Category Archives: Reviews: Books, Movies, Music, TV

Inherent Vice

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Al

This is not the best movie you’ll see this year, or even this month. But it is the first, and possibly only screen adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s unique style and viewpoint. Anderson has done a fair job of wringing some semblance of sense from Pynchon, and provided a workmanlike, un-romantic snapshot of that place and time that was the Santa Monica Bay 40 years ago. For that, I thank him for his service. Continue reading →

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The Bone Clocks

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Al

David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks relies on facile prose and keenly drawn characters to distract the reader from the brief, but recurrent battles between transmigrating, immortal souls who wander in and out of the lives of his six narrators. Holly … Continue reading →

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Birdman

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Al

Remember Michael Keaton? Henry Winkler’s manic morgue mate in Night Shift? Mr. Mom? The zany zebra-suited guide to the after life for Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis in Beetlejuice (who helped Catherine O’Hara channel Harry Belafonte in a rousing rendition … Continue reading →

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Life After Life

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Al

Life After Life – a novel by Kate Atkinson What if your mother sent you to a psychiatrist, to help with your recurring sensations of deja vu, and he turned out to be a Buddhist who supported your vague sensations … Continue reading →

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To Rise Again At A Decent Hour

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Al

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour  –  a novel by Joshua Ferris In his first novel, Then We Came To The End (2007),  Joshua Ferris brought us into the office life of a Manhattan ad agency. Employing a first … Continue reading →

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Helmets

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Al

A recent comment on the Endurance Nation forum, in response to my post commemorating the 25th anniversary of a seminal bike helmet study: There are some interesting arguments to NOT wearing a helmet.    At least for commuters types.     I believe a … Continue reading →

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Saddles

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Al

Some thoughts on bicycle saddles… several decades ago, articles appeared in the urological literature associating bike riding with perineal nerve impingement, resulting numbness, and even infertility. In response Georgeanna Terry – a woman! – invented a bike saddle with a … Continue reading →

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Fenix2 Part Deux

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Al

I’d promised a “triathlete’s user manual” this weekend (the Fenix manual runs to 17 pages, compared to the 910 XT’s 45, while having twice as many features to explain). But I think I will wait until after IM CDA, to … Continue reading →

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Fruitvale Station

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Al

Two hours after midnight, New Year’s Day 2009, Oscar Julius Grant III was killed by Bay Area Rapid Transit Police at the BART Fruitvale Station in Oakland, CA. He was returning home to Hayward with with a group of friends, … Continue reading →

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Short Term 12

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Al

Short Term 12 is a precious little movie, weighing in at just over 90 minutes. Even so, writer/Director Destin Cretton provides space for his story to evolve, without preaching or pinpointing. Short Term 12 is a unit within a California … Continue reading →

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