Friday Flashback: Rec. #163 (abbrev.): East Is East

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

What: Manchester, England, 1971, comedy/drama, semi-autobiographical, seven children (six boys and one girl --- Kalinda from The Good Wife), cross-cultural tensions, Royal Tenenbaums aesthetic vibe, very traditional father, rebellions big and small

Representative quote: "We should have a whip-round and get Dad repatriated."



[Originally posted 7/25/11.]

Rec. #298: The Penelopiad

What: The short version is that it's The Odyssey told from the point of view of Penelope, wife of Odysseus.

The longer version is that it's about Penelope in Hades, looking back on her life. She reflects on her childhood, she remembers how she ended up married to Odysseus (dude cheated in a contest), she recounts what happened while Odysseus was away, and she calls out the infamous Helen for ruining her life.

The choral commentary in this Greek drama comes from the twelve maids who are unjustly executed as traitors by Penelope's son.

Opening lines: "Now that I'm dead I know everything."

Representative quote: "Cleverness is a quality a man likes to have in his wife as long as she is some distance away from him."

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

Connections to previous Wreckage: I previously mentioned The Penelopiad during Personal Wreck Week (List #3). Author Margaret Atwood also wrote The Robber Bride (Rec. #105) and The Blind Assassin (Rec. #203).

This novella is part of Canongate's "The Myths" series. Another book in the series is Jeanette Winterson's Weight (Rec. #272), a retelling of the story of Atlas and Heracles. 

Friday Flashback: Rec. #253 (abbrev.): Next Stop, Wonderland

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

What: Film from Brad Anderson, life in Boston, nurse, aquarium, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the blue line, crowds, bossa nova, personals, airport, plumber, the T, marine biology, Brazil

Featuring incandescent Hope Davis, irrepressible Holland Taylor, unexpected Philip Seymour Hoffman

Representative quote: "Brazil . . . That's way past Medford."

Connections to previous Wreckage: This was part of Personal Wreck #2. Writer/director Brad Anderson also wrote/directed Happy Accidents (Rec. #59).

[Originally posted 7/25/12.]

Rec. #297: Love Lies Bleeding

What: In this mid-century mystery, Gervase Fen --- the amateur detective who wouldn't seem out of place in a P.G. Wodehouse novel --- gets tangled up in a series of mysterious goings-on at a boarding school. It starts with the theft of some poisonous acids and escalates to a brutal double murder. Sounds funny, right? It actually is, rather.

Comparable to: Among other Golden Age detectives, Edmund Crispin's Gervase Fen is most similar to Margery Allingham's Albert Campion. But I've mentioned that before.

Opening lines: "The headmaster sighed. It was, he recognized, a plaintive and unmanly noise, but for the moment he was quite unable to suppress it. He apologized."

You might not like it if: Perhaps you (unaccountably) don't care for Mr. Merrythought, the blackmailing hound/scene stealer.

How to get it: Buy it or borrow it --- it's in print, but not (yet) Kindle-able.

Connections to previous Wreckage: I featured a scene from this book in First Sign of Murder #11. A more rompish mystery featuring Gervase Fen is The Moving Toyshop (Rec #60), which is now back in print.

Friday Flashback: Rec. #250: Gods Behaving Badly

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

What: In this book by Marie Phillips, the twelve Greek gods of Mt. Olympus are alive and living in modern-day London. They've come down in the world a bit, though --- Artemis is a dog-walker, Aphrodite is a phone sex worker, etc. They all live together in a run-down flat and have spent most of the past several centuries bickering.

Two mortals, Alice and Neil, get caught up in the double-crossing, hero-questing, and world-saving. Much to their dismay.

Comparable to: Neil Gaiman also did the whole deities-walking-around-like-people thing with American Gods. This has a smaller, zippier scope.

Opening lines: "One morning, when Artemis was out walking the dogs, she saw a tree where no tree should be."

Representative dialogue:
"Why would you tell me the truth?" said Hera.
Apollo considered this.
"Mainly I'm trying to drop my siblings in the shit," he said.
Now it was Hera's turn to consider.
"Well, I'll admit that does sound like you," she conceded.

You might not like it if: You fear the gods will get angry about being described so frivolously.

How to get it: Buyable, borrowable, Kindle-able. Also! It's being made into a movie. So start picturing Christopher Walken as Zeus.

[Originally posted 7/9/12.]

List #29: So You Love the Cast of Hannibal, but Wish Watching the Show Itself Weren't So Psychologically Damaging --- Part 5

Part 1 was Hugh Dancy.
Part 2 was Mads Mikkelsen.
Part 3 was Caroline Dhavernas.

Part 4 was the Sassy Science Squad, Plus Bonus Jack Crawford.

Bryan Fuller likes to gather his own little personal collection of actors to draw from --- like Caroline Dhavernas, star of Wonderfalls, whom Fuller summoned back nine years later.

Here's some love for more of the ever-expanding troupe of the Bryan Fuller Repertory Players.

Raul Esparza

Previous Bryan Fuller Show: Pushing Daisies (as Alfredo Aldarisio) [Rec. #233]

On Hannibal, he's Dr. Frederick Chilton, who runs the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Instead, Watch Him in

Company (2007)

It was Rec. #99.

____________________________________________________________________

Ellen Greene

Previous Bryan Fuller show: Pushing Daisies (as Vivian Charles)

On Hannibal, she's Mrs. Komeda, a novelist and frequent dinner party guest of Dr. Lecter.

Instead, watch her in

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

See her battle a different kind of man-eater. (Heh. Sorry. [Not sorry.])

___________________________________________________________________

Eddie Izzard

Previous Bryan Fuller Show: Mockingbird Lane (as Grandpa Sam Dracula)

On Hannibal, he's Dr. Abel Gideon, a murderous psychopath.

Instead, Watch Him in

Dress to Kill (1999)

It was Rec. #152.

The Riches (2007)

It was Rec. #202.

___________________________________________________________________

Plus, there's also . . .

Ellen Muth, star of Dead Like Me, who did a version of that character on Hannibal.

Molly Shannon, who guested on both Hannibal and Pushing Daisies.

Chelan Simmons, who brought Gretchen Speck from Wonderfalls to Hannibal.

Gina Torres, who is Bella Crawford on Hannibal, and guested on Pushing Daisies.

But I would also like to request . . . 

Katie Finneran, who was a great foil to Caroline Dhavernas on Wonderfalls.

Beth Grant, who showed up on Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies, and even Mockingbird Lane. Muffin Buffalo!

Lee Pace, who seemed to get even taller at some point between Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies and is also a dreamy dreamsicle.

Tracie Thoms, who is amazing and another Wonderfalls vet. (Maybe I would just like a full reunion of the entire Wonderfalls cast? That sounds good.)

Audrey Wasilewski, who played criminals on both Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies, so would probably feel right at home here.

and more singing, please --- surely there could be singing during a dream/hallucination sequence or something? Please?

List #29: So You Love the Cast of Hannibal, but Wish Watching the Show Itself Weren't So Psychologically Damaging --- Part 4

Part 1 was Hugh Dancy.
Part 2 was Mads Mikkelsen.
Part 3 was Caroline Dhavernas.

Do you extra adore the crime scene investigators on Hannibal (a.k.a. the "sassy science squad") because they sometimes bring brief moments of (admittedly often morbid) levity? Then keep reading.

Plus, bonus Jack Crawford.

Hettienne Park, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams

On Hannibal, they're

Beverly Katz, Jimmy Price, Brian Zeller --- forensic crime scene investigators; scientists; nerds; morbid comic relief; sassypants

Instead, Watch Them in

Young Adult (2011)

Look for Hettienne Park here --- it's as good a reason as any to revisit this really quite good film.

Kids in the Hall (1988-1995)

Psh, like you need an excuse to watch Scott Thompson and the rest of the Kids.

Slings and Arrows, season 3 (2006)

Aaron Abrams is Canadian, too! Bryan Fuller loves Canadian actors.

Season 3 of Slings and Arrows was Rec. #287.

_______________________________________________________________________

plus Laurence Fishburne

On Hannibal, he's
Jack Crawford --- FBI special agent; department head; guy who currently has a lot to answer for

Instead, Watch Him in

Bobby (2006)

You don't need me to tell you that Laurence Fishburne has been in A Lot of Things, but maybe you forgot he was in Bobby?
Also in the film, incidentally, is Mr. Iconic Hannibal himself, Anthony Hopkins.

Finally, next, to round us out: a quick tour through additional recurring members of the Bryan Fuller Repertory Players (Eddie Izzard! Ellen Greene! Raul Esparza!)

List #29: So You Love the Cast of Hannibal, but Wish Watching the Show Itself Weren't So Psychologically Damaging --- Part 3

See Part 1 (Hugh Dancy) here, and see Part 2 (Mads Mikkelsen) here.

I'm sure Bryan Fuller is trying to ruin your life at this point, even if you aren't caught up on Hannibal (and perhaps don't intend to be), because his life-ruining power is just that strong now. Let's try to get through this together.

Caroline Dhavernas

On Hannibal, she's
Dr. Alana Bloom --- psychology professor; beer lover; friend+ of Will Graham; always, always right

Instead, Watch Her in

Heart: The Marilyn Bell Story (2001)

It's about a young woman making a record-breaking swim, but that's not the important thing. The important thing is that you get to watch Dhavernas be triumphant!

Wonderfalls (2004)

[also created by Bryan Fuller]

It's one of the best television shows in the history of ever, and the bright colors and talking animal figures might successfully distract you from noticing that Bryan Fuller has always been tough on his amazing characters.

Wonderfalls was also Rec. #2.

Come back for: other places to see the crime scene investigators (a.k.a. the "sassy science squad").

See You in a Week or So

The (almost) Daily Wreck is going on a short hiatus. 

What a great opportunity to poke around in the Index of Names and Titles! 

You could go to "M" to see how I dealt with both David Mitchell the author and David Mitchell the actor.

Or! You could look at "H" to see my love of all things related to Audrey Hepburn. While you're there, you can take note of the fact that I've spelled Katharine Hepburn's name correctly.

Or, you could always just start with "A," I guess.

When The (almost) Daily Wreck returns from hiatus, we'll jump right into a celebration of the wonder that is Caroline Dhavernas.

See you then!

Image credits: 

First image [screenshot from The Birds] from "1,000 Frames of Hitchcock."

Second image [Caroline Dhavernas collage] from fyeahcarolinedhavernas.tumblr.com.

List #29: So You Love the Cast of Hannibal, but Wish Watching the Show Itself Weren't So Psychologically Damaging --- Part 2

See Part 1 (Hugh Dancy) here.

Is Bryan Fuller still trying to ruin your life? I have more suggestions.

Mads Mikkelsen

On Hannibal he's
Hannibal Lecter --- psychiatrist; ex-surgeon; foodie; music snob; psychopath; not a vegetarian

Instead, Watch Him in

After the Wedding (2006)

A chance to see Mikkelsen being subtly decent and heartbroken instead of subtly menacing. The tagline for the film is "Champagne is poured . . . secrets are spilled," but none of the secrets involve someone being a serial killer/cannibal.

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002)

It's a film about a depressive man who keeps trying to kill himself, and it is still more uplifting than Hannibal. It was also Rec. #108.

Next up: The wonderful Caroline Dhavernas.

List #29: So You Love the Cast of Hannibal, but Wish Watching the Show Itself Weren't So Psychologically Damaging --- Part 1

Is Bryan Fuller currently trying to ruin your life? I have some suggestions.

To start us off, I'm going to focus on one actor per day, because it turns out I have a lot to say.

Hugh Dancy

On Hannibal, he's
Will Graham --- protagonist; tortured criminal profiler; sleepwalker; dog collector; man perpetually on the verge of a complete breakdown

Instead, Watch Him in

Daniel Deronda (2002) 

Dancy is so young! (Still kind of tortured, though.) Plus, Romola Garai is in this. We love Romola Garai. Also, the miniseries is available to stream on Netflix.

Hysteria (2011)

You know how Dancy does some line readings in Hannibal that are just off-kilter enough to feel more real than they should? He does that here, too, and gets a much happier ending for his trouble.

Tomorrow: We'll look at Hannibal himself, Mads Mikkelsen.

Friday Flashback: Rec. #142: Tex and Molly in the Afterlife

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

What: Dead hippies. This book is about dead hippies --- specifically the Tex and Molly of the title, who've fallen down a well. It's also about corporate doers of environmental evil, glib afterlife factoids, '90s computer hackers who call themselves the Prophets of Delirium, a nerdy botanist, the deconstructionist staging of a midsummer play, and a baby bear. There's also some transmogrification.

Comparable to: Tom Robbins, Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut. Also, author Richard Grant specifically references Neil Gaiman, which is a pretty accurate sign of where his head is.

Representative quote: "Tex and Molly eyeballed one another. Tex made a little wiggle of the brow, as though assuring her that whatever she might be thinking, he wholeheartedly agreed."

You might not like it if: You don't want to read about hippies. Even (or especially?) fictional dead ones whom the author mocks affectionately.

How to get it: Tex and Molly in the Afterlife isn't currently in print, but you can buy it used or borrow it from your library.



[Originally posted 6/11/11.]

Rec. #296: Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle

What: Sometimes it still feels like it could have been a dream. But no --- in the mid-'90s, we really did get a biopic about the wonderful, brittle, sharp-edged Dorothy Parker and her clever, clever friends of the Algonquin Round Table. Not only did the movie exist, it also seemed to include nearly every actor balancing at the mainstream / indie film fringe then.

A special note on the cast: I mean, really.

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dorothy Parker
Campbell Scott as Robert Benchley

Plus
Martha Plimpton as Jane Grant
Matthew Broderick as Charles MacArthur
Lili Taylor as Edna Ferber
Chip Zien as Franklin Pierce Adams
Jane Adams as Ruth Hale
Keith Carradine as Will Rogers
Rebecca Miller as Neysa McMein
Jon Favreau as Elmer Rice
Jennifer Beals as Gertrude Benchley
Peter Gallagher as Alan Campbell
Heather Graham as Mary Kennedy Taylor
Andrew McCarthy as Edwin Pond Parker II
Gwyneth Paltrow as Paula Hunt
Wallace Shawn as Horatio Byrd

. . . to name a few

Representative quote: "You don't want to turn into the town drunk, Eddie. Not in Manhattan."

Bonus representative quote: "Tragedies don't kill us, Woodrow. Messes kill us."

Connections to previous Wreckage: Read about Parker in the biography What Fresh Hell Is This? (Rec. #237). Read Parker's own writings in The Portable Dorothy Parker  (Personal Wreck #3).

Also, did you notice Rebecca Miller listed up there? That's the same Rebecca Miller who wrote Personal Velocity (Rec. #278).

Rec. #295: The Washington Story

What: The Washington Story is author Adam Langer's sequel to his much-praised debut novel, Crossing California. Don't be fooled by the almost-certainly-intentionally-geographically-misleading titles, though. Despite some threads extending outward (to New York, to Florida, to Berlin), the focus here is on Chicago, and on a very specific Chicago at that.

The Chicago of The Washington Story is the Chicago of the 1980s --- one that has just elected its first African American mayor and watches the sky for Halley's comet.

Opening lines: "Jill Wasserstrom, cub reporter for her high school newspaper, the Lane Leader, was a great believer in fate, so it was not surprising that she would read great meaning into the fact that, in 1982, during the second week of November, three historically significant incidents would occur within one twelve-hour period."

Representative quote: "The few times that Muley tried to dissuade him from his behavior, Hillel always agreed with Muley --- yes, he should seek counseling, yes, cocaine was addictive, yes, calling out 'Hey, Leon Spinks!' to a gap-toothed bouncer at Dingbats' cocktail lounge wasn't smart."

You might not like it if: Too many characters, too much plot.

How to get it: Buy it or borrow it.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Crossing California was Rec. #82.

Friday Flashback: Rec. #148: Lady Windermere's Fan

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

What: Lady Windermere's Fan was Oscar Wilde's first major comedy, and it revolves around many of the same themes as his more famous later plays. (It is also the source of many of Wilde's most famous bon mots [see Representative Quotes].) The upper classes are mannered and witty; Victorian hypocrisy is satirized; and a rigidly moral woman goes slightly astray.

Comparable to: Of Wilde's other plays, it most closely resembles An Ideal Husband.

Representative quote: "I can resist anything but temptation."

Bonus representative quote: "Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about."

Bonus bonus representative quote: "Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality."
[I could go on.]

You might not like it if: You're not wild about Wilde.

How to get it: It's in the public domain! Enjoy.




[Originally posted 6/20/11.]

List #28: Cons, Capers, and Heists on Screen --- Part 3

See Part 1 here and Part 2 here.


Cons! Capers! Heists! Here is the rousing conclusion to an incomplete list of some you may have forgotten about:

The Lady Eve

Featured Players: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn

The Mark: Naive ophiologist/heir to an ale fortune.

Quote: 
"You're certainly a funny girl for anybody to meet who's just been up the Amazon for a year."

"Good thing you weren't up there two years."

For more information: See Rec. #129.

Micmacs

Featured Players: Dany Boon, Yolande Moreau, André Dussollier, Julie Ferrier

The Marks: Two rival weapons manufacturers.

Quote:"I'm Bazil."
"I know. You have a slug in your brain box. I know a family who'll adopt you."

For more information: See Rec. #74.

The Spanish Prisoner

Featured Players: Campbell Scott, Rebecca Pidgeon, Steve Martin

The Mark: It varies. A lot.

Quote: "Beware of all enterprises which require new clothes."

Bonus quote: "Nobody going on a business trip would have been missed if he never arrived."

List #28: Cons, Capers, and Heists on Screen --- Part 2

See Part 1 here.


Cons! Capers! Heists! Here is the second part of an incomplete list of some you may have forgotten about:

Fitzwilly

Featured Players: Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Feldon, Sam Waterston

The Mark: Various department stores, who don't even know what hit them.

Quote:
"Good morning, Mr. Fitzwilly. Beautiful morning, sir."
"Thank you, Oliver. I do my best."

Happy, Texas

Featured Players: Steve Zahn, Jeremy Northam, William H. Macy, Ally Walker, Illeana Douglas

The Marks: The Little Miss Fresh Squeezed beauty pageant. And a bank.

Quote:
"The last man in that safe who didn't work here, my dad shot in his tracks."
"I understand that's the most painful place to be shot in."

How to Steal a Million

Featured Players: Audrey Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, Eli Wallach

The Mark: A certain statue in a Paris museum.

Quote: "American millionaires must be all quite mad. Perhaps it's something they put in the ink when they print the money."

For more information: See Rec. #205.


Continue with Part 3 here.

List #28: Cons, Capers, and Heists on Screen --- Part 1

This past weekend, Now You See Me did unexpectedly well at the box office. Bravo to that, I say, as I am such a sucker for stories of cons, capers, and heists, especially ones of the Robin Hood variety.

So, cons! Capers! Heists! Here is the first part of an incomplete list of some you may have forgotten about:

The Brothers Bloom

Featured Players: Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo

The Mark: An eccentric heiress who borrows hobbies.

Quote: "The trick to not feeling cheated is to learn how to cheat."

Connection to previous Wreckage: Written and directed by Rian Johnson, who also wrote and directed Brick (Rec. #62).

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Featured Players: Steven Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headley

The Marks: The idle rich on the French Riviera.

Quote: 

"I didn't steal any money! She just saw me with another woman! You're French, you understand that!"

"To be with another woman, that is French. To be caught, that is American."

Duplicity

Featured Players: Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti

The Marks: Dueling corporate giants.

Quote:
"My caper's in the Bahamas. Where's yours?"
"Cleveland."


Continue with Part 2 here and Part 3 here.