April book and film review

Welcome to my April cultural review. See tomorrow's blog for Dr P's take on the weather (ooh!)

BOOKS
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALICE B. TOKLAS, by Gertrude Stein
There are 2 things wrong with this title. It isn't an autobiography, and it isn't about Alice B Toklas. In fact the whole thing is like some sort of big in-joke. Whether the joke is on the reader I'm not sure. The book is actually about La Gertrude herself of course, chronicling her (and ABT's) life in Paris in the first 20 years of the 20th century. There must have been something special about the girl. She hob-nobbed with all the greatest artistic figures of the age, including Picasso, Matisse, Braque and many others, and (if the book is to be believed) they all seemed to find her deeply fascinating, and not just because she had access to limitless wealth and bought their paintings by the hundredweight.
The style is certainly quirky: punctuation is poor or nonexistent, capitalisation is sparse and illogical, yet the attention is held somehow, and I find myself wanting to read one of her "proper" books, like "Three Lives", which apparently received genuine critical acclaim. Watch this space...
L'ARGENT (MONEY), by Emil Zola.
An unscrupulous financial speculator is down on his uppers, but is determined to make it in the Big Time by launching an audacious money making scheme. But is it all a house of cards? Zola is one of the greatest writers of the 19th century, much more accessible than say, Victor Hugo. And here he dissects out the black hearts of the money men of the Paris Bourse with ruthless authenticity. A splendid piece of writing and truly thrilling.

FILMS

GUN FURY (1953) D- RAOUL WALSH.
A stagecoach is robbed, and the bad men take a pretty passenger hostage (just why is not clear). But her fiancee, shot and left for dead, vows to get her back. Raoul was on a roll around this time, making such films as "White Heat" only 4 years earlier, which still stands as one of the best crime thrillers ever made, and "High Sierra" which is nearly as good. But he must have gone walkabout on this one, which is illogically plotted and poorly acted throughout. You could probably leave this one out and not be missing much.
THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (2009) D- JUAN JOSE CAMPENELLA
A young woman is raped and murdered, and a grizzled detective dedicates his life to capturing her murderer. A film of remarkable subtlety and human insight, illustrating (if we needed any further proof) just how confusing and complex life can be. Slowly we are drawn into the hypnotic web the film creates. Settle down and enjoy.
THOR (2011) D- KENNETH BRANAGH
In Asgard, Thor falls out with his dad (Odin, right?) and is bansihed to modern-day Earth, shawn of his magical powers. Then he hooks up with Natalie Portman (some super-beings get all the luck).Highly enjoyable nonsense from our Kenneth, who, given the brief of making a summer holiday blockbuster for American teens, has really done rather well. I say, when's Thor 2 coming out? I'm gonna be there...
CYRUS (2010) W-D- JAY and MARK DUPLASS
A vulnerable divorcee (the excellent John C Reilly) snags Marisa Tomei, and is taken back to her place, but there her 20 year old son is waiting. He is not best pleased his mum has formed an emotional attachment, and, feeling his own relationship with her under threat, determines to bring it down... A brilliantly written and acted little psycho-drama with all involved performing at their best, this is one of the best films I've seen this year. Strongly recommended.