Stephen Murray
San Franciscan from rural southern Minnesota, I have traveled widely and have done fieldwork in Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Thailand, Taiwan, and the US
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- Contributor since
- 3/29/2007
Education/Experience
PhD University of Toronto in sociology, Berkeley postdoc in anthropology, with an undergraduate major inMotto
Mo dang kang (My Chinese name, meaningAffiliations
American Sociological Association, American Anthropological Association
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Draft of My Platform for the 2012 Presidential ElectionA model platform that no current candidate for the nomination of either major party has advanced.
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Get Me to the Church on Time (with the Right Tuxedo Vest)!Review of William Fulks's memoir of getting married on schedule despite the destruction of his abode and much else by Hurricane Katrina, Katrina Wedding
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Ariel Dorfman at the San Francisco Jewish Community CenterReport of Ariel Dorfman, interviewd onstage by Ilan Stavans, at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center about exile and languages, 10/11/11
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A Deservedly Forgotten 1955 Gangster Melodrama “The Naked Street”Review of “The Naked Street” (1955) and gang-and-dame melodrama starring Farley Granger, Anthony Quinn, Anne Bancroft, and Peter Graves -
"The Big Night": A 1951 Noir that was the Last Movie Joseph Losey Made in the USReview of Joseph Losey's 1951 noir "The Big Night" starring John (Drew) Barrymore Jr. -
Launching Justin TorresReport of Justin Torres Books Inc. appearance promoting "We the Animals" and commenting on his meteoric rise to attention in the literary world -
"Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff" (2010)Review of superficial (but goodlooking!) 2010 documentary "Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff" -
Gray 1960s England in Three Movies: All Night Long, Inadmissable Evidence, the White BusDiscussion of three British Movies from the 1960s: All Night Long (1962) , Inadmissable Evidence (1968), The White Bus (1967) -
Ten Best San Francisco (-Set) NovelsList (in chronological order of first publication) of the best novels set in San Francisco -
Around Town (San Francisco) in Recent Independent MoviesDiscussion of locations and characters' travails (not least prejudices) in five recent independent movies shot in whole or most parts in San Francisco (from north to south). -
The Picasso Show at the De Young MuseumReflections on the (San Francisco) De Young Museum show of works from the Paris Picasso Museum -
"Harsh Times": Christian Bale May Be Too Good at Playing Men at or Over the Breaking PointReview of "Harsh Times" (2005): the movie is a mess as well as being about a character who is a homicidal mess, played with creepy convincingness by Christian Bale -
The 1925 Adaptation of "The Scarlet Letter": One of the Greatest American Silent Movie DramasReview of the 1925 silent movie "The Scarlet Letter" starring Lillian Gish, directed by Victor Sjostrom -
Three Novels by Gay Australian Neil Drinnan: Glove Puppet, Pussy's Bow, QuillReview of three novels by Neil Drinnan: Glove Puppet, Pussy's Bow, Quill -
Canadian Film Pushing Some Hot-button Issued: "Whole New Thing"Review of "Whole New Thing,' a character-driven independent Canadian film about an intellectually precocious, emotionally underdeveloped 13-year-old geek dumped in school -
"Shirobamba: A Childhood in Old Japan," an Autobiographical Novel by Inoue YasusiReview of "Shirobamba: A Childhood in Old Japan," a 1960 autobiographical novel by Inoue Yasusi, author of "Tun-Huang"
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Novelist Jane Smiley at the San Francisco Public LibraryQ&A with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jane Smiley at the San Francisco Public Library, 21 June 2011
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Henry Jaglom Trying to Show Female "Emotional Truth" in "A Safe Place" (1971)Review of "A Safe Place" (1971) the most obscure (but not most nonsensical) of the BBS productions brought to DVD by Criterion Editions
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A Good College Basketball Movie Intercut with a Bad College Student Going Over the Edge MovieReview of "Drive, He Said," the first feature film directed by Jack Nicholson, featuring his "5 Easy Pieces" costar, Karen Black
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The Torture and Killing "had Been Going on Forever and was Only Just Beginning": "Street of Lost Footsteps" by Lyonel TrouillotReview of "Street of Lost Footsteps" by Lyonel Trouillot, an intense, fragmentary portrayal of a night of apocalyptic violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
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The 1952 Organized Crime-Revealing Movie "The Turning Point" Directed by William DieterleReview of "The Turning Point" (1952) directed by William Dieterle that showed audiences something of criminal syndicate operation/corruption... and mayhem.
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"I Cover the Waterfront" (1933), Combining Newspaper Comedy, Romantic Comedy, and an Expose of Human TraffickingBased on a best-selling memoir by Max Miller, "I Cover the Waterfront" (1933) showed Claudette Colbert on the verge of stardom and Hollywood about to impose censorship
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A Brief but Insightful Account by Oliver Sacks of Visiting Oaxaca with Fellow Fern-enthusiasts: Oaxaca JournalReview of "Oaxaca Journal" by neurologist and fern-enthusiast Oliver Sacks
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Johnny Ray Returns in Larry Duplechan's Novel "Got Til It's Gone"Review of "Got 'til it's gone," the fifth in a series of novels by Larry Duplechan about a gay black singer
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Max Lorenz: Wagner's Mastersinger, Hitler's (Gay) SiegfriedReview of documentary film about gay German heldentenor Maz Lorenz
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Oakley Hall's Last Novel, "Love and War in California," a Sort of "Dangling Man" Set in 1942 San DiegoReview of Oakley Hall's last novel, "Love and War in California," probably the last WWII novel to be written by a participant in it.
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Wilson Yip's Policier Movie "Bullets Over Summer" (Bao Lie Xing Jing, 1999)Review of "Bullets Over Summer" (Bao lie xing jing, 1999) directed by Wilson Yip, starring Louis Koo and Francis Ng
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A Wedding Comedy with Gay Spins: "I Think I Do" (1997)Review of the comedy "I Think I Do," written and directed by Brian Sloan (1997). Although it's way too slow to be a screwball comedy, though I've seen worse romantic comedies.
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A Vietnamese "Gone with the Wind": Daughters of the River Huong by Uyen Nicole HuongA review of "Daughters of the River Huong" by Uyen Nicole Huong
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A Dissatisfied "model Minority" (Vietnam-born Attorney) Midlife Crisis and Earlier TraumasReview of the novel "Mimi and Her Mirror," the second volume in the "Fall of South Vietnam" trilogy by real-life Vietnam-born Houston attorney Uyen Nicole Duong
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Dawn Powell's Novel "Turn, Magic Wheel" About Abandoned Wives and Other Pathologies of Literary LivesReview of Dawn Powell's novel "Turn, Magic Wheel"
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"Stretching My Mind": Occasional Pieces by Edward AlbeeReview of "Stretching My Mind," a collection of essays by plawright Edward Albee
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Thomas Mann's Unnerving 1929 Novella About Fascist Personalities, "Mario and the Magician"Review of Thomas Mann's superb 1929 novella about fascist personalities, "Mario and the Magician"
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A Two-disc Sampler of the Great American Mezzo-soprano Marilyn HorneReview of "Just for the Record: The Golden Voice," a two-disc sampler of the great American mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne
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A Documentary Making Claims for "the King of B-pictures" Not Supported by the Following-featureReview of "Edgar G Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen" and his 1943 movie "Isle of Forgotten Sins"
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Alberto Moravia's Novel "1934"Review of Alberto Moravia's novel "1934" (first published in Italian in 1982)
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More on Flaubert and Other Matters French from Julian Barnes: Something to Declare: Essays on Francereview of Something to Declare: Essays on France by Julian Barnes
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A Heavyweight Interpretation of the Regionalist Basis of Paul Cezanne's ArtNina Maria Athanassoglou-KallmyeReview of Nina Maria Athanassoglou-Kallmyer's book on the Provencal regionalist basis of Paul Cezanne's paintings.
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Impressive Palace in Turkey Near Borders of Armenia and Iran: The Ishak Pasha SarayiVisiting 18th-century eclectic-architecture Ishak Pasha Palace on the eastern edge of Turkey, a UNESCO World Heritage site
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Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen Made an Odd Couple in Ralph Nelson's "Soldier in the Rain"Review of Ralph Nelson's 1963 movie "Soldier in the Rain," which is really 3 movies in 90 minute; in order, I'd rate them 2 stars, 4.5 stars, and 3 stars (out of a possible 5)
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Allan Gurganus's Elegaic and Often Hilarious "The Practical Heart"Allan Gurganus's Elegaic and often hilarious fiction collection "The Practical Heart"
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Zandy's Bride" (1974): Liv Ullman Taming Gene Hackman on the Wild Big Sur CoastReview of Jan Troell's 1974 movie about 19th-century settlers on the mid-California coast, starring Gene Hackman and Liv Ullman.
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Nationalisms Always Regard Homosexuality as Alien -- and Often Try to Make it SoReview of Emilio Bejels "Gay Cuban Nation" and the othering of sexual dissidents
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Karen Armstrong's Thoughtful and Readable Attempt to Explain the History of IslamReview of Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong
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Liz and Tennessee and Me on Mexican SandsAn adult coming-of-age story about a woman named for the part Elizabeth Taylor's played in "A Place in the Sun"
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Hagia Sofia Museum, the Main Tourist Site in the Ancient Black Sea Port City of Trabizon, TurkeyDiscussion of the Byzantine church of Hagia Sofia, now a museum, at the edge of the Black Sea in Trabizon (Trebizond), Turkey
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Christophe Honore's Movie "The Beautiful Person"Review of "La Belle personne" ("La Belle personne") an updating of "The Princess of Cleves" moved from the court of Louis XIV to a contemporary Paris Italian class
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Visiting Kars in Northeastern TurkeyWhat there is to see in the city Kars, capital of the Turkish province Kars, next to present-day Armenia
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Secularists and Islamists Battling for Control in Frontier (NE) Turkey in Orhan Pamuk's "Snow"Review of Kar, the "political novel" set in the poor NE of Turkey by Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk
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The Abraham Piligramage Destination of (Sanli)Urfa in Southern Turkey and the World's Oldest TempleThe beautiful grounds of the Halil-ur-Rahman mosque are a major Muslim piligrimage site relating to Abraham; nearby in the world's oldest (preagriculturalist) temple, Gobekli Tepe.
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Cave-dwelling with All the Modern Creature Comforts in the Cappadocia Cave SuitesThe Cappadocia Cave Suites provides unique rooms in carved out caves with boutique hotel amenities n upper Goreme (central Turkey).
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Portuguese Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago's "Small Memories" of when He was SmallReview of Portuguese Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago's "small memories" of when he was small, a slight volume of slight interest
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Follies in the Snowfields of Turkey's Mount Nemrut (Nemrud)Account of near-death experience on Mount Nemrut (Turkey) in mid-April blizzard conditions
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'Pornography: A Thriller'The director mixed together three stories, doubling the actors in two of them. None of the three has a satisfying or clear ending, which might not bother some viewers, but which bothered me.
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The End of Winter?Second of a pair of poems of the love Louis and Silvia recall having had ("Time Passes" is the other)
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Time PassesOne of a pair of poems about Louis and Silvia trying to recall their romance.
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How Can We Be 40, Let Alone at a 40th Graduating Class Reunion?Reflections (with names changed) of a 40th reunion of a rural Minnesota class
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Croatian-American Master Josip Novakovich's Second Short Story Collection, "Yolk" (1995)Review of Croatian-American writer Josip Novakovich's second short story collection, "Yolk" (1995)
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A Mission Thai Restaurant with Generous Portions: Chilli Cha Cha 2Review of Mission Thai restaurant with generous portions and an extensive menu: Chilli Cha Cha 2
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Barbara Stanwyck For(/In) "Ten Cents a Dance," a 1931 Movie Directed by Lionel BarrymoreReview of "Ten Cents a Dance," a 1931 movie directed by Lionel Barrymore with Barbara Stanwyck as a taxi-hall dancer (for the title's ten-cent charg
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The National Book Critics Circle 2010 Fiction Awardee, Jennifer Egan's "A Visit from the Goon Squad"Review of Jennifer Egan's fiction A Visit From the Goon Squad, winner of the 2010 National Book Critics Circle for best ficiton.
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Great DVD of a 1960 Horror Film that is Still Very Unsettling: Georges Franju's "Eyes Without a Face"Review of "Les yeux sans visage" (Eyes without a face), which may be too artsy for some and too hororshow for others on Criterion DVD with more unsettling content, "Le sanges bes bêtes"
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Eric Roberts, the First Movie Star in the Family, Before Becoming "Julia Roberts' Brother"The star of Eric Roberts faded, as his younger sister became a superstar, but he's still around, still working (though in relative obscurity).
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Love Conquers All for Tunisian Gays: "The String"/"Un Fil" (2010)Review of "The String"/"Un Fil" (2010), a Tunisian gay romance directed and cowritten by Mehdi Ben Attia
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Claude McKay (1889-1948), Black-diaspora Gay Leftist Nomad WriterDiscussion of Jamaican-born writer Claude McKay, washing dirty laundry in public, and Gary Holcomb's 2007 book on McKay as a black-diaspora gay leftist nomad writer
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"My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" (2009) is Not as Strange as I'd ExpectReview of "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" (2009) a movie "inspired by a true story" of an actor carrying the role of Orestes to offstage matricide.
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Two New San Francisco Symphony Recordings Pairing Ives and CoplandReview of two new San Francisco Symphony recordings pairing pieces by Charles Ives with ones by Aaron Copland. The latter comes across more interesting on both.
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Daniel Lee's (2010) Wuxia Movie "Fourteen Blades" Starring Donnie Yen and Vicki ZhaoDaniel Lee's wuxia movie "Fourteen Blades" (2010) starring Donnie Yen and Vicki Zhao
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"The Mayor's Tongue": Nathaniel Rich's Debut Novel is High-concept and Hignly AccomplishedReview of Nathaniel Rich's scintillating debut novel, "The Mayor's Tongue"
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Reissue of Don Carpenter's 1966 Novel of Northern California and Oregon Drifters "Hard Rain Falling"Review of Don Carpenter's 1966 novel of northern California and Oregon drifters "Hard Rain Falling" that has been brought back into print in the New York Review Classics Series
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Haunted and Haunting Orchestral Suites by Feruccio Busoni from the Early 20th CenturyReview of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Timisoara recording of Busoni's Brautwahl and Geharnischte suites
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GB Tran's "Vietnamerica" Reminds Me of Why "May You Live in Interesting Times!" is a CurseReview of GB Tran's 2010 graphic memoir "Vietnamerica" which is more about Tran's elders' life through guerilla wars in Vietnam than about adjusting to minority life in the US, and all the more dramatic
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Notes on Late-1930s MoviesCapsule reviews of 1936-39 movies with ratings of 1-5 stars
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A William Powell Quadruple FeatureReview of 4 1930s WIlliam Powell movies: The Emperor's Candlesticks, Love Crazy, The Key, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
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Being Caught Between an Irresistable Force and Immovable Resistance: Inoue Yasushi's "The Wind and the Waves"Inoue Yasushi's chronicle of Korea through Kubilai Khan's two failed conquests of Japan"The Wind and the Waves" (not easy reading!)
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Violin Concerti by Khachaturian and Busoni, and Recordings of ThemDiscussion of rarely performed but masterful violin concerti by Aram Khachaturian (1940) and Busoni (1897), and recordings of them
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Notes on 15 Early-1940s American MoviesCapsule reviews of eight comedies and seven dramas released between 1940 and 1945 with ratings on a 1-5 scale.
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Another Monkey is Another Thai Restaurant with Smallish, Overpriced, Oversugarded Dishesat 280 Valencia Street
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Sweet (Very Sweet) Romance Stories Starting at NYC Landmarks: "Heart of the City" by Ariel SabarReview of the nine stories of serendipitous meetings at NYC landmarks leading to "happily ever after" marriages, "Heart of the City" by Ariel Sabar (2011)
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A Career Woman Trying to Have it All Ca. 1932: Kay Francis in "Man Wanted"Review of "Man Wanted" (1932) starring Kay Francis, directed by William Dieterle
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A Not-bad Knockoff of "Laura" with Claude Rains: "The Unsuspected" (1947)Review of the 1947 noirish movie directed by Michael Ciurtiz, "The Unsuspected"
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Taut Mid-1950s Thriller Directed by Budd Boetticher: "The Killer is Loose" (1956)Review of police thriller "The Killer Is Loose" directed by Budd Boetticher in 1956
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Early, Short Fiction of a Japanese Master, Inoue YasushiDiscussion of early, short fiction, The Hunting Gun, The Counterfeiter and Other Stories , by Inoue Yasushi
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Notes on Some DocumentariesComments on 14 documentary films made between 1936 and 2008
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Joseph Losey's Noir About Calumny Against a Film Director: "Finger of Guilt" (1956)Review of Joseph Losey's self-referential 1956 British film "The Intimate Stranger", released i the US as "Finger of Guilt"
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The "Polish James Dean" in the Aftermath of WWII in Andrzej Wajda's "Ashes and Diamonds"Review of Andrzej Wajda's 1958 film "Ashes and Diamonds" (Popiol i diament)
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Excellent Screen Adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's "Sons and Lovers"Review of the 1960 award-winning film of D. H. Lawrence's 1913 novel "Sons and Lovers"
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The Aged and Defeated Late-1950s Gary Cooper at 10 North Frederick in John O'Hara's GibbsvilleReview of the movie "10 North Frederick" (1958) starring Gary Cooper, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Suzy Parker
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Notes on Some Yuletide Movies Without Family GatheringsCapsule reviews of some movies set on Christmas and the days before it: Hell's Heroes, Christmas in Connecticut, Battleground, Double Dynamite, Joyeux Noel.
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Aime Cesaire's Play About the Tragedy of Patrice Lumumba: "A Season in the Congo"Discussion of Aime Cesaire's play about the tragedy of Patrice Lumumba: "A Season in the Congo" and its historical content
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A New Chamber Music Album from Gidon Kremer Et Al. That Expands and Inverts Sonata FormReview of "Hymns and Prayers," a 2010 ECM recording by Gidon Kremer and his Kremerata Baltica
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Notes on Some Early (1930-35) "Talkin' Pictures"Capsule reviews of twenty movies released between 1930 and 1935 (with ratings of 1-5 stars)
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Notes on Some Movies Made Before 1930Discussion in chronological order of four German movies from the 1920s, four American classics, and many "Fatty" Arbuckle shorts, with 1-5-star ratings.
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Robert Coles's Course on Literature and Social Reflection: "Handing One Another Along"Review of "Handing One Another Along" by Harvard psychiatrist Robert Coles
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DVD of a Restored "Pepe Le Moko" (1937), the First Cinema NoirReview of the influential and long-unavailable "Pepe le Moko" (1937), which I think was the first cinema noir.
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Great Criterion DVD of a Still-timely Satire of American Megalomania: "Walker"The Terry Gilliam/Monty Pythonish humor doesn't work for me, but Ed Harris's self-deluding/megalomaniacal intensity in the title role of Alex Cox's 1987 biopic "Walker" does.
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Twisted Japanese Women in "Masks" by Enchi FumikoReview of the 1958 Japanese novel "Masks" by Enchi Fumiko
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Blaise Cendrars's "Gold: Being the Wonderous History of General John Augustus Sutter"Review of the thinly fictionalized 1925 biography of John Sutter, victim of the discovery of gold on his land, "Gold" by Blaise Cendrars
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Hokey John Ford Prison Comedy "Up the RIver" (1930)Review of the prison comedy "Up the RIver" (1930), directed by the redoubtable John Ford.
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Alain Corneau's 2003 Movie "Fear and Trembling" with Sylvie Testud Trying to Survive in a Tokyo CompanyReview of the 2003 movie adaptation of Amelie Nothomb's 1998 autobiographical novel about working for a Japanese company, "Fear and Trembling."
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Author Tom Mendicino in San Francisco with His Debut Novel "Probation"Review of "Probation," the assured first novel by Tom Mendicino set in North Carolina in which the narrator works through self-loathing, public humiliation, and death of his loving mother
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Hong Kong Action Auteur Johnnie To's First Movie in English: "Vengeance" (2009)Review of "Vengeance" (2009), starring Johnny Hallyday and Anthony Wong, directed by Johnny To
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A Striking Print of the First Teshigahara/Abe Collaboration: "Pitfall" (Otoshi Ana, 1962)Review of the first Teshigahara Hiroshi/Abe Kobe collaboration, the 1962 film "Otoshi Ana" (Pitfall).
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"Victory Stride": Orchestral Music by James P. JohnsonReview of CD "Victory Stride" containing Orchestral Music by James P. Johnson
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Uwe Timm's Unblinking (German) Probing What Germans Did During the Reich InReview of German writer Uwe Timm's reflections on his brother who died in Russia while serving in the SS
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"American Four Seasons": The Second Philip Glass Violin ConcertoReview of the new (12/09) second Philip Glass violin concerto, recorded by Robert McDuffie
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Opinion: Pros of Calif. Proposition 19 outweigh consMy reasons for supporting California Proposition 19
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There's an Election Coming?How local races look to one Potrero Hill resident
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Love, War, and Historical Preservation in the 11th-century Chinese Wild West: "Tun-Huang" by Inoue YasushiReview of Inoue Yasushi's 1959 novel "Tun-Huang," a tale of war and thwarted romance that imagines how a trove of scrolls was hidden in a Dunhuang cave during the 11th century
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Michael Cunningham's Cheeveresque New Novel: "By Nightfall"Review of Michael Cunningham's novel "By Nightfall" with a midlife crisis in the Manhattan milieu of mid-1980s Woody Allen movies
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Walzwerk, East German Decor with Much Better Food and Service Than the Real Communist Restaurants of Yore at WalzwerkWalzwerk, East German decor with much better food and service than the real communist restaurants of yore
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Bissap Baobab: West African Food on Mission StreetVisit to the higher-decor Senegalese restaurant in San Francisco's Mission District: Bissap Baobab
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Lou Ye's "Spring Fever" Shows that Being Banned by the PRC is No Guarantee that a Movie is GoodReview of Chun feng chen zui de ye wan(Spring Fever) Lou Ye's 2009 film defying a PRC ban that had another two years to run.
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A Homey (Authentic) Mexican Restaurant in the Mission District: San JaliscoSan Francisco has many authentic Central American restaurants that also serve Mexican dishes. San Jalisco is the rara avis, an authentic Mexican restaurant.
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Something About Mary: Budd Boetticher's 1957 Western with Randolph Scott, "Decision at Sundown"Review of Budd Boetticher's 1957 revisionist western with Randolph Scott, "Decision at Sundown"
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Dave Eggers Talking About Zeitoun, a Harrowing Account of Natural and Government-Engineered Katrina DisastersDiscussion by Dave Eggers in San Francisco of his best-selling Zeitoun.
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Lady Antonia Fraser's Memoir of a Third-of-a-century Life with Harold Pinter: "Must You Go?"Review of "Must You Go?, Lady Antonia Fraser's memoir, based on extensively quoted diary entries of her life with Harold Pinter.
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Nicaraguan Food Under the Sea with Disco Music: Oye ManaguaMy favorite Nicaraguan food at Oye Managua, down Mission Street from the venerable Nicaragua Restaurant.
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WWII-centered Novellas by Heinrich BollDiscussion of 5 or 6 (depending on how one counts) novellas by German Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Boll showing German infantrymen in WWII.
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"Death in the Andes" by Mario Vagas LlosaReview of "Death in the Andes" by Mario Vargas Llosa, a pessimistic view of Andean culture with horrifying violence that also manages to end relatively upbeat(edly).
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"The Green House" by Mario Vargas LlosaReview of the 1966 novel set in northern Peru by 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature recipient Mario Vargas Llosa
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The Ten Best Movies of the Double-zeroes (aughts?)My list of the ten best movies of the 2000s.
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An Outstanding New Translation of Natsume Soseki's "Kokoro"Review of Meredith McKinney's new translation of Natsume Soseki's 1914 novel about purity and betrayal, "Kokoro"
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The Friend Always Slamming You While Pretending to Being Sympathetic: Mike Albo's Hilarious "The Underminer"Review of Mike Albo's "The Underminer," which is very funny in small doses, but the "shock of recognition" of underminers turns to claustrophobia
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"The Betrayal": A Beautifully Wrought Memoir of Traumatizing Losses and DislocationsReview of the documentary film "The Betrayal: Nerakhoon" (2008)
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"Les Biches," a 1968 Film by the Recently Deceased New Wave Director Claude ChabrolReview of "Les Biches," a 1968 sex-triangle film by the recently deceased New Wave director Claude Chabrol.
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Oshima's (1983) Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence Finally Comes to (Criterion Full-treatment) DVDReview of a much-anticipated DVD release of Oshima Bagasi's (1983)culture-clash classic Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.
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Early Work by Heinrich Boll, the Great Chronicler of German Guilt and DefeatReview of the posthumous collection of early Heinrich Boll stories, "The Mad Dog" that were not included in "Collected Stories"
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Tajadas Con Chancho Y Queso at the Nicaragua Restaurant in San FranciscoReview of the Nicaragua restaurant in San Francisco's Mission District (3015 Mission between Chavez and 26th streets)
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Michael Haneke's Much-overpraised, Gratuitiously Opaque 2009 "White Ribbon"Critique of the much-praised and Palme d'or-winning 2009 "The White Ribbon" (Das weisse Band), directed by Michael Haneke
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The best burritos (in the Mission/world)Though my favorite burrito is the chile verde one at La Paz, for the classic, steak burrito, San Francisco's best come from La Taqueria on Mission at 25th St.
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French-accented Italian restaurant at the northern foot of Potrero Hill: Pizza NostraReview of a newish Italian restaurant in my neighborhood (literally on the street where I live).
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Natsume Soseki's Perenially Popular in Japan Novel "BotchanReview of the "Japanese Mark Twain," Natsume Soseki's 1906 novel Botchan.
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Sane Behavior in an Insane Situation: Emma Donoghue's Novel "Room"Review of Emma Donoghue's (2010) novel "Room" told by a five-year-old who has never been outside a shed
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A Very Complicated, Fictionalized Account of a French Adventurer in Late-19th-century West AfricaReview of the 2008 Prix Renaudot-winning novel "The King of Kahel" by Guinean-French writer Monenembo Tierno
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Large New Restaurant on the Grounds of the Palace Museum in Taipei, Silks PalaceReview of Silks Palace, the large new restaurant between the exhibition halls of the Palace Museum in Taipei.
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A Palestinian Restaurant Discovery on Mission Street Between 24th and Cesar ChavezReview of fairly new restaurant on Mission Street, well served by public transportation
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"And Introducing Charlton Heston": Noir Manhunts Within Manhunts in "Dark City" (1950)Review of the noir film directed by William Dieterle, "Dark City," which introduced Charlton Heston brooding and resentful to movie audiences in 1950.
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Diaries from Half a Century in Japan by Donald RichieReview of Donald Richie's "Japan Journals, 1947-2004"
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A Very Special Rejection of Electing Judges: The Case of Michael Nava in San FranciscoAn account of machinations by the Democratic Central Committee of San Francisco to revoke endorsement of a gay Latino candidate
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Alberto Moravia's Oral History of His Life, Times, and WorksReview of "Life of Moravia," booklength interview conducted by Alain Elkann just before Moravia's death in 1990
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A Tense Neo-Noir: Carol Reed's (1963) "The Running Man"Review of the movie "The Running Man" (1963) directed by Carol Reed with Laurence Harvey, Lee Remick, and Alan Bates
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Frustratingly Oblique Narratives: By Antonio TabucchiReview of the collection of short and often frustratingly evasive stories by Antonio Tabucchi, "Letter from Casablanca"
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A Great Strauss Singer, Christine Brewer, Joined by the Excellent Eric Owen, the Atlanta Symphony, and Telarc's Ace EngineersReview of the new recording "Great Strauss Scenes" with Christine Brewer, Eric Owens, the Atlanta Symphony on Telarc
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Sunflower: Another new Potrero Hill restaurant of puzzling popularityReview of the new Sunflower Vietnamese restaurant at 18th and Connecticut on San Francisco's Potrero Hill.
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"The Curse of the Spellmans": Lisa Lutz's Second Comic Novel About a Family of SnoopsReview of Lisa Lutz's 2008 Comic Novel "The Curse of the Spellmans," the sequel to "The Spellman Files"
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"Personality Forfeiture is Untreatable" but Not Unmonitorable in Kobo Abe's "Secret Rendezvous"Reivew of Abe Kobo's novel of heightened surveillance and medical interference, "Secret Rendezvous" (first published in 1977 in Japanese as "Mikkai")
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Oshima's Deadly 1968 Farce "Three Resurrected Drunkards"Review of Oshima Nagasi's comic indictment of the Vietnam war and Japanese discrimination against Koreans, "Kaette kita yopparai" (Three Resurrected Drunkards)
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The Best Neo-noir Movies in EnglishDiscussion of the fuzzily bounded genre neo-noir, discussion of the ten best ones, and a rank-ordered list of 30 more.
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The Fifteen Best Neo-noirs Not in EnglishA list of the 15 best neo-noir movies not in English.
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The First of Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin Mysteries: "The Winter Queen"Review of he first of Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin mystery/spy novels: "The Winter Queen"
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Pera: A new Turkish restaurant that provides charm and superb food on Potrero HillRapturous review of the relatively new Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant Pera on San Francisco's Potrero Hill
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"The Subject was Roses" ... And Now is the Just-Deceased Patricia NealReview of the 1968 movie adaptation of Frank Gilroy's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "The Subject Was Roses." Worthwhile to see a poignant Patricia Neal, a young Martin Sheen, and the perpetually grouchy, but not unfeeling Jack Albertson.
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Reverse Aging in the San Francisco of a Century AgoReview of Andrew Sean Greer's second novel, "The Confessions of Max Tivoli"
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Hopping new cocktail bar and "Japanese-based international tapas" on Goat HillA visit to one of four new restaurants at or near 18th and Connecticut streets on San Francisco's Potrero Hill
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Comic Novelist Lisa Lutz, Creator of the Spellman FilesAccount of Spellman Files author Lisa Lutz appearance at the San Francisco Public Library.
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The Banished Ovid: David Malouf's Novel "An Imaginary Life"Review of Australian writer David Malouf's 1978 Novel "An Imaginary Life," narrated in exile by the Roman poet Ovid
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Memoir of Donald Keene, the Man Who Brought Japanese Literature to Readers of EnglishReview of "Chronicles of My Life: An American in the Heart of Japan" by Donald Keene
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Remarkable Unity Amidst Diversity: Joan Silber's "The Size of the World" (2008)Review of Joan Silber's novel in the form of six life stories "The Size of the World" (2008)
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1967: Then (Petulia) and Now (A Serious Man)Discussion of the 2009 Coen brothers' movie "A Serious Man," set in 1967, and Richard Lester's "Petulia," filmed in 1967
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My favorite source of burritos and pupusasDiscussion of why the little-known Salvadorean/Mexican restaurant La Paz is a better choice than the more lauded Balompié for pupusas and La Taqueria for burritos
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Tom Stoppard's Plays so Far This Century: "Coast of Utopia", "Rock 'n' Roll"Discussion of the historical and political dialogues of Tom Stoppard's "Coast of Utopia" (2002) and "Rock 'n' Roll" (2006).
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Three Low-budget Movies About Juvenile Delinquents Newly Available on DVDReview of three new-to-DVD movies about alienated/delinquent youth: Don Siegel's 1956 Crime in the Street, Robert Altman's 1957 The Delinquents, Jim Jarmusch's 1980 Permanent Vacation.
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Women Not on the Verge of Feeling Very Much of AnythingReview of the cool stories of aloof or alienated women in Lily Tuck's 2003 collection of short stories, "Limbo"
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Three Stressed Policeman Stories En Route to a Bloodbath: DVD of "Brooklyn's Finest" (2009)Review of "Brooklyn's Finest" (2009, Antoine Fuqua's mix of some familiar stories, carried by fine performers, some who demand comparison with "The Wire."
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The Ten Best Movies About Gay Relationships from the First Decade of This MillenniumA list of the best movies about gay relationships released 2000-2009
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Stories of Sexual and Religious Longings: Joan Silber's "Ideas of Heaven"Review of Joan Silber's NBA-nominated "ring of stories": "Ideas of Heaven"
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Lily Tuck's Biography of Elsa Morante: "Woman of Rome"Lily Tuck's 2008 biography of the fiery but elusive Italian writer Elsa Morante in "Woman of Rome"
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Mary Lee Settle's Memoir of WWII and Becoming a Writer: "Learning to Fly"Review of Mary Lee Settle's memoir of prewar Manhatta, wartime London, and becoming a writer: "Learning to Fly"
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Cate Blanchett as a British Agent in Occupied France" "Charlotte Gray"Review of the 2001 adaptation of Sebastian Faulk's best-selling thriller "Charlotte Gray" directed by Gillian Armmstrong, starring Cate Blanchett and Billy Crudup.
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Rod Serling + John Cassavetes = a Standard 1950s Western? Alas, Yes: "Saddle the Wind"Review of the 1950s western "Saddle the Wind" in which Robert Taylor attempts to keep his younger brother John Cassavetes out of trouble with Julie London onsite
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Lily Tuck's Novel Set in 1967 "Siam: Or the Woman Who Shot a Man"Review of Lily Tuck's novel about a New England woman on the periphery of US bombardment of North Vietnam, "Siam: or The Woman Who Shot a Man"
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Overrated Independent Films V: "All the Real Girls" (2000)Review of David Gordon Green's movie "All the Real Girls" (2000): although not as bad as the first 20 minutes, it's inconsequential
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Corruption and Melodrama in the Movie Adaptation of "Ann Vickers" (1933)Review of the movie adaptation of Sinclair Lewis's reform-school novel "Ann Vickers" starring Irene Dunne and Walter Huston
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The Other 1969 Western Starring Robert Redford and Katherine Ross: "Tell Them Willie Boys is Here"Review of the 1969 western "Tell Them Willie Boys Is Here"
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A Few Anecdotes Gleaned from the Wreckage of Truman Capote as "Answered Prayers"Review of the gleanings of what Truman Capote proclaimed would show him to be the "American Proust": "Answered Prayers"
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Gonzo Journalists Playing with Fire in Bosnia: "The Hunting Party"Review of 2007 black comedy/thriller "The Hunting Party" written and directed by Richard Shepard, starring Richard Gere and Terrence Howard.
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The Merchant Ivory Adaptation of the Henry James Novel "The Golden Bowl" Has Been Much UnderratedNot for those too impatient for James, and perhaps too pared down for those who adore late James novels, the 2000 Merchant/Ivory "The Golden Bowl" is a gorgeous-looking period film with subtle performances.
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Philippe Tapon's Second Novel, "The Mistress," Set in 1944 ParisPhilippe Tapon's Second Novel, "The Mistress," set in 1944 Paris, provides lots of atmosphere (of danger and deceit), a darkly appropriate execution of justice, but cardboard characters and an implausible plot.
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Espionage/war/mystery Novel from the Perspective of a Shallow Young Russian Woman: "The Turkish Gambit"Billed as a "mystery novel," Boris Akunin's "Turkish Gambit" is more a damsel-in-distress (and over-her-head) novel, a spy novel, a war novel, though there are murders, too, and romances.
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A Very Writerly First Novel Set in 19th-century France: "Madeleine is Sleeping" by Sarah Shun-Lien BynumReview of "Madeleine is Sleeping," a surrealistic award-winning 2004 novel set in 19th-century France by by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum.
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Barry Unsworth's Novel "Land of Marvels": Very Well-done Historical Fiction with Layers of Fertile Cresent HistoryReview of Barry Unsworth's 1008 Novel "Land of Marvels", which focuses on extracting value from the Mesopotamian (now Iraq) desert, A.D. 1914
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A Very Illuminating Translation of a Classical Japanese Text on Samurai Love: The Great Mirror of Male LoveReview of Paul Gordon Schalow's translation of "Nanshoku Okagami" as "The Great Mirror of Male Love"
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Gay Canadian Writer Sky GilbertReview of the collection of six plays "This Unknown Flesh" and memoir "Ejaculations from the Charm Factory" by Candian gay writer Sky Gilbert.
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James Joyce in 1915 Imagining a Return to Ireland in His Play "Exiles"Review of "Exiles," an overlong 1915 play by James Joyce in which he imagined returning with Nora to Dublin after his mother's death.
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Richard Bruce Nugent's "Gentleman Jigger": A Very Belatedly Published Harlem Renaissance NovelReview of Richard Bruce Nugent's "Gentleman Jigger," the most openly gay (though sexually completely ungraphic) novel from the Harlem Renaissance not published until 2008
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"Dirty Laundry": A Gay Black Prodigal Son Returns and Most Everyone Learns to Get Along with EachotherReview of movie "Dirty Laundry,"which, after a confusing start, generally too-good-to-be-true.
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"James Joyce's Dublin: The Ulysses Tour" DVDReview of "James Joyce's Dublin: The Ulysses Tour," in which Joyce Museum curator Robert Nicholson retraces the itineraries of Stephen Daedalus and Leopold Bloom in the novel.
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Biography Has Its Limits in Explaining History: Ann Silversides's Biography "AIDS Activist: Michael Lynch and the Politics of Community"Review of Ann Silversides's Biography "AIDS Activist: Michael Lynch and the Politics of Community"
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A Gay Refugee from El Paso Rolling with Life's (and Society's) Punches: "Let's Shut Out the World" by Kevin BentleyReview of the episodic memoir "Let's Shut Out the World" by Kevin Bentley. The essays are funny without falling into flippancy, touching without falling into cloyingness
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"People Have the Right to Be Just Who They Are": Kenji Yoshino's Book "Covering"Review of Kenji Yoshino's book "Covering," an impassioned plea for acceptance of more than nominal difference(s
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Police Baffled by Contract Killers in 1951's "The Enforcer"Review of Warner Brothers 1951 police procedural "The Enforcer" with Humphrey Bogart as a DA trying to unravel contract killing
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Two Listless Movie Adaptations of Passionate Irish Writer Bernard Behan WorksReview of disappointing movie adaptations of Bernard Behan works -- Quare Fellow (1961) and Borstal Boy (2000)
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The Good and the Awful Best Actress Oscar WinnersMy reconsideration of 82 years of Academy Award best actress performances. IMO 28 were solid choices, 32 at least plausible ones, and 19 just wrong.
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Melville Poupaud's Character in Francois Ozon's Movie Chooses to Tell No One that He's Terminally IllReview of the terse and unsentimental Francois Ozon movie "Le Temps Qui Reste" (Time to Leave, 2005) with Melville Poupaud and Jeanne Moreau
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Chad Allen's Gay Variant on the 1940s Detective: Donald Strachey Mystery " on the Other Hand, Death"Review of gay detective movie "On the Other Hand, Death"
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4 Short Films About Male-Male Coupling (or Not) "Boys Life: Four Play" (2003)Review of "Boys Life: Four Play" directed by Phillip Bartell, Alan Brown, Eric Muller, and Brian Sloane
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A 1950s Soap Opera Look and Sound Made in 2002, when "Forbidden Love" Could Be ShownTodd Haynes's (2002) Sirkian soap opera"Far from Heaven" with Dennis Quaid as a 1950s husband going beyond "All That Heaven Allows"
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Outstanding Performances in a Movie About "recovery": "Save Me"Review of independent 2007 movie "Save Me" set in a "reparative therapy" desert home
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The Present Has a Verdi Soprano. Her Name is Sondra RadvanovskyReview of the disc of Veri arias by American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky
