North by Northwest

This 1959 Albert Hitchcock movie is one of his best. Starring Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill and Eva Marie Saint as Eve Kendall this is a mistaken identity plot gone far and long.

Roger Thornhill is a ad executive who as he puts in supports a mother, two ex wives and several bartenders. As he dines one day a waiter asks for a Mr Kaplan in the room. At the same time Thornhill asks the waiter to come over prompting two gentleman to confirm in their minds that he is Kaplan.

As he goes to make a phone call he is grabbed and whisked away. Over the course of the next two hours we see a plot take Thornhill from a meeting with those who assume who they think he is, a perilous journey down a winding seaside road, The United Nations, a ticketless train trip, an art auction in Chicago and ends at Mt Rushmore. This is truly a seat of your pants movie.

Grant is superb, playing a nonplussed ad exec thrust into the role of superspy caught between both the good guys and the bad guys with a romance adding to the mix.

in Hitchcock's cameo in this movie he portrays a man who misses the bus in the opening credits. He did not miss the bus on this movie. Four stars.

Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

I am not sure about this book. I picked it up because the coverlet seemed like an interesting story but at 600 pages was not convinced at all that it would be worth the investment. The book starts slowly as we are introduced to various characters in the book. These include Carl an upper member of the Seabrook academy for boys who is a drug dealing lunatic to Skippy a second year who is small for his size and lives with a heavy burden.

The main character if there is one is Skippy. Several faculty members including the acting Principal known as the Automator and Harold a young teacher who 10 years ago had been graduating from Seabrook. Howard the Coward as he is known is a figure most of us can relate too. He has what he wanted but then wants more and in the process loses it all.

Skippy's roommate Ruprecht is a Science spewing genius. It is noted he raises the Seabrook test scores 4 percent all by himself. Ruprecht is obsessed with string theory and unfortunately donuts which make him larger and larger. His dream is to go to Stanford.

Skippy falls in love with a day student at St Brigid's academy which is placed conveniently across the quad from his dorm room. Most of the girls at St Brigid's have been ensnared in a diet pill popping scheme run by Carl and his friend Barry. Skippy gets caught in a triangle in which he is used for cover for some very grown up activities.

As you can see there is alot going on. Still the book takes a decidedly darker turn in the last third. There we find crippled teachers getting students drunk, taking advantage of them, and in the name of protecting the school getting away with it. We see Lorelei, the girl of Skippy's dreams reduced to an anorexic mental patient and we see Ruprecht obsess over how he could have saved Skippy if he had not been so self absorbed.

The unanswered question is what teenager is not self absorbed. Indeed what person?

A good book, a bit of a haunting book. I am still undecided on how good I think it was.

Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan

I could not sleep the other night and my ipad was dead so the only choice I had for music was my phone. Luckily I did have a little Bob Dylan on my phone. Listening to this album I was reminded again how very special it was.

Dylan made several classic albums in the sixties. Over and over he bested himself with Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde. From there his albums such as New Morning and John Wesley Harding while good did not measure up in his fans eyes.

Released in January 1975 Blood on the Tracks set a more modern benchmark in Dylan's career. With future releases not measuring up to or in the case of Time Out of Mind being the best album since, Blood on the Tracks is a demarcation point in his career.

Many speculate that Dylan was writing about his own life in a confessional way. He and his then wife Sara were in the process of splitting up and many of the songs do tend to deal with heartache and loss. Still Dylan insists he did not write his own life.

The album opens with one of the few songs in the Dylan canon that are included in almost every show. Tangled up in Blue remains one of the most popular Dylan songs, there are numerous verses and versions which are added and dropped depending on what seems to be Bob's mood. A great song.

Simple Twist of Fate is another concert staple, Dylan performed that last year here in Bangor. With each verse ending up in the same place it is easy to enjoy.

Your a Big Girl Now and Your Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go are two songs that were Zimmy to be talking to Sara these would be two of the songs he was using.

Idiot Wind is one of my favorites from the album. Bob stretches out the word Idiot into more syllables than you or I would and it is one I always enjoy. Years ago I heard a live version that was good too.

Side Two, in old album terms, starts with Meet in the Morning and ends with Shelter from the Storm and Buckets of Rain. The latter is another of my personal favorites.

Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts is a song that perhaps only Dylan could get away with, certainly in 1975. The song told over a consistent chord and riff in sing-talk Dylan style tells us all about what took place on a day in the west of old.

Outside of Tangled the most recognizable and perhaps best song on the album is If You See Her Say Hello. A song of Dylan telling friends what to say to an ex lover should they come across her and beseeching them to stop by if she is passing through. A song that we all can sing and many of us have lived it is Dylan, confessional or not, at his best.

This album consistently lands in the Top 10 or 20 albums of the rock era when those lists come out. It is in that place deservedly so. A fantastic album.

Elf

While It's a Wonderful Life may help us to count our blessings what Elf does for us, year after year, is make us laugh.

We watched this right before Christmas with my daughter who loves this movie and can recite certain parts by heart. I knew we were in for it when she showed up with her Santa, I know him shirt.

For those few who have somehow missed this movie in it's constant airplay every December it tells the tale of Buddy the Elf played hilariously by Will Ferrell. Buddy is not an elf, years ago he crawled into a toy bag as Santa visited an orphanage and now as a full grown elf something is wrong. He towers above the other kids and he crushes his Dad, played by Bob Newhart, when he sits on his lap.

His elf father tells him his father is a businessman in New York. This man, played by James Caan, is on the naughty list. Buddy sets off to find him and has a host of adventures in the big city. He works at a store, meets a girl who sings like an angel ( Zooey Deschanel ) and becomes part of his father's new family. In the end Buddy saves Christmas and helps Santa played in this movie by Ed Asner.

This is a great family movie. There is nothing here to hide your kids from, no double entendres. This is a movie we can all enjoy. Will Ferrell is a joy in this role.

The Hangover II

I thought The Hangover was a very funny movie. It was also the source of contention in our home as our middle child, 13 at the time, was sure he should be allowed to see it while my wife was sure he should not. After watching this second movie I am not sure that I should be allowed to see it.

This movie is funny. It is not the original. It could well be that having seen the first one that the second which follows much the same trajectory could not be as funny. We already know what is coming.

Zach Galifinakas might be one of the funniest people in movies today and he does not disapoint. He makes me laugh just by looking at him. His portrayal of an innocent in the world around him, too honest for his own good is funny. Still the whole Bangkok has him theme gets old. A few too many Oriental stereotypes happen and I squirmed a bit at hearing what happened to Alan with the man in drag.

That did allow for some more of the Galifinakas humor but it still made me uncomfortable. Mike Tyson reprises his role as Mike Tyson and is funny again.

Still I cannot give this movie much more than an average rating. It was like seeing a repeat that for some reason was nowhere near as funny as the first time.

Apocalypse Now

I have heard many references to this 1979 film by Francis Ford Coppola. The story tells of Special Operations Agent Willard played by Martin Sheen. Willard is assigned the job of journeying up river into Cambodia, not a war zone at the time, and terminating a renegade Colonel who has established his own independent fighting unit of native tribesman.Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando, hovers over the movie.

As the story is set in Vietnam I was not aware that the film is based on the Conrad novel Heart of Darkness. Certainly however it does fit, the scene and century is different but the tail of going up river in a hostile area to find a white man gone power mad with locals as his army is one that transfers.

As Willard starts on his mission he meets interesting characters played by Robert Duvall and others including a very young Laurence Fishburne.

When he arrives far enough into Cambodia to reach the Colonel's stronghold he is allowed entry. There he meets a hopped up photographer played by Dennis Hopper, played very authentically I might add and eventually is brought into the presence of Kurtz.

Brando first appears on screen with his face hidden. His impact on the movie is severe. Though he appears in a limited way over the last quarter of the movie only, knowing that he will be in the movie makes one wait for the moment. Head shaved, voice a rasp Kurtz spins tales and lessons, soliloquy's only he understands.

At the movie's climax Sheen and the one survivor of his crew leave the village with Kurtz last words of " The horror, the horror" ringing in their ears.

I thought this was a good movie, but not a great one. Still some of the scenes are iconic and deservedly so. Brando was an amazing actor and Sheen does not overact in his role, in many ways his voice is in the narration advances the story as much as his actions on the screen.

It's a Wonderful Life

How many times have we all seen this movie. Five times? Ten Times? More? Yet tonight we watched it again. Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey. Donna Reed as his wife Mary. Bert, Ernie, Uncle Billy and Mr. Potter.

The story has become a Christmas story but it is not really. The day that the major event takes place is Christmas Eve but it could be any day. Jimmy Stewart is extremely likable as George Bailey. A man who as a youth had many dreams and they all consisted of getting out of the one horse town of Bedford Falls but continually gets pulled back. First the death of his father, then his brother's decision to marry and even losing his honeymoon when there is a run on the bank.


We have all seen it so why do we watch it. Why do I watch it. I love Jimmy Stewart. Donna Reed was bueatiful and wholesome and fun to watch. As Clarence writes in his gift to George at the end of the movie, any man with friends is a rich man. George Bailey is as his brother toasts him " the richest man in town." A good and decent man, a man involved in his community. Today with the reputation of bankers around that of Congress the idea of a bank executive such as Stewart's George Bailey seems unlikely. It was unlikely for that time too however.

I teared up tonight watching the end. You know whats coming, still the look of Donna Reed's face lit up with joy as friends help them out, his brothers toast, even the bank examiner chipping in to help....it is a story we enjoy because who would not like to entertain the thought that when in trouble that many people would come to help them. Karma says you reap what you sow and for too many of us we are afraid what might come to us in our reaping.

George Bailey is a man we can all love. A man we could all strive to be.

It's a Wonderful Life is a morality tale told with sugar and not with spice. A great movie. I will watch it again next year.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

I guess not every book that the critics rave about is for me. It could be that when Faulkner writes about poor, illerate white folks and black folks in the tone of his day I can acknowledge his gift. This book written by a young African American writer tells of a poor family, assumingly black with a 14 year old protaganist, a girl named Esch who is pregnant.

I found this book to be nothing so much as depressing. Four chapters in and I quit. I have no desire to visit them anymore.

Please Come Home For Christmas by James Brown

Wow! After hearing this version of this song that is all I can say. James Brown made several Christmas recordings, I have not listened to them all but listening to this was a revelation.

This man could wail. Wow.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorow by Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse did earlier this year. Her album of a couple of years ago, Back to Black, had been one of the great albums of the first decade of the new century. Soul chanteuse bringing the sound of the early days of the soul rock era Winehouse could sing like few before and even fewer today.

Soon however her singing became the under card to a drawn out fight she had with personal problems an substance addiction. Her song Rehab had too many truths in it for our own comfort. It was a battle she lost this year.

Recently the album Hidden Treasures has been released. It contains many gems recorded by Winehouse over the last few years as she staggered through life. The album is strong if varied but no one song fully captures what we lost with her death as much as her take on The Shirelles classic " Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? "

Her beautiful voice silenced forever. A woman that could sing the phone book and leave you wanting more. This song haunts anyone who loves a voice that can take you places. It did not take her where it should have. What a shame.

Luminous Airplanes by Paul La Farge

Having read a year end review of books from the year 2011 had not received as much attention as they should have I came across this book. La Farge writes as an unnamed narrator. Returning from a Burning Man type concert in California to his apartment in San Fransisco he receives a call that his Grandfather has died in Thebes, New York. In being away he has missed the funeral and is being asked to come home and clean out his grandfather's home.

Told in a back and forth style in which we learn about the life of the narrator this book is very powerful. When arriving in Thebes he is surprised to see that his childhood friends Kerem and Yesim, Turkish Americans who lived next door to his Grandfather's house are again living in the home next door.

We hear about his childhood in New York with his twin sister mothers, his relationships in Thebes with his Turkish neighbors, his summers at his grandfathers, his life in San Fransisco and importantly his dead father Paul Ente who he never met.

Over the course of a year around the turn of the milenium we see him explore his past and figure out his future. This is a book that is hard to pigeonhole but it is a book that was much better than most current fiction. It is time and place fiction but it is something that were modern authors taken as seriously as those from the first half of the last century that might one day be revered. An excellent book.

Nevada Smith

Following the truism that any Steve McQueen movie is better than almost any other movie I watched this movie recently. In it McQueen plays Max Sands, a young half Indian living in the Far West in the period after The Civil War. Max is out riding one day when three riders ask if he knows a Mr Sands. This is Max's father. By the time Max gets home his Father and mother, who was an Indian have been tortured and killed.

Max makes it his mission to hunt down the men and kill them. Along the way he meets up with a Mr Cord played by Brian Keith who helps him find his way, and teaches him how to shoot. After locating the first killer dealing poker and killing him in a knife fight he discovers that another man has been captured in a robbery and put in prison. He gets himself arrested and chases him down in prison.

Eventually he has just the ringleader to track down. Tom Fitch played by Karl Malden. By now Fitch knows what has happened to his two counterparts and he is very nervous. When Sands meets up with the group he uses the name Nevada Smith and passes all of Fitch's tests to prove he is not the Sands that he is fearing.

Eventually Max reveals himself and while exacting his revenge he has given up murder as a result of the intervention of a priest who had taken him in when he had injured his leg. A notable quote is when the priest points out Jesus on the cross and tells him he came to earth to preach love and forgiveness Max Sands says " It looks like he must not have spoke to all of them as that looks worse than hanging. " So true Max Sands, Jesus does not get his message to everybody.

Not a great movie, far from it. McQueen is always watchable though. The King of Cool.

The Outsiders by S E Hinton

My daughter was given this book as an assignment in her 7th grade English class. Continuing my history of attempting to read many of the books, in most cases rereading, the books my children are assigned. This one was an easy one to embrace. Having read this book in school and enjoying it and having seen the movie I read this one in two evenings.

The story is an Oklahoma West Side Story. The story of 3 brothers Derry, SodaPop and Ponyboy whose parents were killed a year previous leaving them struggling to stay together. Self identifying as greasers they live in a caste system as clear as any you would find. Their rivals the Socials are the kids from the good side of town, they have cars and nice clothes and of course the classy girls.

The story revolves around Johnny a smallish sixteen year old friend of Ponyboy. As the boys are out late one evening they are unfortunate enough to run into a group of Soc and the events will change lives.

This is a good story. It would be good if it showed young folks the dangers of fighting and what can go wrong.

My daughter enjoyed it. So did I.

Bob Newhart

At the end of Horrible Bosses BobNewhart makes a cameo appearance. It reminded me of how talented this man is. Breaking into comedy in the sixties with albums such as The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart, famous for his telephone routines Newhart went on to star in two famous sitcoms. Watching the Bob Newhart show from the seventies is a trip and the show Newhart was at times fall down funny.

The finale of the latter series had an ending that is legendary and worked on every level. Johnny Carson is my all time favorite and Newhart was a frequent guest. His appearances always has the easy flair of two men who both hilarious new how to play off each other. Newhart also guest hosted from time to time. Many others did as well, which begs the question why no guest hosts today. Are our hosts that insecure that someone may do better than them?

Newhart appeared in Elf and was wonderful. He appeared in an incredible guest appearance on ER that I believe might have, and if not, should have won him an emmy.

Bob Newhart is still with us. While he is we should remember what a comic treasure he is.

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

End of the world books appear to be prevalent this fall. In this book the rapture has happened and the people left behind are not sure why they are left. What becomes obvious is that those people taken in what is called The Departure were not all Christians, were not all god fearing, some were certainly not good people.

One can imagine the confusion of those religeous folks that felt they had prepared for the rapture and as true beleivers were sure to go.

With all this going on in the background Perrotta takes us to Mapleton an average suburban town. We meet Kevin Garvey a middle aged retired liquor distributor who has become the cities mayor. Having lost his wife to a cult called The Guilty Remnant after the departure he is struggling to keep his high school daughter on the straight and narrow. His son Tom has joined a cult of a religeous leader called Wayne and has now been tasked with protecting Wayne's concubine who will be his vessel for the delivery of the savior to heal the world.

A strange book. A book of 350 pages in which while the characters themselves are well developed not much happens. Perhaps that is the message, that even after an apocolyptic event such as the rapture, people will still eventually be forucsed on thier own day to day events.

I read the book but truthfully by the end it was a bit disappointing, nothing was resolved and one wonders why they read 350 pages in which so little happened.

Maphead by Ken Jennings

I actually was interested in this book. I enjoy geography and thought that might be an enjoyable book. Jennings, known first and foremost as one of the Jeopardy champions that were on for a great length of time, clearly loves geography.

Still this book proves to be one that I stopped fifty pages in. Jennings may know trivia and facts but his writing is very clunky. Worse than that I thought his constant asides and jokes were either too much or not funny. And even worse than that at least one of his remarks was offensive. Stating his reverence for libraries, even city libraries that smell like homeless internet users, Jennings surely turned me off.

A very disappointing book

Jesus Was a Wino Too by Lydia Loveless

I have been hearing this song a bit on Outlaw Country. Until I looked her up on Google I assumed that Lydia was Patti's daughter. That turns out to not be the case.

What is the case however is that Lydia rocks. This song, despite it's irrelevant title is a stomp. It is impossible to listen to this song and not tap your feet or more dangerously drive faster.

This song stomps. A great tune.

Southern Rock Opera by The Drive By Truckers

This was the album that Patterson Hood and the boys were formed to make. Even as the first albums were recorded the band was writing songs for this album and setting them aside for the day when the Opera could be recorded.

This double album is thematically strong. It is a Southern Rock thing. Cliches are present. So is George Wallace, Alabama and the ever present ghost and story of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Does it work. My guess is that it depends on your outlook. I think this is a fantastic album. Some of these songs are very very good. A few go off the rails into just a little too much redneck even for me but when this album is good it is very good.

Some of the tracks of note include 72 ( This Highways Mean ), Zip City, Let There Be Rock and Women Without Whiskey.

The ghost of Skynyrd walks through Let There Be Rock, Cassie's Brother, Life In the Factory and the telling Angels and Fuselage.

Songs such as Wallace, Birmingham, The Southern Thing and Three Great Alabama Icons visit the political legacy of the sixties and seventies and how that affected young folks growing up in that era.

Shut Up and Get on the Plane is fun and one can hear the debt that The Hold Steady owe for their song Sequestered in Memphis. Music is something where one can always hear the refernces.

Writing this I realized I was not enthusiastic enough. This is a great album. The band ran out of money when recording their master work and took donations from fans, friends and family. We owe them all a debt.

This is a great album. This is a tight band. Listen today, Listen Tomorrow, Listen Often

Boston

In 1976 a debut album appeared by a group called Boston. Simply self titled the Boston debut album has had a lasting impact in rock history. It is a rare rock and roll music collection that does not have this seminal album in it.

With just eight tracks here is no fluff. Boston's sound was unique. With high harmonies, strong guitars and the mastery of Tom Scholz. Few bands have had such a cult around an unknown figure such as Schulz. Brad Delp sang and was a very good singer but Scholz was the face and name of the band.

The tracks on this album are one by one as strong as you would find. Fm Radio staples for thirty plus years when these songs come on the radio you either tap your foot and put your finger in your throat. If you loved them once you might be sick of them. They have been played until the grooves come off.

For me it is former. I turn them up.

More Than a Feeling with one of the most notable riffs in rock history, so good that it appears Kurt Cobain was listening when he made Smells like Teen Spirit. Peace of Mind and Long Time continued the progression. What perhaps makes the album so strong though are the additional cuts such as Rock and Roll Band, Smokin' and Hitchin a Ride are, as a result. of said FM radio airplay, almost as well known as the songs that charted.

The last two tracks, Something About You and Let Me Take You Home Tonight are also strong. The last cut being the first foray into, if not a ballad, at least an effort at the sensitive side.

Everyone loved this album in the seventies. Everyone owned it at least once. It is still a seminal album. I for one cannot be tired of it but it the background music for a certain group of people who grew up in a certain time and place.

As the greatest selling debut album of all time, until Guns and Roses came along, that is a large group of people indeed.

When Scholz died a couple of years ago I listened to it again. It ages well. It was one of the best constructed albums you will hear.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Stayed up way too late last night reading the last two hundred pages of this latest King doorstop. At eight hundred pages plus this book will be an investment of your time. Overall however the payoff is there.

In this book we meet Jake Epping a high school Science teacher recently divorced. Being newly single he dines often at a diner called Al's and enjoys the house special..a fatburger. As school lets out for the yer he gets a call from Al asking him to come by. When he arrives at the resteraunt he finds Al looking haggard and ill.

It comes to pass that Al has found a time portal. It takes him back to 1958 each time he goes. Having seen him the night before Epping is surprised to see him 30 pounds lighter, a whole lot grayer and looking close to death. In the time portal no matter how long your gone it is only two minutes on this side.

Al had been gone for five years trying to change history. Jake as they talk soon realizes what history he was trying to change five years from 1958 and refuses to consider fulfilling this mission.

As the book has over 750 pages left we know that Jake does. Stopping to fix a couple of local tragedies he is aware of on the way Jake them begins his movements to Dallas.

This is a very good book. A page turner. King has always been clunky when writing about love and Epping, called George Amberson in 1960 when he makes his way to the small town of Jodie, Texas develops a love interest. It is good for the story but not good for us to have to read King's references to lovemaking. Ewww.

Still a great book. Oswald, Kennedy and Epping/Amberson have a date with history or as it turns out several alternative dates. Which one will be the final outcome holds sway over all our futures.

The Sons of Katie Elder

This 1965 Western starred John Wayne and Dean Martin. Four brothers return home when word of their mothers death reaches them. John Elder played by Wayne and Tom Elder played by Martin join their brothers Bud and Matt. Upon arriving in town they discover that thier Mom had moved out of the family ranch.

Soon we see that no one wants to talk of the circumstances of their fathers death six months earlier and that much has changed in town since the arrival of a Mr Hastings who has big plans for the town and it's growth.

No movie with John Wayne will depart far from the expected and John Elder wants some answers. In the end he finds them and sets out to make things right.

A good movie. Not a great one. Wayne, himself pushing 60 at the time of this movie was a bit old for the role of the prodigal son. Dean Martin, per usual, was strong and likable in his role.

My Life as a Turkey

This special was featured on the PBS Nature program recently. My daughter and I often watch these Mature shows. They are extremely well done, the video is exceptional and in today's HD world the shows are usually as good as one would have seen on a movie screen.

In this show we see the unique story of Joe Hutto a naturalist who has been left a hatful of turkey eggs. Seeing this as an opportunity to attempt to get the turkey's to imprint on him Hutto is ready when the eggs crack. In fact he is communicating with chirps before the birds even hatch hearing them respond from inside the shell.

H is successful, when the birds are born they do adopt him as their mother. What follows over the course of the next year is nothing short of amazing. The birds adopt him fully. He spends the day with them from dawn to after dark. He teaches them how to perch. He walks them thru the woods. They crawl on him, sleep on him and nuzzle him.

Over the course of the year the flock loses a few members. Joe develops favorites including Sweet Pea who loves to nuzzle long after the other birds have grown more independent. Another favorite is Turkey Boy, the most boisterous of the males who stays with Joe after all the others have moved on but who is also the bird present for the culmination of Joe's year with the birds.

This is a great show. The Nature program is consistently strong, PBS is a network we often enjoy.

My Television Cancellations

I try to view as many new shows as I can. Those that I do view are those which I have at least some idea that I might like to add to our viewing lineup. Still a show that one enjoys at the beginning and one that is kept as a weekly commitment are often two different things and one certainly does not equal another.

I read an article about what shows have we as viewers cancelled recently. Not shows that were physically cancelled but that we as viewers hvae stopped watching.

For me a few come to mind. We have dropped Survivor. Same old, same old. My wife still watches Desperate Housewives. I do not. I have no desire to see anymore Dexter, it is the same old thing.

Yesterday I cancelled American Horror Story. Too dark, too weird.

What do we watch. Not much. Must see's each week are How I Met Your Mother, Last Man Standing, Parenthood, X Factor, The Middle, Modern Family, Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy and Saturday Night Live. From Cable The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels are on that list as well.

We also watch often but not always 60 Minutes and Brian Williams. That is ten hours a week. Of course much of that is on TIVO and shows like SNL and X Factor can be cut in half.

Add to that Jon Stewart, David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon and there are plenty of good shows to watch.