The Movie List - January

The Man Who Knew Too Much - (1956) - I have a short list of actors I will watch in anything.  James Stewart is on that list (other names Henry Fonda, Denzel Washington.  There might be a couple more but none spring instantly to mind).  Add in Alfred Hitchcock directing and I just can't stay away.  And the movie lives up to expectations.  Actually it goes beyond expectations because Doris Day is quite good here.  I forget sometimes that she could be an excellent actress.  Her bout of hysteria when told her character's son was kidnapped was uncomfortable in its sincerity.   Stewart and Day play tourists who get caught up along the edges of political assasination.  It has all the hallmarks of one of Hitchcock's masterpieces.  Tension that is burst by the drop in bit of whimsey followed by the tension rising again.  I'm always torn watching his movies between being drawn into the story and watching his craftsmanship.
A movie worth seeing.

Hereafter - (2010) Matt Damon stars as a man who can talk with the spirits of the dead.  But he's come to the realization that it's not a gift but a curse.  His life will intersect with a French reporter (Cécile De France) and a young English boy (Frankie/George McLaren) and all of their lives will be changed forever.  I was doing fine right up to the end.  I really enjoyed the movie till the final scene.  Which was stupid.  Just pointless and a let down and...well, stupid.  It was really a dsiappointment at the end of an otherwise Ok movie.

Cinema Paradiso - (1988) A Italian film (with sub-titles) about one man's love for the movies and the small town where he grew up.  The movie has a wonderful lush feel to it.  The characters are wonderful as well.  If there's a problem it's long enough to be two movies.  It clocks in at just shy of 3 hours.  It's worth the time but good Lord.  I really enjoyed this movie.  So if you have a long afternoon free it's definitely worth watching.


Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows - (2011) Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law are back as Holmes and Watson.  Did you like the first one?  You'll probably like this.  Are you a Holmes purist?  You'll probably hate this as well.  So here's my thoughts.  I love the original stories and these aren't those.  But they are a helluva lot of fun.  I wish they didn't spend quite so much time having Holmes (referred to as "Sherly" by his brothe Mycroft) punch his way out of trouble.  It gets annoying and seems to be on the upswing from movie #1 to #2 which is sad.  But Downey and Law have so much fun with these roles I have to admit that I enjoy the movies.  So think of them as an alternate universe kind of steam punk interpretation of the stories and enjoy.  Good fun.

Casino Royale -(1967)  This is late '60s parody version of the James Bond book.  Apparently it was something of a disaster from the beginning.  It went over budget.  Two of the stars, Peter Sellers and Orson Welles, loathed each other and Sellers refused to be on set at the same time as Welles.
Incoherent is probably a very good description of this movie.  Given that there are something like a dozen people given credit (public or otherwise) for the screenplay and close to a half dozen for directing that may not be surprising.  The cast is a spot the stars spectacular but the movie is disappointing overall.  Too often it falls into the worst habit of parodies when they are self conciously trying to be clever.  Several pointless dance segments and what is essentially the single joke of the script drag it down quite badly.  David Niven stars as the "original" James Bond 007.  He's cool, intellectual and chaste.  He has no use for those who have come after him who bear his name and number. It's all quite silly and pointless.  Fortunately I've only wasted a cold and snowy afternoon on this one. The only thing worse is the 1950's TV version that's included on the disc. Ideally I'd give it a 2.5 star rating.

The Graduate (1967)  Here's a classic movie that pretty much everyone figures they know.  I know I've seen it before but was surprised by what I had forgotten.  Sure there's the classic lines  ("You're trying to seduce me Mrs. Robinson" and "Plastics"), and the characters and the wedding scene at the end of the movie.  What I'd forgotten was what a manipulative and vindictive woman Mrs. Robinson is.  I'd forgotten just how indecisive and feckless Ben Braddock is.  The movie is a wonderful look at the shallow world of upper middle class America in the '60s.  A classic movie and worth the look.

The Books List

I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of Christian fiction.  Too much is just not up to contemporary standards.  And I've noticed that more of them seem to be written for church book groups rather than just written the way other novels are.  Otherwise how do you explain that they all seem to come with discussion questions at the end?  May be unfair but it makes me take them less seriously.  Having said that I'verecently read two.  One reinforced my opinion and the other was the exception that proved the rule.

The Book of Days - James L. Rubart - The concept sounded intriguing.  The search for a book actually written by God (not inspired by or even placed into the minds of men.  An actual book written by God's own hand) which shows all the days of every person's life - past, present and future.  A young man is told about it by his father and wife just before each of them die.  And it may save him from losing his mind.  Interesting concept even if I have certain theological concerns.  Hey, I'm broadminded.  The problems are many.  The writing feels like that of a talented high school student.  The characters are cardboard cutouts and the really interesting issues raised by the story never really get explored.  Important story points never get explained.  I'll admit I read the book through to the end because I kept hoping that the story would resolve in an interesting fashion.  It didn't.
Rating - ** (Not Impressed)

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow - Joyce Magnin - This is a bit of Jan Karon's Mitford and Garrison Keillor's Lake Woebegone.  It's the story of a morbidly obese woman, Agnes Sparrow, who retreats to her home and prays for anyone and everyone.  When her prayers begin to make a difference in people's lives Agne's life suddenly gets complicated.  Filled with quirky but real characters Magnin shows a wonderful deft touch with dialogue and characterization.  There's faith woven through the whole thing but it's not intended to brow beat you.  The first book in a series about the folks in the little town of Bright's Pond PA.  This book was simply a delight to read.  I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected and have recommended it to friends already.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)

In other reading -

Napoleon's Pyramids - William Dietrich - Here's a really fine piece of historical fiction from a former news reporter who has move successfully into both fiction and non-fiction.  Part of a series about his recurring character Ethan Gage.  Gage is an American caught up in the intrigues of Napolean Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt.  Is he one of Bonaparte's savants, an English spy or just a young man in over his head?  Dietrich does a wonderful job of bringing together the exploration/invasion of Egypt where Napolean did indeed bring along over a hundred wise men to help him understand this ancient civilization.  Along the way Gage gets involved in some high intrigue and repeated physcial danger.  All while not really understanding why he's there or what anyone wants from him.  This is the kind of book that kept me up at night reading long past my bed time.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)

The Limit - Michael Cannell - This is the story of the events leading up to the 1961 Formula 1 racing championship, the first ever won by an American.  The central characters are Enzo Ferrari, founder, visionary and undisputed boss of the auto maker that bears his name, Baron Wolfgang von Trips, only son of a minor German noble family with the desire to live fast and drive fast and Phil Hill, California boy who loved cars and racing and became the first great American international driver.  By the time the end of the '61 racing season ended they would see many of their friends and drivers die in pursuit of the ultimate racing title.  It's a well told story of the greatest racing series in the world.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)

Relentless -  Robin Parrish -  Sigh.  I'm torn on this book.  For the vast majority of this book I REALLY liked it.  Liked the writing, liked the concept, liked the characters, liked the plot.  It's the story of a man who suddenly in the middle of his morning discovers himself in another man's body and watches himself walking away down the street.  Suddenly he has a new identity and some frightening new skills. It brings with it the aspects of science fiction and techno thriller that is guaranteed to lure me in.  And it did.  But two things take away from the book for me.  There is a strange 5-10 page writing blip about 125 pages in where the quality of writing plummets.  It recovers and the rest of the book is fine but those few pages just glare.  Then about two thirds of the way into the book the plot swerves into a fantasy/supernatural vein that I don't think was properly set up.  So at the end of book I felt let down by the author.  He led one way then changed directions without a good reason or explanation.  The book is the first in a trilogy but you don't even get the whole set up in this first book.So that kicks this down one rating.  The author also has this bizarre habit of suddenly jumping from scene to scene in a chapter without any indication.  Really annoying.
Rating - *** (Good Read)

The Inside Ring - Mike Lawson - An attempt on the life of the President of the United States narrowly misses, killing instead an old friend of the Chief Executive.  When a note surfaces that claims that the President's security team has been compromised the Speaker of the House of Representatives sends his trouble shooter Joe DeMarco to figure out what the the truth is.  This is Lawson's first novel and he shows a fabulous grip on what makes a thriller.  The book can be shocking at times with some gritty realism.  Lawson keeps a solid grip on it and drives the story home. I was deeply impressed by the book.  Well with one minor exception.  There's a little plot twist at the very end that strikes me as artificial and silly.  But it's such a small thing, even in the context of the story, that I can't deduct too many points from the book.
Ratting - **** Recommended Read

Amos Walker - The Complete Story Collection - Loren D Estleman - I'd never heard of the author or his signature private detective character Amos Walker.  By the end of the book it was clear I'd comitted a major oversight.  Walker comes from the tradition of the hard boiled detective.  He's terse and gritty and fascinating to follow.  These are short stories and well worth the read.  If you love detectives and want some quick involving reading then you want to grab this collection right now.
Rating - **** Recommended Read

Clues to Christie - The Definitive Guide to Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tommy & Tuppence and All of Agatha Christie's Mysteries - This is a short introduction (77 pages) to all of the First Lady of Mystery's works.  It also includes three lesser known stories of three of her best known characters.  It was a very interesting read that filled in some details that I never knew about Christie.  She wrote more widely than I'd ever realized.  Christie fans should read this.  Mystery fans should read this as well.
Rating - ****


Chili con Corpses - J.B. Stanley - This is a fun little mystery that centers on a group of friends who gather to share food and friendship.  Along the way they solve a mystery or two.  In this one they are trying to solve a few damaged love lives and learn to cook classic Mexican foods as well.  The author gets your mouth watering for the dishes described and offers recipes for them as well.  Several of the mysteries I've read recently have been heavy, serious stories.  Stanley creates a much lighter and light hearted story.  It was a fun read.
Rating - ***

View From the Phlipside Radio - Shark Week

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

I’m gonna fess up right up front.  I don’t get the whole Shark Week thing, I’ve never gotten the whole Shark Week thing and I’m not sure I’m ever going to get the whole Shark Week thing.  In case you don’t know what I’m talking about Shark Week is a week long series of specials on Discovery Channel about, you guessed it, sharks.  The underlying rationale is that the specials help the regular person have more respect for sharks.  Sharks.  Big teeth, think of me as lunch.  What more do I need to know?

Now that attitude kind of leaves me out of the “cool kids” group, again, because Shark Week has become a blockbuster TV event.  Last year’s audience set a record with over 30 million unique viewers.  On the air since 1987 it’s now the longest running cable TV event of all time.  And it’s seen in 72 countries.

Color me - puzzled.

But the folks who bring the world Shark Week are not puzzled in any way shape or form.  They know a winner when they see it and in true TV fashion they are leaping on the bandwagon.  Even if it’s their own bandwagon.  Discovery Channel’s sister network Animal Planet has announced that this spring they will be offering... MONSTER WEEK!  And even better than that it will actually run for more than a week!

This show will stay true to the basic concepts of Shark Week.  The monsters are water born and most of them would view their fans as tasty morsels.  Jeremy Wade will host the week.  He should feel right at home since his regular gig on Animal Planet is a show called River Monsters.

I really do begin to wonder about the TV viewing public after a while.  I mean look at what some of our favorite TV viewing is.  There’s all the CSI and police procedurals that feature our fellow man dieing in as many hideous ways as possible.  On top of that we have things like Criminal Minds and Dexter which features human beings at their most twisted and depraved.  Now we want more, more, more of scary beasts that want to eat us.  

Now THAT’S entertainment.

But a woman’s nipple exposed for less than a second during the Super Bowl is the end of the world as we know it.

Nope I just don’t get it at all.

Call that the View From the Phlipside.

View From the Phlipside Radio - Cars and Media

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

By now I’m guessing you’ve caught on to the fact that I am seriously into the media.  Maybe even beyond the point that a grown man of advancing years should acknowledge but there it is.  What you may not know is that I am also something of a car guy.  I come by that honestly because my dad was a big time car guy.  His first job out of college was in the design department at Ford, on their honeymoon he took my mother to the Detroit Auto Show and before I was allowed to drive his cars I had to be able to explain how an internal combustion engine worked, identify the major systems of a car and be able to change a tire and the oil.  I grew up in a serious car household.

So imagine my unfettered joy when two of my great passions come together in a single story.  In the last week or two the folks at Ford and the the folks at National Public Radio have announced a partnership that will put a special app in new Fords that will give you direct access to programming from NPR.  That story in and of itself is no big deal even if you’re an NPR fan as I am.  

What got me about the story is the ever increasing amount of media that is now available in cars.  And it begins to worry me.  The worst idea, putting a video screen in the middle of the steering wheel, seems to have died off.  Which is wonderful from my point of view.  Even so you’re seeing more and more screens in cars.  The Tesla electric sports car boasts a 17 inch screen that basically takes over all the functions of the dashboard.  At the other end of the cost scale the brand new Dodge Dart has a screen for dashboard functions plus a second one for things like climate control and sound system.

But what really worries me is the advent of voice control for media in cars.  All of this MIGHT be a distraction if you let it but what happens when people from anywhere in the car can start affecting distraction inspiring stuff inside the car?  In my lifetime car radios were options.  Now we have music, phone, video, web access, and most of them can be fired up by a three year old in the back seat.

Somewhere along the line we need to remember that we are in a vehicle that weighs around a ton or more at speeds that can be well in excess of a mile a minute.  We drive them in situations that require great concentration.

Forgetting that, even for a second, can get you in a lot of trouble.  Something else my father taught me.


Call that the View From the Phlipside

View From the Phlipside Radio - Sofia Vergara

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside.

I’ve always been amused by the disinclination of many top American actors to do commercials in the United States market.  The idea has always been that you don’t want to get “over-exposed” because then the audience might get tired of you.  As a general rule many of these same stars have absolutely no problem what so ever about doing commercials overseas.  The money is generally great, advertising shoots are short and then you’re back home.  I’ve never really bought that argument.  It seems more likely that in the quick turn around world of advertising the stars don’t to play star the way some of them would like.

There used to be an argument against doing commercials that involved the dread concept of “selling out”.  Now this is more of a ‘60’s generation thing because stars prior to that did advertising all the time.  Even as a child of the ‘60’s myself (meaning that I was in fact a CHILD in the ‘60’s) I’ve found this one to be pretentious nonsense as well.  Selling out is advertising a product or service you actively don’t believe in just for the money.  For most actors it’s mostly advertising products they don’t care one way or the other about.  It’s a job, and I have no problem with that.

But I have to admit I really respect what actress Sofia Vergara is doing.  Vergara is the drop dead gorgeous Columbian actress who currently stars in ABC’s “Modern Family”.  She’s moved her career from hosting shows on Univision to multiple Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Emmy nominations.  She’s reached the point where she probably doesn’t NEED to be doing commercials any more.

And she’s doing a new Pepsi ad anyway.  In fact flying in the face of the old school thinking she’s doing the Pepsi ad in part as recognition of the place Pepsi has had in her career.  Early in her career she did a spot for Pepsi that Vergara gives a great deal of credit for launching her.  So she’s remembering who helped get her here and is staying loyal to them.

That’s selling out in the best possible way, selling out to loyalty.  I don’t think we should ever get tired of seeing that.

Call that the View From the Phlipside.