Monthly Archives: March 2015

Better Call Mike — A Better Call Saul Recap (E7)

After it turns out the rock upon which Jimmy built his church is made of quicksand, Mike saves the day. You can read my not-so-snarky recap over at HNTP which is the home of snarky recaps.

And here’s another NOT snarky thought about the show: Is anyone else really hoping that it doesn’t “end” with Gene watching old tapes of Saul commercials? That that we will return to Gene? Jimmy has so much potential to be GOOD, to be more than a “criminal lawyer,” and so far at least Jimmy is not the man who would be eager to be a drug lord’s consigliere, nor someone I would see advising a client to have someone knocked off in jail (and who knows a guy who knows a guy). So I not only want to know what happened to turn him into Saul (Gradual shift? Tragedy? series of Unfortunate events?) but beyond that I want REDEMPTION and I want it to be believable. Because folks, THAT’S entertainment.

(Again, and I can’t emphasize this enough, please visit HNTP to read the complete recap. Then you may come back here and peruse to your heart’s content. And also nothing says “thank you” like then going over here and buying a book.)

Manon — Another Opera with a Tragic Bad Girl

Given my love for La Traviata and all things related to Marie Duplessis, of course I wanted to see Manon at the Met. We made it to the second, of only six performances last Thursday night.

My verdict: C’est Magnifique!

To those of you still baffled by that first sentence and the connection between the two operas, allow me to explain. Verdi’s masterpiece, La Traviata was based on the play, Camille, which was based on the novel, La Dame Aux Camelias. The novel and play were written by Alexandre Dumas fils and were both based on his brief love affair with Mademoiselle Duplessis – an infamous Parisian courtesan who died of tuberculosis at age 23. In both the book and the play (and in most of the film versions), Marguerite Gautier (the heroine) receives a copy of the novel Manon Lescout from her lover. Dumas fils apparently really did give Marie a copy of Abbé Prévost’s novel. Continue reading Manon — Another Opera with a Tragic Bad Girl

Vampy Book Review: The Hunger, Whitley Strieber

imgresBack in September, I wrote a review of the film version of, The Hunger a movie best remembered for a love scene between a vampy Catherine Deneuve, and a fetching Susan Sarandon. Good times!

imgres-1As I said then, the movie, which I first saw years ago, may have influenced the sensual and sensuous vampires I created in Blood Diva. But the movie is a mess. The ending made no sense whatsoever and was tacked on at the studio’s insistence in case there was a sequel. But taking that second look at it, made me curious about the book. There happened to be a cheap used hardcover over on the Amazon so I went for it. (Just checked today, and you probably won’t have such luck. The KINDLE VERSION IS $15.99!)

First off, the changes from book to film aren’t just about telling a story visually. They are substantial to the point where it’s not even a question of which was better. Each can be judged on its own terms. The film has much greater style, but in terms of substance and coherence, the book wins. Second, if you came here looking for a quick thumbs up or down, you might have come to the wrong place… (Please click here to read the rest!)

The Americans — What’s Bugging You? (S3 E7- Recap)

Greetings Comrades! What did they get wrong this week on The Americans? While Russia may have been on the right side of history regarding the need to abolish apartheid in South Africa, and there might have been some communist influence in the ANC, mostly the struggle was won because the world evolved, and democratically oriented activists throughout the world — including on American college campuses, worked hard to make divestment a reality. The world was watching thanks to brave journalists who reported the violence and riots. And of course there was that prisoner on Robin Island who became a symbol to everyone. So no, children, the movement to free South Africa was NOT a communist plot.

Rant done.

Now please head over to HNTP to read my snarky take on this week’s episode.