Liars and Saints

 A personal essay should be iconoclastic. "Against Love." "Against Nature." If the essay just wants to affirm "received truth," it's going to be boring, like a bad watercolor on a coffee mug in an airport gift shop. Alice McDermott knows the rules, so she opens her essay by deflating Emerson. She suggests that, when Emerson told Whitman, "I greet you at the start of a long career," he was being silly. There is no "start" to a writer's career. A writer does not "make progress" -- everyday is square one. Every laptop screen can be a source of "rookie anxiety." McDermott has a talent for surprise. She next tells a tale about having been nominated for a National Book Award for "That Night." There was a sense of calm in the room, because everyone *knew* the prize would go to Toni Morrison for "Beloved."  The winner's name was called. It was an obscure novelist -- for a book that is (now) ut...

 I agree with the Roger Ebert website that "KPop Demon Hunters" has a script problem; the dialogue just isn't on par with the songs. The movie starts to lose steam in the second half. Oddly, I'm familiar with this problem. It's the problem in almost every Sondheim show (and particularly in "Follies") -- you have amazing musical interludes and then you have banal chit chat. But the music! "KPop" borrows from the world of Howard Ashman. (This connection is underlined through the casting of Lea Salonga, a living legend who once worked with Ashman.) An opening number needs to inform you about the plot -- but, really, it needs to introduce you to the *style* you're going to be "wearing" for the next two hours. Ashman uses an opening number to tell you about his own special cheekiness: Little shop! Little shop of horrors... Watch 'em drop! Never stop the terror... Call a cop... Little shop of horrors.... No! No, no! Nuh-oh! "KP...

 One of my guilty pleasures when traveling is a trip to any near-my-hotel movie theater.  Often, I can finesse this as an effort to identify "local color" -- the quirky indie palace that Judy Blume built in Key West, the terrific museum-slash-screening-room in Miami.  It's a different story in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Caribbean Cinema is just like AMC -- by another name. What I can say is that it's really nice to see a movie without the Nicole Kidman speech. Without the guy who drives a race-car. Without the booming voice and its nonsense declaration: "LIGHT is OUR HERO...." I felt a little more virtuous when I visited the bookstore. There in San Juan, I picked up "Dear Dolly," a series of "agony aunt" letters that Dolly Alderton wrote for publication in her early thirties. Immediately afterward, I met a waitress with an abiding passion for Alderton's work. "I read her memoir last year....and I plan to read it again one decade ...

  "The Correspondent" is an unusual mystery story. Sybil has a secret about her past; the secret rears its head in the present. In the present, family relationships are strained and Sybil herself sometimes behaves in odd ways. Sybil's daughter--Fiona--is determined to solve the mystery. Fiona enlists the help of a family friend, Rosalie. But Sybil sees this bond as a kind of betrayal. Ruptures occur; Rosalie keeps pushing. In a heroic display of self-control, Sybil decides to make a change. She hears her friend; she recognizes good intentions. She offers a confession. All is (sort of) well. As the family story unspools itself, little subplots pop up. These are like the victim stories on "The Pitt." A Syrian desk worker tries to climb the professional ladder in the United States. A beleaguered Dean of English considers allowing non-students to audit courses at the University of Maryland. Joan Didion--yes, Joan Didion!--seeks editorial feedback for her draft of ...

 Sam Raimi has the gift of "bad" taste: You're going to see corpses in his films, whether you're streaming "A Simple Plan," "Dr. Strange II," or "Evil Dead." Also, Raimi has an eye. His work is visually stunning. In his new movie, "Send Help," you're treated to a plane crash, a wild boar attack, and a brief trip to the Land of the Dead. Each of these interludes is brilliant; you're seeing the work of an artist. For a long while, "Send Help" seems to be a retelling of "Misery." (Recently, Rachel McAdams worked with Kathy Bates; I wonder if this led to certain ideas.) The twist is that--with "Send Help"--the "James Caan" guy is in no way sympathetic. He is an asshole. So you're disoriented. You can't just cross your fingers for the James Caan guy. His potential victory would be a sad thing to contemplate. In the Kathy Bates role, Rachel McAdams is transcendent. She never misj...

  It was a surprise to see the NYT piece on Sondheim yesterday. My favorite mini-essay was from Renee Fleming, who reflected on "Not While I'm Around." This song--like so many others--has been mistreated by Barbra Streisand. By removing the song from its context, Streisand drains the song of some of its power. What moves me in "Sweeney" is that Tobias is making a "victim outcry." He is complaining. Because the nature of Tobias's complaint is so disturbing, the words do not flow from his mouth. He also feels that he has to *solve* the problem--though the necessary steps are well beyond his capability. (Because I'm watching "The Pitt," I'm weirdly aware of this kind of subtext right now. The woman who is trafficked seems to communicate with her eyes. The victim of molestation seems to have a conversation with herself--before getting upset and walking out the door.) Not to worry, not to worry. I may not be smart, but I ain't dumb...