Slouching Towards Bethlehem - Book Review

Published in 1968

Slouching Towards Bethlehem - Joan Didion C-

I really want to like Joan Didion. I really wanted to like this book. But, despite some intriguing subject matter - a murderous wife, the free love and chaos of Haight-Ashbury circa 1967, Joan Baez, Howard Hughes, etc... these essays simply didn't resonate with me.

For more on this essay collection check out Dan Wakefield's 1968 New York Times review, "Places, People and Personalities."

http://www.nytimes.com/1968/06/21/books/didion-bethlehem.html?_r=0

The Amputee's Guide to Sex - Book Review

Published February 2007

The Amputee's Guide to Sex - Jillian Weise A

I regret not reading this book sooner. The Amputee's Guide to Sex is provocative, powerful and one of the best debut poetry collections I have ever read. Divided into three sections: "Translating the Body," "Help Your Physician Better Understand Your Pain" and "Of Holman" - Weise, an amputee, masterfully details the vulnerability of being fetishized, medicalized and emotionally brutalized. These poems are like catchy songs I can't get out of my head. Engaging and titillating.

A Bigger Splash - Movie Review

A Bigger Splash (R) 124 mins C
Sun-soaked and the self-obsessed

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, Corrado Guzzanti and Matthias Schoenaerts

Luca Guadagnino, the director of A Bigger Splash, and I have at least one thing is common; we both think Tilda Swinton is a sex symbol. I was smitten with Swinton in Guadagnino's 2009 film, I Am Love. In A Bigger Splash Swinton is the sexiest in a film that tries sedulously to be sexy. Set in the beautiful island of Pantelleria, it's hard to deny the film's beauty. But, I also can't help but feel like the film relies too much on aesthetics and not enough on plot. I appreciate the humanistic drama of emotions the film is built upon. However, as a piece of dramatic cinema A Bigger Splash screams "rich people problems" sans any empathic characters with whom moviegoers can make a heartfelt connection.

The plot in a nutshell, Swinton plays a rock star, Marianne Lane (think Chrissie Hynde meets David Bowie) who is in seclusion/on a sexcation with her beau while recovering from throat surgery. Their days are quiet and relaxing until her former manager/lover (Fiennes) abruptly arrives on the island with his Lolita-like daughter (Johnson) in tow. I don't think I am giving anything away when I say that one can see the pairing off of couples from a mile away- two former loves reunite, while two young hotties flaunt their bodies until neither can take it any longer.

A Bigger Splash isn't a bad film. If you need motivation to visit Sicily, this is it. But, if you want to see a better film from this director that also stars Tilda Swinton, seek out I Am Love.

A Bigger Splash trailer via YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBpvKfMWB-o

I Am Love trailer via YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NjA8CIDvZ8

Animal Farm - Book Review

Publish August 1945

Animal Farm - George Orwell B-

"Cute" might be a strange way to describe George Orwell's Animal Farm. But, when I imagine these pigs, horses, donkeys and goats overthrowing a drunk farmer and starting a revolution, it's hard not to smile. This "Fairy Story," as it was initially subtitled, is heavy stuff once you get past the cute and clever animals. By now I suspect everyone knows that Animal Farm, written during the first half of the 1940s and published in 1945, parallels the Russian Revolution. The animals in the book represent people like Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. People, places and things in the book represent religion, Russia, the media, the working class and more. Animal Farm started strong. I was intrigued. But, eventually my attention waned. Overall, I enjoyed it. However, I probably expected too much since it's considered to be a classic. This one might warrant re-reading down the line.

Eligible - Book Review

Eligible - Curtis Sittenfeld B+


Published April 2016

I never read Jane Austen, so I'm sure there are unique subtleties in Eligible that I'm missing out on. But, one doesn't have to be familiar with Austen to thoroughly enjoy this modernized reimagining of Pride and Prejudice. I became curious about this book when I heard Sittenfeld was updating Austen's 1813 story by injecting a heavy dose of reality television's The Bachelor. Eligible is the kind of novel that drives me crazy, in a good way. The characters are annoying and simultaneously intriguing. Throughout the novel I kept wondering if I would date some like Liz Bennett (the main character) - she's smart, ambitious and sexy; yet, extremely exhausting and gossipy. Liz's sisters- Kitty, Mary, Jane and Lydia, were okay even though I didn't find any of them particularly exciting. The same goes for Liz's mother (she was dreadful) and father. Ultimately, I was taken with Liz, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Chip and Jasper - they stole the show and kept me intrigued. It almost makes me want to read Pride and Prejudice... almost.

A Good Marriage - Book Review

Published in 2010

A Good Marriage - Stephen King B

The Good Marriage was originally published as one of four novellas in Stephen King's 2010 collection, Full Dark No Stars. The story follows an ordinary wife who discovers her ordinary husband is a serial killer. Inspired by Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer, King actually made me question whether or not the wife should leave her psychopathic husband. After finishing the story I can't believe I ever thought the wife had a choice.

This novella was adapted to the big screen, here's the trailer courtesy of YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjOnIbXU--M

Everybody Wants Some - Movie Review

Everybody Wants Some (R) 117 minutes C

Starring: Zoey Deutch, Tyler Hoechlin, Blake Jenner, Ryan Guzman and J. Quinton Johnson

Everybody Wants Some is the latest film by acclaimed filmmaker Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, Boyhood). Linklater has been creating noteworthy cinema since the early 90s. His two previous films, 2014's Boyhood and 2013's Before Sunset, are among the most powerful coming of middle-age films of the last decade. When I heard about Everybody Wants Some during the Sundance Film Festival last January, I was anxious to see how he would follow-up Boyhood, the film Metacritic.com ranked as the most acclaimed film of the 21st century (so far).
http://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-movies-of-the-21st-century

Everybody Wants Some isn't terrible; but, I was afraid it might be for the first 50 minutes or so. The first half of the film felt aimless and watered down- your run-of-the-mill boys will be boys 1980s comedy. But, the second half of the film rebounded as the characters became slightly more engaging and a meaning male/female relationship developed. One word to describe this effort is "cute," some might find it "nostalgic." I think it's a watered down, carefree b-side release that's mildly entertaining, especially when you consider his last two achievements in film.

Check out the trailer ---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6raUs0CiCQ

Post Office - Book Review

Published in 1971

Post Office - Charles Bukowski C+

Post Office wasn't all that I hoped it would be. In this autobiographical first novel, all of Bukowski's signature elements are here - the straight talk, the voice of the underclass, the anti-authoritarian, etc... But, overall it barely holds together (there's no plot whatsoever). The parts about his relationships with Joyce and Betty - characters supposedly based on the love of his life and his first wife - were intriguing and kept me interested. However, the rest of Post Office was hit or miss as it meandered on about job troubles, drinking and gambling. Despite my slight disappointment, the novel is still essential reading for anyone curious about Bukowski.

Not That Kind of Girl - Book Review

Not That Kind of Girl - Lena Dunham B+ 

Published September 2014

I'm the type of guy that reads Not That Kind of Girl. If you like Lena Dunham's HBO series, Girls, you'll like this book. This collection of personal essays made me wish I had documented everything in my life from senior year in high school to age thirty (after that things get weird/depressing). My essay collection could've been titled, I Am That Type of Guy. But, since I'm not famous and nobody wants to see me naked (emotionally or otherwise), I'll just recommend Not That Kind of Girl.

Check out this New York Times review by Michiko Kakutani
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/24/books/lena-dunhams-memoir-ish-not-that-kind-of-girl.html?_r=1

PS. If you like this book and/or Girls, I highly recommend Dunham's 2010 film Tiny Furniture. See the trailer here---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJoMWj47KP0

Demolition - Movie Review

 

Demolition (R) 100 mins B+
Demolished Thoughts

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper, Judah Lewis, CJ Wilson, Polly Draper and Heather Lind. 

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee (Wild, Dallas Buyer's Club)

Davis Mitchell (Gyllenhaal) is a successful investment banker who is struggling to cope after the sudden death of his wife Julia (Lind). Instead of the "normal" mourning one might expect, Davis starts demolishing sh*t. He also starts writings letters (always cathartic) and hanging out with Karen (Watts)- a single mom, a hotty, and a pot head. Hmmm, maybe his behavior isn't all that unusual... However, his father in-law, who never liked him in the first place, is none to happy with Davis' strange and erratic behavior.

This film is probably not for everyone. It's a little unusual and a little uneven (especially toward the end); yet, I still found it moving and affective. The principle cast is strong and holds the film together even when the script is not at its best.

Highly recommended for Jake Gyllenhaal fans.

Check out the trailer ---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UnSXelOJo0