Savage Hollywood

I just got back from the movie The Hangover. Since I am usually kind of low on money and don’t have my own vehicle, it has been quite a while since I have gone to the theater to see a movie. Overall I was completely satisfied with the film. The actors seemed to put a lot into the characters (specifically Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms) and I was completely engaged and laughing from the opening sequence. Apart from being a comedy, The Hangover also kind of a mystery in which three friends try to piece together the previous night (a bachelor party in Vegas) in order to find their missing friend (the groom). It’s certainly not for everyone (Rated R, and for very good reasons).

The other day I was compelled to pick up Lolita. At the tail end of winter break I had started the book but once I got to school I had little time to do any sort of recreational reading. Hopefully I’ll have some time to read a few books this summer before I start school again and have to read a handful of novels that I could care less about.

Here is a list of the next five books I plan on reading this summer in no particular order. If you have read them, let me know how you liked them.

1. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

2. Wasted by Marya Hornbacher

3. Hollywood by Charles Bukowski

4. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano

5. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Earlier today I came across this movie review by Siskel and Ebert. It is for the 1994 film North which was produced by Rob Reiner. Ebert felt very strongly about the film when it came out, which was apparent when he said "I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it." You'd think with a cast including Bruce Willis, Alan Arkan, Dan Aykroyd, Elijah Wood, and Kathy Bates that one would end up with something watchable. I personally think that such a colossal mistake is the product of industry burocracy.

Speak easy,

Neil