Recommendations (updated: 01/22/09)
Books recently read or queued up on the night stand:
Currently reading: Practical Demonkeeping by
Christopher Moore. Like all of Moore's books it's absolutely off the wall!
Recently read:
Ghost Wars - a comprehensive recent history of the events in Afghanistan that led up to 911 (Soviet invasion through
September 10, 2001).
The
Great Game - a tedious but fascinating account of the British and Russian empires' struggle for dominance in Central
Asia in the 18th and 19 centuries with lessons applicable to the current conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Kashmir.
A Salty Piece of Land -
an unlikely and fun page turner by Jimmy Buffett.
Shop Girl by Steve Martin -
A good story told with thoughtful and brilliant narration, and sprinkled with
some interesting insights into the mind of the middle-aged man.
Also,
Boom, Bad Lands, Charlie
Wilson's War, Absurdistan, The Russian Debutante's Handbook, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, Trout Fishing in Yemen, and
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Movies:
Once upon a time, Hollywood was populated by great actors, directors and producers who turned out great movies (i.e.
Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Rio Bravo, etc.). Today, Hollywood is over run with poorly behaved, pretty boy stars, tawdry and self-absorbed starlets,
and legions of accounts and corporate executives. This collection of sleaze churn out movies in which dramatic art, nuance
of plot, and subtle camera angles are replaced with digitally enhanced mayhem, gratuitous violence, and in-your-face sex for
its own sake.
Okay, I got that out of my system and I feel better.
I've found that the indy and small budget film makers in Canada, Ireland, and
the U.K. are turning out some great little English language offerings. Dig around on Netflix and you'll find some real gems
in this genre.
Just watched:
Undertaking Betty - (2002) a hilarious, small
budget film from the U.K. with an unlikely cast (Christopher Walken, Jerry Springer, Naomi Watts, Alfred Molina, and Brenda Blethyn).
Recently watched:
The Namesake - A well done story of the culture conflicts between immigrant, Indian-American parents and their 1st generation
American offspring.
Once - an Irish, low budget indy that also has an amazing
soundtrack available on CD.
Love Actually - one of my perennial Christmas favorites along
with A Christmas Story.
Foyle's War - a BBC mini series and crime drama set
in the early days of WWII.
Seducing Doctor Lewis
Saving Grace
Calendar Girls
Waking Ned Devine
The Englishman Who
Went Up a Hill
Music:
Wow, where to begin? My tastes are varied and I like
most anything (even Albanian polytonal folk music) other than hard rock and rap which I consider to be just noise.
I've recently gotten into the American jazz standards and classics of the first
half of the 20th century. These great old songs are getting covered by a variety of contemporary recording artists.
Check out Rod Stewart's Great American Songbook, Vol. I - IV; Joni Mitchell's
Both SIdes Now CD on which she preforms jazz versions of her early stuff as well as many of the jazz classics; and, Diana
Krall's When I Look In Your Eyes.
Ireland is turning out some great new recording artists
who blend the essence of traditional Irish folk music with modern arrangements in a genre not quite rock, not quite folk.
Check out Glen Hansard recording with Marketa Irglova as Swell Season, and as the lead singer for
the Frames; Mary Black; and, Dolores Keane.
(note: my adulation
of Irish artists does not extend to Enya who churns out over-arranged, commercial pablum best suited for elevators)
This just in for all you old folkies out there - The Peter, Paul and Mary solo
albums of the early 70s (long out of print) were released on the RINO label as a three CD set in November 2008. The set is currently available
only through Barnes & Noble.
David Waits' whisky-gravel voiced blues song Way Down in the Hole (the opening theme of season 2 of HOB's The Wire) is available from iTunes. What a great song!
