Mahanagar (The Big City)

This Satyajit Ray film addresses issues involved in the modernization of societal roles of the sexes in India. The film concentrates on the personal difficulties of one family as their financial situation forces the daughter-in-law/wife/mother out of her traditional role in the home and into the work place. The father is furious, mother disappointed, husband humiliated, and the child confused.

The wife is very good at her job of door-to-door saleswoman and as she rakes in the cash her husband's life falls apart - very much like the patriarchal system itself. Out of work, the husband is jealous and suspicious of his wife, and while worrying about her he entirely ignores his father, who embarks on a shameful quest to collect money from his former pupils under the pretext of being neglected by his son. The movie ends on a hopeful note, with both bread winners jobless, the husband and wife equal at last and happy about it. Another not-to-be-missed, entertaining classic.

WORTH WATCHING
3.5 out of 5

Plot: 4
Imagery: 4
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3.5

News of a Kidnapping - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A nonfiction account of the kidnappings of affluent Colombians by the Pablo Escobar-led "extraditables," so called for the new controversial policy that allows for their extradition to the USA if caught or surrendered. The story begins in 1990 by recounting the latest abduction in a string of high profiled hostage taking - the cartel's angry response to the new policy. Next the tale drops back in time to explain the circumstances surrounding the kidnappings of other people held by the cartels. Marquez's gentle (Nobel Prize winning) prose presents the facts in a careful, believable story teller voice with none of the usual stuffiness of nonfiction. The guerrillas' behavior is neither vilified nor condoned. Their lower echelons are gentle, misguided and confused, while the top monsters appear oddly human and surprisingly unevil. The victims, for the most part, are not tortured or harmed; the pain of their experiences lies mainly in their captivity and absence from their loved ones.

The insight into Colombia's struggles proffered by News of a Kidnapping is priceless and the suspenseful story is difficult to put down. A must read for anyone interested in learning about the further effects of America's War on Drugs.

Important and Highly Entertaining
4 out of 5
Buy this book: News of a Kidnapping

Rescue Dawn

Werner Herzog's venture into Hollywood is an extension of his documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly, which retold the story of a German-born American pilot who was shot down over Laos before the Vietnam War "officially" started. While in the documentary Herzog had the real Dieter return to the place of his capture and relive his terrifying experiences, Rescue Dawn employs high-paid actors. It is still undeniably Herzog, however, full of brutality, tension, and realism (Herzog is famous for doing anything to achieve the desired effect). While trailers of the film show a great deal of explosions and excitement, the film itself mostly portrays a group of malnourished captives whispering their plans for escape. After crashing in the jungle, Dieter is taken to a camp where he meets other prisoners, some of whom are steadily descending into madness. Little Dieter Needs to Fly offers a little more insight into the man and his peculiar mind, but the dramatization is an unsensationalized study of madness, hunger, and the limits of human endurance - some of Herzog's favorite themes.

WORTH WATCHING
3.5 of out 5
Buy the film: Rescue Dawn
Download: Rescue Dawn

Plot: 3
Imagery: 4
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3.5

The Beautiful and Damned - F. Scott Fitzgerald

A logical followup to semi-autobiographical This Side of Paradise, which followed its character through adolescence, this novel focuses on the adult life of the handsome and clever - but uninspired - Anthony Patch, who lives it up on his grandfather's dollar and struggles to forge his own way in life. After marrying the beautiful Gloria, his life degenerates until he exists in a state of selfish depravity, evidenced by increasing alcoholism and the alienation of everyone near him. Though it never seems his pinnacle of his life is very high, he manages to fall quite far. Centering on this semi-tragic story, Fitzgerald exposes the strange, separate lives of the leisure class - those who never know true work; whose entire existences seem to be one interwoven political game in which people are pieces and one succeeds only by arranging his or her position and fortifying it, and one's status can be determined by timely usage of a few cynical, pretentious phrases. Not quite as original or spirited as This Side of Paradise, nor as polished as The Great Gatsby, this is nonetheless a rich and honest book, full of the author's typical lyricism and bitter social commentary.

Worth Reading
3 out of 5
Buy this book: The Beautiful and Damned
Download for Kindle: The Beautiful and Damned

Spirited Away

This film, framed with a standard child escapist scenario, is a stunning, inventive adventure from director Hayao Miyazaki. A young girl wanders from her parents (who are gorging themselves on food) and suddenly finds herself in a different, parallel world, full of bizarre creatures and mysterious happenings. Combining Peter Pan-like fantasy with Japanese lore, the world sprouting from Miyazaki's fertile imagination contains a healthy amount of oddity and grotesqueness. Certainly, the film may be seen simply as entertainment, but there is commentary behind the fantastical situations, as in the presence of a greedy, ghostlike No Name monster that will do anything for attention and then devour those who have fed its desire (The black hole of consumerism? A needy, lonely weird kid?). The girl is endangered by a witch/bath house manager who steals her employees' names (and thus their identities) binding them into her service - perhaps a good message for anyone entering into a dismal corporate career. The animation is excellent and the story manages to breathe life into the old, well-used plot of a child lost in an imaginary world.

Worth Watching
3.5 out of 5
Buy this film: Spirited Away

Plot: 3
Imagery: 4
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 3 Buy the Spirited Away Soundtrack
Overall: 3.5

At War With Asia - Noam Chomsky

This highly academic collection of essays from the early 70s is not exactly light reading. Pick this up if you have a serious interest in American foreign policy and the patience to wade through the facts and undecorated analysis. Chomsky examines - in great detail - the military involvement of the United States in the Southeast Asian nations of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, drawing on extensive research and his own visits to the area. He is, of course, relentlessly critical of the American government and its policies - the general point seems to be that claims of good intentions and benevolence were/are all bullshit, and that US interventions there and throughout the world were/are really aimed at maintaining the dependence of developing countries on the United States (for the sake of expanding both military and markets). But he also looks home to America, contemplating the health (or existence) of a democracy that allows its government to wage wars against poor nations, especially when against public opinion. "Either the war will have to go," Chomsky says, "or the democracy." While these essays are mostly over thirty years old, they may offer more than just a critical look back in time, as the US has moved on to different regions but its motives remain essentially the same.

Worth Reading
3.5 out of 5
Buy this book: At War With Asia: Essays on Indochina

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash

While the theme of this documentary is important, it offers nothing in the way of information or insight into our oil problems that couldn't be earned from a few minutes of reading or searching around the Internet. A great deal of time is spent trying to fuel fear - we use oil for a great number of things, and we'll sure be sorry when it's gone. The film gives a brief and scattered history of oil productions; a limited look at the relationship between oil, politics, and war; and a fruitless, half-assed introduction to energy alternatives. The handful of interviewees throw out endless statistics and numbers - but their point remains uncertain. In the end it is a propaganda film with an obvious goal of frightening people more than educating them - but, while it repetitively asserts a dire need to brace ourselves for the impending oil crash and the problems it will bring, it seems to suggest that there would be no problem if the world's oil supply was limitless; there is no mention of the environmental implications of burning fossil fuels and the fact that we need to readjust our consumptive lifestyles and restricted thinking regardless of how much oil exists. A better film would focus on the possibilities for alternative energy rather than trying to insight paranoia and panic.

Um?
2 out of 5
Buy this film: A Crude Awakening - The Oil Crash

Plot: 2
Imagery: 2
Originality: 2
Soundtrack: 2
Overall: 2

Youth and The End of the Tether - Joseph Conrad

Two more seafaring tales from Joseph Conrad, both purportedly based on his own Eastern marine adventuring. 'Youth,' the first and significantly shorter of the stories, is well described by its subtitle: A Narrative. In it, a young man's enthusiasm for life is only strengthened by events of danger and hardship on the sea. The second, 'The End of the Tether,' tells of an old, well-intentioned sea captain on the opposite leg of life who finds himself suddenly tangled in a series of dishonest decisions (both his own and those of his mutinous crew). Though the captain is a worldly, respected man, his character displays a cringeworthy innocence as the troubles around him culminate. While at times his descriptions get a little out of hand, Conrad's expertise shines brightly through these contrasting stories of life, death, light, dark, good and evil. His strong voice steers his characters and plot with easy skill akin to that of a seasoned captain steering through well charted waters. This book is both impressive and fun to read.

Highly Entertaining
4 out of 5
Buy this book: Youth; Heart of Darkness; The End of the Tether (Our version is Out of Print)

The Wrestler

Apparently this film is supposed to be impressive because its story of a broke-down, aging wrestler seeking redemption is very similar in theme to the real life of its broke-down star, Mickey Rourke. Hollywood may love rebirths, but what is so exciting about an actor playing himself - especially when that mutual character is a worthless goon? Of course, the wrestler's pain is the spectator's joy - but the concept of self-sacrifice is a bit far-fetched in this case. The wrestler, known as 'The Ram,' is scarred and smashed up twenty years after his big fight - since then it seems his life has gone steadily downhill, though he's still wrestling and signing autographs. A sudden disaster sends the steroid junkie reeling, and he makes a couple half-assed attempts to put his life back together: trolling after an aging, broke-down stripper who insists she isn't really a stripper; and attempting to win back his estranged, college-age daughter who doesn't want him in her life. Can you guess what happens?

In other words, the story is ludicrous. A general weirdness permeates the film, simply due to the subject matter and 'backstage' look at the pro wrestling world, and it is shot in a somewhat gritty, realist style (the camera often follows the Ram's back, like a documentary) - but none of this manages to redeem the failures of the uninspired plot and flat characters. In the end, its attempts at rawness and authenticity are undermined, and The Wrestler is essentially a merger of Rocky, a porno, and a WWE show - unnecessarily graphic, smutty, and contrived.

BOOOOOOOO!
Rating 1.5 out of 5
Buy this film: The Wrestler
Download: The Wrestler

Plot: 1
Imagery: 2
Originality: 2
Soundtrack: 1 The Wrestler
Overall: 1.5

Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer

A true account of the adventures of 24 year old Christopher McCandless, an upper class East Coast suburbanite, who, upon finishing college, gave away and burned all his money and attempted a sort of "return to nature." McCandless travels around North America in a haze of youthful discontent, naivete and stupidity, relying on the kindness of strangers and dumb luck to survive. Eventually he heads north to the ever romanticized textbook wilderness of Alaska where his innocence becomes painfully clear as he dives into the Denali wilderness in April - his life prolonged once again by an astonished stranger who gives him some basic gear before he trudges out of sight. It is still winter, and he quickly realizes that his life is in peril; luckily, he finds an old abandoned bus which has been converted to a hunting cabin of sorts.

This is a cautionary tale, not a guidebook. The story has gathered a cult-like following worldwide since the release of the film. Everywhere we go, whenever we meet crazy, lucky-to-be-alive-for-the stupid-things-they've-done backpackers and they hear any mention of Alaska, their eyes star up and, like obsessed teeny-boppers, they gush over how their dream is to "disappear" into the Alaskan wilderness like their "hero" McCandless. Most add, as an afterthought, as though some crime of nature has been committed: "I can't believe he died." If you are one of these senseless, itchy-footed idolaters this book isn't for you. Otherwise, it is a well written story that shows many sides of America and its people: kind, selfish, idealistic, etc. and leaves questions about the honesty and accuracy of the American education system's portrayal of the West.

Worth the Read
3 out of 5
Buy this book: Into the Wild

Only Yesterday

This film comes from Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation company responsible for such imaginative classics as Castle in the Sky and Porco Rosso, two movies which Only Yesterday matches in animated design but does not even approach in plot or characters. Taeko, a twenty-seven year old office worker from Tokyo, chooses to spend her ten day vacation working with family friends in the countryside instead of traveling. While packing she slips into nostalgic memories of her ten-year-old self. She drifts in and out of this sentimentalism throughout the entire movie, mainly imposing on strangers, one of whom somehow falls in love with her. Only Yesterday is a long, tedious story that leaves you wondering- so what? Aside from the beautiful animations and a few moments of realistic ten year old reactions your time might better be spent reflecting on your own ten-year-old self - as long as you don't feel inclined to share.

Um?
2 out of 5
Buy this film: Omohide poro poro (Only Yesterday)

Plot: 1
Imagery: 4
Originality: 1
Soundtrack: 1
Overall: 2

Wild Swans - Jung Chang

This book may as well be handed out to expats in China along with their visas. It seems every foreigner associated with the country within the past fifteen years has read it. But, having been through it, its appeal and ubiquity are much easier to understand - it is essentially a crash course on recent Chinese history in a highly-readable story form. Jung Chang uses the experiences her own family as a center-point, around which she forms a general account of China's bizarre twentieth century, from the collapse of thousands of years of dynasty rule to the short-lived republic, the Japanese occupation, installation of Communism, and the tumultuous years of Mao Zedong. The result is a story that often seems impossible - the years of glorified ignorance and repression of the Cultural Revolution could be passed as science fiction, some horrifying Orwellian vision manifested. Jung Chang manages to maintain humility and composure, even while describing the most violent or painful episodes, though at times the narrative is bit too heavy with her own sentiment and, towards the end, stumbles in and out of repetitiveness. The subtitle of the book is Three Daughters of China, suggesting the presence of a definite Mom book; but, while the author relies a little too heavily on possessive adjectives (my mother, my mother, my mother...) and occasionally delves into unnecessary emotional reflexion, it is just as much a story of her father (and China in general), and is on the whole rather subdued and somber.

Worth Reading
3.5 out of 5
Buy this book: Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China

Big Deal on Madonna Street

This 1950s Italian criminal caper comedy classic is perhaps best described to America's modern audiences as a low-tech Oceans 11. Played by an all-star pretty boy cast, the bumbling amateur thieves are believable, simpatico characters. Their aim, set on a pawn shop safe, is easily shaken by women, food, and poor planning. As the storyline progresses it becomes clear that these are not hardened criminals but lazy, childish men who prefer playing an absurd, delinquent game - even if it is likely to amount to nothing - over a day or hour of real, honest work - a well known attitude staple of Italian culture. Through the adventures of the protagonists' planning, relationships are created and the men's ineptitude as swindlers is highlighted - but, of course, the deal must go down. Big Deal on Madonna Street is a light and fun watch, a must see for criminal comedy enthusiasts.

Worth Watching
3 out of 5
Buy this film:Big Deal on Madonna Street

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 2
Overall: 3

Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 - Hunter S. Thompson

The strangest thing about his rambling, angry, often incoherent collection of a year's worth of political writing is that there are actually moments of genuine, clear insight. Somehow, the late Dr. Thompson's unorthodox journalism manages to capture - or reflect - the true nature of the American political process - maddening, gruesome, something akin to a meat grinder that threatens to destroy the sanity and stability of everyone involved, so long as they have a sliver of humanity in them. Indeed, by the final pages, Thompson himself is unwell, and unable even to write - at times bare transcripts are given in place of his trademark narration. Through his suffering he appears to have gained something of an inside understanding of how our country works, and as a self-labeled power junkie, Thompson seems to intuit (and still deplore) what motivates the maneuvers of many politicians. Alternatively hilarious (as in his account of crashing a pro-Nixon youth rally), tedious (he throws out a lot of numbers), and incomprehensible, this is ultimately an entertaining and enlightening account of a bizarre aspect of America; and readers may notice some uncanny resemblances between the events of the '72 election and many of our recent ones.

Worth Reading
3 out of 5
Buy this book: Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Reality is thoroughly whipped in Terry Gilliam's grand, twisted adventure - the story of an aging baron who sets off, accompanied by a bossy, imaginative young girl, to locate his former servants (a midget with super hearing, a buffoon with super speed, an oaf with super strength, and a marksman with super sight) so they can return and free the city from the relentless siege of the Turks. Each step along their journey presents a new set of dangers, and the baron is continually tempted by women and rest in spite of their urgent quest. As with most Gilliam films, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is full of humor, bizarre situations, and outlandish characters - but there is always a sense of menace and darkness behind it all (actually, the Baron repeatedly dodges the bony grasp of a ghoulish, screeching Death...). Though maybe a bit outdated, it is still more entertaining - and original - than most cutting edge, modern adventure films.

HIGHLY ENTERTAINING
4 out of 5
Buy this film: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Plot: 4
Imagery: 4
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 4
Overall: 4

Cathedral - Raymond Carver

This poignant collection of stories from a Northwestern author are steeped in genuine experience - in failure, struggle, and common human interactions. The premises are surprisingly strange: in the title story, a man admits his uncertainty about meeting a blind man, only to find a strange sort of comfort in the new experience. But in scenarios such as this, Carver avoids both didacticism and sentimentality; his subtle, unpretentious language simply shows, with almost haunting honesty, a very real world. The characters within his barren situations are full of doubts and weakness (in 'Careful,' a man convinces himself that it's ok to drink Champange straight from the bottle in the afternoon by himself), have little aspirations, and make errors - in other words, they are very authentic. Each of these twelve short works offers a unique glimpse of both the emptiness and possibility of life.

Worth Reading
3.5 out of 5
Buy this book: Cathedral

Waltz with Bashir

This Israeli animated feature length documentary is the story of director, Ari Folman, a retired soldier, and his quest to fill in the gaps of his Lebanon Wartime memory. Haunted by a reoccurring vision of the aftermath of a massacre (Sabra and Shatila) and yearning to know if is based in reality, Folman dives into a series of interviews with friends, fellow soldiers and a reporter, all of whom were in Beirut at the time. The realistic animation lasts almost the entire film, providing the audience with insight into Folman's memories as they reform, surreal as they may seem, and the harsh, shadowy tones help to express the dark mood of the film. The only live footage, which plays for a few seconds at the conclusion of the story, is a powerful news clip of wailing mourners and piled bodies. Waltz with Bashir has been designated an anti-war film by Folman - with an original soundtrack that picks up the narrative, seamlessly filling in gaps between interviews, this robust story leaves little room for that message to be missed. All together an intriguing, courageous and entertaining film, tight enough that it doesn't have to explain much, instead allowing room for personal reflection and further questions.

Important
4 out of 5
Buy this Film: Waltz With Bashir

Plot: 3
Imagery: 4
Originality: 5
Soundtrack: 4 Waltz With Bashir Soundtrack
Overall: 4

A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present - Howard Zinn

This heavy volume is, foremost, a history book, as it says, and so it is laden with sometimes tedious examples, excerpts, facts, and dates - but it has a distinctive purpose: to counterweight the majority of our historical works, which Zinn believes tend to be too sympathetic of states and dismissive of people. In other words, it is a conscious effort to shift the perspective of American history to those who have, in the United States' approximately 230 year history (and prior), been marginalized, oppressed, forgotten, or otherwise victimized. While he devotes plenty of space to deploring the actions and attitudes of governments, Zinn mainly focuses on People's movements - rebellions, protests, strikes, dissent - the essential motivating force behind democratic change. In a sense A People's History is a compassionate history, in that it does not dismiss war and violence and oppression as necessary events in light of our present situations. But its greatest purpose, it seems, is its attempt to override the many still-common American myths, including - but not limited to - that the country's founders had pure, righteous intentions; that politicians were once honest and fair; that unjust military intervention is a recent blemish; and that, in general, our country needs to return to its old values. This book is dense and extensive; for those looking for a shorter path to cynicism, Zinn recently released an illustrated version.

IMPORTANT
4 out of 5
Buy this book: A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present (P.S.)

Nayak (The Hero)

This Indian film by Satyajit Ray has a definite Italian quality to it, with especially obvious similarities to Fellini's 1960s pictures. The main actor even bears a strong resemblance to Marcello Mastroianni, and his character is, much like Mastroianni in 8 1/2, trapped and jaded by the entertainment business. In Nayak, a popular movie star travels to Delhi to receive a prize of some sort, but having decided at the last minute to go, he has no choice but to take a common sleeper. On board he finds himself surrounded by nosy fans, a fiery old man, a conniving couple, and many other characters, all of whom distract him from his 'wish' to sleep and be ignored. As the train rolls on, the star - confined to a compartmentalized locomotive - is compelled to lower his suave, detached manner and reveal some of his troubling past. Unfortunately, the film displays little of Ray's talent for musical composition, though it does employ esoteric dream sequences, illuminating flashbacks, and a few cutting criticisms of the state of Indian cinema. In short, a tightly crafted, insightful, and witty film.


Worth Watching
3.5 out of 5
Buy this film: Nayak - The Hero

Plot: 3
Imagery: 4
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3.5

Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger

This is J.D. Salinger's intricately descriptive story showing the relationship between two remarkably well sketched sibling characters. Broken into two different episodes, the reader is first introduced to Franny, the youngest of the seven famously precocious Glass children (also mentioned in a few of Salinger's Nine Stories and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction), grown past her early genius into a beautiful and concerned 20-year-old undergraduate who's exposure to a mysterious religious text has left her teetering on the edge of a mental collapse. The second, much longer section - Zooey - picks up focus on the Glass family's youngest son, Franny's older brother. Zooey, 25, is an actor by trade. Through a conversation with the title characters' mother we discover Franny is home and indisposed. The story flows through beautifully realistic dialogue and though very little actually happens in the plot, enough is revealed about the characters to make this a compelling and entertaining read.

Worth Reading
3.5 out of 5
Buy this Book: Franny and Zooey

Chop Shop

With shaky, raw camera work and non-professional actors, this independent film about a brother and sister struggling for an existence in a rough New York neighborhood definitely has an air of realism. But the very things that give it its edge may be its downfall - the acting is barely passable at times, and the story lacks a strong thread, perhaps limited by inadequate resources and talent. The subject matter is honest but not particularly original - a young, hardworking boy fends for himself in the big city, begging for work and selling candy on the subway until he manages to find odd work (and housing) at a chop shop. Soon his older sister comes to live with him and work in a taco truck, and the two of them dream up a solution to their dependency and poverty. Chop Shop offers a melancholic, candid look at a strained sibling relationship, but its potential for insight and emotional power is not quite fulfilled.

Worth Watching
3 out of 5
Buy this film: Chop Shop

Plot: 3
Imagery: 2
Originality: 2
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3

Last Go Round - Ken Kesey

Kesey's rodeo tale most closely resembles Sailor Song, his Alaskan adventure, rather than his cerebral and cunning earlier works. His characters are colorful but not exceptionally deep, and he dances around the edge of cliche, but there is always the sense that he might throw you off when you're not expecting it. Inspired by stories of the first Pendelton Roundup told to Kesey (and friend Ken Babbs) in his youth, Last Go Round fully embraces the actual event's mythicized history - naturally, Kesey adds some of his own flavor into the pot. Related from the perspective of an aged rodeo star, the language is bright and amusing and full of twisted cowboy wisdom (infused with some North American and Asian mysticism). For anyone who has ever attended the bizarre event of the Pendelton Roundup, it provides a unique perspective; otherwise, it is a rollicking tale from a more conservative, but still confident and sly, Kesey.

Worth Reading
3 out of 5
Buy this film: Last Go Round: A Real Western

The Last King of Scotland

Instead of focusing on the atrocities perpetrated by the Ugandan regime of Idi Amin, this film tells the surreal story of a young Scottish doctor who unwittingly forges a relationship with the megalomaniac but charismatic dictator. Driven by rash idealism, the doctor abandons a family practice to work in the third world, by chance finding himself treating Amin, before long he is irreversibly entangled in the uncertain world of Ugandan politics and civil war. By avoiding graphic images of the genocide, or hardly referring to it most of the film, the viewer experiences the Scotsman's amazingly limited understanding of the situation around him. While surely altered and magnified by Hollywood, the premise of this story is intriguing, and Forrest Whitaker successfully brings to life the infamous Amin's childish insanity.

Worth Watching
3 out of 5
Buy this film: The Last King of Scotland
Download: The Last King of Scotland

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3

The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories – Nikolai Gogol

This collection of short stories by Gogol, an early 19th century Russian, is both impressive and entertaining. The tales contain heartwarmingly pathetic, believable characters with qualities still relevant to contemporary society, as well as occasional self-reflexive quips from the author (100 years before Vonnegut’s overuse drove them out of style). The line between reality and absurdity bends, blurs, breaks and returns reshaped within the cruel social structures and tedium of daily life, producing original didactic tales. Gogol employs very few time cues but when he does (such as poking fun at the French and Germans) they provide interesting insight into the historical period. The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories is fun and enlightening; whether you’re looking for an easy distraction or for a heavier, layered journey, you’ll get something worthwhile out of this book.

IMPORTANT!
4 out of 5
Buy this book: Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

Tartuffe

“Great is the number of hypocrites on earth and many are the forms in which they appear! Many a time we unsuspectingly sit next to them! For see!”

And thus begins one of the greatest films ever created. Tartuffe, a silent German tale, warns of the dangers involved in unchecked devotion to religion, ideologies and other inherently hypocritical institutions. Its wisdom is revealed through the interactions of wonderfully descriptive characters: A villain whose face is constantly hidden in a book, only removed to reveal his true evil; an ignorant and entirely fooled man; the faithful wife who imperils herself to set free that man; and the loyal maid who makes the plan work. This film should be shown everywhere to everyone in hopes of saving the easily-tricked from devotional slavery. Very fun to watch: a true classic.

Totally Awesome Must See!
5 out of 5
Buy this film: Tartuffe

Plot: 5
Imagery: 5
Originality: 5
Soundtrack: 4
Overall: 5

In Dubious Battle - John Steinbeck

Steinbeck's concise tale of labor strife and political uprising follows a young, disenfranchised worker who joins up with a local branch of the communist party. His mentor teaches him the ins and outs of riding the rails and being subversive, and they soon plant themselves in an apple picking camp and try to stir things up. The story is mostly driven by dialogue, and the author's ideas on the skeptical nature of political ideology and violent struggle are revealed through the discussions of common workers (though Steinbeck's views are expressed most clearly in the words of an apolitical doctor). Full of tension until the final page, this novel is an honest depiction of an American time period as well as a careful inspection of the morality of inciting hatred and rebellion for the sake of a greater good.

IMPORTANT!
4 out of 5
Buy this book: In Dubious Battle (Penguin Classics)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story of the same name opens with the following image: "Wrapped in a voluminous white blanket, and partially crammed into one of the cribs, there sat an old man apparently about seventy years of age. His sparse hair was almost white, and from his chin dripped a long smoke-colored beard, which waved absurdly back and forth, fanned by the breeze coming in at the window." The filmmakers who adapted Fitzgerald's tale either completely missed that passage, or deliberately decided to ignore the absurd tone it set so well. The film version frames the real story by placing it within the ludicrous plot of a dying woman revealing a long-held secret to her daughter. Instead of embracing the obviously silly nature of the premise, that of a person being born as an old man and growing young, the film attempts to use it as a vessel for cliche life lesson after cliche life lesson. The major mistake was choosing drama over comedy - it would have been more effective to cast a bumbling Will Ferrell type in place of Brad Pitt.

Um?
2 out of 5
Buy this film: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Buy the original story: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Stories

Plot: 2
Imagery: 2
Originality: 1
Soundtrack: 1
Overall: 2

A Glimpse of Nothingness - Janwillem van de Wetering

The subtitle of this nonfiction account is 'Experiences in an American Zen Community,' and it is precisely that. As you might expect from a student of Buddhism, the writing is economical and unpretentious. Dutch writer van de Wetering wastes no space as he tells of his exploration into Japanese Zen Buddhism and his visit to a commune located within the woods of the American Northeast. Residents of the 'retreat,' which is run by an unforgivingly honest master, subject themselves to strenuous meditation labor as they search for the answers to their koans; but the life of these spiritual seekers is not puritanical - they humanly indulge in instant coffee, cigarettes and booze to keep grounded. Van de Wetering's reflections are tinged with a humility and humor which suggest that he did in fact discover something, even if he beheld it only momentarily. A Glimpse of Nothingness is an interesting peek at an alternative lifestyle. Whether or not you have any interest in the modern practice of Zen Buddhism, it is a fun and light escape.

WORTH READING
3.5 out of 5
Buy this book: A Glimpse of Nothingness: Experiences in an American Zen Community

The Elephant Man

Though it begins with a segment of odd, art house imagery, David Lynch's film about a horribly deformed Englishman is mostly subdued and normal, as far as style goes. Its black and white cinematography is crisp and pleasing to the eye, and in many ways the techniques seem almost anachronistic (aside from a couple of bizarre, dreamy sequences). Anthony Hopkins plays a benevolent surgeon who locates the so-called 'Elephant Man' and attempts to save him from his depraved circumstances. Lynch provides an interesting, compassionate look at perceptions of weirdness in society, and questions both our repulsion and fascination of differences, here shown is the form of an extreme physical mutation. The scenes are unfocused at times, with some abruptly fading away when they ought to continue, and others dragging with no forwarding of the plot, but as a whole it is a very watchable, carefully-crafted film and an revealing critique of human cruelty and hypocrisy.

HIGHLY ENTERTAINING
4 out of 5
Buy this film: The Elephant Man

Plot: 4
Imagery: 4
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 3
Overall:4

Caverns - O.U. Levon (U.O. Novel)

This Ken Kesey led group effort by a class of 13 University of Oregon creative writing graduate students is a crap shoot of quality. As explained in the introduction, the goals of the class were "to write, rewrite, and submit a finished novel in the three terms alloted [them]" (Kesey, 1990, Introduction to Caverns). The resulting story of a ragtag crew's quest to quell a mystery shrouded with murder and confused by media attention reveals intriguing glimpses of slightly underdeveloped characters through a shaky and at times tedious plot. The collaboration behind Caverns is perhaps the most compelling part of the mainly fun but frivolous novel. If you're a die hard Kesey fan or happen to find this book near a comfortable toilet (to read while you poop) it may be worth your time.

Um?
2 out of 5
Buy this Book: Caverns