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BookPalaver: Bloomsday #105

James Joyce at the James Joyce Centre, Dublin

It's been 105 years since Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom walked all over Dublin.  You can follow in their footsteps tonight at a reading of Ulysses at Mackey's Pub in DC, starting at 6.  The description at about.com says the event is sponsored by the Harvard Club of Washington DC and American Independent Writers, and promises:

• mixing and milling of the soulful, the soulless, and the soleless disciples of the Joyecan Gospel - as well as orders for liquid and solid provinder - starting around 6:00 p.m. and -
  
  
• WARNING - often raucous assaults on the eardrums of those present to begin at 7:00 p.m.

Consider yourself warned.  If you can't take the raucous assaults, you can take in the abbreviated version of Ulysses I wrote about a couple of years ago.

MoviePalaver: Angels, Demons, and the Swiss Guard

I went to Angels & Demons with low expectations, looking forward less to the story than to the shots of Rome, where I'm heading tomorrow.  I ended up finding it quite entertaining, give or take some gruesome violence.  And it brought back memories of when I infiltrated the Swiss Guard in 2001.  I only wish we had video of the elaborate ritual they performed when I uncharacteristically brazenly marched up the steps at the Vatican to ask for directions to the entrance to the tour of the necropolis under St. Peter's.  It was quite a spectacle.

BookPalaver: All Names Have Been Changed

Perhaps the only writer I've blogged about more often than Sebastian Barry is Claire Kilroy.  Claire's new book, All Names Have Been Changed was released today -- but only in Europe.  Here's the description from amazon:

Set in the Dublin of the mid 1980s - gripped by a heroin epidemic and light years from the post EU economic boom of today - "All Names Have Been Changed" tells the story of a small group of mature students on a writing course at Trinity, who become dangerously obsessed with their tutor, a notorious writer. Brilliantly exploring the shifting group dynamic, as events spiral ever further out of control, this is a novel of considerable verve and ambition. Following earlier forays into the worlds of art restoration and classical music, it is further evidence of a writer with a natural gift for narrative and atmosphere.

My sister, mysterywriter, attended Trinity College with Claire, where they both received M. Phils in creative writing.  No word yet on whether mysterywriter figures in the new book; I'll keep my eyes peeled for a mysterious American student with a keen eye for detail and a penchant for Irishmen in finance.

Catherine Heaney gave the book a rave review in the Irish Times, stating that "All Names Have Been Changed marks out Claire Kilroy as a novelist growing in confidence and hitting her artistic stride – gifted, original and more than capable of stepping up to the plate of literary tradition she so brilliantly portrays."  An article in the Irish Tribune says:

She quickly realised the importance of having a community of writers to confer with, firstly through the MPhil, and then through her friendships with fellow novelists Paul Murray, Chris Binchy and John Boyne. It was on an evening out with Murray and Binchy at a Richard Ford reading that she was inspired to write All Names Have Been Changed. "When we went to get our books signed, we were so shy of him. I was really struck by that and it became chapter two of the novel, where the characters go to a reading by Glynn, and they have this feeling that here's a man who had to be treasured. That's when the novel started to take shape.

I did not know Claire is friends with who I can only assume is Paul "An Evening of Long Goodbyes" Murray.  I would be shy of him if I went to get my book signed by him.  Note to self:  Write a post about An Evening of Long Goodbyes.  And note second degree of separation (or is that first?).

Those of us who live in the U.S. can't buy Claire's novel at this time, but if you live in Belfast or London (you know who you are!) check it out at your local bookstore, or order it from amazon.co.uk.  And if you own an American publishing house:  take note!

By the way, when I looked up All Names on amazon.co.uk for the link I provided above, it listed five books that customers also bought, including Sebastian Barry's The Secret Scripture.  It's always nice to see a certain consistency in your literary taste.

BookPalaver: Sebastian Barry at Politics & Prose and NYU

One of my very favorite authors is speaking tomorrow night at Politics & Prose.  Sebastian Barry will read from his latest novel, The Secret Scripture, Monday, May 4, at 7 pm.  I've written about him so many times in this space I should create a Sebastian Barry category.  But I won't be there.  I have Italian class tomorrow night.  If it weren't at the opposite end of town I'd pull a Happy Days/Three's Company move where I bounce from one to the other, and wind up asking "do you expect Eneas McNulty to appear in any more novels?" at Casa Italiana and shouting out "pasta fazool!" at P&P.

I am sick about this.

Then again, maybe I should head up to New York to see him with mysterywriter at NYU's Ireland House on Tuesday at 7.

MoviePalaver: Adventureland

I am a variation on a perpetual motion machine.  Once put in motion it seems I can't be stopped; but once stopped, it's hard to get me moving again.  As a result, it's been a month since my last post.  A corollary principle is that the longer I go without a post the more pressure I feel to write something profound, which becomes a paralyzing force.  I will break the cycle with a very nonprofound movie recommendation.

Based on the ads for "Adventureland," I thought it was another movie aimed at the dumb guy set.  (Not to be judgmental or anything.)   For one thing, the ads say "from the director of 'Superbad' . . . ."  (I didn't see "Superbad," so I don't mean to cast aspersions blindly, but it does conjure up an image.)  They didn't say "from the writer and director of "The Daytrippers," which would have caught the attention of the smaller, less young demographic that were fans of that 1996 Hope Davis/Liev Schreiber/Anne Meira/Stanley Tucci/Parker Posey movie by Greg Mottola.  I can't blame their marketing choice, but I'm just glad I checked the reviews on metacritic, which gave it a 76, before rejecting it out of hand.

It's a coming-of-age story set in the summer job world of an amusement park near Pittsburgh.  (It was filmed at Kennywood, where I went my own self as a youth.)   It has a sweet, realistic, "Freaks and Geeks" sort of feeling to it.  And yes, that's Martin Starr, aka Bill from F&G, above on the right.  On the left is the movie's star, Jesse Eisenberg, who played a similar nerdy, likable character in "The Squid and the Whale." In fact, "Adventureland" is what you might get if you crossed "The Squid and the Whale" with "Sixteen Candles" (though "Adventureland's" family dysfunctionality is entertaining, not spirit-crushing).  The movie is set in 1987 -- seven years after F&G -- and part of the fun lies in the 1987 details, from Lisa P's Madonna-inspired look, to James's childhood friend's Loverboy headband, to "Rock Me Amadeus."  It seemed strange to watch 22-year-olds going through life without cell phones or iPods.  When James made a call from a pay phone I wondered whether the teenagers in the audience recognized the sound of the coins dropping.  My one criticism was that I thought the female love interest, played by Kristen Stewart, seemed like many stock male love interests in these kinds of movies:  attractive, mysterious, and brooding, and if you stop to think about it you wonder what he sees in her.  But really, who needs to think about it that much?

IrishPalaver: White House, Green Fountain

AP Photo         

A new St. Patrick's Day tradition.  Brilliant!

BookPalaver: Irish Book Day, and other things Irish and Bookish

It's that time of year again, when you could be walking out of the Metro or into a coffee shop, minding your own business, and someone will hand you a free book.  And not ask for a donation or if you've been saved.  Solas Nua is holding it's 4th annual Irish Book Day tomorrow, March 17.  Given the generally appalling way St. Patrick's Day is marked in many places around this fine country of ours (just ask anyone who was in Hoboken for the St. Patrick's Day parade two weeks ago), I find Irish Book Day a very nice tradition.  According to Solas Nua, this year’s books will include titles by Colum McCann, Colm Toibin, Anne Enright, Alf MacLochlainn, Brigid Brophym, Chris Agee and Brian Lynch (who will be reading from his novel, The Winner of Sorrow, at the Arts Club of Washington on March 31).

For another option Tuesday night that's a bit less cerebral, Solas Nua and Washington Improv Theater are jointly offering "Craicdown!  A Hooley of Epic Proportions" night at the Source Theatre (1835 14th Street, NW), for $15, with a reception following.  Here's what you can expect:

Scenes from Solas Nua's 2008 hit Trad will be reprised complete with live music, the O'Danny Girls will perform their signature bawdy songs, and WIT will give us an improvised wake and a Limerick chain. Plus mash ups of Solas and WIT actors, a So you think you're Irish? quiz, Irish accent and Riverdance contests and much more! Start working on your Michael Flatley mullet and get ready to join in the fun.

You can buy tickets in advance here.  Finally, Solas Nua's production of Pumpgirl, a play by young Irish playwright Abbie Spallen, is running through March 22 at Flashpoint (916 G Street, NW).

* * * * *

Speaking of Irish literature, on the way home from work tonight I heard R.L. Stine, author of the children's book series Goosebumps, begin an essay in NPR's "You Must Read This" series with the following:

Every once in a while, I read a sentence or paragraph in a book that is so lyrical, so well-crafted — so shockingly perfect — that I have to stop reading and take a short break. I'll blink a few times, and then read the words again.

I thought, exactly!  That's why I'm the second slowest reader on the planet!   (I defer to  Dubliner for first place.)  Even better, he went on to say "This happened to me on page after page of Sebastian Barry's heartbreaking World War I novel, A Long Long Way."  Sebastian Barry is a wonderful author, and A Long Long Way, one of my very favorite books.   You can read (or listen to) the rest of Stine's essay on NPR's website.  He quotes his son, a music producer, as saying about the book that "It's not like reading a novel.  There's music on every page."  When I wrote about it in 2006 I described it (quoting Barry out of context) as "a singing book."  So between the two of us it must be true.

Photo courtesy of Solas Nua.

tvPalaver: The Mad Men (And Women) Are Back

I'm glad my DVR is paying attention, because I completely missed the fact that Mad Men's Season 2 started up again last night on AMC until episode 1 showed up on my recorded list.  These are reruns -- if you are all caught up on the show there's nothing new here.  But for those who got involved late and have been waiting for Season 2 to air again, you need wait no longer.  The shows are airing Sundays at midnight; you can find an episode guide on AMC's website.  Season 2 is not yet available for DVD purchase or rental.

In the meantime, you too can be like Don Draper:

Note to email subscribers: Click on the title of this post (above) to see an SNL short video.

MoviePalaver: Cramming for the Oscars 2009, or Do I Really Want To See These Movies?

 

Usually when the Oscars roll around I've seen most of the movies nominated. About a month ago I realized I'd only seen "Slumdog Millionare," "The Dark Knight," and "The Visitor," so was going to have my work cut out for me.  Then I decided it would be silly to try to rush to see all these other movies.  Then recognized that if I didn't start seeing them soon I'd panic at the end and decide I had to see them after all.  Finally, I decided the reason I hadn't seen most of these movies was that I wasn't that thrilled about seeing them, so I should let it go.  I'm letting it go.  I'm not going to E Street later this afternoon.  Really.

I'm pretty bad at Oscar predictions (though last year I did win my friend J's pool, though was punished when I put the bottle of Prosecco she presented me with in the backpack I was carrying because I was on crutches and cracked the screen on my cell phone, proving that I truly can't win).  So in lieu of predictions here are my random thoughts on the films I've managed to see.  Please don't taunt me on the absence of "Milk," and "The Curious Case of Gilbert Grape," and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." I'm not going to any movies this afternoon.

• "Slumdog Millionaire":  I loved this movie, but it was not just the sweet romance I expected from the previews.  It contains some really brutal scenes.  Just be sure to stay for the Bollywoodesque dance scene in the train station at the end.  It was a good palate cleanser for rejoining society.
• "Frost/Nixon":  Interesting story, great performance by Frank "Dracula" Langella, who is from Bayonne, New Jersey, my home as a tot.  But since when is David Frost a young, hipster, lightweight ladies man?  That blew my mind.
• "The Reader":  Excellent acting by Kate Winslet.  But I couldn't shake the feeling that this was a movie with a made-for-tv plot and lots of inappropriate sex.  Perhaps it should win for that category.
• "The Visitor":  I agree that Richard Jenkins deserved a nomination for his role, but the movie left me feeling a bit disappointed.  Perhaps largely because Tom McCarthy also wrote and directed "The Station Agent," one of my favorite movies in recent years, so my expectations were high.
• "The Wrestler":  I watched this -- with the shaky camera work, staple-gun wrestling, loud Guns n' Roses, and bad hair -- from the third row.  And lived to tell about it.  I'm glad I saw it -- I've never before looked at life from a perspective quite like Randy "The Ram" Robinson's.  I told my hairstylist that I was seeing it with a friend who was crazy about Mickey Rourke twenty years ago. He replied, sadly, "that man is gone."  Well put, Eric.  But he did do a fine acting job.  And if he wins the acceptance speech will likely be entertaining.
• "Tropic Thunder":  Had some laughs, but a bit long for essentially a one-joke movie.  Robert Downey, Jr. was funny, but Oscar worthy?
• "The Dark Knight":  I'm not a big action movie fan, but I saw this at the IMAX theater at the Natural History Museum and it felt like being on a roller coaster ride (albeit a long one).  I thought Heath Ledger was creepy, and menacing, and unhinged as the Joker.  But it seems like a shame to give a posthumous Oscar, when the main effect of the award (other than to help people win money (or Prosecco) from their friends) is to boost an actor's career.  But if the Hollywood insiders who vote are more high-minded and less mercenary then I, who am I to criticize?
• "Changeling":  Yegods.  I knew the material was tough because it's based on a true story of a mother whose nine-year-old son went missing in 1928.  But so many horrific things happen in this movie -- well, I won't divulge them, but consider yourself forewarned. The period setting is amazing, and the story is riveting, but as for Angelina Jolie's performance, it seemed more about her striking -- and period-appropriate -- facial features than anything else.  But then, I have an attitude, and am bracing myself for the cameras to go to Brangelina every chance they get.
• "Frozen River":  I still have a half hour to go in this DVD.  I turned it off yesterday afternoon when the first horrible thing that I feared would happen due to bad decision on top of bad decision seemed about to happen.  It's one of those movies where you keep saying "no, don't!"  But they don't listen.  Melissa Leo (nominated for leading actress) is great.  Even though she doesn't listen.  I'm hoping everyone winds up happy and dancing Bollywood style across the ice at the US-Canadian border.  I'm not optimistic.

TheaterPalaver: Avenue Q

Avenue Q, the multi-Tony-award-winning, irreverent, Muppet-like puppet show, started a brief run in DC tonight at the Warner Theatre.  I haven't been yet (I'm going later this week), but who wouldn't like a puppet musical featuring the song Schadenfreude?

The show runs from today through Sunday, February 15, and it looks like some shows still have tickets available.

Warner Theatre
1299 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (near corner of 13th and E)
Washington, DC  20004
(202) 783-4000