I know, at least I think I know, what you are thinking. If this site is supposed to be about books and I am posting movies, then I am getting either a) bold or b) lazy. I assure you it is neither. I am simply pointing out a very suspenseful, creepy, well-done movie in the vein of the best Hitchcock. It is told from the unflinching eye of the camera, just staring at this life being lived on a quiet street. The main character is a book critic (how droll) and he is sent a video tape of the outside of his house that runs for a couple of hours. In a panic, he tries to locate the hidden spot and get closer to figuring out why someone would do that. And so begins the movie, Cache. It is a French film so it is subtitled, but that does not distract from the creepy tension that permeates this film. There is a bit of a shocker near the end, but it is not the climax.
What You May Like:
This is a study of paranoia, of guilt and its effects on our psyche. It looks at how we live our lives under the eyes of so many others. Is anything really private? How far would you go to get back at someone for a wrong doing? How much influence do we have over other people's lives? In short, it is a movie that makes you think while entertaining you.
What You May Not:
It is relatively slow by standards set here in the US. Don't let this deter you. A movie should take you into a new world or at least an aspect you hadn't thought of, or had much experience with in your day to day. Subtitles means lots of reading. People don't come right out and say what's going on. You have to figure out what is happening and why on your own. The ending is a little brainteaser in itself.
All in all, I found this movie one of the better thrillers that I had seen in a while. I read and watch movies all the time and this director is going to be around a while. Let's enjoy him while he is here.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Drood
In keeping theme with my last post (which was ages ago, but that means I have been reading, right?), I am going to talk about Dan Simmons again. I will get off this author soon, but for now, he is a ripping good spinner of the proverbial yarn so bear with me. This time it will be Drood that I will discuss, but I will keep this brief as I hate people that tell me too much about a book.
What You May Like:
If you enjoy the Victorian time period of Britain and the mixture of magic and science amid the seedy underground of London and all the literary references you can handle, this is your book. It happened to be one of my favorites from him, if it did seem a little drawn out, but the narrative was well done. It shouldn't be too hard to get into the language after a chapter or two so stick with it.
What You May Dislike:
I didn't like the ending, to put it bluntly. I thought the book was heading in one direction and it went kind of sideways for me. I still enjoyed it immensely or I wouldn't have finished it (there is only so much time, why waste it?). If you just let the novel unfold without guessing as to what will happen you may enjoy it more. If you are like me, however, and try to guess and plot along, you may be disappointed. Just fair warning.
A note on my absence:
I had really lost my motivation for doing this. If you find that you are using this and enjoying it, please let me know. You can please just post something to this site, letting me know if I should continue or stick to the day job. Either way, I will still be working, but it would be nice to hear what the reading public thinks.
thank you and keep reading.
What You May Like:
If you enjoy the Victorian time period of Britain and the mixture of magic and science amid the seedy underground of London and all the literary references you can handle, this is your book. It happened to be one of my favorites from him, if it did seem a little drawn out, but the narrative was well done. It shouldn't be too hard to get into the language after a chapter or two so stick with it.
What You May Dislike:
I didn't like the ending, to put it bluntly. I thought the book was heading in one direction and it went kind of sideways for me. I still enjoyed it immensely or I wouldn't have finished it (there is only so much time, why waste it?). If you just let the novel unfold without guessing as to what will happen you may enjoy it more. If you are like me, however, and try to guess and plot along, you may be disappointed. Just fair warning.
A note on my absence:
I had really lost my motivation for doing this. If you find that you are using this and enjoying it, please let me know. You can please just post something to this site, letting me know if I should continue or stick to the day job. Either way, I will still be working, but it would be nice to hear what the reading public thinks.
thank you and keep reading.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Terror
Dan Simmons is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. He really does well with the research part of writing and yet, keeps the element of fantastical so alive and fresh that I really envy his ability to create a story. This book is him at the top of his game too.
What You May Like About It:
The tale is about exploration and the dangers of man out of his element against things that he does not understand. The search for the Northwest Passage is the main quest here, but there are things that go bump in the night as well as a very dangerous setting. He even works in a HUGE reference to the master of suspense, Edgar Allen Poe with his use of multi-colored rooms in The Mask of the Red Death. It explores the danger of Arctic exploration with the inner demons that drive us to succeed or, more often, fail.
What You May Not Like About It:
People that like the straight forward adventure story need not pick this book up. There are unidentified creatures and seances and rituals of the Inuit people that take this book in a more fantastic direction. There are some elements of life aboard one of the ships that makes the historians happy, I am sure. The details are terrifically written and used in the story. On the whole though, this is a man vs. creature tale with nature thrown into the mix.
I think this book is a great way to pass the long winter nights. It kept me guessing and intrigued all the way through. Enjoy.
Crooked Little Vein
So I took a bit of a hiatus in between my blogs. In all fairness, I have been busy reading, to tell you the truth. I just finished Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. The book was great, but a little long. I will review that later. For now, I wanted to recommend this book, Crooked Little Vein. I do so with a little reservation because of the lewd content. I digress though. Let me get down to brass tax.
What You May Like About It:
This is told in the classic noir voice with colorings of depression and despair that border on hilarity. The narrator is a down on his luck private detective (of course) and just has nothing but contempt for most of the human race. After all the depravity he sees and experiences, I can kind of see why. There is a lot of humor here as he searches for the second Constitution of the United States among crooked senators, gay personal trainers, and movie buffs (not the kind you are thinking, let me tell you).
What You May Not Like About It:
Well, don't say I didn't warn you, but this book has got some very strange fetishes and people in it. There are things in this book that made me cringe and laugh out loud. It's not for everyone (read kind of disturbing) and should only be read by adults. I wouldn't leave this lying around for some teenager to come across by chance. It may lead to therapy for the youngster.
But, as off-color humor goes, it's great. Read on. Let me know what you think of it.
What You May Like About It:
This is told in the classic noir voice with colorings of depression and despair that border on hilarity. The narrator is a down on his luck private detective (of course) and just has nothing but contempt for most of the human race. After all the depravity he sees and experiences, I can kind of see why. There is a lot of humor here as he searches for the second Constitution of the United States among crooked senators, gay personal trainers, and movie buffs (not the kind you are thinking, let me tell you).
What You May Not Like About It:
Well, don't say I didn't warn you, but this book has got some very strange fetishes and people in it. There are things in this book that made me cringe and laugh out loud. It's not for everyone (read kind of disturbing) and should only be read by adults. I wouldn't leave this lying around for some teenager to come across by chance. It may lead to therapy for the youngster.
But, as off-color humor goes, it's great. Read on. Let me know what you think of it.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Name Of The Wind
If you are looking for the next Harry Potter novels that will suck you into another world and not let go, try this book: The Name Of The Wind. This is one of the first books that I have recommended whole-heartedly to a plethora of people and heard nothing but good responses. Maybe they are just telling me what I want to hear, but I sincerely doubt it. First of all, they knew different characters from the book, which tells me they paid attention.
What You May Like About It:
Patrick Rothfuss, the author, has created his own world that lives and breathes with the vitality of Middle Earth, at least for me. Kwothe, the main character, is just amazing. Every trial and tribulation leaves you wondering how you would handle such a situation, leading you to be drawn in without really realizing it. The villains are mysterious and, of course, ultimately dangerous. People get arrested for even talking about them in the larger towns.
Kwothe is a tragic character, but one that doesn't sit idly by. He searches out his knowledge with fervor and vigor. His personality gets him most places, that and his natural ability for magic. He also has a natural ability for getting into trouble that leads him to many discoveries and adventures.
What You May Not Like About It:
Well, it is a fantasy book. If you won't even touch goblins or anything of the sort, don't bother. This is fantasy at it's finest and won't allow for anything else.
My suggestion is read it. It reads very fast, in fact, I was reading it everywhere. I literally could not put this book down. Have fun!
What You May Like About It:
Patrick Rothfuss, the author, has created his own world that lives and breathes with the vitality of Middle Earth, at least for me. Kwothe, the main character, is just amazing. Every trial and tribulation leaves you wondering how you would handle such a situation, leading you to be drawn in without really realizing it. The villains are mysterious and, of course, ultimately dangerous. People get arrested for even talking about them in the larger towns.
Kwothe is a tragic character, but one that doesn't sit idly by. He searches out his knowledge with fervor and vigor. His personality gets him most places, that and his natural ability for magic. He also has a natural ability for getting into trouble that leads him to many discoveries and adventures.
What You May Not Like About It:
Well, it is a fantasy book. If you won't even touch goblins or anything of the sort, don't bother. This is fantasy at it's finest and won't allow for anything else.
My suggestion is read it. It reads very fast, in fact, I was reading it everywhere. I literally could not put this book down. Have fun!
Bourne, Again.
In this day and age of paranoia and technological thrillers, I have personally come to decide that no character better encapsulates the feeling of being lost in all the information than Jason Bourne. I have read all three original novels that share the name of their movie counterparts. The novels were vastly different because it was a different world when they were originally written. If you can keep that in mind, then they are extremely entertaining. The new books, taken over by Eric Van Lustbader at Ludlow's permission before he passed, are faster and more technologically driven all the while keeping the spirit of the original character. I think they are worth it. Let me tell you why.
What You May Like About It:
The action is crisp and easy to follow, but also propels the story forward rather then just being a filler to rack up the page count. Bourne is indeed a man of action, but what Lustbader does well is explain why he punches certain areas, what that will do, why he runs to a certain spot in a hotel. The author takes you inside the head of a man that is still learning about his past and what he is capable of now.
In the first new novel, The Bourne Legacy (I don't believe that there was a pun intended there from Lustbader, but, who knows), it mostly deals with Bourne's direct past in the Far East. Without spoiling, well, anything, I will say that there is a sort of surprise that I kind of saw coming. Having read a lot of these types of novels, you can get worn on plot devices and such, but Lustbader really puts you in the action and develops his characters well. That keeps me in the story no matter what.
What You May Dislike About It:
One thing that someone may be averted to is the length. It could have been a little shorter, but keep in mind that the author wants to re-introduce you to this character and how the world has changed since Ludlow's day. This is not the Matt Damon version either. That may put off some readers as they are looking for the young man to come out swinging at everything with whatever weapon he can get his hands on. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of action, just know that this Bourne is at least 50 years old.
I say read Betrayal. If you don't like it, make like Bourne himself and forget about it.
What You May Like About It:
The action is crisp and easy to follow, but also propels the story forward rather then just being a filler to rack up the page count. Bourne is indeed a man of action, but what Lustbader does well is explain why he punches certain areas, what that will do, why he runs to a certain spot in a hotel. The author takes you inside the head of a man that is still learning about his past and what he is capable of now.
In the first new novel, The Bourne Legacy (I don't believe that there was a pun intended there from Lustbader, but, who knows), it mostly deals with Bourne's direct past in the Far East. Without spoiling, well, anything, I will say that there is a sort of surprise that I kind of saw coming. Having read a lot of these types of novels, you can get worn on plot devices and such, but Lustbader really puts you in the action and develops his characters well. That keeps me in the story no matter what.
What You May Dislike About It:
One thing that someone may be averted to is the length. It could have been a little shorter, but keep in mind that the author wants to re-introduce you to this character and how the world has changed since Ludlow's day. This is not the Matt Damon version either. That may put off some readers as they are looking for the young man to come out swinging at everything with whatever weapon he can get his hands on. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of action, just know that this Bourne is at least 50 years old.
I say read Betrayal. If you don't like it, make like Bourne himself and forget about it.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Dog On It
Dog On It was a book I read on a whim. I saw the title in Borders, read the jacket and thought, "What the hell, I need something light to read." I think I had just gotten through Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and was just drained intellectually so I was in the mood for a book where I didn't have to analyze too much. That is exactly what the author intended and I loved the book. Now that I have a dog of my own, I find that I am very much looking forward to the sequel he has coming out or is already out. I am a little fuzzy on the details and didn't bother to research this, sorry.
Why You May Like It:
It is written from the point of view of the dog, which is obviously not the normal approach. It works for this set up though. He works in realistic dialogue between the human characters and engages our five senses as perceived through the canine detective effortlessly. I happened to like the narrative and could definitely see people that need a break from anything loving this book. It is a great escape read. Chet and Bernie are the new Holmes and Watson, at least for now.
Why You May Not Like It:
It is written from the point of view of the dog. No, this is not a typo; I just happen to know that some people are a bit fussy over what they "waste" their time doing and if you want a serious, academically pleasing novel, look elsewhere. This is just a fun book with a twist on the modern private eye detective thriller. If you take that genre more seriously than the author, you won't like what you find.
I personally thought that these books, if they become a series (and they probably will), will be great. Lots of heart in these and not just on the dog's behalf. I thought that the character of Bernie was likable and reasonable well developed. You do have to take into account that the dog is writing (telepathically I assume) to you so suspension of disbelief also plays a role here.
In short, it's a good, fun, fast read. Read on.
Why You May Like It:
It is written from the point of view of the dog, which is obviously not the normal approach. It works for this set up though. He works in realistic dialogue between the human characters and engages our five senses as perceived through the canine detective effortlessly. I happened to like the narrative and could definitely see people that need a break from anything loving this book. It is a great escape read. Chet and Bernie are the new Holmes and Watson, at least for now.
Why You May Not Like It:
It is written from the point of view of the dog. No, this is not a typo; I just happen to know that some people are a bit fussy over what they "waste" their time doing and if you want a serious, academically pleasing novel, look elsewhere. This is just a fun book with a twist on the modern private eye detective thriller. If you take that genre more seriously than the author, you won't like what you find.
I personally thought that these books, if they become a series (and they probably will), will be great. Lots of heart in these and not just on the dog's behalf. I thought that the character of Bernie was likable and reasonable well developed. You do have to take into account that the dog is writing (telepathically I assume) to you so suspension of disbelief also plays a role here.
In short, it's a good, fun, fast read. Read on.
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