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Book Recs/Comic Recs/Movie Recs, 2/25/10
Thursday, February 25th, 2010 02:33 pmIn Books:
Dial H for Hitchcock, by Susan Kandel: I am torn on this book because I really like the premise of this series; the central character is eminently likable, her knowledge of vintage clothing fascinating, and the L.A. setting nicely familiar and easily pictured. The driving plot force (that CeCe Caruso is an unhappy murder mystery biographer who's trying to sort of her love life) is almost immediately thrust aside for the mystery of the volume, which involves a Hitchcock-esque maybe/maybe-not murder scene and psychological thrills. The set-up is great, including the scary twist that CeCe is implicated by the murdered woman's cell phone, which contains angry, threatening voice mails from her, CeCe, that she doesn't remember making. Uncertain about what's real and convinced that she has an evil twin, CeCe flees L.A. ( and heads straight into a spoiler-filled discussion of the plot contrivance. )
Time After Time, by Karl Alexander: The author of this is actually coming to book group next week, and I am very excited about this. I want to ask the all-time most cliched question of him: where did you get this idea? Because I am trying to imagine the sales pitch to his editors/publishers: "OK, H.G. Wells actually constructed a working time machine, but before he could travel anywhere/when in it, it was stolen by a debating partner of his who is actually Jack the Ripper, and Jack uses the machine to travel to 1979 and Wells has to travel through time to catch him and falls in love with a modern-day woman in the process." Surprisingly, it works. Wells' impressions of the 1979 San Francisco are incredibly funny and illustrate, quite well, the gap between his politics and seeing the application of them in everyday life. (The sexual revolution, for example, throws him for a real loop.) And despite the crazily contrived plot, the affection between Wells and the modern girl who falls for him feels real and touching. This was a good, fast read, and I look forward to hearing about its creation.
In Comics:
Demo, words by Brian Wood & pictures by Becky Cloonan: Normally, I ignore all the words of praise in the front of books, figuring that they're just trying to sell me on something I've already bought. But this time, one stood out: "...what the X-Men would be if they were created today." For the most part, that's a perfect description for this book. Each of the stories is a stand alone work about a character (or characters) who are at a crossroads in their lives; the stories are united by the characters' supernatural/superhuman powers (although it's not always clear what that power is.) Becky Cloonan's artwork, with very exceptions, is top-notch, filled with moody dark patches that match the characters perfectly. The characters are almost all children and teenagers and many of these stories are mediations on what it's like to be young, to be excited about growing up, or to dread it. I found myself wishing for continuations of almost all the narratives, although a few of them are definitively short. Anyway, this is a wonderful read, and for $20, I hope lots of people pick up the trade paperback.
In Movies:
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief: Harmless, toothless fun, but just a little disappointing, most notably in the script's dumbing down of Annabeth. Once you get past that, the movie is a lot of fun. One of the most effective sequences has been somewhat given away by previews, but I am pleased to report that whatever you've seen of Uma Thurman's Medusa in little 15-second soundbites, the character is real and genuinely threatening. The chase through Auntie Em's Garden Emporium is fraught with danger and it has me thoroughly on the heroes' side. The other scene that works well on the big screen is the Lotus Eaters' Casino in Vegas, and while there's some deviation here from the book, it adds to the character and personality of the movie as a whole. There are a few un-judicious cuts from the script that make the final conflict seem a little forced, but on the whole, this is a fun, lighthearted popcorn movie.
Dial H for Hitchcock, by Susan Kandel: I am torn on this book because I really like the premise of this series; the central character is eminently likable, her knowledge of vintage clothing fascinating, and the L.A. setting nicely familiar and easily pictured. The driving plot force (that CeCe Caruso is an unhappy murder mystery biographer who's trying to sort of her love life) is almost immediately thrust aside for the mystery of the volume, which involves a Hitchcock-esque maybe/maybe-not murder scene and psychological thrills. The set-up is great, including the scary twist that CeCe is implicated by the murdered woman's cell phone, which contains angry, threatening voice mails from her, CeCe, that she doesn't remember making. Uncertain about what's real and convinced that she has an evil twin, CeCe flees L.A. ( and heads straight into a spoiler-filled discussion of the plot contrivance. )
Time After Time, by Karl Alexander: The author of this is actually coming to book group next week, and I am very excited about this. I want to ask the all-time most cliched question of him: where did you get this idea? Because I am trying to imagine the sales pitch to his editors/publishers: "OK, H.G. Wells actually constructed a working time machine, but before he could travel anywhere/when in it, it was stolen by a debating partner of his who is actually Jack the Ripper, and Jack uses the machine to travel to 1979 and Wells has to travel through time to catch him and falls in love with a modern-day woman in the process." Surprisingly, it works. Wells' impressions of the 1979 San Francisco are incredibly funny and illustrate, quite well, the gap between his politics and seeing the application of them in everyday life. (The sexual revolution, for example, throws him for a real loop.) And despite the crazily contrived plot, the affection between Wells and the modern girl who falls for him feels real and touching. This was a good, fast read, and I look forward to hearing about its creation.
In Comics:
Demo, words by Brian Wood & pictures by Becky Cloonan: Normally, I ignore all the words of praise in the front of books, figuring that they're just trying to sell me on something I've already bought. But this time, one stood out: "...what the X-Men would be if they were created today." For the most part, that's a perfect description for this book. Each of the stories is a stand alone work about a character (or characters) who are at a crossroads in their lives; the stories are united by the characters' supernatural/superhuman powers (although it's not always clear what that power is.) Becky Cloonan's artwork, with very exceptions, is top-notch, filled with moody dark patches that match the characters perfectly. The characters are almost all children and teenagers and many of these stories are mediations on what it's like to be young, to be excited about growing up, or to dread it. I found myself wishing for continuations of almost all the narratives, although a few of them are definitively short. Anyway, this is a wonderful read, and for $20, I hope lots of people pick up the trade paperback.
In Movies:
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief: Harmless, toothless fun, but just a little disappointing, most notably in the script's dumbing down of Annabeth. Once you get past that, the movie is a lot of fun. One of the most effective sequences has been somewhat given away by previews, but I am pleased to report that whatever you've seen of Uma Thurman's Medusa in little 15-second soundbites, the character is real and genuinely threatening. The chase through Auntie Em's Garden Emporium is fraught with danger and it has me thoroughly on the heroes' side. The other scene that works well on the big screen is the Lotus Eaters' Casino in Vegas, and while there's some deviation here from the book, it adds to the character and personality of the movie as a whole. There are a few un-judicious cuts from the script that make the final conflict seem a little forced, but on the whole, this is a fun, lighthearted popcorn movie.
