Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Check it out. Our man, the book fan, is back with his last column before he has a bouncing baby of his very own. Fatherhood’s hard work, man, so I wish you and your missus the best of luck and much joy. It’s awesome, and everything’s about to change for you. Thanks for taking a moment in the midst of the impending madness to shoot us one last column. Check this out:
It’s that time of year again.... Time to buy your loved ones something for Christmas. I’ve got a few ideas for you this month, although one of them you'll have to pre-order. If you're looking for something truly funny, smart, witty and hip to give someone you know, work with, or live near, then look no further than Michael Lent’s very, very, funny new book, ‘Christmas in Hell’. He’s the man who brought you the must-read guide to getting your feet wet in Hollywood, ‘Breakfast with Sharks’, and he was one of the guys behind ‘Hard Scrambled’, an independent movie that I just adored.
And allow me to guide you in the right direction, for your shopping convenience.
Until next month, It’s Not A Secret Until I Tell Someone…
The Best DVDs You've Never Seen, Just Missed or Almost Forgotten: A Guide for the Curious Film Lover by A. O. Scott, Stephen Holden, Caryn James, Dave Kehr, Peter M. Nichols (Editor)
Recommended by the Film Critics of The New York Times
St. Martin's Griffin
It’s not often that I read a guide like this, and less often that I review one. But the nice people at St. Martin’s sent along this little gem with a landslide of other titles in the hope that I'd review some of them. In the coming months you can expect a review on the new Paul Auster, ‘Brooklyn Follies’, ‘Homeland’ by Sam Lipsyte, and ‘How to Be Bad’ by David Bowker (‘I Love My Smith & Wesson’ reviewed here a few months back). There are so many books being published each year that it’s nearly impossible to give even a small portion of the title selection a fair review. It really helps when a publisher takes the time to search out places like Ain’t It Cool News with the express interest of getting a fresh perspective.
Guides like this are probably more relevant now since you could, if you were so inclined, slide all of the movies reviewed here into your Netflix queue and have a nearly endless supply of entertainment delivered to your mailbox for many months to come. The films reviewed here are so far flung and wildly diverse that I was stunned to find ‘Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion’ alongside ‘Ronin’, having seen both movies in the theater. (Although I wouldn't even dare say the two movie titles in the same sentence… Out loud anyway). But that’s the beauty of this collection; it puts it all out there for you to decide. This isn't a “best of” list, just a solid collection.
Now the premise behind this book, and what makes it stand out from all the others, (particularly Leonard Maltin’s, which is a guide that kisses up to the system and is delivered in a format that’s impossible to read) is that its trim size is a little bit larger than a mass market edition, and it’s got very accessible and concise reviews of 500 films, all of which are on DVD. This book sits comfortably next to your computer and for those of you who still go to the video store (why?) it can be carried with ease under your arm. The real difference with this collection? It’s The New York Times, which for most people is the only paper whose opinion is still trusted (unless Mr. Blair writes the story). And now that Elvis Mitchell has thankfully gone on to other things, A.O. Scott seems to be holding court with a great level of accuracy and success, with great reviews from Manohla Dargis rounding out a pleasing Weekend Arts section each Friday.
So with the NYT in mind, this book is a must for any movie lover. Looking over the selection of movies, it’s amazing to notice how many of them you've actually seen, either on video or in the theater, and how many of them you'd revisit, or buy. DVD’s have come so far and have revolutionized the home rental market. It’s become the industry standard, and sales from DVD’s are taken seriously by most movie studios. But you have to laugh when ‘Being Julia’ and ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ are reviewed in the same collection. Especially when it’s titled, ‘The Best DVD’s You Never Seen, Just Missed or Almost Forgotten.’ But then ‘Hard Eight’ is in here, and ‘Fight Club’, ‘Heist’, and ‘Henry Fool’, ‘Identity’, ‘Igby Goes Down’, ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’ (anyone who wants to buy me this for Christmas go right ahead) and ‘In the Bedroom’. But ‘The Italian Job’? What? Oh please. It doesn’t need to be reviewed, read last rites is more like it. Why is the woeful ‘It Runs In the Family’ on any list? To curry favor with the Douglas clan? Remember ‘The Limey’ or ‘Limbo’…really, who could forget? Or Altman’s ‘The Long Goodbye’, now that’s a great flick. No list would be complete without ‘Magnolia’ and ‘Manhunter’. Remember how bad ‘Morvern Caller’ was…and ‘Mumford’? ‘MUMFORD’??!!!
But ‘Sexy Beast’ and ‘Shallow Grave’ are here as well, thankfully. Finally, a couple of my favorites, ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ and ‘13 Conversations About One Thing’, listed here with concise reviews that will pique your interest. ‘Collateral’ and ‘The Insider’ make the cut as well, slathered in effusive praise.
I have personally seen 230 of the movies reviewed here and can vouch for the excellent selection of this guide. But please don't ask me how many I saw in the theater. Bottom line? Grab this book. It’s perfect for a movie lover and a wonderful way to get turned on to a ton of great flicks and build your own DVD collection.
Too Beautiful For You: Tales of Improper Behavior By Rod Liddle
Vintage Books
So I'm flipping through a catalog for Vintage & Anchor Books forthcoming titles and I come across this curious little tome of short stories entitled Too Beautiful For You; Tales of Improper Behavior by Rod Liddle. I've never heard of this gentleman, but it’s safe to say that he might be doing something quite interesting with the short story form. The nice people at Vintage sent me a hardcover copy, (not the Vintage edition since it’s coming out in December of 2005, around the time this review will appear) which is just fine since it’s a thin little collection of nasty missives that I thought would appeal to me, or a certain part of my literary tastes (the arrogance of assumption, so nineteenth century of me). It has not, which isn't a bad thing, it’s just that it surprised me in the way a snake would startle a young camper taking his first trip to the outhouse.
Opening the collection isn't easy; there are thoughts of suicide, murder, and human corporate struggle in a sarcophagus-like high rise. Liddle makes the most of the inner thoughts of his characters and in a story that holds the collection firmly to the floor, more on that later, he shows a wonderful rambling stream of conscious thought. Much like Andrew Lloyd Weber’s saccharine routines that sound more like safely surrendered vomit, Liddle banks on the idea that he can throw everything into the story: cat, dog, Mom - dead or alive, waxing, masturbation, getting jerked off… whatever he finds tumbling around in his head seems to make it to the page. But this stuff isn't loose and unwieldy; it’s just so damn hard to wrap your mind around.
Now I liked the first few stories; they were bucking my expectations something fierce, especially ‘Three Seconds With Sofie’, which has that ‘Trainspotting’-like ability to force you into vicariously witnessing some truly displeasing thoughts, desires, problems, needs, whatever. The rich girl who’s playing the game of life as if she’s a cheap, wayward whore who has nothing, when in fact if the going gets tough she’ll just trundle home to the parents for a dose of high living and all the while is adored by a wet piece of toilet paper who can think of no one else. His wanting of her is almost as embarrassing to witness as what happens when this lovesick boy does get something from her. You know, old story of the cock-tease who finally gives the ugly duckling a little attention. Liddle even imagines a fly’s life and how brief it really is; its horrible, disgusting existence, save for another breed of shit-hungry fly who impedes on the home he and his family have already called their own. It takes a while to get used to Liddle’s style, and he could use a quotation or two between the miles of rambling thoughts, but it’s all very enjoyable when you realize he probably just sat down and wrote these stories in about ten minutes without ever taking a breath.
Finally, ‘Fucking Radu’, the longish story that I nearly considered skipping, relies on a homeless expatriate who finds himself dating a nice girl from London who just can’t shut up about her friend dying of some strange form of skin cancer, or whatever it may be. This is the epitome of selfish style from a very outspoken and carefree writer who isn't interested in adhering to the laws of the road he’s driving so carelessly down. The story is one long thought about submitting to the desire of sex, even if it means bedding some filthy, amoral character who’s possibly a criminal. It’s good to read something that makes you mad even if it’s good and it still makes you mad. Liddle has a funny sense of humor, which candidly peppers this collection. Like the man who loses his arm in a train accident and tries to come up with a scheme to get this loss of a limb past his wife, who thought he was on a business trip when in fact he was jaunting off for an extramarital roll in the hay. This book isn't for everyone, and at times tested my patience. That aside, it’s worth your time if only for the story, ‘Three Seconds With Sofie’, which will warm your libido if nothing else.
This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes
Viking
I can safely say that I've been waiting a long time for this book to come along. Ms. Homes planted a wonderful essay about being adopted in well-known magazine a few months ago, and ever since I've been worrying about this book.
It’s an obsessive worry, the kind that keeps you up nights.
Richard Novak is the star of this novel, and as he delivers a blow-by-blow account of his life in Los Angeles, Ms. Homes examines the solitary life through him. He’s a very appealingly emotionless character who seems to have completely shut the rest of world out as it collapses around him. Ms. Homes has given me great joy with her pointed perceptions on suburbia; ‘Music For Torching’ being a favorite novel of mine. Also, a blistering first-hand account of what it must be like to have been Ronald Reagan’s care taker/wife, in the collection ‘Things You Should Know’. She is famous for her book, ‘The End of Alice’, and has a permanent spot on my bookshelves because she seems to be creating stories in her own private world, stories that seem to simmer and are filled with repressed anger bubbling over in the oddest ways, mostly at the rest of the world around her. This latest accomplishment moves flawlessly between intellectual entertainment and a sardonic therapy session with Dr. Phil.
Relating to A.M. Homes’ characters isn't hard; she writes for the literate percentage of America and for those of us who are plagued by self-doubt. Richard Novak is a little of both, sort of crazy from the solitude he’s surrounded himself in and half-sane as he becomes a calming presence to his long lost son, bark-bark crazy ex-wife, and a man who makes him a donut. We meet Richard as he experiences what appears to be a heart attack; the cellophane has suddenly been broken around his airtight existence and off the hospital he goes, surrounded by the great unwashed. On his way home, he meets a foreigner who is making a good living selling donuts. Richard, an exercise and whole foods fanatic, decides to buy some. His cleaning lady/caretaker doesn't approve, so he pays her to go away. It becomes very apparent that Richard is not wanting for anything. He speaks of money in a Zen-like manner, as if all his fortunes are in flux, vibrating softly in the distance, keeping him levitated in the manner in which he’s become accustomed. Through a series of odd occurrences, beginning with his back yard collapsing, then being hit by a slow moving car, and finally meeting a woman in the produce section of his local supermarket, we realize that Richard is experiencing some sort of awakening. The woman he meets who it turns out is making more overt changes in her life and their chance encounter catapults them into a plausible if not random relationship. She’s going to leave her family and while doing it suddenly gravitates toward Richard.
At this point, a typical storyteller would jive on and on about a blossoming relationship, love, revelations of a new life, etc., etc., dot, dot, dot. Not Ms. Homes. Richard is a self-involved hypochondriac. It’s a strange disorder; he wants to live life, be in the present, but he seems to find flaws in everything he does. However, he never takes his shortcomings too seriously, and never learns from his mistakes – as minor as they are. After a wonderfully cinematic event in his backyard, Richard takes a pile of money and throws it at a new house in Malibu. This section proves once again Ms. Homes particular skill set, and how good she is at expressing it. That when it comes to pitching her characters around a story like drunken sailors stuck in a barrel, she’s second to none. Particularly when Richard finds his new home to be situated next to a J.D. Salinger-like neighbor.
Around this time, I didn't think Richard had anywhere to go; his escape routes were gone: his ex-wife, ex-housekeeper, and chilly supermarket ex-mommy. Then with a casual twist of her pen, Ms. Homes creates Richard’s son, a soon to be ex-Hollywood agent. Add to this the reclusive neighbor and an obtusely placed nephew, and you're propelling down the Pacific Coast Highway strapped to the roof of a new Volkswagen with Ms. Homes at the wheel.
This story could be a veiled attempt at portraying the American citizen in all his opulence and greed. It’s filled with objects of status, images of the American Ideal, and could be an evisceration of the American Image. Operating at the height of her powers (and finally with some real humor), and delivering a vernacular that seems as slick as it is polished, A.M. Homes proves once again that she’s one of the most talented writers working today.
Thanks, Frank, and be well, buddy.
"Moriarty" out.
