Category: Stu’s Reviews

Film Review- The Master

Title: The Master

Genre: Film

Grade: A-/B+

Notable People: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Dern; directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Review Whoa- this is one intense movie. Basic story of a damaged GI returning from the Big One who seeks meaning in a religious cult led by the alternately charismatic and wacky Hoffman. It’s a pretty subtle portrayal of this kind of craziness; Hoffman does quiet manipulation and a lot of laughing rather than hellfire and brimstone, As always, he is beyond brilliant (I have begun to think he may be the premier actor of his generation), Phoenix is good (though not all that nuanced) as the tortured seeker (I kept thinking he was going to start singing “I Walk the Line”) and Adams and Dern are very effective in polar opposite parts . The real star of the show, though, is director Anderson- who has captured the time and the angst with great intensity and amazing attention to detail. This movie was unusually shot at 65 MM and it brings out the 1950’s well with vibrant Technicolors and perfect costumes/scenery. Anderson previously did Boogie Nights and There Will be Blood- so he has both a strong pedigree and a deserved reputation for being on the edge. This movie could be disturbing to some and too slow for others. I found it a “must watch”

Book Review- The Christmas Kid

Title: The Christmas Kid

Genre: Short Stories

Grade: A

Notable People: Pete Hamill

Review I’m not often a big short story fan- but was totally captivated by this set of stories about a Brooklyn neighborhood from post war through the early 80’s . Hamill is a native and lifelong Brooklynite and a great writer. He wrote for many years for the NY Post in its glory days alongside Jimmy Breslin and Norman Mailer. His feel for place and characters in perfect. I had to stop myself form going through this book of stories all at once. What characters!

Novel Review- Angle of Repose- Wallace Stegner

Title: Angle of Repose

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+

Notable People: Wallace Stegner

Review This is an old book (1971) that i had never read before- by Stegner, who some consider one of the great American writers of the 20th century. It is a fascinating (but very slow) autobiographical novel that moves from his time in the 1960’s back to his grandmother’s life story amidst the settling of the West. His GM was indeed a pretty famous artist and writer and gave up her cultured east coast life to go west with his engineer grandfather- who was engaged in creating massive dams and waterways. A lot of the book is in the form of his grandmother’s letters- but they are quite a portrait of settling the west and the conflicts of a pre-feminist , feminist with following her husband to a series of brutal living situations in a primitive land. Very real; exceedingly well written- easiest read in short installments over a long period of time. Great and real characters.

Novel Review- Spooner- Pete Dexter

Title: Spooner

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+/B

Notable People: Pete Dexter

Review: I really liked this book- though I thought the second half petered out a bit. Dexter has been around awhile and wrote Deadwood about 15 years ago; I’ve read all his stuff and this one was quite a departure- pretty autobiographical and quite Tom Robbins-like in style. Story of a life- from 1950’s Deep south to Seattle at the turn of the century. A pretty funny and moving book with very short chapters- making it an ideal bedtime read.

Film Review- Side Effects

Title: Side Effects

Genre: Film

Grade: B+

Notable People: Jude Law, Mara Rooney, Catherine Zeta- Jones, Channing Tatum…Steven Soderbergh- Director

Review: Surprisingly good suspense yarn about mental illness, insider trading, pharmaceuticals and murder; quite a mélange of topics I’d say. Pull it off pretty well- with some really good red herrings. Law and Jones are very good. Rooney (Girl with Dragon Tattoo) is superb. Is Channing Tatum really the “sexiest man alive”? C’mon.

Novel Review- A Time to be Born- Dawn Powell

Title: A Time to be Born

Genre: Novel

Grade: B

Notable People: Dawn Powell

Review: got this boo as a Christmas gift. Strange but interesting story of the upper crust in pre-war America. Good story; well written. I think it is mostly tongue in cheek but who knows. Some focus on emerging feminism and very cynical on the economic titans of the time and their lifestyle. Depends on your taste- but I liked it.

Music Review- The List- Roseanne Cash

Title: The List

Genre: Album

Grade: A

Notable People: Roseanne Cash

Review: I don’t usually review older work s(I may have even reviewed this before) but I have been listening to this 2009 record for days and really loved by it. If you don’t know the story, when young Roseanne was getting ready to gout on the road with Papa Johnny for the first time in the mid 70’s-he told her she had to master this list of songs before she could go out. They were his great Americana song book (and now they are mine-and may be yours if you listen to this record). Beautifully arranged set with incredibly tasteful instrumentation and lovely vocals. Guest harmonies from Bruce, Elvis Costello, Jeff tweedy and Rufus Wainwright. If nothing else- check out Heartache by the Numbers, an old Harlan Howard chestnut- done with incredible verve by Roseanne and Elvis. Go get this record and listen to it ten times.

Film Review- Flight

Title: Flight

Genre: film

Grade: B+

Notable People: Denzel, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, Directed by Robert Zemekis

Review: Saw this at the discount theater as kind of “throw-off” and was very pleasantly surprised. Kind of a haunting film about alcoholism in the main stream. Denzel is puffy and great. Cheadle is slimy. Reilly is wonderful. Don’t see it right before you fly- a bit unsettling. Some pretty surprising plot turns here after some very predictable ones. Worth seeing

Novel Review- Buddhaland in Brooklyn

Title: Buddhaland in Brooklyn

Genre: Novel

Grade: B+

Notable People: Richard C. Morais

Review: Found this book at local library- intrigued by the title. Very interesting and well written book about lifelong journey of Japanese Buddhist Priest, his early years in small village in Japan and then his earthshaking assignment to bring the first American Buddhist temple to US….in Brooklyn. Touching and slyly amusing. A little slow at times but worth the time

Novel Review- Day After Night- Anita Diamani

Title: Day After Night

Genre: Novel

Grade: A-

Notable People: Anita Diamani

Review: Really, really well written and interesting book/story. True depiction of little known post war events in which Eastern European Jews made their way when liberated from concentration camps to their dreams in British held Israel. The British then interred them in their own mini-camps. This is the story of an escape from such a camp to life on the Kibbutz- told through the eyes of four young woman survivors. Sweet and bittersweet at once, it chronicles the last months of the British empire there and the seedlings of modern Israel. I read it in two days-quite compelling.