Judex [BluRay/DVD]

Judex a film by George Franju

I tend to be someone who knows what he's looking for in the stacks and will often go in with a list. We can't always be a slave to structure though. Judex is a film I checked out based solely on the intriguing box cover. It also is a part of the Criterion Collection... so, I knew I was in for something interesting.

This 1963 French movie is an homage to a 1916 silent film of the same name. Set at the time of the original, Judex hits the ground running with a mysterious blackmail letter, a murder, strange sci-fi/occult touches and a stoic, caped man. Countless twists and turns, masks, hidden identities, a circus, knives and a lovable detective color this suspenseful caper. Furthermore, Judex is photographed in the most brilliant black and white with stylish camera angles that would make any film nerd's heart have serious palpitations.

It pays to sometimes take chances with movies; going in blindly. However, I've done the work for you already on this one. So, go ahead and enjoy George Franju's Judex!

Inherent Vice [Playaway]

Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon

Ron McLarty narrates this bizarre and wonderfully entertaining crime novel by Thomas Pynchon. Infusing the perfect hippie bravado to our central character Doc Sportello, McLarty transports us to this far out time. 

Filled with film and music references, original music (sung a capella by McLarty on the audiobook), hilarious dialog and a gritty tone, Pynchon creates a unique take on the detective novel. Doc, who is a long haired, stoner private-eye in Los Angeles at the close of the 1960's, is on the case to find a missing ex-girlfriend. Along the way, he has run ins with colorful characters in this backdrop of groovy pads, surf music and drug culture. 

Flower power is over and something darker is on the horizon.

Show Me the Magic

Show Me the Magic by Paul Mazursky

Writer/director/producer/actor Paul Mazursky's autobiography is an anecdotal collection of Hollywood tales, international adventures and reflections on growing up in Brooklyn. A real page turner, too! I ignored those around me and read this cover to cover in two evenings. Mazursky, who directed classics such as Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, Blume in Love, Tempest, Moscow on the Hudson and An Unmarried Woman, has plenty of interesting tales to share.

The author recalls showbiz run-ins with Stanley Kubrick (Mazursky's first major acting role was in Kubrick's Fear and Desire), Orson Welles, Peter Sellers, George Segal, John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood among others. What's possibly the most fascinating is his relationship with Federico Fellini. It's a touching friendship and their meeting is something of legend. In addition, Mazursky includes several letters from the great Italian film director in his book.

The title "Show Me the Magic" comes from one of the most exciting pieces of cinema history; a piece of dialog from Mazursky's adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Forever imprinted in my mind is the scene where John Cassavetes conjures up a small miracle... in a film that plays it straight up until that point. An unpredictable moment on screen and perfectly fitting coming the mind of a man who lived an exciting and unpredictable life.

Sensation: The Story of Tommy [DVD]

Sensation: The Story of Tommy a film by Martin R. Smith

I first heard the Who's Tommy as a teen or pre-teen after borrowing a copy from the Russell Library in Middletown, CT. That's really the age to delve into both the angst and sensitivity of the Who... in fact, it's the best time to explore music in general as that feeling of the world opening up to you begins. What followed this library trip was a huge Who obsession and, after the realization that Pete Townshend and I share a birthday, I was convinced there was some sort of connection between myself and the music. I'm sure I wasn't the only teenager who felt this way.

Martin R. Smith's documentary doesn't focus on the stellar musicianship of the band (that coverage can be found anywhere... I mean, listen to a Who album!); rather, it leads the viewer through Tommy's high concepts and tells the story of a band in a state of transition. It is evident we have a "pre" & "post"-Tommy Who for the history books. Tommy, an album many consider as the first "rock opera", legitimized Pete Townshend as a true composer, gave Roger Daltry the confidence to stand out front as the powerful lead singer (often in fringe), took the Who to opera houses around the world and turned the band into a stadium rock monster.

The film features interviews with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltry, John Entwhistle (archival), Keith Moon (archival), former Who manager Chris Stamp, Tommy album artist Mike McInnerney, Who biographers and a couple Rolling Stone Magazine nerds. It also has audio recordings of Townshend demos and several live performance clips.

The Art of the Steal [DVD]

The Art of the Steal a film by Don Argott

The Art of the Steal is a documentary that addresses the issue of public ownership of artwork. Don Argott's film focuses on a much heated conflict in the state of Pennsylvania concerning the Barnes Collection and Foundation. Albert Barnes, a wealthy chemist turned art collector, acquired one of the most stunning Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections in the world. He housed this uniquely curated collection along with a school as the Barnes Foundation in Lower Merion, PA. After his death in 1951, it was made clear by his will that the collection would not move nor would any of the work be sold under any circumstances.

Here's where it gets interesting... Barnes's wishes were not shared with many of the powerful Philadelphia politicians and society members. As management changed hands, the film highlights political nonsense and a long spiral of undermining of the collection's owner over a sixty plus year period. Many issues arise in the dealings with the collection of art (now worth an estimated twenty-five billion dollars) and we really don't have a clear cut understanding of whose interests are actually being served.

The Art of the Steal is a fascinating look into both the political and art worlds.

What is Visible

What Is Visible by Kimberly Elkins

Kimberly Elkins' What Is Visible is one of the best books I have read in a long while. I wept through it's final chapters, and yet, upon finishing it I find myself already sorry that I had reached the end so soon. A work of historical fiction, What Is Visible tells the story of a number of celebrated figures at the Perkins School for the Blind in the mid-nineteenth century, including Samuel Gridley Howe and Julia Ward Howe, but most of all, the remarkable Laura Bridgman, who, at the age of two, lost her senses of sight, hearing, taste, and smell. Although she relied almost completely on her sense of touch to perceive the world, Laura would learn English, and could read, so long as the print was raised so that she could feel the shape of the letters, could write, and conversed with others using a manual alphabet in which the two conversationalists would write or sign letters into each other's hands.

A world without sight, sound, smell or taste is difficult for most of us to imagine, but, as this book shows, none of these senses are essential, and it serves us well to spend some time imagining a life without them. Each chapter of the novel is written from the perspective of a different character. Most are written from Laura's perspective, but many are written from the perspective of Julia Ward Howe, the suffragist and poet, or from that of Laura's teachers, including her most famous teacher, the abolitionist, educator, and phrenology devotee, Samuel Gridley Howe (who was also Julia's husband). Elkins writes a compelling and moving portrait of each of these characters, and the story they tell together is both Laura's story and a fascinating glimpse at a small portion of 19th century America life. The stories told here are full of hardship and melancholy, but also of hope and perseverance and occasionally even joy. They are the stories of remarkable people with remarkable ideas, and of how they did, and did not get along.

I loved this story and the way it was told, and I can say with confidence that this is a book I will want to reread. I don't feel that way often.

Troubadour [Music CD]

Troubadour by the Stepkids

The Stepkids are a soul/jazz/rock/psychedelic/experimental trio from Bridgeport, CT. Their second album, Troubadour, is a wonderful collection of 70's and 80's inspired rhythm & blues and funk.

We're led into the album by a plunky banjo and what can be described as an earnest narrator. After the brief intro, it's off to the races with falsetto vocals, wild synthesizers, funky drumming, jazzy guitar and badass bass playing. The fun never stops either! While "The Lottery" sounds like a modern take on a Steely Dan tune, "Sweet Salvation" comes across like a hit from an era gone by with its soulful harmonies, synths and electric sitar.

At this point, I'm realizing that I've mentioned so many diverse (and possibly conflicting) genres. However, that's really the beauty of what the Stepkids do. Their musicianship allows the boys to take the music to so many areas and their superb songwriting reigns all of these various elements into a perfect funky, pop music collage.

In One Person

In One Person by John Irving

I'm glad I read John Irving's In One Person, though I almost gave up on it in the first few pages. The rambling conversational tone took some getting used to, and the sexually explicit language did not yet seem justified. Something in the quirky characterization of the protagonist, Billy, kept me reading and as the conversational tone became familiar and Irving's wonderful story telling took over, I soon found it difficult to put the book down.

What began as a strangely narrated story of a quirky child soon becomes an engaging coming-of-age story, then a touching examination of the life of a bisexual man in a world that is deeply uncomfortable with his bisexuality and the gender bending behavior of those he loves, and eventually a stark look at the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

Over the course of the novel John Irving illustrates the changing attitudes towards cross-dressers and transwoman in American society from the 1940s until the turn of the millennium. While his portraits are certainly not representative they are believable and always sympathetic.

There is nothing titillating about In One Person despite its sexually explicit language and themes. This is a story about friendships, crushes, prejudice and acceptance.