Friday, December 31, 2004

Dogrun (book review)

Dogrun (2000) by Arthur Nersesian. A 30-ish woman comes home to find her lazy boyfriend watching TV. He won't talk to her. She fixes him dinner, then gets mad when he won't eat it. A minute later she realizes he is dead. This is how Nersesian's fascinating and beguiling novel begins. It's another of his sharply observed, sometimes humorous depictions of life in the Big Apple, told from a woman's point of view. Grade: B+

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

I, Robot (DVD review)

I, Robot (2004) starring Will Smith. Not for Asimov purists, this movie puts a slightly more ominous twist on the Three Laws of Robotics. Will Smith stars as a detective in a futuristic Chicago, circa 2035. The rendering of the world of the future is imaginative and feels original, but the robots themselves are somewhat of a disappointment. They all look exactly alike and, though extremely strong, are not very tough. The overall arc of the plot makes sense however, and the writers deserve credit -- although the kernel of the story owes a debt to other, much earlier writers of science fiction. Grade: B

Monday, December 27, 2004

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (DVD review)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, and a notable supporting cast. This is one lightweight movie, which is both its strength and its weakness. There are numerous missteps and flaws in continuity, but they hardly matter in what is essentially a sardonic fable. There are laughs to be had, but there are just as many clunkers among the jokes and sight gags. Grade: B-

Sunday, December 26, 2004

The Boy Who Would Live Forever (book review)

The Boy Who Would Live Forever (2004) by Frederik Pohl. Strictly for hard-core science fiction fans, this is the latest in the Heechee series which Pohl began in 1977 with "Gateway." Although "Gateway" was a ground-breaking book, Pohl has wandered far off course with this book. For one thing, the title is never satisfyingly explained in the telling of the story. For another, too many characters are thrown into the mix and the narrative lacks focus. Grade: B-

Friday, December 24, 2004

Strayed [Les Egares] (DVD review)

Strayed (2004) (In French, with English subtitles) In France, during the early years of World War II, the German army is advancing, and a column of refugees is fleeing south from Paris. A widow, traveling with her two children, leaves the road when German airplanes bomb and strafe them. She forms a shaky bond with a stranger who seems to know what he's doing, and they hole up in a French country house. The events that ensue are, disappointingly, only moderately interesting. Grade: C+

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Spanglish (movie review)

Spanglish (2004) starring Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega. In spite of its many flaws, I liked this movie. The greatest attraction is the Spanish actress Paz Vega, appearing for the first time in an English-language film. Vega plays an illegal immigrant from Mexico who gets hired as a housekeeper in the Anglo home of Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni. She is startlingly beautiful and appealing. Leoni is over the top, in a good way, as the rich housewife who doesn't quite know what to do with herself. Sandler is uncharacteristically subdued as her husband, a famous chef. Although some viewers may be disappointed in the film's resolution, I still found the overall experience gratifying. Grade: B.

Monday, December 20, 2004

Collateral (DVD review)

Collateral (2004) starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx. Cruise is convincing as a morally blank assassin for drug lords. Foxx makes a good foil as the taxi driver who Cruise hijacks for a night of murder. There's even a fairly exciting chase scene. The movie has a bit of a believability problem, however. Grade: B.

Saturday, December 18, 2004

Unlubricated (book review)

Unlubricated (2004) by Arthur Nersesian. The engaging female protagonist works in New York City and is struggling to become an actress. After surviving 9/11, she becomes involved in the production of an off-Broadway play titled "Unlubricated," in which she also hopes to star. Nersesian's dialog and characters all seem to be dead-on, and there's a good mix of black humor seasoning the whole tale. Grade: A-.

Raising Helen (DVD review)

Raising Helen (2004) starring Kate Hudson, Joan Cusack, John Corbett. Seems like we've seen this one before. More than once. Hudson plays a driven career woman who ends up unexpectedly with a house full of kids (not hers) to raise. At first she doesn't know what to do, then she figures it out, and along the way she meets and falls for a man (Corbett). This movie is mostly inoffensive, but oh so predictable. Grade: C.

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

The Terminal (DVD review)

The Terminal (2004). Tom Hanks. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Hanks plays a man from Eastern Europe who gets stuck in the New York City airport terminal when there is a civil war in his home country. There are some good moments, some amusements, but the movie goes way off track with his romance with a flight attendant -- a romance that just sort of peters out and results in a lame ending. Grade: C.


Ava's Man (book review)

Ava's Man (2001) by Rick Bragg. The "Man" in the title is Bragg's own grandfather Charlie, a hard-working family man and a moonshiner in the woods of Alabama and Georgia. The book tells an episodic but fascinating multigenerational tale, filled with family stories passed down through uncles, aunts and cousins. Grade: B+

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Maria Full of Grace (DVD movie review)

Maria Full of Grace (2004). Interesting drama about one Colombian girl who becomes a drug mule. The plot, such as it is, is pretty much linear. But the movie goes into considerable detail about what makes someone become a drug mule, and what the mule has to go through to smuggle the drugs. (Hint: It involves swallowing a rather large number of drug-filled pellets. The pellets are hard to swallow, and if one should break in your stomach, you die.) Grade: B.

Monday, December 13, 2004

3 Dollars (book review)

3 Dollars (1999) by Elliot Perlman. A man and wife, seemingly solidly middle class, live in Australia in the 1990s. As the book progresses, they both lose their jobs to "restructuring" in the new, deregulated economy. Perlman's novel is well written and amusing, at the same time taking savage swipes at 1990s society. At the end, as at the beginning, the protagonist ends up with three dollars in his pocket, hence the title. Grade: B


American Beauty (video movie review)

American Beauty (1999). Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari. Repressed middle-class marketing executive Spacey decides to rebel against his pointless existence, and a series of unexpected events ensues. Benning delivers a great performance as his manic-depressive wife, Birch as his daughter and Suvari as the high-school cheerleader who becomes the willing object of his lust. The script is excellent, edgy and unpredictable, funny and sad. Grade: A.

Saturday, December 11, 2004

Jesus Saves (book review)

Jesus Saves (1997) by Darcey Steinke. A suburban horror story in the guise of a novel, this book will make some readers' skin crawl. The detail and length of an abducted girl's suffering are squirm-inducing. On the other hand, the narrative seems to go off into fantasy tangents that don't really further the story. I found it frustrating because I felt there was a good book hiding here, but it just wasn't accessible. Grade: B-

Around the World in 80 Days (DVD movie review)

Around the World in 80 Days (2004), starring Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, Cecile de France. I can't say I was disappointed in this film, because I wasn't expecting much. But boy, what a piece of crap. The parts that are supposed to be funny are mostly just embarrassing, the Jackie Chan martial arts scenes are poorly choreographed, and the story is for the most part just dull. It's hard to imagine how even a child could be amused by this pale new version of the 1956 movie based on Jules Vernes' book. Some viewers may enjoy the many cameos. Grade: C-.

Friday, December 10, 2004

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (DVD movie review)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. A rich movie-viewing experience, even for adults, features a convoluted plot that may have some scratching their heads. The producers and director deserve credit for creating a rich fantasy world full of intriguing detail. The real star of the movie seems to be Emma Watson, as Hermione, who initiates most of the action and provides a smart protagonist who knows what to do next. Harry, unfortunately, seems to be just tagging along for most of the movie. Grade: A-.

Monday, December 06, 2004

One True Thing (DVD movie review)

One True Thing (1998) Meryl Streep, Renee Zellweger. Driven career woman Zellweger returns home to care for her dying mother (Streep), whom she has never felt close to. She has always idolized her father, played by William Hurt, who is a literary professor. During the time she cares for her mother, she comes to see both parents in a new light. Worth seeing for Zellweger's performance, though some may find it a bit of a tear-jerker. Grade: B.