Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout is a bestseller! It won the Pulitzer Prize! Oprah loved it! Great!
Personally, I did not care for this much hyped collection of short stories. All the stories involve the title character, centrally or peripherally. Olive is a middle school teacher in a small town in Maine. None of the stories are that interesting, and the book itself is very depressing. It was a struggle to finish, so I won’t write any more about it.
In USA:
Published in hardcover-Random House-2008
Softcover edition-Random House-2008
What better movie entertainment for a long-time fan of country music than a movie about the rugged life of a country singer struggling to make a living when his best days are clearly behind him. Over the years, country music fan’s plates have been filled with more than chicken and grits: our Nashville cinema appetites have been satisfied with offerings like Nashville, The Electric Horseman, Honeysuckle Rose, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Urban Cowboy, Pure Country, and Tender Mercies, just to name more than a few.
The latest is Crazy Heart, starring Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake, a country singer and songwriter whose life certainly imitates the most stereotypical country song: a life crumbling with alcohol, divorce, broken families, and one-night stands followed by hundreds of hard miles to the next concert gig. We first meet Blake as he’s racing for the bottom-drunk and broke, he’s driving a beat up old truck to his next gig-playing the lounge at a bowling alley. He’s furious at his manager for booking him at such a venue, where the owner refuses him free drinks but offers him the option of all the free bowling he wants.
Our main character angrily rejects offers to perform as the opening act for rising country star Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) whose career Jeff Bridges’ character helped launch. Blake’s boozing also prevents him from earning income from an area he once was successful in: songwriting.
Robert Duvall, one of the producers of Crazy Heart, also plays a small role in this film that has been compared to the aforementioned Tender Mercies. In that 1983 release, Duvall plays the lead role of a washed-up country music performer. It had to be apparent to him and to this viewer of Crazy Heart that we’ve seen this all before.
Crazy Heart is entertaining enough to watch, and contains a number of pleasant country songs performed quite well by Jeff Bridges and Colin Farrell. Crazy Heart should enjoy a good deal of attention with Bridges’ portrayal garnering him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He’s worthy of the Oscar nod for his strong depiction of an entertainer desperate for the attention of his next fan, the next dollar and the next drink. Maggie Gyllenhaal is equally charming as Bad Blake’s love interest and single mother Jean Craddock. Craddock is a small town journalist who first meets Blake to interview him, and soon falls for our tragic figure. That Craddock finds Blake in any way appealing is one of the many contrived story lines that keeps Crazy Heart from moving up from good to great-if it was a country song, it would be hard pressed to crack the top ten.
No, I am not becoming a Philippa Gregory groupie. I had purchased The Boleyn Inheritance to read on vacation. Thanks to an hour and a half flight delay, I finished it ahead of schedule and needed another airplane book. Juan Santamaria Airport (San Jose, Costa Rica) had limited options. And paperbacks that normally cost $12-$14 were selling for $22-$24. So I went with a book that wouldn’t be much of a gamble, and was in the less expensive range. Hence, The Other Queen.
Both works of historical fiction follow the same format: a story unfolding from the viewpoint of three characters at the same time. The chapters are short which, in my opinion, makes a great vacation book. It does seem a bit disjointed at times, though. And also tiresome given that the two books combined total over 1000 pages.
The Boleyn Inheritance tells the story of Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard, the fourth and fifth wives of Henry VIII. Also involved in their tale is Jane Rochford, the widow of Anne Boleyn’s brother George. Jane serves as lady in waiting and confidante to both queens.
The Other Queen begins 25 years after the end of The Boleyn Inheritance. Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne of England for ten years. She has imprisoned her rival for the throne of England, Mary Queen of Scots. This story is told by Mary, as well as her captors, George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife Bess of Hardwick.
As with her other books, Philippa Gregory has done a tremendous amount of historical research. She paints a vivid picture of life among the nobility in sixteenth-century England. After reading a number of these books, I do understand English history a bit more. At least now I know the difference between the Tudors and the Stuarts and why they were rivals for the throne.
I do recommend both of these books, but not one right after the other. And now I have to read the two books that cover the time span in between. My “must read” list keeps getting longer. I have three books on my nightstand, and another on reserve at the library. Well-I’d better get to it!
The Boleyn Inheritance
Published in hardcover-Touchstone-2006
Softcover edition-Touchstone-2006
The Other Queen
Published in hardcover-Touchstone-2008
Softcover edition-Touchstone-2009
It is thirty years after “the flash”; presumably a nuclear explosion that has destroyed much of life on Earth. Denzel Washington is Eli, a lone man traveling west with a book. He uses all of his considerable skills to protect the book and deliver it intact to an unnamed destination where it will be safe. It is the last copy of the book existing, and it has the power to change the world.
Along the way Eli uses martial arts, knives, bow & arrow, and guns to survive and to guard the book. He must defend it and himself against marauding road warriors, cannibals, and the real bad guy, Carnegie. Carnegie is played by the talented Gary Oldman. Carnegie, one of the few people who can actually read, had built a town in the desert. He knows that if he can harness the power of this book, he can expand his town and build other towns and become a powerful ruler.
You guessed it-this book is the Bible. So Eli has spent 30 years on his mission, and he is so close. As he makes his way through the bleak landscape, we see the ruins of 21st century American civilization-cars, trucks, highways, and even a J. Crew store. In Carnegie’s town, Eli stops for clean water, which is precious although Carnegie seems to have plenty, and for an equipment repair. He meets a woman, Claudia and her daughter, Solara. Solara is intrigued by the power of the book, and wants to accompany Eli on his journey.
The Book of Eli is a really good movie. Although the premise is superficially similar to The Road, it really is much deeper. Eli is a powerful character, and his motivation is noble. He is not just trying to survive, but to aid humanity. Although the movie imagines a bleak and frightening post-apocalyptic world, there is a message of hope and redemption. There is also a surprising plot twist, so pay attention for the clues that seem obvious in retrospect.
What can I say about Avatar that hasn’t already been said? Nothing! But I do have to post something so everyone knows that I have seen what is going to be the biggest blockbuster ever. So-humdrum story that we’ve all heard before. Technically amazing. Definitely see it in 3D, and in IMAX if you can.
The Zookeeper’s Wife is the story of Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of Jewish lives in Warsaw, Poland during World War II. Jan was the head zookeeper of the Warsaw Zoo. Prior to WWII, this was a modern and important zoo. The Zabinski family lived in a large house on the zoo grounds. Many of the zoo’s animals were killed during the German army’s occupation of Warsaw; numerous other animals were confiscated by the Germans for their own zoos.
Throughout the occupation, the Zabinski’s gave shelter to Jews who were escaping the Warsaw Ghetto. They hid the fugitives in animal enclosures and tunnels in the zoo, as well as in their own house. Jan was able to enter the Ghetto. He brought food into the Ghetto, and often helped smuggle people out. Towards the end of the war, Jan also fought in the Polish underground army and was, for a time, a prisoner of war. The Zabinski’s story is briefly told on the website of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Israel. Diane Ackerman has done so much research and given a thorough accounting of the Zabinski’s heroism.
Unfortunately for this very important book, it is not so well-written. It took me a long time to get into reading it. I really had to plow on through the first few chapters. I only bothered because this was a selection for my book club. it would have been much more interesting if Ackerman had spent more time on the details of how the Zabinski’s helped the Jews. And if we had more information about the people they helped, it would have been more interesting. There are some photos in the book. I do think that a map of Warsaw during the occupation would have been helpful, as well as a map of the zoo.
To summarize-important, yes. A good read-no.
In USA:
Published in hardcover-W.W. Norton-2007
Softcover edition-W.W. Norton-2008
For those who might remember Basil Rathbone’s iconic Sherlock Holmes-forget it! Robert Downey Jr. is a much more fun version of the classic sleuth. He is serious about crime-solving, without taking himself too seriously. With Jude Law as Dr. Watson-certainly more partner than sidekick-this Sherlock Holmes makes a great holiday movie.
I’ve never read the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, so I don’t know how faithful this tale is to any of the originals. I’m guessing not very, since Doyle’s only screen-writing credit is for the creation of the characters of Holmes and Watson. The movie is fast-paced and fun. The stunts and special effects are not so overdone as to seem impossible. The characters are more caricature than not, but it doesn’t matter. This is more in the action-adventure genre than classic cerebral detective story.
With the popularity of this movie (currently #2 at the box office), I’m guessing that a sequel is in the works. I will gladly see it, and recommend this movie to anyone looking for some fun.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie, so I saw three in quick succession. My movie going companion has suggested that I’m just in it for the Regal Crown Club credits, but they are pretty cheap with the free popcorn, so that’s not it. It’s just that awards season is around the corner and I’m seriously behind. So here are three quick reviews, with, hopefully, more to come in the next few days.
Up in the Air: George Clooney is perfect as the detached and cynical road warrior whose goal is to rack up ten million frequent flier miles on American Airlines. He meets his match in two women: a younger colleague who proposes that Clooney’s job (firing people) could beat be accomplished via video conferencing; and a woman whose travel savvy rivals his. See this before it disappears from the theaters.
Did You Hear About the Morgans? Sarah Jessica Parker and High Grant play an estranged New York City couple who witness a murder. They are placed in the witness protection program and re-located to rural Wyoming. They deal with the usual fish out of water situations while they are forced into close proximity. This is a cute but predictable movie. Wait for the DVD.
The Blind Side: Probably the best Sandra Bullock movie I’ve seen. It goes far beyond her usual romantic comedies. She and Tim McGraw play a wealthy Memphis couple who take a homeless, barely literate teenager into their home. Through their efforts and love, he graduates from high school, attends college on a football scholarship and becomes a first round pick in the NFL draft. This movie is based on the true story of the Baltimore Ravens left tackle Michael Oher. Go see it!
This new novel by Sheila Kohler is based on the true story of Charlotte Bronte and the writing of her master work, Jane Eyre. Charlotte and her siblings, Ann, Emily, and Branwell, live with their father in a gloomy parsonage in Yorkshire. They are educated and literate, yet their lives are constrained by their poverty and their autocratic father.
The sisters write, but their manuscripts are rejected by one publisher after another. When Reverend Bronte goes to Manchester for a cataract operation, Charlotte accompanies him. During his recovery, she begins writing the story that will become Jane Eyre. Charlotte pours into the novel all the bitterness and heartache she feels.
When Charlotte’s novel is published and becomes a critical and popular success, the lives of the Bronte family changes. Not only are they now able to afford some small luxuries, but the relationship between the sisters changes. Reverend Bronte can hardly believe that his daughter has written something that has actually been published.
Kohler weaves the known facts of the Bronte family, and her knowledge of life in 19th century England, along with her own imaginings. The result is a smart, engaging and well-written novel. If this doesn’t send us English lit majors back to re-read the Bronte’s, I don’t know what will.
I was very excited that a friend was able to get tickets for us to see this new musical. It tells the story of the late Nigerian musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. In addition to being an innovative musician, Fela was politically active, and fought the corrupt Nigerian government. Fela was arrested and tortured many times, but he continued to use his notoriety and his music to expose governmental excess and abuse.
Fela! is more than a musical biography. It is a groundbreaking work of art. Most of the music and lyrics are Fela’s own, with some additional music written for the show. Kuti was a pioneer of the Afrobeat style of music. Accompanied by spectacular dancing and instrumentals, this exciting show is non-stop action.
The role of Fela is so demanding that two actors alternate performing the lead. We saw Kevin Mambo in the role of Fela. I have no doubt that Sahr Ngaujah is equally talented, and I’d return to see him play this part.
Fela! is fun, exciting, and heartbreaking. It moves theater a giant leap forward from the current crop of remakes and Disney musicals that dominate Broadway.
