Kindle Taproom

More puns

2012-01-25T16:24:00.003-05:00

Because we love you, here's another handful of "puns for those with a higher IQ". Some of these are pretty cute. Aren't you glad that the internet is still free and uncensored, allowing for the easy search and re-use of stuff like this? Anyway, enjoy.

The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.

You get stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.

Every calendar's days are numbered.

A midget fortune teller who escapes from prison is a small medium at large.

Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.

Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.

She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

More to come if you want them. But don't worry, not right away.

Oscar time

2012-01-24T09:28:00.004-05:00

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning. Here's a rundown of the nine films that will compete for Best Picture, along with each film's total number of nominations:

Hugo (11 nominations)

The Artist (8 nominations)

Moneyball (6 nominations)

War Horse (6 nominations)

The Descendents (5 nominations)

The Help (4 nominations)

Midnight in Paris (3 nominations)

The Tree of Life (3 nominations)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2 nominations)

I've only seen four of the above films, so I have a little bit of work to do between now and Sunday, February 26 (when the Oscar ceremony will air on ABC) if I want to see all the nominated films. But it'll be fun work.

Goin' to the movies

2012-01-23T16:08:00.003-05:00

To mark tomorrow's announcement of this year's Academy Award nominations (this year's nominations of last year's films, to be more precise), below is a list of all the movies I saw in theaters last year. I saw 31 movies on the big screen in 2011, up from 27 in 2010 and 27 in 2009.

It's nice to know that my beloved movie-going habit is still alive and well, and even growing a little, despite the responsibilities of life, the ever increasing price of movie tickets, and the fact that it's just getting more and more comfortable to watch movies at home.

It's also pleasing to know that I enjoyed every movie I saw, and that I would give all of them a good, very good, or excellent rating. Maybe I'm too easygoing and/or forgiving, but there wasn't a stinker in the bunch.

Anyway, in case you're curious, here's a peek at what movies I ventured out to see last year and what I thought of them:

Movies I saw and thought were perfectly good: The Green Hornet; Battle: Los Angeles; The Lincoln Lawyer; Transformers: Dark of the Moon; Cowboys and Aliens; Horrible Bosses; The Thing; and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Movies I saw and thought were very good: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (in Real-D 3D); X-Men: First Class; Super 8; Midnight in Paris; Green Lantern (in Real-D 3D); The Help; J. Edgar; Breaking Dawn, Part One; and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Movies I saw and thought were excellent: The King's Speech; The Fighter; 127 Hours; True Grit; Thor (which I saw in both Real-D 3D and Imax 3D); Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (in Real-D 3D); Captain America: The First Avenger(in Real-D 3D); Rise of the Planet of the Apes; Warrior; The Descendents; Hugo; The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo; and The Adventures of Tin Tin (in Imax 3D).

Feel free to chime in with your two cents about any of the above. It would be fun to hear what some of you guys think of last year's movie fare.

Fun in the pun

2012-01-23T09:51:00.003-05:00

To mark the return of active posts after our brief hiatus (hey, we all need a little down time, right?), as well as to perk up this grey January Monday (well, it's grey here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, anyway), here are a few little items which I'll simply call "Puns for those with a higher IQ". Because, that's all of you, right?

A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.

Shotgun wedding: a case of wife or death.

A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.

A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

Dancing cheek to cheek is really a form of floor play.

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.

What's the definiation of a will? It's a dead giveaway.

She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but broke it off.

A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

Pretty cute, huh? Gotta love the things you find in the various nooks and crannies of the internet. Anyway, stay tuned. I'll drop a second handful of clever little puns on you in a little bit.

Sounds good

2012-01-11T13:33:00.003-05:00

Before we continue with our regularly scheduled blog, let me share a quick TV tip from my friend Ray, who routinely sends around interesting viewing suggestions laced with lots of thoughtful and fun details. The following, just arrived in my in-box, is no exception...

At 8:00 p.m. tonight, as part of its month-long tribute to Angela Lansbury, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will show one of the best, yet least known of the Katherine Heburn/Spencer Tracy collaborations: Frank Capra's 1948 political comedy State of the Union. Written by Howard Lindsey and Russell Crouse (of Life With Father fame), it is a sharp political satire as pertinent today as it was over 60 years ago.

Besides the two stars, who play an industrialist drafted as a presidential candidate and his politically aware wife, the film features Aldolphe Menjou, Lewis Stone, Raymond Walburn, Margaret Hamilton, and Van Johnson, in probably his best film role. And Angela Lansbury is a revelation. Only 21 years old, she plays a hardened right-wing millionaire newspaper owner adept at political backroom dealing. Just a terrific performance matching Hepburn and Tracy point for point. Anyone who ever marveled at her performance as the mother in The Manchurian Candidate only has to watch this film to see where that steely demeanor was born.

And don't forget the immortal line "Make me another Scazarack Sling, Daddy!"

Thanks, Ray. I'm sure a few readers will take your suggestion to heart and tune in this evening. Readers should note that the time Ray mentioned is U.S. Eastern time. Adjust accordingly.

Fired up

2012-01-10T14:35:00.006-05:00

Pictured below is our household's new Kindle Fire, which happily arrived in my messy office today. Here's the thing, though: when I ordered it, only yesterday, I cheaped out and chose Amazon's free Super Saver Shipping option. In return for the free shipping, you're supposed to happily put up with waiting a few extra days to receive your item.

And I was fine with that, as past experience has demonstrated that Amazon's free shipping option adds very little or no extra time to standard first-class, three-days-or-less delivery times. But choosing free shipping and getting my item the very next day? That's a first. And to think I almost paid the extra 11 or 12 bucks for two-day shipping! Boggles the mind.

In any event, I'll shortly post my impressions of the Kindle Fire. But I guess the world of sleek tablet devices is getting so old hat that I'm currently more excited about the fast shipping than about getting the device itself. But I hope that will change once I get home and get to know the thing a little. Stay tuned.

There be dragons

2012-01-06T09:32:00.003-05:00

If you're interested, here's a little (well, I guess they're all little) Twitter post I did the other day about the new film, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo:

New "Dragon Tattoo" film did the romance better, but the original "Dragon Tattoo" film did the mystery better. Both worth seeing, though.

I'm sure I'll write something longer on the above topic at some point, but sometimes just getting to the point has its attractions, doesn't it? Probably why Twitter has established its own special niche in the social networking community.

Anyway, if you'd like to follow me on Twitter, my posts are filed under the name JoePaulJr. I sometimes use Twitter to give a heads up on what's going on at Kindle Taproom.

Watch those truckers

2012-01-04T11:03:00.003-05:00

Road Rage was a cool audio download that I acquired from Amazon's Audible subsidiary. Also available as an audio CD, the production presents terrific performances of two short stories: the old Richard Matheson classic, Duel, about a traveling salesman being terrorized by a maniacal truck driver (the story was adapted by Steven Spielberg into the equally classic TV film of the same name in 1971) and Throttle, Stephen King and Joe Hill's take on a similar theme, depicting a group of tough bikers dealing with the same sort of menace.

Duel is basically a primal tale of the hunter/prey variety, with readers (or, in this case, listeners) eagerly wanting to find out if the traveling salesman can overcome his fear and possibly outwit his bigger, stronger, faster, and, not so incidentally, quite psychopathic, foe. Throttle is also pretty scary and suspenseful, but it also uses the menace of its own killer trucker to illuminate the complex relationships between the several bikers, especially between a father and son. I enjoyed that extra touch.

The terrific performances I mentioned were provided by Stephen Lang, who brings to life all the drama and emotion present in the stories, keeping listeners (this one, anyway) immersed and eagerly waiting to hear what happens next. Clocking in at a shade under two and a half hours, Road Rage is a fine choice for those who sometimes enjoy the occasional shorter audiobook between longer, more ambitious audios.

Checking in

2011-12-28T16:07:00.005-05:00

I hope every one of you had a nice Christmas weekend, and is enjoying the lazy, off-kilter week between Christmas and New Year's. Try to catch a nice film if you have the time. Over the past few days, we managed to see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Adventures of Tin Tin (the latter in IMAX 3-D). Both were quite good, though obviously for very different reasons.

I'll write more about the above films, as well as other intriguing topics, shortly after we get past the upcoming New Year's hoopla and I'm back on a regular posting schedule.

And If I don't get a chance to post at all before the weekend, let me be the first to wish all of you a Happy New Year!

All kinda preying going on

2011-12-23T10:46:00.003-05:00

Lucas Davenport takes on two very dangerous, sociopathic women in Certain Prey, the 10th installment in John Sandford's ongoing Prey series starring his hard-as-nails yet entertainingly quirky Minneapolis police detective character.

The antagonists this time are Carmel Loan, a tigress criminal defense attorney, and Clara Rinker, the hit woman that Loan hires to knock off the wife of a property lawyer she wants for herself. Initially only meeting briefly (when Loan pays Rinker her fee), the two are soon forced to interact on a more prolonged basis when a few loose ends need to be cleaned up soon after the initial hit is completed. The tension is ratcheted up when those loose ends ultimately necessitate more killing.

The fun of the book's early going comes from the warm, unlikely friendship that develops between the two usually aloof women, and the fact that Loan, who never really committed a crime before, turns out to be much more of a cold sociopath than the woman who's an actual hit woman! It's also fun to see Davenport and his fellow cops, along with an FBI agent or two, engage in all kinds of cat-and-mouse scenarios as they make a concerted attempt to nail Loan and Rinker (the hit woman had been chased by the FBI for years).

As usual, Lucas Davenport is entertainingly pragmatic: once it's clear that Loan has too well protected herself from prosecution for the crimes she's committed, Davenport comes up with a plan to simply frame her for crimes she didn't do. Hey, whatever gets her off the street, right? Needless to say, you should just check your social conscience at the door and just enjoy the tense, page-turning ride John Sandford always reliably delivers.

And an enjoyable ride it is. This Prey installment is about 85% the case at hand, and 15% fun stuff with the cops (their lives, romances, etc.). That's pretty much the right mix when a Prey book's main crime plot is- like it is here- a particularly good one. There's just enough of the quirky, fun cop stuff (including a romantic flirtation between Lucas and a female FBI agent) to provide variety, but not too much to overly distract from the main story.

It's been great marching through this terrific thriller series since discovering it two or three years back with Rules of Prey, the first book in the series. Since then, I've been reading two or three installments a year, whenever the mood strikes. Next up: Easy Prey. I'm sure that will be a good one, too, as there hasn't been a loser in the bunch yet.

Certain Prey is available on Kindle for $7.99.

Cat update

2011-12-22T14:30:00.005-05:00

Below, on the left, is the kitten I found across the street from our house about a month ago, and Buddy, our big ol' gray cat. Buddy is appropriately named, as he's very friendly. Since the new arrival, Buddy and the kitten have become fast friends: tussling, chasing each other around, and sitting together a lot. Our grumpy oldest cat, Muffin (not pictured), doesn't bother much with the new kitten, but then she's never bothered much with Buddy, either.

With the new friendship in force, we don't feel quite as bad leaving the kitten home alone during the day when we go to work, as Buddy keeps him occupied. It's all working out.

Now, if we can finally, finally settle on a name for the new cat. We're thinking Midnight, because it was around midnight when I took him in that night back in November. We'll see.

At the multiplex

2011-12-21T15:20:00.003-05:00

We caught a couple of big holiday films this past weekend, and enjoyed them, one a bit more than the other.

Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol opened in wide release yesterday (December 20), but opened a few days earlier in the IMAX format, which is the way we saw it last Saturday. It was a terrifically entertaining film, though during the movie I started to think that they probably came up with the several action sequences first and then cobbled together some kind of plot to stitch them all together.

But, hey, I won't quibble, as the action scenes are first rate, including a wonderfully choregraphed prison break at the start of the film (happening right off the bat before the opening credits- they don't waste time!), a great hand-to-hand fight in a futuristic parking garage near the end, and- smack in the middle of the movie- a generous sequence with Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt climbing and swinging outside the world's tallest building in Dubai. Even people who don't like the rest of the movie all that much acknowledge that this particular scene is one for the books, and I agree. And, boy, did it look good in IMAX.

Then, on Sunday, we caught Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, the sequel to the surprise 2009 hit starring Robert Downey Jr. as the world's most famous fictional detective. We found the sequel to be a perfectly watchable adventure, but never quite escaping a "more of the same" vibe.

To be fair, you do get a more notable villain this time out (classic Holmes' nemesis Professor Moriarity), and there's a very good sequence on a train that features all kinds of entertaining intrigue and action. But in the end it just didn't seem sufficiently different than the first film in the series.

Still, if you liked the first movie, with its unique take on Sherlock Holmes (that is, classic Holmes elements combined with a big action movie plot), you could do worse than catching this new installment on the big screen. Like I said, we liked it, but just wanted to like it more.

Chuckles

2011-12-21T10:02:00.003-05:00

A few bumper stickers I've recently seen during my travels...

If you can read this, please flip me back over! (seen upside down, on a Jeep)

Don't laugh, your daughter might be inside. (seen on a custom van with a psychedelic paint job)

You! Out of the gene pool!

Mars awaits

2011-12-20T11:28:00.005-05:00

In preparation for Disney's big budget science-fiction adventure, John Carter, which opens on March 9, 2012, why not check out the original novel that introduced the movie's title character? That book would be Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, originally published in 1917, shortly following its individual chapters being serialized in adventure magazines of the era. Burroughs went on to produce many more John Carter adventures in the wake of A Princess of Mars.

Burroughs' most famous creation was Tarzan, but for my money I think his John Carter character, a Virginia native and Civil War soldier who all of a sudden is whisked off to Mars via a very strange cave he stumbles upon in Arizona, is Burroughs' signature creation. This is in large part due to the amazing characters and scenarios surrounding John Carter once he's on Mars. The accompanying art, by the way, shows one of the many illustrations that have appeared on paperback reprints or with serializations of Burroughs' Mars stories.

Anyway, here's the best part of this little blurb. A Princess of Mars is currently available for free on Kindle! How's that for a tip of the day?

Amazing tales

2011-12-15T15:14:00.003-05:00

Like so many movie and television productions over the past several decades, the recent Hollywood film Real Steel was based on a story by science fiction and fantasy master Richard Matheson. That particular story, Steel, is the excellent lead-off piece in this collection of more than a dozen Matheson gems, all terrifically rich with drama, heart, and- especially- edge.

One of the things I like most about Richard Matheson is that his main characters always have specific, memorable personalities, which easily hold their own with his fantastic plots. He doesn't settle for simply making his main characters "everyman" types that function as stand-ins for the reader as they witness the wondrous goings-on. No, he works harder than that.

Readers will enjoy and often be enthralled by these detailed characterizations, as they witness a scientist going back in time to witness the crucifixion; a hateful man but elegant orator experience his very personalized version of Hell; and a broken down boxer in the far-flung future go for that last big score. And these are only three of the many tales, all fantastic yet grittily attached to the realities of life on this planet, that will keep readers thoughtfully and emotionally immersed.

Steel and Other Stories in available on Kindle for $7.99.

Getaway

2011-12-14T16:47:00.009-05:00

We don't usually travel far, but Alison and I get around fairly often to various points throughout Philadelphia's surrounding region. This past weekend we once again traveled to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, as well as its environs- including nearby Lehighton, PA- to enjoy the feel of small-town Christmas preparations.

The first photograph below shows a fun destination of ours: Country Junction, billed as the world's largest general store, which is located in Lehighton. One can nitpick and gently suggest that WalMart is probably the world's largest general store, but we won't talk about that. Anyway, Country Junction- with its wide array of eclectic products inside, and farm animals (available for purchase!) outside, is undoubtedly the world's largest old-fashioned general store.

The photograph below shows Alison inside Country Junction on Sunday, December 11, sharing a moment with our nation's Chief Executive. Country Junction has all kinds of fun displays like this one throughout its aisles.

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, with its many excellent restaurants and quaint small-town feel, is a favorite destination of ours. We enjoyed dinner there at a cozy, wonderful restaurant called Black Bread on Saturday evening, December 10. Seen below is one of the many horse-drawn carriages offering rides through the town during the Christmas season. I snapped the photograph on Sunday afternoon, December 11.

During our getaway, we stayed at a nice Hampton Inn (for less than a hundred bucks a night!) located halfway between Jim Thorpe and Lehighton, allowing us to easily enjoy both areas over the course of the Saturday and Sunday we were out that way. Then, when our getaway was over, it was only a quick 90 minutes on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to get back home to the Philly area.

Sigh, we had to eventually feed the cats, after all. But we had a nice time while it lasted.

Tale of an idiot

2011-12-13T16:17:00.003-05:00

Not nearly as broad and goofy as the film's title and advertising make it out to be, Our Idiot Brother is just a nice little comedy/drama (yes, there's actually some drama here), about Ned (Paul Rudd) a naive but open-hearted guy who shakes things up when he moves back in the vicinity of his three sisters after a stint in prison for committing a non-violent and truly idiotic crime. The sisters (played by the talented and fetching Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer) all have their own problems- revolving around their jobs, families, and/or love lives- which become further complicated when Ned's antics are stirred into the mix.

Ned isn't truly an idiot, just a guy whose too-trusting nature often results in idiotic situations that gum up the works for him and, now that he's back home, his siblings. Of course, Ned's personal craziness also illuminates the truly idiotic and crazy situations that his sisters have either created or tolerate in their own lives. Does Ned, despite being eye-rollingly annoying most of the time, help nudge his sisters back on the right path? And in return, do they help Ned free himself from his own eccentriciites and put him on more stable footing, too? Unless you've never seen an American comedy/drama before, you'll see the "yes" answer to both of those questions coming from a mile away.

But that's okay. With films like this one, it's the journey that counts, not the need for an unpredictable conclusion. Our idiot Brother functions as perfectly fine cinematic comfort food, giving viewers exactly what they expect overall, but still peppering a handful of small surprises along the way (mostly in the laughs department). I had a good time watching this at home one evening, and you probably would, too.

"Our Idiot Brother" was in theaters earlier this year and is now available on DVD and various pay-per-view and streaming services.

Okay adaptation

2011-12-13T09:43:00.007-05:00

Did any of you watch the A&E mini-series Bag of Bones, which aired Sunday night and last night? It was based on the 1998 Stephen King novel and starred Pierce Brosnan. My wife and I watched it and I thought it was perfectly okay, but nothing spectacular. A solid "C", in other words. Maybe once it's on DVD with all the commercials taken out, it'll draw the viewer into the story a little more and at least deliver a "C+" experience.

The problem is, much of the great character stuff from the novel- the nuances of individual characters, the rich relationships between characters, the actual number of characters- was significantly reduced to allow the story to be told over two nights. And, as everyone knows, although King fans buy his books for the sensational plots, we often become primarily engaged by the great characters King creates (I wrote more about this "bait & switch" idea in my review of King's most recent novel, 11/22/63, a couple of posts back).

So, with all the great character work from the book reduced down to its, uh, bare bones, we were mostly left with just the creepy plot and a handful of scary jolts. And those were certainly enough to adequately entertain, but lost a little something with the reduced character investment on the part of viewers.

Still, though, a Stephen King adaptation is always fun to watch, and A&E's Bag of Bones was no exception. And if the production gets a few viewers to seek out the long, rich novel on which it was based (you can currently pick it up on Kindle for $7.99), it'll all work out in the end.

Ha

2011-12-12T16:53:00.002-05:00

Recently spotted on a bumper sticker:

As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools.

Dropping into another era

2011-12-12T10:11:00.006-05:00

Like many of the better Stephen King novels, 11/22/63 engages in a kind of beneficial bait & switch. In this case, readers are buying this book because of the sensational, ambitious premise: a regular guy gets the ability to travel back in time to stop the Kennedy assassination! That's the main reason we as readers think we're going to enjoy the book.

But then, we actually start reading the thing and what we really get is a wonderful, heartbreaking love story; a dozen or so fascinating, very likable characters who we're delighted to visit every time we sit down to read; one of the best dramatizations of the joys and rewards of the teaching profession when the job is firing on all cylinders; and an immersive look at a time that was both simpler and quite unnerving (the latter description fueled by the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and other 1950's and 60's stomach churners of the ongoing and out-of-the-blue variety).

And, yes, you do get a decent little plot, sort of like an extended Twilight Zone episode, about a guy trying to stop the Kennedy assassination, laced with all the familiar but always effective "be careful what you wish for" landmines we've seen in other time travel stories. In fact, I might have been the tiniest bit disappointed if the time travel/changing history plot was indeed all the book was about, because King doesn't add all that much to the kinds of plots, paradoxes, and surprise results we've seen in the plethora of time travel books, movies, and television productions that have come before. In fact, he pretty much just puts his own (admittedly, not inconsiderable) polish on those old classic elements, rather than invent new ones.

But combined with the storylines involving Jake Epping meeting and falling in love with the elegant but clumsy Sadie Dunhill, his helping a football jock unearth his hidden talent for the stage, and seeing multiple, believable examples of the amazing kindness and generosity people are capable of at their best, there was no need to scrutinize the time travel mission too much, which ultimately came off as an added bonus and not the thing we thought the book would hang everything on.

Oh, and though I won't go into specifics, the other thing the book does very well is deliver one of those heart rending, patented "I know the right thing to do but it's going to tear me apart to do it" Stephen King endings. And this one's a doozy, perfect but hard to take. But a final, nicely done grace note at the very end of the novel will at least add a small smile to readers' tears.

In the end, I guess everything I discussed above comes to this: you'll dive into this book for the Kennedy plot, but love it for the wonderful, rich novel about people and the myriad ways they can bring out the best in each other, often in the midst of great tragedy and hardship. Who would have thought that we'd get that wonderful outcome from a novel with the ominous, disturbing, sensational title, 11/22/63?

As far as I'm concerned, with results like this, Stephen King can do the old bait & switch anytime.

11/22/63 is available for $14.99 on Kindle.

Yeah, I like cartoons

2011-12-08T16:04:00.004-05:00

Teen Titans- The Complete Fifth Season offers thirteen crisp episodes of terrific, imaginative superhero adventure, and with a minimum of those cartoony excesses (eyes bugging, exclamation points appearing over characters' heads, etc.) that often got out of control in previous seasons. There's also a strong continuity between episodes, making the whole season come off as a kind of meaty novel covering a year in the life of Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg.

Highlights include multiple confrontations with the Brotherhood of Evil (culminating in a great two-parter near the end of the season), a look at Beast Boy's pre-Titans career with the Doom Patrol (another cool group), and an episode showing how the Teen Titans (at least the cartoon version of them) got together in the first place. The season (and series, actually) concludes with a strikingly subtle and heartbreaking final episode starring Beast Boy, that demonstrates that not everything works out in the end, not even for colorful, upbeat heroes.

I enjoyed all five seasons of Teen Titans, which I've watched over the past year or two on DVD. All that's left is the extra-long, movie-style adventure, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. Once I'm done with that, it's going be a challenge finding another animated series at the same quality level to immerse myself in next.

Curl up with these

2011-12-06T14:54:00.004-05:00

My friend Ray (who produces frequent and fascinating e-mails about movies new and old) just sent around a great holiday viewing suggestion, which I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I share with Kindle Taproom readers. The viewing times Ray mentions are all Eastern time, so adjust accordingly if necessary. You have the floor, Ray...

Here's a last minute "heads up" on a new documentary in the series Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is calling "A Night At The Movies". In the past this series has covered epics, westerns, horror, sci-fi, political films, etc., and this month the channel is introducing a new documentary on holiday films. Premiere showing is tonight (Tuesday) at 8:00 p.m., and it will include interviews with people like Chevy Chase, Karolyn Grimes (who played Zuzu in "It's a Wonderful Life") and Margaret O'Brien, who is still alive!

It will be followed at 9:00 p.m. with a showing of Bob Clark's holiday classic "A Christmas Story", starring Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, Peter Billingsly, and the famous Red Rider BB Gun!. One of the stations (TBS, I think) always shows the film for the 24 hours of Christmas day, but always drags each showing out to over two hours with tons of commercials. Here's a chance to see the un-cut, uninterrupted, widescreen version, thanks to TCM.

The documentary will also be repeated several times over the course of the month.

Ho Ho Ho

Thank you, Ray! I'm ready to make the hot chocolate now!

Good question

2011-12-05T16:53:00.001-05:00

Recently spotted on a bumper sticker:

How can a cemetery raise its burial costs and blame it on the cost of living?

Love in Italy

2011-12-02T11:11:00.005-05:00

A recent discovery, I enjoyed Billy Wilder's 1972 film, Avanti!, a lot. It combines the look and feel of a lush romantic drama of the 50's and 60's with modern, less judgemental sensibilities about sex and relationships. It's also pretty frank in its depiction of adult behavior and the male and female form, but- again- it's all done with the kind of sweetness and kindness prevalent in earlier films covering similar romantic subject matter. Not that there isn't some biting wit throughout.

Avanti! is really quite unique in that regard: You get an old-style lush Technicolor romance laced with gorgeous Italian scenery and light comedy, but without the silly production code elements that prevented the depiction of true romantic heat and adult affection; or, looked at another way, you get a frank 70's romantic drama, which matter of factly depicts nudity, sex, and other adult behavior in a non-judgemental manner (trusting audience members to make their own judgements if they care to), but one that refuses to wallow in the cynicism, coldness, and generally dismissive attitude toward traditional romance that many 70's movies embraced.

Put more concisely, you get an old-movie flavor with newer-movie sensibilities, with the negative baggage of each left behind. And it's all done in the service of two great comedic performances by Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills; a number of cute and funny subplots set in the Italian hotel where the two leads are staying (involving several entertaining supporting characters, especially the "man to see about anything" hotel manager played by Clive Revill); and even a good dose of romantic suspense (we genuinely care how things will turn out for the two lovers).

If, like me, you enjoy discovering terrific movies that had somehow gotten by you over the years, you're in for a treat if Avanti! crosses your path.

Avanti! is available on DVD and various streaming services.

Out of her element

2011-12-01T08:55:00.002-05:00

In H Is For Homicide, the 8th entry in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone/Alphabet mystery series, the author shelves her usual "Kinsey working for a client" scenario and instead presents plot elements that result in Kinsey going undercover, posing as a member of a crime ring specializing in car insurance scams.

The result is a tense, gritty, urban story that disconcerts the reader as well as Kinsey, as both are left wthout the comfort of Kinsey's usual supporting cast (the series' regular faces and trappings are seen only briefly at the beginning and end of the book). But, with its fresh scenarios and different types of plot turns, it's an invigorating kind of disconcerting, at least for one installment in a series that we suspect will return comfortably back to normal next time.

Highlights include watching Kinsey look, act, and dress like a criminal, while trying to avoid actually doing anything criminal (at least anything seriously bad); and watching Kinsey develop a genuine friendship with one of the female scammers, Bibianna Diaz, whose life can possibly be salvaged, if Kinsey can get her away from her psychotic boyfriend and crime-ring leader, Raymond. Oh, there's also a big, growly dog, and we know what Kinsey thinks of dogs. But she deals with him in funny, unusual ways. Eventually touching, too.

Oh, no sooner do things pretty much settle back to normal at the end, than Kinsey and her loyal readers are hit with another disconcerting plot turn: a bombshell & cliffhanger (delivered in the last line of the book, no less) that will stir things up in the next installment, too, but probably only a little, thankfully.

After all, followers of well-liked mystery series like this one actually do want a little cozy predictability along with the thrills and surprises. Anyway, I anxiously look forward to Ms. Grafton's next Kinsey Millhone adventure to see how those various elements are stirred into the batter.

H Is For Homicide is available for $7.99 on Kindle.

Let's ruminate

2011-11-30T11:10:00.005-05:00

Here are a few ponderables and general observations you may find interesting, courtesy of Aaron Karo's clever website, Ruminations.com...

You know you're getting old when you look outside, notice it's raining, and your first thought is, "That'll do the lawn some good."

My grandmother just asked me if you can send e-mail on Sundays.

I wish women came equipped with progress bars so I could see how close I am to scoring.

If that Harry Potter theme park doesn't have a souvenir shop called VoldeMart, that's just a crying shame.

Why has America dumbed down? Because smart people wear condoms.

Some people would consider me broke. I like to think of myself as immune to market fluctuations.

Kids today will never understand the precise skill it took to skip or rewind a song and stop right at the perfect spot on a cassette tape.

Wheaties: the breakfast of champions and the dinner of the unemployed.

When my toast gets stuck, I imagine I'm playing Operation.

Receipts are just short stories about how stupid you are with money.

Love conquers all?

2011-11-30T10:50:00.005-05:00

The enjoyable, moving The Descendents (written and directed by Alexander Payne, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings) smartly depicts how a major development in a family- in this case, a tragedy- immediately steamrolls and negates all petty drama and grievances, and quite efficiently illuminates everyone's true colors and true feelings.

George Clooney is terrific as Matt King, a marginal parent who all of a sudden is thrust into the role of central parent and responsibility bearer when a boating accident puts his wife Elizabeth into a coma. Things become more complicated when it becomes clear that Elizabeth isn't going to wake up, and that her legal wishes indicate that she doesn't want to be kept alive via artificial means if a situation like her current one ever arose.

Despite the subject matter, the film isn't relentlessly sad. It's nice to see the strong bond that immediately develops between Matt and his oldest daughter Alexandra (beautifully played by Shailene Woodley), who tosses aside the usual teen issues that drove a wedge between her and her parents in recent years, and starts helping her dad put her mother's affairs in order and prepare for her funeral.

And when I use the word "affairs" above, I don't just mean finances and legal stuff. Matt soon learns from his daughter that he wasn't the only imperfect spouse in their family, though he is shocked to learn exactly what his wife was up to during her last months.

With the help of his family, and one or two hangers-on, Matt puts things to rest during the course of the movie, resulting in situations that are funny, sad, moving, sometimes ridiculous, but always very human. It's interesting that Matt's forgiveness of his wife's infidelity comes fairly early on (though residual anger surfaces here and there), because there's work to be done. Despite what he's learned, he's determined to put his wife to rest with dignity and love, and to honor her memory properly with friends and family.

Filling out the movie are some beautiful locations in Hawaii, a quirky subplot involving Matt and Alexandra trying to locate Elizabeth's secret lover (despite their negative feelings about that part of her life, they want to give the guy the opportunity to properly say goodbye to her), and another subplot involving a major land deal being overseen my Matt, which ultimately ties into the movie's theme of identifying what's really important in life.

In the end, The Descendents is an involving family drama that honestly earns the emotions it brings forth. And, really, don't let the premise scare you off. You'll likely leave the film feeling upbeat and chatty, ready to discuss the film's humor and humanity.

Obligatory cat photo

2011-11-29T15:29:00.003-05:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again: what good is a blog if you don't occasionally run a photo of a cute cat? So here's one for you. We took this little guy in on Monday, November 14, close to midnight.

What's his story, you ask? Through our front window, I first saw him wandering in front of a couple of stores across from our house earlier that night (about 8:00 p.m., if I remember), but didn't act because there were a few people out there and I figured he probably belonged to one of them. But then, near midnight, when I happened to look through the window again before going to bed, he was still there, this time alone, amusing himself by chasing pieces of paper that were blowing around.

To me, it was pretty obvious: as an older kitten, no longer tiny and cute (though he's still pretty cute, if you ask me), somebody or somebodies decided they didn't want him anymore and just dropped him in front of a strip mall, hoping (if they even thought about it that much) that someone would grab him up.

Anyway, long story short, within a few minutes he was safely in our house, eating away (we already have cats, so plenty of cat food was on hand), and shortly looked completely at ease. He's been here since, thanks to Alison not telling me to get rid of him when she saw him in our kitchen the morning after my late-night rescue. Even our other two cats kinda/sorta like him (well, at least one does).

Now, if only we can come up with a good name...

Here's the story...

2011-11-29T09:25:00.006-05:00

After seeing news around the 'net (particularly at Amazon) that revealed the title and release date of the new Spenser novel, Lullaby, I immediately engaged in a little detective work to find an actual plot synopsis of the novel, which was written by mystery/thriller novelist Ace Atkins (pictured). In a brilliant piece of deductive reasoning based on obscure clues, I decided to, uh, check out Mr. Atkins' web site. And, sure enough, I saw that the writer had just posted a perfect little teaser (not too much info, nor too little) on what we can look forward to in May. Here's what Ace had to say:

"Lullaby" takes place the following spring after we last saw Spenser in "Sixkill". Spenser helps a tough 14-year-old girl from South Boston find justice for her mother, who was murdered four years ago. The girl, Mattie, believes the wrong man is doing life for the crime, because she saw two other toughs shove her mother in a car the night she died. Spenser finds those two toughs are connected to Gerry Broz, the screw-up son of infamous crime boss Joe Broz, a man who's been missing for more than a decade and on top of the FBI's most-wanted list.

Doesn't sound bad. I like the "familiar ground" aspects of the plot: Spenser taking on a loose-cannon gangster wannabe out to prove himself, and Spenser helping out a troubled kid. These tried and true, always fun to see Spenser elements will soothe and welcome readers, putting us at ease as we get used to a new writer's voice in this 40-book series, as well as make us more open to the new types of plot and character elements that Mr Atkins will almost undoubtedly also include.

So, yeah, bring on Lullaby!

New Spenser info!

2011-11-28T12:36:00.006-05:00

The late and much missed Robert B. Parker's famous and beloved detective hero Spenser returns on May 1, 2012 in Lullaby, written by noted thriller/mystery novelist Ace Atkins. The new book's subtle and classy cover art accompanies this post.

I'll share basic plot information as I get it, but for now it's nice to know that we'll soon have Spenser back in our lives again. And I think Robert Parker would be glad to know that, too. During his lifetime, it pleased the author that his character was popular and loved, and now his creation will, one hopes, continue to be so in new adventures and cases.

Of course, on that last point, it'll help if Lullaby turns out to be a terrific, bang-up story worthy of the many great Spenser tales that preceded it. I just might have to check out an Ace Atkins title or two between now and May to give myself a bit of a glimpse of the kind of story that might be waiting for us this spring. But, for now, I have high hopes.

Enjoy the day

2011-11-24T22:52:00.006-05:00

Kindle Taproom wishes all its readers a happy and healthy Thanksgiving, full of family, fun, and fantastic food!

Posting may be a little light during the next day or two as blogger Joe (me) enjoys the long weekend, but posts will resume in full force shortly. Until then, try to follow my example and enjoy a little relaxation and maybe hit a movie. I hear The Descendents is good.

Quarry stalks more prey

2011-11-23T11:23:00.008-05:00

Sharp, fast, and fun, Quarry's Ex features Max Allan Collins' ex-hitman character- now a type of investigator, bodyguard, and counter hitman- this time hiring himself out to a low-budget film director targeted for termination by parties unknown. The director purchases Quarry's deluxe package, meaning our hero will eliminate the hitmen stalking the director AND identify and neutralize whoever hired them.

I use the term "hero" in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Though Quarry (aka "Jack", with no last name given to the reader) is not a hitman himself anymore, Collins doesn't set up bogus situations where 1) the only people Quarry now kills are murderous scum, or 2) Quarry is only killing in self defense (two of the scenarios embraced by lesser writers to make sure their "bad boy" characters don't appear too bad). Nope, while Quarry certainly doesn't kill Girl Scouts or little old ladies, some of the kills he performs in the service of his current assignments are a little wince-inducing (I'm thinking of a scene in the current book involving a car tire). And yet, he still remains likable. That's good writing.

The initial five or six Quarry books chronicle Quarry's, or "Jack's", career from its earliest days to its conclusion. The most recent entries, including this one, are basically untold stories that take place at various points during that career. This time out, as well as enjoying the story of the film director and whoever is stalking him, we also get to see Jack meet up with the wife (now "ex", hence the book's title) who had, at least in Jack's mind, a central role in his becoming a hitman in the first place way back when. In fact, maybe Quarry's ex-wife is somehow involved in the director's predicament, as she's now married to him.

Oh, and if you're curious how Quarry's hitman and counter-hitman career wound to a close, you'll have to read The Last Quarry, because I won't reveal things here. But feel free to read Quarry's Ex first. All the Quarry books, with their heady mix of mystery, action, sex, and violence, are self-contained gems that are guaranteed to happily take you away for a few hours.

Quarry's Ex is available on Kindle for $7.69.

Sigh, got a crime to solve...

2011-11-21T15:47:00.007-05:00

Content to spend his life buying vintage tee shirts featuring classic rock bands and fishing on quiet lakes, Virgil Flowers is a smart crime solver despite his passive demeanor. When a series of bombings threatens to de-rail the construction of a Walmart-style big box store in a small community, Virgil's aw-shucks personality initially appears inadequate to the task of stopping the violence, but the town's residents soon learn better. That's the basic gist of John Sandford's Shock Wave, the latest in his Virgil Flowers thriller series.

This easygoing yet immersive crime story does a capable, entertaining job juggling, contrasting, and playing off one another its many flavors: the strong glue of Virgil's placid exterior; the intensity and focus he's more than able to dredge up when called for; the drama generated by the bombings themselves; and the diverse characters with their many concerns and motivations. Along the lines of that last point, Mr. Sandford also makes the most of the several quirky small-town personalities that pepper his story, and the attendant humor they generate.

This was my first Virgil Flowers novel, and I enjoyed it more than enough to want to catch up on the previous entrees in the series, as well as to keep an eye out for new installments. After all, I have to see if Virgil indeed gets a new boat (as the Governor helped arrange), after the bomber in Shock Wave blew up his old one, much to Virgil's disappointment.

Shock Wave is available on Kindle for $14.99... and possibly for free with the Kindle's new borrow from your local library feature!

I'll just say this...

2011-11-21T10:21:00.003-05:00

And now, on this not-so-glorious Monday, are some glorious insults from an era (several actually) when the artfully barbed witticism was routinely preferred over the current practice of simply yelling a bunch of four-letter words.

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp posts: for support rather than illumination"

Andrew Lang

* * *

A member of Parliament to Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or from some unspeakable disease!"

Disraeli, in response: "That depends, Sir, on whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

* * *

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."

William Faulkner

* * *

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."

Winston Churchill

* * *

I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."

Mark Twain

* * *

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."

Oscar Wilde

* * *

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play. Bring a friend, if you have one."

George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one."

Winston Churchill, in response

* * *

"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here."

Stephen Bishop

* * *

He has Van Gogh's ear for music."

Billy Wilder

* * *

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."

Mae West

Growing Up

2011-11-16T14:51:00.013-05:00

Via Netflix and our cable system's "On Demand" service, we caught a couple of very funny yet smartly character-driven movies during the past week or so. Both were nicely written ensemble pieces that in some way touched on young couples dealing with the responsibilities of marriage and adulthood while still within shouting distance of their formerly carefree, irresponsible and open-minded college days.

In Away We Go, young couple Burt and Verona, played by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph, travel around the U.S. and Canada trying to pick a place to raise their soon-to-arrive first child. As Burt and Verona visit friends and relatives all around the continent, trying to decide which family they want to live near (they're really trying to pick out who their emotional support system will be in the immediate years to come), they see eye-opening and often hilarious examples of how exactly they don't want to raise their own children. Sam Mendes directs a strong script by Dave Eggars and Vendela Vida.

In the low-budget but capably filmed Humpday (written and directed by Lynn Shelton) young marrieds Ben and Anna (Mark Duplass and Alycia Delmore) are thrown for a loop when Ben's old college buddy Andrew (Joshua Leonard) drops into their lives, still very much living the whatever-goes slacker life from the two buddies' school days. Don't get too distracted by the intentionally over-the-top central plotline involving Andrew and Ben's harebrained idea to shoot a very unusual erotic art film for a local film festival, and just enjoy all the great conversations (in turns sharp, funny, and heartbreaking) between Ben, Anna, and Andrew about responsibility, compromise, dreams, and life in general.

Away We Go and Humpday (both originally released in 2009) will provide strong doses of smarts and laughs when you're in the mood for an enjoyable evening of home viewing. Check 'em out.

New Spenser!

2011-11-09T14:11:00.004-05:00

Well, no, not exactly (sorry, Bish). But it is a new book about Spenser, the late Robert B. Parker's most famous detective hero. Edited by frequent mystery anthology editor Otto Penzler (who also runs the incredible Mysterious Bookshop in New York City), In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the creation of an American Hero will be out on April 3, 2012.

Contributors to the book include Ace Atkins, Lawrence Block, Max Allan Collins, Matthew Clemens, Loren D. Estleman, Dennis Lehane, S.J. Rozan, and other notable mystery writers. Ace Atkins, of course, is the writer who's been selected by the Parker estate to continue Spenser's adventures.

It'll be interesting to see what Max Allan Collins has to say about Spenser, as his past observations about Robert B. Parker's writing pretty clearly indicates that he isn't much of a fan, except in a kind of "rising tides lift all boats" kind of way. Specifically, Collins has always acknowledged that Parker did a lot to popularize detective fiction with the public at large, which helped all mystery writers. Maybe his essay is an amplification of that idea.

Anyway, In Pursuit of Spenser sounds like an interesting book, and I'll look forward to getting it in April. A Kindle version hasn't yet been announced, but I bet that will soon change.

Oh, and if I remember correctly, Ace Atkins' first Spenser book should be out in May or June, just shortly after this book. So, this spring will weirdly feature two Robert B. Parker-centric releases that aren't actually by Robert B. Parker.

But, as they say, let's just take what we can get, right?

Welcome, Mr. Bond...

2011-11-03T16:11:00.009-04:00

Attention, James Bond fans... Though we knew it was in the works, it was nevertheless exciting to hear, via a news conference earlier today in London, that the 23rd James Bond film is about to go into production!

Entitled SKYFALL, the film will star Daniel Craig as James Bond (returning for his third appearance as the suave secret agent), and will be directed by Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition). The movie will be released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 26, 2012 and in North America on November 9, 2012.

Pictured above during today's news conference is Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench, Daniel Craig, and Sam Mendes. Mr. Bardem will be a primary villain in the film, Ms. Harris will play a "field agent", and Judi Dench will return as "M". Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney were also announced as participants in the film, though they didn't appear at the news conference. Wow, some cast, huh?

A tantalizing plot description was also communicated to the media at the event: In SKYFALL, Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Sounds intriguing... next November should be a lot of fun!

Scary humor

2011-11-02T15:09:00.003-04:00

As a final farewell to Halloween, let's take a look at the top ten reasons that trick or treating is better than sex...

10) You are guaranteed to get at least a little something in the sack.

9) If you get tired, you can just wait ten minutes and go at it again.

8) The uglier you are, the easier it is to get some.

7) You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some.

6) It's okay when the person you're with fantasizes that you're someone else, because you are.

5) Twenty years from now, you'll still enjoy candy.

4) If you don't like what you get, you can always go next door.

3) It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning.

2) There's less guilt the morning after.

And the number one reason why trick or treating is better than sex...

1) You can do the whole neighborhood!

Hot stuff

2011-11-02T10:51:00.010-04:00

Hot Pursuit is a sharp, entertaining police thriller, nicely mixing grittily realistic police activities with well-staged, larger-than-life set pieces that you might see in a James Bond, Die Hard, or Jerry Bruckheimer production. Holding it all together is a collection of well-drawn characters whose fates we come to care about.

The book, previously unavailable for many years, abounds with small touches, grace notes, and descriptive flourishes that place it several cuts above the many back list, formally unpublished, and direct-to Kindle titles that now flood the Kindle store. A favorite scene shows rookie cop Tina Tamiko, shotgun in hand, forcing herself into the car that her partner, veteran cop Jack Calico, is using for his illegal (and heavily wagered on) run to Las Vegas and back. A lesser writer would have wasted fifty pages having Calico being mad at Tamiko for shoehorning herself into his last-day-on-the-job adventure, before predictably having them make up. Paul Bishop totally avoids this, having them yell at each other for a page or two to deflate their tempers, then happily embrace one another's enthusiasm for the run.

Bishop's range is also impressive. He'll totally sell a frat house-style prank involving a tipped-over portable toilet in one scene, then totally engross us in an intensely serious conversation where two cops discuss their true feelings about the general public in another. And he makes diverse scenes like these comfortably coexist with each other, creating a coherent whole.

Pacing, plotting, and the unfolding of scenes are all top-notch (making me think the author wouldn't make a bad director), but for me the characters really make the book shine. While there are definitely heroes and villains in the story, the good guys have flaws, fears, and some unlikable qualities, and the bad guys have style, wit, and/or understandable motivations. There are no cartoon characters in Hot Pursuit. Which isn't to say that there aren't some very, very funny scenes (the toilet scene was only one of many).

Set in the late 1970's, and apparently written by Mr. Bishop around that time, too, Hot Pursuit still feels fresh, fun, and alive, and not dated in the least. If you like the rich characterizations of classic police shows like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, combined with a big-budget movie feel, you can't go wrong with the book.

People often complain that the new e-book market allows too many shoddy, amateurish titles to reach the reading public. I'm not sure if that's true or not, as I've read my share of traditionally published books that proved unimpressive over the years, long before e-books came along. But even if there is some truth to that way of thinking, if the new world of e-books gets titles like Hot Pursuit back in circulation for readers to enjoy, I'll happily wade through all the lesser e-books out there to find them.

Hot Pursuit is available on Kindle for $2.99.

G is for good reading

2011-10-28T14:33:00.003-04:00

I've been devouring Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone "alphabet" mysteries in order since the beginning of this year, and at this point don't feel the need to recount the plots in detail when banging out these reviews, preferring instead to just check in with a quick plot description and some quick thoughts about a particular installment's quality. Why take up your time with a long review when it's the actual book you rather be reading, right?

Anyway, G Is For Gumshoe features a convoluted family drama plot, rich with gothic trappings (including a horrible storm with lots of lightning!), interlaced with a fast-moving action plot featuring a hitman out to get Kinsey in retaliation for her role in putting a creepy guy behind bars years earlier. Much of the gothic family drama features scenes (including the storm) set decades in the past, as Kinsey speculates how various dark happenings back then are now affecting her present client and her relationship with her mother. The hitman-chasing-Kinsey storyline involves many close calls, as well as an eventual romance when Kinsey and her hired bodyguard fall into each other's arms.

I found the gothic plot a little slow, but that's just me, not due to any perceived weakness in the narrative. Fans of Wuthering Heights-style intrigue will like it just fine. I was much more entertained by the hitman plotline, though some may find it slick and too action heavy. Rounding things out is the usual craziness surrounding Kinsey's cast of regulars, this time centering on Kinsey's friend Vera and a fix-up she arranges for Kinsey.

With a variety of interesting things going on in the book, this was another solid entry in a so-far very solid series. Kinsey and her adventures continue to be smart, entertaining diversions.

G Is For Gumshoe is available on Kindle for $7.99.

Actual ghost photo?

2011-10-27T09:44:00.006-04:00

Last weekend, Alison and I headed out to a favorite spot for day trips and quick overnighters: the quaint town of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, located about an hour and a half outside our home in the Philadelphia suburbs. As longtime readers are aware, I've written about the place before.

Anyway, it being fall and close to Halloween, there was a cool outdoor festival going on, with pumpkins all over the place, other fall-themed decorations, and lots of Halloween stuff for sale. There were also a number of Halloween-themed activities going on, including one of those walking tours of supposed haunted houses, and a ghost tour of the local historic prison, which was in operation from 1870 to 1996.

Well, after a nice dinner, we decided to get in the spirit of Halloween and sign up for the ghost tour of the prison. The prison's claim to fame is that, in its early days, it imprisoned many members of the Molly Maguires, a secret society of Irish miners who worked the Pennsylvania coal mines of Lehigh and Carbon Counties. Depending on what historical account you read, the Molly Maguires were either rabble-rousing thugs who engaged in kidnapping and murder, or innocent miners who were framed for crimes by the rich mine owners when they protested too vigorously for better wages and working conditions, and- even worse- tried to form a labor union. No matter which story is true, one thing is certain: many of the Molly Maguires were eventually tried, convicted, and hanged, with several of them being executed right there in the prison at Jim Thorpe.

Of course, the guides for the ghost tour made good use of the Molly Maquires during their narration, telling us how their restless ghosts still wandered the prison, lamenting their unjust deaths at the hands of their rich, corrupt employers. We were told to take a photo of a particular second-floor jail cell, because "a ghostly image often shows up on digital camera images, hovering near the cell door". Below is my murky photo of that cell door, shot looking up from the first floor of the prison. The gallows structure employed for the executions is visible on the right. Anyway, I don't see a ghostly image in the photo. Do you?

However, when grabbing a drink with my wife after the tour was over, I idly scrolled through the several other camera phone pictures I had taken during the tour, and stopped at the very first picture I took at the prison that evening. It's another murky photo, I'm afraid, but viewable, showing the prison's entrance as we stood outside waiting for our group's turn to enter. The bottom of the photo shows the heads of the people in line in front of us, facing the stone and brick archlike entrance that beckoned everyone inside. But when I looked above the heads in the photo, something caught my attention: the sight of something else perhaps beckoning everyone inside?

Specifically, is it just me, or does there seem to be the upper body of a figure hovering between the two strings of dangling lights, arms spread, looking down at everyone? The figure even seems to be wearing old-style suspenders, like a miner would, though that last descriptive flourish is probably attributable to two of the many outward-facing ridges spaced a foot or so apart in the stone surrounding the opening. But the head, shoulders, arms, and chest of the figure seem to be just, well... there, above the doorway. Anyway, here's the photo, so you can take a look for yourself:

Okay, enough creepy Halloween stuff. I make no claims about the photo. I'm sure it's just a trick of the light and shadows, coincidentally creating the rough shape of a male figure seemingly hovering over the prison door. But I did think it would be fun to show it to you. Ghostly images in photographs capture our imagination, even though none of us believe they're actually real. Right?

Coming of the Bat

2011-10-26T14:45:00.005-04:00

Batman Year One is a terrific animated adaptation of the classic four-part story (long since collected into the graphic novel format) that originally appeared in the Batman comic book in the late 80's. The major players include Lieutenant Jim Gordon (long before his "Commissioner Gordon" days), Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman), and many corrupt politicians and police officials. Believe me, you won't miss the absence of a colorful, larger-than-life villain like the Joker in this urban, grimy, immersive story set in the streets of Gotham.

What's so innovative about Year One, both the comic and the DVD? Though Batman's origin story had been re-told many times prior to the Year One comic books, an extended look at the trials and tribulations of the Caped Crusader's early days was never before attempted. With Year One, we now got to see Bruce Wayne's false starts, failures, eventual refinement of techniques, etc., on the road to his becoming the costumed crime fighter revered by Gotham City's citizens and intensely feared by its criminal element.

That engaging premise, and the great storytelling that fulfilled its potential, made for great comics reading, and now, with this animated adaptation, great home viewing. Just be warned, like the original comic book story, this animated film is dark, gritty, and laced with adult themes and language. This particular Batman story isn't for the kids.

The two-disc version of Batman Year One contains a fair amount of material. On disc one you get the main feature (about 65 minutes long), a few previews of other DC Comics animated projects (films, TV shows, video games, etc.), and an action-oriented, pretty decent (but again, very adult) 15-minute film starring Catwoman.

The second disc contains an engaging documentary (23 minutes long) about the genesis of both the Batman Year One comic book and, many years later, the animated film, with a major emphasis on the whole movement, beginning in the 1970's, to "serious up" Batman after years of goofy comics and the campy Batman TV series starring Adam West. Disc two also contains a couple of bonus Batman cartoons (about 20 minutes each) from the 90's, which were fun to see.

If you've been enjoying the various direct-to-DVD animated films based on DC's comic book heroes and famous storylines, or are just someone who enjoys gritty heroic adventure stories, I can't imagine not liking Batman Year One. It's one of the better presentations from a string of DVDs that's pretty solid to begin with.

And if you don't need all the bells and whistles, just get the less expensive single-disc version. In the end, it's the movie that's the important thing. And this is definitely a movie that's worth your time.

Meanderings

2011-10-24T15:56:00.004-04:00

Some stuff I've been doing and thinking about...

Though I'm now taking a short break from it it, I'm two books into Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, a dark take on future American society. The first book in the trilogy, The Hunger Games, is now being made into a movie, which comes out in March. I'm enjoying the series, which is pretty gritty and adult for something officially classified as for young adults, and look forward to seeing how it all turns out.

The new FX television series, American Horror Story, continues to fascinate. It's sort of a cross between the old David Lynch series Twin Peaks and The Shining (both the Stephen King novel and the Stanley Kubrick film). So far I've watched the first two episodes via my cable system's On Demand function, and I plan to watch the third episode tonight or tomorrow. Tune in if you're in the mood for some scary, kinky fun.

I enjoyed the second episode of AMC's The Walking Dead a little more than the first (itself not bad), probably due to the tighter storytelling of the season's first regular-length episode. I still kind of miss the muted colors and slightly grainy photography of the season-one episodes, but I'm getting used to the nicer sets, richer colors and more artful lighting of season two. I guess they're trying to contrast the look of the show with its subject matter. Maybe zombies are scarier if they're shown against the backdrop of a well-lit, pretty farmhouse with a burnished orange sunset behind it. I'm open to the idea.

I'm sure I'll be writing more about the preceding topics, so stop back if you're interested in any of this.

Things change

2011-10-21T09:34:00.004-04:00

If you want to see a decent horror film now that we're in the midst of the Halloween season, you can do worse than The Thing, which we caught last weekend. A prequel to the 1982 horror classic directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, this new film has neither the sharp direction and distinctive characters of the Carpenter film, but it's pretty good in its own right. It's got a few decent scares, a little cleverness, one or two impressive set pieces, and a nice central performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the lone American scientist helping a Norwegian research team in Antarctica investigate a very strange discovery buried in the ice.

The Thing didn't exactly set the world on fire at the box office last weekend, so you better catch it fast if you want to see it in theaters. As I said, it's not spectacular, but it's sufficiently creepy and scary if you're at all in the mood for that sort of thing. And, best of all, the main characters aren't spoiled rich kids living in Beverly Hills.

If you never saw the 1982 version of The Thing, you can have a little fun by seeing this new film first and then going home and watching the '82 movie. The new film ( a prequel, remember) flows smoothly into the events of the Carpenter/Russell film. An added bonus is that the quality of the story and direction will shoot up significantly as you move into the second story!

The dead return

2011-10-17T10:44:00.004-04:00

AMC's The Walking Dead returned last night with an extra-long season premiere. I enjoyed it, but I have to say it was the first episode of the hit horror series that was merely good in my eyes, not very good or excellent. While certainly peppered with a few great moments, overall I found it, well... a little draggy.

It's funny. Most of the recent internet chatter about the show expressed concern that AMC's reported budget cuts for this season might adversely affect the show's quality. But to me, last night's episode alomost appeared too lavish and rich, with too many lingering shots showing off the well-dressed sets and nicely-framed compositions. Where was that lean, mean look from last season, when it almost seemed like the camera people and other crewmembers were afraid of the zombies, too, and quickly shot their scenes and got the Hell out of there?

Also, there was a bit too much of a self-congratulatory air to the whole affair, with characters rehashing the great moments from season one rather than creating new great moments here in season two. Some of that type of thing is inevitable in an ongoing drama, of course, but it kept feeling like last night's show wanted to be an epilogue or postscript to last season rather than a bang-up start to this season.

Still, only one episode into season two, I don't want to overstate my criticisms. Last night's season premiere was still a good, watchable, occasionally scary episode that will have me in front of the set again next week. I just hope that, with episode two, we get back to the full-on lean, mean, in-your-face terror that spoiled us back in season one.

If they do that, they can even throw in the occasional artsy shot of sun-dappled trees, or an over-decorated set or two. I won't mind.

Marilyn forever

2011-10-14T15:38:00.005-04:00

Bye Bye, Baby features an embarrassment of riches in the subject matter department: Frank Sinatra, the Kennedys, Hugh Hefner, the mob, Cuba, the swinging 60’s, the movie business, and, most of all, the dazzling Marilyn Monroe. One almost suspects that the rich subject matter alone would make for a halfway decent book, regardless of the skill of the author. But thankfully that supposition isn’t put to the test here, as the author in question is the battle-tested Max Allan Collins, an established master of the “novel based on actual events” genre.

As far as its ability to capture the imagination, one can’t complain about the case the writer chooses to examine this time out. Interacting with a variety of show business, political, business, and criminal figures of the early 1960’s, Collins’ fictional private detective Nate Heller gradually puts the pieces together in his quest to unearth what really happened to his friend and occasional lover Marilyn Monroe in August of 1962. Heller’s investigation, which mirrors actual investigations of the time and during the years following the star’s death, ultimately results in a credible, believable solution to what most people to this day consider a shrouded mystery that has little to do with the official findings.

Of course, when I credit Heller, I’m really crediting author Collins for delivering the immersive, fascinating, and entertaining investigation that comprises the bulk of Bye Bye, Baby. As he does in the previous Heller books, all of which involve real-life cases with lingering questions, Collins performs a skillful balancing act here: letting research and historical details have more attention and breathing room than they do in his other, more fast-paced thrillers, but never to the point where boredom or fatigue sets in. On the contrary, the generous details are wonderful and often fun.

A prime example: an extended scene describing a party at the Playboy Mansion in its 60’s heyday is not strictly needed, at least not at its presented length, to relate needed information and propel the narrative. But you’ll be glad to read every word of this little trip back in time to when Hugh Hefner and Playboy Magazine were truly cultural forces, not the quaint recollections of mild naughtiness they’re painted as today. It’s a great scene.

The book actually has two flavors, both successful but distinct. The early going feels more novelistic and artful, as it relies more on Collins’ imagination, not an accumulation of researched facts. That’s because this section of the book largely deals with Nate Heller’s friendship with Marilyn Monroe, an entirely fictional relationship. Research still plays a part here, as the friendship- playful, sweet, often sexual- allows Collins to reconcile the various, often contradictory accounts of Marilyn Monroe’s personality and create a living, breathing person. But ultimately, this part of the book is fantasy (well, a fantasy for male readers, at least) as Collins, through Heller, lets us imagine what it might have been like for a regular person (like all of us!) to fall into the sphere of the reigning sex symbol of the 1950’s and 60’s.

The more imagination-driven first part of the book also performs another important function: it gets both Nate Heller and the reader sufficiently taken with the brilliant, troubled star, so that when she is eventually found dead in her bed from a drug overdose, both detective and reader want to get to the bottom of it.

The death of Marilyn Monroe immediately shifts the tone of the book, and Collins has to quickly add traffic cop to his artistic and literary functions. That’s because his impressive level of research is now addressed in a fast and furious manner, and known facts have to be channeled, aligned, prioritized, temporarily sidelined until they’re ready to be fully addressed, and organized in all manner of other ways. Collins does a great job here, managing and presenting the facts he needs to relate to build his case, but never letting them overwhelm us.

And the author does all that while never forgetting to tell an entertaining story populated by entertaining characters. It’s really quite a feat. Reconciling all the facts and personalities in play to come up with a believable hypothesis about what really happened to Marilyn Monroe was, I’m sure, an academic, intellectual exercise in many ways. But it feels like anything but that. The last half of the book is energetic, adrenaline-inducing, exciting. And, demonstrating that it also has something in common with the first half of the book, it really captures the imagination.

Pulling back and looking at Bye Bye, Baby as a whole, one sees an accomplished work with a complex agenda: it wants to entertain, inform, educate, and intelligently speculate, usually simultaneously. That it does all these things with flying colors makes it more than capably deliver the final item on its agenda: being a cracking good read.

Bye Bye, Baby is available on Kindle for $11.99.

Coming soon

2011-10-13T16:33:00.003-04:00

Here's a little movie news for you good people. We all enjoy movies, don't we?

1999's Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace will be re-released in theaters, remastered in 3D, on February 10, 2012.

Thor 2 will hit theaters on November 15, 2013, helmed by Patty Jenkins, who directed Charlize Theron to a Best Actress Oscar in the film Monster.

The Lone Ranger, previously sidelined due to budget issues, is back on track and will reach your local cinema on May 31, 2013. Johnny Depp stars (as Tonto!) and Gore Verbinski directs.

February 14, 2013 will be A Good Day to Die Hard, as the fifth installment in the Die Hard series reaches theaters.

The tough yet elegant Javier Bardem (who played the creepy killer in No Country For Old Men) will appear as the main villain in the new James Bond film (title not yet released), which you can see on November 9, 2012.

Making the rounds

2011-10-11T15:50:00.006-04:00

The long Columbus Day weekend featured a few nice experiences, both at local restaurants and via a couple of pleasant jaunts outside the immediate region. Thankfully, these quality experiences helped prevent the devastating Philadelphia Phillies playoff loss on Friday and the Philadelphia Eagles horrible defeat on Sunday from totally ruining the weekend.

The first photograph depicts the beer sampler my wife Alison ordered at Stoudt's Brewery in Adamstown, Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 8. Despite all the beers made on the premises, I opted for a glass of wine, a terrific Malbec. A delicious cheese plate (cheeses also made on the premises) preceded the drinks, and a shared Black Angus burger, also delicious, followed. It was a nice cap to a nice day trip to Berks County.

By the way, the individual beer glasses were indeed sample sized, a good bit smaller than they appear to be in the picture. Even with me helping her a little, Alison couldn't drink four regular-sized beers at one sitting.

Sunday, October 9, featured another day trip, this time to our regular stomping ground of Ocean City, New Jersey. The photo below shows the amazingly crowded (for October) boardwalk, as high temperatures brought out large volumes of people who had the same idea we did, namely "It's really nice out, so let's hit the shore for a few hours!" West Coast readers of Kindle Taproom might yawn over summer-like October weather, but we don't take it for granted here in the east.

On the way home from the shore on Sunday, we stopped at a familiar destination for us, Circle Liquors in Somers Point, New Jersey. We wanted to see if there were any deals at the popular retailer that's smartly stationed just outside the "dry" town of Ocean City (there are no bars, liquor stores, restaurants with liquor licenses, etc. in Ocean City). While many people stop off at Circle Liquors on the way into Ocean City (presumably to stock the refrigerators and shelves of their Ocean City vacation rental units with the adult beverages they can't buy once they're in the resort), we often stop there on the way back home, just to check out the specials.

The photograph below shows the establishment's ample selection of Van Gogh Vodka, encompassing the many, many flavors the brand offers. Alison picked out a bottle of Van Gogh's caramel flavored vodka. A little sweet for my taste (though I might have a small sip at some point), I just bought a bottle of an old reliable: Clos Du Bois Chardonnay. Both deals were good.

Oh, you want my usual literary connection to all this fun? Well, during the course of the weekend, Alison continued listening to Sue Grafton's I is for Innocent on her MP3 player, and I finished up, also on audio, Max Allan Collins' Marilyn Monroe mystery Bye Bye Baby (terrific book, review to follow). I also continued reading, on my Kindle, Paul Bishop's police thriller Hot Pursuit (also pretty great so far, review also to follow when I'm finished it).

But now, sigh, I'm back in the office. But that's okay. Work funds that meaningful part of life known as leisure time, which includes the activities described above and diversions like this blog!

Just because

2011-10-07T13:10:00.009-04:00

Below is a photograph of my wife Alison, taken last Saturday evening, October 1, during yet another autumn jaunt to the New Jersey seashore. I'm not including the photo for any special reason, only because I like it. The ocean is about a block and a half away in the background, by the way.

Okay, I'll give you some kind of book connection. Like me, Alison is now working her way through all the Kinsey Millhone alphabet mysteries by Sue Grafton (A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, and so on). We're listening to them on unabridged audio, read by the terrific Mary Peiffer.

Alison also wants a Kindle Fire, when the device becomes available in November. Sounds good to me. In fact, our plan is for our household iPad to continue being mainly my device (Alison does most of her web surfing, e-mail, etc. on our living room computer) and the Kindle Fire to mainly be her device, with occasional sharing and switching back and forth as needed.

The blues will get you...

2011-10-06T11:19:00.019-04:00

Michael Brandman's Killing the Blues, the first Jesse Stone adventure not written by the late Robert B. Parker, is an enjoyable police thriller only slightly roughed up by a few questionable choices.

The main plotlines are just fine. In the central storyline, Jesse is stalked by a deranged criminal seeking revenge for the excessive police brutality inflicted on him back when Jesse was an out-of-control alcoholic in Los Angeles. I liked this plotline, as it took the history firmly established by Robert Parker- that Jesse was a mess back in the old days, prior to his arrival in Paradise, Massachusetts- and extrapolated a new consequence for Jesse to confront as a result of that time.

Another plotline has Jesse helping out a troubled student who threatened her school principal with a gun. Looking past the episode and trying to discover the reasons behind it, Jesse soon uncovers a messy situation involving many students and the dark secret making them act out in inappropriate, damaging ways. This was more of a direct imitation of the kind of plotline Robert Parker did many times before (his characters helping troubled youth was always a favored Parker theme), but it was handled well, with Jesse behaving just as readers want him to in such a situation.

The final main plotline features Jesse playing hardball with a crime boss who is setting up a car theft ring in Paradise. When a civilian is killed during the course of one of the car thefts, Jesse puts the law aside and does what needs to be done to shut down both the operation and the crime boss, with unambiguous finality.

Some will probably describe this last plotline as going too far, in that it paints Jesse as a vigilante just as brutal as the criminal he is chasing. But it always seemed to me that, in every five or six entries of all his series, Robert Parker demonstrated that his characters were willing to administer their own justice when- in their view- the law just wouldn't suffice. Heck, I'm still reeling from the scene in A Catskill Eagle (about 20 Spenser adventures ago!) when Spenser and Hawk execute (yes, as in “kill”) a couple of unarmed, defenseless pimps because of Spenser and Hawk’s (probably correct) prediction that the pimps would have ultimately murdered the prostitutes in their employ for helping our heroes with their case. So, tough and gritty as it is, I had no problem with this particular storyline in the new Jesse Stone book. Guiltily enjoyed it, in fact.

My problems with Killing the Blues? There aren’t many, but they're worth noting. And they're all tied into the unfortunate decision to make the Jesse Stone books now fall more into line with the occasional Jesse Stone television movies starring Tom Selleck.

Least harmful among the changes instituted here was having Jesse move into a cottage at the end of a footbridge, just like the one in the TV movies. Though annoying, this wasn’t a terrible move, though it minimized the important function Jesse’s comically under furnished condo (a framed action photograph of Jesse’s favorite baseball player was the only adornment) performed in the previous books: reminding us that Jesse’s job with the cops and his discomfort with the kind of cozy aloneness most other people often enjoy are both central motivators in his life.

The other changes are more problematic, as they all but negate the carefully-built continuity of the previous books. Two quick examples: Molly Crane, cop and administrative aide to Jesse, is now deliberately described and characterized in a bland way so readers can picture either the Molly of the previous books (an Irish Catholic with many children, who does her best to handle a libido-fueled independent streak) or the Molly of the TV movies (a likable but generally underused African American character who’s mainly there to annoy Jesse with her quips). I miss the distinctive Molly of the previous books.

Also brought in is the watered-down, TV-movie version of Hasty Hathaway, the town selectman who served as the villain- and a quite dark, dangerous one- in the first Jesse Stone novel, Night Passage. It would have been interesting to have that Hasty Hathaway return in Killing the Blues, but instead we get the one from TV, a Hasty Hathaway whose crimes weren’t all that serious and, after serving a little time in prison, now runs a used car dealership in Paradise.

I guess we’re supposed to edit our earlier memories of the Hasty Hathaway in the novels because it simply doesn’t make sense for the murderous, sociopathic Hasty Hathaway of the novel Night Passage to now be back in Paradise, haggling over the price of his used cars with Jesse. I guess we have to shrug and assume that both Jesse and the courts are more forgiving than we thought.

To conclude on an even-handed note, I do think that Michael Brandman did an overall nice job with the thankless task of continuing a well-liked print series established by a beloved author. I just hope he eases back on the “aligning the books and movies” thing, and lets the literary Jesse and the movie Jesse be their own distinct entities.

So, yes, I’ll hang around to see what Mr. Brandman does next with this character and series I’ve always enjoyed. Even though, ahem, the author makes one other alteration in the series that I’m pretty sure the dog-loving Robert Parker would grumble about: He gives Jesse a cat.

But I won’t complain, because the cat is very cute. Who says this longtime Parker fan isn’t flexible?

Killing the Blues is available on Kindle for $12.99.

Zippy

2011-09-30T15:20:00.007-04:00

Amazon recently sent to me, as part of its "Amazon Vine" program, a bottle of free taco sauce. As with all Amazon Vine samples, all that was expected in return was a fair and honest review. Now, I know that a few paragraphs about taco sauce is probably a strange thing to include in this blog, but what the heck, right? The review has been written and filed at Amazon, so I might as well include it here, too, don't you think?

Who knows, my comments might even prompt you to buy and (one hopes) enjoy the stuff. Anyway, here it is...

Taco Bell's Bold & Creamy, Spicy Ranchero Sauce is really good, and I haven't even used it on a taco yet! It has just enough zip to give a little kick to your omelette, sandwich, or salad, but it's not so spicy that you'll have to warn family members who are averse to overly spicy foods.

I actually do make tacos at home sometimes, using those convenient taco kits available in the supermarket (there's even a kit made by Taco Bell), so I'm sure I'll try this sauce in conjunction with actual tacos at some point. But for now, this zippy, tasty, and nicely creamy sauce is regularly performing satisfying condiment duties in our kitchen.

So, yeah, stop making your mustard, mayo, ketchup, and boilerplate salad dressings do all the work. Your favorite foods, as well as your taste buds, will appreciate the flavorful zing of Taco Bell Bold & Creamy, Spicy Ranchero Sauce. I'm definitely going to buy more when my Amazon Vine sample runs out!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the review, or at least got through it without too much pain. Really, I actually did like the product.

Something for everyone

2011-09-28T11:32:00.009-04:00

Well, my advance post of yesterday was accurate, but decidedly incomplete. Not only did Amazon announce earlier today an impressive new color Kindle, the Kindle Fire, to compete in the growing tablet computer market, but it's also offering three (count 'em, three) new e-ink Kindles, as well.

Also impressive, across the board, are the price points. The sharp new Kindle Fire will go for a mere $199, and the most economical of the new e-ink Kindles will sell for the bargain-basement price of $79.00. And most of the other Kindle models will be priced only a little higher than that, especially if you choose the ad-sponsored versions of each new Kindle.

Needless to say, I'll be writing more on today's announcement by Amazon, but for now do yourself a favor and acquaint yourself with these sharp new products by visiting Amazon's web site. The product descriptions and demo videos are already up and ready for you to absorb.

Amazon's new slew of Kindle products will go on sale in November, with the exception of the $79.00 Kindle, which is available immediately (and will cost a little more than $79.00 if you decline the "special offers" ad-sponsored version of the device).

Finally, the various versions of the Kindle 3 (until yesterday, the latest model Kindle, and the one I only got around to reviewing on this site a couple of weeks ago), is not being discontinued. Re-dubbed the Kindle Keyboard and the Kindle Keyboard 3G, these Kindles will still be available for those stubborn souls who still like a physical keyboard on their Kindles. Who says that Amazon isn't full service?

Pictured with this post is the new $199 Kindle Fire. Cute, huh?

Heads up

2011-09-27T09:30:00.004-04:00

Amazon will hold a press conference tomorrow (Wednesday, September 28), and rumor has it that the reason for the event will be to announce the coming of the Kindle Fire, the new backlit, color Kindle that will go on sale in November.

Like Barnes & Noble's color e-book reader, the Nook Color, the Kindle Fire will be able to perform a wide array of functions either not doable or easily performed by the regular e-ink Kindle, functions such as web surfing, playing videos, etc. Despite these added functions, however, the Kindle Fire will still be heavily oriented toward buying and reading e-books (again, like the Nook Color).

Also strongly suggested in the rumors is that the Kindle Fire will not replace the standard e-ink Kindle (the latest version of which is the popular Kindle 3), just be a new Kindle product offered to customers, specifically those customers who have been clamoring for a backlit, color e-book reader from Amazon.

Anyway, we'll know tomorrow how much of the above is correct. But for now, Kindle Taproom readers are at least aware of the buzz that's out there!

More silliness

2011-09-23T09:04:00.005-04:00

Okay, it's time to move on to more adult concerns, but first, as promised, I'll quickly post a bit of silliness entitled, Jokes You Can Tell Your Kids, Part Two. And then we'll be done with it.

What do you give a seasick elephant?

Plenty of room.

* * *

What did the shy pebble say?

I wish I were a little boulder.

* * *

What do you get when you cross a lake with a leaky boat?

About halfway.

* * *

How do you keep a skunk from smelling?

Hold its nose.

* * *

Why did the lady blush when she walked past the chicken coop?

She heard fowl language.

* * *

That's it for now, honest. Still, you might want to try out a few of these on your kids. You'll probably give them a laugh or two.

Silliness

2011-09-20T09:19:00.004-04:00

Let's put the sophistication and adult cynicism away for a while. For now, it's time for Jokes You Can Tell Your Kids, Part One. Let's take it away...

Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?

He didn't have the guts.

* * *

Why is the sand wet?

Because the sea weed.

* * *

How do you make antifreeze?

Hide her nightgown.

* * *

How do you make an elephant float?

Two scoops of ice cream, some root beer, and an elephant.

* * *

What do cannibals do at a wedding?

They toast the bride and groom.

* * *

More to come! But not many more, I promise.

Charming spot

2011-09-19T15:25:00.006-04:00

Ocean City, New Jersey's Ocean Manor complex consists of several historic buildings bought up over the years by the Ocean Manor people and made into vacation accommodations for daily and weekly visitors to Ocean City. Alison and I stayed overnight at Ocean Manor Saturday night into Sunday, September 17 to 18. While some people would undoubtedly find the place to be a little tired and weathered, we enjoyed the "seashore of the past" feel to it. And besides, the staff was friendly, the place was clean, and our mini-suite, located only a block from the beach, was less than $100 total for the night.

The first photo shows the facility's 1920's-era main building, which was acquired in 1979. As summer is pretty much over, this building was recently closed up for the season.

We actually stayed in the building seen in the second photograph, which is located right across the street from the main building. More recently acquired by Ocean Manor, it's not quite as historic but definitely still has that old-time feel to it. This building will still be available to shore visitors for another week or two, before it, too, closes for the season.

In case you're interested, Ocean Manor is located at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and 11th Street in Ocean City. Just think of the movie Ocean's 11 to remember its location.

The seashore was quite nice this past weekend, by the way. It was cloudy and a little chilly, but that didn't overly impact a few enjoyable walks on the boardwalk. There was even an exciting airshow, utilizing bi-planes and other historic craft, held in the skies over the beach and boardwalk on Sunday afternoon, September 18. It was a nice little bonus to an already pleasant mini-getaway.

Heroes and fans

2011-09-15T10:38:00.002-04:00

The Kindle Single, Comic-Con Strikes Again!, drops readers right in the midst of the biggest comic book and multi-media convention in the world, letting us enjoy through the author's eyes all the rabid fandom, costumed craziness, relentless (and more sophisticated than I thought) efforts on the part of producers and publishers to create or expand interest in their intellectual properties, and- most of all- the heady mixture of intensity, fun, and weariness that comprises the San Diego Comic-Con experience.

Reminding me of the kind of long, meaty article to be found in my Sunday newspaper's magazine section, Comic-Con Strikes Again! is well worth its modest price for both readers already familiar with the whole convention-going thing, or curious outsiders. Douglas Wolk wrote a fun, informative article, and I look forward to his future writings about the entertainment industry and its fans.

Comic-Con Strikes Again! is available on Kindle for 99 cents.

Hard traveling

2011-09-14T15:47:00.005-04:00

Without ever becoming self-consciously dreamlike, Cormac McCarthy's fine post-apocalyptic novel The Road, nevertheless effectively delivers a virtually unrelenting nightmare, as it tells the story of a beaten-down father and son making their way over a burned-out, blighted landscape in a probably vain attempt to improve their grim lot.

The book will probably reach you on one or more levels: as a survivalist tale; a post-disaster science fiction story (a kind of literary, more serious Mad Max), or simply as a drama about a family and how a huge outside force affects its internal politics. At various points, the book engaged me on each of these levels. Also, if you want to look for it, I suspect there's a lot of metaphor and religious imagery in The Road, too, though I pretty much focused on the book's primary (to me, anyway) facet: that of being a plain but strong story, simply told.

And for those of you who hate preachiness in their novels, don't worry: there's no obvious, clunky message, either from the left or right political spectrum, concerning how the Earth of the book got into its grim predicament, or what could have prevented it. The book is more subtle than that, and the characters have more immediate concerns to worry about than how things got the way they did.

However, though I was fascinated and engaged by the novel from beginning to end, it's nearly unbroken stretch of grim, grey scenes, the frequent discoveries of an increasingly horrible nature by the two main characters, and just seeing the Earth so ruined by an unnamed global disaster, made me glad that The Road wasn't a terribly long book. I'm glad I got in and out of it fairly quickly.

A movie adaptation of The Road now exists, too, and many fine, talented individuals took part in its creation. But I think I'll take a little break before experiencing this memorably grim, sad story a second time.

The Road is available on Kindle for $11.99.

Just for the record

2011-09-13T11:20:00.004-04:00

Needless to say, this review is incredibly late. It's just that I wrote, way back when, a long rave about the Kindle 1, then a year or two later wrote a long rave about the Kindle 2. So, when I (predictably) bought a Kindle 3, I was bored with the whole long rave review thing, and just sat back and started enjoying my latest Kindle. And that was almost seven months ago.

But I'm thinking I should really put something on the record, especially considering that the Kindle 4 is probably not all that far off! So, how about this: With no notable improvements needed over the previous model, the Kindle 3 wisely concentrates on making minor tweaks to improve the Kindle experience. Most notably, I'm enjoying the thinner, smaller size of the device, which reduces the dimensions in all areas except screen size. So we now have a smaller, lighter, easier-to-carry Kindle, with no sacrifice at all in the area we care most about: the reading surface.

Second, the screen contrast on that reading surface, which was always perfectly fine, is now even better. Words are now notably crisper and darker, and the background behind the words is notably lighter. The Kindle reading experience is now easier and more comfortable than ever.

Finally, with the Kindle 3, I loved that I was given the ability to choose between the usual white Kindle and the new graphite-colored model. I chose the latter. There's just something about the dark grey, textured case that's really classy. Now more than ever, my Kindle looks really great sitting on a bar next to my glass of Chardonnay (as readers of the web version of Kindle Taproom can tell by the photo I positioned at the top of my blog). Of course, you may prefer the white model, but isn't it great having a choice?

Anyway, as I said before, I'm not going to go on and on this time, just briefly noting for the record that my newest Kindle (3G and Wi-Fi equipped, by the way), improves on the already excellent previous models. So, if you're thinking of taking the plunge and either buying your first Kindle or upgrading from an older model, I say go for it.

Don't touch that car!

2011-09-12T16:28:00.005-04:00

Kindle Singles are short pieces of writing, including many fiction and non-fiction offerings, that are available for a song on your Kindle. I recently picked up Stephen King's new short story, Mile 81, in this new, popular format. What did I think of it? Glad you asked.

For a longish short story, Mile 81 manages to cram in some decent characterizations (even among the several victims who are only briefly seen) and many scares. The scares, not so incidentally, are generated by a pretty well-crafted piece of imagination: essentially a monster from space who (at least currently) is shaped like a mud-spattered station wagon that's sitting alongside an abandoned rest stop like a Venus Fly Trap, just waiting for curiosity seekers to check it out.

The story reminded me of those small gems that the author would routinely include in his periodic telephone book-sized anthologies of decades past: an efficient little story that gets the job done quickly but not by cheaping out on the richness or drama or that all-important creepiness. In this case, you'll never look at a moldy old station wagon again.

A cool bonus (and possibly the main reason this Kindle Single exists in the first place) is also included with one's purchase: a meaty little promotional excerpt from 11/22/63, Mr. King's novel about the JFK assassination and the time traveler who tries to prevent it. As rich and imaginative as Mr. King's short stories can be, it's his long, ambitious novels where those qualities will most often really shine. And from this excerpt, 11/22/63 doesn't look to be an exception to the rule.

So, if you're at all a fan of Stephen King, you can do worse than spend a few bucks for an early look at both a polished little short story (that will undoubtedly be a highlight of a future King anthology) and a late-career novel that just might be- judging by the subtle, intriguing, and nuanced excerpt seen here- right up there with The Stand in its creativity and memorability. Heck, I'll be more than satisfied if 11/22/63 is as least as good as Mr. King's decent, perfectly satisfying Under the Dome of a couple of years past.

Anyway, Mile 81 is fun, cheap, includes a meaty glimpse of a possibly great novel, and is only a click away on your Kindle. What's stopping you?

Mile 81 is available on your Kindle for $2.99.

Light pun-ishment

2011-09-12T10:45:00.002-04:00

Have the Monday blues? Here are a few silly yet somewhat amusing puns, courtesy of the "Pun of the Day" web site.

I tried to record an album in a reptile shop, but there was a terrible gecko.

I finally found a spotter at the gym. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

He kept an alarm clock in the back window of his car. He was always ahead of his time.

Dissatisfied with the lack of thoroughness in the demolition of the old tavern, he got into the bulldozer himself and razed the bar to a new level.

An elevator makes ghosts happy because it lifts the spirits.

You can see more puns at www.punoftheday.com. Most of the puns are submitted by readers. I must say, you readers are a clever bunch.

Summer days

2011-09-07T15:01:00.003-04:00

Well, summer is just about over, but we managed to get away a fair amount of times, both to the New Jersey seashore and Pennsylvania's Pocono mountains. Actually we visited a number of nice spots in each of these destinations. Here are a couple of photos recently taken in Ocean City, New Jersey, a favorite place of ours for a quick day trip or a last-minute overnighter.

The first photograph shows Ocean City's famed boardwalk on the morning of Wednesday, August 31. Bikeriders are allowed on the boardwalk until about noon or so. That morning, we had a nice breakfast on the boards and shopped for a bit.

The second shot, also taken on August 31, shows a salt water taffy machine in one of the fudge and salt water taffy stores on the boardwalk, viewed through a window in the back of the store that separates the retail floor from the employees-only production area. The machine dates back many decades and is regularly maintained to assure its continued operation.

We may get one or two more shore trips under our belt before the weather gets cold. In fact, we may even get back there once or twice in the winter, because the off-season deals are so good. We'll just have to concentrate more on the nice hotel rooms and the handful of restaurants that will still be open, and not so much on the freezing boardwalk with its mostly-closed stores. Still, a brisk winter walk on the boardwalk is never completely out of the question!

Small grins

2011-09-07T14:33:00.002-04:00

Here are a few amusing bumper stickers I've recently seen in my travels...

I have the body of a God. Trouble is, his name is Buddha.

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I just filled my car up with gas. Now it's worth $50.00.

More to come!

Danger, death, and Dewar's

2011-09-06T16:09:00.005-04:00

Jeff Abbott's Adrenaline is a bang-up thriller centering around up-and-coming CIA agent Sam Capra, who goes undercover with various unsavory criminal types in an effort to find his kidnapped and very pregnant wife, Lucy. Complicating Sam's unsanctioned operation is the fact that Sam's office was bombed on the same day as Lucy's kidnapping, and Sam is soon blamed for the many deaths the bombing caused.

Taking on murderous thugs on the one hand and evading his former colleagues on the other, Sam has his work cut out for him. A military espionage operation, complex yet always fascinating, soon comes into play, but Mr. Abbott wisely never drifts far from the emotional core of the story: Sam's unbridled drive to find his wife and unborn child.

Fast-paced yet never letting its slickness overcome its smarts, Adrenaline is a terrific read, and apparently the start of an intriguing new series. Oh, and without telling you too much, aside from the book's other attributes, Adrenaline sets up a unique family dynamic that I suspect will be quite a challenge for Sam to navigate in future adventures.

The book also has one final heartwarming attribute that made it a winner for me: an unending affection for bars, whether they be stylish piano bars, neighborhood watering holes, or cozy European bars located in historic buildings. Despite Sam's many intense trials and tribulations, at least he gets to enjoy several quality drinks in several nice places during the course of the story, even accepting a bartender job at one point during his rogue operation!

Adrenaline is available on Kindle for $12.99, with Amazon also offering an "enhanced" version of the book for viewing on tablet computers and other mobile devices, for the same price. I didn't read the enhanced version, so I'm not sure what the enhancements entail. Instructional mixology videos, maybe?

A thoughtful story

2011-09-06T15:04:00.004-04:00

The state of celibacy, often viewed as a special gift that can bring about a calm, meditative lifestyle, can be a conscious choice one makes, or a condition gently suggested by circumstances. Let us take a moment to look at one particular case...

While attending a church-sponsored Marriage Encounter Weekend, Frank and his wife Anne listened to their session's moderator declare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to one another."

The moderator paused, then addressed the men in the audience. "For example, gentlemen," he said, "Can you name your wife's favorite flower?"

Frank, pleased that he knew the answer, leaned over, gently touched Anne's arm, and said, "Gold Medal All-Purpose, isn't it?"

And thus began Frank's life of celibacy.

This just in...

2011-08-29T10:44:00.003-04:00

Results are now conclusive:

When you drink vodka over ice, you can develop kidney failure.

When you drink rum over ice, you can develop liver failure.

When you drink whiskey over ice, you can develop heart problems.

When you drink gin over ice, you can develop memory problems.

So, warn all your friends: Apparently, ice is really bad for you.

Tuning in to history

2011-08-24T14:04:00.004-04:00

Philadelphia Radio, by Alan Boris, relates in a serious, yet also fun and engaging manner, the sweep of Philadelphia's radio broadcasting industry. Through historical details, anecdotes, and- most importantly- hundreds of photographs and graphic images- readers will delight in both learning things they never knew and being reminded of a favorite late-night DJ or radio promotion from the listening years of their youth.

Arcadia Publishing's Images of America regional history volumes have the reputation of taking on a particular topic and covering that subject in a thorough but never tedious manner. Philadelphia Radio is no exception. Mr. Boris, a noted radio historian based in Philadelphia, scoured his own collection and the collections of various libraries and historical societies, for the wonderful images that are the main component of the book, then enhanced the images and linked them together with just the right amount of thoughtful, informative prose. The result is something that has the fun and breeziness of a photo album but also the intellectual feel of something substantial.

With all the great photographs, the book tempts one to just flip through it and read a caption here and there to learn more about the photographic subjects that catch one's eye. But do yourself a favor and do what I did: sit down over the course of a day or two and just enjoy the book from cover to cover. That way you won't miss anything and get a full appreciation of Mr. Boris' skillfully constructed and detail-rich timeline.

Hey, reading about our founding fathers and the birth of our nation is always fascinating, but kudos to Alan Boris for writing about an aspect of Philadelphia history not covered countless times before. Even if you're not a Philadelphian like me, you're in for a great read, as so many national trends and national performers got their start within the AM and FM bandwidths circling the City of Brotherly Love.

Philadelphia Radio is available in softcover from Amazon, various other online retailers, and at your favorite bookstore.

Yep

2011-08-23T11:18:00.001-04:00

A bumper sticker I recently spotted:

Critical thinking: the other national deficit

Holy Budweiser

2011-08-22T16:31:00.005-04:00

Two nuns were shopping at a convenience store. As they passed by the refrigerated beer, one nun said to the other, “Wouldn’t a nice cold bottle of beer or two taste wonderful on a hot summer evening like this one?”

The second nun answered, “Indeed it would, sister, but I would not feel comfortable buying beer, since I am certain it would cause a scene at the checkout counter.”

With a small smile, the other nun replied, “I can handle that without any problem,” and she picked up a six-pack and headed to the front of the store.

Predictably, the cashier had a surprised look on his face when the two nuns arrived with their six-pack of beer. Without missing a beat, however, the first nun said, "Wipe that smirk off your face, young man. We use beer for washing our hair. In fact, back at the convent, we call it Catholic shampoo.”

Without blinking an eye, the cashier reached under the counter, pulled out a package of pretzel sticks, and placed them in the bag with the six-pack. He then looked the nun straight in the eye and said, “In that case, sister, the curlers are on the house.”

Listen up

2011-08-17T14:50:00.006-04:00

On this lazy summer day, here are a few notable quotes you may not have heard before. Some of these are quite cute.

"Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."

Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)

* * *

"I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: No good in a bed, but fine against a wall."

Eleanor Roosevelt

* * *

"Last week, I stated that a particular woman was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. I have since been visited by her sister, and now wish to withdraw that statement."

Mark Twain

* * *

"The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending... and to have the two as close together as possible."

George Burns

* * *

"Santa Claus has the right idea: visit people only once a year."

Victor Borge

* * *

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."

Mark Twain

* * *

"By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher."

Socrates

* * *

"I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury."

Groucho Marx

* * *

"My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe."

Jimmy Durante

* * *

"I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back."

Zsa Zsa Gabor

* * *

"Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat."

Alex Levine

* * *

"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying."

Rodney Dangerfield

* * *

"Money can't buy you happiness. But it does buy you a more pleasant form of misery."

Spike Milligan

* * *

"Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was Shut Up!"

Joe Namath

* * *

"I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap."

Bob Hope

* * *

"I never drink water because of all the disgusting things that fish do in it."

W. C. Fields

* * *

"We could certainly slow the aging process down if we required it to work its way through Congress."

Will Rogers

* * *

"Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you."

Winston Churchill

* * *

"Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty. But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out."

Phyllis Diller

* * *

"By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere."

- Billy Crystal

Moon over Houston

2011-08-17T10:31:00.006-04:00

Sex on the Moon relates the story of NASA intern Thad Roberts, who tried to steal priceless moon rocks from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Well, he actually did steal them, but not for long.

I usually don't have a problem with stories about anti-heroes or people who make mistakes, but for some reason this book kind of annoyed me. First, Thad Roberts leaves his smart, supportive, pretty wife for a cute NASA intern, all because his wife had the temerity to want to talk about her job every once in a while, or wanted Thad to occasionally socialize with her friends and colleagues. Imagine! Oh, yes, I should also mention that Thad's wife was a successful fashion model. What a rough road he had, no wonder he left her!

Secondly, Thad totally dismisses the value of his gold-standard NASA internship to plan the heist of moon rocks securely stored at the NASA facility where he worked. Incidentally, these are the moon rocks that- in case people forget- were procured by selfless astronauts taking on impossibly dangerous odds to further mankind's knowledge of the universe. But Thad needed some extra cash and a few thrills, so what's the big deal, right?

Finally, on top of the above annoyances, the heist itself generates no suspense whatsoever, due to a parallel plotline- that unfolds right alongside Thad's scatterbrained operation- that reveals that the FBI was aware of Thad's plan almost from the beginning. So I knew that, despite any meager engagement I had with Thad's plan (I tried to be interested on at least a technical level, despite my disapproval), the FBI was just waiting for the right moment to crash the party. Which is what it did. What a shock!

Oh, the title of the book? It references a scene after the heist, when Thad seduces his naive girlfriend- yes, he drew her into his plan, too- on a hotel room bed, with several of the moon rocks placed beneath them under the mattress cover. "Sex on the Moon", get it? Anyway, her future at NASA was eventually ruined, too. But at least she had a romantic adventure with wonderful Thad first.

Did the book have any plusses? Sure. Author Ben Mezrich has a smooth, engaging storytelling style, and I enjoyed learning a little about all the behind-the-scenes activity at NASA. But learning about NASA only made me more annoyed at Thad Roberts' plan to hurt and embarrass the agency.

I should be fair and point out that the book doesn't promote what Thad did as harmless or right, or anything like that. But, as most of the book relates Thad's viewpoint on things, and Thad tends to go easy on himself, the book does somewhat romanticize and glamourize Thad's actions, and minimize the wrongness of what he did.

So, my own take is that if you can get past the generally unlikable central character and the lack of suspense in the heist plotline, you might get a modest bit of entertainment out of this book. Just don't hope for the moon and stars.

Sex on the Moon is available on Kindle for $12.99.

Strange

2011-08-15T15:37:00.004-04:00

Something I've always wondered about:

Why does a slight tax increase cost me $200.00 and a substantial tax cut saves me $30.00?

Spread 'em

2011-08-12T10:15:00.003-04:00

Statistics just released by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) detail the variety of discoveries made by TSA airport screening personnel since the beginning of the year. Here's what these meticulously-trained professionals have identified:

Terrorist plots: 0

Transvestites: 133

Hernias: 1,485

Hemorrhoid cases: 3,172

Enlarged prostates: 8,249

Breast implants 59,350 (or 118,700 if counted as individual breasts)

Natural blondes: 3

Your tax dollars at work!

Bond is back

2011-08-11T10:29:00.006-04:00

Forget the action and the beautiful women. The real appeal of James Bond for most men is reading about a guy who, while on the job, spends most of his time in excellent hotels, enjoying top-notch food and drink, all while experiencing minimal contact with the home office. A dream come true for most guys!

Jeffery Deaver understands this, and gives readers plenty of the above in Carte Blanche, his new Bond novel. In fact, he follows this classic Bond scenario so closely that the reboot/updating-the-character aspects of the book (much touted in the press) don't really register all that much. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Mr. Deaver was hired to produce an entertaining James Bond novel, with all the familiar beats we love about James Bond, and that's what he did.

The other new things Mr. Deaver brings to the table? A detailed plot that requires some genuine unraveling and a central antagonist that isn't just another smart, cultured gentleman with an evil plan (in other words, a darker version of James Bond). Some may find Severan Hydt, with his fetishy enthusiasm for death and decay, to be uncomfortably creepy for a Bond novel (I sometimes did), but I nonetheless appreciated Mr. Deaver's effort at creating a villain we haven't seen many times before in Bond stories.

For my own taste, there was perhaps too much mystery and not enough action and confrontation in Carte Blanche (yes, good action is more important to me than suggested at the outset). Mr. Deaver's story is fueled by questions: What are the plan or plans that need to be found out? Who is really behind them? How does this tie into that? Myself, I like to plainly know who the adversary is and what his or her master plan entails while there's still a good bit of book left, so I can enjoy watching Bond confront the villain and his cronies, and take their plan apart. While there certainly is action and confrontation in the book, the mystery unraveling goes pretty much right up to the end. Again, this is a matter of taste. Other readers may find this aspect of the book refreshing.

In the end, this is a fairly solid addition to the James Bond canon, maybe not as satisfying as the best of the post-Fleming novels by John Gardner and Raymond Benson (who, frankly, each had a string of Bond books to polish their approach), but absolutely engaging and entertaining. I'd look forward to another Bond novel by Mr. Deaver.

Carte Blanche is available on Kindle for $12.99.

Humor on the road

2011-08-01T17:00:00.003-04:00

Three bumper stickers recently spotted out on the highway...

Watch out for the idiot behind me!

I support feminists. I think they're cute!

Your honor student deals the best drugs.

More on the way!

Join the club

2011-07-27T14:11:00.007-04:00

Without having read the previous entries, this reader easily got drawn into 10th Anniversary, the tenth installment in James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. Though there's a little business from the previous installments (how could there not be?), Mr. Patterson and co-author Maxine Paetro mainly emphasize the handful of new crime plots devised for this particular book, which new readers can easily latch onto and immerse themselves.

Three main plotlines dominate the proceedings this time out: a classic "whodunit" involving a famed heart surgeon and her murdered husband (did the wife do it?); a disturbing missing child case; and a dangerous, edgy storyline about a serial rapist who is terrorizing local residents.

I thought all of the book's plotlines were involving and well done, and also appreciated that there were just the right amount of "chattering girlfriends" scenes and steamy romantic encounters to give us a break from the drama and danger. But not too much of a break!

I think I'm going to catch up on the previous titles in this popular series. After all, even though I knew nothing about these characters before I picked up the book, Mr. Patterson and Ms. Paetro in short order had me genuinely caring if prosecutor Yuki Castellano solved her murder case, detective Lindsay Boxer rescued the missing child, and too-curious-for-her-own good journalist Cindy Thomas found and stopped the rapist. Now I'm curious to see what came before, both personally and professionally, in the lives of the series' cast members.

The Women's Murder Club may just have me as a regular visitor from here on out. I hope men are welcome among its ranks!

As of this writing, the first thirty chapters of 10th Anniversary are being offered for free in the Kindle Store.

More sexy silliness

2011-07-27T10:00:00.002-04:00

Boring morning? Well, this might help, because it's time for... celebrity sex quotes, part two! Let's dive in...

"Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place."

Comedian Billy Crystal

* * *

"Instead of getting married again, I'm just going to find a woman I don't like and give her a house."

Singer Rod Stewart

* * *

"Having sex at age 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a rope."

Comedian George Burns

Sexy time

2011-07-26T16:16:00.004-04:00

Here's a little something to liven up your afternoon: celebrity sex quotes, part one! Let's take it away...

"I believe that sex is one of the most beautiful, natural, and wholesome things that money can buy."

Author Tom Clancy

* * *

"You know 'that look' women get when they want sex? Me, neither.

Actor and comedian Steve Martin

* * *

"My girlfriend always laughs during sex... no matter what she's reading."

Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple Computers

* * *

More on the way!

Lotsa stuff

2011-07-26T09:52:00.009-04:00

The following are ten things on my mind that I'll likely be writing about at greater length in the days to come. But for now here's a little snippet on each topic. Hope you enjoy...

1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two was a pleasing, well-crafted and satisfying conclusion to the eight-film Harry Potter saga. Bravo to Warner Brothers and director David Yates for a job well done.

2) Transformers: Dark of the Moon delivered an actual caper plot and not just mindless action. Also, when the action does come, it's truly epic. Yeah, the movie's ultimately kinda juvenile, but isn't there a little bit of kid in all of us?

3) Captain America: The First Avenger is sweeping and well made, with a lot of heart at its core. I do wish Cap squared off against more Nazis, but, hey, that's just me. And, yes, the musical number by Alan Menken is indeed one of the best things in the film!

4) My wife and I are now working our way through the awful but somehow wonderful films of Ed Wood on DVD. You haven't lived until you've seen Glen or Glenda, Wood's 1953 transvestite epic starring Bela Lugosi!

5) I'm really enjoying Jeffery Deaver's James Bond novel, Carte Blanche. The main villain's creepy obsession with death and decay was an imaginative and brave choice on Deaver's part, as the villain feels more like an element of a disturbing arthouse film rather than a slick Bond adventure. But the result is immersive fun.

6) Fellow blogger and career law enforcement officer Paul Bishop has been tapped to star in Take the Money & Run, a terrific sounding reality-style game show to appear Tuesdays on ABC starting this August. Read more about the show on Paul's blog, Bish's Beat. This show really sounds like a lot of fun.

7) I know, I know: I'm writing too often about Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone mysteries these days. Let me just throw in that G is for Gumshoe and H is for Homicide (both of which I recently completed) were smart, satisfying reads, as prior entries in the series have been. But I'll wait a while before filing full reviews of each.

8) Enjoy animated adventures? Check out the recent direct-to-DVD titles All Star Superman and Thor: Tales of Asgard. The former adapts the sharp and slightly storybook-ish DC comic book series and the latter is a nice companion piece to the recent Thor theatrical film. Both animated features are well-crafted and entertaining.

9) In The Garden of Beasts is Erik Larson's latest "non-fiction yet reads like a novel" offering, telling the story of Franklin D. Roosevelt's first American ambassador to Nazi Germany. What was it like for Ambassador Charles Dodd and his family to discover, first hand, the growing Nazi menace, before the Nazis were actually our enemies? A fascinating read.

10) I'm now in the midst of Ben Mezrich's Sex on the Moon, the true story about a young man's planned caper to make off with a large supply of moon rocks! So far I'm enjoying this unusual, quirky heist story, though I'm starting to have some issues with it (which I'll discuss in my eventual review).

As said, I'll be writing more about many of the above topics, but for now I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse of what's been stirring around in my mind these days.

More on Kinsey

2011-07-25T15:49:00.005-04:00

Okay, I told you the other day about the newest Sue Grafton mystery on the horizon, so let me take a moment to jump back a little.

Though still undeniably in the early going, I'm now several books into Ms. Grafton's Kinsey Millhone "Alphabet" mystery series, and they continue to be great fun, in turns dramatic, funny, dangerous, and breezily relaxing. F Is For Fugitive, which I recently finished, is no exception.

The book involves involves a years-old murder, who many say was never properly solved, and lots of small-community secrets. We also get to see the tough yet winsome Kinsey wade neck deep into all of this, as well as enjoy a little dose of what's been going on in her life lately.

As in previous books, though, the main mystery story is strong and Ms. Grafton keeps the primary focus on that, to satisfying effect. A lot of talented writers rely on their ability to produce breezy, readable prose, but Ms. Grafton- at least so far- makes sure that a strong puzzler accompanies her smooth writing ability. I appreciate that effort, and hope it continues into later entries.

Latecomer or not to this long-running series, I'm really enjoying that I've finally joined the Kinsey Millhone party.

I happily experienced F Is For Fugitive via an unabridged audio download from Audible.com, but the title is also available on Kindle for $7.99.

Vengeance is mine

2011-07-20T16:33:00.005-04:00

Sue Grafton's V is for Vengeance will be released on November 21 of this year. That's great news for fans of Grafton's long-running "Alphabet" mystery series starring the tough but winsome female private investigator Kinsey Millhone.

I've been enjoying the earlier entries of the series these past months (right now I'm immersed in H is for Homicide), so it's good to see that there's finally some action at the other end of the spectrum. It's been several years since the most recent entry, U is for Undertow, appeared.

I've actually been experiencing the early Kinsey Millhone stories on audio, via terrific unabridged performances by Mary Peiffer, easily available for download at Audible.com. Ms. Peiffer started recording the Graftons back when unabridged recordings were aimed at a niche market of crazies who refused to settle for the slick audio abridgements hawked in bookstores, and were willing to spend the extra bucks for mail-order purchases or rentals featuring complete readings of popular novels.

I'm not sure if Mary Peiffer kept reading the series once unabridged audiobooks became commonplace. I'll have to check. Broadway star Judy Kaye, who read the abridged versions of the early Graftons, may have eventually taken over the unabridged duties from the less famous Ms. Peiffer. If that's the case, I'll miss Ms. Peiffer's enjoyable, often playful readings.

Radio days

2011-07-19T15:57:00.009-04:00

Last Thursday evening, July 14, I enjoyed the pleasure of an invitation to a reception that introduced Arcadia Publishing's newest volume in its ongoing Images of America series. The book is entitled Philadelphia Radio, and it was written by local radio historian Alan Boris. Alan actually wrote the book at the request of Arcadia Publishing, whose executives were impressed by Alan's popular Philadelphia Radio Archives website.

The first photo shows Alan signing copies of his book at his reception, which was hosted by my good friend Bob Boris (Alan's dad) and Bob's wife Linda, also a dear friend. The reception was held at the headquarters of WHYY, Philadelphia's public television and radio station. By the way, Bob and Linda send a special thanks to their longtime friend Bill Marrazzo, WHYY's President and CEO, for allowing the use of WHYY's ground-floor lobby for Alan's event.

The second photo shows Alan's book, a 128-page trade paperback that contains hundreds of photographs, promotional ads, historic behind-the-scenes images, and other compelling visual esoteria that immerse the reader in the world of Philadelphia radio from its dawn over a century ago to the present. And all the visuals are tied together by countless interesting and entertaining anecdotes and facts. I've only dove into the book a little so far, and can't wait until I officially start reading it from cover to cover, after wrapping up one or two current reading assignments.

The final photograph shows my friend Bob Boris standing next to artwork he and his wife Linda have loaned to WHYY to display in its lobby. I couldn't resist taking a short break from Alan's recepion to snap a photo of Bob and his art. Bob and Linda are renowned art collectors here in Philadelphia, and their loaned artwork graces many, many offices throughout the city.

Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, if you're at all interested in the book's subject, I heartily recommend that you pick up a copy of Philadelphia Radio, which is officially priced at $21.99, but available for much less at many bookstores and history-oriented gift shops, as well as online. In fact, Amazon is currently offering the book for a mere $16.05.

And no, the book isn't yet available on Kindle or other e-book platforms, but don't let that stop you. The visual-heavy nature of Philadelphia Radio makes it a more natural fit for the nice paper and quality print job delivered by Arcadia.

So... great book, grab it up. You heard it here first!

Sad

2011-07-19T10:55:00.004-04:00

Terrible news... Borders has just announced that all of its stores will be closed by September. That's this coming September, folks. As in no more Borders after that.

As much as I've enjoyed my Kindle and my e-books during the past several years, Borders has continued to be a regular stop, where my wife and I would browse books and magazines, enjoy a quality cup of coffee, and- yes- actually buy some of those same books and magazines (that the store graciously let us read without obligation while enjoying our hot beverages). But I guess not enough people have been doing the buying thing, as Borders just can't viably keep the doors open any longer.

I'll miss you, Borders. Though I pretty much saw the writing on the wall, it's still hard to believe that you'll shortly be gone forever.

R.I.P.

Serious stuff, continued

2011-07-13T10:28:00.004-04:00

As promised, here’s part two of my friend Ray Smith’s list of great American films that no self-professed movie lover should miss.

Two For The Seesaw (1962)- Directed by Robert Wise. Starring Robert Mitchum, Shirley MacLaine, and Elizabeth Frasier. Not exactly a family drama, but a poignant study of two mismatched people (a Nebraska lawyer and a Bronx bohemian) who, by rights, should never have met. But Mitchum, in a wonderfully understated performance, is a perfect balance to MacLaine’s eternally hopeful screwball. The ending is one which, while you understand it, still breaks your heart.

A Raisin In The Sun (1961)- Directed by Daniel Petrie. Starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Diana Sands, Claudia McNeil, and Louis Gossett (in his film debut). Produced by Davis Susskind, this film’s funny and scathing examination of a struggling inner city black family was unique in its time. There had never been an American film like it. The acting is uniformly superb, yet the film received not a single nomination. And, at the risk of sounding overly dramatic, if you have ever wanted to truly experience the emotions of pity and terror associated with great drama, watch Claudia McNeil as Mama descend into fury and wailing sorrow at her son’s (Poitier) betrayal of the family. I promise you won’t forget it.

Marty (1955)- Directed by Delbert Mann. Starring Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Joe Mantello, Esther Minciotti, and Jerry Paris. Some will argue over this selection, and frankly, some of the comedic aspects of this Paddy Chayefsky Oscar winner for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay have dated badly. But Borgnine and Betsy Blair are so touching and so real, it's like you’re sitting across the table from members of your own family. And certainly, for anyone who only thinks of Borgnine for his roles in McHale’s Navy and The Poseidon Adventure, his Best Actor winning performance will be a revelation.

A Catered Affair (1956)- Directed by Richard Brooks. Starring Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds, Barry Fitzgerald, and Rod Taylor. Again from a Paddy Chayefsky play, but this time Chayefsky's in a lighter comedy/drama mode that is the very essence of 1950's “Kitchen Sink” drama. Davis’ performance as a Bronx housewife, who insists her daughter must have the large wedding she never had, is still controversial, but I think she brings a spine and a ravaged naturalness to the role. And Borgnine matches her brilliantly. Also Debbie Reynolds is quite touching in one of her few dramatic roles.

The Children’s Hour (1961)- Directed by William Tyler. Starring Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn, Fay Banter, Miriam Hopkins, James Garner, and Veronica Cartwright. This was forbidden territory when I snuck in to see it as a boy in summer 1961. A vicious adolescent brat lies about her two teachers and causes a scandal. The lesbian theme, even in the muted form in the film, was highly controversial at the time. Interestingly, Wyler had directed the same story thirty years before as These Three (with Hopkins as one of the teachers) but made it a straight (pun intended) love triangle. This was supposed to get the story right. The film still fudges a bit (and contemporary gay film scholars tend to denigrate it), but the acting across the board is terrific.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)- Directed by Richard Brooks. Starring Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Burl Ives, Judith Anderson, Jack Carson, and Madeline Sherwood. Essentially Tennessee Williams watered down for the screen, but the star power is so overwhelming, what’s up there on the screen is just fine. The gay theme, which was central to the Williams’ play, is completely diluted unless you are observant enough to pick up on it, but the themes of parent/child conflict and sibling rivalry are well handled. And to me, this is Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman at their most beautiful.

All My Sons (1948)- Directed by Irving Reis. Starring Edward G. Robinson, Burt Lancaster, Mady Christians, Howard Duff, Arlene Francis, and Harry Morgan. This Arthur Miller drama of a munitions factory owner who betrays his country and, inadvertently, his own family, is a great analysis of family delusions and the lack of personal responsibility. Made right after World War II, as many soldiers were returning home maimed for life, the film is a searing indictment of America doing business “at any cost.” And the scenes in the parlor and around the dinner table as all the illusions unravel are extremely fascinating.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts, Ray. Future lists will always be welcome here. For now, though, I have some movie watching to do!

Let's get serious

2011-07-13T09:32:00.005-04:00

During our occasional lunches, my friend Ray Smith is always very patient with me when I go on and on about the latest big summer movies, genre-oriented television series, and other fantasy, science-fiction and adventure offerings on TV and the big screen. He even takes my advice sometimes and experiences some of the things I talk about, the latest examples including J.J. Abrams’ monster adventure Super 8 and the HBO series Game of Thrones. He enjoyed both.

He did ask me for a favor, though. As creative and fun many genre movies and television shows can be, he told me, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the more subtle artistry of the serious American drama, the kinds of stories that don’t employ CGI, big special effects, casts of thousands, and bombastic scores. Ray asked that if he compiled a list of some of his favorite dramas of the American screen, would I seek them out and discover them for myself. Absolutely, I told him.

So, shortly after our talk, Ray forwarded to me a generous list of not-to-be-missed serious American films (a baker’s dozen plus a bonus, as he put it). As I suspected it would be, Ray’s list is compelling and exciting, and has sent me scurrying to my Netflix account to line up as many of these movies as I can for home viewing.

Also suspecting that the intelligent, well-read readers of Kindle Taproom might also enjoy Ray’s list, I’m including it here, split into two posts of seven movies each. I’m also including Ray’s extremely interesting capsule descriptions of the films he selected. Oh, one more thing: Ray said that all his selections are dramas that in some way involve the American family, and American family issues. All the better to ratchet up the dramatic tension! A future list of Ray’s will involve other themes. So, without further ado, here we go...

14 American dramas, involving families, that everyone should see (part one):

Picnic (1955)- Directed by Joshua Logan. Starring William Holden, Kim Novak, Rosalind Russell, Cliff Robertson (film debut), Arthur O’Connell, and Susan Strasburg. One of my top five favorite films. This is an adaptation of William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize winning play of small town family conflicts during a particular Labor Day. Great example of how to “open up” a basically intimate drama. Cast is uniformly great, with Russell and O’Connell being particular standouts. Novak never did anything better.

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960)- Directed by Delbert Mann. Starring Robert Preston, Dorothy Maguire, Shirley Knight, Eve Arden, and Angela Lansbury. Another Inge drama, this one set in the 1920s. Not too well known today, this drama of a couple trying to save their passionless marriage also embraces racial and religious bigotry. The great comedienne Eve Arden has a rare dramatic role.

All Fall Down (1962)- Directed by John Frankenheimer. Starring Warren Beatty, Eva Marie Saint, Angela Lansbury, Karl Malden, and Brandon DeWilde. From another William Inge play, this story involves a loving family who idolizes its narcissistic son and tries to remain oblivious to the emotional ruin he creates. This is the film Frankenheimer made Frank Sinatra watch in order to secure Lansbury for the mother’s role in The Manchurian Candidate. Sinatra wanted Lucille Ball!

Toys In The Attic (1963)- Directed by George Roy Hill. Starring Dean Martin, Geraldine Page, Wendy Hiller, Yvette Mimieux, and Gene Tierney. A bit watered down from the original play by Lillian Hellman, but still a powerful story of two sisters obsessed with supporting the dreams and illusions of their profligate brother. A mixed race relationship is toned down considerably, but it’s there. Tierney’s last film of consequence.

Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)- Directed by Daniel Mann. Starring Shirley Booth, Burt Lancaster, Terry Moore, and Richard Jeackel. Booth won both Broadway’s Tony and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Lola Delaney, a slovenly, delusional middle-aged housewife who tries to cope with the loss of her husband’s love and his alcoholism. Lancaster is too young to play her husband “Doc”, but he is terrific, too. And Booth will, quite simply, break your heart.

Summer and Smoke (1961)- Directed by Peter Glenville. Starring Geraldine Page, Lawrence Harvey, Una Merkel, Pamela Tiffin, Rita Moreno, Thomas Gomez, and John McIntire. From the play by Tennessee Williams. An aging, uptight spinster, caring for her loveless, judgmental parents, carries a lifelong love for a shallow, rakish man-about-town doctor who was a childhood friend. Beautifully filmed, with one of Elmer Bernstein’s most haunting scores. After a life time of comedy roles Una Merkel was nominated for Supporting Actress as the deliciously vicious mother.

The Subject Was Roses (1968)- Directed by Ula Grosbard. Starring Patricia Neal, Jack Albertson, and Martin Sheen. From Frank D. Gilroy’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, this is the story of a young soldier who comes home from World War II to face the quiet wreckage of his parents’ marriage. This was Neal’s comeback film after her tragic strokes. Albertson won Best Supporting Actor. Another great example of opening up a play to good advantage.

The rest of Ray’s list will be posted shortly. In the meantime, get busy updating your Netflix queue or checking Turner Classic Movies' July and August listings!

Been there

2011-07-07T10:50:00.001-04:00

Recently seen on a local restaurant's outside message board:

Don't you hate it when you have those confusing, disorienting moments of temporary sanity?

Thoughts

2011-06-30T15:11:00.005-04:00

I recently ran across these ancient Chinese proverbs about books and thought I'd share them. Don't expect too much, as they're fairly simple. But elegant.

A book holds a house of gold.

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.

A book tightly shut is but a block of paper.

Kindle users can maybe adapt that last proverb into something like "A Kindle not switched on is but an expensive paperweight."

Trip report

2011-06-30T13:59:00.009-04:00

One of the many nice things about living in the Philadelphia area is the vast array of interesting and fun destinations to choose from when you're in the mood for a day trip. While we often take a jaunt to the New Jersey seashore when we both have a day off (especially in the summer), my wife and I wanted to try something a little different earlier this week. So we took a ride into central Pennsylvania and visited the historic, quaint, and fascinating town of Jim Thorpe, PA.

The town features excellent shopping, restaurants, museums, and various attractions and activities, all surrounded by the majesty of Pennsylvania's Pocono mountains. And though the place feels like another planet when compared to the urban density of Philadelphia and its suburbs, Jim Thorpe is only about an hour and a half away from us.

The first photo shows a typical view of the main thoroughfare in Jim Thorpe. Historic buildings, craft-oriented shops, places to eat, and cheap parking carry the day in the town. It really is an easygoing, relaxing place.

Oh, how did Jim Thorpe get its unusual name? Glad you asked. Following the 1953 death of renowned athlete and Olympic medal winner Jim Thorpe, the Carbon County boroughs of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk merged and adopted the name of Jim Thorpe in hopes of attracting attention and tourism to bolster the local economy.

But that wasn't enough. In a bold move, the town actually bought the athlete's remains from his third wife, reburied him in the new town, and erected a monument to the Oklahoma native, who began his sports career in nearby Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I did use the term fascinating when describing the place, didn't I?

The second photo shows my wife Alison examining some hand-crafted birdhouses, made out of dried gourds, that a shop on one of Jim Thorpe's many side streets had on display. Yes, she ended up buying one.

Anyway, if the place is geographically within your reach, look up a little information on it. You just may decide to plan a visit. We may actually stay overnight in Jim Thorpe at some point, as there are a generous handful of cute inns, all reasonably priced.

More on Midnight

2011-06-28T10:16:00.004-04:00

With "Midnight in Paris" poised to become Woody Allen's most successful movie ever, I thought I'd write a little more about it. More precisely, I'm going to share my friend Ray Smith's thoughts on the film. You have the floor, Ray...

Just got back from a matinee of Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris, which several friends have recommended. I think it is one of his best in years, and I do mean going all the way back to Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters. It is an airy trifle, but absolutely charming. He takes what could be a one joke idea and by the end, makes one of the most interesting and profoundest (and he'd hate that word) statements he has ever made about life and getting through it and the unbelievably strong appeal of nostalgia for many people.

If you are of a certain age and a certain Liberal Arts mentality, you will have a wonderful time guessing who is going to pop up where. Many of the great figures of early 20th century art, literature, even cinema, become the object of witty throw-away lines and flat out funny scenes. And the cast of unknown and well known actors keeps the whole enterprise buoyantly aloft. Everyone has heard about Kathy Bate's Gertrude Stein, but, for my money, Adrian Brody's spot-on, hilarious Salvador Dali is even better (see accompanying photo --Joe). And Owen Wilson, never a favorite of mine, literally channels Woody Allen's movie persona...if Woody Allen was a tall blonde raised in the Mid-west.

And what I have always loved about Allen: if he loves something, he is not afraid to be unabashed about it. The film starts with a stunning montage of Paris that, if you have ever been there, just makes you sit saying "Oh, yes!" It's like Bogart saying in Casablanca, "We'll always have Paris." All in all a delight.

Thanks for your take on the movie, Ray. Myself, I find it amazing and delightful to see "Midnight in Paris" week after week sitting in those "top ten films of the previous weekend" lists, right there amidst all the summer blockbusters. It's kind of surreal, in fact... which is probably quite appropriate given the film's time-bending and mind-bending subject matter.

Pottermania

2011-06-24T10:27:00.004-04:00

According to my recent poll, the upcoming film that Kindle Taproom readers are most looking forward to, and by quite a wide margin, is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, out July 15. Industry projections also predict that the new Potter will be the big movie of the summer. For what's it worth, I think the movie looks quite good from the trailers, and I'll certainly be there come mid-July.

Mania for the last Harry Potter movie also coincides with J.K. Rowling's recent announcement that all her Harry Potter books will shortly be available in e-book editions, sold exclusively through her own special website designed for that purpose, www.pottermore.com. It will be interesting to see if devices like the Kindle and the Nook, which are tied to specific retailers, can somehow acquire and display the e-books offered at Rowling's site.

Interestingly, while the new Pottermore web site will feature lots of new background material, written by Rowling, about the characters and situations in the Harry Potter novels, there hasn't been any announcement thus far about any new novels set in the world of the previous Harry Potter books.

But I'm betting that an announcement in that vein is not far off. After all, why curtail the mania now? Especially in today's economy, where anything that resonates so highly with the paying public should not be taken lightly.

Highway hijinks

2011-06-22T11:46:00.004-04:00

Here are a few more bumper stickers I've recently spotted in my travels:

Keep honking, I'm reloading.

There are two types of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

Cover me! I'm changing lanes.

Confidence is the feeling you have before you understand the situation.

Despite the high cost of living, have you noticed how it remains so popular?

More to come!

Big-screen thievery

2011-06-22T08:45:00.004-04:00

As reported around the web in the last day or so, Taylor Hackford is set to direct Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez in Parker, an adaptation of the Donald Westlake (writing as Richard Stark) series of novels about a professional thief. Statham will play the title character and Lopez is playing someone named Leslie. There's no clear indication yet if the movie will adapt one particular book in the long-running series or just use characters and situations from the books in a new story. Filming is set to begin this August.

The Parker books are terrific, and it's a bummer that we won't be getting any new ones, as Mr. Westlake died on New Year's Eve in 2008, with more than a hundred published books under his belt. Many of the Parker novels are available on Kindle, including The Outfit ($9.99), Plunder Squad ($7.98), and Slayground ($9.79).

Jason Statham is seen in the accompanying photograph. He at least looks like a credible Parker. And while I'm not that excited about Jennifer Lopez having a big part in the film (she's too glitzy for the types of characters who populate the books), Taylor Hackford is a pretty solid director who should be able to replicate the mood and tension of the original works.

Ha

2011-06-21T16:58:00.001-04:00

Recently spotted on a bumper sticker:

Friends help you move. Real friends help you move the body.

Here be dragons

2011-06-20T15:54:00.005-04:00

Like the books on which it is based, HBO's Game of Thrones was slow to seriously introduce magic, dragons, sorcery, and other traditional fantasy tropes into its story, preferring to draw in non-fantasy fans with solid storytelling elements involving strategy, intrigue, and fascinating characters before reminding everyone that, "hey, we are telling a story in the fantasy genre here!"

Well, after a few small tastes in earlier episodes, the season finale of Game of Thrones embraced the fantasy genre in full force in its closing moments, as it faithfully adapted the closing scene in the first book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series. And what did those closing moments depict? Dragons! Darn good-looking ones, too, as well done as any in a big-budget movie.

And for you devotees of the show who aren't necessarily big fans of the fantasy genre? Don't worry, the flavor of the show won't appeciably change next season. You're just going to have a handful of ever-growing dragons who will help facilitate the political manuveurings of certain characters. It'll be fun, I promise. At least as much fun as the show's been so far.

Seeing Green

2011-06-20T15:07:00.009-04:00

Hey, I'm not going to defend the movie to the ends of the earth, but I have to say that I'm mystified about the critical beating the movie Green Lantern is getting.

Is it a really great movie? No. For what was spent on the movie and what the many, many advertisements promised, I was expecting something more epic, more memorable, more "wow!". But you know what? What was there was fine. Ryan Reynolds' Hal Jordan is a flawed but decent man who becomes a flawed but decent superhero, learning some identifiable lessons in the process of getting used to his new powers. Yes, the movie's villains are serviceable at best, but they provide decent action-oriented and dramatic scenes.

Again, while not as wondrous as Warner Bros. Pictures told me it would be, I still enjoyed seeing Green Lantern. Even though it's more like an ambitious, extra-long episode of Smallville than a big-budget summer movie, the character moments are good, the special effects are generous and skillful enough to please, and I cared enough about the world the movie presented that I wouldn't hesitate to watch a sequel that would further explore the characters and situations presented in this initial installment.

In other words: critics, get a grip. This movie is more than worth the eight to ten bucks or so it costs to see it on the big screen. I'll even recommend paying the premium price to see it in 3D, which is how I experienced it. Since when do big summer movies need to justify themselves as great, nuanced works of museum-level art? Geez, it's Green Lantern. As long as there's a half-decent effort to deliver something fun, what's to complain about?

Wisdom

2011-06-20T11:38:00.002-04:00

Recently spotted on a bumper sticker:

The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Friday tip #2

2011-06-17T11:33:00.009-04:00

As much as we enjoyed Super 8 last Saturday (see my previous post), I started craving a movie that perhaps wasn't so adventure and special effects oriented. So my wife Alison accepted my idea of indulging ourselves with a second movie last weekend, so we headed out of the quiet suburbs into downtown Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon to catch Woody Allen's latest film, Midnight in Paris.

Funny, whimsical, and moving, Midnight in Paris turned out to be the great adult treat I thought it would be. Alison even liked it, and she's not exactly the biggest Woody Allen fan in the world, usually just seeing his movies because I like them. But we both got caught up in this tale of an American writer in Paris (Owen Wilson) being transported each night at the stroke of midnight to the Paris of the 1920's, where he pretty much meets up with every major literary and artistic figure- Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Salvatore Dali, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few- who was hanging around the City of Lights during that period.

Do deep, introspective scenes result from Owen's character, Gil Prender, meeting all these artistic geniuses? Nah, Woody mainly keeps things light and funny, an approach that mostly works just fine. While the movie could have benefitted from a little more complexity with its plot and characters, it was always a lot of fun to watch Gil make excuses each night to break away from his increasingly shrill fiancee and her stuffy parents to return to that stylish earlier time, to eat, drink and cavort with his idols.

There's no big, original lesson Woody is trying to impart with his story, just a few small truths that we all sometimes forget. But even those were secondary to the simple joys of spending time in both present-day and 1920's Paris, both quite beautiful, and both more than ample reason to see this engaging, charming movie.

Friday tip

2011-06-17T10:51:00.012-04:00

If you want to see an exciting summer movie with a little heart, check out Super 8. We saw it last Saturday and liked it. It's basically about a couple of sad and troubled kids, Joe (nicely played by newcomer Joel Courtney) and Alice (the increasingly impressive Elle Fanning) who, along with their friends, get caught up in a dangerous adventure involving a scary monster from outer space.

During the course of the movie, what happens with the monster (mild spoiler here) has the happy side effect of helping Joe and Alice become less sad and troubled, as well as improve their relationships with the people important to them. At first I thought the movie's plot was a little too neat, but now I'm coming to appreciate the elegance and craft that went into the movie's screenplay.

The film also functions, visually and thematically, as a kind of tribute to the types of movies Steven Spielberg used to produce and/or direct in the 1980's, movies like E.T., Poltergeist, The Goonies, etc. You know, "kids in danger, but we're pretty sure they'll be okay in the end" movies. Super 8 was produced by Mr. Spielberg and directed by J.J. Abrams.

Anyway, it's a good film and worth a trip to the multiplex to see.

Hmmmm...

2011-06-15T15:06:00.004-04:00

I still have to read a few more reviews to get a true sense on which way the wind is blowing, but if I'm reading things right, the critics thought the previous iteration of the musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark was too artsy and often incoherent. Well, now that the show has been given a re-write and a facelift, those same critics are now saying the show is too simple, childish, and straight-forward.

In other words: boy, there's no pleasing some people.

Enemy down

2011-06-15T12:29:00.004-04:00

Kindle Singles are inexpensive novellas, stories, essays, and other short-form literary offerings available for a song in the Kindle Store. They can be a refreshing reading choice between longer works.

I just finished the Kindle Single entitled The Enemy, by Christopher Hitchens. This longish article is essentially Mr. Hitchens' obituary of Osama bin Laden, and is heavily laced with the writer's assertion that the infamous terrorist leader was indisputably evil, not someone who, as some amazingly still state, "commited terrible yet understandable acts." No, Mr. Hitchens says, Osama bin Laden's many terrorist actions were not on any level a kind of justified response to wrongs inflicted on the people and political structures important to him (a group that actually changed fairly often, as factions fell in and out of favor with bin Laden), but rather nothing more than a concerted attempt to spread his evil intent outward throughout the world, much like the Third Reich's effort to spread Nazism.

Sometimes a little too scholarly for leisurely reading, it's nonetheless worth doing the little bit of work needed to get through The Enemy. You'll learn a lot, and unlike much of Mr. Hitchens' other writing, you won't be distracted by any serious controversy. On this subject at least, I don't see very many Americans disagreeing with Mr. Hitchens' scathing biography and venomous good riddance to this long-despised international figure.

The Enemy is available on Kindle for $1.99.