online writing community. It's frustrating because these stories genuinely have their moments -- I was struck particularly by how good some of the writers were at creating distinctive narrative voices -- yet I still felt there was something missing, without quite being sure what. Then I read what looks to be the only review of the book currently online, and I think I've worked out what was bugging me: that review mentions the subtext of one of the stories, but I think some would benefit from a bit more subtext; the tales didn't always seem to have as much to them as I'd have hoped for.

Which ones did I like? To pick out four: Eoin Beckett's short, intense character study of two people at a party. Teri Davis Rouvelas's tale of the lady upstairs who keeps leaving sacks of soil outside her door. Aiofe Mannix's child's-eye view of a broken relationship. Aliya Whitely's story of a polar bear who has issues with the number four. In short, this is a diverse anthology, but one that I think you do need to cherry-pick from.

I've gone and got myself yet another reviewing gig: Yours Truly is now a 'staff reviewer' at TTA Press's short fiction review site, The Fix. And my first review for them is up there now...

Straight out with it:: I have never sat down and watched an Indiana Jones movie. But, with Indy 4 coming to a cinema near me later this month, now seems a fine time to catch up. And, happily, the good old Beeb are showing the first three on successive Sundays; so last night, I sat down and watched Raiders of the Lost Ark (without any popcorn or Chocolate Orange, alas, but I managed).

Do I need to bother with a plot summary? It's 1936, and Indiana Jones (who, let's say, is the kind of archaeologist one would not imagine bothering to wait around for geophysics results and stuff like that) goes off to Egypt to stop the Nazis (aided by Indy's nemesis, the archaeologist Belloq) finding the lost Ark of the Covenant. Along the way, there is much adventure, before the baddies all get zapped by a deus ex machina (or is it a machina ex deus?).

No, the plot doesn't bear much scrutiny; but it's not that kind of movie. Watching Raiders, I found myself grinning a lot -- not because I thought the film was corny, but at the sheer joy and exuberance of it. It's as though Lucas and Spielberg realised exactly how daft the whole genre was, but were determined to celebrate it regardless. The main criticism I'd make is that, for such an apparently feisty heroine, Indy's old flame Marion has too little to do, unless you count being captured and rescued. As for the rest, I think it's best just to enjoy the ride.

Join us next week on IndyWatch for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom...

Another month with only one review published (there'll be more in May):

Tales from the Secret City by Cryptopolis.

I've just watched Later... (which I taped on Friday) and seen Yamato, the Drummers of Japan for the first time. I duly hopped online to see if they were on tour in this country; and they were -- but the last date was on Sunday. Gah, I'd have loved to see them live.

Having seen a trailer for this movie and thinking it looked quite amusing, I decided to catch it before it disappeared from my local cinema screens. And In Bruges did indeed prove to be quite amusing, but unfortunately that was about all.

This film is about Ray and Ken, two Irish hit-men parcelled off to Bruges by their boss, Harry, to lie low after a hit and await further instructions. Ken (Brendan Gleeson) is determined to enjoy the sights and the culture; Ray (Colin Farrell) would rather not be there at all, or at least down the pub -- until he stumbles across a film-shoot and meets the lovely Chloë (Clémence Poésy), whom he tries his best to woo. And things soon get a whole lot more problematic for Ray: he killed a little boy by mistake during the hit, for which Harry wants Ray dead -- and gives Ken the job...

The first thing to say in the movie's favour is that the two leads give great performances: Gleeson plays Ken such that you could almost -- but not quite -- forget that he's a hit-man at all. But Farrell is especially good, making Ray crassly offensive and yet oddly charming; the impression gained is that he would insult you -- if not worse! -- but would do so mainly because he doesn't know any better. There are also some nicely humorous moments (many of which, yes, involve Ray saying the wrong thing); and, of course, Bruges itself is stunning.

So why didn't I like In Bruges more? Mainly, I think, because the humour didn't always seem to sit very easily alongside the sometimes quite brutal violence. The end result was neither funny nor dramatic enough to be more than a second-tier movie for me. Though I must admit the film ends at exactly the right point.

And finally: I've never been to Bruges, but seeing this has made me think I'd find it interesting. Another entry for my list of places to visit...