The Book: The Assassination Vacation
The Author: Sarah Vowell
The Dealio: (this review is based on an audiobook, voiced by the author) I know, I know, you are cringing right now that anyone would actually choice to review a book with this title in such a threat-laden world. So Well, let's have a look-see: this is a very specific, highly niched history lesson. Picture a history class. Taught on the fly. By your favorite 'exotic' aunt. (You know the one: a little Goth, a little too much into the miniaturised model of the electric chair. Next, give her the voice of Violet Paar from The Incredibles, (It was Vowell who gave that character the power of speech in that movie, but you may also recognise her highly unique voice from her NPR show). Auntie, you have got my attention.
I have read a few books by Vowell, and she does have a quirky, darkly humorous take on hictorical incidents. Indeed. What she also has, is a rare enthusiasm and investedness in getting to the core of a thing, a person, an event. The Assassination Vacation represents these qualities very, very well, as she explores not only presidential assassinations, but their historical settings, the prequels and afterwords, the peculiarities that stick out so wildly, I wondered why I never thought about this in quite the same way. Sarah, sometimes solo, sometimes accompanied by her sister and young nephew, scrambles, chattily, incisively and interestingly through a combo travelogue/scavenger hunt that will take her- and her reader- to places as varied as the Dry Tortugas and Buffalo, NY. You may find this very hard to believe, but her irreverent, off-the-wall, ping-ponging interests and slightly skeptical viewpoint will have you laughing...and learning. The first is key to the second. And Vowell scores on both fronts.
The Grading Session: 4.81 pengies out of 5. This is the audiobook we put into the car sound systems whenever we undertake a road trip. That's entertainment...and, oh, that voice!
Lessons Learned: One of my all time faves: why Robert Todd Lincoln is referred to as (and, in my mind, at least, now eternally saddled with the label of) Presidential Death Mascot. Answer: he was in the immediate area during not one or two but three presidential assassinations.
And,too, there is simply no limit to the illogical and greedy lengths to which fringe 'museums' will go in order to obtain and showcase really weird things that once had interface with a prominent figure. Remind me to tell you about one featuring Andrew Carnegie's organ. Really. The musical instrument. What'd you think I meant?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage
The Book: The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage
The Author: Daniel Mark Epstein
The Dealio: Actually, the title pretty much says it all. I have been intrigued since I was 10 years old by 'the long and the short of it', as A. Lincoln frequently described Mary and himself. Less than ideally suited from the earliest glimmerings of interest in each other, this odd couple went on- through unimaginable tragedies- to shape our perceptions of what a First Family is. Long before we were introduced to Miz Lillian and John-John, the American public had come to expect certain things from the families in the White House. Rightly or wrongly, this placed themthe- and continues to place them now- in a peculiar position: constantly in public view, constantly being judged , not only by people in their inner circle, but by everyone who gets news from one outlet or another. Constantly found to be wanting in some way. Add to that the unbelievable setting of the American Civil War, and here are the makings of drama on a par with Shakespeare.
The Grading Session: 4.24 pengies out of 5. (Note: this was a book on CD, read by Adam Grupper). In hopes of providing 'exhaustively detailed' 411, Mr. Epstein, in places at least, wound up being merely exhaustive, and exhausting. This is what one of my coworkers, and fellow book-lover, would label 'dense history'. And I agree. While it can be interesting to find out that Mary was quite a shopaholic, it is not even vaguely interesting to catalogue every knick-knack and kick-shaw she bought. Nor to read an inventory of everything in the various rooms in their home in Springfield. One other thing that was rather distracting for me-and this is no reflection on the author, understand- is the mispronunciation of various words by the reader. For example, the military order 'pree-SENT arms!' was pronounced 'present' (as in 'I hope I get a nice present for my arms'). The rank 'adjutant' was, moreover, pronounced 'aa-JUT-ant'. Not major, but so distracting, and, I simply must say, has this dude never seen Combat! or Gardens of Stone? Inglourious Basterds? No? Nothing?
Lessons Learned: Wow! So many! Here're a few:
1) The recipe for Blue Mass (one of the very few sovereign remedies of the time). It includes items such as crushed rose petals, powdered sugar...oh, yeah, and mercury. Kiddies, do not attempt to duplicate this one at home.
2) The aforementioned Blue Mass was widely used for treating syphilis.
3) That Lincoln- Susan, stop reading NOW- thought that he had contracted syphilis during a visit to a, um, place in the country. With that in mind, he began self-dosing with 3-4 pills per day and called off his 'serious interest and understanding' with MTL.
4) The incredibly cavalier attitude MTL had toward bestowing patronage and calling in monetary favors throughout her life as AL's partner. The incredibly cavalier attitude AL had toward personal safety and survival during and immediately following the Civil War.
5) The huge credence both Lincolns placed in omens.
6) How very close to falling to the rebels Washington, DC actually came. This particular passage was among the most dramatic and well-painted in the entire book. I was impressed and riveted.
7) How inspirational such a rococo tale can be: I told Prendie that I really, really want to write a story about this couple and this time in history, with a 'what if' slant to it. No, not 'What if George Pickett had a B-52?' That would just be...fanciful.
The Author: Daniel Mark Epstein
The Dealio: Actually, the title pretty much says it all. I have been intrigued since I was 10 years old by 'the long and the short of it', as A. Lincoln frequently described Mary and himself. Less than ideally suited from the earliest glimmerings of interest in each other, this odd couple went on- through unimaginable tragedies- to shape our perceptions of what a First Family is. Long before we were introduced to Miz Lillian and John-John, the American public had come to expect certain things from the families in the White House. Rightly or wrongly, this placed themthe- and continues to place them now- in a peculiar position: constantly in public view, constantly being judged , not only by people in their inner circle, but by everyone who gets news from one outlet or another. Constantly found to be wanting in some way. Add to that the unbelievable setting of the American Civil War, and here are the makings of drama on a par with Shakespeare.
The Grading Session: 4.24 pengies out of 5. (Note: this was a book on CD, read by Adam Grupper). In hopes of providing 'exhaustively detailed' 411, Mr. Epstein, in places at least, wound up being merely exhaustive, and exhausting. This is what one of my coworkers, and fellow book-lover, would label 'dense history'. And I agree. While it can be interesting to find out that Mary was quite a shopaholic, it is not even vaguely interesting to catalogue every knick-knack and kick-shaw she bought. Nor to read an inventory of everything in the various rooms in their home in Springfield. One other thing that was rather distracting for me-and this is no reflection on the author, understand- is the mispronunciation of various words by the reader. For example, the military order 'pree-SENT arms!' was pronounced 'present' (as in 'I hope I get a nice present for my arms'). The rank 'adjutant' was, moreover, pronounced 'aa-JUT-ant'. Not major, but so distracting, and, I simply must say, has this dude never seen Combat! or Gardens of Stone? Inglourious Basterds? No? Nothing?
Lessons Learned: Wow! So many! Here're a few:
1) The recipe for Blue Mass (one of the very few sovereign remedies of the time). It includes items such as crushed rose petals, powdered sugar...oh, yeah, and mercury. Kiddies, do not attempt to duplicate this one at home.
2) The aforementioned Blue Mass was widely used for treating syphilis.
3) That Lincoln- Susan, stop reading NOW- thought that he had contracted syphilis during a visit to a, um, place in the country. With that in mind, he began self-dosing with 3-4 pills per day and called off his 'serious interest and understanding' with MTL.
4) The incredibly cavalier attitude MTL had toward bestowing patronage and calling in monetary favors throughout her life as AL's partner. The incredibly cavalier attitude AL had toward personal safety and survival during and immediately following the Civil War.
5) The huge credence both Lincolns placed in omens.
6) How very close to falling to the rebels Washington, DC actually came. This particular passage was among the most dramatic and well-painted in the entire book. I was impressed and riveted.
7) How inspirational such a rococo tale can be: I told Prendie that I really, really want to write a story about this couple and this time in history, with a 'what if' slant to it. No, not 'What if George Pickett had a B-52?' That would just be...fanciful.
The Book of Eli
The Film: The Book of Eli
The Players: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Beals, Mila Kunis, Michael Gambon, Tom Waites (one of these days, I will sit down and blog a paean to Waites in film), Malcolm MacDowell, and so on.
The Dealio: Eli (Washington) is a guy who has spent over 30 years on a mysterious quest which came to him 'from a voice inside myself.' A man of few words, he is clearly not into touching or being touched by others-physically, emotionally...let's just say 'in any way'. He is also called 'The Walker', because he-duh!-walks every place he wants to go. En route to his final destination (unclear exactly what this actually is, Eli still remains resolute in his conviction that he is on the right path) drop assorted, nasty, avaricious characters, with whom he is forced to deal in a variety of most graphic ways. Amy- do not watch the first 6 minutes of this film. Even so, he is meant to be seen as a post-apocalyptic version of Caine from Kung Fu, Weedhopper- with much the same mindset and skills.
The Grading Session: 3.27 pengies out of 5. It truly pains me to drop down so many points in any movie which contains vivid and 'hooky' performances by Waites and Gambon, although I am wearying of close-ups of Oldman's pockmarked face, meant to say, what? This is the real deal? My sig other walked out of the theatre with the over-theme stuck in his brain. This is good. I also like that a unique gumbo of washed out blues, blacks and greys mapped the landscape and backgrounds of almost every scene, while the humans- or some of them, anyway- provided any touches of color. This was an ambitious undertaking, but it fell short in astonishingly basic ways, while soaring in the more difficult-to-translate-onto-screen applications. I am at a loss to know why this should be. Maybe. Oh, never mind.
Wait, OK, lemme put it this way: once we have learned to run, then ride bikes, then drive cars, then- for some of at at least- fly planes or helos, do we then forget how to crawl or walk? Also- why is it acceptable-when nothing genius occurs to the filmmakers- to fall back on in-your-face-violence, which serves no useful purpose in advancing the story, and then is so amateurishly chopped into that story?
Lessons Learned: OK, take a break, get up, walk around, stretch, get something to eat. We're going to be at this a while, as I have just mounted my soapbox. You have been warned.
1) It has come to my attention, repeatedly, that the terms 'dystopian' and, especially 'post apocalyptic' have become shorthand for lazy film making. Want some examples? OK.
The easiest way to show man's descent into total chaos and depravity is to make him/her become zombies or cannibals. It is especially helpful in identifying the bad 'uns to note a few simple characteristics which set them apart: they all have bad complexions, rotten teeth, stringy hair and bad hygiene. If you see someone who is not currently serving aboard a galley with really cracked lips, this is also sending a clear message: these are not good, helpful folks.
2) In the PA/D universe, apparently the first things to go are gas and water, but not necessarily in that order. How do I know this? Because what you see in any landscape involving roads, is that the roads are clogged with abandoned vehicles of every description. Emphasis on the word 'clogged', as in, no one can get through. However, the baddies seem to have unlimited supply to both (contrary to the above comment on hygiene. They have absolutely no intentions of wasting water on such trivialities). Chapstick is the new Krugerrand. Aaaand, the only people whose vehicles never seem to run out of gas are the-wait for it- bad guys. Unless, of course you boost a vehicle from the baddies. As to why the good-who are, in this same sloppy shorthand-also the have-nots, I wonder: where do they get the water and, for that matter, the chapstick, to maintain their high levels of cleanliness and lip perfection? I mean, Denzel's scarf was frakkin' pristine, y'all! Oh, yeah, and apparently, in this world, wet wipes from KFC are da kine: hoard 'em, trade 'em, use them medicinally. They will become a universal cure.
2) Aside from the above ways I have helpfully provided for you to tell heroes from bad hats, let's add another: despite being beaten and having her clothing ripped up, our heroine emerges without a mark on her lip or a tear to her duds immediately afterward,(although a cut lip catches up with her about 15 film-minutes later. Personally, I think film minutes are like football minutes: when there are 5 minutes left to play, this translates into about 90 minutes in football time. If there are 15 minutes remaining, crud! We're talkin' 3 more days of football. Perhaps film minutes work the same? Dunno). Anyway, back to our heroine who, post assault, is now sporting attire from the A & F Fall 'Post Apocalyptic Safari Collection': lovely suede boots (earlier, Eli was forced to steal boots from a dead man who- wouldn't you know it?- takes the exact same size as he does- as well as being in much better condition than our good guy's shoes. Now I am puzzled), a beautiful, becoming flannel shirt, tee, a couple of 'goin' to kick some serious touchus' jacket and pant ensembles, all set off by a nice gold necklace and a lovely violet scarf. Great designer sunglasses, too. I would have thought that, after the fall of civilisation as we know it, the gold, the scarg and the sunglasses would be long gone.
3) More signs of 'lazy film making': Everybody seems to rack rounds into shotguns with wild abandon, but never fire a shot. Pu-leez! I have to sit next to Prendie in these movies, and can see his lips tightening and a look of disgust forming on his cute face whenever this sort of scene spools out on screen. This is a stupid, amateurish mistake, but one which occurs over and over again in huge budget movies. How much could it possibly cost you out of your mega-budget to hire Dale Dye- or even Prendie- to make sure these things are done correctly? While we are on the subject of weaponry, one of my all time faves showed up in this flick: a Gatling gun! When was the last time you saw a Gatling gun in a PA/D movie? Also, who knew that a GG would be far more destructive than a rocket launcher? Given the nature of upstanding citizens' homes, as depicted in movies, (they are, frankly, always made of tissue paper and Swiss cheese. So neither a GG nor a rocket launcher is really, really called for. The bad guys just spent 15 movie-minutes shooting holes big enough to push a Hollywood ego through, without touching sides anywhere. Just get a big, bad wolf to huff and puff and...well, you know).
4) It is the hallmark of either a really good, or a really elliptical (um, that would be 'other than good') film that eavesdropping on 12 exiting viewers either lets you hear 12 different opinions on what the film meant. Either that or a fight breaks out. This film carried just such a hallmark.
So- really good? Or really other? You be the judge.
The Players: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Beals, Mila Kunis, Michael Gambon, Tom Waites (one of these days, I will sit down and blog a paean to Waites in film), Malcolm MacDowell, and so on.
The Dealio: Eli (Washington) is a guy who has spent over 30 years on a mysterious quest which came to him 'from a voice inside myself.' A man of few words, he is clearly not into touching or being touched by others-physically, emotionally...let's just say 'in any way'. He is also called 'The Walker', because he-duh!-walks every place he wants to go. En route to his final destination (unclear exactly what this actually is, Eli still remains resolute in his conviction that he is on the right path) drop assorted, nasty, avaricious characters, with whom he is forced to deal in a variety of most graphic ways. Amy- do not watch the first 6 minutes of this film. Even so, he is meant to be seen as a post-apocalyptic version of Caine from Kung Fu, Weedhopper- with much the same mindset and skills.
The Grading Session: 3.27 pengies out of 5. It truly pains me to drop down so many points in any movie which contains vivid and 'hooky' performances by Waites and Gambon, although I am wearying of close-ups of Oldman's pockmarked face, meant to say, what? This is the real deal? My sig other walked out of the theatre with the over-theme stuck in his brain. This is good. I also like that a unique gumbo of washed out blues, blacks and greys mapped the landscape and backgrounds of almost every scene, while the humans- or some of them, anyway- provided any touches of color. This was an ambitious undertaking, but it fell short in astonishingly basic ways, while soaring in the more difficult-to-translate-onto-screen applications. I am at a loss to know why this should be. Maybe. Oh, never mind.
Wait, OK, lemme put it this way: once we have learned to run, then ride bikes, then drive cars, then- for some of at at least- fly planes or helos, do we then forget how to crawl or walk? Also- why is it acceptable-when nothing genius occurs to the filmmakers- to fall back on in-your-face-violence, which serves no useful purpose in advancing the story, and then is so amateurishly chopped into that story?
Lessons Learned: OK, take a break, get up, walk around, stretch, get something to eat. We're going to be at this a while, as I have just mounted my soapbox. You have been warned.
1) It has come to my attention, repeatedly, that the terms 'dystopian' and, especially 'post apocalyptic' have become shorthand for lazy film making. Want some examples? OK.
The easiest way to show man's descent into total chaos and depravity is to make him/her become zombies or cannibals. It is especially helpful in identifying the bad 'uns to note a few simple characteristics which set them apart: they all have bad complexions, rotten teeth, stringy hair and bad hygiene. If you see someone who is not currently serving aboard a galley with really cracked lips, this is also sending a clear message: these are not good, helpful folks.
2) In the PA/D universe, apparently the first things to go are gas and water, but not necessarily in that order. How do I know this? Because what you see in any landscape involving roads, is that the roads are clogged with abandoned vehicles of every description. Emphasis on the word 'clogged', as in, no one can get through. However, the baddies seem to have unlimited supply to both (contrary to the above comment on hygiene. They have absolutely no intentions of wasting water on such trivialities). Chapstick is the new Krugerrand. Aaaand, the only people whose vehicles never seem to run out of gas are the-wait for it- bad guys. Unless, of course you boost a vehicle from the baddies. As to why the good-who are, in this same sloppy shorthand-also the have-nots, I wonder: where do they get the water and, for that matter, the chapstick, to maintain their high levels of cleanliness and lip perfection? I mean, Denzel's scarf was frakkin' pristine, y'all! Oh, yeah, and apparently, in this world, wet wipes from KFC are da kine: hoard 'em, trade 'em, use them medicinally. They will become a universal cure.
2) Aside from the above ways I have helpfully provided for you to tell heroes from bad hats, let's add another: despite being beaten and having her clothing ripped up, our heroine emerges without a mark on her lip or a tear to her duds immediately afterward,(although a cut lip catches up with her about 15 film-minutes later. Personally, I think film minutes are like football minutes: when there are 5 minutes left to play, this translates into about 90 minutes in football time. If there are 15 minutes remaining, crud! We're talkin' 3 more days of football. Perhaps film minutes work the same? Dunno). Anyway, back to our heroine who, post assault, is now sporting attire from the A & F Fall 'Post Apocalyptic Safari Collection': lovely suede boots (earlier, Eli was forced to steal boots from a dead man who- wouldn't you know it?- takes the exact same size as he does- as well as being in much better condition than our good guy's shoes. Now I am puzzled), a beautiful, becoming flannel shirt, tee, a couple of 'goin' to kick some serious touchus' jacket and pant ensembles, all set off by a nice gold necklace and a lovely violet scarf. Great designer sunglasses, too. I would have thought that, after the fall of civilisation as we know it, the gold, the scarg and the sunglasses would be long gone.
3) More signs of 'lazy film making': Everybody seems to rack rounds into shotguns with wild abandon, but never fire a shot. Pu-leez! I have to sit next to Prendie in these movies, and can see his lips tightening and a look of disgust forming on his cute face whenever this sort of scene spools out on screen. This is a stupid, amateurish mistake, but one which occurs over and over again in huge budget movies. How much could it possibly cost you out of your mega-budget to hire Dale Dye- or even Prendie- to make sure these things are done correctly? While we are on the subject of weaponry, one of my all time faves showed up in this flick: a Gatling gun! When was the last time you saw a Gatling gun in a PA/D movie? Also, who knew that a GG would be far more destructive than a rocket launcher? Given the nature of upstanding citizens' homes, as depicted in movies, (they are, frankly, always made of tissue paper and Swiss cheese. So neither a GG nor a rocket launcher is really, really called for. The bad guys just spent 15 movie-minutes shooting holes big enough to push a Hollywood ego through, without touching sides anywhere. Just get a big, bad wolf to huff and puff and...well, you know).
4) It is the hallmark of either a really good, or a really elliptical (um, that would be 'other than good') film that eavesdropping on 12 exiting viewers either lets you hear 12 different opinions on what the film meant. Either that or a fight breaks out. This film carried just such a hallmark.
So- really good? Or really other? You be the judge.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
The Lovely Bones
The Biblio Babble:
The Book: The Lovely Bones
The Author: Alice Sebold
The Dealio: Both the book and the movie start out exactly the same: 'My name is Susie Salmon...like the fish. I was murdered on December 3, 1973, when I was 14 years old'. Now, typically, this sort of statement, alone, is enough to wave me off of a story. But something about the writing compelled me to move forward. So, heart in mouth, I did. Here is the story (no spoilers, as you know, by page 2 who the perp was). Susie is a fairly ordinary 14 year old, just coming into her own in every way: her dad is indoctrinating her into the family hobby of building ships in bottles; she is coping, wonderfully, with an embarrassing brother, sister and, especially, grandmother. And, there is a new love interest in her life.
Then, one day, while she is walking home from school, taking a short cut, she encounters a neighbor. Unbeknownst to her, this foo' has been stalking her and has what we would call-if we lived in England- 'malice aforethought'. Long story short- he lures her, rapes her and then kills her. I must praise Sebold, who wrote this book, in part, as therapy for recovering from her own rape. Speaking strictly as a chicken of the highest order, I appreciate a writer who can get you to feel, to share her emotions, without putting your own through the mental wringer. Such is the case here. Instead of haring off into graphic description, Sebold, instead, allows us- her more timid readers- to use our imaginations. And I am equal to the challenge: I can so, so easily imagine the horror, the grief, the helplessness of this situation.
And then comes the additional element of Susie's family, who are equally divided: her dad and sister want to find the person who did this, and punish him. Her mom and brother- and grandie- want it to just be over, and for the family to return to normal. Whatever that is.
What I liked about this book- and what stayed with me for the longest time after I had read it- was the intricate facetting of the thing: part fantasy ( the 'Inbetween'), part mystery (who did it and would we ever see him brought to justice?) and part psychological study (why? and further more...why?). I found this extremely well-written, expertly paced and riveting throughout.
The Grading Session: 4.791 pengies out of 5. I feel duty-bound to subtract a few decimal points, due mostly to the huge spin-out to get to the end, where we could see a truly, remarkably just ending visit our villain. (Mini-spoiler: the perfect crime) Why? It is hardly necessary, (please see film review of same...following directly, in the same post). The movie arrived at the same point (although not identical, if you please) far more directly.
Lessons Learned: Man, this is so easy. Horrifyingly so: don't accept invitations from weird ol' dudes. No good can come of this.
The Cinema Babble:
The Film: Sha! The Lovely Bones
The Actors: Saoirse Ronin, Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Michael imperioli, Susan Sarandon, etc.
The Dealio: See above, as the story remains the same. Some details have been shortened, some have been removed, but this was a true and worthy adaptation of the story Sebold sank so much into bringing to our attention. This movie was very poorly graded by critics both local and national. Not sure why; perhaps much of this was due to the huge investment made by so many in all the characters, nuance , even in preserving the absolute purity of the book itself. Much ado ensued, upon viewing the trailer, that there was far too much emphasis on the Inbetween. I must disagree: I read the book and found that Sebold invested a great deal into depicting a wondrous place where souls, seeking the comfort and the balm of 'exactly what they wanted most' could actually get it. The visuals (hey! I recognise you, NZ, and salute Peej for being willing to go back to that well yet again, crafting something moving, poetic and visually scrumptious for us to chew upon, while we console ourselves about the horror of the crime which is central to the plot), were exceptional, although, at times, made me impatient to get back to the central plot. 'Round up the villagers with pitchforks and hammers! Get a rope, we are about to see justice done right...and right now! Sigh. OK, so it never really works out like that does it?
The Grading Session: 4.81 pengies out of 5. I subtracted a bit from the total for the lovingly lengthy linger on some aspects of the story, while we found ourselves screeching though others at the speed of sound. I am such an ingrate, never satisfied with simple truth and beauty. The soundtrack was okay. Only okay. I'm thinking more could have been done in this area. Question: were Deuter AND Anya out of town for this entire process of fashioning sound to accompany? But I nitpick: the final product was incredibly, wonderfully true to the source materials and well worth the investment of time.
Lessons Learned: Aside from the self-same lessons from the book? OK, how about this? Don't smoke in bed. Don't trust the creepy neighbor dude who seems to have no job and yet always has money to buy treats for kids and is always 'building a real fun clubhouse...no adults allowed.' He is probably not Howard Hughes, and, besides, Howard Hughes was a bit of a loose cannon, don't you think? Would you have trusted him with your 12 year old? And lastly, don't break into aforementioned creepy dude's house to air quotes get the goods on him end air quotes. He is always watching and, sure as sh...green apples taste better than red, he will catch you in the act. I'm just sayin'.
The Book: The Lovely Bones
The Author: Alice Sebold
The Dealio: Both the book and the movie start out exactly the same: 'My name is Susie Salmon...like the fish. I was murdered on December 3, 1973, when I was 14 years old'. Now, typically, this sort of statement, alone, is enough to wave me off of a story. But something about the writing compelled me to move forward. So, heart in mouth, I did. Here is the story (no spoilers, as you know, by page 2 who the perp was). Susie is a fairly ordinary 14 year old, just coming into her own in every way: her dad is indoctrinating her into the family hobby of building ships in bottles; she is coping, wonderfully, with an embarrassing brother, sister and, especially, grandmother. And, there is a new love interest in her life.
Then, one day, while she is walking home from school, taking a short cut, she encounters a neighbor. Unbeknownst to her, this foo' has been stalking her and has what we would call-if we lived in England- 'malice aforethought'. Long story short- he lures her, rapes her and then kills her. I must praise Sebold, who wrote this book, in part, as therapy for recovering from her own rape. Speaking strictly as a chicken of the highest order, I appreciate a writer who can get you to feel, to share her emotions, without putting your own through the mental wringer. Such is the case here. Instead of haring off into graphic description, Sebold, instead, allows us- her more timid readers- to use our imaginations. And I am equal to the challenge: I can so, so easily imagine the horror, the grief, the helplessness of this situation.
And then comes the additional element of Susie's family, who are equally divided: her dad and sister want to find the person who did this, and punish him. Her mom and brother- and grandie- want it to just be over, and for the family to return to normal. Whatever that is.
What I liked about this book- and what stayed with me for the longest time after I had read it- was the intricate facetting of the thing: part fantasy ( the 'Inbetween'), part mystery (who did it and would we ever see him brought to justice?) and part psychological study (why? and further more...why?). I found this extremely well-written, expertly paced and riveting throughout.
The Grading Session: 4.791 pengies out of 5. I feel duty-bound to subtract a few decimal points, due mostly to the huge spin-out to get to the end, where we could see a truly, remarkably just ending visit our villain. (Mini-spoiler: the perfect crime) Why? It is hardly necessary, (please see film review of same...following directly, in the same post). The movie arrived at the same point (although not identical, if you please) far more directly.
Lessons Learned: Man, this is so easy. Horrifyingly so: don't accept invitations from weird ol' dudes. No good can come of this.
The Cinema Babble:
The Film: Sha! The Lovely Bones
The Actors: Saoirse Ronin, Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Michael imperioli, Susan Sarandon, etc.
The Dealio: See above, as the story remains the same. Some details have been shortened, some have been removed, but this was a true and worthy adaptation of the story Sebold sank so much into bringing to our attention. This movie was very poorly graded by critics both local and national. Not sure why; perhaps much of this was due to the huge investment made by so many in all the characters, nuance , even in preserving the absolute purity of the book itself. Much ado ensued, upon viewing the trailer, that there was far too much emphasis on the Inbetween. I must disagree: I read the book and found that Sebold invested a great deal into depicting a wondrous place where souls, seeking the comfort and the balm of 'exactly what they wanted most' could actually get it. The visuals (hey! I recognise you, NZ, and salute Peej for being willing to go back to that well yet again, crafting something moving, poetic and visually scrumptious for us to chew upon, while we console ourselves about the horror of the crime which is central to the plot), were exceptional, although, at times, made me impatient to get back to the central plot. 'Round up the villagers with pitchforks and hammers! Get a rope, we are about to see justice done right...and right now! Sigh. OK, so it never really works out like that does it?
The Grading Session: 4.81 pengies out of 5. I subtracted a bit from the total for the lovingly lengthy linger on some aspects of the story, while we found ourselves screeching though others at the speed of sound. I am such an ingrate, never satisfied with simple truth and beauty. The soundtrack was okay. Only okay. I'm thinking more could have been done in this area. Question: were Deuter AND Anya out of town for this entire process of fashioning sound to accompany? But I nitpick: the final product was incredibly, wonderfully true to the source materials and well worth the investment of time.
Lessons Learned: Aside from the self-same lessons from the book? OK, how about this? Don't smoke in bed. Don't trust the creepy neighbor dude who seems to have no job and yet always has money to buy treats for kids and is always 'building a real fun clubhouse...no adults allowed.' He is probably not Howard Hughes, and, besides, Howard Hughes was a bit of a loose cannon, don't you think? Would you have trusted him with your 12 year old? And lastly, don't break into aforementioned creepy dude's house to air quotes get the goods on him end air quotes. He is always watching and, sure as sh...green apples taste better than red, he will catch you in the act. I'm just sayin'.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
If I Stay
The Book: If I Stay
The Writer: Gayle Forman
The Dealio: On a Snow Day, Mia and her family decide to treat themselves to a car trip into the country to visit friends who live on a farm. Along the way, the unthinkable happens: they are hit by a truck. In a manner reminiscent of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, Mia (the teen in question, a star cellist), observes the aftermath of the accident from a place which is neither Heaven nor Hell. Powerless to influence anything that happens, still bound up in her own grief, anger and pain, Mia moves from the scene of the accident to the hospital- at least, she is able to move about within the hospital itself, instead of being stuck in the ER!). Slowly, she begins to realise things about family, about friends and about the boy who had already begun to mean almost too much to her. Most importantly, she is learning about herself. And the biggest question she is asking herself is this: Should I stay? Or, she wonders, would it be easier, would it be better for me, would it be fairer to everyone gathered around her hospital bed for me to just go?
The Grading Session: 4.89 pengies out of 5. If only for the scene between Mia's grandparents, this book is worthy of your time and attention. Do you sometimes wish she weren't so self-centered? Well, sha! She's a teenager, and 99% of everything is dramadramadrama. But the funny images evoked of her Dad as a rocker-complete with 'oh, Dad, you are so embarrassing! clothes, the heart-wrenching scenes by the side of the icy road, the moments recalling the tiniest of things that, now, are somehow, devastatingly important- these will win you over and move you profoundly. In my humble opinion.
Lessons Learned: Repeat after me: a snow day is an excuse for hot chocolate and crock pots of soup-or stew. Not- emphatically not- for careening across the countryside. Literally. Also- as was so beautifully rendered in the movie Up- great adventures, great loves, great emotions are, in real life- comprised of all the tiny, precious moments that make our breath catch and our hearts beat a little faster. Recognise those and you will realise that you already have had enough great things in your life to put a scrapbook to shame. Oh, and get started now!
The Writer: Gayle Forman
The Dealio: On a Snow Day, Mia and her family decide to treat themselves to a car trip into the country to visit friends who live on a farm. Along the way, the unthinkable happens: they are hit by a truck. In a manner reminiscent of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, Mia (the teen in question, a star cellist), observes the aftermath of the accident from a place which is neither Heaven nor Hell. Powerless to influence anything that happens, still bound up in her own grief, anger and pain, Mia moves from the scene of the accident to the hospital- at least, she is able to move about within the hospital itself, instead of being stuck in the ER!). Slowly, she begins to realise things about family, about friends and about the boy who had already begun to mean almost too much to her. Most importantly, she is learning about herself. And the biggest question she is asking herself is this: Should I stay? Or, she wonders, would it be easier, would it be better for me, would it be fairer to everyone gathered around her hospital bed for me to just go?
The Grading Session: 4.89 pengies out of 5. If only for the scene between Mia's grandparents, this book is worthy of your time and attention. Do you sometimes wish she weren't so self-centered? Well, sha! She's a teenager, and 99% of everything is dramadramadrama. But the funny images evoked of her Dad as a rocker-complete with 'oh, Dad, you are so embarrassing! clothes, the heart-wrenching scenes by the side of the icy road, the moments recalling the tiniest of things that, now, are somehow, devastatingly important- these will win you over and move you profoundly. In my humble opinion.
Lessons Learned: Repeat after me: a snow day is an excuse for hot chocolate and crock pots of soup-or stew. Not- emphatically not- for careening across the countryside. Literally. Also- as was so beautifully rendered in the movie Up- great adventures, great loves, great emotions are, in real life- comprised of all the tiny, precious moments that make our breath catch and our hearts beat a little faster. Recognise those and you will realise that you already have had enough great things in your life to put a scrapbook to shame. Oh, and get started now!
The Hate List
The Book: The Hate List
The Author: Jennifer Brown
The Dealio: A novel which revisits a Columbine-esque tragedy from a teen's perspective, this book also reminded me of Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, but with a more intimate point of view: that of a victim, who also might just have been 'in' on the plan.
Valerie is your typical, artistic, sensitive, Goth outsider with quarrelling parents and a younger brother who thinks she is just a little too weird to be actually related to him. Into her life slouches the rebel-without-a-pause- Nick Levil (neat how his name is almost French for almost evil, the only oh-puleez moment in this entire book). He reads Shakespeare, focussing in on Macbeth and Lear-tragedies which seem to underscore his life-philosophy. Nick sees himself as the avenging spirit, (angel would be an exaggeration, just like Levil is), who not only sympathises with Valerie, but helps her, eggs her on, in creating the infamous 'Hate List' onto which go the names of all who have run afoul of the hapless couple. Food-throwing in the caf', keying cars, nicknaming Val 'Sister Death'- none of this goes without unnoticed, and soon the hate list is both lengthy, and beginning to be whispered about. When an incident on the bus causes Valerie to gripe, 'I could just kill her for that!', Nick agrees...and promptly opens fire on the perpetrator of the incident. In-school cameras follow the destruction and violence as it escalates, and, when Val either pushes a would-be victim out of the way (saving her life) or slips and falls, but still manages to save the targeted student, Valerie herself is critically injured, and Nick kills himself. This all happens in the first few pages of this book. So. Now comes the delicate part: what does all of this do to the victims who survived, and the families of those who do not? What does it do to Valerie-a huge question mark hovering over her head as everyone around her- especially her family- tries to address the questions and the emotions that threaten to overwhelm?
The Grading Session: 4.78 pengies out of 5. I got through this one in one sitting, prohibited from putting it down by the unique, involving view of the teen at the very center of the controversy and the blow-back. Also intriguing was the responses of the people who encounter and interact with her from day to day. I actually felt her pain and horror upon returning to school for the first time since the tragedy. Some very evocative writing-and thinking- going on in this debut novel. Disliked the artwork on the cover. Big whoop! Who cares? Read it anyway.
Lessons Learned: 'Eyewitness' accounts and even raw video feed can give you some basics, but there ought to be a class in high school or college called 'Perspective: When the Eyes Lie'. Cuz what you see is not necessarily what you get. Too, it is possible for those closest to a person to still be surprised and shocked by them and their actions. Does that make you responsible for what they did? It does not. Does it make you wish you had paid closer attention? Definitely. So....do that.
The Author: Jennifer Brown
The Dealio: A novel which revisits a Columbine-esque tragedy from a teen's perspective, this book also reminded me of Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, but with a more intimate point of view: that of a victim, who also might just have been 'in' on the plan.
Valerie is your typical, artistic, sensitive, Goth outsider with quarrelling parents and a younger brother who thinks she is just a little too weird to be actually related to him. Into her life slouches the rebel-without-a-pause- Nick Levil (neat how his name is almost French for almost evil, the only oh-puleez moment in this entire book). He reads Shakespeare, focussing in on Macbeth and Lear-tragedies which seem to underscore his life-philosophy. Nick sees himself as the avenging spirit, (angel would be an exaggeration, just like Levil is), who not only sympathises with Valerie, but helps her, eggs her on, in creating the infamous 'Hate List' onto which go the names of all who have run afoul of the hapless couple. Food-throwing in the caf', keying cars, nicknaming Val 'Sister Death'- none of this goes without unnoticed, and soon the hate list is both lengthy, and beginning to be whispered about. When an incident on the bus causes Valerie to gripe, 'I could just kill her for that!', Nick agrees...and promptly opens fire on the perpetrator of the incident. In-school cameras follow the destruction and violence as it escalates, and, when Val either pushes a would-be victim out of the way (saving her life) or slips and falls, but still manages to save the targeted student, Valerie herself is critically injured, and Nick kills himself. This all happens in the first few pages of this book. So. Now comes the delicate part: what does all of this do to the victims who survived, and the families of those who do not? What does it do to Valerie-a huge question mark hovering over her head as everyone around her- especially her family- tries to address the questions and the emotions that threaten to overwhelm?
The Grading Session: 4.78 pengies out of 5. I got through this one in one sitting, prohibited from putting it down by the unique, involving view of the teen at the very center of the controversy and the blow-back. Also intriguing was the responses of the people who encounter and interact with her from day to day. I actually felt her pain and horror upon returning to school for the first time since the tragedy. Some very evocative writing-and thinking- going on in this debut novel. Disliked the artwork on the cover. Big whoop! Who cares? Read it anyway.
Lessons Learned: 'Eyewitness' accounts and even raw video feed can give you some basics, but there ought to be a class in high school or college called 'Perspective: When the Eyes Lie'. Cuz what you see is not necessarily what you get. Too, it is possible for those closest to a person to still be surprised and shocked by them and their actions. Does that make you responsible for what they did? It does not. Does it make you wish you had paid closer attention? Definitely. So....do that.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Crazy Heart
The Film: Crazy Heart
The Actors: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, etc.
The Dealio: This could be a film about Merle Haggard or Townes Van Zant or Waylon Jennings, or any other of a number of enormously talented 'outlaws' of country music with tragic pasts and abbreviated lives. Jeff Bridges, once again, personalises the worn-in, dog-weary, hapless Everyman whom time has bypassed in favor of a younger, hipper type who is unafraid to appear in concert wearing two earrings. There is more than a whiff of Kris Kristofferson about Bad Blake and his song-writing, poetic gifts, so far, are the lone survivor of his boozy, spit-in-the-face-of-fate lifestyle. Then a chance for something more drifts across his self-destructive path in the person of Jane and her little son, Bud. Now, I never have 'gotten' why perfectly normal-seeming females are so attracted to something in these rusted husks of manhood, willing to place, not only their own safety, well-being and future into such a person's very unsteady hands, but also that of their kiddies. But I've seen this portrayed so often in the moving picture shows, that, well, it must be true, valid and maybe even commonplace.
What is not so commonplace- unfortunately- is such a sad, sweet song of a movie. There is seldom a wrong step-or note- anywhere along the way. And, although you may wish for a few things done differently, that would simply not have been true to the vision and the reality of this film.
In addition to Bridges' pinpoint perfection in the myriad tiny details, there are spot-on turns from Farrell and Duvall (who continues to tickle by simply playing himself and enjoying the heck out of it). Gyllenhaal, to me at least- struck the lone sour note, and that was not her fault. It was written in the script that she trust her precious son to the unreliable Bad...and, speaking as a mom, myself, this simply would not fly in real life; we all know that no good can come of this.
The music- this is always such a litmus test for me- was so well-done that you don't tire of it, even when you hear different takes on the same tunes several times throughout the life of the film. Great sign of really good choices here. And a little old slice of semi-redemption at the end. Who could- really- ask for more? Not I.
The Grading Session: 4.999 pengies out of 5; I am subtracting a smidgen for portraying a mom who describes her son as 'the most precious thing in my life', then lets a guy with a yen for the next whistle-wetter take the responsibility for this same child without turning a hair. Major no-no.
Lessons Learned: Beauty and poetry come from the most unexpected sources. And when they do, they can absolutely steal your breath right away from you.
The Actors: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, etc.
The Dealio: This could be a film about Merle Haggard or Townes Van Zant or Waylon Jennings, or any other of a number of enormously talented 'outlaws' of country music with tragic pasts and abbreviated lives. Jeff Bridges, once again, personalises the worn-in, dog-weary, hapless Everyman whom time has bypassed in favor of a younger, hipper type who is unafraid to appear in concert wearing two earrings. There is more than a whiff of Kris Kristofferson about Bad Blake and his song-writing, poetic gifts, so far, are the lone survivor of his boozy, spit-in-the-face-of-fate lifestyle. Then a chance for something more drifts across his self-destructive path in the person of Jane and her little son, Bud. Now, I never have 'gotten' why perfectly normal-seeming females are so attracted to something in these rusted husks of manhood, willing to place, not only their own safety, well-being and future into such a person's very unsteady hands, but also that of their kiddies. But I've seen this portrayed so often in the moving picture shows, that, well, it must be true, valid and maybe even commonplace.
What is not so commonplace- unfortunately- is such a sad, sweet song of a movie. There is seldom a wrong step-or note- anywhere along the way. And, although you may wish for a few things done differently, that would simply not have been true to the vision and the reality of this film.
In addition to Bridges' pinpoint perfection in the myriad tiny details, there are spot-on turns from Farrell and Duvall (who continues to tickle by simply playing himself and enjoying the heck out of it). Gyllenhaal, to me at least- struck the lone sour note, and that was not her fault. It was written in the script that she trust her precious son to the unreliable Bad...and, speaking as a mom, myself, this simply would not fly in real life; we all know that no good can come of this.
The music- this is always such a litmus test for me- was so well-done that you don't tire of it, even when you hear different takes on the same tunes several times throughout the life of the film. Great sign of really good choices here. And a little old slice of semi-redemption at the end. Who could- really- ask for more? Not I.
The Grading Session: 4.999 pengies out of 5; I am subtracting a smidgen for portraying a mom who describes her son as 'the most precious thing in my life', then lets a guy with a yen for the next whistle-wetter take the responsibility for this same child without turning a hair. Major no-no.
Lessons Learned: Beauty and poetry come from the most unexpected sources. And when they do, they can absolutely steal your breath right away from you.
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