Reviews
I've been meaning to review a bunch of books, movies, CDs and games lately but just haven't gotten around to it. I seem to be reading, playing or watching too much to bother with blogging these days. Here they are, in no particular order:
"The Village" (DVD). This M. Night Shyamalan flick got widely panned when it came, with virtually everyone saying they could see the twist coming a mile away. Roger Ebert gave it a one star, an utterly unjustifiable ranking. I guess I'm in the minority because I was actually surprised by the ending and thought the premise was intriguing. Moreover, the acting was phenomenal, especially Adrian Brody, who simply was that village idiot. I haven't seen a more disturbingly believable halfwit portrayal since Billy Bob Thorton in "A Simple Plan". The movie's not perfect, but people are just wrong for saying that the premise is "unbelievable". This is a guy whose previous three movies were about a kid who sees ghosts, a guy who discovers he's a superhero, and an alien invasion. It's called "suspension of disbelief", and it will serve you well when watching "The Village".
"Both Sides of the Gun" (CD). This is arguably Ben Harper's best album since 1997's "Will to Live". The double-disc has one set of lush acoustic numbers, and one set of electric-driven songs ranging from blaxsploitation-style funk to slide guitar blues. Highights are "Cryin' Won't Help You", the hand-clapping "Get It Like You Like It" and the grinding slide epic "Serve Your Soul".
"The Raconteurs" (CD). Talk about catchy. Rock n' roll savior Jack White is back, and he brought some friends. White and his fellow Detroit rockers shine in this perfect little pop album. "Hands", "Broken Boy Soldiers" and "Yellow Sun" are among the standouts, showing influences from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin. My only complaint is that with only 10 tracks of about 3 minutes each, the album is over waaay too soon.
"Guests of the Ayatollah" (Book). Mark Bowden made his mark with "Black Hawk Down", a meticulous reconstruction of the events surrounding the downing of a U.S. helicopter in Somalia. For the past five years, he has been researching and writing this book about the Iranian revolution and the ordeal suffered by dozens of American hostages for 444 days. Packed with scrupulous detail about the shocked Americans, their often bumbling captors, and the diplomatic back-and-forth that went on behind the scenes, "Guests" looks set to become the definitive work on the incident. A must-read for anyone who is interested in Iranian-American relations today.
"The Village" (DVD). This M. Night Shyamalan flick got widely panned when it came, with virtually everyone saying they could see the twist coming a mile away. Roger Ebert gave it a one star, an utterly unjustifiable ranking. I guess I'm in the minority because I was actually surprised by the ending and thought the premise was intriguing. Moreover, the acting was phenomenal, especially Adrian Brody, who simply was that village idiot. I haven't seen a more disturbingly believable halfwit portrayal since Billy Bob Thorton in "A Simple Plan". The movie's not perfect, but people are just wrong for saying that the premise is "unbelievable". This is a guy whose previous three movies were about a kid who sees ghosts, a guy who discovers he's a superhero, and an alien invasion. It's called "suspension of disbelief", and it will serve you well when watching "The Village".
"Both Sides of the Gun" (CD). This is arguably Ben Harper's best album since 1997's "Will to Live". The double-disc has one set of lush acoustic numbers, and one set of electric-driven songs ranging from blaxsploitation-style funk to slide guitar blues. Highights are "Cryin' Won't Help You", the hand-clapping "Get It Like You Like It" and the grinding slide epic "Serve Your Soul".
"The Raconteurs" (CD). Talk about catchy. Rock n' roll savior Jack White is back, and he brought some friends. White and his fellow Detroit rockers shine in this perfect little pop album. "Hands", "Broken Boy Soldiers" and "Yellow Sun" are among the standouts, showing influences from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin. My only complaint is that with only 10 tracks of about 3 minutes each, the album is over waaay too soon.
"Guests of the Ayatollah" (Book). Mark Bowden made his mark with "Black Hawk Down", a meticulous reconstruction of the events surrounding the downing of a U.S. helicopter in Somalia. For the past five years, he has been researching and writing this book about the Iranian revolution and the ordeal suffered by dozens of American hostages for 444 days. Packed with scrupulous detail about the shocked Americans, their often bumbling captors, and the diplomatic back-and-forth that went on behind the scenes, "Guests" looks set to become the definitive work on the incident. A must-read for anyone who is interested in Iranian-American relations today.
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