Liars and Saints

Chloe Fineman Fans: In "Drew Is Going Crazy," Drew speaks about being jobless on a visit to NYC. https://www.instagram.com/p/BW-dFQujg8F/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again The trip brings joy, Drew tells us, and she shows us her flashy green Manhattan jacket. But, that said, so many New Yorker friends have corporate jobs, which means you have to fill a day on your own! "I'm literally going crazy," Drew says, and laughs, and that "literally" is telling. To consume the hours, Drew admits, she has been shopping for a "Nahrs lip chappie," in a shade called "Let's Go Crazy," because, again, "I'm a little bit going crazy....." The eyes bug out; there is a troubling moment of exhalation; fade to black. Who knew you could cram so much (denial, oblivious privilege, tension, wonder, subtext) into a brief speech about a cosmetics purchase? I'm still very much in love.

I can recommend "The Devil's Candy," an account of the filming of Brian De Palma's "Bonfire of the Vanities." A certain figure is needed to play Sherman, a mostly venal, detestable guy who is the center of the Tom Wolfe novel. Really, William Hurt is needed. But Hollywood wants someone the world loves (even though the world shouldn't love Sherman). Hollywood goes with Tom Hanks. Sherman is having an affair, and he and his girlfriend strike a man in the Bronx--a hit-and-run! It's expedient never to acknowledge this, so the story seems to be about running from consequences, doing the wrong thing, all the time. Eventually, through a journalist, the truth is revealed, and Sherman gets a lecture from a judge, in the form of Morgan Freeman. This movie has been called one of the worst of all time, the "Ishtar" of its day, a major flop. The problem seemed to be that no one really cared for, or respected, the story, and so a kind of lukewarm n...

It's not clear to me that James Marshall studied Jean de Brunhoff. But here is some speculation. "Babar's Travels"--the second Babar book--has Babar and Celeste on an adventure. They go up in a hot-air balloon, but life intervenes, and they end up stranded. A friendly whale offers to rescue them, but the whale gets distracted by fish, and the elephants are once again abandoned. Finally, a ship arrives, but the captain believes that the elephants are not royalty, and the grand couple is sold into circus life. Meanwhile, back on the mainland, Arthur the tiny elephant decides to play a prank on the rhino Rataxes, by strapping a small firecracker to Rataxes's tail. This doesn't actually amuse Rataxes--and the threat of retaliation becomes a problem. Do you see a James Marshall spirit here? The use of large, large mammals to tell stories about chance and behavior. The hot-air balloon (which also appears in Marshall's story "The Flying Machine")....

Most of the time, I sing Dolly Parton to Joshua. "I Will Always Love You" has three perfect verses. The first is an announcement: If I should stay, I would only be in your way. So I'll go, but I know-- I'll think of you every step of the way. I want Josh to know: These apparently simple lines have internal rhyme. Also, they aren't flashy; they are plainspoken. (So seemingly effortless, and so hard to pull off! Stephen Sondheim says, You don't want to gild the lily. You aren't writing poetry. You just want to let the melody do a great deal of the work.) In the second verse, Dolly's thoughts turn to her "luggage": Bittersweet memories-- That is all I'm taking with me. So goodbye: Please don't cry. We both know I'm not what you need. Again, the restraint! (My other favorite lyrics are similarly "toned-down," and they're from "Fiddler on the Roof." "At ten, I learned a trade...I hear they pi...

Maile Meloy Lovers: Meloy has a perceptive piece about detective fiction in "Town and Country." Like the author of this blog, Meloy particularly loves mysteries set in Britain. Meloy singles out certain writers for praise: J.K. Rowling (the "Strike" mysteries), Kate Atkinson, Waters ("Fingersmith" and "Paying Guests" are crime novels), Pullman's "Sally Lockhart" books (ostensibly for kids). One treat: Meloy reveals that Le Carre's first two books were actually short mysteries, more than they were spy novels. (Brief and centered on a puzzling death? I'll take it.) Meloy also rejects a theory from Auden, who said that we read mysteries as a way of coping with our own guilt. (Hmmm?) Meloy says--more plausibly--that the comfort of rooting out evil is just addictive. It's especially nice in these unsettling Trumpian times. What I can't take is a *bloated* mystery; I think Ruth Rendell's early mysteries (e.g....

I can't stop writing and talking about the actor Chloe Fineman; you should know she also does a version of Frances McDormand.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BgMl_G2HUVP/?hl=en Ms. McDormand--dressed like a Greaser, from "The Outsiders"--appears for a film audition. (The movie title isn't given.) "Can I start?" she says to the camera, with crazed, inappropriate intensity. "My name is Frances.....Mc....Dormand." Fully body shakes begin. "I'm so nervous, I'm hyperventilating....If I fall over, pick me up cuz I. Got Something. To Say." (It's nice to imagine Frances sputtering out her monologue while twitching on the ground; this does seem to capture something about the actual Frances McDormand.) At this point, Frances begins racing, in an unintelligible way, through the opening of "Romeo and Juliet": "Two households in Verona....." This devolves into nonsense syllables: "TWO! HOUSE! HOLDS! HOO!...

Dramatic irony: when we readers know something that our protagonist is unaware of. A famous example: Elaine believes she is a fabulous dancer, on "Seinfeld." (We see contradictory evidence.) Or, in "Red Dragon," we're very much aware of the danger the blind lady faces with Francis, though the blind lady is oblivious. James Marshall has an entry in this canon. In "The Photograph," Martha is way off her game; as a model, she is lacking. (Distortions of perspective cause her nostrils to resemble massive caverns.) Martha--blessed with crazy self-confidence--believes that the photo is a masterpiece. And P.S.  .....We see this crazy self-confidence again, in "The Artist." It's endearing to me..... P.P.S. This is a very rare case where a George and Martha story has only one character. Actually, I can't think of another example! P.P.P.S. Dramatic irony, continued: Lazar and Tevye meet in "Fiddler." We know that Lazar is ...