January, 2012 | Warren Adler

Month: January, 2012

Author, Author

Posted on: January 31st, 2012 by Warren Adler No Comments

For centuries, the author of a book has been a revered figure, a symbol of intellectual achievement, wisdom and wit, brilliance and, above all, prestige. Indeed, the book, whatever its contents, has been an item of iconic significance.

It is no wonder that a large percentage of people want to write a book. Some have motives that their composition in the covers of a book, however defined as a physical entity or a cyber product, will make them rich and famous; some see such an achievement as an expression of their persona, their point of view, their record of a life lived, a work of the imagination and the fulfillment of a secret wish for immortality.

The Iron Lady

Posted on: January 25th, 2012 by Warren Adler 1 Comment

The Iron Lady is an interesting example of the limits of movie biography and the manner in which contemporary political and social trends leak into motion picture storytelling.

Starring the incomparable Meryl Streep, whose unique talent allows her to create and mimic the persona of the most challenging of female characters plucked from real life or fiction, The Iron Lady purports to tell the intimate story of Margaret Thatcher, one of the most powerful British prime ministers of recent vintage.

Will the Tablet Kill the Novel?

Posted on: January 19th, 2012 by Warren Adler 2 Comments

The electronic punditry, with their technological, elitist mindset, is now making noises that the single-use e-readers like Kindle, Nook and the SONY Reader are merely stopgap devices that will one day merge into the tablet, offering immersion reading, like the novel requires, as merely one of a million other ways to gain “information” and fill leisure time.

They argue that a single-use device is inherently obsolete in the face of the multitasking onslaught of the tablet, which packages in one carry-around-gadget everything one needs for the fulfillment of most communication activities from video to gaming to record keeping, scheduling, shopping and most other entertainment and information requirements.

Doing Carnage to Carnage

Posted on: January 19th, 2012 by Warren Adler No Comments

Some, but not all live theatrical productions transfer well into movies. The movie Carnage is one of those most unfortunate cases. When I saw the award winning play, written by Yasmina Reza on Broadway, I found myself howling with uncontrollable laughter. The movie was somewhat somber and alarmingly unfunny.

Briefly, the plot goes something like this. Two eleven year old boys get into a fight resulting in one of them being injured. The parents of the injured boy invite the parents of the alleged perpetrator to their apartment to discuss how best to reconcile the boys.

The Artist, the Pinnacle of the Movie Maker’s Art

Posted on: January 13th, 2012 by Warren Adler No Comments

There is a subtle subtext in the movie, The Artist, which powerfully grabs your imagination in ways that define the essence of storytelling and the manner in which movies can reach into the emotional truth of the human condition.

Something stunningly clever is at work in the minds of the French filmmakers who have created this exquisite original that not only grabs your total attention but also encompasses the many reasons why movies have had such an enormous impact on our lives.

Leaving Well Enough Alone: A Review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Posted on: January 10th, 2012 by Warren Adler 2 Comments

I have always enjoyed the books of John le Carré and greatly admired the elegant prose, the subtle nuanced plot constructions and robust characterizations of people engaged in conspiratorial endeavors.

He was clearly a master of the narrative of the behind-the-scenes battles between the intelligence bureaucracies of the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, the latter under whose aegis he was gainfully employed for a time before being bitten by the novelist’s bug.