http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Fri, 6 Jun 2003 14:53:56 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/06/145356.php George PartingtonDave Eggers can joke about it, but heartbreaking works of staggering genius are still produced, and "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry is one. That's my humble opinion, anyway.Why, you ask. What makes this a work of art, a genuinely moving experience? I don't know, but for two weeks and 600 pages, I lived in India in the 1970s. I ate chapatis cooked by a skinny teenager in a small apartment. Thanks to the independent spirit and vision of my father, I learned a trade, sewing, that I could use to escape the cruel slavery of my village's caste system. I felt the crack of the police officer's truncheon against my elderly skull, not just the violence but the cold, impersonal nature of the injustice. I watched in horror as men with great power, and my Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, directed acts of violence safe in the knowledge that they could escape justice (in this world).I lived it all through four main characters, and a rich panoply of supporting players. These four – a single woman on her own, a college student, and an uncle and his nephew struggling with poverty in a big city -- have little in common, except an independent streak. They don't believe in passive acceptance of their intended lot in life. The two characters that center the novel, the impoverished tailors Om and Ishvar, are periodically swept up in one governmental atrocity – or, program designed to deal with the "excess population," i.e. the poor -- after another. And they periodically meet others who comment on how the government is completely corrupt and vile and what a shame it is that India is being ruined from the top down. How it wasn't always like this; how things keep getting worse. And if their leaders are completely criminal, what hope is there for the common man? There are dark hints of the IMF and World Bank, the CIA, and the ruthless nature – and monstrous sham -- of big business.But, a la Steinbeck, the common man and woman endure, finding refuge and humanity through solidarity, through acts of kindness and love. How the protagonists breakthrough society-forged manacles, how they negotiate the fine line between "passion and foolishness, kindness and weakness," how they come to stand with mercy over cruelty, consideration over callousness is the novel's beating heart.We're in this freak show together, "sailing under one flag," Mistry seems to be saying. The suffering can be overwhelming, human dignity continually beset by impersonal forces, but life can and does offer bittersweet moments, small and great triumphs. Do they balance out, hope and despair? After Mistry's anything-but-sentimental ending, I'm still struggling with that, but I find that this line from one of the characters hits close to home: "Losing, and losing again, it is the very basis of the life process, till all we are left with is the bare essence of human existence." Books5972@blogcritics.org Fri, 6 Jun 2003 14:53:56 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/05/111624.php George Partington"The Matrix is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth."For me, the appeal of the 1999 movie The Matrix is simple. It's not the shades and black leather outfits; it's not the ultraviolence. Those I could do without, although I did enjoy the noir style of the beginning, particularly the scene of the black caddy under the bridge in a rainstorm. The movie works for me because I read it as a straightforward condemnation of two powerful forces, corporations and media.Corporations are the machines, the media the simulation.In the abstract, and disregarding the fact that I work for one, corporations are similar to Frank Herberts' sand worms -- a gullet with no eyes and no heart. They run on that famous engine called profit, which in turn feeds on the environment, people, anything that will keep it stoked. The intelligence of the corporation is unconnected to the organic systems upon which life depends; their one reason for being is to replicate profits, even if it means the creation of conditions antithetical to human life. They're less than bright that way.Only laws built to serve the common good can keep this force in check, yet corporations have wrested law-making authority from the people, governments from their connection to populations. Nearly every top job in the Bush administration, for example, is filled by a former corporate executive previously dedicated to subverting laws that make sense for old-fashioned, organic people, but not for modern corporate entities.But back to the movie. The artificial intelligence Morpheus speaks of – the beginning of the great calamity – is analogous to the artificial personhood of the corporation and the artificial reality of TV.It's no accident that Morpheus' speech to Neo on how the world was brought to its ghastly state features a blank room with two battered armchairs and a TV set, both circa the 1950s, the era of the birth of broadcast television. It is in this setting that Morpheus speaks of the "birth of AI." Whether an electronic media mirage or a computer simulation, the end result is greater control, and a collective mind sold on the "wisdom" of machine or corporate rule, as the case may be.Kurt Vonnegut articulated this modern-day dread in his Clemens Lecture presented in April for the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut. "We have suffered a technological calamity," he said. "Television is now our form of government."I haven't seen The Matrix sequel yet, and I don't see the need for one, except, ironically, its ability to keep the audience plugged in. The ending of the first was perfect, leaving the revolution that would free humanity up to the imagination, underscoring the point Morpheus makes to Neo: "I can only show you the door. You’re the one that has to walk through it."In other words, it is incumbent upon everybody to wake the fuck up."… you have been down there Neo, you know that road, you know exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be." Video5922@blogcritics.org Thu, 5 Jun 2003 11:16:24 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/05/01/161205.php George PartingtonWell they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night / now they blew up his house too / Down on the boardwalk they're gettin' ready for a fight / gonna see what them racket boys can doI take it back, Bruce. I've written that I've outgrown your music. What nonsense. I've written that your live show was getting long in the tooth. But that's just me. I've written that your latest album, The Rising, was mediocre. I dismissed it as a failure and politically vague. But your heart was in it.You rock, Bruce. You walk Streets Of Fire. Dylan freed the mind; Springsteen freed the heart, someone said. But I see no reason to split it down the middle like that. You're an American treasure. I know that. I've always known it, despite my critical hubris. Blogger made me do it, Bruce. Besides, I had to take down my idol.The Rising is a good sight shy of your best work, that's true, but we can't be brilliant every time out of the gate. Yet, I have this feeling that you're gonna kick down the doors again, most likely with your next release. Certainly, the new message on your Web site is an encouraging sign: The pressure coming from the government and big business to enforce conformity of thought concerning the war and politics goes against everything that this country is about - namely freedom. Right now, we are supposedly fighting to create freedom in Iraq, at the same time that some are trying to intimidate and punish people for using that same freedom here at home. I don't know what happens next, but I do want to add my voice to those who think that the Dixie Chicks are getting a raw deal, and an un-American one to boot. I send them my support. (more) Obviously, you too feel the chill wind Tim Robbins was talking about at the National Press Club. "I don't know what happens next." Yeah, that's it. Take that killer band of yours in the studio and find out.You said it in 1984, "The times are tough now, just getting tougher. This old world is rough, it's just getting rougher." Lot of good lyrics on the Born in the U.S.A. album. Musically, to these ears it's inert stadium rock/pop, so it's not one of my favorites. But yeah, in today's climate, you can easily "end up like a dog that's been beat too much / Till you spend half your life just covering up."There were encouraging signs on your last effort. Mary's Place in particular. "I'm pullin' all the faith I can see / From that black hole on the horizon." And you asked, you kept asking, "Tell me how do you get this thing started?" Drop the needle, Bruce. I'll say the prayer for all the long-gone daddys in the USA.Everything dies, baby, that's a fact / But maybe everything that dies someday comes back. ~ Bruce Springsteen, Atlantic City Music5007@blogcritics.org Thu, 1 May 2003 16:12:05 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/04/24/141338.php George PartingtonImagine if your good, music-lovin friend burned you a CD, a CD he took great care to create. Imagine if this friend had an extraordinarily deep collection of folk, blues, country, jazz, indy and oddball rock, and other rare and wonderful recordings.Further, this friend has put together compilations for you before, and they've always been a classy ride, tracing rootsy strains in music from America's past to its present. What's really cool is this friend edits a fine magazine and makes it a habit to include the CD with his annual music issue.As a friend, he might have just given you the CD, but since he lives in Little Rock, Arkansas, and you don't, you figure you might as well pay for it and support him professionally while you're at it. So when you walk into a bookstore and see the music issue of Oxford American , you snap it up. Perusing the tracklist before you pop it into your car CD player, you know you're in for another treat.Tracklist:1. "Why You Been Gone So Long" Johnny Darrell2. "Total Destruction to Your Mind" Swamp Dogg3. "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" The Del McCoury Band4. "La Chanson d'une Fille de Quinze Ans (Song of a Fifteen Year Old Girl)" Ann Savoy and Linda Ronstadt5. "Swan Blues" King Pleasure6. "Run on for a Long Time" The Blind Boys of Alabama7. "Evelyn Is Not Real" My Morning Jacket8. "Lake Charles Boogie" Nellie Lutcher9. "Hot Rod" The Collins Kids10. "No Headstone on My Grave" Esther Phillips11. "El Paso" The Gourds12. "Leaving Loachapoka" Marshall Chapman13. "Grits Ain't Groceries" Little Milton14. "Killer Diller Blues" Memphis Minnie15. "Miss Maybelle" R.L. Burnside16. "God Moves on the Water" Blind Willie Johnson17. "Niki Hoeky" P.J. Proby18. "See That Coon in a Hickory Tree" The Delmore Brothers19. "Leaning on You" The Yo-Yo's20. "You and Your Sister" Chris Bell21. "Columbus Stockade Blues" Willie Nelson22. "A Little Girl from Little Rock" Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell23. "Goodnight Moon" Will Kimbrough Imagine it. Something good and true and rootsy and American. It's enough to give one hope.Disclaimer: I subscribe to Oxford American, so did not actually buy it at the newsstand. Editor Marc Smirnoff is my friend in the same way as the folks on my blogroll. Upon initial listen, I did not first read the tracklist, which helps to guard against preconceived notions. I usually end up wondering halfway through the song, who is this? Then I pick up the CD cover and attempt to read the relatively small print while avoiding an accident. Music4830@blogcritics.org Thu, 24 Apr 2003 14:13:38 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/04/01/131136.php George PartingtonDocumentaries can be quite the stimulating film genre. It helps to remember that it's all fiction, docu or no, and the last one I viewed – The Kid Stays in the Picture -- exhibited an awareness of this up-front.The film begins with a quote from its subject, the movie producer Robert Evans, to the effect that there are three sides to every story: Your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Shared memories serve each differently, says Bob.Evans' story is a Hollywood story in fact and in narrative arc. It's the classic American story Hollywood so loves to tell: young man with a dream plays his breaks perfectly, stays true to his vision, gambles….and wins (including the girl).But it doesn't end there, as this is the chronicle of a man now in his later years. After reaching the pinnacle – successful head of Paramount studios -- there is the inevitable decline. I won’t go into the details of either Evans' rise or fall. But I will encourage you to see the film and check it out for yourself. The film is very well crafted, with a good many brilliant stretches. Evans' life was well-documented in photographs, and the filmmakers put the photos -- and excerpts from his films -- to extraordinarily good use.Evans became the head of Paramount during the late '60s and early '70s, and helped usher in that era's down-to-earth focus. At this point in the film, Evans, in his film-long voice-over narration, says that good films begin with good scripts. "No wonder he was a successful producer," I remarked to my friend, who had already seen the film. "Wait until you see the films he made," he replied. I won't reveal those here (that'd be like giving away the plot), but rent it and find out, along with the stories behind them. You're in for a treat.---What can I say about Bowling for Columbine? It's a Michael Moore documentary, and if you've seen any of his others, you know just what to expect. And I hear ya, right-wingers: Yeah. A buncha lies from a self-serving wacko leftist egomaniac. I don’t know about that. Is a nightmare a lie? Because that's what this film is. Its centerpiece and most disturbing section is closed-circuit camera footage from inside Columbine High School during the massacre, with 911 calls from the incident as the audio. That section is followed by footage of Charlton Heston in Denver about 10 days later speaking at an NRA meeting, bellowing about guns. That's the film in a nutshell. Or maybe gunshell. Crazy, violence-obsessed, gun-obsessed culture absolutely unaware and unconcerned for the toll on human life of such insanity.Thank goodness Cirque du Soleil was on Bravo the night I watched my "for your academy award consideration" copy on loan from my film critic friend. After Bowling for Columbine, I needed to watch something expressing the mystery and beauty of the human spirit. Video4273@blogcritics.org Tue, 1 Apr 2003 13:11:36 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/03/26/103910.php George PartingtonDo not rent How I Got Into College (1989). Oh, you weren't planning to? Never heard of it?It's a late '80s teen comedy, one of a slew of them comprising a mini-genre exclusive to a time and place – America, the 1980s, with some late-70s product thrown in. You know, Animal House, Caddyshack, Back to School.So you want me to tell you about how it sucked? It didn't. That's not why you should avoid it. It's actually sweet, innocent, romantic, playful, inventive, joyous, and feisty. That is why you should avoid it. Life in these united states in this early 21st century bears little resemblance.I watched it at a friend's house over the weekend. We'd seen it when it was new. I loved it then, and I loved it all over again. The difference is, I once believed it. It's what I'd want life to be like. Hell, I could have written it. Not then, but now. I guess I'd make it more cynical now. Or I'd write it knowing of its naivete, but wanting to inspire nonetheless. How I Got Into College is about having dreams and following them, even if that simply means following a girl. It's about love of something larger than yourself – in this case, a small liberal arts college. It's ultimately about two American Dreams. One typically cold and calculating: money and power are the ultimate goals and any means in pursuit are justified; the other about celebrating individualism, diversity, equal opportunity, and the life of the mind.So don't rent this film and subject yourself to a stark reminder of how far and how fast we've slid into the chasm of the former, morally bankrupt dream, and how distant seems our belief in true higher learning, our better instincts, and openness to change.In How I Got Into College the good guys and girls win. Right now, America, by contrast, is lost. Video4106@blogcritics.org Wed, 26 Mar 2003 10:39:10 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/03/19/130440.php George PartingtonIt's all I've ever known. That one sentence, that one scene from the film Running on Empty is haunting me. I watched it Wednesday night, just me and a couple of Guinness. It affected me, the ending especially, no doubt because I have children of my own. If you don't want me to spoil it for you, stop reading right now.Ok. The end. No, there's a whole story that leads up to that moment, and you need to hear that first. There's a family. That's the main thing; that’s really what this film is about – family. Bonds. How love is selfish, and then, when it's really large, unselfish. And love has consequences, and if you can face them you can make the world a better place.This family, mom, dad, two boys, age 12 and 17 or thereabouts, is close. They're a tight unit; they have to be, because they are on the run from the law, from society. The kids accept it; it's all they’ve ever known. Their mom and dad were active in anti-government activities in the '60s and early '70s. They planted a bomb in a Napalm factory. They wanted to make a statement: chemical warfare by its indiscriminate nature is wrong. Not in my name. Unfortunately, there was an innocent bystander who got injured – blinded and paralyzed. He wasn't supposed to be there; the revolutionaries don't believe in committing the very crimes they are trying to stop.The film opens with the family hitting the road on a moment's notice, one step ahead of law enforcement agents. About the only thing they take with them is a practice piano keyboard.River Phoenix is the teenager, Danny. I remember that his acting talent was well-regarded, but I can't remember any standout performances. But this is one. I kept thinking of James Dean. The filmmakers were aware of the similarities too, as he’s often seen in a windbreaker (blue instead of red), and a poster of Dean is visible in one scene.This movie is his story. His life. And, naturally, it's just beginning. He's an extremely talented musician. Piano. Classical piano. His dad, Judd Hirsch, is a rocker of course, that's the music of the people and the soundtrack of revolution. His mom is also a talented musician. Or could have been, before her life was derailed. By her own actions, she's aware of that. The parents are adults, not interested in the blame game. They want to get by and raise the best kids they can. In that, they are succeeding admirably. And that is brought out in the film beautifully. But they're running on empty. But running, getting by, underground. Living through subterfuge. It's all the kids have ever known. That line, the one haunting me, is delivered by Phoenix to his girlfriend in a moment of desperation. Despite the danger, he has to let down the facade, let this girl in to the real person, tell the true story of his young life: It's all I've ever known. Being on the run. Having to put forward a false front. Keeping everyone and everything at a distance.He's a great kid. I hope I should do so well with my kids. This film is not so much a political story – though that's there, it's just part of life, something you live with. The difference is, through the actions undertaken for their convictions, all these issues are given heightened dramatic tension. Paradoxically, it's what you'd call a quiet film. But that's where its power lies. We recognize our own quiet lives, whether we're active revolutionaries or not. Just giving, to raise a child, to act on your convictions, to nurture a talent, is also a positive and political act.And making sacrifices, so that, for someone, dreams deferred will not be all they've ever known. And that brings me, finally, to the ending. At his latest school, Danny has caught the eye of the local music teacher. He sees a promising talent, and encourages it. He even manages to get him to audition at Juilliard, even though neither he nor his parents have dared look beyond the next day or week of outsmarting the authorities. It's what they must do, and its all they've ever known.The mother, played brilliantly by Christine Lahti, gets wind of her son's clandestine exploration of just where his talent might take him, so she starts thinking about how she might make it possible. She's coming to terms with what they've done and how their kids are paying the price. Her husband doesn't want to face it. "We’re a family unit. It's all we have," he says. "Look at our kids. They're wonderful. We haven't done too badly." He won't let himself look beyond the present moment. Lahti arranges a risky meeting with her father at a restaurant. They haven't seen each other in 14 years, since the fateful explosion. He's unforgiving at first. She pleads her case. Just take Danny, let him go to Juilliard. When Michael is of age, I'm going to turn myself in. I'll get 15 years. 15 years without involvement in my children's lives. Yes, the same amount of time her father has suffered. Maybe it's easy irony, but it works. Her father finally agrees. She says she loves him and leaves, near breakdown. Her father's cold facade breaks, enough for him to let go with a small but forceful bark of emotion.Full circle. The end: They're on the run again. Get in the truck and go! But Danny has to say goodbye to his girlfriend. The family waits at a rendezvous point. Danny comes barreling up on his bicycle, gets off and throws it in the back of the truck. His dad tells him to take the bike out of the back. Danny takes it out, parks it with the kickstand, starts to get in the truck. "No," says his father. "Get on it. Go. Your mother has made arrangements with her father. Go see him. Good luck kid."And goodbye. Roll credits.I cried a few salty tears. I'm gonna have to do that someday. Video3923@blogcritics.org Wed, 19 Mar 2003 13:04:40 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2002/12/19/090634.php George PartingtonMaybe you're young and single. Maybe you're struggling to make ends meet in (another) down economy. Maybe your love life, work life, and drug life are all tangled up. If so, you'll likely find the songs on the CD The Edge of Christmas relevant, not to mention rocking. It might even spark some warm feelings in your jaded old heart. Then again, maybe you came of age about when Reagan rode into Washington with nuclear guns a'blazin. Like I did (came of age that is; I stay away from guns). If so, then this album is for you, too, even though the nostalgia factor may be a bit overwhelming. Or, perhaps you just appreciate the artifacts of rock-pop culture, in which case you'll probably enjoy this blast from the 1980s, a decade that is in the spotlight right now on VH1's amusing series "I Love the '80s." The Edge of Christmas collects 12 songs, 10 of which were recorded during the '80s, with the other two just before or just after that decade. They are all winners, save one. In a good many of the songs, Christmas is something desperately needed – either the idea of peace, the reuniting or reconciliation with loved ones, or the desire to put a positive exclamation point on another tough year. It's all exemplified by The Payolas' "Christmas is Coming." "Christmas is coming/It's been a long year/I wish you were here" goes the chorus. The song details the singer's scrappy existence: unemployment, apartment kitchen in need of repair (an inch of water on the floor, but the landlord doesn't care, "he only wants more"), playin' records too loud. The Payolas weren't familiar to me back in the day, but that song is a gem. Most of the artists on the CD are familiar, though. Here they are, in order: Queen ("Thank God it’s Christmas" gotta love that title, and the song. Bombastic, yeah a bit, but Freddie pulls it off.); Pat Benatar ("Please Come Home for Christmas" – don't laugh, it's a credible blues ditty and she belts it out nicely); The Pretenders ("2000 Miles" – what can I say, Chrissie Hynde. Heartbreaking and beautiful); Kate Bush ("December Will be Magic Again" – I get the gist, but not much else; it's unintelligible and annoying after a while, i.e. it's Kate Bush); David Bowie w/ Bing Crosby ("Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" – weird wild stuff, and it works; great vocal by Bowie, worth the price of admission); Cocteau Twins ("Winter Wonderland" – never a fan, but this is quite nice); The Smithereens ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" – pure, unadulterated rock spirit -- these boys had it) Dave Edmunds ("Run Rudolph Run" – a great Chuck Berry song that rocks so tightly that even Chuck would smile; this and the previous are a one-two punch guaranteed to have your butt movin.) The Pogues w/ Kirsty MacColl ("Fairytale of New York" – has there been a greater rock band? Or a more original rock Christmas song?) The Ramones ("Merry Christmas (I don’t want to fight tonight)" – "where is Rudolph, where is Blitzen, baby?" …immortal) The Waitresses ("Christmas Wrapping" – a pun on rapping, ‘cause that’s what it is. Would have also made a good blog entry) "Bah, humbug!" No, that's too strong 'Cause it is my favorite holiday But all this year's been a busy blur Don't think I have the energy To add to my already mad rush Just 'cause it 'tis the season. The perfect gift for me would be Completions and connections left from Last year, ski shop, Encounter, most interesting. Had his number but never the time Most of '81 passed along those lines. So deck those halls, trim those trees Raise up cups of Christmas cheer, I just need to catch my breath, Christmas by myself this year. Calendar picture, frozen landscape, Chilled this room for twenty-four days, Evergreens, sparkling snow Get this winter over with! Flashback to springtime, saw him again, Would've been good to go for lunch, Couldn't agree when we were both free, We tried, we said we'd keep in touch. Didn't, of course, 'til summertime, Out to the beach to his boat could I join him? No, this time it was me, Sunburn in the third degree. Now the calendar's just one page And, of course, I am excited Tonight's the night, but I've set my mind Not to do too much about it. Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! But I think I'll miss this one this year. Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! But I think I'll miss this one this year. Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! But I think I'll miss this one this year. Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! But I think I'll miss this one this year. Hardly dashing through the snow Cause I bundled up too tight Last minute have-to-do's A few cards a few calls 'Cause it's r-s-v-p No thanks, no party lights It's Christmas Eve, gonna relax Turned down all of my invites. Last fall I had a night to myself, Same guy called, halloween party, Waited all night for him to show, This time his car wouldn't go, Forget it, it's cold, it's getting late, Trudge on home to celebrate In a quiet way, unwind Doing Christmas right this time. A&P has provided me With the world's smallest turkey Already in the oven, nice and hot Oh damn! Guess what I forgot? So on with the boots, back out in the snow To the only all-night grocery, When what to my wondering eyes should appear In the line is that guy I've been chasing all year! "I'm spending this one alone," he said. "Need a break; this year's been crazy." I said, "Me too, but why are you? You mean you forgot cranberries too?" Then suddenly we laughed and laughed Caught on to what was happening That Christmas magic's brought this tale To a very happy ending! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Couldn't miss this one this year! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Couldn't miss this one this year! ~ Chris Butler, The Waitresses Music2338@blogcritics.org Thu, 19 Dec 2002 09:06:34 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2002/11/14/092559.php George PartingtonIt was okay. It wasn't bad, just nothing special.That's how I characterized Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to a friend of mine who works as journalist covering films and therefore had passes to give me for an advanced screening.I went into the film with mixed feelings. I love the books, but suspect filmed versions will only discourage new generations of readers, or failing that, it will usurp their imaginations as they watch the films prior to reading the tales.And, not to be a total curmudgeon, but to see Harry Potter take his place in a culture of stupidly expensive, over-hyped products - as a movie, DVD, action figure, lego set, stuffed doll, fast-food tie-in, etc. -- is a bit dispiriting.But then again, I enjoyed the elaborate detail of the first film, as well as the opportunity to experience J.K. Rowling's fantasy world and its compelling fictions in another medium. Such is modern life and its guilty pleasures. Not that I would characterize the books as guilty pleasures. They are rich in humor, drama, and imagination. As millions of readers attest, there is no need to pigeonhole them into a category such as "children's literature"; they are simply excellent fiction.The first film drew me in as a good film should. The opening was full of anticipation of Harry's escape from his hellish life - the letters from Hogwarts increasing in number until the air in the Dursley's living room was thick with them, the retreat to an island to get away from the assault, and the entrance of Hagrid, realized beautifully by Robbie Coltrane. Then, as the tension was released, there was the majestic unfolding of Harry's new world - Diagon Alley, train platform 9&3/4, the train ride with new friends, and finally, Hogwarts.But with that film, as with the new one, I left the theater less than satisfied. Our three heroes, as in the books, were likable, and I was behind them, but by the end of both 2&1/2+ hour films I was mostly exhausted and reminded, more than anything else, of Rowling's brilliance, her way with a fantasy world that feels grounded yet fanciful, and above all, humorous. The Whomping Willow in Chamber of Secrets is a perfect example. It's grounded (obviously), it's fanciful (a tree that whomps anyone who gets too close), and it's humorous (the name alone).The problem, as was the case in the first film, is that by the last third it all starts to look labored. What should be movie magic by the end turns into a standard, familiar, and inevitable confrontation with evil and an equally inevitable victory by our heroes. (Advice to Chris Columbus: there's only one Spielberg.) Even though, whether reading the books or watching the movies, we know our heroes will triumph, in the books the suspense is terrific, while in the movie, by the end, there's too much of a spectacle, roller coaster feel. I couldn't help imagining the big battle as a thrill ride at a theme park. It worked in the books. I admired the way the plot pieces snapped together with a satisfying click, and the evil that Harry confronts feels menacing and real, instead of obligatory and comic-bookish. Although, truth be told, those we're supposed to hate (other than Voldemort), the Dursleys and the Malfoys, are extremely wooden in both mediums. In particular, Draco and his father Lucius, are required to sneer and utter hiss-worthy lines that few actors could pull off, especially child actors.The actors portraying Harry, Ron, and Hermione are again up to the task, infusing their characters with the necessary innocence and wonder, but coming off as three-dimensional. And the British thespians - Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, and Alan Rickman - are a joy to watch. Rickman's performance, in particular, provides thrills for the way it skates the line between camp and character. Not so for Kenneth Branagh's Gilderoy Lockhart. I found him to be too cartoonish and over-the-top. Kenneth seemed to be having a good time with the pompous character, but I wasn't.Many of the films' weaknesses could be mitigated, were they headed by a more imaginative director. Or maybe they just needed to be more tightly edited. Two hours and 41 minutes is too much time to be in the hands of a pedestrian director; nor does it help that I feel that pop movies, like pop songs, have an ideal length - 1 hour and 45 minutes. Still, there are a good many magical, engrossing moments, and as escapes to the movie theater go, you could do a lot worse. Video1830@blogcritics.org Thu, 14 Nov 2002 09:25:59 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2002/11/07/115917.php George Partington 1. The Blues will keep you honest 2. B.B. King is an underrated vocalist 3. No one sings with more soul than Lucinda Williams 4. Gram Parsons is great - in small doses 5. Graham Parker's "Heat Treatment" and "Howlin' Wind" are the very definition of rock-n-roll 6. The world needs 0 more love songs 7. Take the skinheads bowling 8. And always wear sunscreen 9. But not while bowling 10. Unless you're a freak 11. Bowling alleys should play nothing but classic rock 12. Fairly loud 13. Napster increased CD sales 14. Did the VCR kill moviegoing? 15. What happened to music with a social conscience? 16. Dylan's Union Sundown, yeah, but that was 1983 17. Bobdylan.com is a damn good site 18. Ironic, coming from an old troubadour, rather than a tech-savvy youngster 19. Remember Live Aid? 20. That takes me back 21. Or No Nukes, remember that concert in Madison Square Garden? 22. Now it's nothin but nukes 23. And energy cartels 24. You wear it well 25. A little old fashioned 26. But that's alright 27. Sometimes you can hear classic rock 28. But mostly you just hear echoes of your youth 29. Beer and music were made for each other 30. But when frat boys combine them, it's not pretty 31. If the Oxford American is dead, I'll sure miss their musical compilations 32. Good news: The Oxford American is not dead 33. So says oxfordamericanmag.com 34. Nostalgia is a funny thing 35. It can make you fond of "A 5th of Beethoven" 36. And the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack 37. Samurai Night Fever - now that was funny 38. How anyone can watch Saturday Night Live now is beyond me 39. Tuesday's gone with the wind 40. I fooled around and fell in love 41. With rock-n-roll 42. And I haven't been the same since 43. This is a good thing 44. But hardly profitable 45. Monetarily 46. A friend and I once burned a Yes album in a fan's front yard 47. An example of the cruelty of youth, or act of intervention? 48. I don't know; I'm asking 49. It was a statement, that's for sure 50. But we were harmless 51. We'd crank the music as we drove by 52. Trying to shake up the everyday world 53. Romantic rebels or callow youths, it's a fine line 54. Why complain about commercial radio? 55. Just don't listen; you don't need it 56. And you certainly don't need to waste time complaining about it 57. I listened to Three Dog Night and Bread in my sisters' basement room 58. Joy to the World indeed 59. And Elton John - Sugarbear... 60. Someone saved my life that night 61. With nothing but a turntable and a scratchy needle 62. I was curious about the lyrics in "You're So Vain" 63. But my sister said I was too young 64. "I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee" - knocked me out 65. Gypsies, tramps and thieves 66. And tramps like us 67. And short pants and patchy grass and summer days 68. And slurpees 69. Not rushing, being 70. In the days before rock-n-roll 71. A good pop song is a joy forever 72. It's just another manic Monday 73. For instance (whoa-awhoa) 74. And then I saw her face 75. Now I'm a believer 76. Where were you the day the music died? 77. Hey hey, my my, Neil Young said it so well 78. It's always coming and going 79. Which is why a CD player in your car is essential 80. Muddy Waters' "Hard Again" is a great album 81. It grows on you 82. The blues had a baby and they called it rock-n-roll 83. Jazz, rock, blues, folk...I go through phases 84. It's rock right now 85. I'm just an Excitable Boy 86. Yes, Zevie is ridin with me 87. I can't believe his ride is here 88. I love the greats - Bob Dylan, Louie Armstrong, Aretha Franklin - but I pull for the little guy 89. The Pogues rocked 90. Poguetry in motion 91. Live music is better 92. But I hate overcrowded bars 93. And overamplified bands 94. And music should start no later than 8 p.m. 95. The famous hammond B-3 organist Jimmy Smith sucked in concert 96. Jackson Browne was a rocker 97. Linda Paloma notwithstanding 98. Jeremiah was a bullfrog 99. And Cisco Kid was a friend of mine 100. My my, hey hey Music1730@blogcritics.org Thu, 7 Nov 2002 11:59:17 EST