 Getting Justice For All, March 13,
2012
An incredibly well acted true to life
historical event telling the struggles of the first predominantly black labor
union granted in America. Led by A. Philip Randolph, who would later become a
legendary figure for civil and labor rights, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters would endure hardship and opposition to become a recognized union in
1937.
This Showtime Presentation is a must see for today's dwindling
labor force in the United States. It's a throwback to a time in our country when
big business caused an economic depression and a new President with new ideas
helped energize the country back to work. Sound sort of familiar?
The
sleeping car porters began their struggle during a time of excessive corporate
profits and greed. They managed to continue to organize and fight for fair
employment after the historic stock market crash of 1929 and the great
depression that followed. Remember, this was considered one of the better jobs
available to young black men. Imagine some of the other jobs and the treatment
blacks had to tolerate.
The 1930's saw many unions challenge big
business, but this was the first black led organization that would eventually
receive the backing of the American Federation of Labor union (AFL). The AFL at
the time was the largest union grouping in the United States, and I assume it
was predominantly white.
Who knew that this early stroke of success for
labor and equal rights would someday lead to a great man in 1963 making a
stunning speech about a dream he had, in front of millions in Washington D.C.?
Not surprisingly, A Philip Randolph was one of the men who proposed that march
on Washington in 1941 and was there to head the march in 1963 with Martin Luther
King, jr.
| The
Final Four |
by Paul Volponi
Edition: Hardcover |
| Price: $11.55 |
| Availability: In
Stock |
1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
A Fast, Furious and For Real Story,
March 7, 2012
Excellent book and very exciting read Mr.
Volponi. The story works on so many levels that anyone should feel at home in
between its pages. It's not only a book for young adults, as I, an older battle
scarred warrior, gained much pleasure and insight from the story.
All the
excitement of watching a classic basketball tournament game is injected into
this story. You'll catch yourself cheering for or against a team or player as if
you've placed a bet down in Vegas. Though the primary focus is on four of the
young players and their challenges on and off the basketball court, it's the
inspiring people who've touched their lives that make this story go. If it were
a movie the Oscar for supporting actor would be split between the two head
coaches.
The pace of the story is not unlike a basketball game full of
intense drama; up tempo fast breaks, slowed down game planning, exciting
offense, pressuring defense and a heart pounding climax. Very creative idea
using the historic Trojans vs Spartans battle as a theme for the competitors and
their showdown. While one team must win and the other has their tournament
bubble burst, the life lessons learned from a team experience is worth more than
any trophy. Who, besides those playing the game, knew that basketball is a game
of communication? Author Paul Volponi does!
I suppose the release date of
this book was meant to coincide with the college March Madness schedule. It sure
works for me as I will be tuned in to hopefully see yet another Cinderella team
make a run at the championship.
5+ Stars
"I've failed over and
over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed." Michael Jordan
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 Triumphant Casting, March 6, 2012
Enjoyed this movie very much. The
concentration camp situation has been seen in film many times (The Grey Zone),
but this movie throws in the "boxing for survival" piece, and thanks to Willem
Dafoe's incredible acting the movie becomes distinctive. With boxing being more
a sport of survival than one of competition, I thought the story a perfect
metaphor for the overall jewish holocaust survivors. Not only does a boxer fight
against a crafty and often cruel opponent, but he must fight the urge of his own
body and soul crying out to him to quit and give up the fight.
Triumph of
the Spirit strips back the flesh to reveal that crying soul doing whatever he or
she has to in a situation where only the strong and enduring
survive.
Great performances by veteran actors Edward James Olmos and
Robert Loggia. There are hidden moments in this film where the all-seeing human
spirit is silently captured in the eye contact between the actors. It is in
these exchanges that I felt the truest impact and challenge the holocaust had on
these victims and their oppressors. Faith, hope and compassion have taken a
holiday off and left humanity with its primal instincts of survival.
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| The
End of It |
by Mitchell Goodman
Edition:
Hardcover |
| Availability: Currently
unavailable |
 Reveals the Beauty of Italy and the Ugliness of
War, February 23, 2012
I enjoyed the writing in this novel in
spurts. Sometimes the places and situations Lt. Freeman shares has a poetic ring
to it while at other times it seems to bog down in repetitious sarcasms about
war. The parts with soldier Bowen preaching christrian doctrine also seemed to
bog down the story.
The book reads more as a world war II memoir than a
novel. The descriptions of Italy with it's mountainous landscape and villages
are very realistic and picturesque. Overall not a bad read, but I was expecting
more of a war story and less of a artillery lieutenant's relationship with his
men and their big guns. The opening paragraphs describing the troopship full of
young green soldiers shipping out from New York harbor and being greeted by the
violent hurling of the Mid-Atlantic sea is captivating.
What this book
does do well, besides giving an ugly snapshot of war and it's corpses, is to
show the difference in the native soldier fighting for his country's freedom
versus an invading or occupying army fighting for profits. In war all soldiers
are killing for a cause, but there are some who kill with the thought of
protecting their families from evil.
(1961 Horizon Press edition)
3.5
stars
pg.54 from both sides of the line artillery fire kept the war going
- chewing roads, eating villages, biting men in half
pg.131 one thousand
guns.(One of these guns can deafen a man, two of them can drive him
insane)
pg.200 at first you do not know how to kill, but you learn. (18
year old italian girl partisan/rebel)
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Mickey, You All Right?, February 15,
2012
A very dark and gritty slice of cinema.
Loved it! Has the flavor and feel of one of my favorite B movie dark comedy's,
"Just Your Luck."
The dialogue between the authentically accented oldtime
crooks is enough to earn "Night at the Golden Eagle" an audio sound award. It
moves at a decent pace and smoothly shifts viewer attention from one dark
character to the next. It's a movie that begs you to look between the lines to
see the humanity in a hellacious hotel.
I took away one star for the
darkness of my VHS copy. I'm sure it was meant to be dark to give it that
desolate, rockbottom, end of the road feel, but a few times I wanted to see
more. Felt like I was viewing an underexposed photograph. Great camera work,
questionable lighting.
This movie should come with a warning. The
realness of seeing the "in your face" seedier side of life can be hazardous to a
sheltered upbringing. This is not your primetime Reality TV show. How can it be
with Ron Jeremy and Kitten Nativdad making appearances.
| Character
|
| DVD ~ Pavlik Jansen op de Haar |
| Price: $22.49 |
| Availability: In
Stock |
1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
What's Not To Like About This Film?,
February 9, 2012
The flawed characters give this mysterious movie its
brilliant flavor. A silent mother, a cold, unfeeling father and a son trying
desperately to win their love and approval. The movie "Character" marches its
viewing audience along a grief stricken, no thrills scenic route. The booming
musical score gives the feeling of a quickening downhill death march where you
know you must soon face the powerful enemy, to the death. But what if the enemy
is you?
It's a movie that captures your attention with a questionable
circumstance, then whisks you along toward the climaxing conclusion that may
hold the answers. It thrives on unfulfiilled ambitions, desires, loves and
needs. The lead actors play their roles to perfection, but I must point out two
of the supporting cast members who bring out the flavor of the story with their
unique seasonings. Look for Lorna and De Gankelaar to add a few dashes of
colorful spice to what might otherwise be a bland and tiresome stew. Though the
main struggle appears to be between father and son, you can't help but see the
struggles many characters have with themselves and their choices. I highly
recommend this epic foreign language movie.
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Black Is Powerful, February 8,
2012
Why is
Black so powerful? Because it endures hardship and can thrive when placed in
rich, nourishing soil to grow freely. Author Ruby Berkley Goodwin has written a
wonderful book of stories not only about the black community, but also European
immigrants finding a place alongside working blacks in America.
The
connected stories make for a wonderful and enlightening look at the black family
values that have been passed down through generations to this early twentieth
century family of Braxton Berkley, the author's proud and powerful father. The
blessing of having the racially tolerant small mining town of DuQuoin, Illinois
as their home gives the place a sense of protection and security from the
racially prejudiced world outside DuQuoin. The racially mixed town of miners
were more skeptical toward non-miners than they were toward any foreigner or
race.
So much of Ruby's story carries what I believe are the roots of
many an African-Americans' family history today, myself included. I found so
many of the folktales, characters, sayings and situations as things and people
I'd either heard of or actually experienced while growing up in a black
community in the north populated with black families with roots in the
south.
This book is a reminder to everyone that black communities full of
good black men have existed before, during and after slavery and continue to
exist till this day. It has survived terrorism, urban relocations, crime and
drug infestations that a people of lesser strength (physical, spiritual &
psychological) might perish from. And as long as black people know it is a
privilege and not a pity to be born black, they'll continue to be the wise,
loving and forgiving people showing others that with God all is
possible.
I hope to give a copy of this book as a gift to my aunt. She
remembers!
Interesting the author had an acting career playing mostly
maids. Here's a very telling article I found from the 1953 Jet magazine
publication:
Jet Magazine
Week of April 16, 1953
Mrs. Ruby
Goodwin, former secretary to the late Hattie McDaniel and actress Ethel Waters,
has written a book based on the life of her miner father in the southern
Illinois coal fields. A Los Angeles housewife and mother of five, Mrs. Goodwin
tentatively named her book "It's Fun To Be Black," but Doubleday and company,
her publishers, said the title was "too undignified." They may change it to "I
Looked Over Jordan." The book is scheduled for release in October.
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| The
Taker |
by Alma Katsu
Edition: Hardcover |
| Price: $15.62 |
| Availability: In
Stock |
0 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
A Captivating Chronicle of Love & Hate,
January 28, 2012
What a story. The plot, the people and the
writing are all worthy of a standing ovation. I liked "The Taker," and I'd like
to thank author Alma Katsu for such a fresh, fearful and furious journey she
provides. I came out of my comfort zone to enjoy this story.
I believe
that this author had personal insight into suffering to have written so
ferociously with revenge and so passionately with love. Alma Katsu maintained a
level style of writing while altering my emotions with each revealing sentence.
I was hungering for what would happen next.
I welcomed Lanny and Luke's
present day activities. The past and present stories interrelate well with one
another. This really is a story of humanity's attempt to overcome the
temptations of evil.
One of the most evil monsters of men I've come
across in my reading is found within these pages. I liked this book of fiction
better than any I've read in some time. It really captured my imagination and
gracefully carted me to places I may never have ventured. So many cycles of life
and death in relationships, as well as, in one's self. I'm still clapping
loudly!
"How we hated ourselves, each in our own way!"
"The
devil's hand is there, surely."
note: I revised my review in order to
give readers more insight into why I liked it so much. It's deserving of a 5
star review.
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 Wandering, January 26, 2012
I wanted to like this book, but found
myself caring less and less for the stories being told. Just as I got a taste
for one story, a new story would begin and so would my task of understanding who
was talking, how they fit in to the last story if at all and why should I
continue reading. So I closed the book and put it in my donations stack, hoping
that some wandering soul will find in it what I was either too impatient or too
distracted to discover. After reading all the positive reviews here on Amazon,
I'm convinced It must be me and not the book.
| A
Man Escaped |
| DVD ~ François Leterrier |
| Availability: Currently
unavailable |
1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
Escape With Mozart, January 25,
2012
"A Man Escaped" is the type of movie that needs
little dialogue. For it is the tension in carrying out the plan that holds a
viewer spellbound. With Mozart's Great Mass in C minor accompanying scenes, you
feel as if your watching a masterpiece. The score really sets the tone in the
opening scene.
Take away all the disturbing events and occurrences that
mormally go into a prison movie. Instead, have the events take place mostly in
the narrating mind of one prisoner bent on escape. This is "A Man Escaped." The
film features a cool, calculated and courageous man using ingenuity and
determination to escape from a nazi prison in occupied France. As you watch this
man struggle with himself through the emotional ups and downs of attempting to
beat death, you find yourself sharing everything he feels along the journey;
distrust, hope, fear, defiance, despair, comraderie, hesitation,
determination.
It is the stillness and silence this movie depicts that
gives it strength and courage. I liked it a lot.
Great review excerpt
from IMDB:
Narrative stripped down of all melodramatic trappings, the film
manages to reveal a larger truth about man's struggle against unknowable odds,
his struggle with himself, and his resolve to move forward. A couple of the
side-characters are from the church, or pastors, which give the ongoing
conversations in the common areas an added resonance to "grace" and a
possibility of transcendental deliverance. Even though the lead character
doesn't seem to truck much with religious faith.
He has his own - in his
resolve to escape.
![The Highwaymen Florida's Outsider Artists [VHS]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tsbNvTF_51KU81cpi3ekfQL-gPyn1E3vcddsNXbKtN9W-FArI1mMUyC3WI4h7enIVBTUp9Bvva0UDE0BN22eJiKc_YjSu2GhlmRb2eCnfMkuD3WVrxwSOyN9-AiL2-rg=s0-d) |
Imitation is the highest form of flattery,
January 17, 2012
Treat
yourself to a little known slice of Americana Art and history. "The Highwaymen"
is a fascinating documentary about an impressionistic style of art that
blossomed from a famed white artist across economic and racial barriers to
define a group of African-American painters out of the small central Florida
town of Fort Pierce.
This true story entertains you with its accumulation
of historical facts coming from the mouths of the men and one woman who survive
to tell the Highwaymen painter's tale. They took their mostly landscape painting
style from Albert E. "Bean" Bachus, a white Fort Pierce artist famous for his
floral landscapes and palette knife painting. I feel so lucky to own a copy of
this documentary narrated by news weatherman Spencer Christian. So much makes up
their story that It's a wonder anyone was able to put together the pieces and
tell it so accurately.
Their story is amazing from beginning to end, but
what makes this a keeper is seeing the many pieces of Highwaymen paintings
collected, preserved, and honored as creative pieces of American art. Thanks go
out to Mr. Jack Hambrick who did the research and writing that led to this
production.
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A Must See, January 13, 2012
"Center Stage," the
true story of Chinese silent movie superstar Ruan Ling-yu, is a work of art. The
movie not only reenacts the mastery of early Chinese filmaking, but also
showcases preserved footage of an actress who's performances have become
legendary.
I've only seen one of Ruan Ling-yu's movies (The Goddess), but
seeing her performance in that one movie convinced me she had that special thing
that's looked for in actors and actressess. Ruan was not the prettiest of women,
but her performance would hypnotize you into believing you were watching a
"Goddess" glide onto the set. She definitely commands your attention. Her face
could reflect any and every human emotion, and remember this was before sound
came to movies.
My one pet peeve with Center Stage is the lead actress
who played Ruan. For as unpretentious as Ruan was said to be, the young actress
playing her seemed to be in a starlet swoon throughout much of the movie. Maybe
she was too pretty. Or maybe the film makers wanted to make a modern day starlet
of a legendary Chinese movie figure. It began to feel like I was watching this
beautiful China doll being positioned for still print ads. Beautiful ads, but
ads no less. The actress had the grace of Ruan, but lacked any real vibrant
intensity. Then again, what actress at such a young age could match the
versatility of Ruan?
This movie deserves to go into the all-time great
movie archives for it's perservation and exposure of an early Actress who's
talents might've been unequaled in her time. The story was put together well and
told wonderfully with some of the era's political upheavel thrown in. A foreign
movie treat!
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Are All Occupied Lands This Intense?,
January 2, 2012
A simple Chinese village occupied by
Japanese forces toward the end of world war II. A not so simple situation lands
on the doorstep of one of the chinese villagers where family and friends get
into a stir determining how best to handle the situation. As the intensity
builds so to the dangerous threat of discovery and death.
The movie is
brilliantly shot and perfect in its characterization of a proud sumurai class
occupying the land of humble superstitious peasants. There's irony, humor, honor
and cruelty wrapped inside this wonderful movie. It seemed to me that the movie
was a bit drawn out, but I caught it while home sick in bed with a stomach flu.
The ending is well worth the drawn out intensity.
"Devils on the door
step" takes place during a time of war. I'm always moved by seeing how war and
marching armies throughout history effect the plain and humble citizens of the
world. This is one such story.
4.5 stars
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| Identity
|
| DVD ~ John Cusack |
| Price: $11.99 |
| Availability: In
Stock |
1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
I Met A Man Who Wasn't There, December
21, 2011
My second time watching this movie and the creepiness really
sunk in. It's a movie you must give your undivided attention to in order to
appreciate the whole of its parts. You will watch it a second time either
because you stepped away, answered a phone call or did something that distracted
you. Or you'll watch again just because it really is that good.
If you
see this movie and decide it wasn't that great, please watch it again. I did and
now consider it a top notch psycho-suspense thriller set in a very dark and
disturbing place.
"I wish I wish he'd go away"
| My
Cousin Rachel |
by Daphne Du Maurier
Edition:
Paperback |
| Price: $10.19 |
| Availability: In
Stock |
2 of 2 people found the following review
helpful
When Mars And Venus Meet, December 20,
2011
First and foremost, the haunting mystery
and suspense of this novel grabs readers from the start. "My Cousin Rachel" is a
well plotted story with its main theme focused on a beautiful worldly woman and
a conservative young man, your narrator, inexperienced in the many ways of
women. It is a love story, but with the love comes the dissection of thoughts
that give the story it's alternating moods of hot and cold. As a reader you find
yourself wondering about and attempting to forecast the outcome, only to have
your theory sprout limbs and offer multiple possibilities. You'll enjoy watching
the novel grow.
I believe what is so amazing about this novel is how it
triggers reader's thoughts of trust in relationships, both past and present. The
power of a woman's charm over an unsuspecting man, as well as a man's need to
claim ownership over a woman he desires is laid out to perfection. As with all
new relationships, communication, or lack thereof, drives Rachel and Philip's
relationship forward, backward and sideways. Being inside the head of each as
they try figuring out and understanding the other is a treat.
I took away
one star, maybe unjustly, simply because as a man I still cannot fully say I
understood Cousin Rachel's Venetian ways. If narration had alternated more into
her thoughts and words, my Martian intellect might better understand her
actions. But then it wouldn't be such a wonderful mystery would it Venus?
Classic Literature!
Quote from My Cousin Rachel:
I thought about
it for a moment. Then I let it all come with a rush of words. Why hold back
anything to rot?
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Invaluable Lines of Communication,
December 13, 2011
I'm one of those readers who come across a good line or quote and must
write it down for future perusal. When I opened to the pages of this book I felt
an instant fellowship with editor Tram Nguyen, as well as a true appreciation
for what she achieves in "Language is a Place of STRUGGLE."
These
collected quotes by people of color are so alive and relevant that they awaken a
wisdom within us that echoes the lessons of truth and justice. The quotes are
wise, thought provoking and sadly poetic. This book is definitely an educational
tool for today's melting pot of cultures.
What we must remind ourselves
of about this book is that it's not just for people of color, but for all
humanity and womanhood. In order for our globalized modern world to better
understand one another and work toward a strongly united future, we must teach
from the universal struggles we all share. Overcoming language and cultural
barriers to recognize our oneness broadens the scope of our struggle. The 2009
Beacon Press edition has a Name Index.
Quotes:
I speak with no
authority; no assumption of age nor rank; I hold no position. I have no wealth.
One thing alone I own and that is my own soul. - W.E.B Du Bois, Black Scholar
AND Activist
History has determined our lives, and we must work hard for
what we believe to be the right thing...life is something we borrow and must
give back richer when the time comes. - Carlos Bulosan, Asian American
Writer
The fact that we are here and that I speak now these words is an
attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us,
for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so
many silences to be broken. - Audre Lorde, Black Writer
Everyone claims
to be part Cherokee - Sherman Alexie, American Indian Writer
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A Writer's Book, November 28,
2011
I don't know what I just finished
reading, but I liked Oracle Night. To be inside the head of an author and get a
glimpse of the waves of stories crashing onto the shore of his mind, that is
Oracle Night. Those who have a sprinkling of writing experience will likely find
some hidden theme in the story.
It seems that author Paul Auster can
write about anything, and make a reader want to read it to the end just for it's
style and clarity. He makes reading enjoyable, like talking. The stories within
this story seem to hover overhead after being read, accompanying you as the main
story takes shape and unfolds. Maybe the book is just a metaphor on life; to
live, love or hate and someday die. It's the moments in between that make life
so unpredictable and exciting.
3.5 stars
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6 of 8 people found the following review
helpful
 Must I Give It A Star?, November 16,
2011
This is an injustice to
the Horror genre. So bad that I found myself rooting for the mutants. If the
fake valleygirl screams don't get to you, the make believe scary faces of
twenty-somethings trying to look like teenagers will. Anyone, and I mean
A-N-Y-O-N-E, who gave this movie more than one star (for the mutants) is simply
being untruthful. Oh, maybe for those who get off on gore and blood splatter
only, it might've been close to a masterpiece. But even they must've wanted to
turn the sound off.
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| Torpedo
Juice |
by Tim Dorsey
Edition: Mass Market
Paperback |
| Price: $7.99 |
| Availability: In
Stock |
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It Ain't Shakespeare, It's Dorsey,
November 14, 2011
For me, a Tim Dorsey fan, Torpedo
Juice was an enjoyable visit back to the Florida world of Serge and Coleman.
Dorsey eventually connects the dots of the story, but it's the thought processes
of Serge and those "Darwin-Award" winning characters sprinkled throughout, who
give this book it's appeal.
I give the book a 3.5 on a Dorsey rating
scale. I would've liked to see Coleman just a bit less gross and showing some
redeeming quality. I also missed the wilds of vacuum-nosed cocaine connoisseur
Sharon, but truly enjoyed watching Serge tackle the soul-mate search as he finds
and attempts to honor then obey his honey until "death do us part." As usual
with Dorsey's humorous voice tickling my funnybone, I laughed out loud.
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Can Love Endure More Than A Harsh Climate?,
October 24, 2011
The movie "My Beautiful Jinjiimaa" has
something of a soap opera look, but the acting is far above that of a daily
soap. The tragic love theme is portrayed in such a way that you give in
completely to its victims, hoping and praying that life's fate isn't so cruel
toward love.
With the Mongolian winter as it's backdrop, the movie treats
your heart like a candle in a drafty room, one minute lighting its wick to
brighten up the place, and the next minute blowing all hope and promise to the
wind.
It's an emotional rollercoaster that can easilly produce tears of
joy and pain. And if the story and acting don't get your tear ducts moist, just
wait until the theme song kicks into full gear. "JIN-JI-I-MAA" Honestly, by the
time this movie ended I, a contact sports nut and emotional hoover dam, was
feeling the water buildup behind the eyes. Whew! that was close.
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| Get
Low |
| DVD ~ Robert Duvall |
| Price: $16.99 |
| Availability: In
Stock |
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1 of 2 people found the following review
helpful
A Telling Tale Of Forgiveness, October
18, 2011
This movie serves itself up in a way where you don't
want to miss one scene. It's a story that reveals itself slowly, and with each
stage of revelation comes more understanding of the people and their past and
present lives. With a mix of top tier actors the likes of Robert Duvall, Sissy
Spacek and surprisingly Bill Murray, "Get Low" gives you the almost comical
situation of a man wanting his funeral celebration while he's alive. Within the
first minutes you realize there's much more than a comedic background to the
story as the suspense and smarts of it take over.
I enjoyed this movie
for it's focus on what it means to ask forgiveness. You know the old saying,
"and the truth shall set you free." Well, here you witness a unique telling of
one man's journey toward freedom by breaking the shackles that bind him.
Shackles of stubborn pride and shameful secrets. I consider the movie a
masterpiece for it's acting and story telling. A wise old tale presented in a
wise and truthful way.
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1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
This Is Madness!
This........Is........Sparta!, October 11, 2011
Reading the first
100 pages of this book does make one cringe with horror at times. The author's
clear descriptions of the patients, their pains and the surgical procedures, not
to mention the saw and other primitive tools used to probe inside gaping
incisions, are both mesmerizing and ghastly alive.
The writing is so
convincing that you begin to feel as if you are there, suffering as a patient or
stoicly ignoring the patients screams to continue the procedure as a surgeon
should. The point is clearly made that many early day surgeons were butchers,
both literally and figuratively.
I admit, I haven't finished this book
yet. I really want to take my time savoring the atmosphere of this historical
novel. I felt a need to write something about the pleasure and pain spent
reading the first pages. The stories within the story just keep coming and so
far not one has dulled my interest.
The writing stands true and concise.
The characters are easily imagineable, so easy that its as if you recognize some
from childhood visits to a doctor's office. Just try putting yourself in a
doctor or patient's shoes of that era, that is where the reading becomes
timeless and engaging.
But the real horror in reading this book about
surgery prior to anesthesia is that it wasn't during the times of ancient Greece
or Rome; this is a story that takes place in mid-nineteenth century Western
civilization. This is NOT Sparta!
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2 of 3 people found the following review
helpful
What Miracle?, October 5, 2011
Did something get lost in
the translation? I read and waited for the pieces to come together, for some
unique, maybe enlightening event to rise up out of the Finnish forest. Nadda, it
never came to fruition. The only enjoyment I witnessed in this book was the
anticipation of a simple woodsman's survival story during a war. And that turned
out to be nothing more than dead fish. I did not find this book worth the short
read.
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| The
Family |
by Mario Puzo
Edition: Paperback |
| Price: $10.19 |
| Availability: In
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Hints of Puzo, October 3, 2011
"The Family" was an okay read. The subject and
it's historical characters hold your attention well, but I can't say I finished
it with a feeling of triumphant accomplishment. When I read Mario Puzo's "The
Godfather," I'd written down enough quotes from it to fill a small diary. In
this book I can count the memorable quotes on half a hand. Don't make the
mistake I did of comparing other Puzo works with this.
I'm sure others
have questioned the input Puzo had on this book. The hints of Puzo were there in
it's theme of family and power, but I felt it tried too hard to be
Puzo.
I did enjoy the story of the Borgia family with all their
dysfunctionality.
""If you love nothing, then power is an aberration, and
more important still a threat. For power is dangerous and can turn at any
moment."
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Who Was Charles Stuart, September 30,
2011
I can't
say whether I would've liked the entire book. But I can say that the pages I
read which included the story of Charles Stuart killing his wife for insurance
money and blaming it on a black man said much about the racial atmosphere of
Boston in 1990.
Author delivers the story of Charles Stuart and the
murder of his unsuspecting wife with the art of a mystery writer leading a
curious reader down a dark and dangerous corridor. The show Law & Order
based an episode on the case. I didn't buy the book because of its length and
detail, but if I come across it secondhand I'll swipe it up in a minute, if for
no other reason than to read about the black man Boston was ready to tar and
feather in 1990, until the brother of Charles Stuart came forward with the
truth. Please google it! Truth is so much more stranger than fiction.
 Comment | Permalink
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| Lie
to Me: Season One |
| DVD ~ Tim Roth |
| Offered by Brandon's
House of Fun |
| Price: $29.59 |
| Availability: In
Stock |
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1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
A Role Made For Tim Roth, September 22,
2011
A convincing lead actor, a wonderful
premise and investigative situations that grasp at the intelligence of the
viewer. "Lie To Me" is a series that offers top notch viewing entertainment for
those looking for something new and thought-provoking in a network television
series.
It's exciting and refreshing to see a crime drama series that
utilizes human interaction as opposed to crime lab analysis, weapons/ammunitions
analysis, DNA analysis or criminal mind profiling to solve a case. The language
of the body and facial experessions are universal. Regardless of nationality,
ethnicity, gender, social status or religion, every body and face reacts to
inward and outward emotional stimuli similarly. The agents in this series expose
not so much the Lie causing the body or facial reflex, but the Why behind the
Lie Or Truth.
Watch an episode and you'll never Lie in the same way. But
you will Lie!
Here's just one tidbit from the episode I watched that
caused me to stop and ponder the notion:
It is a myth that someone giving
testimony is always lying if they break eye contact and turn away from the
questioner. Actually, a person Lying will maintain eye contact to see if the
person they're Lying to believes the Lie.
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To Steal, Sell and Subjugate To Slavery,
September 8, 2011
This movie
production of a book I read is a winner in many ways. It takes you from freedom,
to a slave pen, to a plantation where you are another man's property, bought and
paid for to do the bidding of your new master.
The one fault in the movie
could be the acting itself, which comes across as a bit stiff at times. But the
true story and its subject of American slavery are so captivating that the
players on screen become convincing symbols of the many injustices suffered by
Blacks during the era. The suffering voices of the enslaved definitely come
through.
Every black character carries the scars of slavery in one way or
another. The one black man in their midst who'd been intimate with freedom
before being tricked and kidnapped into slavery, Solomon Northrup, becomes well
acquainted with those scars and ongoing fears. How does a proud and dignified
man survive 12 years in a cruel, undignified, humiliating environment? Allow
yourself to be transported to America's 1840's deep south as an enslaved
northerner with an education and middleclass refinement. It is this movie and
Solomon Northrup that brings you closest to being able to say, I've walked in
the shoes of a slave.
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| Hotel
Iris: A Novel |
by Y?ko Ogawa
Edition: Paperback |
| Availability: Out of Print--Limited
Availability |
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1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
The Seduction Of Youth, September 6,
2011
I really enjoyed the uncomplicated
writing in this book. It's a book to get lost in and let the story unfold as you
bask in the many descriptions of place, people and tense moments. The author
puts you inside a 17-year old girl's head just as her inner curiosities begin
seeking answers outside her fantasies. Ready to rebel against the boring,
monotonous life of home and work inside the Hotel Iris, a place her mother owns
and controls like a jailhouse matron, young Mari seeks the company of a
distinguished older gentleman.
In this graceful gentleman, a translator
of Russian books and documents by trade, Mari discovers the happiness and
satisfaction that life has failed to grant her thus far. As for us traveling
with Mari on her path of self-discovery, we see her newfound friend as something
more sinister and tarnished. Though we can later speculate as to why this man is
what he is, we're never truly told what made him that way.
It's a story
that ventures into the taboos of sadomasochism and yet retains its innocence and
affection. It is possible that the male translator of this short Japanese novel
written by a woman didn't grasp all that the writer wanted to convey about her
young Mari, he does give the bones of the story enough marrow to stand.
Ultimately what Hotel Iris demonstrates is what we seek in others is usually
what we're trying to locate in ourselves; love and acceptance.
3.5 Stars
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| Katyn
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| DVD ~ Artur Amijewski |
| Price: $17.99 |
| Availability: In
Stock |
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2 of 2 people found the following review
helpful
See The Crime, The Lie, The Life,
September 4, 2011
This movie is nothing short of excellent. The look, the
language and the lessons are not to be missed. Polish Director Andrzej Pajda
does an excellent job of putting fictional clothes on an atrocious, factual
event that was almost lost to history.
Its the story of a little known
genocide (22,000 slaughtered) that took place during WWII in Katyn Forest. Its
the story of how war tears apart families and compromises allegiances. Its the
story of a country's occupation by foreign invaders and its national resistance
toward that oppressor. Finally, its the story of crimes against humanity and the
lingering effects on those left behind to mourn their loss.
Pajda was so
adept at weaving together the warring threads of three countries (Poland,
Germany and Russia) that viewers might find themselves peeking between the
soldier's seams to determine who's wearing the uniform. The Politics and
Propoganda become apparently real as the movie comes to an unforgettably
emotional climax. I was also impressed by the subtle linkage of one family's
story with that of another family. I didn't expect to make sense of some things
I saw early in the movie, only to have their meanings illuminated later. The
power of an Excellent film!
The DVD Extra which shows an interview with
Director Andrzej Wajda is priceless. Here's what he had to say on the importance
of education and developing one's self:
"Developing one's self through
one's interests or work, making movies, creating an identity, the fact that one
searches for people who think alike, is dangerous to any authority because
authority always wants subjugation; to agree to everything. It wants an easy
society."
On Patriotism: "Those who preach it the most, are the least
suitable for it. They have the least, so to say, heart, courage, and judgment to
take advantage when the time is ripe."
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