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

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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Inside Llewyn Davis

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Al

Joel and Ethan Coen, like Garrison Keillor, are an American treasure. I speak of them in the singular, as they are a single unit, writing and directing 16 films together over the past 30 years. Their body of work includes … Continue reading →

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Night Film

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Al

Unravelling the mystery of why Ashley died is really not the driving force in this novel. Rather, it is the intriguing on-again, off-again interplay among the odd little group of private investigators. Bogart, Bacall, and Lorre they are not. Continue reading →

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Dallas Buyers’ Club

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Al

Mcconaughey, after an interlude in a series of half-hearted romantic comedies, and seemingly on the way to lightweight oblivion while skating by on looks and charm, has returned to his early promise as an actor with the engagement and integrity of Paul Newman or Steve McQueen. Continue reading →

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American Subversive

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Al

This one’s a page-turner, while raising serious questions about America in the early 21st century, how we live and who actually controls things.
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The Circle, by Dave Eggers

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Al

Dave Eggers has consistently chosen somewhat off-the-beaten fields for his book length projects. See my review from August, 2013, of Hologram For The King, for a full summary of his oeuvre. In general, he juxtaposes ordinary, contemporary Americans with an … Continue reading →

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The Panopticon: A Novel, by Jenni Fagan

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Al

The Panopticon: A Novel, by Jenni Fagan, arrived on our shores last July. Ms Fagan, a Scottish poet and mother of a toddler, provides a disturbing, yet ultimately optimistic debut novel. 4.5/5 stars Continue reading →

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