Roger Ebert introduces his newest book, A Horrible Experience of Unbearable Length by stating “After reviewing a truly good movie, the second most fun is viewing a truly bad one.” This volume includes more than 200 of his reviews since 2006 in which he gave movies two stars or fewer. In Pauline Kael A Life in the [...]
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Many of Charles Dickens’ novels have been adapted into films that have become classics. As part of the Dickens 2012 celebration, filming has begun on a new adaptation of Great Expectations. Cast members include Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham, Robbie Coltrane as Jaggers, and Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch.. [...]
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Here’s a more serious look at some of our celebrities. Patricia Bosworth looks at her friend Jane Fonda: The Private Life of a Public Woman. Exploring the life of the actress, fitness trainer and anti-war activist beyond her controversial public persona, she draws on private records to cover such topics as her complicated relationship with [...]
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Get a head start on some books made into movies which will be opening in theaters this spring! THE LINCOLN LAWYER In the first book in the Mickey Haller series by Michael Connelly, a lawyer conducts business from the back of his Lincoln Town Car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills. The movie stars Matthew [...]
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This morning, the thermometer in my car read -6 degrees. I want to be home, on the couch, under an afghan, watching movies – good movies. You too? As we look to entertain ourselves during the winter chill, how do we find a movie worth watching, when there are so many to choose from? One [...]
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Every now and then, there’s a new book published that has an unlikely appeal – a prime new example of this phenomenon is Harvard scholar Yunte Huang’s CHARLIE CHAN: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE HONORABLE DETECTIVE AND HIS RENDEZVOUS WITH AMERICAN HISTORY. The author, born in China but a long-time American citizen, is fascinated by the [...]
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We try to feature new books on this blog, but occasionally we like to go back in our time machine and unearth some long neglected works. This post’s buried treasure features prolific screenwriter Anita Loos, who is most famous for the book, musical and movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Its sequel, But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, was also popular, though it lacked Marilyn [...]
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Sometimes a book’s title nearly says it all – for example, the fun new read by Robert Sellers called HELLRAISERS: THE LIFE AND INEBRIATED TIMES OF RICHARD BURTON, RICHARD HARRIS, PETER O’TOOLE, AND OLIVER REED …. and if that title intrigues you, then I can guarantee an engaging and gossipy few hours. Sellers gives us [...]
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Opening soon is the movie The Lovely Bones, based on the novel by Alice Sebold, featuring a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. There have been many other [...]
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Opening in theaters Christmas Day, the movie Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as his sidekick Watson, promises a “dynamic new portrayal” of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters. For more Sherlock Holmes, try the following novels, all published in 2009. The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King is [...]
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