Dreamer

This novel by Charles Johnson is a fiction about a real person: Martin Luther King. Many of the events described are factual, but Johnson has introduced an imaginary character: King's double. The collisions between reality and imagination are dizzying and don't always tend toward persuasiveness. Still, it's a compelling read that inspires you to learn more about King and think about what might have been and could still be.

The Enchantress of Florence

Some people don't care much for Salman Rushdie the tale spinner as opposed to Rushdie the more-or-less realist. I have to say I'm more attached to the realist, in spite of my fondness for fantasy: Fury blew me away. But this novel has its charms; you just have to be patient with hyperbole and with a narrator who takes his sweet time.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

My best advice about this movie is to make other plans. Go out for a nice dinner. Take in a baseball game. Hit the sack early. Rent one of the first three Indiana Jones movies.

Whatever. Just stay away from this one, which does nobody proud.

Nine Queens

This movie is sort of an Argentine version of The Sting, only you're not quite sure who's being stung. As it draws to a close, you can make a good guess, and you're probably right, but that doesn't detract from the fun of this clever and engaging con artist movie.

The Good German (movie)

Boy, was this one bad. We couldn't finish watching it. Of course most movies made of novels conflate characters and change plot threads, but having read the book so recently, both of us had trouble tolerating the changes which--as far as we could tell--were made for no good reason.

So, in spite of sporting a wonderful cast (headed by my idea of a Cary Grant successor: George Clooney) and an even better director (Steven Soderbergh), this was impossible to watch.

Ah well.