Posted by: Sally Ingraham | February 2, 2010

The Skating Rink

DSC00375by Roberto Bolaño – Translated by Chris Andrews

I brought this book home from my library in December, as part of my stack of books for the Dec. 5th read-a-thon. I never got to it, but I found that I couldn’t forget about it either so I checked it out again a few days ago and read it in two afternoons.

There is something wonderfully compelling about the image of a figure skater, gracefully circling an ice rink made from an old swimming pool, in a cavernous room of an abandoned palace, with seating for imaginary fans provided by packing crates tumbled round. The skater is Nuria, a woman who’s beauty all the world’s adjectives fall short of describing. A fat man sits nearby, watching her. Another man, somewhere in the Spanish seaside city of Z, dreams of her next visit to his hotel room. Yet another man seems to spy on her from the shadows, but is in fact watching another woman, a women who has a large knife tucked into her skirt. Even though music plays, a breathless silence suffocates and it seems that the only noise is the scraping of the skates upon the ice…

This book is, in simple terms, a crime novel, a whodunit. This is Bolaño, though, so nothing is simple. He takes a recognized formula and sets it on fire, not to destroy it, but to bring before your eyes all the depth and color of the flames.

The three narrators that Bolaño uses to tell his brief and violent love story are incredibly well drawn. When I was reading The Savage Detectives I was amazed at his ability to bring over four dozen characters to life with just a quick sketch – in The Skating Rink that skilled pen marks the page with heavy strokes and the three men that he conjures up seem to be sitting in the chair opposite of you, speaking directly to you. You feel as though you should offer them a drink – coffee or cognac? They had beating, complex, imperfect hearts.

I wouldn’t say that I loved this book, but I certainly was entertained and challenged once again by Bolaño. Compared to the last book I read that you could call crime fiction – Denis Johnson’s Nobody Move (and it’s so odd that I nearly read both of these books on the same day…!) – this was far more satisfying, and it is an incredibly good example of what a talented author can really do with such a seemingly worn out genre. Bravo once again Bolaño.

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Posted by: Sally Ingraham | February 1, 2010

Movie Mayhem: Jan. 27th-Jan. 31st

I have arrived at the end of my first month of weekly mini movie reviews. I’m keeping myself pretty entertained by writing them, so it looks like I’ll keep going with the feature. I watched 29 movies in January, plus one that I won’t count because I didn’t finish it but still intend to. Remember, it’s winter in a small town in Maine so I don’t really have much else to do – but that’s still a lot of movies! Good times. 🙂

sherlock holmesSherlock Holmes – Guy Ritchie – USA – 2009
I realized while watching this film that I’ve finally adopted a fairly reasonable response to book-to-movie adaptations. I don’t come completely unglued anymore when the movie differs from the book. I can generally look at them as separate art forms and rate each on their own merit. That still leaves me plenty of room to complain, though, and question the totally crazy decisions that are made more often than not – decisions like twisting the plot in bizarre and unnecessary directions, inserting new characters or ridiculous love interests, KILLING OFF characters (I am still livid to this day over a certain adaptation of Captains Courageous!!), or just generally mucking about and making a mess of a great story to satisfy Hollywood and the American public… However, getting back to Sherlock Holmes, I found Guy Ritchie’s approach to the iconic and already frequently re-imagined characters of Holmes and Watson to be completely acceptable – even satisfying. The movie was a rip-roaring adventure, complete with strange paranormal twist and plenty of clever dialogue. Guy Ritchie definitely brought some of his own unique flavor to the film, although somewhat toned down I felt (it was missing some of the oomph that propelled films like Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smokin’ Barrels). I LOVED the score by Hans Zimmer. Not an astounding film on any level, but definitely fun, and I didn’t feel like my love for Holmes had been in any way offended. I still think of Jeremy Brett as having given the most accurate portrayal, but Robert Downing Jr.’s version was a fresh look at the character, and one that I couldn’t be bothered to fuss over. While the best Holmes can still be found only in the books, I will admit that I will be getting my grubby paws on this DVD when it comes out and enjoying it again in the future!

Spy Game – Tony Scott – USA – 2001
I love when Brad Pitt gets upstaged by someone old and wrinkly – and it happens quite a lot! Robert Redford does a good job of it, playing a wickedly clever spy who, on his last day of work before retirement, finds himself having to bail out ‘the Boyscout’, a kid he trained and worked with back in the day who seems to have gone rogue. There’s a lot of office spy games to balance out fairly interesting espionage episodes set in Beirut and China. An entertaining, if somewhat light film.

Sahara – Breck Eisner – USA – 2005
This movie is like comfort food. I’ve seen it numerous times every year since it came out on DVD in 2005. I have a weakness for great soundtracks, and this one is full of fun classic rock. Matthew McConaughey is always nice to look at, but it is a show stealing performance from Steve Zahn, and a fun appearance from William H. Macy that makes me put the movie in whenever I need something funny that also has good action and a lively soundtrack. The story is ridiculous – IMDb’s synopsis sums it up well: ‘Master explorer Dirk Pitt goes on the adventure of a lifetime seeking out a lost Civil War battleship known as the “Ship of Death” in the deserts of West Africa while helping a UN doctor being hounded by a ruthless dictator.‘ Hehe.

helen mirren

Excalibur – John Boorman – USA – 1981
I’m mildly surprised that I’ve never seen this before. I used to be WAY into King Arthur. It was totally satisfying to see that world brought to life, and have all the different parts of the story click into place so deftly. Very funny to see early performances by Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, and Helen Mirren – oh the fabulous, brilliant Helen Mirren in the role of Morgana! Made me want to read both Le Morte D’arthur, finally, and Gerald Morris’ novels again. I can feel a King Arthur phase coming on! (But don’t worry, I won’t be watching Camelot any time soon.)

Kiss of the Dragon – Chris Nohan – USA – 2001
The nice thing about a movie that is built around a martial arts star of Jet Li’s caliber is that, even if the story is lacking, the amazing martial arts sequences will usually make up for it. This movie actually had a fairly interesting story, and I finally liked Bridget Fonda in something, but honestly I watched it for the martial arts. I mean, even though it’s all rehearsed to the max, Jet Li DOES all that stuff. There’s only two spots where CGI is used in this film! Cool.

Kitchen Stories – Bent Hamer – Norway – 2003 (Movie of the Week!)
Another wonderful film from Bent Hamer, who more recently directed O’Horten. I was completely mesmerized by a film where almost nothing happens. Isak is a scientific observer, sent to examine the kitchen habits of a grumpy, single old man. From his seat in a tall chair in the corner, Isak maps Folke’s travels around the kitchen, not allowed to speak to him or interfere in any way. Even though it takes a long time, eventually a friendship grows between the two, which complicates the scientific study, and threatens Folke’s only other friendship with his jealous neighbor Grant. Definitely a film that examines human connection and relationships, it does so in an elegant, unpretentious way that is immensely satisfying, and amazingly entertaining. Absolutely lovely.

tsotsiTsotsi – Gavin Hood – South Africa – 2005
In contrast to Invictus (mutter mutter mutter), here’s a film set in South Africa that has authentic (and superb) music. Featuring Kwaito music performed by Zola as well as a score by Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker featuring the voice of South African protest singer/poet Vusi Mahlasela, the soundtrack was only one of the things that I really liked about this movie. The story – 6 days in the violent life of a young man from the slums outside Johannesburg – dealt with questions about redemption and second chances, and was gut-stompingly sad. An amazing, almost silent and powerfully visual performance from Presley Chweneyagae really held the film together. The ending was amazing. Not an easy movie to watch, but a very good one.

Amreeka – Cherien Dabis – USA – 2009
The debut feature from Cherien Dabis, this film takes a look into the life of a Palestinian single mom who is granted a green card and makes the tough choice to leave her home and try to make a new life in America with her teenage son. Whether faced with intimidating West Bank checkpoints, or the harassment of small town American teens, Muna Fara clings to optimism and perseveres. Nisreen Faour plays Muna with irresistible charm – she’s absolutely beautiful. While overall the story is a tough one, the humor of everyday life comes through vividly. A thoroughly charming film.

I definitely feel that I’ve improved my movie selections with this batch, and my only aim for the coming weeks of movie watching is to watch more foreign films. Any great suggestions?

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Posted by: Sally Ingraham | February 1, 2010

Audrey Niffenegger Inrigues

DSC00373

The other day while volunteering at my local library I helped an acquaintance of mine put an ILL hold on Audrey Niffenegger’s new book, Her Fearful Symmetry. In the course of our conversation, having learned that I haven’t read either the new book or The Time Travelers Wife, she recommended something entirely different by Niffenegger – a sort of graphic novel/adult picture book called The Three Incestuous Sisters. I placed my own ILL request and a few days later I got not only the recommended book but another that followed the same design called The Adventuress.

I was totally blown away by both. Apparently before Niffenegger was a best-selling author (as those two unfortunate stickers scream from the covers of these otherwise lovely books…) she was a visual artist. She made/wrote The Adventuress when she was attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the mid-1980s, and while working on The Three Incestuous Sisters for fourteen years, she (meanwhile) wrote The Time Travelers Wife. She calls the books visual novels, and she initially made ten copies of each, learning bookbinding and letterpress printing to complete the projects. The images themselves are made using a technique called aquatints, which seems extremely complicated, involving zinc plates, drawing in acid-resistant ground, nitric acid baths, and multiple baths of this type to build up tones, working backwards and blind until a print is made from the plate, and then each print is painted with watercolors. Pretty amazing.

DSC00374

The stories in the books are simple – somewhat haunting, mysterious, not fully explained – and told with minimal words, words that essentially only back-up and expand upon the images. About The Three Incestuous Sisters, Niffenegger writes, ‘…imagine a silent film made from Japanese prints, a melodrama of sibling rivalry, a silent opera that features women with very long hair and a flying green boy. I never try to explain what it means; you can find that out for yourself.‘

I really liked these books. I’m not sure I feel compelled to go and read her novels, but I definitely have a new level of interest in her and a great deal more respect for someone who had completely disappeared for me behind those scary ‘best-seller’ stickers and even worse movie tie-in covers…! If you’ve never seen these books, check them out. 🙂

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Posted by: Sally Ingraham | January 29, 2010

Woolf in Winter: To the Lighthouse

DSC00372by Virginia Woolf

‘What was it then? What did it mean? Could things thrust their hands up and grip one; could the blade cut; the fist grasp? Was there no safety? No learning by heart the ways of the world? No guide, no shelter, but all was miracle, and leaping from the pinnacle of a tower into the air?‘

One should really never compare one book with another, even among a single author’s work, but I keep wanting to do it! Part of me wants to exclaim, “I didn’t like this as much as Mrs. Dalloway,” but the longer I sit here and think about it the more I see that it isn’t true. I may have identified with Mrs. Dalloway far more than I did with Mrs. Ramsey, may have been caught up more quickly by Woolf’s words as they poured through me from the pages of another work, but these facts don’t give me the right to say I liked one better than the other.

It was made very clear through the conversations across many blogs two weeks ago that reading a book is an experience effected by far more than the content wrapped between two covers. In spite of my eager desire to love To the Lighthouse, things in my own life impacted my reading of it and I found myself struggling to stay engaged.

I didn’t particularly like Mrs. Ramsey, and I couldn’t help wondering what all the fuss was about. It’s unfair to say that the book fixated on her, since there is very much more going on than that. I liked how all the other characters seemed to be struggle just as much as I to understand her and their feelings about her, but I set the book aside more than once, wondering “why are we all trying so hard?” That’s why it came as such a shock when, in part two, she quietly exited the book, wrapped in only a pair of parenthesis.

Have finished To the Lighthouse, I feel like I’m back at square one, feeling the same way I felt after my first reading of Mrs. Dalloway. I can now recognize my Woolf technique though. My first reading of her books is hard, since my mind, in spite of all my love for the exquisite language, is grasping for plot and story, and running on ahead of me looking for the next event. I scramble haphazard through the book and then suddenly come skidding to the end, mildly befuddled, worried that I didn’t actually comprehend much of what was there. That’s why my second reading of Mrs. Dalloway was conducted so much more slowly, and was such a rich and beautiful experience. I already knew what happened in the book so I needed only (only!) to really dig in and begin to soak it all up. That’s certainly how I will approach To the Lighthouse again – probably sooner rather than later.

woolf in winterI can say at this moment that I loved so much about the book – the descriptions of the sea, of the night descending, the whole middle section, Lily Briscoe, and many of Woolf’s thoughts on adult relationships – and I know now that this is only the beginning. I’ll read it again, and so much more will be revealed to me. Thanks to this group read – Woolf in Winter – hosted by Emily this time at Evening All Afternoon, I also know that before the weekend is over I will have been stunned by the insights and interpretations of a wide variety of other readers. My own experience of this book will expand and grow. That’s an exciting thought!

Here’s a lovely bit:

‘They both smiled, standing there. they both felt a common hilarity, excited by the moving waves; and then by the cutting race of a sailing boat, which, having sliced a curve in the bay, stopped; shivered; let its sail drop down; and then, with a natural instinct to complete the picture, after this swift movement, both of them looked at the dunes far away, and instead of merriment felt come over them some sadness – because the thing was completed partly, and partly because distant views seem to outlast by a million years (Lily thought) the gazer and to be communing already with a sky which beholds an earth entirely at rest.‘

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Posted in Authors, Books, Famous People, Non-sense, Novels, Read-Along, Reading, Reading Challenges, Virginia Woolf | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: Sally Ingraham | January 29, 2010

The Big Read V: The Woman in White – The Rest of the Installments…!

DSC00348by Wilkie Collins

In which I read the rest of the book, diligently following Leila’s brilliant schedule, but didn’t bother to post about any of it…until now.

‘ “The best men are not consistent in good – why should the worst men be consistent in evil?” ‘

Yaaaay! What a splendid novel. Way too much fun. I’m not going to warn about spoilers this time, because I’m actually not going to reveal anything too intense. Suffice it to say that Collins weaves a perfect web of suspense and intrigue, populated by some of the most vivid and interesting characters I’ve encountered thus far in my reading ventures. Given the somewhat overtly straightforward narration, Collins achieves something quite astonishing as he keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout, and always guessing. A thoroughly satisfying novel.

Thanks to Leila for hosting her fifth Big Read. I didn’t participate as much as I wanted to, due to life and stuff off-net, etc., but I had a lot of fun. Sign me up for the next one! 🙂

——
Previously:
Installments 5 and 6
Installments 2-4
1st Installment
Introduction

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Posted in Adventure, Authors, Big Read V, Book related, Books, Famous People, Non-sense, Novels, Read-Along, Reading, Reading Challenges, Wilkie Collins | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Sally Ingraham | January 27, 2010

Movie Mayhem: Jan. 19th-26th

I’ve already given up on keeping these posts to Mondays – especially since as often as possible I’m actually off camping or going on brewery tours or on road-trips on Mondays. In fact I spent some fabulous time in a little cabin in the woods this past Sunday/Monday, stoking the wood stove, playing Solitaire, and reading Louis L’Amour’s Matagorda out loud to my boyfriend – plus lots of eating and making merry of course!

Anyway, movies. 🙂

the killingThe Killing – Stanley Kubrick – USA – 1956
I’m working on finishing my Kubrick list, although I haven’t seen one of his films since last summer. This one traces the events that combine into a slick heist of several million stored in the bookie’s safe at a racetrack. This is one of the few films where the use of a narrator was actually an effective tactic, and even a helpful one. The movie seemed fairly straightforward for a Kubrick piece, and the ending, while fulfilling the promise of the title, held a little bit of surprise. I liked it well enough.

The Blind Side – John Lee Hancock – USA – 2009
Another movie that I watched only because of the Thursday matinee at the Reel. It delivers to your typical American audience a very nice story, and I have to admit that even I found myself getting a mild kick out of Sandra Bullock’s performance. *sigh* But overall it was boring. If you want a good football movie, watch Remember the Titans. That at least also has a great soundtrack. The only piece of music that I particularly cared for in this one was Cello Song, by The Books, featuring Jose Gonzalez, and I was more annoyed than anything else that it was used in the opening credits. This was a cookie-cutter film, executed decently, but it didn’t do much of anything for me.

Land of the Lost – Brad Silberling – USA – 2009
I wanted something ridiculous to pass a few evening hours with, after a long, long day. Instead, I wound up with the WORST movie I’ve seen so far this year. I kind of expected it to be silly beyond belief, but I didn’t think it would be so bad that even in my advanced state of mind-deadness I wouldn’t be able to stand it long enough to finish it…! Yikes.

the fountainThe Fountain – Darren Aronofsky – USA – 2006

What a pretty mess. This was my first Darren Aronofsky movie, and I was blown away by the visuals…but unimpressed by the scattered storytelling. He seemed to have some really interesting ideas, but was unable to pin them down. Some of the plot points didn’t make any sense at all. Rachael Weiss was as lovely as ever, but I found Hugh Jackman uncompelling. The real star of the show was the amazing effects, specifically the gorgeous space/star images. Watch it for those alone, and for a good example of what is certainly ambitious film making, if somewhat haphazardly presented.

Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing – Alan J. Pakula – USA – 1973 (Movie of the Week!)
I’m a fan of Maggie Smith, and this is one of the earliest films of hers that I’ve dug up. It was delightful. An aimless young man, drifting through Spain, meets an awkward but interesting middle-aged English woman, and in spite of his own quirks gains her trust and her affection. Together they continue exploring Spain and their own suitably odd relationship. I loved Maggie Smith in this role – she was so prim, and yet so spunky. Perfect.

The Way of War – John Carter – USA – 2009
If I needed a good reminder of why I can’t stand Cuba Gooding Jr., I found it in this movie. He’s just not a good actor, and he makes really poor role choices on top of that. In this case, in addition to his being in it, the movie was terrible for every other reason I can think of – the supposed ‘action’ was slow, the plot was incomprehensible, and the entire thing was just…flat. Unlike Land of the Lost, the other dud in my recent movie watching, which at least had some weird visuals and Danny McBride in it, this one has absolutely nothing to recommend it. I can’t even call it the WORST movie I’ve seen this year, because it was just so utterly forgettable. Double yikes!

Goal for the coming week: watch better movies!! 3 for 3 is not a record I want to make a habit of. 🙂

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Posted by: Sally Ingraham | January 23, 2010

Night Play

Shadow PlayMidnight RoadThe other night after work a friend and I went snowshoeing! I really have been lax about playing outside so far this winter. I WANT to be the type of person who does nutty things like going on midnight snowshoe ventures all the time, but I’m too damn lazy. Must work on that. Anyway, it was a cold, clear night and we had a blast – just tromped round town and through the YMCA ball field and across the golf course. Good workout. Great stars. 🙂

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Posted by: Sally Ingraham | January 19, 2010

Ahead of All Parting: The Selected Poetry and Prose of Rainer Maria Rilke

Eagle Over Seal Harbor

I live my life in widening rings
which spread over the earth and sky.
I may not ever complete the last one,
but that is what I will try.

I circle around God, the primordial tower,
and I circle ten thousand years long;
and still I don’t know if I am a falcon, a storm,
or an unfinished song.

After reading Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater and coming across a few lines by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, I was very eager to further explore his writing. My library supplied a collection translated by Stephen Mitchell, and I’ve been dipping into it almost every night since the beginning of the month. I have been loving it. There is something very sad in his writing, but achingly beautiful.

I was informed today that, incredibly, someone has a hold on the book so I really have to return it. I immediately placed an ILL order for another collection with Stephen Mitchell as the translator. I feel kind of at odds about reading translated poetry, because it seems even more likely that the real purpose of the author’s words can’t come through as accurately. I’ve read some positive reviews of Stephen Mitchell though, and to me the poems are so powerful and full of such lovely imagery that I sincerely feel satisfied with them.

I feel that I am at the beginning of a new passion, and that Rilke will be traveling with me for awhile.

LOVE SONG
How can I keep my soul in me, so that
it doesn’t touch your soul? How can I raise
it high enough, past you, to other things?
I would like to shelter it, among remote
lost objects, in some dark and silent place
that doesn’t resonate when your depths resound.
Yet everything that touches us, me and you,
takes us together like a violin’s bow,
which draws one voice out of two separate strings.
Upon what instrument are we two spanned?
And what musician holds us in his hand?
Oh sweetest song.

While I only marked a few poems while reading, I feel that this is going to be one of those books that I need my own copy of, so that I can go through and find all the lines that sing in my heart. Thanks to Maggie Stiefvater’s werewolf for bringing Rilke into my life! 🙂

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Posted by: Sally Ingraham | January 19, 2010

Movie Monday: Jan. 14th-18th

InvictusOne of my favorite things about opinions is their flexibility. I’m a fan of the ability to change your mind. I bring this up because I feel the need to revisit what I said about Invictus not too long ago. I wrote the blurb last week, right after seeing the movie, and I really did not have enough time to figure out what I found unsettling about it. I said that it was ‘suitably inspiring’ and a ‘decent movie all round’, but even as I wrote that I was aware that I was already disagreeing with myself.

There are a lot of things about the movie that bother me – days later I keep thinking back and feeling peeved. I must return to my original beef with Matt Damon’s casting. I don’t so much care about his bland performance or imperfect accent, so much as the fact that the story needed such an obvious WHITE character in which to focus upon. Sure, Morgan Freeman’s Nelson Mandela is the main character, and I will still maintain that he’s quite ably portrayed. There is something that clicks wrong with me, though, about the story needing to be channeled through Matt Damon in order to resonate with an American audience. It would have been cool if a man with the influence and clout of Clint Eastwood had stepped beyond what is essentially a sports film. He could have made a great film about Mandela – there are hints of greatness in Invictus – but the only real impression I came away with was ‘wow, that game of rugby is something else!’ Since I do like a good sports movie, in spite of myself, I was willing to get caught up in that aspect, but ultimately this movie irked me on many levels. (Don’t get me started on the often glaringly wrong choice of music and visual pairing…!)

I won’t dwell on this movie further, but I will add that I am really excited about a movie called Skin which we will be playing at the theater soon – it’s also set in South Africa, and it looks like it won’t be using any kind of filters to tell it’s, probably, uncomfortable story.

Anyway, moving on to other films…:

Iron Man – Jon Favreau – USA – 2008
When I came home from Atlanta, I found three new movies sitting on the coffee table – Iron Man, Star Trek, and The Dark Knight – late Christmas presents from my boyfriend. What can I say, but ‘Hehe!’ I love me some good action flicks – especially if the story is somewhat original, the special effects are fun, and the soundtrack has a lot of bass in it. Robert Downing Jr. is also a nice additive. Iron Man is definitely another comfort movie, with funny bits and action that keeps me mind-dullingly entertained. In spite of my somewhat more cultivated (so I like to think) movie tastes, there is always time for movies like these, mid-afternoon on a cold snowy day…!

Kikujiro – Takeshi Kitano – Japan – 1999
This, on the other hand, was a more difficult film. Kitano wrote, directed, and stared in it, with interesting results. I have not seen any of his other films before, but I am now intrigued. This one was about a boy who goes looking for his mother during summer vacation, accompanied by a not very willing neighbor, who was enlisted by his nagging wife. Divided into short ‘chapters’, the film is a series of somewhat sad misadventures, as Kikujiro gambles away Masao traveling money, acts out small cons in order to get rides, and bullies the majority of the kind misfits they encounter along the way. A change of heart eventually happens, and Kikujiro gains a legitimate affection for the boy. The movie was long and slow, but a perky score composed by Joe Hisaishi (who provided many of the scores for Hayao Miyazaki’s movies, including My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Ponyo,) on top of pretty Japanese countryside, and a cast of interesting side characters made for a movie that I liked fairly well.

In the LoopIn the Loop – Armando Iannucci – UK – 2009 (Movie of the Week!)

It is odd how really uncivil things sound better rolling off a British tongue. This has never been proved better, or more humorously, than by Malcolm Tucker, as played by Peter Capaldi. When I could hear what he was saying through my astonished chokes of laughter, I was blown away by a barrage of language that should have made me cringe. I could not possibly provide you with a quote – there would be far too many stars scattered throughout to make it worth it – but every line he speaks is chock full of clever references to literary or historical characters, mixed with the body parts of animals, and of course a great deal of political finagling. A satire about the workings of government, which hints at the unfortunate true proceedings of 2003 by bringing to life a situation involving an eminent war in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, the movie is a probably very accurate portrayal of the pettiness of Democratic governance. It is full of characters who use their powerful positions to advance careers and feed their vanity, using moral compromise as a jumping off point. Normally, this type of story would be depressingly uninteresting to me. However, really sparky dialogue and an impressive handling of chaotic scene after chaotic scene totally sucked me in. A brilliant cast is simply the cherry on top. If your ears can handle the scalding, by all means dive into the festering hilarity of modern Democracy.

The Dark Knight – Christopher Nolan – USA – 2008
This was my forth or fifth viewing of this movie, and I still cannot get myself to fully engage with it. It’s an action flick, but it’s not a comfortable movie. It asks some difficult questions and what answers it provides are awkward and incomplete. As a movie it succeeds, visually, story-wise, but something about it continues to put me off. I’d like to say that it is Batman’s impossibly low voice, or Harvey Dent’s equally impossible lack of a face. The distressing creepiness of the Joker goes without saying… I want to like it, but I just…don’t. Can’t explain. I guess at this point I should stop trying?

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Posted in Famous People, Foreign Films, History, Movie Mayhem, Movies, Music, Non-sense, State of the World | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Sally Ingraham | January 18, 2010

Woolf in Winter: Mrs. Dalloway Update

Woolf in WinterWhat an amazing first stop on our tour through Woolf’s world. The response has been fantastic. My own impressions of the book have been greatly impacted by the insights of so many others. I am still adding posts to my list (found here) so I recommend checking back a few more times! See you at Emily’s blog on the 29th of January for the conversation about To the Lighthouse.

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