Friday Flashback: Rec. #54: The Gun Seller

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Did you know that British actor Hugh Laurie, generally beloved for Blackadder and Jeeves & Wooster and House, wrote a spy spoof? He did! 

In The Gun Seller, ex-soldier Thomas Lang refuses an assassination job offer and quickly becomes embroiled in an elaborate plot with terrorists, arms dealers, diplomats, and CIA agents. 

It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect of a spy spoof written by Hugh Laurie, in the best way possible.

Comparable to: In the interview-with-the-author section that's available in some editions, Laurie cites P.G. Wodehouse and Kyril Bonfiglioli as major influences. You can tell.

Representative quote: "Rayner, I estimated, was ten years older than me. Which is fine. Nothing wrong with that. I have good, warm, non-arm-breaking relationships with plenty of people who are ten years older than me. People who are ten years older than me are, by and large, admirable. But Rayner was also three inches taller than me, four stones heavier, and at least eight however-you-measure-violence units more violent."

You might not like it if: Everyone is fond of Hugh Laurie, right? Except my mom, I guess. She doesn't care for his version of an American accent.

How to get it: Buyable, borrowable, Kindle-able.

Connections to previous Wreckage: You might recognize the name Kyril Bonfiglioli from Rec. #31: Don't Point That Thing at Me. Also, let's not forget that The Gun Seller was written by this guy (the one on the right):

(I love this picture and previously used it for Rec. #24: Cocktail Time.)

[Originally posted 2/22/11.]

List #55: For Those Moving to Boston Soon

Boston in movies, books, and television --- beyond Ben Affleck, Henry James, and David E. Kelley

1. Calamity and Other Stories [book] (Rec. #227)

Many of these excellent stories take place in Brookline, which is close enough.

Boston quote: "Any weekday in Brookline, drivers caught in Beacon Street traffic might see Sergei hurrying along a certain stretch of wet sidewalk."


2. Cheers [tv show, streaming most places]

This is your one cliche opportunity. Embrace it.

3. Interpreter of Maladies [book]

A reminder that most people begin as outsiders.

Boston quote: "That year, and every year, it seemed, we began by studying the Revolutionary War. We were taken in school buses on field trips to visit Plymouth Rock, and to walk the Freedom Trail, and to climb to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument."


4. MB(ecket)TA [website]*

A moment in time captured --- this past February, a Tumblr user combined photos of Boston's extreme winter conditions with bleak quotes from playwright Samuel Beckett.

*suggested by my friend Potato, an actual Bostonian

6. Next Stop, Wonderland [movie] (Rec. #253)

Includes perhaps the most realistic depiction ever of what it's like to ride the T.

Boston quote: "Brazil ... that's way past Medford."


7. Now, Voyager [movie]

Revisit a classic with a newfound appreciation for the Boston Brahmins.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #20: Party Down

Stream what: Struggling actors bide their time as Hollywood cater waiters, working weddings, seminars, afterparties, retreats, and reunions.

Stream why: Good concept, great actors, excellent scripts.

Plus guest stars. So many smartly featured guest stars.

Stream where: Hulu


Read more: Rec. #182

Friday Flashback: List #19: Jay Smooth --- An Appreciation

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.


Don't you just love Jay Smooth and his video blog Ill Doctrine? Me too!

Here are some representative Ill Doctrine videos (click on the titles to watch):

1. "Don't Freak Out About the White Babies"

Representative quote: "I promise we are not going to turn into gremlins after midnight once we're in the majority, or when we're able to marry whoever we want to marry."

2. "All These Sexist Gamer Dudes Are Some Shook Ones"

Representative quote: "This kind of abuse and harassment matters, and when it happens in our corner of the internet, we need to treat it like it matters."

3. "On Ferguson, Riots, and Human Limits"

Representative quote: "We are weighing the destruction of property against the loss of a life. And if you value some people's property more than the life of a black child, we're not on the same team."

4. "The List of Rules for Women"

Representative quote: "Does anyone have a complete, up-to-date list of everything that women are supposed to do and not do so that they qualify for having their humanity respected?"


And don't forget the classic, the one that's been reblogged a bajillion times:

"How to Tell People They Sound Racist"

Representative quote: "When you say, 'I think he's a racist,' that's not a bad move because you might be wrong. That's a bad move because you might be right."




Connections to previous Wreckage: I previously mentioned Jay Smooth as one of my "4 Internet Crushes" (List #10).

He was also part of List #21 (If I Had the Sort of Job Where I Could Spend Time Doing Things on the Internet, Here Are Some of the Things I Would Spend Time Doing) and List #39 (Some of the Best Internet I Internetted in 2013).

[Originally posted 7/11/12.]

Rec. #387: My Brother Michael

What: In my opinion, just about the best thing that could come from Guillermo del Toro's period horror movie Crimson Peak would be a neo-Gothic revival in novels.

Author Mary Stewart led just such a revival throughout the third quarter of the twentieth century, and My Brother Michael is a fine example of this particular sub-genre --- an ordinary person is put in extraordinary, dangerous, and mysterious circumstances.

Also, there is an immersively described location (Athens, in this case).

Opening lines: "'Nothing ever happens to me.' I wrote the words slowly, looked at them for a moment with a little sigh, then put my ballpoint pen down on the cafe table and rummaged in my handbag for a cigarette."

How to get it: Stewart's books are not currently Kindle-able, but various paperback editions are available all over the place. I suggest the vintage ones.

Connections to previous Wreckage: My Brother Michael provided Quote from a Fictional Character #39.

And Stewart's best novel, The Ivy Tree, was (part of) Rec. #201.

Friday Flashback: Rec. #141: Party Girl

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: The "girl" of the title is Mary, a '90s club kid whose fun times are cut short when she's arrested for hosting an illegal party. Her godmother, a librarian, bails her out. To repay the debt, Mary takes a job as a library clerk. Sounds silly, right? 

Well, it is. It's also lots of fun, full of quotable lines, and a surprisingly realistic look at library work. And Parker Posey's taut mannerisms are uniquely suited to this role.

Comparable to: Party Girl is recognizably part of the flurry of indie comedies that came out in the mid-'90s. (Most of which also feature Parker Posey.)

Representative quote: "I would like a nice, powerful, mind-altering substance. Preferably one that will make my unborn children grow gills."

You might not like it if: Realizing that you're nostalgic for the '90s makes you feel old.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Parker Posey was sooo good in her guest role on season 3 of Parks and Recreation (Rec. #119).

See also List #18.

[Originally posted on 6/9/11.]

First Sign of Murder #19: The Cater Street Hangman

"Edward, you must destroy the newspapers," Caroline was saying. "Say that you lost them."

--- The Cater Street Hangman, Anne Perry, 1979

Quote from a Fictional Character #80

"I'm beating at happiness. I've beaten it into submission and bottled it for convenience."

---Alfredo Aldarisio, 

Pushing Daisies, 2008

(Rec. #233)

(List #53)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #285: I Know I Am, But What Are You?

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: This collection of essays by Daily Show correspondent [note: and soon-to-be new late night talk show host!] Samantha Bee covers a lot of ground: 

Camping, inadvertently tagging along on a honeymoon, various failed parenting strategies of two sets of parents (plus grandparents), a teenage crush on Jesus followed by a car-jacking spree, working at a penis clinic, and starring in a children's stage production of Sailor Moon.

Comparable to: This is what I wanted Bossypants and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? to be like. (I liked both of those books well enough, but I really liked this one.) Maybe it's because neither Tina Fey nor Mindy Kaling are Canadian.

Opening lines: "Every once in a while I think about what my life would be like if my parents had stayed together and not separated when I was still a baby. Obviously, it would involve a regular commute to the maximum-security penitentiary to visit whichever of them had committed the murder that signaled the official end to their marriage."

Representative quote: "Our sexual chemistry was similar to a sea cucumber that sits motionless on the cold, dark ocean floor and dreams of dry-humping a nearby scallop."

You might not like it if: You're squeamish.

How to get it: I listened to the audiobook, read by Bee, and I think the book probably works best that way.

[Originally posted 4/11/13.]

List #54: Some Comfort When You're Sick, Part 2

When you're sick, the media you consume must walk a fine line ---
not too peppy (gets grating),
not too sad (can't run the risk of additional nose blowing),
not too serious (attention span is basically zero),
and not too overtly hilarious (laughing hurts).

I speak from recent experience. Your personal mileage may vary.

[See Part 1 here.]

6. Hyperbole and a Half [book and/or website] (Rec. #7) (List #35)
Potentially breaks every single rule I've laid out above. But worth it.

7. Paris to the Moon [book] (Rec. #39)
You can imagine that you're Adam Gopnik and The New Yorker is paying you to write about what it's like to be sick in Paris. Or just imagine you're in Paris.

8. The Royal Tenenbaums [movie] (QfFC #40)
Sometimes moving slowly and sullenly in ill-fitting clothing makes you cool as heck, not just inept and zoned out. Soundtrack probably has a lot to do with that, though.

9. The Undertaker's Gone Bananas [book] (Rec. #16)
Teens sleuthing through their own angst. Plus, someone hides a head in a TV set. This is the sort of thing you can appreciate right now.

10. Who Do You Think You Are? [TV, streaming on Hulu]
You can make snap judgments about whether you find each celebrity likable or not, which is very soothing.

List #54: Some Comfort When You're Sick, Part 1

When you're sick, the media you consume must walk a fine line --- 
not too peppy (gets grating), 
not too sad (can't run the risk of additional nose blowing), 
not too serious (attention span is basically zero), 
and not too overtly hilarious (laughing hurts).

I speak from recent experience. Your personal mileage may vary.

1. Black Books [TV, streaming on Hulu] (Rec. #68)
Bernard Black provides scads of modeling on ways to be grumpy and misanthropic.

2. Original cast recording of Chess [music]
Dramatic and gorgeous and ridiculous. If you're slightly out of it due to being medicated, all the better.

3. Cold Comfort Farm [book and/or movie] (Rec. #34), (Rec. #158)
Maybe if you are pathetic enough, Flora Poste will come and fix your life.

4. The Daughter of Time [book] (Rec. #228)
If you're bedridden, this will make you feel like you too could solve mysteries that are centuries old ....

5. Cherish [movie] (Rec. #29)
... Or like you can be housebound and catch your own stalker.

[Continue with Part 2 here.]