Day: December 17, 2005

I have several Tintin books, so this BBC Faces of the Week magazine piece caught my eye via a promo while I was looking for Cristiano Ronaldo photos. I hope Steven Spielberg, who has owned an option on a live-action film of the character/books since 1982, gets around to trying his hand at making this movie (or movies). Spielberg has enough extra money lying around, though that has been the case for a while. I hope he feels interested in something a bit lighter than Munich.

The boy, who’s learning to read, is loving Tintin… mostly for the pictures and visual jokes, but the language isn’t too far beyond him, either. And Snowy never hurts the youth appeal.

I usually link to the official author or publisher’s site for books I’ve read, but for The Manchurian Candidate, by Richard Condon, I’ll use Wikipedia. (Go there for quick plot summary, if you don’t know the basic thread.) After all, I had the pleasure of reading a 1959 first edition from McGraw-Hill, which no longer publishes such fiction. This copy will remain on the shelf.

I saw the original movie (1962) several years ago, and I liked the thriller in black and white. The book is remarkably adroit, and quite a bit deeper. Maybe that should not be a surprise; all good books should exploit the range that print pages offer. But if you think about the kind of book that turns into a movie now (see: Michael Crichton), I find Candidate a remarkable book in many ways. I’m going to have to look around for Condon’s other novels.

About the movie… the 1962 version garnered a 94 on Metacritic for the video release. Much more can be found on the film’s IMDB page. The 2004 version received a 76 on Metacritic, which probably isn’t too bad for a remake. Jonathan Demme as director is a good sign as far as I’m concerned, though I’ve never seen this version.

The original movie was the first time I ever learned that Angela Lansbury had a real acting career before Murder, She Wrote on TV. Sue me… that’s just a sign of when I grew up. But what a rip-roaring character, both on screen and in the pages.

Manchuria really must have been a more resonant term in 1959, when the tensions of McCarthy-ism (a driving force in this book, under a different name) made anything remotely Communist a bogeyman for scaring more than just the children. The book leads into the 1960 election, so it’s told as if it were current events, not history. Candidate sparks now, but I think the flint edge must have been even sharper when first published.

A worthy read.

During a cold, quiet afternoon in Brooklyn nine days ago, I picked up The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I read the entire series a long time ago, and this thin volume didn’t seem like it could contain all that I remember of this start to the fabulous tales of Narnia. I dashed through it all the same.

The book is written for young adults, and as such, I almost wish I hadn’t read it again. It remains a wonderful tale, and I certainly plan to see the current movie, but the color and depth of my childhood reading (and memory) left me surprised at how simple the language is, and how short the book. It’s abrupt and quick and hardly seems to paint the whole world which still echoed in my head from long ago. Maybe I shouldn’t see the movie, either… but I probably will.

Nothing is as simple as a boyhood hero.

I skimmed through Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa this afternoon, and in extra time, Cristiano Ronaldo almost turned his usual cheeky footwork in a masterpiece. Man U was already winning 2-0 when in the 93rd minute Ronaldo ran through a few stepovers before crossing the ball from his right foot by kicking behind his left leg. This dance step put a perfect ball to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s head inside the six. Although Ruud failed to live up to his high finishing standards, and the cross was all for naught, the should-have-been-an-assist moment was remarkable. Yet it was only on the replay from a different angle that it became clear just how outrageous the move was. I searched the English sites I usually avoid (so my TiVoed games are still new to me) in vain, looking for a picture of the move. Wow.

Tomorrow… go Arsenal. Time to make a stand, reverse the two straight losses, and disrupt the Chelsea juggernaut. If the Gunners fail to beat Chelsea at home, this might have been the last important match at Highbury before Arsenal moves to its new stadium next season.