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N. Durham reviewed:
The Slip ~ Nine Inch Nails
 Not spectacular, but still a more than solid release, July 31, 2008 |
| July 31, 2008 |
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Donald Mitchell reviewed:
Fooling Some of the People All of the Time: A Long Short Story by David Einhorn
 A Revelation for Those Who Believe Efficient Markets and Good Regulation Exist, July 30, 2008 This book describes six years of battling to get the story out of what he had learned, to persuade regulators to crack down on Allied Capital so the rules would be followed, and to stop any illegal activities at Allied Capital. The book is written from Mr. Einhorn's perspective. Along the way, Allied Capital decided that it had to discredit Mr. Einhorn's allegations and his motives. After many years of battling, Mr. Einhorn learned a number of important lessons: 1. Policing small capitalization companies is a low priority for reporters, analysts, institutional investors, and regulators. 2. If a company keeps paying a dividend (even if it's not smart to do so), many individual investors will be attracted and will be loyal. 3. The Small Business Administration is more interested in shoveling out money to small businesses than it is in ensuring that fraud isn't being perpetrated on the tax payers. 4. Wall Street investment banks will help defend any company that pays a lot of fees. 5. With enough new capital, large mistakes can be smoothed over. I'm sure that if he were faced with the same investment opportunity today, Mr. Einhorn would run rather than take a short position. I highly recommend this book to people who learned about perfectly efficient markets and active, honest regulators in school. "Let the investor watch out for himself or herself" would be a better motto in describing the capital markets. This book will be boring to those who want to a quick take. But you need to read all of the misrepresentations, misstatements, and personal attacks to get a true sense of how the game is played. If you want a more recent version of this problem, just look at securitized mortgages. Thanks for sharing, Mr. Einhorn! |
| July 30, 2008 |
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Gail Cooke reviewed:
The James Boys: A Novel Account of Four Desperate Brothers by Richard Liebmann-Smith
| 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: BOTH ERUDITE AND ENTERTAINING, July 30, 2008 For starters, forget pairing notorious outlaws the James brothers with the Younger brothers - it is now totally the James brothers, four, an unlikely quartet if there ever was one. Just imagine, if you can, that intellectuals William and Henry James discover that Frank and Jesse are their brothers, lost to them during the Civil War and now found. Liebmann-Smith brilliantly mixes fact and fiction to keep us listening intently and laughing uproariously. Our story opens in 1876 with Henry not only riding a train to St. Louis but also riding the cusp of success. He's just had one of his novels serialized in the Atlantic Monthly, an occurrence in which he takes great pride - that is until a fellow passenger, the pretty and to-be wealthy Elena, sits reading said magazine and pronounces his piece "Dreadful." Well, that's quite enough to ruin one's day but thanks to the fecund imagination of Liebmann-Smith that's just the beginning - the train is robbed by Jesse James who takes his long lost brother prisoner. Henry once wrote in a letter, "It's a complex fate, being an American...." His fate is not only complex but comedic once in the hands of gunslinger Jesse. Liebmann-Smith's judicious use of historical fact as he artfully positions it with his tongue-in-cheek narrative is both erudite and entertaining - a gem to be enjoyed and shared with friends. Author/composer, actor Malcolm Hillgartner (remembered for his aces reading of American Gangster), gives a thoroughly delightful narration of this irresistible tale. His voice is low, well modulated with just a tad of huskiness, which makes for very pleasant listening. He seems to have as much fun as the author as he segues from character to character. - Gail Cooke |
| July 30, 2008 |
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E. A Solinas reviewed:
Life with My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone
| 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:  Or, how I let my sister walk all over me, July 30, 2008 And it might as well be the title for "Life With My Sister Madonna," written by the pop singer's brother Christopher Ciccone. While it starts off vaguely interesting, Ciccone's book eventually devolves into a justifiable but long-winded rant about his sister's flaws, which grows more tedious and bland with each passing page. Even dozens of celebrity cameos can't make it interesting. Christopher and Madonna were raised in a large Italian-American household of siblings and half-siblings, and both became interested in dance at the same time. But while Christopher's interest veered off into painting and design, his sister rapidly became a punky pop singer who used sexuality and shock tactics to get herself publicity. But with fame came a worldview that was increasingly selfcentric. As Madonna's star rose, Christopher stayed close as her dresser and designer, all throughout her disastrous marriage to Sean Penn, several tours, and up until shortly before the birth of her first child. But Madonna's selfish demands, unreasonable behavior and relationship with second hubby Guy Richie put a wedge between the siblings at last. The basic message of "Life With My Sister Madonna" is that Madonna is a manipulative, control-freaky, fame-hungry diva who would use anything (including her mother's grave) to get attention, and would stiff and ignore her family whenever it suits her mood. Well, like we didn't know that already. In fact, nothing much in this supposedly intimate tell-all is shocking, because virtually all of what is inside has been reported a dozen times before. Lesbian flings, using and dropping people, the "Daddy Chair" for a conveniently-timed conception, her abusive first marriage and many other stories have been reported in books and tabloid media. And despite having been there for it all, Ciccone adds little to them. There are a few that haven't made the news -- the gay jokes at her wedding, her refusal to pay her brother for his work, her harassing his psychiatrist -- but most of the time Ciccone just gives his personal impressions of people like Madonna's yes-lackey Ingrid Casares. More often we get to hear about Ciccone's not-terribly-interesting love life, artistic pursuits, and how he came out to his family. And unfortunately Ciccone's writing doesn't improve matters. It starts off tolerably, but takes a sharp nose-dive when Ciccone becomes Madonna's dresser (basically he mopped the sweat off her body and told her how awesome she was), and preens a lot about how invaluable he was to Madonna. By the time Ritchie appears, it's degenerated into a gooey dribble of celebrity name-dropping and complaints, composed in a vaguely stoned manner. In fact, the most interesting part of the entire book is Ciccone's meetings with various stars such as Warren Beatty, Dolly Parton and Gwyneth Paltrow. Yet even then, there's the underlying feeling that he's telling us to demonstrate, "See? These people are nice, and my sister isn't!" Which is rather funny, because Ciccone doesn't come across very well himself -- he seems rather brittle and doormattish, allowing a thousand nasty things his sister does to slide because... well, because she's Madonna and she's a star. It's hard to muster much sympathy for someone who allows himself to be ill-treated from day one, merely because his sister is famous. "Life with My Sister Madonna" is pretty much a long, boring nightmare of divatastic proportions. It promises to be juicy, but after the first bite it dries into a mummy. |
| July 30, 2008 |
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N. Durham reviewed:
Guitar Hero Aerosmith Bundle by Activision Inc.
 Aerosmith flavored Guitar Hero that doesn't offer too much, July 30, 2008 Fun: Since Activision and Neversoft took control of the Guitar Hero franchise, we've been getting a steady stream of sequels and spin-off's, with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith being the latest game in the series. Featuring a pretty good collection of songs spanning Aerosmith's long career, you'll find that besides adding the Aerosmith-themed presentation, the game itself is basically identical to Guitar Hero III. This isn't really a bad thing, but considering this is a full-priced game, it would have been nice if there would have been a little more overall variations. The track list here is quite good though, with even some bonus tracks from Joe Perry's Joe Perry Project to find and play too, along with some bonus interviews with the band. Getting through the game isn't that much of a challenge though if you're a Guitar Hero veteran, as the game proves to be not all that difficult compared to previous Guitar Hero games. It should also go without saying that if you aren't a fan of Aerosmith, this probably isn't for you. All in all, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is an enjoyable diversion that fans of the band will get a lot of enjoyment out of for a while, but in the end, the game doesn't offer enough bang for your buck. |
| July 30, 2008 |
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N. Durham reviewed:
Dark City (Director's Cut) DVD ~ Rufus Sewell
| A masterpiece made better, July 30, 2008 |
| July 30, 2008 |
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E. A Solinas reviewed:
Mad Money [Blu-ray] DVD ~ Ted Danson
 Everyone, everywhere, every minute, July 30, 2008 But alas, that comic potential is not realized in "Mad Money," a limply long-winded comedy that strives to be quirky, original and distinctly girly. Unfortunately the comic timing is always at least a little off, the writing is mediocre, and the three lead actresses are either given little to work with, or just don't have the acting muscle to make you care. Bridget (Diane Keaton) is living a comfortable upper-middle-class existence in the suburbs -- until her laid-off hubby Don (Ted Danson) reveals that they are up to their ears in debt, and he can't get another job. Goodbye suburban splendor. So Bridget rushes out to get a job, only to find that the only job an unskilled older woman can get is as a janitor at the Federal Reserve Bank. But when she sees Nina (Queen Latifah) shredding the worn-out bills, Bridget becomes hungrily determined to save her luxe lifestyle by smuggling out those about-to-be-destroyed bills... or "recycling" them, as she puts it. So -- with the help of the impoverished Nina and funky, spacey young coworker Jackie (Katie Holmes) -- Bridget concocts a complex plan to smuggle out the bills, involving garbage cans, security cameras, locks and big panties. And for a time, it seems their troubles are over -- but of course, as the flash-forward interrogations show, things are not going to just go smoothly for those who steal, even if the money is worn out. In theory, "Mad Money" is a funny movie -- it has a plot that hasn't really been dealt with before, and any complex series of escapades inevitably offers room for comedy. But somehow "Mad Money" never gels into something really entertaining -- instead, I spent most of the seemingly endless plot waiting for something unexpected to happen. Occasionally, I chuckled reluctantly. A lot of the blame for that lies on Callie Khouri's shoulders -- she skims over potentially funny moments, and tries to draw out extremely unfunny ones by padding them with unspeakably lame dialogue ("Is this an intervention?"). And despite its manic energy (throwing bills around the bedroom), the plot unfolds at a painfully sluggish pace, which only gets interesting near the crazy finale. Nor do acting and characterization save the day. Keaton does a solid, slightly manic job as a desperate woman who feels she has no choice but to "recycle," although she's a bit too spoiled to be likable. Latifah plays the same feisty-sista role she's played in a dozen other movies, and a snarly-haired, blank-eyed Holmes demonstrates the acting range of a pair of dentures. But with more exposed teeth. "Mad Money" has plenty of money shown, but very little madness. This manic yet somehow dull comedy had quite a bit going for it, but sinks under the weight of its unquirky, unfunny self. |
| July 30, 2008 |
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E. A Solinas reviewed:
Dresden Files #3: Welcome to the Jungle by Jim Butcher & Adrian Syaif
| Fuego!, July 30, 2008 And things only go downhill for Harry in the third part of "Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle," a suitably spare wizard-noir comic book with Ardian Syaf's amazing artwork. While this brief issue is crammed with plenty of action, Jim Butcher's story has time to stop and reflect on the more human side of his hero, as well as Moe the gentle gorilla. Harry spends a few pages tussling with the Big Bad Black Dog, before putting his kinetic ring to use and making a hasty getaway. Problem is that when a spectral hound is pursuing you, you can't really go all-out in the streets of Chicago -- so Harry has to find an alley where he can really let loose with his magic. But things don't improve when they return to the zoo. Turns out Watson's lab has been burned down, and Murphy isn't really buying the Hecatean hag theory put forth by Bob. To make matters worse, Harry finds that Moe the gorilla has been framed again -- Doctor Reese has been killed, and a very upset Moe is stomping around the office. Now Harry must really put his magic to use to find Watson -- but he may be in for more than he can handle.... One of the nicest things about a short comic book series (assuming it has an actual plot... I'm looking at you, Laurell K. Hamilton!) is that there's no padding and no wasting time. "Welcome to the Jungle" is a perfect example of this -- Jim Butcher has crafted a nice, tight little mystery that never meanders off track, or loses itself in boring details. And the third part is crammed with lots of action and magic -- after a genuinely tense chase through Chicago's streets, we get to see Harry fire-blasting stuff and creating a breathtaking magic circle. But Butcher also interweaves quieter moments like Will comforting the traumatized gorilla, and some snappy dialogue from our hero ("I find it best if I'm gone before Chicago's finest arrive. They always have this pathological need to know who broke all that glass"). But for all his wit, Harry's soft side comes out in full here, such as when he meditates on how poor Moe knows his friend is dead. And Will... acts the way you'd expect a perfectly ordinary zoologist to act if she was suddenly confronted by spectral dogs, blasts of magic fire and a guy who can handle both of them. Sensitive, but not a wuss. Ardian Syaf deserves a special shout-out for bringing this comic book to life, in a style that's detailed, shadowy, colorful and dripping with noir atmosphere. His Harry is exactly as you'd expect (tall, rangy, stubbly and rather shabbily-dressed), and Will looks like a professional woman instead of a cliche sexpot. And the shot of Harry using a magic circle is utterly stunning. The third part of "Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle" rushes readers all the way to the cliffhanger, which promises to give us a really explosive climax. Definitely worth checking out. |
| July 30, 2008 |
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E. A Solinas reviewed:
A Christmas Story DVD ~ Yano Anaya| You'll shoot your eye out, July 30, 2008 That I didn't go postal at losing an hour and a half of my favorite holiday on something that would shortly be redundant shows how much I love "A Christmas Story." This 1983 classic is not just a heartwarming little story about a loving (if bickery) family in the dour America of the late 1940s, but a hysterical comedy about what it's like to be a kid at Christmas. Ralphie Parker's (Peter Billingsley) Christmas wishes are simple: a official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass and a "thing that tells time." But his mom says he'll shoot his eye out. So Ralphie begins a quiet crusade to get it as a present -- he writes an essay on it and even asks Santa, only to get the same terrible reply: "You'll shoot your eye out." As the days tick down to Christmas -- with no sign of an air rifle -- Ralphie hits other obstacles when he clashes with bullies, says "the mother of all dirty words," and watches his parents battle it out over a tacky "major award" (leg lamp). But there are surprises in store for the Parker family on Christmas morning -- and some of them involve smelly bloodhounds. Yes, the plot is pretty simple -- it's the delivery that makes it special. It's narrated by an adult Ralphie who offers his slightly sardonic take on everything ("We plunged into the cornucopia quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice"), mingled with a hint of nostalgia. And it's completely tuned in to how kids think, and how a toy can seem like the most important thing in the world. Fortunately the scriptwriters never condescend to the audience by adding some kind of syrupy message about love and family and all that -- after all, real life doesn't work that way. Instead there are all sorts of classic moments -- the leg lamp, Chinese turkey, the terrifying visit to Santa ("HOOOO HOOOO HOOO!"), and Ralphie's fantasies of defending his family with "Ol' Blue" against a bunch of inept, unarmed bandits. And Jean Shepherd -- the co-writer and narrator of the movie -- deserves especial credit for bringing this movie to life with his slightly stressed-out delivery. He covers the movie with a snowstorm of one-liners and hilarious dialogue: "Over the years I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap." "He looks like a pink nightmare!" "Oh FUUUDDDDGGGE!" and others. McGavin gets many of the best ones, though ("FRA-GEE-LAY... that must be Italian!"). Billingsley is a little stiff as Ralphie, but gives the portrayal of this everykid his charming, slightly frenetic best. He's never oversmart or annoying, ever. Melinda Dillon and Darin McGavin are the comic geniuses here, with their slightly kooky but loving parents (one of the highlights is Dillon's "show me how the piggies eat!" scene, and McGavin's revolted response), and there's an array of very convincing bullies and classmates too. This movie has seen a bunch of editions over the last few years, from a bare-bones full-screen edition to a full/widescreen edition with a second disc of goodies. From what I can tell, this is the latter -- easter eggs, trivia, documentary and featurettes about the movie, commentary from the lead actor and director, readings from Jean Shepherd, and so forth. Also a goofy new cover with... well, everything you love about this movie, from the bunny suit to the leg lamp to the BB gun. "A Christmas Story" didn't get much notice when it came out in 1983. But now it's one of the quintessential holiday movies, and a must-see at Christmastime. HOOOOO HOOOOO HOOOO... |
| July 30, 2008 |
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E. A Solinas reviewed:
Rumors: A Luxe Novel (The Luxe) by Anna Godbersen
| Luxe life, July 30, 2008 That's the best description I can conjure for the second Luxe novel, the aptly-named "Rumors." The entire novel is all about rumors -- true ones, false ones, and the people who spread both if you're not careful. While the primary storyline is filled with some unnecessarily complicated twists, Anna Godberson turns out a lushly-written, frothy little teen-soap read. With Elizabeth Holland dead -- really, she's hiding in Californian oil fields with her new boyfriend -- things have suddenly shifted in Manhattan's society. Her ex-maid Lina is funding her new upper-crust life with blackmail money, her family's dwindling fortune is going critical, and her calculating friend Penelope is making a play for Elizabeth's ex-fiancee, handsome cad Henry. Of course, Penelope now wants to be queen bee But Henry is more fascinated by Elizabeth's little sister Diana, but fears the repercussions if he were to marry her -- society is pretty unforgiving of such things. As Diana tries to coax or provoke Henry's affections, rumors start to fly that Elizabeth isn't really dead -- and the worst possible person has gotten hold of Henry and Di's secret. One of the biggest differences between the Luxe series and the "Gossip Girl" series is that Godbersen doesn't seem to be living some kind of shallow teen fantasy, nor are her characters utterly loathsome and selfish. As I flipped through the text of "Rumors," I found that even though the characters tended to be rather melodramatic, they all had some human dimensions. Godberson also shoots for a genuine Gilded Age atmosphere -- lush descriptions with lots of gloves, hats and lace, veiled conversations, nouveau riche versus old money, and an overhanging examination of society's approval. There's even a scene at the opera which echoes the opening scene of Edith Wharton's "Age of Innocence," complete with opera glasses and a passionate onstage diva -- which of course is of secondary interest to those watching. Nice work. The main flaw with the soap-opera plot is that the central, oft-thwarted relationship between Di and Henry seems a bit overwrought. Seriously, how many massive obstacles and devastating separations can a single couple go through in less than a week? Still, she throws some rather twists into the finale -- although one character is given the shaft in a major way. And it must be admitted that Godbersen has a flair for characterization. Though the characters include good boys, conmen, calculating heiresses and passionate young things, Godberson never makes you dislike any of them. Even if Henry is a cad and Di rather immature, they're given some inner thoughts rather than being turned into sad caricatures. "Rumors: A Luxe Novel" aims for a "teen soap opera by way of Edith Wharton" appeal, and despite a few missteps, it definitely works as that. And by the end, Anna Godbersen has given herself an intriguing dilemma for her next book. |
| July 30, 2008 |
