BOOKS:
THE SEPTEMBERS OF SHIRAZ – Dahlia Sofer
Set in the Post Revolutionary Iran of 1981, Sofer gives us a gripping, elegant tale, of a Jewish gem trader Isaac Amin who is arrested one day and accused of being a Zionist spy. From four enlightening perspectives: Isaac’s, his daughter Shirin, his son Parviz and his wife, Farnaz a tale of hope, betrayal, possible friendship and the legacy of Post Revolutionary Iran, unfolds.
Although the story sounds bleak in synopsis, I found Sofer had magic in her touch. From the very first page, I could not put it down. At every turn I felt hope and saw beauty in the evocative memories of each character she presented. Also fascinating are the portrayals of how the different classes were affected by the revolution. The jealousies, the misdirected, sometimes absurd, anger and the history, made for an enchanting tale.
I must confess that the beautiful purple hardcover initially caught my eye and I’m so glad that it did. I look forward to her next book. It’s now also available in paperback: ttp://www.bookpassage.com/book/9780061130403
TINKERS – Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize
I haven’t read this book yet, but I went to see the author speak. I’m sharing his story for those of you out there receiving rejections. This guy had 25 rejections!!!! And then he went to meet a friend, a poet (if I remember correctly), who suggested he send it to ‘his’ editor, who wasn’t interested, but suggested Harding send it to the Bellevue Literary Press http://www.med.nyu.edu/medicine/aboutus/blp-launch.html. I hope I have the whole story right but any errors, completely mine. I wasn’t taking notes, I just realized after the fact that I wanted to write about it. Powell’s Books describes it as, “a beautifully written meditation on life, death, the passage of time and man’s eternal attempt to harness it.”
Bellevue Press is a non-profit publishing house the size of a small office, and works out of, get this----the NYU Medical School. The editor/publisher read TINKERS, called Harding, and said, “I want to publish this”. Many hand sales later from the Book Passage, Corte Madera, AND other independents and voila, PULITZER PRIZE. Can you spell Hot-dang?! The story has its roots in Harding’s grandfather’s life, who was an Epileptic. So---for those of you receiving rejections...there you go. Here’s an interview of him with Powell’s Books before the book was available: http://www.powells.com/authors/paulharding.html
YA (Young Adult)
MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins (Waiting-Can’t wait, till the release date!)
LINGER by Maggie Stiefvater is out and receiving great reviews. I just saw it at the bookstore and had to stop myself from buying until I finish the other four books I’m reading!
BRANDO:
WINTER’S BONE (Best Picture Winner at the Sundance Film Festival) – Based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell and Directed by Debra Granik, (Super)-Starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes & Garret Dillahunt. A sparse, gritty, unflinching, thriller set in the Ozark back country. Seventeen year old Ree Dolly is left in charge of her mentally ill mother and younger siblings. While trying to make ends meet she must find her missing father and bring him back for his court appearance. The task proves almost Herculean. Jennifer Lawrence is captivating, and deserves and Oscar, but don’t just listen to me. Go see the movie. You don’t exactly leave the movie with a spring in your step but with awe at the storytelling and the emotional ride and fierce heart of the character, Ree. Here are some reviews on the official website: http://www.wintersbonemovie.com/press.html
CYRUS – Directed by Jay & Mark Duplass. Starring Jonah Hill, John C. Reilly, Katherine Keener and Marisa Tomei. Poignant, funny, at times uncomfortably so. Cyrus pushes the envelope of mother-son codependence. Solid terrific acting. Are the new kids out acting the pros? I’m thinking Jonah Hill may be up for an Oscar after this? Known for his comedy in KNOCKED UP and SUPERBAD, Hill puts in an amazingly restrained, but still funny, sometimes, uncomfortably honest, performance. I didn’t know this guy had it in him. Ditto goes for John C. Reilly, who I also forget is a serious actor. After his string of hilarious Will Ferrell slapsticks I’d forgotten his dramatic performances in MAGNOLIA, CHICAGO, THE HOURS, & THE GOOD GIRL (to name a few). Marisa Tomei is always amazing and she puts in another nuanced, how does she do that---performance. She is totally believable as the mom who takes being her child’s best friend to the extreme. At times it feels as if it will tip over into comedy but keeps to its restrained edgy feel. Dramedy?
NEXT UP:
INCEPTION – Directed by Christopher Nolan (of Memento fame)
THE KID’S ARE ALL RIGHT – Starring Mark Ruffalo, Annete Benning, Julianne Moore
RUMORED: GREEN HORNET. I heard a rumor they were going to remake the Green Hornet and since there are already pictures up I can only say, WHAT? NO ONE can take Bruce Lee’s place as Cato. C’mon! NO ONE. Sorry. Not happening.
BURGERS:
HUMPHRYS SLOCOMBE ¬– Okay, yes. I know....I’ve mentioned this before but one evening my friend M, suggested we make a pit stop after dinner, and I know it sounds crazy, but this one flavor---McEvoy Olive oil ice cream, is just INSANELY good. Yeah, I know sounds kooky. But there it is. Out of this world good. Um, so I wasn’t brave enough to try the Prosciutto Ice Cream:
http://www.humphryslocombe.com/%7C_Flavors_%7C.html
You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook and my website: www.tessurizaholthe.com
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
A Northern Light by Donnelly
BOOKS:
YA (Young Adult) – A NORTHERN LIGHT – Jennifer Donnelly
I can’t gush enough about this book. If you love a good story, loved Dreiser’s classic, AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY and the movie, A PLACE IN THE SUN with Montgomery Clift, Liz Taylor and Shelley Winters, then you must pick up this book!
A NORTHERN LIGHT is about a murder mystery, poverty, longing, romance, the love of words, feminism, racism, obligations and finding one’s voice. The characters are so engaging that I want a sequel. I demand a sequel! There were times when I had to put the book down to walk the dog and I kept wondering if I could maybe harness the book to my dog during our evening walk.
Donnelly paints such a likeable heroine in Mattie, Mathilda---she’s strong and loyal and unsure and brave and funny--- and her crux is so taut at every turn, should she mention the letters or not? And the plot so riveting, whether she’s in the present or past, she gives clues that are hard won revelations. Donnelly gives us just enough information at each turn, to build a gorgeous web of gripping narrative. She places us suspiciously in the same quandry as the tragic Grace Brown, however----with Matt, you’re certain, at least I HOPED I was certain, that it would not come to the same end. What a great ride. Highly recommended. I. CAN’T. WAIT. TO READ. HER. AGAIN.
YA (Young Adult) - MAGIC UNDERGLASS by Jaclyn Dolamore.
I loved the premise of Dolamore’s book. A piano playing automaton who may be haunted! And a dancehall girl! Dolarmore delivers this fairy story in a unique way that sets her apart from other fairy books. Her gothic tale is told with rich language and imagery I was immediately absorbed into her world. With hints of Jane Eyre and a sprig of Harry Potter, I found this a page turning read. My only critique is I wanted MORE! It wrapped up a little too fast at the end. I could’ve spent at least another chapter with Nimira and the prince. Although it does seem that there’s room for a sequel so maybe I’m just further under Dolamore’s spell! It’s a sliver of a book so go pick it up!
NEXT UP: I think next up for me is Little Brother by Doctorow after I finish A GAME OF THRONES---soon to be HBO special FIRE AND ICE. Teaser looking good.
BRANDO:
VAMPIRE DIARIES – I grew up reading the first three-four books of LJ Smith’s series and I must say I was skeptical at first on what they would do with the Vampire Diaries, given that I already love Twilight and I already watch TRUEBLOOD (love that Skaarsgard, he’s a different kind of Damon)---but KUDOS to amazing screenwriter Julie Plec (Dexter—duh, no wonder) fame. She constantly surprises me! I was so happy with the way she/they handled the Season Finale and ----spoilers ahead----Katherine’s return. I sat in shock at how perfect that was. And then to lose Malise Jow I shouted Nooooooo!
Can I hire her please when my Young Adult book comes out to star as my main character or her younger sister? Both Malise and Phil Collins’s daughter (BLIND SIDE) stand out. I want both of them for the film version of my young adult book! Just casting couch dreaming here folks. I also found a great male lead but I’m not giving it away here. Someone might snatch him up!
Damon (Ian Somholder) just gets more riveting. His humanity bubbling to the surface this week was heartbreaking. And as in the book, I’d choose Damon over Stefan any day. I don’t know why. Yes I do. Damon’s evil-good. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the overall storyline.
Having said that and having mentioned Twilight---I CAN’T WAIT FOR ECLIPSE!
COCO BEFORE CHANEL: Audrey Tatou, Alessandro Nivola
Wow. What a charming heartfelt movie. Tatou as always, does a terrific job. Have you seen her in PRICELESS? She’s like the Audrey Hepburn of our time. Alessandro Nivola was heart breaking and focused. The chemistry between the three lead characters was strong and almost turn your eyes away intense and Coco’s journey is admirable. I don’t want to say anymore. The camera shots too were gorgeous, like a postcard. It’s a biopic on the life of famed designer Coco Chanel. Go see it!
INDIE RENTALS:
THE LIVES OF OTHERS - The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) is a 2006 German Drama film. It’s multi-layered but ultimately it’s about one man holding the fate, the lives of others in his hands.
BURGERS: MOMOFUKU – New York. Try the pork bun and the fried chicken. Delicious. I could’ve just kept eating the porkbun. Intimate seating, but just enjoy!
http://www.momofuku.com/noodle-bar/menu/dinner/
YA (Young Adult) – A NORTHERN LIGHT – Jennifer Donnelly
I can’t gush enough about this book. If you love a good story, loved Dreiser’s classic, AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY and the movie, A PLACE IN THE SUN with Montgomery Clift, Liz Taylor and Shelley Winters, then you must pick up this book!
A NORTHERN LIGHT is about a murder mystery, poverty, longing, romance, the love of words, feminism, racism, obligations and finding one’s voice. The characters are so engaging that I want a sequel. I demand a sequel! There were times when I had to put the book down to walk the dog and I kept wondering if I could maybe harness the book to my dog during our evening walk.
Donnelly paints such a likeable heroine in Mattie, Mathilda---she’s strong and loyal and unsure and brave and funny--- and her crux is so taut at every turn, should she mention the letters or not? And the plot so riveting, whether she’s in the present or past, she gives clues that are hard won revelations. Donnelly gives us just enough information at each turn, to build a gorgeous web of gripping narrative. She places us suspiciously in the same quandry as the tragic Grace Brown, however----with Matt, you’re certain, at least I HOPED I was certain, that it would not come to the same end. What a great ride. Highly recommended. I. CAN’T. WAIT. TO READ. HER. AGAIN.
YA (Young Adult) - MAGIC UNDERGLASS by Jaclyn Dolamore.
I loved the premise of Dolamore’s book. A piano playing automaton who may be haunted! And a dancehall girl! Dolarmore delivers this fairy story in a unique way that sets her apart from other fairy books. Her gothic tale is told with rich language and imagery I was immediately absorbed into her world. With hints of Jane Eyre and a sprig of Harry Potter, I found this a page turning read. My only critique is I wanted MORE! It wrapped up a little too fast at the end. I could’ve spent at least another chapter with Nimira and the prince. Although it does seem that there’s room for a sequel so maybe I’m just further under Dolamore’s spell! It’s a sliver of a book so go pick it up!
NEXT UP: I think next up for me is Little Brother by Doctorow after I finish A GAME OF THRONES---soon to be HBO special FIRE AND ICE. Teaser looking good.
BRANDO:
VAMPIRE DIARIES – I grew up reading the first three-four books of LJ Smith’s series and I must say I was skeptical at first on what they would do with the Vampire Diaries, given that I already love Twilight and I already watch TRUEBLOOD (love that Skaarsgard, he’s a different kind of Damon)---but KUDOS to amazing screenwriter Julie Plec (Dexter—duh, no wonder) fame. She constantly surprises me! I was so happy with the way she/they handled the Season Finale and ----spoilers ahead----Katherine’s return. I sat in shock at how perfect that was. And then to lose Malise Jow I shouted Nooooooo!
Can I hire her please when my Young Adult book comes out to star as my main character or her younger sister? Both Malise and Phil Collins’s daughter (BLIND SIDE) stand out. I want both of them for the film version of my young adult book! Just casting couch dreaming here folks. I also found a great male lead but I’m not giving it away here. Someone might snatch him up!
Damon (Ian Somholder) just gets more riveting. His humanity bubbling to the surface this week was heartbreaking. And as in the book, I’d choose Damon over Stefan any day. I don’t know why. Yes I do. Damon’s evil-good. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the overall storyline.
Having said that and having mentioned Twilight---I CAN’T WAIT FOR ECLIPSE!
COCO BEFORE CHANEL: Audrey Tatou, Alessandro Nivola
Wow. What a charming heartfelt movie. Tatou as always, does a terrific job. Have you seen her in PRICELESS? She’s like the Audrey Hepburn of our time. Alessandro Nivola was heart breaking and focused. The chemistry between the three lead characters was strong and almost turn your eyes away intense and Coco’s journey is admirable. I don’t want to say anymore. The camera shots too were gorgeous, like a postcard. It’s a biopic on the life of famed designer Coco Chanel. Go see it!
INDIE RENTALS:
THE LIVES OF OTHERS - The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) is a 2006 German Drama film. It’s multi-layered but ultimately it’s about one man holding the fate, the lives of others in his hands.
BURGERS: MOMOFUKU – New York. Try the pork bun and the fried chicken. Delicious. I could’ve just kept eating the porkbun. Intimate seating, but just enjoy!
http://www.momofuku.com/noodle-bar/menu/dinner/
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Temple Grandin
BOOKS:
I reccommended MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD a few months back and so I was fascinated by the lecture given below by Dr. Temple Grandin who, like Marcelo, is a person with high-functioning autism. If you loved Marcelo this book and this woman, might be of interest to you.
THE WAY I SEE IT: A PERSONAL LOOK AT ASPERGER’S AND AUTISM by Dr. Temple Grandin (www.templegrandin.com) . Dr. Grandin is whip smart and a kick. Doctor of Animal Science and professor at Colorado State University and a consultant to the livestock industry in animal behavior. Grandin is known for her work in autism advocacy and is the inventor of the hug machine a device she created to calm hypersensitive persons.
She had me riveted on her explanation---of all things, on how a bull will show a lateral threat by standing sideways and giving you his profile to show how big he is, only many people mistake this as docile because he isn’t looking straight at you directly. “When he gets that way, look out.” Good to know.
That was just one of her anecdotes but she delivers them in such deadpan humor it’s hilarious. She is one of the most practical people I’ve ever heard give a lecture. I was amazed by her memory, in the movie they show how her photographic memory works. In keeping with this theme of high-functioning autistics having brilliant minds, she was discussing different autism traits of “Aspies” (Aspergers). Some are math related, some are word, some focus on art and she said, “Heck half of Silicon Valley is probably Asperger’s.” She advocates finding what interests autistic children early on and encouraging their strengths. She claimed she wouldn’t know where she’d be now if her mother hadn’t encouraged her art. In the movie of her life, TEMPLE GRANDIN on HBO, I loved Julia Ormond’s (who played Temple’s mother), response to a doctor talking down to her about her daughter’s condition. When he asks if her father is available, because he doubts if Ormond can follow him Ormond says, something like, “It’s okay doctor. I graduated from Harvard, try me.”
A NORTHERN LIGHT by Jennifer Donnelly – Just cracked open but I’m excited to read. It’s a take on the 1906 true story that inspired Theodore Dreiser’s novel AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY. Also the movie with Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters, A PLACE IN THE SUN, which is heart breaking and a must see. Only I suggest having a comedy at hand afterwards because the story is so well done, a lingering sadness will pervade you. I’ll let you know what I think when I’m done, but I mean, the book’s already won a Printz Award so, I’m guessing I’ll love it. Pick it up and read along with me. Love to hear your comments.
Also picked up MAGIC UNDERGLASS by Jaclyn Dolamore.
BRANDO:
If you can find the HBO special TEMPLE GRANDIN starring Clair Danes and Julia Ormond, I highly recommend, Temple’s story is powerful and heroic. Her mother’s determination that she go out into the world is inspiring. Claire Danes performance is jaw dropping. Where did that come from. I attended Grandin’s lecture this month and Danes really nailed Grandin’s exhuberance and intelligence.
I was all ready to see KICKASS, about teens tired of getting bullied who become superheroes, by director Quentin Tarantino and (supposedly) violent as heck, but my husband went without me. We were supposed to go together but I was home making revisions on this next project and he didn’t tell me until the end of the night. Yeah, thanks babe. So, unfortunately I cannot review this movie. (I hope you feel guilty).
RENTALS:
Michael Jordan on IMAX. It’s about basketball and a whole lot more. It’s about work ethic and what it takes to be the best. My husband always puts it on when I start a book project. It gets me pumped. It’s like my Rocky Theme song. One of my most favorite scenes is when Kerr, asks if Michael gets to play opening night after his absence from the game to follow his baseball career. Scotty Pippin says, “Generally speaking if you have your own statue outside of the arena, you don’t come off the bench.”
MADMEN – Yes, I know, old news but I just rented the first season. How smart IS this movie? If you want to comment you can only bring up subjects right after the one guy gets his short story published. Such a terrific sociological study. One of my sociology teachers a year back was discussing power struggles with me and she loves the show and she, Jessica pointed out how hilarious it is that the women all have a problem with the divorcee, when their lives are equally hazardous. Such great storytelling. Pick it up if you’re late in the game like me.
INDIE RENTALS:
RAN – by Kurosawa. King Lear Kurosawa style: elegant, violent, riveting.
RASHOMON by Kurosawa. Directed by the amazing Akira Kurosawa. A 1950 Japanese Crime Mystery. The crime is relived through different perspectives, each person telling a slightly different story. Who is telling the truth?
BURGERS: Stellina’s in Point Reyes – After the Grandin lecture we went to Stellina’s. Their mussels, sausage stew is out of this world.
I reccommended MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD a few months back and so I was fascinated by the lecture given below by Dr. Temple Grandin who, like Marcelo, is a person with high-functioning autism. If you loved Marcelo this book and this woman, might be of interest to you.
THE WAY I SEE IT: A PERSONAL LOOK AT ASPERGER’S AND AUTISM by Dr. Temple Grandin (www.templegrandin.com) . Dr. Grandin is whip smart and a kick. Doctor of Animal Science and professor at Colorado State University and a consultant to the livestock industry in animal behavior. Grandin is known for her work in autism advocacy and is the inventor of the hug machine a device she created to calm hypersensitive persons.
She had me riveted on her explanation---of all things, on how a bull will show a lateral threat by standing sideways and giving you his profile to show how big he is, only many people mistake this as docile because he isn’t looking straight at you directly. “When he gets that way, look out.” Good to know.
That was just one of her anecdotes but she delivers them in such deadpan humor it’s hilarious. She is one of the most practical people I’ve ever heard give a lecture. I was amazed by her memory, in the movie they show how her photographic memory works. In keeping with this theme of high-functioning autistics having brilliant minds, she was discussing different autism traits of “Aspies” (Aspergers). Some are math related, some are word, some focus on art and she said, “Heck half of Silicon Valley is probably Asperger’s.” She advocates finding what interests autistic children early on and encouraging their strengths. She claimed she wouldn’t know where she’d be now if her mother hadn’t encouraged her art. In the movie of her life, TEMPLE GRANDIN on HBO, I loved Julia Ormond’s (who played Temple’s mother), response to a doctor talking down to her about her daughter’s condition. When he asks if her father is available, because he doubts if Ormond can follow him Ormond says, something like, “It’s okay doctor. I graduated from Harvard, try me.”
A NORTHERN LIGHT by Jennifer Donnelly – Just cracked open but I’m excited to read. It’s a take on the 1906 true story that inspired Theodore Dreiser’s novel AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY. Also the movie with Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters, A PLACE IN THE SUN, which is heart breaking and a must see. Only I suggest having a comedy at hand afterwards because the story is so well done, a lingering sadness will pervade you. I’ll let you know what I think when I’m done, but I mean, the book’s already won a Printz Award so, I’m guessing I’ll love it. Pick it up and read along with me. Love to hear your comments.
Also picked up MAGIC UNDERGLASS by Jaclyn Dolamore.
BRANDO:
If you can find the HBO special TEMPLE GRANDIN starring Clair Danes and Julia Ormond, I highly recommend, Temple’s story is powerful and heroic. Her mother’s determination that she go out into the world is inspiring. Claire Danes performance is jaw dropping. Where did that come from. I attended Grandin’s lecture this month and Danes really nailed Grandin’s exhuberance and intelligence.
I was all ready to see KICKASS, about teens tired of getting bullied who become superheroes, by director Quentin Tarantino and (supposedly) violent as heck, but my husband went without me. We were supposed to go together but I was home making revisions on this next project and he didn’t tell me until the end of the night. Yeah, thanks babe. So, unfortunately I cannot review this movie. (I hope you feel guilty).
RENTALS:
Michael Jordan on IMAX. It’s about basketball and a whole lot more. It’s about work ethic and what it takes to be the best. My husband always puts it on when I start a book project. It gets me pumped. It’s like my Rocky Theme song. One of my most favorite scenes is when Kerr, asks if Michael gets to play opening night after his absence from the game to follow his baseball career. Scotty Pippin says, “Generally speaking if you have your own statue outside of the arena, you don’t come off the bench.”
MADMEN – Yes, I know, old news but I just rented the first season. How smart IS this movie? If you want to comment you can only bring up subjects right after the one guy gets his short story published. Such a terrific sociological study. One of my sociology teachers a year back was discussing power struggles with me and she loves the show and she, Jessica pointed out how hilarious it is that the women all have a problem with the divorcee, when their lives are equally hazardous. Such great storytelling. Pick it up if you’re late in the game like me.
INDIE RENTALS:
RAN – by Kurosawa. King Lear Kurosawa style: elegant, violent, riveting.
RASHOMON by Kurosawa. Directed by the amazing Akira Kurosawa. A 1950 Japanese Crime Mystery. The crime is relived through different perspectives, each person telling a slightly different story. Who is telling the truth?
BURGERS: Stellina’s in Point Reyes – After the Grandin lecture we went to Stellina’s. Their mussels, sausage stew is out of this world.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Of Zombie's and Seances
BOOKS:
Just read Libba Bray’s - A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY. About 4 girls in London’s Spence school in the 1800s. It’s like stepping into a delicious, gothic, time warp. It’s about friendship, cliques, power and pushing against society’s expectations for ‘proper girls’. A wonderful read, two thumbs up. Great atmosphere. Ever since I read that teeny séance scene in Graham Greene’s THE MINISTRY OF FEAR, and Bronte’s JANE EYRE, I’ve wanted to feel that spooky ambiance again. In fact, it’s part of the reason I loved SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON, an opera by Stephen Schwartz, which debuted last year in Santa Barbara. It’s a remake of the old black and white movie of the same name and directed by Bryan Forbes.
Went to see Ian McEwan at City Arts and Lecture last week and he gave this terrific story of the genesis of his novel, ATONEMENT. He was in Holland and he had this idea of this young woman inside a house filling a vase with flowers. A young man was waiting for her outside and she was torn between wanting to see him and wanting to avoid him. McEwan then sketched the scene out in this notebook where he allows himself to jot down things he’s not working on. He forgot about the scene. Months later he had a different image of a younger girl watching a scene play out near the fountain, from her bedroom window. The third scene came weeks later when he realized the young girl at the window was looking back on her life and that one moment of misunderstanding that would reverberate throughout their lives.
Until that point, McEwan had thought the first scene could have been a short story, possibly something set in the future; it wasn’t until months later that he realized he had a novel. The first scene of course, is the character Celia (played by Keira Knightley in the movie) wanting to avoid Robbie Turner (played by James McAvoy).
It was fascinating to hear how the story came to him like a gift. Sometimes writers sit down with a definite plot in mind and other times, you’re backed into it and given small gems to piece together. And who are we to say no, to scoff in the face of the muse crooking her finger? The best you can do is scramble for a notebook and pen.
I had this experience myself, writing THE FIVE-FORTY-FIVE TO CANNES; I was with my mother in-law in Cannes, where I was supposed to be taking a break from writing. We were sitting at this sea-side café. It was a gorgeous sun drenched day and we were watching families come into the square from the beach for lunch. And I thought to myself, in my day-dreamy way, ‘how nice, these families must meet every year in Cannes over the course of their lives’. Even though they could have been locals, I decided they were visitors. And my next thought was, ‘What if one year, one family member, the golden boy, the black-sheep, doesn’t make it to Cannes?’ All I knew at the time was that the young man’s absence was ominous. That evening I sketched out an outline. Throughout the trip I wrote feverishly for three weeks and at the end of our vacation I had hand written THE FIVE-FORTY-FIVE TO CANNES in three notebooks in three weeks. It was an amazing, very Jane Austen, experience.
There’s something liberating about working on something ‘just for the fun’ of it, to see where it might go. There are times when you have a plot first and there are times when the story takes you by the hand and whirls you up in its dance. I recommend both.
I devoured Carrie Ryan’s THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH and had nightmares. Fun! At first I was skeptical, a zombie book? (As in book vs. movie) How will that play out? Except I did enjoy director, Danny Boyle’s 28 WEEKS (and the sequel 28 DAYS) LATER. And then the book opens with her mother…and I’m hooked. Great book. I haven’t had a ‘oh god I’m glad it’s a dream nightmare’ moment, in a long while. Fun! Of course then I had to go out and consume THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES, in like two nights. Wonderful, intense read.
Speaking of Danny Boyle (and now I’m letting my Books section mix with my Brando section) have you seen the list of credits to this man’s name? Wow. Here’s just a few: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, TRAINSPOTTING, SHALLOW GRAVE, MILLIONS, it goes on. He’s one to watch, isn’t he?
I’ve just finished INCARCERON. What a wild Alice in Wonderland ride. It’s about a young man who may or may not have been born in a prison that’s as vast as the dessert. Who may or may not be a dead prince. Fisher continually kept me guessing. My only critique of the book, if you can call it a critique, is I wanted to sit with the characters for just a breath longer. Love that Keiro. (Why is that? I loved Damon in LJ Smith’s book too). The sequel SAPPHIQUE is next, maybe it’ll be ‘all about Keiro’.
BRANDO:
After Reading and giving a lecture for BLESS ME ULTIMA at the Hayward Library I made comparisons to Pan’s Labyrinth and Salem’s Lot----The scene with the preacher in the kitchen when the vampire leader breaks in and grabs the cross the preacher holds to ward him off and the nosferatu looking vampire says, “Your Faith against mine,” is one of my favorite showdown scenes. So now I feel the need to recommend the two. Stephen King’s SALEM’S LOT is one of my all time favorite vampire movies, the scary factor is just unrelenting, and then the brother scratching at the window is, priceless. Smart-scary without the gore.
AN EDUCATION – A story about a girl’s coming of age in 1960s London. Okay, here’s the deal. I thought the acting was superb and Carey Mulligan is just a revelation. The entire cast is strong and I really like Peter Saarsgard, I thought he was intense in BOYS DON’T CRY, JARHEAD, SHATTERED GLASS, and his acting is always great, BUT-----spoilers coming so close your eyes. I didn’t believe that a young sixteen(?) year old, even a precocious one would fall in love with someone who was made up to look more like her father’s crowd. Maybe if she was college age…What would have been more believable to me was if he had switched places with Dominic Cooper. Cooper looked more the part of the ‘playboy’, someone I would believe a young girl, dozens of young girls, to fall head over heels and risk her future for. Cooper would’ve put a different spin on the whole throw your life away story-line.
Saarsgard is more of the quiet, steadfast, goodlooking, older brother type. I didn’t believe he was this playboy. I don’t know. Dominic Cooper would’ve been way more believable to me. It was a thorn in my side the entire movie. I wanted them to switch parts so then I couldn’t focus on the movie. I couldn’t get past it. Rosamund Pike is wonderful as the shallow, passive aggressive, girlfriend. Such a turn from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE’S gentle Jane.
INDIE RENTALS:
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (Irish) – Ken Loach film about the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921 and the Irish Civil War. Cillian Murphy is heartbreaking as is his character’s plight. You also learn a little bit of history.
Pan’s Labyrinth – Guillermo Del Toro. Set during Franco’s Spanish Civil War and filled with magical realism. A dark fairy tale of a girl’s coming of age. The young girl Ivana Baquero is TERRIFIC as Ofelia. She reminds me of Natalie Portman’s star turn as Mathilda in--- and also a great film, THE PROFESSIONAL.
BURGERS:
Bequet caramels from Montana. Oh my gosh. Salty-sweet. Individually wrapped.
Luxe Cappuccinos, Los Angeles – oh so creamy goodness….sigh.
Just read Libba Bray’s - A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY. About 4 girls in London’s Spence school in the 1800s. It’s like stepping into a delicious, gothic, time warp. It’s about friendship, cliques, power and pushing against society’s expectations for ‘proper girls’. A wonderful read, two thumbs up. Great atmosphere. Ever since I read that teeny séance scene in Graham Greene’s THE MINISTRY OF FEAR, and Bronte’s JANE EYRE, I’ve wanted to feel that spooky ambiance again. In fact, it’s part of the reason I loved SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON, an opera by Stephen Schwartz, which debuted last year in Santa Barbara. It’s a remake of the old black and white movie of the same name and directed by Bryan Forbes.
Went to see Ian McEwan at City Arts and Lecture last week and he gave this terrific story of the genesis of his novel, ATONEMENT. He was in Holland and he had this idea of this young woman inside a house filling a vase with flowers. A young man was waiting for her outside and she was torn between wanting to see him and wanting to avoid him. McEwan then sketched the scene out in this notebook where he allows himself to jot down things he’s not working on. He forgot about the scene. Months later he had a different image of a younger girl watching a scene play out near the fountain, from her bedroom window. The third scene came weeks later when he realized the young girl at the window was looking back on her life and that one moment of misunderstanding that would reverberate throughout their lives.
Until that point, McEwan had thought the first scene could have been a short story, possibly something set in the future; it wasn’t until months later that he realized he had a novel. The first scene of course, is the character Celia (played by Keira Knightley in the movie) wanting to avoid Robbie Turner (played by James McAvoy).
It was fascinating to hear how the story came to him like a gift. Sometimes writers sit down with a definite plot in mind and other times, you’re backed into it and given small gems to piece together. And who are we to say no, to scoff in the face of the muse crooking her finger? The best you can do is scramble for a notebook and pen.
I had this experience myself, writing THE FIVE-FORTY-FIVE TO CANNES; I was with my mother in-law in Cannes, where I was supposed to be taking a break from writing. We were sitting at this sea-side café. It was a gorgeous sun drenched day and we were watching families come into the square from the beach for lunch. And I thought to myself, in my day-dreamy way, ‘how nice, these families must meet every year in Cannes over the course of their lives’. Even though they could have been locals, I decided they were visitors. And my next thought was, ‘What if one year, one family member, the golden boy, the black-sheep, doesn’t make it to Cannes?’ All I knew at the time was that the young man’s absence was ominous. That evening I sketched out an outline. Throughout the trip I wrote feverishly for three weeks and at the end of our vacation I had hand written THE FIVE-FORTY-FIVE TO CANNES in three notebooks in three weeks. It was an amazing, very Jane Austen, experience.
There’s something liberating about working on something ‘just for the fun’ of it, to see where it might go. There are times when you have a plot first and there are times when the story takes you by the hand and whirls you up in its dance. I recommend both.
I devoured Carrie Ryan’s THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH and had nightmares. Fun! At first I was skeptical, a zombie book? (As in book vs. movie) How will that play out? Except I did enjoy director, Danny Boyle’s 28 WEEKS (and the sequel 28 DAYS) LATER. And then the book opens with her mother…and I’m hooked. Great book. I haven’t had a ‘oh god I’m glad it’s a dream nightmare’ moment, in a long while. Fun! Of course then I had to go out and consume THE DEAD TOSSED WAVES, in like two nights. Wonderful, intense read.
Speaking of Danny Boyle (and now I’m letting my Books section mix with my Brando section) have you seen the list of credits to this man’s name? Wow. Here’s just a few: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, TRAINSPOTTING, SHALLOW GRAVE, MILLIONS, it goes on. He’s one to watch, isn’t he?
I’ve just finished INCARCERON. What a wild Alice in Wonderland ride. It’s about a young man who may or may not have been born in a prison that’s as vast as the dessert. Who may or may not be a dead prince. Fisher continually kept me guessing. My only critique of the book, if you can call it a critique, is I wanted to sit with the characters for just a breath longer. Love that Keiro. (Why is that? I loved Damon in LJ Smith’s book too). The sequel SAPPHIQUE is next, maybe it’ll be ‘all about Keiro’.
BRANDO:
After Reading and giving a lecture for BLESS ME ULTIMA at the Hayward Library I made comparisons to Pan’s Labyrinth and Salem’s Lot----The scene with the preacher in the kitchen when the vampire leader breaks in and grabs the cross the preacher holds to ward him off and the nosferatu looking vampire says, “Your Faith against mine,” is one of my favorite showdown scenes. So now I feel the need to recommend the two. Stephen King’s SALEM’S LOT is one of my all time favorite vampire movies, the scary factor is just unrelenting, and then the brother scratching at the window is, priceless. Smart-scary without the gore.
AN EDUCATION – A story about a girl’s coming of age in 1960s London. Okay, here’s the deal. I thought the acting was superb and Carey Mulligan is just a revelation. The entire cast is strong and I really like Peter Saarsgard, I thought he was intense in BOYS DON’T CRY, JARHEAD, SHATTERED GLASS, and his acting is always great, BUT-----spoilers coming so close your eyes. I didn’t believe that a young sixteen(?) year old, even a precocious one would fall in love with someone who was made up to look more like her father’s crowd. Maybe if she was college age…What would have been more believable to me was if he had switched places with Dominic Cooper. Cooper looked more the part of the ‘playboy’, someone I would believe a young girl, dozens of young girls, to fall head over heels and risk her future for. Cooper would’ve put a different spin on the whole throw your life away story-line.
Saarsgard is more of the quiet, steadfast, goodlooking, older brother type. I didn’t believe he was this playboy. I don’t know. Dominic Cooper would’ve been way more believable to me. It was a thorn in my side the entire movie. I wanted them to switch parts so then I couldn’t focus on the movie. I couldn’t get past it. Rosamund Pike is wonderful as the shallow, passive aggressive, girlfriend. Such a turn from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE’S gentle Jane.
INDIE RENTALS:
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (Irish) – Ken Loach film about the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921 and the Irish Civil War. Cillian Murphy is heartbreaking as is his character’s plight. You also learn a little bit of history.
Pan’s Labyrinth – Guillermo Del Toro. Set during Franco’s Spanish Civil War and filled with magical realism. A dark fairy tale of a girl’s coming of age. The young girl Ivana Baquero is TERRIFIC as Ofelia. She reminds me of Natalie Portman’s star turn as Mathilda in--- and also a great film, THE PROFESSIONAL.
BURGERS:
Bequet caramels from Montana. Oh my gosh. Salty-sweet. Individually wrapped.
Luxe Cappuccinos, Los Angeles – oh so creamy goodness….sigh.
Monday, March 15, 2010
BOOKS:
(Literary) CONVERSATIONS AT CURLOW CREEK – David Malouf. A conversation between a man about to be hanged at dawn and the officer in charge of the hanging. Just cracked this open and I’m already engrossed. Malouf has this way of immediately quieting the reader into a trance. How does he do it?
(Young Adult) MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD – Francisco X. Stork. This book was a wonderful surprise. I rooted for Marcelo and his big heart. When the book ended I wanted to keep in touch with Marcelo, he’d become so real to me. I wasn’t sure about the book at first, I thought, young adult without swords or dragons to slay? No mazes? Well, maybe the maze of the Real World and office cubicles.
Here’s the premise from School Library Journal: Marcelo Sandoval is a high-functioning, extremely self-aware teenager with Asperger's syndrome. He has an empathetic mother and a father, Arturo, who appears to be less empathetic as he pushes Marcelo to live in the "real world”.
BRANDO:
THE PACIFIC (Mini-series) – by director Stephen Spielberg debuted last night on HBO! Covers the Pacific Theater during WWII. Catch it if you can. It starts with Guadalcanal but if the previews are correct it will span the Philippines and the Malay Peninsula. The story and casting are tight and a must see for WWII buffs.
TREME – Fans of David Simon’s THE WIRE will be looking for this new up and coming drama series debuting on April 11, 2010. The series will focus on the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina struggling to rebuild the city and retain their unique culture. Looks like it stars a couple of THE WIRE cast.
TEMPLE GRANDIN (HBO) – A biopic by Director Mick Jackson about Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of top scientists in humane livestock handling. Claire Danes’ performance is terrific.
INDIE RENTALS: Prisoner of the Mountains Directed by Sergei Bodrov, starring his son Sergei Bodrov Jr. Based upon a short story by Leo Tolstoy, two Russian soldiers, Sacha and Vania, are ambushed in the Caucasus by Muslim rebels and taken prisoner. Luck for them the village leader, might want to make a trade. But will he? It's about brotherhood, war, and the smaller yet important stories between two vastly different cultures.
SCARY RENTAL: Let the Right One In Swedish Director Tomas Aldfredson’s, Frightening in its quiet realism, vampire movie. Although there’s an eerily hilarious scene with the owner’s dog, be forewarned there’s one (or a couple) of disturbing scenes. You’ve been warned. This movie is exactly the opposite of any vampire lore except maybe two. The WSJ raved about the cinematography saying there was much to study for any filmmaker. I had a funny experience with this one I was anticipating TWILIGHT and my father in-law said the new vampire movie was getting great reviews and so I rushed to get the paper only to be lured into this one. Ack!
BURGERS:
El Castillito (Mission, SF) – Excellent carne asada tacos.
Truly Mediterranean (Mission, SF) - The best chicken schwarma’s.
(Literary) CONVERSATIONS AT CURLOW CREEK – David Malouf. A conversation between a man about to be hanged at dawn and the officer in charge of the hanging. Just cracked this open and I’m already engrossed. Malouf has this way of immediately quieting the reader into a trance. How does he do it?
(Young Adult) MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD – Francisco X. Stork. This book was a wonderful surprise. I rooted for Marcelo and his big heart. When the book ended I wanted to keep in touch with Marcelo, he’d become so real to me. I wasn’t sure about the book at first, I thought, young adult without swords or dragons to slay? No mazes? Well, maybe the maze of the Real World and office cubicles.
Here’s the premise from School Library Journal: Marcelo Sandoval is a high-functioning, extremely self-aware teenager with Asperger's syndrome. He has an empathetic mother and a father, Arturo, who appears to be less empathetic as he pushes Marcelo to live in the "real world”.
BRANDO:
THE PACIFIC (Mini-series) – by director Stephen Spielberg debuted last night on HBO! Covers the Pacific Theater during WWII. Catch it if you can. It starts with Guadalcanal but if the previews are correct it will span the Philippines and the Malay Peninsula. The story and casting are tight and a must see for WWII buffs.
TREME – Fans of David Simon’s THE WIRE will be looking for this new up and coming drama series debuting on April 11, 2010. The series will focus on the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina struggling to rebuild the city and retain their unique culture. Looks like it stars a couple of THE WIRE cast.
TEMPLE GRANDIN (HBO) – A biopic by Director Mick Jackson about Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of top scientists in humane livestock handling. Claire Danes’ performance is terrific.
INDIE RENTALS: Prisoner of the Mountains Directed by Sergei Bodrov, starring his son Sergei Bodrov Jr. Based upon a short story by Leo Tolstoy, two Russian soldiers, Sacha and Vania, are ambushed in the Caucasus by Muslim rebels and taken prisoner. Luck for them the village leader, might want to make a trade. But will he? It's about brotherhood, war, and the smaller yet important stories between two vastly different cultures.
SCARY RENTAL: Let the Right One In Swedish Director Tomas Aldfredson’s, Frightening in its quiet realism, vampire movie. Although there’s an eerily hilarious scene with the owner’s dog, be forewarned there’s one (or a couple) of disturbing scenes. You’ve been warned. This movie is exactly the opposite of any vampire lore except maybe two. The WSJ raved about the cinematography saying there was much to study for any filmmaker. I had a funny experience with this one I was anticipating TWILIGHT and my father in-law said the new vampire movie was getting great reviews and so I rushed to get the paper only to be lured into this one. Ack!
BURGERS:
El Castillito (Mission, SF) – Excellent carne asada tacos.
Truly Mediterranean (Mission, SF) - The best chicken schwarma’s.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
TWEAKED, ECLIPSE & MANKA'S
BOOKS: TWEAKED by Nic Sheff. A young man’s memoir about growing up addicted to methamphetamines, abusing alcohol and drugs, and working through his recovery. Poignant, honest, raw, & well written. This memoir brought to mind an edgier Holden Caulfield, Sheff’s tender but frightening renderings had me turning the pages.
BRANDO: So are they going to make a fourth Twilight movie or what? What’s the hold up? It can’t be the so called ‘bloody’ portions of Book 4. They’re not all that bad. I mean it is a vampire movie folks. Right? Right? I just read that they’re deliberating on whether to break it into one or two movies. Okay. Cool. I can't wait. Of course there's also ECLIPSE coming soon! Right? Right.
The other day I caught Robert Pattinson on THE VIEW working the publicity circuit for his latest movie, Remember Me. I felt bad for Emilie de Ravin (his co-star and LOST regular). She got like two questions to Rob’s 30.
His early interviews in the first dawn of TWILIGHT were so charming and reminiscent of Gregory Peck. Pattinson deflected praise for his role and instead praised co-star Kristen Stewart as the best actress of their generation. I liked her in INTO THE WILD, and I can’t wait to watch her in SPEAK (I have the Netflix at home but my DVD player is on the fritz). What Pattinson did, showcasing her that way reminded me of what I’d once read about the gracious Gregory Peck (one of my all time favorite classic movie actors). Apparently for Roman Holiday he insisted they give the then unknown Audrey Hepburn equal billing and then on interview he is said to have praised her as the “star” of the movie, and she is. It’s one of my all time favorite movies. There are so many great moments:
“Is this the elevator?” “No, this is what’s laughingly known as my apartment.
And then that scene where, drugged on sleeping pills she’s just about to knock on the neighbor’s door and Gregory Peck reaches over for a hail Mary grab of her wrist, just before her knuckles come down.
Classic Movie reccomenation: ROMAN HOLIDAY of course.
Romantic Foreign Rental recommendation:
HORSEMAN ON THE ROOF (Le Hussard sur le Toit) –Olivier Martinez and Juliette Binoche (French subtitles ooh la la la). Directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau. Here’s the tag line: In a time of war a young officer tries to help a young woman find her husband. The scene opens up in Aix where I’ve been and where you must go. So beautiful…sigh.
I want to talk about Lars Von Triers trilogy of devastation and his new movie but I think that needs a separate Blog. Devastating but so well done. So well done but devastating. I’m talking about Dancer in the Dark and Bjork’s performance. Breaking the Waves and Emily Watson’s performance. But I can’t do it right now.
BURGERS: My friend K just took me to an amazing MANKA’S at Vladamir’s dinner benefit (http://www.mankas.com/) for Haiti in Inverness. It was held at the charming Czechoslovakian restaurant VLADAMIR’S. My gosh, the fried local oysters on lettuce with aoli! I was greedy again. I also, which is classic of me dumped a whole glass of STUBBS chardonnay on the floor. The bread pudding was exquisite! As was the beet soup with a dollop of yogurt. Goodness. The Owner’s of Devil’s Gulch Ranch http://www.devilsgulchranch.com/ were present and gave a great presentation. Vladamir’s grandson and daughter served. What a wonderful night. I’ll have to try Vladamir’s sometime it’s on YELP.
BRANDO: So are they going to make a fourth Twilight movie or what? What’s the hold up? It can’t be the so called ‘bloody’ portions of Book 4. They’re not all that bad. I mean it is a vampire movie folks. Right? Right? I just read that they’re deliberating on whether to break it into one or two movies. Okay. Cool. I can't wait. Of course there's also ECLIPSE coming soon! Right? Right.
The other day I caught Robert Pattinson on THE VIEW working the publicity circuit for his latest movie, Remember Me. I felt bad for Emilie de Ravin (his co-star and LOST regular). She got like two questions to Rob’s 30.
His early interviews in the first dawn of TWILIGHT were so charming and reminiscent of Gregory Peck. Pattinson deflected praise for his role and instead praised co-star Kristen Stewart as the best actress of their generation. I liked her in INTO THE WILD, and I can’t wait to watch her in SPEAK (I have the Netflix at home but my DVD player is on the fritz). What Pattinson did, showcasing her that way reminded me of what I’d once read about the gracious Gregory Peck (one of my all time favorite classic movie actors). Apparently for Roman Holiday he insisted they give the then unknown Audrey Hepburn equal billing and then on interview he is said to have praised her as the “star” of the movie, and she is. It’s one of my all time favorite movies. There are so many great moments:
“Is this the elevator?” “No, this is what’s laughingly known as my apartment.
And then that scene where, drugged on sleeping pills she’s just about to knock on the neighbor’s door and Gregory Peck reaches over for a hail Mary grab of her wrist, just before her knuckles come down.
Classic Movie reccomenation: ROMAN HOLIDAY of course.
Romantic Foreign Rental recommendation:
HORSEMAN ON THE ROOF (Le Hussard sur le Toit) –Olivier Martinez and Juliette Binoche (French subtitles ooh la la la). Directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau. Here’s the tag line: In a time of war a young officer tries to help a young woman find her husband. The scene opens up in Aix where I’ve been and where you must go. So beautiful…sigh.
I want to talk about Lars Von Triers trilogy of devastation and his new movie but I think that needs a separate Blog. Devastating but so well done. So well done but devastating. I’m talking about Dancer in the Dark and Bjork’s performance. Breaking the Waves and Emily Watson’s performance. But I can’t do it right now.
BURGERS: My friend K just took me to an amazing MANKA’S at Vladamir’s dinner benefit (http://www.mankas.com/) for Haiti in Inverness. It was held at the charming Czechoslovakian restaurant VLADAMIR’S. My gosh, the fried local oysters on lettuce with aoli! I was greedy again. I also, which is classic of me dumped a whole glass of STUBBS chardonnay on the floor. The bread pudding was exquisite! As was the beet soup with a dollop of yogurt. Goodness. The Owner’s of Devil’s Gulch Ranch http://www.devilsgulchranch.com/ were present and gave a great presentation. Vladamir’s grandson and daughter served. What a wonderful night. I’ll have to try Vladamir’s sometime it’s on YELP.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
BOOKS:
I want to read this Young Adult Book next: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (to be made into a movie---that’s the scoop).
I like this quote from memoirist Mary Karr. The word ‘memoir’ can easily be switched with plain old ‘My Novel’. And it epitomizes the writer’s struggle:
"The Memoir? It circles me like a gnat. I circle it like a dog staked to a pole. Years it's gone on that way."
BRANDO:
The movie I’m waiting to see if the rumors are true: Kazuo Ishiguro’s excellent, creepy, page turning NEVER LET ME GO with Carey Mulligan and Kiera Knightley by director Mark Romanek. It will be great to see Knightley and Mulligan together after Mulligan starred as the wonderfully-delirious-annoying Kitty to Knigtley’s Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. Especially after Mulligan’s Star rising turn in AN EDUCATION. By the way I’m liking those ads for Chanel with Kiera.
The Prophet – only I’m afraid & claustrophobic
Great Smart-scary rental ( in the vein of THE OTHERS) – Spanish Director Juan Anonio Bayona’s THE ORPHANAGE.
BURGERS:
Humphrey Slocombe Ice Cream in the Mission. So the dessert that I had at Flour & Water was “Caramel Cream & Sea Salt” from Humphrey Slocombe. Only I’m on their website now and not seeing it…hmmm…..Maybe you need to visit the Fabulous Flour & Water, EAT a full on dinner, then order the dessert with LOCAL Humphrey Slocombe Ice Cream to find out (wink wink).
I’m not sure what the rest of HS Ice Cream is like but I nearly went nuts eating this one scoop. It was a flavor explosion of subtle but seismic proportions. I guess it was supposed to be shared because that’s what my friend K and I ordered it for, but I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t share. She may think I shared but when she wasn’t looking I snuck a giant scoop. Which brings to mind a Wall Street Journal review on an author David Kessler’s THE END OF OVEREATING who writes about certain foods engineered to over-stimulate our senses. I don’t think this ice cream was engineered though. I think it was just plain good. Maybe I shouldn’t read the book till I’ve had my fill.
And since we’re on it. Anthony’s Cookies. Also in the Mission. I try to eat at all three places whenever I visit CALLIE & San Francisco.
I want to read this Young Adult Book next: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (to be made into a movie---that’s the scoop).
I like this quote from memoirist Mary Karr. The word ‘memoir’ can easily be switched with plain old ‘My Novel’. And it epitomizes the writer’s struggle:
"The Memoir? It circles me like a gnat. I circle it like a dog staked to a pole. Years it's gone on that way."
BRANDO:
The movie I’m waiting to see if the rumors are true: Kazuo Ishiguro’s excellent, creepy, page turning NEVER LET ME GO with Carey Mulligan and Kiera Knightley by director Mark Romanek. It will be great to see Knightley and Mulligan together after Mulligan starred as the wonderfully-delirious-annoying Kitty to Knigtley’s Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. Especially after Mulligan’s Star rising turn in AN EDUCATION. By the way I’m liking those ads for Chanel with Kiera.
The Prophet – only I’m afraid & claustrophobic
Great Smart-scary rental ( in the vein of THE OTHERS) – Spanish Director Juan Anonio Bayona’s THE ORPHANAGE.
BURGERS:
Humphrey Slocombe Ice Cream in the Mission. So the dessert that I had at Flour & Water was “Caramel Cream & Sea Salt” from Humphrey Slocombe. Only I’m on their website now and not seeing it…hmmm…..Maybe you need to visit the Fabulous Flour & Water, EAT a full on dinner, then order the dessert with LOCAL Humphrey Slocombe Ice Cream to find out (wink wink).
I’m not sure what the rest of HS Ice Cream is like but I nearly went nuts eating this one scoop. It was a flavor explosion of subtle but seismic proportions. I guess it was supposed to be shared because that’s what my friend K and I ordered it for, but I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t share. She may think I shared but when she wasn’t looking I snuck a giant scoop. Which brings to mind a Wall Street Journal review on an author David Kessler’s THE END OF OVEREATING who writes about certain foods engineered to over-stimulate our senses. I don’t think this ice cream was engineered though. I think it was just plain good. Maybe I shouldn’t read the book till I’ve had my fill.
And since we’re on it. Anthony’s Cookies. Also in the Mission. I try to eat at all three places whenever I visit CALLIE & San Francisco.
Oh Romeo, I don't like thou....
So I caught this mini-documentary on West Side Story starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer over the weekend. And Natalie’s co-stars, all of them, were saying she was a sweet girl BUT---that the entire time they were filming, she never once spoke to her leading man!
Their guess is that she really wanted Warren Beatty to have the part. And I admit they were dynamite in Splendor in the Grass.
But I digress, so to watch the scenes again it’s incredible the chemistry that Maria and Tonio do have in West Side Story. Talk about great acting. How do you act like you’re in love when the girl acts like you don’t exist off-screen? Or maybe that helped the tension.
I wish they would do a remake of Arsenic and Old Lace with George Clooney in the Cary Grant part. Clooney has such great comedic timing in Oh Brother that I think he would be terrific in an Arsenic remake…now for the two old aunts….who shall we cast?
Their guess is that she really wanted Warren Beatty to have the part. And I admit they were dynamite in Splendor in the Grass.
But I digress, so to watch the scenes again it’s incredible the chemistry that Maria and Tonio do have in West Side Story. Talk about great acting. How do you act like you’re in love when the girl acts like you don’t exist off-screen? Or maybe that helped the tension.
I wish they would do a remake of Arsenic and Old Lace with George Clooney in the Cary Grant part. Clooney has such great comedic timing in Oh Brother that I think he would be terrific in an Arsenic remake…now for the two old aunts….who shall we cast?
Hello
Hi All,
So...Books Brando & Burgers. What can I say but that these are the things I love?
Books - Incarceron - Fisher, Ransom - David Malouf
Brando - Avatar, Avatar, Avatar go see it. How can you enjoy it at home later? Must be seen on the big screen. Oh, yeah and Hurt Locker. Wow.
Burgers - If you're in Vancouver for the Olympics...La Quercia- best pasta ever. Elysian Coffee. Aphrodite for breakfast.
More soon.
So...Books Brando & Burgers. What can I say but that these are the things I love?
Books - Incarceron - Fisher, Ransom - David Malouf
Brando - Avatar, Avatar, Avatar go see it. How can you enjoy it at home later? Must be seen on the big screen. Oh, yeah and Hurt Locker. Wow.
Burgers - If you're in Vancouver for the Olympics...La Quercia- best pasta ever. Elysian Coffee. Aphrodite for breakfast.
More soon.
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