So this is going to be an odds and sods place for books, films, places, which don't fit into the music side of things. An opportunity for my inflated ego to take root and pass comment on people infinitely more talented than me. Any comments, write them down on a piece of paper, roll the paper up in a ball, then hurl it with all your might as far away from me as possible.

DVD - Asoka [2001]

This is the story of Asoka, emperor of the Maurayan dynasty who was responsible for introducing Buddhism as a world religion.

It's heavily fictionalised and over long, but in places, especially the beautifully choreographed fight scenes, compelling. Arguably, India's greatest emperor, in the third century BC, Asoka built a vast empire through a programme of chopping up his enemies on a regular basis, but tired of the slaughter he had caused, converted to Buddhism and dedicated the rest of his life to spreading peace and prosperity.

Despite its lenght, this film concentrates on his rise to power and his doomed love for Princess Kaurwaki. It's all fairly Elric-ian in it's scope, which is probably why it held my attention, chock full of mythic swords and Jacobean tragedy. It's worth watching for the ending where 6,000 extras battle it out in a huuge scene.

As as always, the characters suddenly start singing and dancing for no apparent reason, and only a couple of those scenes hold the attention. Overall, well worthwhile.

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Book - Blood And Gold - Anne Rice

Now I'd never encountered one of Ms Rices books, only having seen the stylish, sumptuous and ruined by Tom Cruise film version of Interview WIth The Vampire, and having been warned of her elongated writing style. However, having laughed my way through Queen Of The Damned on DVD, I found myself drawn to Marius, despite the context. So I plonked down some cash, and waded through the large format paperback.

Marius, a son of the4 Roman Empire was kidnapped by the druids and forced to become a vampire. Here, he reveals the pain of loneliness, and the mistakes he has made during a long death. We hear of his great loves, his passions and his tragedies across a broad tranche of human history.

I'm glad to say my preconceptions were wrong, and this was a fascinating read. Marius is a profoundly interesting character, and it's this that lifts it from the potential pitfalls of genre, especially when he finally encounters his long lost love.

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Film - Dirty Deeds

Synopis - Sydney - 1969. Crime is cool, cops are crooked and 20 bucks buys you a whole night out. For Barry life is sweet. He runs the girls, the clubs and the illegal casinos, and not even crooked Detective Ray dares to stand in his way. Barry's wife wears the pants, his mistress Margaret wears him out and his wide-eyed nephew Darcy is learning just how cosy business can be. When the Mafia dispatch two Chicago hoods to muscle in on his action, Barry's life takes a dramatic turn. His mistress starts making eyes at Darcy, his wife becomes suspicious and the yanks won't take no for an answer - Big Mistake. Barry decides to give the yanks a lesson in outback hospitality

Verdict - It's filmed very much in the style of the Dean Martin 1960s comedies, saturated colours and unusual angles, which sits at odds with the moments of extreme violence that crop up on a regular basis. As with a lot of modern movies, the Tarantino mix of comedy and gore is well to the fore, but the well travelled cast add some punch and panache to save the day. Special props to Toni Collette, who plays the type of wife we'd all like to have on our side, as Barry's terrifically punchy spouse. As a last minute substitute for an alternate night out, this was a pleasant surprise, although when your opening titles resound to the sound of Bon Scott yelping "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", it's going to be hard to keep up.