Book three: Bad Things Happen.

A quick break from Sundance to continue by 2010 book journal.

Lately, I've been reading books that don't fall within my usual chosen genres. Why? Because they're recommended by people I trust, like that librarian that recommends books on NPR.  Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan is one such book.  I would never have chosen this book on my own.  But it turns out, this was one fun read.

I guess I'd call this a mystery novel. But in reality it's more like a mystery/crime/film noir/romance/action adventure novel. I loved the writing style with its short, crisp sentences that crackled with action. I also loved the characters. David Loogan, the main character is full of secrets that mean you should hate him. But you just can't.

Bad Things Happen is filled with fictional authors who've written fictional novels, with ingenious mystery titles.  I also liked the way Dolan writes mystery-novel cliches and then admits it by having his fictional authors call them out.

There's a lot of good in this book, but there's also some bad.  I regularly rolled my eyes at the ridiculous plot twists and turns.  For that reason, I'm not giving this book a Read It rating (although it was close).  Instead, it gets Nothing Better to Read.  A rating that's perfect particularly if you have nothing better to read on a sunny beach vacation or on a rainy weekend when you want to snuggle up under a blanket with fun book.

I want to be . . . an aborigine.

My favorite Sundance genre? The musical. Yes, they're few and far between.  But I go out of my way to support anyone who tries to tackle a musical on an indie scale. That's why I made sure to see Bran Nue Dae.  This Australian import is based on a stage musical created in the early 1990s.


While many Sundance musicals dazzled (remember Camp?), Bran Nue Dae was just OK.  Frequently the acting fell flat. And the story didn't hold together very well.  I wish I could see the original stage version to see if the story was more cohesive.


Bran Nue Dae is at its best (as are most musicals) when it's singing and dancing. The sequences in the roadhouse bar steam up the screen with sensuality and fun.  And Willie (Rocky McKenzie), the young lead, is completely awkward in his musical performances, yet somewhow it works perfectly.


I also have to say a note about the animated opening credits which are billiant.


I'll be surprised if Bran Nue Dae makes it theaters in the U.S. And if it does, I'm not sure I'd make the effort to see it in a theater.  But it would be worth adding it to your Netflix list.

Welcome to the magic of Sundance.

The Sundance Film Festival has returned to Utah.  It opened in Park City last Thursday.  But the official Salt Lake City opening was Friday, with a gala premiere of Get Low, directed by Aaron Schneider and starring Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, and Bill Murray.  I also have to add to that list, Lucas Black who was just as good as the big name names. 


This is a magical movie. Maybe I just relate to a crazy old man who's never been married, never had children or grand children, and doesn't even know how to "hold a baby."  (OK, I know how to hold baby.)  Or maybe I relate to the idea of throwing a party instead of a funeral.  I've always said my funeral should feature a DJ and a mirror ball instead of flowers and a casket.  But I don't think I'm the only one who loved this movie.


Robert Duvall is brilliant as the crazy old hermit.  And he's matched beautifully by Sissy Spacek's charming widow.  Bill Murray is perfect as the greedy funeral director who turns out to have a heart.  The surprise performance is Lucas Black, who infuses the film with a great big wonderful heart.


But it's not just the acting.  This movie is gorgeous.  The sets are unbelievable.  How did they just find these places? And I still want to how they lit this film.  It's amazing.


The director and three of the key actors showed up for the Q&A after the movie.  Bill Murray stole the show.  He's even better in person that he is on screen.  And Duvall's quiet comments made me respect him even more.


I'm sure this movie will make to theaters.  If you get the chance, see it.

Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray, and director Aaron Schneider after the premiere of Get Low at the Rose Wagner Theater in Salt Lake City.

Book two: Tinkers.

Do you ever wonder what books are being written today that will be literary classics tomorrow? What books will bored high school students of the future be forced to read? I'm certainly not qualified to say which books fall into that category. But it won't surprise me if Tinkers by Paul Harding makes it into a lot of future English classes.

The book's opening line reads, "George Washington Crosby began to hallucinate eight days before he died." That begins the clock-like countdown to the end of his life. During those eight days, we experience foggy, elusive memories from his long life. And we learn the story of George's father, Howard.

You have to pay attention reading this book or you can quickly get lost. There are flashbacks and voice changes. There are excerpts from old books. (Is there really an 18th Century book called The Reasonable Orologist? Because if there is I really want to read it.) And then there is something about how to build bird nests with little pieces of metal tied to your fingers, the instructions taken from a "lost pamphlet."

There is so much going on in this book that it begs to be read a second time. It's written with some of the most beautiful language I've ever read. Small moments like the descriptions of Howard's epileptic seizures or the joys of starting life over as a grocery bag boy are stunning. The book speaks so eloquently about death that you start to wonder if the author has experienced it. And the characters are written so well that you feel like you've lived a lifetime together.

This is Paul Harding's first novel so maybe it can't be a literary classic (although I'll bet there are a few first novels that fall into the classics category). I'll likely reread this book and I'll definitely read anything Harding writes in the future.

Tinkers gets a great big Read It! rating.

Do you know the way to Art Lobster.

My good friend Kara rightly informed me that in my recent post about the move to Art Lobster, I didn't inform people where to find the Art Lobster. The official URL is artlobster.blogspot.com. I'm still working on all the graphics and layout. But the brilliant content is all there. And isn't that what matters.

Book one: Justice.

Recently over at Salon.com a writer suggested starting the new year by keeping a book journal, a place to write a paragraph or two about every book you read. It sounded like a good idea to me so I'm starting my 2010 book journal. And why not share my journal here on the Art Lobster.

The first book I finished in 2010 is Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J. Sandel. It's a great book to learn more about the ideas set forth by some of history's greatest philosophers, from Aristotle to Kant.

It's written by a Harvard professor so it sometimes reads like a lecture. But the book accomplished something that's hard to do in our polarized society: It forced me to seriously reconsider some of my core philosophies and beliefs. Like the role of religion in public discourse and even the role of morals in discussions about issues like abortion. I've seriously changed my attitudes because of this book.

I'm adopting a three tier rating system for my mini book reviews. Read it is an enthusiastic endorsement which means I recommend the book. Nothing better to do means it's a worthwhile book but only if you have nothing better to do. And burn it (no I don't condone the burning of books but it makes for a great rating system) means I wouldn't suggest wasting your time.

The rating for Justice: Read it!

New Year. New home.

Not only is it a new year, it's a new decade. What better time to move my blog to a new home? So with apologies to Mr. Laupin, the former Mrs. Laupin, and Johnny Blue Jeans (I still love and miss you), I'm changing the name of my blog toArt Lobster. Regular readers of Viva Variety will understand why.

I'm also setting a blog goal. The first year of Viva Variety, I wrote 34 posts. The second year, I wrote 37 posts. Last year, I took the whole thing a little more seriously and wrote 92 posts. This year, I plan to post an average of three posts per week for a total of 156 posts. And since I'm already behind, I'd better get busy.

So to all you regular readers (and you're few and far between), change your bookmarks, your Bloglines settings, your RSS feeds to keep track of Art Lobster.