Author Archives: williamjcobb

Review of Lori Roy's "Bent Road," Text Version

Posted on May 12, 2011 by williamjcobb

Now that the Dallas Morning News is charging to view their content I realize when I post a book review here you can’t read it unless you pay, so since it’s a few days old, I’ll post the text here. … Continue reading →

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Review of Lori Roy's debut novel, "Bent Road"

Posted on May 8, 2011 by williamjcobb

My review of Lori Roy’s debut novel, Bent Road, appears in today’s Dallas Morning News here: http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/books/20110506-book-review-bent-road-by-lori-roy.ece I call it Kansas Gothic, which I think is kind of a fun/gruesome idea. There’s a braided pattern of badness and the ramifications … Continue reading →

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Werner Herzog Goes Caveman: "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"

Posted on May 8, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I caught Werner Herzog’s new documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, at a theater in St. Louis today, and it’s one of the best docs I’ve seen in a while. It’s all about his visit to the Chauvet cave in … Continue reading →

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"Cinema Verite" Worth Watching

Posted on April 24, 2011 by williamjcobb

So last night was the premiere of HBO’s Cinema Verité, the film about the film of the Loud family, billed as the first reality TV show, which is both a ground-breaking achievement, and considering our times and the Kardashian family … Continue reading →

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On Finishing a Novel, Softly

Posted on April 2, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I haven’t been posting anything of late as I’ve been plunged into my own writing—specifically, finishing a novel. I’m usually amused at depictions of writers in movies, how cornball they often are: Usually the writer begins a novel by … Continue reading →

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"Big Love" Swan Song: Goodbye to All Those Sister Wives

Posted on March 8, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I’ve been a fan of HBO’s series Big Love since it began, and now that it’s in the final episodes (I think there are two left now), it’s going out with a dramatic bang. Bill Paxton and Jeanne Tripplehorn … Continue reading →

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Review of Karen Russell's "Swamplandia!"

Posted on February 28, 2011 by williamjcobb

Here’s a url to my review of Karen Russell’s debut novel, Swamplandia! that appeared in today’s Dallas Morning News. It’s a good, fun read, not a great literary book, closer to a Young Adult novel than most reviews are acknowledging, … Continue reading →

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Aimee Bender reads "The Fake Nazi" & Timothy Egan Sees Through the Facebook Craze

Posted on February 26, 2011 by williamjcobb

So Thursday night I’m in the (not quite final, as I’m still feeling it) throes of a sinus infection, weak and tired and congested, home in my cold Pennsylvania house, shivering and threadbare, listening to the mice scrabble in the … Continue reading →

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"Out of the Wild: Venezuela": "Survivor" Meets "I Shouldn't Be Alive"

Posted on February 25, 2011 by williamjcobb

For days now I’ve been pinned by a boulder of work and only last night realized I had to saw off my arm like that (dubiously motivated) Aaron Ralston dude in 127 Hours . . . . So I watched … Continue reading →

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Supercomputer Cheats on "Jeopardy," Ray Kurzweil and "The Singularity Is Near"

Posted on February 18, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I actually watched a bit of “Watson” the computer on Jeopardy, and it was obvious the computer seemed to have a huge advantage in timing, that he wasn’t pressing that buzzer gadget that slowed the humans down, particularly noticeable … Continue reading →

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