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Recent Posts
- On George Saunders’ New Novel “Vigil”: Jumping the Shark Across the Heavens
- On HBO’s New Series “DTF St. Louis”: Charm & Glory of the Mundane
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- On Tom Waits in “Father Mother Sister Brother”: Grifter Like Me
- On “After the Hunt” and “The Tavern at the End of the World”: Land of the Lost Professors
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Category Archives: books/film
On Tom Perrotta's New Novel, With a Warning About the Last
So in today’s New York Times Book Review Stephen King reviews Tom Perrotta’s new novel, The Leftovers, and has this to say: “Perrotta began his exploration of the stress points between religion and secular American life in his previous novel, “The … Continue reading
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On "Bloodworth," a Film Adaptation of William Gay's Novel "Provinces of Night"
So I finally managed to watch the film adaptation of William Gay’s “Provinces of Night” (the title is a line by Cormac McCarthy), which is titled “Bloodworth.” It’s actually quite good, one of those low-budget films with a terrific cast. … Continue reading
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An Interview With William Gay, a Great Southern Gothic Mystery
A friend of mine recently turned me on to this link (Thanks, Jess)—an interview with the great Southern Gothic writer William Gay that appears in the Oxford American: http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2011/jun/15/solost-home-william-gay/ I’ve been a fan of Gay’s for years, and some of … Continue reading
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The Silence of the Swedish Lambs: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” or Our Misbegottten Love of Serial Killers (Stories)
So a year ago I picked up the Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo novel in paperback just to see what all the fuss was about, and I couldn’t really get into it and become a fan, mainly because … Continue reading
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HBO's Film of "Too Big to Fail" a Great Cast
So last year I was trying to read Andrew Ross Sorkin’s Too Big to Fail, which I admire much, although I did find it ‘too long to read,’ essentially because my schedule is too busy. It’s all about the financial … Continue reading
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Peter Benchley's "Jaws," the Novel, as Toothsome Holiday Reading
One thing good about the holidays, and about being away from home and routine, is Weird Reading. I have a first edition hardback of Peter Benchley’s “Jaws” (1973) on my bookshelf in Colorado, and picked it up to pass the … Continue reading
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On Chuck Closterman's Zombie Analogy and Stephen Graham Jones's "The Ones That Got Away"
It seems everyone is trying to deconstruct and decode the recent zombie craze, including Gail Collins in the NY Times, who wrote a funny piece about the zombie Congress, and this morning Chuck Closterman has a good(ish) piece in the … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Politics, writing
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New Harry Potter Film Promises to Change Your Life
This week Jon (Sometimes Funny) Stewart had an amusing riff on the Palin brats in the news, dancing and otherwise, and mocked putting a gun in his mouth to end it all due to the absurdity of attention to such … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Film
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"Avatar" as Metaphor for the Fantasy Craze
So a year ago it seemed every acquaintance I bumped into asked the same thing, “Have you seen Avatar yet?” With chagrin I’d admit that, no, actually I had not, any minute now though, I can’t wait. They would frown. … Continue reading
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"127 Hours" in Theaters Now, But Not Everyone in Utah Loves Aron Ralston
Last summer I stayed a few days in Green River, Utah, at the River Terrace Inn, a cool hotel right on the river, with a pool and hut tub, plus great birding: Scott’s Orioles, Western Tanagers, and Bullock’s Orioles, all … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, The West
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