The Humanist [magazine]

The Humanist: a magazine of critical inquiry and social concern

The American Humanist Association, founded in 1941, publishes The Humanist six times a year. It covers social issues, current events, science, arts and literature from the point of view of humanism, "a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion." This month's issue has articles about religion, health care, technology, war, sexuality, and peace activism, plus poetry and book reviews. The writers explore ethical and environmental questions "free of theism and other supernatural beliefs," applying intellectual analysis and practical thinking to the goals of liberty, dignity, and responsibility.

True Grit

True Grit by Charles Portis

After learning that I was a fan of the recent True Grit film the Coen Brothers released in 2010, a co-worker told me that the novel which it was based is an essential read. This recommendation certainly did not disappoint.

The story takes place in the West at the close of the 19th century. It's narrated by Mattie Ross, who shares her story of a quest to avenge the death of her father when she was just fourteen. She searches for a man with "true grit" who is up to the task of hunting down the killer. Mattie is exceptionally shrewd, fearless and also has an advanced understanding of law and finances. Traveling on her own, she finds and hires a heavy drinking, dirty, eye-patch wearing, cursing, aging bounty hunter named Roger "Rooser" Cogburn. Mattie and Cogburn are later joined by a Texas Ranger by the name of LaBoeuf. The three set out on the trail of murderer Tom Chaney.

True Grit is a real page turner of an adventure novel where stakeouts and gun fights are standard fare. Author Charles Portis also chooses to use a great deal of humor in the storytelling thanks to the wild Cogburn his constant one-upmanship between he and LaBoeuf. There's also the constant reminder that the young Mattie is more educated and sensible at fourteen than any characters in the story.

Spooked [CD]

Spooked by Robyn Hitchcock

In 2004, Robyn Hitchcock recorded one of his finest albums with folkster heroes Gilllian Welch and David Rawlings. The trio set up shop in Nashville, TN and created this very sparse and absorbing recording. The album is filled with rich textured harmonies, picking acoustic guitars and a refreshing amount of open space. Though mostly an acoustic record, the album also features spots of electric piano, minimal drums, electric sitar for psychedelic touches and Eastern flavor and a couple electric bass guest spots by NRBQ man Joey Spampinato.

On the dobro led "We're Gonna Live in the Trees", Hitchcock's famed clever lyrics bounce the literary reference of Virginia Woolf had a troubled mind, it was never at ease with the song's title/refrain. He also shows a softer side with the slow and outer-spacey "English Girl". Her skin was clear and her mum wore pearls/I fell in love with an English girl/ She asked me for an almond whirl/ I was obliged to the English girl.
Robyn Hitchcock is one of the few recording artists whose catalog has remained consistently inspired throughout a lengthy career. Spooked, in particular, stands out from his recent output due to the stunning contributions from Welch and Rawlings.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
A character-driven mystery set in rural Mississippi, we are slowly drawn into the stories and lives of Silas "32" Jones, a constable who twice daily has to direct traffic when the shift changes at the local mill, and Larry Ott, a mechanic who has been ostracized from the community. Larry and Silas were secret friends as children, both on the outside, Larry a white boy in a mostly black school who would rather read Stephen King books than do most anything else, and Silas as a poor black boy with a single mother, recently moved from Chicago. They play and fish in the woods, until a neighbor girl goes missing while on a first date with Larry. Now, 20 years later, another girl has gone missing and the suspicion is back on Larry. The story goes back-and-forth between the two timelines, with an increasingly complex network of connections. Check out this 'rural noir.'

Last Picture Show [DVD]

Last Picture Show a film by Peter Bogdanovich

In keeping with the "New Hollywood" theme, I thought we'd take a look at another Roger Corman student and another film in the Criterion Collection's America Lost & Found series. Following his directorial debut Targets (a brilliant "Frankensteining" of Corman stock footage of Boris Karloff and a completely new script about a local assassin), Peter Bogdanovich adapted Last Picture Show with the book's author Larry McMurthy.

The film is set in a transitional period, both for the landscape and members of the graduating high school class, in a rural north Texas town in the early 1950's. Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shephard and Randy Quaid play the local teenagers who are thinking about their futures outside of their small home town. Relationships, the military, money and taking care of family members all play important roles on these characters' decisions. Two adult figures, Cloris Leachman and Ben Johnson, both won Oscars for their performances in supporting roles.

Robert Surtees's soft black and white cinematography over the dusty roads and old shop signs hang a general feeling of loneliness over Last Picture Show. Bogdanvoich's subtle humor, rich character drama and calculated pace, earn him comparison to the French master François Truffaut. He would also continue to look to the past, mostly filming in black and white, in years to come with films lake Paper Moon, What's Up Doc? and Nickelodeon.

In Last Picture Show, we can feel that change will come in this part of Texas and that Red River shall inevitably have its final curtain.

Head [DVD]

Head a film by Bob Rafelson

Head is a psychedelic, non-linear motion picture starring... THE MONKEES. While not participating in a traditional narrative, the film retains a cyclical structure. Cyclical, in this instance, by that one can take nearly any scene, rearrange it and the action will still relate and have meaning in its new place. Bob Rafelson, a co-creator of the Monkees television series, made his feature directorial debut with 1968's Head. He co-wrote the film with the then obscure Roger Corman school B-movie actor Jack Nicholson.

Rafelson and Nicholson sought to tell the Monkees story and the complexities of instant fame in an abstract fashion while also exploiting as many genres as possible. It poses the question, "well, what is Head?" A musical? A western? A horror film? A comedy? A boxing story? A Vietnam war protest? A sprawling adventure film? It's safe to say these are all correct answers. The director uses esoteric dialog and cutting edge technology (i.e. the process of coloring film... which was essentially only explored in avante-guarde cinema up until this time) to collect these disparate elements and house them in a single story.

What also works in this film's favor is that we have a collection of some of the Monkees best recorded material. Mickey Dolenz sings two lazing and beautiful Carole King compositions along with the Eastern flavored "Can You Dig It", a song by Monkey Peter Tork. Peter's other writing credit comes with the groovy freakout "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again". Davy Jones performs a dance scene with Toni Basil while singing Harry Nilsson's Tin Pan Alley inspired "Daddy's Song". Michael Nesmith writes and sings "Circle Sky", what we shall only consider as a psychedelic, ramshackle ho-down.

Although, in 1968 the film proved to be an immense commercial failure, Head has become a cult classic and an excellent artifact in the colored history of the Monkees. Rafelson continued his maverick approach to cinema and is now considered one of the most revered directors and producers of the "New Hollywood" generation.

Two Escobars [DVD]

The Two Escobars

This riveting documentary film was made by Northampton natives Jeff and Michael Zimbalist as part of the excellent ESPN 30 for 30 series. It examines a harrowing period in Colombia’s history when rival drug cartels were warring in the streets and the national soccer team set out to win the world cup and by extension, create a new positive image for their country. The Two Escobars of the title are Andres Escobar, the softspoken but inspiring captain of the National Team, and Pablo Escobar, who was a notorious cartel leader and brutal drug baron, but also a team owner and folk hero to many poor people in Colombia. The documentary takes a clear eyed look at a period of Colombian soccer and society which stretched from the height of the phenomenon known as “Narco-Soccer” through their ignominious and ultimately tragic loss in the first round of the 1994 World Cup. Like many of the 30 for 30 series filmmakers, the directors succeed in showing the importance and influence of sport on society as a whole, how it reflects and is influenced by the best and worst aspects of our culture. As a result the film appeals to viewers who are not die-hard sports fans, ‘soccer’ fans or familiar with World Cup Football. One of the best of the ESPN 30 for 30 series and best documentaries of 2010, it was an Official Selection at the Cannes, Tribeca and Los Angeles Film Festivals.

Fish Tank [DVD]

Fish Tank

This Cannes Jury Prize award winning indie film from British Director Andrea Arnold captures an English ‘Coming-of-Age’ tale far from the stereotypical pastoral village green. Set in a bleak Essex council estate, the films energy and success is derived mainly from the talented young lead, Katie Jarvis. Jarvis was discovered yelling at her boyfriend across platforms at a local train station by the casting director after numerous unsuccessful auditions for the role by better known and established actresses. The film centers on the adolescent conflicts of her character (Mia) and her discovery of dance as an escape and outlet from fights with her family and peers. Unlike so many dance related films, Arnold wisely avoids the typical clichés of the genre, with no dance-offs, miraculous improvements in skill overnight or extended montages showing a sudden rise to fame. Instead Mia’s dancing is shown for what it is, a creative outlet and escape rather than a possible career choice. Without laboring the point, the film contrasts Mia’s love of and desire to learn the basic skills of ‘break-dancing’ with the hyper-sexualized dance moves of her peers, who are plainly mimicking popular music videos. The introduction of her mother’s new Irish boyfriend (played by rising heart throb Michael Fassbender) expands and ultimately threatens Mia’s fragile world . His influence on Mia and her selfish and neglectful mother and charming and foul mouthed little sister is, by turns, both inspiring and disturbing. Arnold, who won an Oscar in 2003 for her short film Wasp, directs the film with a skilled hand, anchoring it in social realism without wallowing in cliché or misery. It is decidedly not a light hearted family film but also not without hope or joy.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell

The latest work from the prodigious literary talent David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas and Black Swan Green, follows the eponymous Jacob De Zoet, a young Dutch accountant who arrives in feudal japan in 1799 on a quest to earn enough of a fortune to marry his love upon his return to Holland. The strength of Mitchell’s characterizations, his mastery of dramatic construction and the humor and grace with which he treats his characters is evident throughout this historical tale, as he fleshes out a world previously unimagined by the reader without ever delving into dull description or awkward exposition. The continued joy of discovery prevails even when the story takes dark and despairing turns for the protagonist. Highly recommended for fans of Mitchell, contemporary fiction and historical novels alike.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

The Regency classic meets Buffy the Vampire slayer in this hilarious mashup of Austen's best-known novel with flesh-eating undead. England is in the grip of a plague of zombies and the Bennet girls are keeping them at bay thanks to their arcane training in "the deadly arts." Elizabeth is distracted from her battle against the zombies by the arrival of Mr. Darcy, who is also well known for his swordsmanship. Will she marry him? Will she get her brains eaten? Most importantly, can the rotting bodies climbing out of their graves cause enough mayhem to disturb the manners of the country gentry?

How to Become a Scandal

How to Become a Scandal: Adventures in Bad Behavior by Laura Kipnis

Who doesn’t love a scandal? In this book, Kipnis explores the how and why of scandalous behavior, including what makes the rest of us such eager consumers of other’s downfalls. She focuses on four juicy tales from the recent past at some depth , but always with a light touch: Lisa Nowak, the lovelorn astronaut; disgraced New York judge Sol Wachtler; “memoir” writer James Frey; and Linda Tripp, Monica Lewinsky’s confidant who encouraged her pursuit of President Clinton and then betrayed her. If you’ve ever wondered, “What were they thinking?” How to Become a Scandal attempts to answer that question.

Juliet, Naked

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

No one writes about the extremes of being a fan like Nick Hornby. Juliet, Naked tells the story of Tucker Crow, an obscure American rock musician who hasn’t been heard from in 20 years, his obsessive English fan, Duncan, who maintains a “Crowology” website and Annie, Duncan’s girlfriend, who has gone along for the ride. All of their worlds are turned around when a long-lost demo of Tucker’s original hit is released and Annie posts some opinions of her own.

The audiobook version is especially enjoyable, with Bill Irwin and Jennifer Wiltsie reading alternating chapters, with music by Ben Miles.