Filed in: Movies
08 September 2007
Supersize Me
Got this movie from Netflix recently and found it terrific. Very effective, not least because filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is so likable. Unfortunately the effects of this movie and its attendant publicity haven't been very lasting viz. the fast food industry...
Robert Bresson Brief
Rented a few movies by Robert Bresson recently, with varied results. A Man Escaped was our favorite of the three: very simply told but totally gripping. Lancelot of the Lake was much the least favorite. I frankly thought it was horrible. We are sending it back without finishing it. And Diary of a Country Priest Victor could not bear, but I am keeping it to watch when he's not around--I found it kind of intriguing.
Filed in: Movies
August: Osage County
After we got back from California, I was anxious not to miss this much-acclaimed Steppenwolf production, which is due to have a limited run in New York this fall. When I called Steppenwolf for tickets, though, I found that they were sold out. I asked whether 20 for 20 remained in operation for sold-out shows. The answer was affirmative.
So Victor and I stood in line outside Steppenwolf along with a few dozen other people at around 10:30 in the morning, waiting for the box office to open. A staffer came by a few times to offer the odd full-price ticket that had just become available, but most of us elected to take our chances and try to get the $20 tix. As it turned out, V and I scored the last two tix available for the matinée show, and felt very lucky.
The play was rightly praised, being full of sharp writing and excellent performances. Much in the tradition of vicious family plays, such as Hellman's Little Foxes, though I heard or saw author Tracy Letts say somewhere that he had not read it. My opinion of him was rather lowered as a result. (Something like a filmmaker saying he'd never seen Citizen Kane.)
Not that my opinion of the narrowness of Tracy Letts' reading matters a damn. It's a good play, and I wish it the best on Broadway in October.
So Victor and I stood in line outside Steppenwolf along with a few dozen other people at around 10:30 in the morning, waiting for the box office to open. A staffer came by a few times to offer the odd full-price ticket that had just become available, but most of us elected to take our chances and try to get the $20 tix. As it turned out, V and I scored the last two tix available for the matinée show, and felt very lucky.
The play was rightly praised, being full of sharp writing and excellent performances. Much in the tradition of vicious family plays, such as Hellman's Little Foxes, though I heard or saw author Tracy Letts say somewhere that he had not read it. My opinion of him was rather lowered as a result. (Something like a filmmaker saying he'd never seen Citizen Kane.)
Not that my opinion of the narrowness of Tracy Letts' reading matters a damn. It's a good play, and I wish it the best on Broadway in October.
Filed in: Theater
27 August 2007
Nixon
This was one of those Netflix movies that we let sit on the shelf for multiple weeks. Hard not to dread a 3-hour fiction film about Richard Nixon. Especially one by Oliver Stone.
In the event, however, we found ourselves admiring and absorbed. Anthony Hopkins' impersonation was remarkable. You had a hard time, though, understanding how an election could be won by someone so obviously nuts; apparently he had a lot of non-nuts people protecting him. Still, even in his nuts-ness, he observed some limits.
A hell of a thing when the current administration makes you feel nostalgic for Nixon.
In the event, however, we found ourselves admiring and absorbed. Anthony Hopkins' impersonation was remarkable. You had a hard time, though, understanding how an election could be won by someone so obviously nuts; apparently he had a lot of non-nuts people protecting him. Still, even in his nuts-ness, he observed some limits.
A hell of a thing when the current administration makes you feel nostalgic for Nixon.
Filed in: Movies
25 August 2007
Harry Potter 5
We had moderately low expectations for this movie, which we saw in an Emeryville, CA, multiplex shortly after we both had finished reading the last Harry Potter novel.
In fact, it was better than we expected (a frequent result of low expectations); the story was told clearly, with special effects that were not too excessive. Well enough done, but nothing like as good as Harry Potter 3.
In fact, it was better than we expected (a frequent result of low expectations); the story was told clearly, with special effects that were not too excessive. Well enough done, but nothing like as good as Harry Potter 3.
Filed in: Movies
23 August 2007
Once
This Irish movie has been getting great word of mouth since it came out, but still, we didn't expect to like it so much. It's a movie that takes you by surprise: you're gamely waiting to see what the big deal is about, and you find that very absorption is the movie's gift and its charm. Splendid performances by the two stars, and terrific music.
Filed in: Movies
22 August 2007
Chicago Dancing Festival @ Millennium Park
I almost didn't go to the Chicago Dancing Festival at Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion tonight. I anticipated having to arrive pretty early to secure a seat (since it was a dance performance, a space on the lawn wouldn't do--it was necessary to see the stage)--which didn't seem so attractive in the hot, humid weather.
But in the end, I went. Showed up with a sandwich around 20 after 5, anticipating a 6:30 performance, but it turned out that the performance would start at 7:30. So I was REALLY early. Ate my sandwich in the Lurie Garden and came back to grab a seat near the center. Sat and read my magazine (great articles in The New Yorker this week, by the way. One about Aaron Copland, one about Ian McKellen, one about a new luxury building in New York that successfully apes the prewar ones).
The show started 10 minutes late, but it was worth waiting for. Muntu Dance Theater opened. I had never seen them perform before and they were pretty stunning. Great percussion, costumes, tribal dances. Quite a spectacle, against a starry background.
The Joffrey followed, with "Light Rain." This was far and away the best performance of the program, with moment after moment that took your breath away. The last time I saw the Joffrey, they performed Twyla Tharp's "Deuce Coupe." They were good, but I don't remember gasping. Music, costumes, and fabulous choreography (not to mention talent, expressiveness, and athleticism) came together perfectly. In general, I think people give standing ovations too easily, but in this case, I was happy to rise. This performance made me a fan for life.
Ballet Florida made the least impressive showing. Nice costumes and competent performances, I suppose, but there was nothing outstanding about them. While the Joffrey piece incorporated some robotic movement, these dancers were as expressionless as robots though their movements were fluid enough. Unexciting. Unexceptional. Unremarkable.
Two soloists from the American Ballet Theater then performed the pas de deux from Don Quixote. I am just not into classical ballet, though I can appreciate virtuosity. The stuff in between tends to bore me, though. And the applause-mongering irritates me. But there were some fine moments.
Then two dancers from Alvin Ailey performed a "Pas de Duke" to Ellington's music. This was beautifully done, but not as spectacular as an Ailey performance we saw last spring. (Perhaps it is hard for two dancers to be as spectacular as a whole company.) Still, terrific style and attitude.
A big surprise for me were five male dancers from the San Francisco Ballet. They were accompanied by a beautiful baroque piece, and I frankly didn't expect much from them. But they were fabulous. Expressiveness, athleticism, grace... Many "wow" moments. This was the only other performance that brought me to my feet. The program says that the SF Ballet is coming to the Harris Theater this fall; I hope we're able to go see them.
The final performance was by Complexions Dance from New York. These were skilled dancers performing complex choreography, but I'm afraid I didn't get it. The program explained that this piece was commenting on the U.S. political situation, but to me it was just incoherent. Until the last 2 minutes, when it suddenly got wonderful. Everything synchronized in a surprising way. So I think this company has potential, but I'll wait a while to see them again. (The program says they're coming to the Auditorium Theater this fall.)
All in all, this was a phenomenal event. Dance is almost never free, and the event was likely effective for its purpose, which is to raise the profile of dance in Chicago. Tonight I felt proud to live in such a great city, and the fireworks that went off afterwards (must have been the show at Navy Pier, though I was surprised to be able to see it from Millennium Park) made for a perfect ending to the evening.
Even more perfect, the thunderstorm held off until moments after I got home.
But in the end, I went. Showed up with a sandwich around 20 after 5, anticipating a 6:30 performance, but it turned out that the performance would start at 7:30. So I was REALLY early. Ate my sandwich in the Lurie Garden and came back to grab a seat near the center. Sat and read my magazine (great articles in The New Yorker this week, by the way. One about Aaron Copland, one about Ian McKellen, one about a new luxury building in New York that successfully apes the prewar ones).
The show started 10 minutes late, but it was worth waiting for. Muntu Dance Theater opened. I had never seen them perform before and they were pretty stunning. Great percussion, costumes, tribal dances. Quite a spectacle, against a starry background.
The Joffrey followed, with "Light Rain." This was far and away the best performance of the program, with moment after moment that took your breath away. The last time I saw the Joffrey, they performed Twyla Tharp's "Deuce Coupe." They were good, but I don't remember gasping. Music, costumes, and fabulous choreography (not to mention talent, expressiveness, and athleticism) came together perfectly. In general, I think people give standing ovations too easily, but in this case, I was happy to rise. This performance made me a fan for life.
Ballet Florida made the least impressive showing. Nice costumes and competent performances, I suppose, but there was nothing outstanding about them. While the Joffrey piece incorporated some robotic movement, these dancers were as expressionless as robots though their movements were fluid enough. Unexciting. Unexceptional. Unremarkable.
Two soloists from the American Ballet Theater then performed the pas de deux from Don Quixote. I am just not into classical ballet, though I can appreciate virtuosity. The stuff in between tends to bore me, though. And the applause-mongering irritates me. But there were some fine moments.
Then two dancers from Alvin Ailey performed a "Pas de Duke" to Ellington's music. This was beautifully done, but not as spectacular as an Ailey performance we saw last spring. (Perhaps it is hard for two dancers to be as spectacular as a whole company.) Still, terrific style and attitude.
A big surprise for me were five male dancers from the San Francisco Ballet. They were accompanied by a beautiful baroque piece, and I frankly didn't expect much from them. But they were fabulous. Expressiveness, athleticism, grace... Many "wow" moments. This was the only other performance that brought me to my feet. The program says that the SF Ballet is coming to the Harris Theater this fall; I hope we're able to go see them.
The final performance was by Complexions Dance from New York. These were skilled dancers performing complex choreography, but I'm afraid I didn't get it. The program explained that this piece was commenting on the U.S. political situation, but to me it was just incoherent. Until the last 2 minutes, when it suddenly got wonderful. Everything synchronized in a surprising way. So I think this company has potential, but I'll wait a while to see them again. (The program says they're coming to the Auditorium Theater this fall.)
All in all, this was a phenomenal event. Dance is almost never free, and the event was likely effective for its purpose, which is to raise the profile of dance in Chicago. Tonight I felt proud to live in such a great city, and the fireworks that went off afterwards (must have been the show at Navy Pier, though I was surprised to be able to see it from Millennium Park) made for a perfect ending to the evening.
Even more perfect, the thunderstorm held off until moments after I got home.
09 August 2007
Fast, Cheap and Out of Control
Another day, another Errol Morris documentary. We liked this one somewhat better than The Fog of War, but got sleepy toward the end. Also, we thought the mole rat specialist was a jerk.
Filed in: Movies
05 August 2007
The Fog of War
OK, so after watching this movie (subtitled "Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara") over a couple of days, my first thought was, Why was this movie made? While there is plenty of information in this movie I didn't know before, because I'm not all that well-informed about the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Vietnam War, I didn't sense that the point of the movie was to educate me about these subjects. Was it to highlight former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's continued moral cluelessness? I can't say I'm interested in 11 lessons taught by an 85-year-old moral idiot. The fact that he was supposedly super smart doesn't change the fact that he doesn't seem able to face up to his responsibilities vis. Vietnam.
If the whole thing was supposed to be ironic, I guess I get it, but I found it too long an exercise.
If the whole thing was supposed to be ironic, I guess I get it, but I found it too long an exercise.
Filed in: movies
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum barely gives you a moment to think, but you didn't pay $10 to think, did you? Action movies are not supposed to be introspective. While the amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne struggles to determine his true identity, you're blissfully unaware of your own.
Still, in spite of numerous riveting chase scenes, crashes, fast-cut fights, and closeups of cool technology, the film manages to get across its take on America's moral lapses; i.e., torture: bad. Turning patriotic boys into unreasoning killers: bad. Killing people on your own side just because they get in your way: bad.
Glad we got that straightened out. And now we return to our regularly scheduled adrenalin rush...
Still, in spite of numerous riveting chase scenes, crashes, fast-cut fights, and closeups of cool technology, the film manages to get across its take on America's moral lapses; i.e., torture: bad. Turning patriotic boys into unreasoning killers: bad. Killing people on your own side just because they get in your way: bad.
Glad we got that straightened out. And now we return to our regularly scheduled adrenalin rush...
Filed in: Movies
04 August 2007
The Kite Runner
Victor read this one first, not long after we picked it up at a Borders 3 for the price of 2 sale.
A young boy, Amir, doesn't understand why he can't seem to win his father's love, nor why he treats his best friend--harelipped Hassan--who is also his servant, of a different, minority tribe and Islamic sect--sometimes like a brother and sometimes like a peon. Amir feels guilty when he treats Hassan badly, but that doesn't stop him. At a critical moment, young Amir betrays Hassan so completely that he can't forgive himself.
This is a story of guilt and redemption that spans more than two decades. While much of it takes place in Afghanistan, and the plot is influenced by historical events there, the story's emotional power lies with its characters, who--one senses--would have behaved much the same way anywhere.
Highly readable and moving (Victor cried a lot and so did I).
A young boy, Amir, doesn't understand why he can't seem to win his father's love, nor why he treats his best friend--harelipped Hassan--who is also his servant, of a different, minority tribe and Islamic sect--sometimes like a brother and sometimes like a peon. Amir feels guilty when he treats Hassan badly, but that doesn't stop him. At a critical moment, young Amir betrays Hassan so completely that he can't forgive himself.
This is a story of guilt and redemption that spans more than two decades. While much of it takes place in Afghanistan, and the plot is influenced by historical events there, the story's emotional power lies with its characters, who--one senses--would have behaved much the same way anywhere.
Highly readable and moving (Victor cried a lot and so did I).
Filed in: Books
Thursday Next: First Among Sequels
In the Thursday Next novels, Jasper Fforde has created a universe that is irresistibly attractive to book lovers. It is a world in which literature has such importance that Britain's Special Operations includes a "Literary Detectives" division, to which our heroine (Thursday Next) belongs. Original manuscripts of great books are kept under lock and key because changes to the original (such as eliminating a character or altering her fate--an important plot element of The Eyre Affair--are immediately reflected in every extant edition. And it is possible (via innate talent or specialized devices) to physically enter the world behind the books, which is governed by administrators and bureaucrats sometimes even more annoying than real-world ones, as well as an organization called Jurisfiction, which tries to keep the wheels of literature turning smoothly (characters in their proper places and plot threads neatly tied).
What's amazing about the Thursday Next novels is not that Fforde has come up with conceits like these, but that he continually comes up with more of them, and that he manages to sustain them over several volumes. For example, in First Among Sequels, we are introduced to Britain's "stupidity surplus." The ruling Common Sense party has been acting with such probity and pragmatism that the country is in danger of a huge explosion of stupidity if something isn't done soon. What for another author would be a disposable one-liner becomes a robust plot thread for Fforde. (This is not to say there are no throw-aways in Fforde; there are plenty, which is sometimes disconcerting.)
As with many multi-volume series, the first novel displays the most energy and originality, and the subsequent ones all have some rough or dull spots. But there's typically enough ingenuity and suspense to carry you through; in particular, First Among Sequels offers plenty of outlandish ideas, essential paradoxes, and urgent mysteries to keep your left brain busy while your right brain follows the occasionally lagging story.
What's amazing about the Thursday Next novels is not that Fforde has come up with conceits like these, but that he continually comes up with more of them, and that he manages to sustain them over several volumes. For example, in First Among Sequels, we are introduced to Britain's "stupidity surplus." The ruling Common Sense party has been acting with such probity and pragmatism that the country is in danger of a huge explosion of stupidity if something isn't done soon. What for another author would be a disposable one-liner becomes a robust plot thread for Fforde. (This is not to say there are no throw-aways in Fforde; there are plenty, which is sometimes disconcerting.)
As with many multi-volume series, the first novel displays the most energy and originality, and the subsequent ones all have some rough or dull spots. But there's typically enough ingenuity and suspense to carry you through; in particular, First Among Sequels offers plenty of outlandish ideas, essential paradoxes, and urgent mysteries to keep your left brain busy while your right brain follows the occasionally lagging story.
Filed in: Books
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
How to discuss this book without giving something away?
Only in the most general terms.
So: chock full of action, suspense--as hard to put down as any previous volume--with a highly satisfactory climax and conclusion. Significant questions are answered. Of course one is never glad that a beloved series is over, but at least there is no sense of having been cheated.
Highly recommended for Harry Potter fans. Non-Harry Potter fans couldn't care less anyhow.
Only in the most general terms.
So: chock full of action, suspense--as hard to put down as any previous volume--with a highly satisfactory climax and conclusion. Significant questions are answered. Of course one is never glad that a beloved series is over, but at least there is no sense of having been cheated.
Highly recommended for Harry Potter fans. Non-Harry Potter fans couldn't care less anyhow.
Filed in: Books
Sicko
The word is out, I think, that this is probably Michael Moore's best movie, largely because he's largely absent from it. We didn't plan to see Sicko last week, but the Harry Potter screenings were all sold out, and it was a hot, humid evening, so we were determined to see something.
We expected to see a film that told us what we already knew (i.e., the US health system really sucks--not enough people have insurance), but the actual focus turned out to be on people with health insurance rather than without, and the impact of the individual stories of sick and injured people whose claims had been denied was enormous. In contrast, Moore shows us satisfied customers of the Canadian, British, and French health systems, and in the movie's sole stunt, carts a bunch of 9/11 workers with health issues to Cuba for treatment.
The stunt is the least successful part of the movie (while Moore says, on camera, "just treat us like you would treat anybody else," who's going to "act natural" with a camera running and a celebrity watching?)
Still, very much worth seeing: eye-opening with regard to the venality of insurance companies and the shabby way we treat the sick in this country.
We expected to see a film that told us what we already knew (i.e., the US health system really sucks--not enough people have insurance), but the actual focus turned out to be on people with health insurance rather than without, and the impact of the individual stories of sick and injured people whose claims had been denied was enormous. In contrast, Moore shows us satisfied customers of the Canadian, British, and French health systems, and in the movie's sole stunt, carts a bunch of 9/11 workers with health issues to Cuba for treatment.
The stunt is the least successful part of the movie (while Moore says, on camera, "just treat us like you would treat anybody else," who's going to "act natural" with a camera running and a celebrity watching?)
Still, very much worth seeing: eye-opening with regard to the venality of insurance companies and the shabby way we treat the sick in this country.
Filed in: Movies
Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry?
Elizabeth McCracken, author of two fine novels (The Giant's House and Niagara Falls All Over Again), first brought out this collection of short stories in 1993. Like her novels, the stories could easily be called charming and quirky; they typically center on people who--when they love--love for good; the stories also spend a lot of time considering guilelessness.
Apparent guilelessness is in part what gives the stories their charm: stories like "The Goings-On of the World," in which the second sentence reads, "One morning in the last week of May, I got up, got dressed, and killed my wife." You have to read it a few times to make sure you read right. Another, one of my favorites, "Some Have Entertained Angels, Unaware," begins, "My parents were not handy people." From that simple beginning sprouts a story of love, grief, abandonment, love, survival, and love again.
Highly recommended.
Apparent guilelessness is in part what gives the stories their charm: stories like "The Goings-On of the World," in which the second sentence reads, "One morning in the last week of May, I got up, got dressed, and killed my wife." You have to read it a few times to make sure you read right. Another, one of my favorites, "Some Have Entertained Angels, Unaware," begins, "My parents were not handy people." From that simple beginning sprouts a story of love, grief, abandonment, love, survival, and love again.
Highly recommended.
Filed in: Books
27 July 2007
Animals in Translation
I have mixed feelings about this book, which is perhaps appropriate as it is itself a mix--of personal memoir, professional mea culpa, behavioral reference, and (perhaps primarily) anecdote collection. It is written by Temple Grandin, a high-functioning person with autism who became much better known when Oliver Sacks wrote about her in An Anthropologist on Mars.
Grandin has a Ph.D. in Animal Science, and has spent her professional career designing humane(r) slaughter facilities for cattle, pigs, and sheep. Animals in Translation presents the lessons she's learned about animal behavior filtered through her unique perspective as an autistic person; she believes that the way autistic people think and the way animals think are very similar.
The book offers many compelling insights. Grandin talks about how animals don't generalize the way typical humans do--an animal once traumatized by a man in a black hat may forever rear at the sight of a black hat; a cow can be stopped in its tracks by a shiny reflection. They're attentive to details because they don't have a sense of the whole--or at least not as easily as typical humans do.
In spite of some interesting points, the book's idiosyncratic, circular, and often redundant style put a damper on my enjoyment of it. There's little distinction between conclusions drawn from anecdote, scientific research, or personal experience--all are given equal weight. The old saw about essay writing ("Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them") is adhered to rather too literally: a paragraph introduces an idea including its conclusion, comes to a conclusion, and then affirms that conclusion (often with a not very persuasive, "That's my guess" or "I've seen this again and again."). Animals in Translation does have a co-author, but either that co-author was asleep at the wheel or she's simply a poor writer/editor.
Worth reading? Sure. But the reading can start to feel like trudging after a while.
Grandin has a Ph.D. in Animal Science, and has spent her professional career designing humane(r) slaughter facilities for cattle, pigs, and sheep. Animals in Translation presents the lessons she's learned about animal behavior filtered through her unique perspective as an autistic person; she believes that the way autistic people think and the way animals think are very similar.
The book offers many compelling insights. Grandin talks about how animals don't generalize the way typical humans do--an animal once traumatized by a man in a black hat may forever rear at the sight of a black hat; a cow can be stopped in its tracks by a shiny reflection. They're attentive to details because they don't have a sense of the whole--or at least not as easily as typical humans do.
In spite of some interesting points, the book's idiosyncratic, circular, and often redundant style put a damper on my enjoyment of it. There's little distinction between conclusions drawn from anecdote, scientific research, or personal experience--all are given equal weight. The old saw about essay writing ("Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them") is adhered to rather too literally: a paragraph introduces an idea including its conclusion, comes to a conclusion, and then affirms that conclusion (often with a not very persuasive, "That's my guess" or "I've seen this again and again."). Animals in Translation does have a co-author, but either that co-author was asleep at the wheel or she's simply a poor writer/editor.
Worth reading? Sure. But the reading can start to feel like trudging after a while.
Filed in: Books
25 July 2007
My Best Friend
It's movie pass week. This new French movie stars Daniel Auteuil as an antique dealer who's made to realize he has plenty of business contacts but not a single friend. (In the words of one old classmate, since the age of 11 he has been a "smug son of a bitch.")
After a bet with his business partner (she has to meet his best friend in 10 days), he engages an amiable taxi driver (Dany Boon) to teach him how to make friendly connections. The driver's lessons fail, but the antique dealer ends up friends with the taxi driver. Then the dealer betrays the friendship because he still doesn't really understand what friendship is and loses the friend. Then he sincerely repents, secretly makes amends, and eventually he and his friend reconcile. In the process he has become a much better person, and everybody likes him.
Have we heard this story before? Yes. Is it pretty predictable? Yes. Is it still fun to watch? Absolutely. Terrific performances and details that are not entirely expected (the cab driver is an autodidact with complete mastery of the sort of trivia featured on quiz shows) make this movie continuously entertaining, and in spite of the familiar story, it provides some acute observations that make you think about the nature of friendship and its relative scarcity.
Not to mention deeply thankful to have friends.
After a bet with his business partner (she has to meet his best friend in 10 days), he engages an amiable taxi driver (Dany Boon) to teach him how to make friendly connections. The driver's lessons fail, but the antique dealer ends up friends with the taxi driver. Then the dealer betrays the friendship because he still doesn't really understand what friendship is and loses the friend. Then he sincerely repents, secretly makes amends, and eventually he and his friend reconcile. In the process he has become a much better person, and everybody likes him.
Have we heard this story before? Yes. Is it pretty predictable? Yes. Is it still fun to watch? Absolutely. Terrific performances and details that are not entirely expected (the cab driver is an autodidact with complete mastery of the sort of trivia featured on quiz shows) make this movie continuously entertaining, and in spite of the familiar story, it provides some acute observations that make you think about the nature of friendship and its relative scarcity.
Not to mention deeply thankful to have friends.
Filed in: Movies
23 July 2007
Stardust
Got a pass to see a screening of this new movie, which turned out to be better than I expected: a light-hearted fairy tale with a little romance, a little adventure, a little magic, and so on. One surprise was how funny it was--you're expecting an earnest little "happily ever after" story, and then Michelle Pfeiffer's witch is watching her breasts deflate (the result of too much hexing), and Ricky Gervais is trying to weasel his way out of paying a fair price for a shipment of lightning, and Robert DeNiro's pirate captain is happiest in drag.
Fun escapist fare, with some lovely evocations of the magical world.
Fun escapist fare, with some lovely evocations of the magical world.
Filed in: Movies
Pan's Labyrinth
Although some parts of this movie were so violent that I could not watch (particularly scenes of torture), it was quite wonderful. Still not entirely clear on what it is trying to say--you want to find an affirming lesson about the power of imagination or somesuch, but the ending of the movie rather contradicts that. Still, the human (or humane) spirit shines very brightly in this dark tale, and that's what makes the violence bearable in the end.
Filed in: Movies
21 July 2007
Curiosity: the Anti-Depression Emotion
I have been reading Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation and she spends a lot of time talking about emotions, particularly emotions shared by people and animals. She discusses curiosity as an emotion. I had never thought of curiosity as an emotion, but I guess it is, as she describes it: a sense of excitement and anticipation about the things around you.
Which strikes me as the opposite of depression, and part of why going for a walk or drive, or taking a trip, can help a person shake the blues.
Just as I thought: you can run away from your problems.
Which strikes me as the opposite of depression, and part of why going for a walk or drive, or taking a trip, can help a person shake the blues.
Just as I thought: you can run away from your problems.
Filed in: Thinking
20 July 2007
Houseplant Survey
Our plants don't do as well in this apartment as they used to in our house in Columbus, even though we have a lot more light here. Of course, we have different plants here, ones that are supposed to be suited to higher light levels. They survive, but not very well. In a way, it would be easier if they didn't stay alive (it's easier to discard a dead plant than a struggling one). Two big ones have been especially bothering me lately; it's hard to think of replacing them, because large plants are expensive. Two smaller leafy plants keep growing but just don't seem that healthy--the leaves quickly brown, or the plants get spindly instead of bushy. Maybe they're rootbound? It's been a couple of years since they were transplanted...
In the warm weather, when it's cheaper, I try to have a lot of cut flowers. Jewel always has a special--three bunches for $12, and during the warm season the bunches can be pretty nice. Treasure Island usually has one kind of flower on special at a time--say, $5.99 for a big bunch of sunflowers--but everything else is really expensive.
I have also been buying small flowering plants, which are pretty inexpensive right now. Little $3 mini-rose plants are cheaper than a bouquet and can last longer. Found some small succulents ($4.99 each) at Trader Joe's which seem to be doing well on our east-facing window sills. Splurged on a live orchid about a week ago, and so far it seems to be doing well (I figure if the bloom lasts four weeks I'll have gotten my money's worth).
Victor's mom is coming next week and she's really good with plants, so maybe we'll go plant shopping together. When they're healthy, plants make a home so happy!
In the warm weather, when it's cheaper, I try to have a lot of cut flowers. Jewel always has a special--three bunches for $12, and during the warm season the bunches can be pretty nice. Treasure Island usually has one kind of flower on special at a time--say, $5.99 for a big bunch of sunflowers--but everything else is really expensive.
I have also been buying small flowering plants, which are pretty inexpensive right now. Little $3 mini-rose plants are cheaper than a bouquet and can last longer. Found some small succulents ($4.99 each) at Trader Joe's which seem to be doing well on our east-facing window sills. Splurged on a live orchid about a week ago, and so far it seems to be doing well (I figure if the bloom lasts four weeks I'll have gotten my money's worth).
Victor's mom is coming next week and she's really good with plants, so maybe we'll go plant shopping together. When they're healthy, plants make a home so happy!
Filed in: Home
19 July 2007
Talk to Me
Our friend Teresa invited me to go see this movie with her at the last minute, and Victor rushed from work to join us.
It was terrific. Great performances, especially by Don Cheadle and Taraji P. Henson, who I remembered from Hustle and Flow. Great evocation of times past. We loved it.
Later, Victor said, "I thought it was going to be an Almodovar movie." I said, "No, that's Talk to Her."
It was terrific. Great performances, especially by Don Cheadle and Taraji P. Henson, who I remembered from Hustle and Flow. Great evocation of times past. We loved it.
Later, Victor said, "I thought it was going to be an Almodovar movie." I said, "No, that's Talk to Her."
Filed in: Movies
13 July 2007
Baryshnikov and Hell's Kitchen Dance
We've seen Baryshnikov only a couple of times before: in 2003, at a benefit performance in Columbus, Ohio, and in 2004 in a staged interview as part of the New Yorker Festival. This time, he was performing with his dance troupe, Hell's Kitchen Dance, in Chicago's Harris Theater, and he and they were phenomenal.
All three dances included Baryshnikov. The first dance was a solo--or sort of a duet with himself--video of a very young Baryshnikov was projected on the back wall and he danced in relation to it. It was so moving, somehow. I found myself weeping without knowing why.
The next dance also included two young female dancers. After an intermission, there was a performance that included the whole troupe. The choreography was splendid--thrilling and imaginative. Lots of arms and hands, heads--not just legs and jumping up and down. (Though there were plenty of leaps and pirouettes.)
What's great about Baryshnikov? Presence and grace. When he's on stage, he's just magnetic. You can't take your eyes off him. And when he moves, he's like liquid. He flows.
All three dances included Baryshnikov. The first dance was a solo--or sort of a duet with himself--video of a very young Baryshnikov was projected on the back wall and he danced in relation to it. It was so moving, somehow. I found myself weeping without knowing why.
The next dance also included two young female dancers. After an intermission, there was a performance that included the whole troupe. The choreography was splendid--thrilling and imaginative. Lots of arms and hands, heads--not just legs and jumping up and down. (Though there were plenty of leaps and pirouettes.)
What's great about Baryshnikov? Presence and grace. When he's on stage, he's just magnetic. You can't take your eyes off him. And when he moves, he's like liquid. He flows.
Filed in: Dance
12 July 2007
Guardian
11 July 2007
Three Junes
This is a wonderful novel, told in three novellas from different perspectives: a father, his eldest son, and a woman who turns out to be, coincidentally, an acquaintance of both of them. It is beautifully written, and one of those books about which the question "what's it about?" is irrelevant, because it's about life.
Filed in: Books
The Foreign Correspondent
Alan Furst is a favorite writer of mine; for what he does, he can do no wrong. And what he does is write espionage thrillers that take place in Europe on the cusp of World War 2. These stories have heroes who typically never planned to have anything to do with politics, who would have been happy to sit out the war in Tahiti (ideally with a warm blonde), but whom circumstances have forced into engagement against the forces of fascism.
Basically, they're ordinary people who get mixed up with spies, and end up becoming spies themselves, or helping spies, which amounts to the same thing.
The great thing about these heroes is they seem ordinary and peaceful enough that you can really imagine yourself in their shoes; when the daring missions ensue, you've identified with them so much that you can convincingly flatter yourself you'd have done the same.
Furst writes simply and well, and while you could complain that his several novels tell essentially the same story again and again, that's hardly surprising. This is popular fiction at its best, but it remains popular fiction.
This latest novel centers on an Italian Reuters correspondent living in Paris just before Mussolini and Hitler cement their alliance. He works for an emigre newspaper, writing anonymous articles against Mussolini's government, but his relatively placid existence is disturbed when the Italian fascist secret service sets out to terrorize everyone involved with the newspaper.
A great read for the train or when you just feel like an escape.
Basically, they're ordinary people who get mixed up with spies, and end up becoming spies themselves, or helping spies, which amounts to the same thing.
The great thing about these heroes is they seem ordinary and peaceful enough that you can really imagine yourself in their shoes; when the daring missions ensue, you've identified with them so much that you can convincingly flatter yourself you'd have done the same.
Furst writes simply and well, and while you could complain that his several novels tell essentially the same story again and again, that's hardly surprising. This is popular fiction at its best, but it remains popular fiction.
This latest novel centers on an Italian Reuters correspondent living in Paris just before Mussolini and Hitler cement their alliance. He works for an emigre newspaper, writing anonymous articles against Mussolini's government, but his relatively placid existence is disturbed when the Italian fascist secret service sets out to terrorize everyone involved with the newspaper.
A great read for the train or when you just feel like an escape.
Filed in: Books
You Kill Me
We haven't been excited about too many movies lately. Spiderman 3, which we might have otherwise been eager about, got terrible press, and none of the other sequels seemed too interesting.
So this movie seemed promising: Ben Kingsley who is always wonderful, likable Tea Leoni, and super-likable Luke Wilson. Not to mention terrifically slimy Bill Pullman, amusingly long-suffering Philip Baker Hall, etc. (It really doesn't end there--it's a fabulous cast.)
However. Actually there is no "however," to our great surprise. We went to this movie hopeful, but with dimmed expectations, since it wouldn't be the first time a movie with a great cast turned out rotten. But this movie was almost exactly what we'd hoped for: a reasonably adult and intelligent black comedy, with some juicy performances and good laughs. It has nothing profound to say about love, addiction, crime, or anything else, but it says nothing insultingly stupid about them either.
I feel like I'm saying the best thing about this movie is its inoffensiveness, but that's not what I mean to convey; rather, this movie is exactly what it ought to be, which isn't as common as it should be, and which gives considerable pleasure.
So this movie seemed promising: Ben Kingsley who is always wonderful, likable Tea Leoni, and super-likable Luke Wilson. Not to mention terrifically slimy Bill Pullman, amusingly long-suffering Philip Baker Hall, etc. (It really doesn't end there--it's a fabulous cast.)
However. Actually there is no "however," to our great surprise. We went to this movie hopeful, but with dimmed expectations, since it wouldn't be the first time a movie with a great cast turned out rotten. But this movie was almost exactly what we'd hoped for: a reasonably adult and intelligent black comedy, with some juicy performances and good laughs. It has nothing profound to say about love, addiction, crime, or anything else, but it says nothing insultingly stupid about them either.
I feel like I'm saying the best thing about this movie is its inoffensiveness, but that's not what I mean to convey; rather, this movie is exactly what it ought to be, which isn't as common as it should be, and which gives considerable pleasure.
Filed in: Movies
10 July 2007
Unpronounceable
We went with friends the other night to see Kumail Nanjiani's one-man show Unpronounceable at the Lakeshore Theater. It was our first time in that theater, although it is only a couple of blocks from our apartment. A pleasant enough venue, except they play music ridiculously loud while you are waiting for the show to start, so you can't carry on a conversation. Very irritating.
The show was good, though. Nanjiani highlights a lot of the startling inconsistencies you notice when you've been brought up as a fundamentalist, and then traces his own journey from fundamentalism to atheism. Quite funny, as well. You certainly don't have to be Muslim to appreciate it. In fact, it's quite possibly better if you're not.
The show was good, though. Nanjiani highlights a lot of the startling inconsistencies you notice when you've been brought up as a fundamentalist, and then traces his own journey from fundamentalism to atheism. Quite funny, as well. You certainly don't have to be Muslim to appreciate it. In fact, it's quite possibly better if you're not.
Filed in: Theater
Spartan
Victor was iffy about this movie because Val Kilmer stars in it, and he's been in a lot of bad stuff. But I tend to remember the good stuff he's been in--Tombstone, Thunderheart--and don't so much hold the bad stuff against him.
Indeed, Spartan is not a bad movie. It's not a great movie, either, but that's not Kilmer's fault. He tries.
The movie is written and directed by David Mamet, who I like, but I wonder whether the trademark delivery of lines--the repetitions, the emphases, the repressed violence--might work better in a story about repressed violence. This movie incorporates so much actual violence that the stylized dialogue seems to almost mock the seriousness of the events, making the movie harder to believe in.
Indeed, Spartan is not a bad movie. It's not a great movie, either, but that's not Kilmer's fault. He tries.
The movie is written and directed by David Mamet, who I like, but I wonder whether the trademark delivery of lines--the repetitions, the emphases, the repressed violence--might work better in a story about repressed violence. This movie incorporates so much actual violence that the stylized dialogue seems to almost mock the seriousness of the events, making the movie harder to believe in.
Filed in: Movies
09 July 2007
Hair
I first saw this movie when it came out, which was 1979, so I was 14 years old. It made a huge impression on me then--the amazing colors, the great music, and Twyla Tharp's choreography. It mostly took place in my city, New York, in Central Park and Washington Square Park, so I guess I felt a special identification for that reason as well.
When you're 14, you think everything's about you.
More than 25 years later, the movie holds up pretty well. You have to suspend a bit of disbelief to see 28-year-old Beverly D'Angelo as a 16 year old (Treat Williams also looks a lot older than he should be), but the color still looks great, the music is still wonderful, and the choreography is still invigorating. Moreover, even though many of the songs became so popular they are cliches now (especially "Aquarius" and "Let the Sun Shine In"), in the context of the film they remain profoundly moving.
I was crying at the end even though I knew what was going to happen, even though I'm sick of that song, even though I was internally criticizing the film's logic (the gravestone should have said Bukowski, not Berger, since Berger took Bukowski's place). And just as my 14-year-old self gazed wistfully at the joyful scenes of protest on the Washington Mall, I wished I'd been there then.
When you're 14, you think everything's about you.
More than 25 years later, the movie holds up pretty well. You have to suspend a bit of disbelief to see 28-year-old Beverly D'Angelo as a 16 year old (Treat Williams also looks a lot older than he should be), but the color still looks great, the music is still wonderful, and the choreography is still invigorating. Moreover, even though many of the songs became so popular they are cliches now (especially "Aquarius" and "Let the Sun Shine In"), in the context of the film they remain profoundly moving.
I was crying at the end even though I knew what was going to happen, even though I'm sick of that song, even though I was internally criticizing the film's logic (the gravestone should have said Bukowski, not Berger, since Berger took Bukowski's place). And just as my 14-year-old self gazed wistfully at the joyful scenes of protest on the Washington Mall, I wished I'd been there then.
Filed in: Movies
Hurlyburly
Just terrible. We couldn't watch it straight through; skimmed it using the DVD player. If there is anything redeeming about this movie, which follows a year or two in the lives of a handful of shallow LA professionals, we couldn't find it. The great cast does it no good at all.
Nasty and vapid.
Nasty and vapid.
Filed in: Movies
500 Clown Frankenstein
After enjoying 500 Clown Macbeth so much, we got some friends together to see 500 Clown Frankenstein, also at Steppenwolf, the other night. It was a good show, but not as tight and well-composed as Macbeth. The three clowns telling the Frankenstein story all try to avoid portraying the monster (an understandably thankless job).
Regardless of its shortcomings, the show is highly entertaining; it more deeply engages with the audience than Macbeth, with multiple chases through empty and populated rows of seats, and audience members enjoined to torment the monster as it attempts to escape its fate. As with Macbeth, the clowns succeed in conveying the major themes of Mary Shelley's novel in spite of their narrative incompetence.
One key difference from the other show is that here nobody wants to be something (the monster), while in Macbeth, everybody wants to be something (king). Perhaps it is more inherently compelling to watch characters vie with each other for something they want than watch them try to avoid something they don't want.
Regardless of its shortcomings, the show is highly entertaining; it more deeply engages with the audience than Macbeth, with multiple chases through empty and populated rows of seats, and audience members enjoined to torment the monster as it attempts to escape its fate. As with Macbeth, the clowns succeed in conveying the major themes of Mary Shelley's novel in spite of their narrative incompetence.
One key difference from the other show is that here nobody wants to be something (the monster), while in Macbeth, everybody wants to be something (king). Perhaps it is more inherently compelling to watch characters vie with each other for something they want than watch them try to avoid something they don't want.
Filed in: Theater
A Summer Affair
I have had a couple of books by Ivan Klima on my shelf for years, and finally got around to reading one. Sort of. After a while, I skimmed it. Here's a synopsis: middle-aged man, bored with family life, insecure about his professional accomplishments, encounters attractive younger woman, becomes obsessed with her, they have an affair, he destroys his family and career to be with her, and she kills herself.
See why I skimmed it? Not only have I read this story before, but I don't think I ever want to read it again...
This book goes on the giveaway pile.
See why I skimmed it? Not only have I read this story before, but I don't think I ever want to read it again...
This book goes on the giveaway pile.
Filed in: Books
06 July 2007
Instant Smiles on Michigan
What's cuter than a couple of furry handpuppets? How about furry handpuppets dancing? How about furry handpuppets swing-dancing? How about furry handpuppets swing-dancing to "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens"?
If you think of something, let me know. In the meantime, check out the Puppet Bike, which generally hangs out opposite the Art Institute, or this YouTube video (there are several others), and add some smiles to your day.
If you think of something, let me know. In the meantime, check out the Puppet Bike, which generally hangs out opposite the Art Institute, or this YouTube video (there are several others), and add some smiles to your day.
Filed in: Chicago
Earthsong
I'm a big science fiction fan, but picky, and slow to find new authors. Once I find one I like, I hunt down everything I can find. That's why I was stunned, last time I was in the wonderful Women and Children First bookstore, to find this book.
Suzette Haden Elgin is a linguist as well as a novelist, and her books Native Tongue and The Judas Rose reflect that study. In these books Elgin describes a future world where women are oppressed to the extent that they are only valued for the children they can bear and for their surprising linguistic talents--needed to communicate with the technology-rich aliens who have come to trade with the people of Earth. These two books chart the women's realization that creating their own language would essentially create a new reality; ultimately the invention of Laadan enables the women to get a degree of independence from their men.
In the third book, Earth Song, which was published in 1994, but which I only discovered last month, the planet is facing catastrophe because the aliens, who were responsible for Earth's tremendous technological advancement, have abruptly departed. They have left their gadgets behind, but nobody understands how they work, and they are bound to start falling apart. Entire economies that had been based on trade with the aliens are shattered. Nobody understands why the aliens have left.
This novel speculates on the "inevitability" of human violence in some very entertaining ways. It is perhaps not as cohesive as the first two books, but it was lovely to be back in the world of a very thoughtful and interesting writer.
Suzette Haden Elgin is a linguist as well as a novelist, and her books Native Tongue and The Judas Rose reflect that study. In these books Elgin describes a future world where women are oppressed to the extent that they are only valued for the children they can bear and for their surprising linguistic talents--needed to communicate with the technology-rich aliens who have come to trade with the people of Earth. These two books chart the women's realization that creating their own language would essentially create a new reality; ultimately the invention of Laadan enables the women to get a degree of independence from their men.
In the third book, Earth Song, which was published in 1994, but which I only discovered last month, the planet is facing catastrophe because the aliens, who were responsible for Earth's tremendous technological advancement, have abruptly departed. They have left their gadgets behind, but nobody understands how they work, and they are bound to start falling apart. Entire economies that had been based on trade with the aliens are shattered. Nobody understands why the aliens have left.
This novel speculates on the "inevitability" of human violence in some very entertaining ways. It is perhaps not as cohesive as the first two books, but it was lovely to be back in the world of a very thoughtful and interesting writer.
Filed in: Books
05 July 2007
Becket
Talking with my friend Ellen recently, she brought up this movie, which I thought I had seen, but realized I may have been mixing up with A Man for All Seasons, which has similar themes. So I added it to my Netflix list and nudged it up the queue, and Victor and I watched it last night.
They sure don't make movies like this anymore. Based on the play by Jean Anouilh, it is a lot more verbose than anything contemporary, providing the actors with some really meaty speeches. Which both stars, Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole, are very good at performing.
The homoerotic subtext--really subplot, since there was nothing particularly hidden about it--makes parts of the movie seem a bit campy today and it's pretty long, at about two and a half hours; however, Burton's performance is a standout. Any impatience disappears when he's on screen.
Worth seeing? Yes. But I'm not sure it would be worth seeing again.
They sure don't make movies like this anymore. Based on the play by Jean Anouilh, it is a lot more verbose than anything contemporary, providing the actors with some really meaty speeches. Which both stars, Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole, are very good at performing.
The homoerotic subtext--really subplot, since there was nothing particularly hidden about it--makes parts of the movie seem a bit campy today and it's pretty long, at about two and a half hours; however, Burton's performance is a standout. Any impatience disappears when he's on screen.
Worth seeing? Yes. But I'm not sure it would be worth seeing again.
Filed in: Movies
High School
I had a miserable time in high school. Not during the high school years--because I was lucky enough to have access to other social spheres where I didn't feel like quite such an outcast--but in high school itself I felt fortunate if I had a single friend at a time. I was a member of no clique; the most fun I had in high school was in class. It is certain of my teachers who I remember with the most fondness.
That tells you something.
So I've not gone to any of the high school reunions, not the 10th, 15th, 20th, or (most recently) 25th; I could never imagine what I would have to say to these people. But this year's reunion was capped by the start of a Yahoo group, which I joined out of curiosity. And soon became rather addicted. The brief bios, musings, and reminiscences of those who had been among the most popular of my year interested me because they seemed actually like pretty nice, thoughtful, intelligent adults. (Not at all as I had remembered them.) I started to wonder what defect in me had made me feel so separate from these folks in high school. I felt excluded, but maybe I had excluded myself.
When I shared this thought with Victor, he issued a swift corrective: high school students are stupid. Don't be so hard on yourself.
And then I ventured to the Photos section of the Yahoo group where someone had posted photos from back then and the sight of a few of those young faces gave me a nearly physical reaction. And I thought how lurking on the Yahoo group, I was an outsider all over again. I had nothing to reminisce about with these people. Their memories were very different from mine. The bittersweetness of nostalgia had become much more bitter than sweet.
So I unsubscribed. The class of '82 can manage without me.
That tells you something.
So I've not gone to any of the high school reunions, not the 10th, 15th, 20th, or (most recently) 25th; I could never imagine what I would have to say to these people. But this year's reunion was capped by the start of a Yahoo group, which I joined out of curiosity. And soon became rather addicted. The brief bios, musings, and reminiscences of those who had been among the most popular of my year interested me because they seemed actually like pretty nice, thoughtful, intelligent adults. (Not at all as I had remembered them.) I started to wonder what defect in me had made me feel so separate from these folks in high school. I felt excluded, but maybe I had excluded myself.
When I shared this thought with Victor, he issued a swift corrective: high school students are stupid. Don't be so hard on yourself.
And then I ventured to the Photos section of the Yahoo group where someone had posted photos from back then and the sight of a few of those young faces gave me a nearly physical reaction. And I thought how lurking on the Yahoo group, I was an outsider all over again. I had nothing to reminisce about with these people. Their memories were very different from mine. The bittersweetness of nostalgia had become much more bitter than sweet.
So I unsubscribed. The class of '82 can manage without me.
Filed in: Thinking
03 July 2007
Throw Like a Girl
I am not sure I have ever done this before: read a review in the New York Times Book Review and then ordered the book. Certainly I've bought books I've heard good things about, but usually there's more of a delay between the hearing about and the buying.
I find the stories in this book not just good, but inspiring. And soon will be off to find every other book that Jean Thompson ever wrote...
I find the stories in this book not just good, but inspiring. And soon will be off to find every other book that Jean Thompson ever wrote...
Filed in: Books
29 June 2007
Published!
A picture from our fall 2006 stay in London (hover your mouse over the Regents' Park thumbnail).
Don't remember whether Victor or I took this picture; the camera changed hands rapidly that day.
Don't remember whether Victor or I took this picture; the camera changed hands rapidly that day.
Filed in: Travel
The Aviator
Well, I enjoyed learning about Howard Hughes, about whom I knew almost nothing, but I found this a very strange movie--all shiny surfaces and not terribly pleasant to watch. A lapse for Scorcese, I think. More like a DePalma movie in its fascination with surfaces.
And I didn't know what to think of Cate Blanchett's impersonation of Katherine Hepburn. I can't remember when I've seen anything so odd. And why doesn't anybody in this movie visibly age (the story covers about 20 years)?
And I didn't know what to think of Cate Blanchett's impersonation of Katherine Hepburn. I can't remember when I've seen anything so odd. And why doesn't anybody in this movie visibly age (the story covers about 20 years)?
Filed in: Movies
28 June 2007
Sunshine
Istvan Szabo is one of my favorite directors. His most famous movie is probably Mephisto, which won the best foreign film Oscar in 1982. Last night I saw Sunshine, which I have seen before, but so long ago that I no longer remembered the details (a great time to watch a good movie again). After some Internet searching I find that this epic story of four generations of the Sonnenschein family used elements from the lives of several prominent Hungarian Jews, including George Soros and a post-WW1 fencing champion named Attila Petschauer, who died in a Ukrainian labor camp during WW2.
Ralph Fiennes plays three of the major characters: a young lawyer who becomes a prominent judge under the Austro-Hungarian empire (he changes his name from Sonnenschein to the more Hungarian-sounding Sors to advance in his career), his son the fencing champion (he converts to Catholicism in order to be able to compete with the best fencers), and the fencing champion's son (the film's narrator), who survives seeing his father tortured and killed in a concentration camp. Fiennes does a phenomenal job. Certainly you can't forget that the same guy is playing three characters, but he makes those characters distinct enough that you don't feel like it's a gimmick--rather, you feel there's a strong family resemblance.
Great performances also from Jennifer Ehle, who plays the narrator's grandmother, Valerie, as a younger woman, and Rosemary Harris (Ehle's mother in real life) who plays Valerie as an older woman--a character who seems to have survived all the great events of history unscathed.
At three hours, it's a long movie, but it covers about a hundred years. Regardless of length, it's one of those movies that completely absorbs you, that you live in for days afterward. All movies should be like this.
Ralph Fiennes plays three of the major characters: a young lawyer who becomes a prominent judge under the Austro-Hungarian empire (he changes his name from Sonnenschein to the more Hungarian-sounding Sors to advance in his career), his son the fencing champion (he converts to Catholicism in order to be able to compete with the best fencers), and the fencing champion's son (the film's narrator), who survives seeing his father tortured and killed in a concentration camp. Fiennes does a phenomenal job. Certainly you can't forget that the same guy is playing three characters, but he makes those characters distinct enough that you don't feel like it's a gimmick--rather, you feel there's a strong family resemblance.
Great performances also from Jennifer Ehle, who plays the narrator's grandmother, Valerie, as a younger woman, and Rosemary Harris (Ehle's mother in real life) who plays Valerie as an older woman--a character who seems to have survived all the great events of history unscathed.
At three hours, it's a long movie, but it covers about a hundred years. Regardless of length, it's one of those movies that completely absorbs you, that you live in for days afterward. All movies should be like this.
Filed in: Movies
27 June 2007
Gibberish 101
In class yesterday we learned about gibberish. You would think there is not much to learn about gibberish--just open your vocal chords and flap your lips--but in fact it is not so simple. Compelling gibberish must be backed by emotion, and ideally you have meaningful phrases in mind as you utter meaningless ones. You might want your gibberish to sound like a particular foreign language; certainly you want to appear in all other respects to be saying meaningful things.
There is something liberating about spouting gibberish but like all things in improv, what seems like complete freedom works better when you throw some structure around it (e.g., specific emotion and mental translation). Otherwise after a while you feel lost: emoting hard, but not getting anywhere.
Today, though, out shopping, I found myself singing (softly) in gibberish, and there was nothing lost about it. Just delightful. I suppose it's like scat singing: the music is itself the structure.
There is something liberating about spouting gibberish but like all things in improv, what seems like complete freedom works better when you throw some structure around it (e.g., specific emotion and mental translation). Otherwise after a while you feel lost: emoting hard, but not getting anywhere.
Today, though, out shopping, I found myself singing (softly) in gibberish, and there was nothing lost about it. Just delightful. I suppose it's like scat singing: the music is itself the structure.
Filed in: Thinking
26 June 2007
The Accidental
This novel by Ali Smith was an interesting read about what happens to a family when a stranger walks in the door and weaves herself into their lives. At first different family members assume Amber, or Alhambra, is connected to someone else in the family, but by the time they figure out their assumption is incorrect, she's embedded.
I enjoyed the characterizations of the two adolescent children, but was not entirely persuaded by the characterizations of the adults. Some of the incidents seemed like the author was trying too hard to make a nice metaphor real. Still, it was a good read.
I enjoyed the characterizations of the two adolescent children, but was not entirely persuaded by the characterizations of the adults. Some of the incidents seemed like the author was trying too hard to make a nice metaphor real. Still, it was a good read.
Filed in: Books
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Victor was tired of all the super-serious stuff we've been getting on Netflix lately, so I shuffled our list a bit and brought Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to the top.
It turned out to be quite a disappointment. The brouhaha about the tremendous CGI achievements in this movie would be more persuasive if the script was less pedestrian. As it is, the actors may as well have been computer generated also.
Looking cool is not enough.
It turned out to be quite a disappointment. The brouhaha about the tremendous CGI achievements in this movie would be more persuasive if the script was less pedestrian. As it is, the actors may as well have been computer generated also.
Looking cool is not enough.
Filed in: Movies
20 June 2007
Strange Thing
So I was walking down Clark Street, on the way to my Second City class, when a big wind starts, and I catch with the corner of my eye something dark moving from up-left to down-right. Is it a bird? A big-old bug? I look down to my right, which happens to be an apartment house driveway, and see a single black leather glove.
I look up to my left, where there are some spindly trees. And I wonder. Was this glove stuck in a tree half the winter, and then the big wind finally blows it out just now? How would a glove have gotten up in the tree (definitely too spindly to be climbable)?
A mystery.
Of course, I could be completely mistaken: it was a bird or a bug (or a leaf?) that headed off faster than I could catch, but by coincidence, someone dropped a glove as they were getting out of a cab in that driveway, and so the glove happened to be there when I looked in that direction.
Only, who wears leather gloves on a 80 F June day?
Still: a mystery.
I look up to my left, where there are some spindly trees. And I wonder. Was this glove stuck in a tree half the winter, and then the big wind finally blows it out just now? How would a glove have gotten up in the tree (definitely too spindly to be climbable)?
A mystery.
Of course, I could be completely mistaken: it was a bird or a bug (or a leaf?) that headed off faster than I could catch, but by coincidence, someone dropped a glove as they were getting out of a cab in that driveway, and so the glove happened to be there when I looked in that direction.
Only, who wears leather gloves on a 80 F June day?
Still: a mystery.
19 June 2007
Nature in the City
Saturday evening, after Victor had been working all day, we went out for a stroll along the lakefront path so I could show Victor the bird sanctuary I found, just south of the golf course. It's all fenced in, but around the back (on the lake side), there's an elevated platform to make it easy to look inside.
We did not see any rare birds--it made us happy to catch sight of a goldfinch--but we were excited to spot a raccoon (Victor saw two of them). First we've seen in Chicago. Looking out at the lake, we saw a tern dive down and catch a fish. Pretty cool!
But a real highlight of the walk was seeing the purple martin houses, with plenty of purple martin traffic.
After sitting by the lake for a while, the skies darkened and we were caught in a fierce thunderstorm. Arrived home thirty minutes later, soaked. And blissed out.
We did not see any rare birds--it made us happy to catch sight of a goldfinch--but we were excited to spot a raccoon (Victor saw two of them). First we've seen in Chicago. Looking out at the lake, we saw a tern dive down and catch a fish. Pretty cool!
But a real highlight of the walk was seeing the purple martin houses, with plenty of purple martin traffic.
After sitting by the lake for a while, the skies darkened and we were caught in a fierce thunderstorm. Arrived home thirty minutes later, soaked. And blissed out.
18 June 2007
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer
While Nick Broomfield's documentary can be upsetting, it is not as profoundly disturbing as the (fictionalized) Monster. The documentary is more concerned with the facts of what happened; not so much the deeper causes. The fiction film fleshes out a moving conjecture that connects Aileen's childhood experience of abuse and abandonment with the violence characterizing her adult life. Whether or not there is sufficient factual basis for this conjecture, it is emotionally persuasive.
Still, the documentary is worth seeing, though it offers a predictably depressing view of our justice system as it pertains to capital punishment. One of the most compelling moments is the news, after Broomfield has just interviewed a clearly bonkers Aileen (she's convinced that "sound pressure" is being applied in her cell to affect her mind, and that the cops had identified her after the first murder, but wanted her to kill more men so they could make money from selling her story) that a psychological screening the day before has declared Aileen competent enough to be executed. Broomfield wonders aloud what possibly could be considered incompetence, if Aileen is competent.
Still, the documentary is worth seeing, though it offers a predictably depressing view of our justice system as it pertains to capital punishment. One of the most compelling moments is the news, after Broomfield has just interviewed a clearly bonkers Aileen (she's convinced that "sound pressure" is being applied in her cell to affect her mind, and that the cops had identified her after the first murder, but wanted her to kill more men so they could make money from selling her story) that a psychological screening the day before has declared Aileen competent enough to be executed. Broomfield wonders aloud what possibly could be considered incompetence, if Aileen is competent.
Filed in: Movies
The Lives of Others
Shortly before the Academy Awards, we saw this German movie, which subsequently won the Oscar for best foreign film.
Deservedly. Can I say deservedly even though I didn't see the other candidates? Perhaps they were also deserving. Still, I think: yes.
This is an extraordinary movie that captures a time and place in which you had to take care with every word and act because someone might be watching.
In fact, someone was always watching.
The movie equally focuses on the watcher and the watched, rendering the watch-er human to us, while the watch-ee becomes human to the watcher. We see the sad results of failures of nerve, but also the possibility of transcending an immoral society via small moral acts. It's a virtue of this movie that it makes you hopeful about human nature without also worrying you about its naivety. On the contrary, The Lives of Others often feels almost grim and does not shrink from bad news.
The surprise is that bad news isn't all there is.
Deservedly. Can I say deservedly even though I didn't see the other candidates? Perhaps they were also deserving. Still, I think: yes.
This is an extraordinary movie that captures a time and place in which you had to take care with every word and act because someone might be watching.
In fact, someone was always watching.
The movie equally focuses on the watcher and the watched, rendering the watch-er human to us, while the watch-ee becomes human to the watcher. We see the sad results of failures of nerve, but also the possibility of transcending an immoral society via small moral acts. It's a virtue of this movie that it makes you hopeful about human nature without also worrying you about its naivety. On the contrary, The Lives of Others often feels almost grim and does not shrink from bad news.
The surprise is that bad news isn't all there is.
Filed in: Movies
Bury the Chains
A couple months ago I read Bury the Chains, as I anticipated earlier this year, after seeing Amazing Grace, which centered around William Wilbeforce.
This was a really good nonfiction account of the abolition of the British slave trade, and traces the beginnings of all sorts of tools and techniques used by grassroots social change movements that we take for granted today: petitions, direct mail, newsletters, lectures and demonstrations, boycotts. The book makes you feel the courage and vision of the key players in this achievement and gives hope that such things remain possible.
This was a really good nonfiction account of the abolition of the British slave trade, and traces the beginnings of all sorts of tools and techniques used by grassroots social change movements that we take for granted today: petitions, direct mail, newsletters, lectures and demonstrations, boycotts. The book makes you feel the courage and vision of the key players in this achievement and gives hope that such things remain possible.
Filed in: Books
House of Sand and Fog, the Movie
This is a movie I wish I could say better things about. I mean, I can say pretty good things about it: great acting, terrific cultural contrasts depicted, good dialogue. Sad, but good: the buildup of a difficult-to-resolve conflict between basically decent people working toward mutually exclusive goals.
But the end just ruined it for me. A teenage boy's idea of tragedy, fed by Macbeth, or Hamlet: ratchet up the conflict (bound up in "fatal flaws"), compound by malevolent happenstance, and then have everyone die.
Ugh.
But the end just ruined it for me. A teenage boy's idea of tragedy, fed by Macbeth, or Hamlet: ratchet up the conflict (bound up in "fatal flaws"), compound by malevolent happenstance, and then have everyone die.
Ugh.
Filed in: Movies
16 June 2007
War and Peace, the (Russian) Movie
A couple of weeks ago, when my friend Ellen was visiting, we went to see the Russian War and Peace. About seven hours in four installments, which we took in on three different days. War and Peace (novel) fans out there really shouldn't miss the opportunity to see this movie. It is pretty perfect, with casting that jibes exactly with your imaginings of what these characters should look/be like.
Of course it doesn't include every Tolstoyan subplot, but for the plotlines it includes, the movie is utterly faithful. Director and star Sergei Bondarchuk really achieved something phenomenal.
Although the last 20 minutes or so of Part 4 is pretty lousy. Still, out of 400-odd minutes, that's not bad.
Of course it doesn't include every Tolstoyan subplot, but for the plotlines it includes, the movie is utterly faithful. Director and star Sergei Bondarchuk really achieved something phenomenal.
Although the last 20 minutes or so of Part 4 is pretty lousy. Still, out of 400-odd minutes, that's not bad.
500 Clown Macbeth
I was nearly 40 before I realized how much I love clowns. Not Bozos--clowns via greasepaint and padded costumes and innocuous balloons--but clowns who are verbally as well as visually absurd. Clowns who try to solve problems with obvious solutions that they just can't see.
This show consists of a trio of earnest and bumbling clowns tasked with putting on a production of Macbeth. Suffice it to say that things don't go as planned. But in spite of an array of distractions and physical catastrophes, the show--by its close--manages to evoke the main themes of Shakespeare's play: ambition, goaded into murder, and finally remorse.
Not bad for a bunch of clowns.
This show is visiting the Steppenwolf stage through the rest of June and most of July. Click here for the Steppenwolf calendar.
This show consists of a trio of earnest and bumbling clowns tasked with putting on a production of Macbeth. Suffice it to say that things don't go as planned. But in spite of an array of distractions and physical catastrophes, the show--by its close--manages to evoke the main themes of Shakespeare's play: ambition, goaded into murder, and finally remorse.
Not bad for a bunch of clowns.
This show is visiting the Steppenwolf stage through the rest of June and most of July. Click here for the Steppenwolf calendar.
Filed in: Theater
15 June 2007
Midnight's Children
Well, it took me about a month to finish this book that I've been meaning to read for more than 20 years. Was it worth it?
I guess. But after all that effort, I wasn't so thrilled. I've seen Rushdie talk a few times and this book doesn't have his charm, though it's plenty ambitious. Maybe too ambitious. It rather wears its ambition on its sleeve, so that you can't forget you're reading An Ambitious Novel.
Finally, after all the buildup, I found it anticlimactic. But there were plenty of good moments, and I certainly increased my knowledge of Indian history (not hard, since I know so little about it).
But I think I liked Fury better.
I guess. But after all that effort, I wasn't so thrilled. I've seen Rushdie talk a few times and this book doesn't have his charm, though it's plenty ambitious. Maybe too ambitious. It rather wears its ambition on its sleeve, so that you can't forget you're reading An Ambitious Novel.
Finally, after all the buildup, I found it anticlimactic. But there were plenty of good moments, and I certainly increased my knowledge of Indian history (not hard, since I know so little about it).
But I think I liked Fury better.
Filed in: Books
Monster
What a disturbing movie. Really good, but hard to go to sleep afterwards, and woke up thinking about it this morning. I know it's going to become one of those movies I wish I could forget. The documentary is next on our Netflix list...
Filed in: Movies
11 June 2007
Bunny Haven
Victor and I rode our bikes downtown to the Printer's Row book festival on Saturday; it was my first time there and I really got a kick out of being part of a big crowd of people interested in books.
We rode back through Grant Park and visited Millennium Park, too (where you're not allowed to ride); when you leave Millennium Park via the BP bridge you land on this plaza that is just FULL of bunnies! Just sitting around on the lawns, placidly eating grass. We saw a baby bunny, too.
Perfect way to end the day.
We rode back through Grant Park and visited Millennium Park, too (where you're not allowed to ride); when you leave Millennium Park via the BP bridge you land on this plaza that is just FULL of bunnies! Just sitting around on the lawns, placidly eating grass. We saw a baby bunny, too.
Perfect way to end the day.
Ocean's Thirteen
Saw this last night, in spite of reading a very bad review somewhere. In fact, the movie met our expectations exactly: very sharp, shallow, and enjoyable con artist movie. Good jokes, hard to keep the caper straight, a lot of attractive actors having fun.
Just what you want in a summer movie.
Just what you want in a summer movie.
Filed in: Movies
Chicago Botanic Garden
Victor took a few hours off on Friday and we drove a ZipCar up to the Chicago Botanic Garden for the first time. We liked it so much, we joined, but we sure wish it was more convenient to the city. It's a beautiful, tranquil place. Easy to let go of daily worries there.
Filed in: Chicago
Carbide and Carbon Adventure
We were showing our friend Ellen around Chicago last weekend and were passing the beautiful Carbide and Carbon building on North Michigan Avenue. (The building is now the Hard Rock Hotel.) We went inside to look at the beautiful elevator lobby, and then Victor suggested we go upstairs.
The inside of the elevator was not as beautiful as the outside, but it was still worth going to the top floor. To our surprise, floor 37 (if I remember the number correctly) was completely gutted and littered with construction debris. You'd have thought they'd have prevented the elevator from stopping there.
Aside from a mess, though, what the top floor had was windows: we stepped over the junk and peered out at Chicago's gorgeous downtown. Even the Thompson Center looked good--I wonder if the original design passed muster because an architect's maquette would have really emphasized this top view--you don't really look at a maquette at ground level.
Anyway, don't know how long it will last (or how long it will be before the Hard Rock management figures out they may have a safety issue), but for now a great, free place for fabulous downtown views.
The inside of the elevator was not as beautiful as the outside, but it was still worth going to the top floor. To our surprise, floor 37 (if I remember the number correctly) was completely gutted and littered with construction debris. You'd have thought they'd have prevented the elevator from stopping there.
Aside from a mess, though, what the top floor had was windows: we stepped over the junk and peered out at Chicago's gorgeous downtown. Even the Thompson Center looked good--I wonder if the original design passed muster because an architect's maquette would have really emphasized this top view--you don't really look at a maquette at ground level.
Anyway, don't know how long it will last (or how long it will be before the Hard Rock management figures out they may have a safety issue), but for now a great, free place for fabulous downtown views.
Filed in: Chicago
27 February 2007
Amazing Grace
We don't always see the best movies, but lately I've discovered (or rediscovered) a taste for "message" movies.
I want to be inspired.
Before the new year, we saw The Departed and acknowledged that it was excellent, though kind of a bummer. After the new year, for Victor's birthday, we saw three in a row: Blood Diamond, The Pursuit of Happyness, and The Good Shepherd.
Blood Diamond was our favorite; The Pursuit of Happyness was fine, and The Good Shepherd made us feel crappy, in spite of being absorbed throughout.
Blood Diamond was a movie with a hero, and I guess that's what I've been craving lately--I'm tired of stories that suggest there's nothing to be done.
So Amazing Grace fits the bill. Definitely a movie with a hero: William Wilberforce, the British legislator who pushed and pushed and pushed for the abolition of the slave trade. It starts off a bit slow, but does a good job of shedding light on a part of history most Americans know nothing about (we're notoriously undereducated about the history of other countries). Even if it's not a perfect work of art, it succeeds in making you want to learn more about the subject, which is a pretty noble achievement.
So I'm adding Adam Hochshild's Bury the Chains to my reading list; I'll get to it one of these days...
I want to be inspired.
Before the new year, we saw The Departed and acknowledged that it was excellent, though kind of a bummer. After the new year, for Victor's birthday, we saw three in a row: Blood Diamond, The Pursuit of Happyness, and The Good Shepherd.
Blood Diamond was our favorite; The Pursuit of Happyness was fine, and The Good Shepherd made us feel crappy, in spite of being absorbed throughout.
Blood Diamond was a movie with a hero, and I guess that's what I've been craving lately--I'm tired of stories that suggest there's nothing to be done.
So Amazing Grace fits the bill. Definitely a movie with a hero: William Wilberforce, the British legislator who pushed and pushed and pushed for the abolition of the slave trade. It starts off a bit slow, but does a good job of shedding light on a part of history most Americans know nothing about (we're notoriously undereducated about the history of other countries). Even if it's not a perfect work of art, it succeeds in making you want to learn more about the subject, which is a pretty noble achievement.
So I'm adding Adam Hochshild's Bury the Chains to my reading list; I'll get to it one of these days...
25 January 2007
Found: Hooded Merganser with Identity Disorder
On a walk a couple of weeks ago, I was delighted to see that the Common Goldeneyes have returned to Belmont Harbor. We first noticed them two falls ago, and it still astonishes us that some creatures find winter in Chicago to be perfectly comfortable. This year, though, we were especially struck by the presence of a solitary Hooded Merganser keeping the others company. Certainly, the Hooded Merganser has much in common with Common Goldeneyes--black-and-white color scheme, fishy diet, diving talents--but why isn't it hanging out with its own kind? Turns out, it was probably born in a Common Goldeneye nest. Is it such a stretch to imagine it THINKS it's a Common Goldeneye?
24 January 2007
Niagara Falls All Over Again
It had been a while since I'd read a good story. Instead I'd been reading nature stuff, political stuff, magazines, newspapers, but hardly any fiction.
Didn't want anything too challenging, though. Not to put too fine a point on it, I wanted to be carried away.
Elizabeth McCracken's Niagara Falls All Over Again does just that. This is the story of a fictional vaudeville comedy duo--one fat, one thin--that transitions to legitimate theater, film, radio, and television. The tale is told in the wistful voice of the thin one, born Jewish in small-town Iowa, who ran away to vaudeville as a teen to escape a future as a shopkeeper.
What makes a good read? Engaging, fast-moving writing, compelling plot, characters you fall in love with... I stayed up past midnight to finish this one, and the next day my groggy brain was full of vivid images--as if I'd been up late watching a movie, not reading a book.
You don't need to be an Abbott and Costello fan to like this, either.
Didn't want anything too challenging, though. Not to put too fine a point on it, I wanted to be carried away.
Elizabeth McCracken's Niagara Falls All Over Again does just that. This is the story of a fictional vaudeville comedy duo--one fat, one thin--that transitions to legitimate theater, film, radio, and television. The tale is told in the wistful voice of the thin one, born Jewish in small-town Iowa, who ran away to vaudeville as a teen to escape a future as a shopkeeper.
What makes a good read? Engaging, fast-moving writing, compelling plot, characters you fall in love with... I stayed up past midnight to finish this one, and the next day my groggy brain was full of vivid images--as if I'd been up late watching a movie, not reading a book.
You don't need to be an Abbott and Costello fan to like this, either.
Filed in: Books
22 January 2007
4-ish
I picked up tickets for this event via Goldstar (indispensable source of cheap tickets) without realizing that it was being presented by the Chicago Children's Theater. All I thought was: hip-hop, dance, fun!
I guess that's also what kids 6 and over think. But regardless of the audience, which largely skewed I-won't-say-how-many years younger than me, it was a terrific performance--just over an hour--of exhilarating dance, acrobatics, a bit of Three-Stooges-style silliness, very impressive human beatbox feats; most breathtaking--for me--were two champion rollerbladers, who sailed down one ramp and up the other, and into the air, as if they were birds rather than boys.
The show's only up for one more weekend, at the Harris Theater at Millennium Park. Whether or not you have children to entertain, this is worth seeing.
Chicago Children's Theater
773/227.0180
I guess that's also what kids 6 and over think. But regardless of the audience, which largely skewed I-won't-say-how-many years younger than me, it was a terrific performance--just over an hour--of exhilarating dance, acrobatics, a bit of Three-Stooges-style silliness, very impressive human beatbox feats; most breathtaking--for me--were two champion rollerbladers, who sailed down one ramp and up the other, and into the air, as if they were birds rather than boys.
The show's only up for one more weekend, at the Harris Theater at Millennium Park. Whether or not you have children to entertain, this is worth seeing.
Chicago Children's Theater
773/227.0180
Filed in: Dance
21 January 2007
The Sparrow
I'd heard about this play, put on by the acclaimed House Theatre, a while ago, but the synopses I'd seen turned me off. A play about a telekinetic high school girl? Seemed kind of over the top, and I was skeptical about how telekinesis was going to be managed in a storefront theater.
I will no longer be skeptical about anything the House Theatre chooses to do. With a talented cast, highly creative staging, a compelling script, good music, effects, and really moving performances, this group makes magic on its little stage at the Viaduct. Perhaps the story doesn't quite hold together 10 minutes after you leave the theater, but through the performance, you're riveted.
It's only around for a few more weeks, so go see it.
Viaduct Theater
3111 N. Western Ave
773/251.2195
I will no longer be skeptical about anything the House Theatre chooses to do. With a talented cast, highly creative staging, a compelling script, good music, effects, and really moving performances, this group makes magic on its little stage at the Viaduct. Perhaps the story doesn't quite hold together 10 minutes after you leave the theater, but through the performance, you're riveted.
It's only around for a few more weeks, so go see it.
Viaduct Theater
3111 N. Western Ave
773/251.2195
Filed in: Theater
29 October 2006
ShawChicago
Going to see a play can be a hit or miss affair, but ShawChicago has always offered a consistently splendid theater experience. In spite of the fact that the performances we've seen have been staged readings rather than fully realized productions, the performers' talent and skill are so strong that we're totally absorbed.
Of course, the material--plays by George Bernard Shaw--makes a contribution as well.
Still, material isn't all. Yesterday we went to a production of Moliere's The Miser--fully staged, but so poorly executed that we left after the first act. Experiences like that always make me doubt my affection for theater.
This afternoon that affection was renewed. A marvelous performance of You Never Can Tell. These actors are just phenomenal.
Of course, the material--plays by George Bernard Shaw--makes a contribution as well.
Still, material isn't all. Yesterday we went to a production of Moliere's The Miser--fully staged, but so poorly executed that we left after the first act. Experiences like that always make me doubt my affection for theater.
This afternoon that affection was renewed. A marvelous performance of You Never Can Tell. These actors are just phenomenal.
Filed in: Theater
28 October 2006
My Life without Me
It seems to be weeping season. This was quite a wonderful movie, but I cried and cried.
Filed in: Movies
25 October 2006
Penelope Lively's The Photograph
I still remember how devastating Moon Tiger was, and I must have read it 20 years ago. Granted, I don't remember much else, except that it was devastating.
This novel was also devastating, it its way; as I read the last sections I was almost continuously in tears. Victor says, No more sad books for a while.
He suggests rereading The Hobbit.
I'm thinking more along the lines of Middlesex. But first, some magazine reading to catch up on...
This novel was also devastating, it its way; as I read the last sections I was almost continuously in tears. Victor says, No more sad books for a while.
He suggests rereading The Hobbit.
I'm thinking more along the lines of Middlesex. But first, some magazine reading to catch up on...
Filed in: Books
20 October 2006
Nicole Krauss' The History of Love
It's possible I read a more moving novel this year; but if I did, I can't remember it. This is a book I never wanted to put down, and when I was finished I went right back to the beginning and started again.
Weeping.
Weeping.
Filed in: Books
16 October 2006
Operation Shylock
It's hard to know how to read this novel, which bills itself as "A Confession," purports to be true in its explanatory preface, and features characters named after Philip Roth, Claire Bloom, Aharon Applefeld, and other real people. You know it's fiction, so you want to avoid questions of what really happened, but the autobiographical manner and the recurrent references to real people and events make this difficult.
So when a doppelganger is introduced, you're feeling surprisingly credulous, and you're drawn into an outlandish story step by plausible step. Author Philip Roth has a double, also named Philip Roth (and representing himself to be the author), who is in Israel launching a movement to send its Jews back to Europe. In the process, Roth 2 has made an odd set of alliances—with Lech Walesa, the JDL, and the PLO. Roth 1, in Israel to interview the novelist Aharon Applefeld for the Times, confronts Roth 2, who refuses to desist. Outraged and bemused by turns, Roth 1 allows himself to be mistaken for Roth 2, and even actively impersonates Roth 2.
Adventures ensue.
The story ends with a big chunk missing, it is explained, for security reasons. On the endleaf, a standard disclaimer reminds you that the book is, after all, fiction.
An interesting, well-written novel, but rather unwieldy and exhausting. It's been a while since I've read any metafiction, so I guess I'm out of practice.
So when a doppelganger is introduced, you're feeling surprisingly credulous, and you're drawn into an outlandish story step by plausible step. Author Philip Roth has a double, also named Philip Roth (and representing himself to be the author), who is in Israel launching a movement to send its Jews back to Europe. In the process, Roth 2 has made an odd set of alliances—with Lech Walesa, the JDL, and the PLO. Roth 1, in Israel to interview the novelist Aharon Applefeld for the Times, confronts Roth 2, who refuses to desist. Outraged and bemused by turns, Roth 1 allows himself to be mistaken for Roth 2, and even actively impersonates Roth 2.
Adventures ensue.
The story ends with a big chunk missing, it is explained, for security reasons. On the endleaf, a standard disclaimer reminds you that the book is, after all, fiction.
An interesting, well-written novel, but rather unwieldy and exhausting. It's been a while since I've read any metafiction, so I guess I'm out of practice.
Filed in: Books
Oryx and Crake
When a "serious" writer engages in science fiction, I'm not sure how to take it. Is science fiction being legitimized, or is the writer slumming?
In Margaret Atwood's case, the genre offers an opportunity to follow current trends to their logical (and deeply unpleasant) conclusions. With Oryx and Crake, she presents us with a fairly standard post-apocalyptic last-man-on-earth story: we get glimpses of the world-that-was (very similar to ours) in flashback and these hints highlight the way that world sowed the seeds of its own destruction.
All well and good; there is nothing in the story that is not compelling.
Unfortunately, there is nothing in the story that is very complicated, either. Which seems a strange thing to say about this author, who, in books like Cat's Eye and The Blind Assassin, has shown herself capable of conveying enormous complications. It's as if the effort of creating a different and believable world has been so great that nothing's left for creating complex characters. Instead, the bad guys are bad, the nuts guys are nuts, the good guys might be confused, but they're good.
The result is an exceptional and thought-provoking science fiction story, not a great novel. The characters don't live, though their dilemmas do.
In Margaret Atwood's case, the genre offers an opportunity to follow current trends to their logical (and deeply unpleasant) conclusions. With Oryx and Crake, she presents us with a fairly standard post-apocalyptic last-man-on-earth story: we get glimpses of the world-that-was (very similar to ours) in flashback and these hints highlight the way that world sowed the seeds of its own destruction.
All well and good; there is nothing in the story that is not compelling.
Unfortunately, there is nothing in the story that is very complicated, either. Which seems a strange thing to say about this author, who, in books like Cat's Eye and The Blind Assassin, has shown herself capable of conveying enormous complications. It's as if the effort of creating a different and believable world has been so great that nothing's left for creating complex characters. Instead, the bad guys are bad, the nuts guys are nuts, the good guys might be confused, but they're good.
The result is an exceptional and thought-provoking science fiction story, not a great novel. The characters don't live, though their dilemmas do.
Filed in: Books
27 July 2006
Why Cities Should Fight to Keep Their Middle-Class Residents
Maybe I have a problem with economists, more than anything else. They talk as if all that mattered were growth. Sometimes you need to look past immediate benefits (rich folk move in, drive up prices, buy more products, pay more taxes), and think about the losses: what happens to society when people don't mix anymore—rich live with rich, poor with poor.
The miracle of cities, the energy of cities, the thrill of cities, come from their diversity, not from shiny commercial constructions that cater primarily to the very rich (e.g., New York's Trump Tower and Chicago's 900 N. Michigan). Such luxury super-malls can be (and are) constructed anywhere—in
Cities are special for their ability to contain juxtapositions of glitter and grime, glamour and grit. The glue that holds those contraries together is the people at the middle of the economic spectrum, those who daily traverse the worlds of rich and poor, riding public transit to jobs that pay decently, buying groceries in cheaper neighborhoods, frequenting public parks and beaches, splurging at an expensive department store at Christmas, going out to a fancy restaurant once or twice a year for a special occasion. Without these folks, we eliminate any sort of connection between the extremes, because public amenities tend to deteriorate without their support, enforcing social as well as economic segregation, depriving the poor of hope for a better life, and limiting the rich to a narrow (private) set of activities, interactions, and destinations.
Meanwhile, the middle-class, living in the boonies among the enclaves of the super-duper-rich, become the most isolated group of all, commuting in private vehicles on suburban freeways, never interacting with anyone outside the circles of family, colleague, neighbor, or church. Safety is a value prized above rubies, and the city, with its crime and expense, exists as a place that the middle-class is lucky to be free of; its charms and satisfactions are forgotten, and notions of interdependence, cross-fertilization (of people and ideas), and public good are discarded.
(By the way, this is how Republicans are made.)
19 June 2006
Wakamono
This tiny sushi place recently opened up around the corner from our apartment. It's run by the same folks who run Ping Pong, across the street, which is a tiny pan-Asian place. The scene is just a little too hip for the likes of me (as is the scene at Ping Pong), but the fish is fresh and tasty enough that we've been back four times in three weeks.
Drawbacks: a bit pricey, pounding music, spotty service, indifferent (and pricey) non-sushi items.
What I mean about service: when my mother-in-law ordered a scallop handroll, it arrived with the scallops cooked. What's with that? Upon complaint, the waitron agreed, O yes, it's cooked. As if sushi places normally cook scallops for handrolls.
On another occasion, I ordered salmon, mackerel, and white tuna over the phone (for delivery). We got salmon, regular tuna, and white tuna. Upon complaint, Victor was told they thought I said maguro. I understand that "mackerel" and "maguro" could sound similar over the phone, but I made my order in English.
Regarding non-sushi items: we keep trying stuff from the "japas" (Japanese tapas—get it?) menu, too, but have found nothing worth getting again (nothing, really, worth getting the first time). So far we've tried wasabi noodles, jalapeno (!!) miso soup, and sunomono (normally a great favorite of ours). We will keep trying, because sibling Ping Pong does such a good job with its small plates, but we are losing hope.
Our repeat visits in spite of these minor but irritating drawbacks testify to the quality of the sushi. We will just be increasingly careful about how we order.
Wakamono
3317 N Broadway
773-296-6800
Open daily, 4 PM to midnight
Filed in: Food
Drawbacks: a bit pricey, pounding music, spotty service, indifferent (and pricey) non-sushi items.
What I mean about service: when my mother-in-law ordered a scallop handroll, it arrived with the scallops cooked. What's with that? Upon complaint, the waitron agreed, O yes, it's cooked. As if sushi places normally cook scallops for handrolls.
On another occasion, I ordered salmon, mackerel, and white tuna over the phone (for delivery). We got salmon, regular tuna, and white tuna. Upon complaint, Victor was told they thought I said maguro. I understand that "mackerel" and "maguro" could sound similar over the phone, but I made my order in English.
Regarding non-sushi items: we keep trying stuff from the "japas" (Japanese tapas—get it?) menu, too, but have found nothing worth getting again (nothing, really, worth getting the first time). So far we've tried wasabi noodles, jalapeno (!!) miso soup, and sunomono (normally a great favorite of ours). We will keep trying, because sibling Ping Pong does such a good job with its small plates, but we are losing hope.
Our repeat visits in spite of these minor but irritating drawbacks testify to the quality of the sushi. We will just be increasingly careful about how we order.
Wakamono
3317 N Broadway
773-296-6800
Open daily, 4 PM to midnight
Filed in: Food
Col-ubas Steakhouse
Victor and I were biking yesterday and stopped at a very pleasant café off Granville that turned out to have a not-very-impressive menu. So after reading the paper there for a couple of hours, I was hungry. We took an exploratory ride south on Clark and parked by a cluster of restaurants in Edgewater. After due consideration, we stopped at Col-Ubas Steakhouse, having never tasted Colombian food, and having a fondness for Cuban.
This place is definitely not for vegetarians, but omnivores will be delighted. We shared a mixed appetizer plate (platillo variado) that included a Colombian beef empanada, ham croquetas, fried yuca, and tostones. We also ordered a papa rellena. This was all very delicious: crispy and savory. But the highlight of the meal was definitely the steak sandwich (pan con bistec), which was just perfect: marinated steak, savory sauce, sautéed onions, crisp grilled bread….One of those sandwiches you must finish eating, no matter how full you are. All this goodness for under $15.
Col-Ubas also offers an extensive menu of dinner items that includes traditional Cuban dishes like Ropa Vieja and various Colombian combination plates (mostly mixed grills). We are eager to go back to try some of those. Also, I'm tempted to try their lunch buffet, offered weekdays from 11 AM to 3 PM, for $5.95, with a different selection each day.
Col-Ubas Steakhouse
5665 N. Clark Street
Ph. 773-506-1579
Fax. 773-506-1579
Open daily: Su 8 AM to 8 PM; M, W, Th 8 AM to 9 PM; Tu 8 AM to 5 PM; F, Sa 8 AM to 10 PM.
This place is definitely not for vegetarians, but omnivores will be delighted. We shared a mixed appetizer plate (platillo variado) that included a Colombian beef empanada, ham croquetas, fried yuca, and tostones. We also ordered a papa rellena. This was all very delicious: crispy and savory. But the highlight of the meal was definitely the steak sandwich (pan con bistec), which was just perfect: marinated steak, savory sauce, sautéed onions, crisp grilled bread….One of those sandwiches you must finish eating, no matter how full you are. All this goodness for under $15.
Col-Ubas also offers an extensive menu of dinner items that includes traditional Cuban dishes like Ropa Vieja and various Colombian combination plates (mostly mixed grills). We are eager to go back to try some of those. Also, I'm tempted to try their lunch buffet, offered weekdays from 11 AM to 3 PM, for $5.95, with a different selection each day.
Col-Ubas Steakhouse
5665 N. Clark Street
Ph. 773-506-1579
Fax. 773-506-1579
Open daily: Su 8 AM to 8 PM; M, W, Th 8 AM to 9 PM; Tu 8 AM to 5 PM; F, Sa 8 AM to 10 PM.
Filed in: Food
Rashomon
For years I have been familiar with the term "Rashomon" more as a cultural touchstone than as a dramatic or cinematic artifact—a sort of super-signifier of the idea that everyone has her own way of seeing the same situation: truth is in the eye of the beholder.
So I had always thought that Rashomon (the film) showed that different people could accurately account for the same event in profoundly different ways. The movie doesn't quite live up to this expectation. Each of the four accounts (of a woman's rape and her husband's death) could be simultaneously true only in the most metaphorical sense. Really, there are three contradictory and self-serving accounts, and one account likely to be closest to the truth because the speaker was not involved—the events he described didn't touch upon his ego.
"Rashomon," then, refers less to multifaceted truth than to how we reshape reality as we remember it, to preserve our sense of self. Rashomon (the movie) is beautiful and engaging; directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune in a very stylized performance. The DVD includes a short, interesting introduction by Robert Altman.
Filed in: Movies
09 June 2006
Sylvia
I just checked for this movie on Rotten Tomatoes and was rather stunned at the poor reception it got. Victor suggested I see it without him after he read he description on the Netflix wrapper:
Sylvia isn't as bad as all that. The tensions of a romance between writers are well portrayed. But the movie was irritating in its (lack of) analysis of the roots of Plath's depression. Often she just seems like a nutcase. The central relationship is treated as a great love that would have been ideal, if only Ted had been faithful and Sylvia hadn't been bonkers. Ugh.
The film shows none of Plath's humor and little of her intelligence. Upon her marriage to Ted, she becomes a caricature of the jealous wife, with no self-consciousness, which is hard to believe.
Still, Sylvia is worth seeing if you've any interest in Plath or Hughes. Gwyneth Paltrow is a pleasure to watch (amazing how much she looks like her mother, Blythe Danner, in this), and Daniel Craig is magnetic as well.
Filed in: Movies
…[Plath and Hughes'] marriage was rocky, and they eventually separated in 1963 when Hughes broke her heart by taking on another lover. Crushed, Plath committed suicide by sticking her head in her unlit oven.
Sylvia isn't as bad as all that. The tensions of a romance between writers are well portrayed. But the movie was irritating in its (lack of) analysis of the roots of Plath's depression. Often she just seems like a nutcase. The central relationship is treated as a great love that would have been ideal, if only Ted had been faithful and Sylvia hadn't been bonkers. Ugh.
The film shows none of Plath's humor and little of her intelligence. Upon her marriage to Ted, she becomes a caricature of the jealous wife, with no self-consciousness, which is hard to believe.
Still, Sylvia is worth seeing if you've any interest in Plath or Hughes. Gwyneth Paltrow is a pleasure to watch (amazing how much she looks like her mother, Blythe Danner, in this), and Daniel Craig is magnetic as well.
Filed in: Movies
A Chicago Addition to My Life List
There's more nature available in urban Chicago than you would think. Sure, the most common wildlife here is probably the pigeon, but the city is full of surprises. For example, earlier this week I was walking along the lake shore and heard an unfamiliar noise: some kind of bird call. I looked around and saw some fluttering around a couple of huge white bird condominiums.
My first purple martins!
My first purple martins!
Where Has Louis Begley Been All My Life?
The question is the more facetious because I've tried to read Louis Begley before and couldn't get anywhere. But in the past couple of days I've read Wartime Lies and As Max Saw It and was wowed by both. Begley is a splendid writer, and Wartime Lies (a Holocaust story) is particularly haunting. I'm now anxious to read his other books.
Filed in: Books
Updike in Person
John Updike has never been my favorite writer…my taste runs to styles less lapidary and more immediate—but I couldn't miss seeing him at the Harold Washington Library Sunday afternoon. While not my favorite, he's certainly a writer I've admired, and how could I not? He's an icon of contemporary fiction—I don't think anyone else is so consistently serious, prolific, and good.
So I took a friend to see the great man—elderly, as he called himself: raised in the Depression as my parents were. He talked a good deal about his new novel, Terrorist, and also spoke interestingly about writers of later generations than his own. It seems that younger writers lack staying power: they shoot their wad with their first book, which is usually extremely impressive in its ambition, and they typically fail to meet their early promise.
I find myself wanting to argue one side or another of this, but it's just silly: why argue a generalization?
Asked if writing is easier for him at this stage, Updike spoke of the challenge of finding fresh material. Indeed, a number of his recent books have felt to me like self-challenges: let's see if I can write a magic realist novel; what happens if I novelize Hamlet from his mother's perspective? Terrorist sounds like a similar writerly dare.
But when my friend expressed skepticism at this 70-year-old man's ability to convincingly portray a teenage Islamic fanatic ("I can't imagine it, how could he?") I pointed out (and reminded myself) that getting into other people's heads is Updike's job.
So Terrorist is probably a very good read and not necessarily worse for being the result of a thought experiment.
Still, it's not at the top of my list.
So I took a friend to see the great man—elderly, as he called himself: raised in the Depression as my parents were. He talked a good deal about his new novel, Terrorist, and also spoke interestingly about writers of later generations than his own. It seems that younger writers lack staying power: they shoot their wad with their first book, which is usually extremely impressive in its ambition, and they typically fail to meet their early promise.
I find myself wanting to argue one side or another of this, but it's just silly: why argue a generalization?
Asked if writing is easier for him at this stage, Updike spoke of the challenge of finding fresh material. Indeed, a number of his recent books have felt to me like self-challenges: let's see if I can write a magic realist novel; what happens if I novelize Hamlet from his mother's perspective? Terrorist sounds like a similar writerly dare.
But when my friend expressed skepticism at this 70-year-old man's ability to convincingly portray a teenage Islamic fanatic ("I can't imagine it, how could he?") I pointed out (and reminded myself) that getting into other people's heads is Updike's job.
So Terrorist is probably a very good read and not necessarily worse for being the result of a thought experiment.
Still, it's not at the top of my list.
Filed in: Books
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