2010's Entertainment Stays with Me

A couple nights ago, I re-watched the series finale of Lost for the first time in about four months. I'm happy to report that I enjoyed it as much, if not more than, I did when the episode first aired in May, and the last time I watched it back when the DVD was first released in August — and that's not just because I'm still blown away by how great Evangeline Lilly looked in that black dress. That's a relief, because when the finale aired, I was lamenting the end of one of my all-time favorite TV shows. The last episode of Lost not only lived up to the hype, but it endures and continues to be great.

Good entertainment does that: It stays with you and doesn't lose its appeal over time. 2010 had a handful of those kinds of things. In addition to Lost, I got immense pleasure from watching Community, Modern Family, and Glee (the second season, not the second half of the first). I'm still really enjoying Jamie Cullum's latest album (it's even better live in concert), as well as the new release from Maroon 5. I was excited to see American Idiot the week it opened on Broadway, and I even finished a book I really enjoyed, The Accidental Billionaires.

And then there were the movies. As of this writing, I've seen 57 of the films considered 2010 releases. (Some films I saw in the early part of the year were considered 2009 releases.) Of them, I have my favorites. It should be noted that the list that follows is not a list of the best movies of 2010, and it's also incomplete because there are a couple films I have yet to see that may make this list. So with those caveats, here are the 10 movies I saw in 2010 that I enjoyed more than the rest:
1. The Social Network (which I've seen three times)
2. The Fighter
3. Inception
4. 127 Hours
5. The Kids Are All Right
6. Toy Story 3
7. Greenberg
8. Solitary Man
9. The Town
10. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work/Winnebago Man
Honorable mention: The Expendables, which was crap, but really fun crap.

And rather than list the 10 worst movies I saw, let's call this list the 10 movies I enjoyed the least:
1. Piranha 3D
2. Valentine's Day
3. Alice in Wonderland
4. Knight & Day
5. Secretariat
6. The Tourist
7. Shutter Island
8. Little Fockers
9. Due Date
10. Dinner for Schmucks

What were your favorite movies, TV shows, albums, etc.? Please do share your thoughts with me.

The Facebook Book

I finally finished reading Ben Mezrich's The Accidental Billionaires last week. I say finally because it only took me, oh, about a year to do so. That's not indicative of how much I enjoyed the book. Rather, it's just that the book fell victim to my lack of reading time and my laziness about finding time to read. Actually, this summer, as I got more and more excited about seeing The Social Network, I made the time to read, and I spent a number of Sunday afternoons outside reading the book. And I'm glad I did.

You already know how much I enjoy social media, and how much I'm looking forward to seeing The Social Network, the movie that's based on The Accidental Billionaires, so I guess it's no surprise that I enjoyed the book as much as I did. A very quick read (all things considered), it tells the story of the founding of Facebook, and how Mark Zuckerberg single-mindedly pursued his vision of a website where people could connect with each other — in the process ostracizing not only some rich Harvard classmates, but also his best friend. Admittedly, it's hard to read the book without seeing folks like Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake in your head, but perhaps that's because Billionaires is more focused on story and less on character.

For example, we don't learn much about Zuckerberg due partly to the fact that he didn't cooperate with the book's writing, and also because there may not be much to learn. The kid's pretty focused on his programming for much of the book. (He seems like more of a jerk from the trailer.) On the other hand, Eduardo Saverin engenders much more sympathy, probably because he did help Mezrich and could tell the story from his (biased) point of view. Sean Parker, a public figure since the days of Napster, comes off as a fast-talking svengali — Dr. Landy to Zuckerberg's Brian Wilson — and I can't wait to see Timberlake play him on the big screen.

But what Accidental Billionaires lacks in character development, it makes up for in story — and what a great one it is. Billionaires is a real page-turner, one that I should have read much quicker and sooner. That said, I'm glad I did before the movie comes out. If you're a faster reader than I am (how can you not be?), then I recommend flipping through it before October 1.

I Resolve To ...

Like it or not, January and 2010 are both here. Among other things, that means it's time to stop looking back and start to look forward. In most cases, that also means coming up with some resolutions for things to change in the new year. Generally, I don't make New Year's resolutions because I'm never able to keep them. But this year I'm going to publish my list of resolutions here, and I'm hoping that the public declaration will help me stick to them.

So with that in mind, I resolve to ...

1. Not gain weight, or more specifically, to weigh as much as — or preferably less than — I do now when the clock strikes 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2011. Part of that will involve showing some restraint when I see leftover cake or cookies in my office kitchen (or if I'm at Costco), and part of it will involve finally going to the gym in my condo complex (and working out when I'm there).

2. Put myself out there more. Which means I'm going to stop being so much of a homebody, stop spending so much time by myself, and I'm going to try to be more open to meeting new people.

3. Read more. Books yes, but also Twitter feeds, industry websites/blogs, and other things that will help me be better at my job.

4. Go on vacation. An actual vacation. That means I hope not just to travel, but to go somewhere warm, nice, relaxing, and fun. It's been a long time — too long — since I went on such a trip. I think I'm due.

Alright, four resolutions is enough, some more realistic than others. Today is January 1. I hope you'll help me stick to these goals this year.

An Entertaining Year

There was a lot to like this year, entertainment-wise. For example, it was inconsistent and frustrating at times, but when it was great, there were few shows I enjoyed as much as Glee. I didn't read as many books as I have in years past, but I thought Steve Knopper's Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age was very good. I picked the winner of American Idol as far back as February. Lily Allen, U2, Jamie Cullum, and John Mayer all released great albums. And of course, there were a bunch of impressive movies too.

As of this writing, I've seen 48 of the year's releases (down from 53 a year ago), and if pressed to rank my favorites (not necessarily the best ones), here are the top 10:
1. Up in the Air
2. In the Loop
3. A Serious Man
4. Up
5. Star Trek
6. Precious
7. The Girlfriend Experience
8. Two Lovers
9. Fantastic Mr. Fox
10. Where the Wild Things Are

What were your favorite movies, albums, TV shows, books, etc.? I'd love to know.

Listen Up

Tuesday was one of those big multimedia purchase days that I have every so often. The third season of 30 Rock was released on DVD, and David Gray, Mika, and Harry Connick Jr. all released new albums. When I was at Costco, I noticed that A.J. Jacobs had a new book out, so I grabbed that, and because I hadn't purchased it yet, I also picked up the third season of Brothers and Sisters on DVD. A mixed bag of music for sure, and maybe not your tastes, but I always enjoy new stuff from artists I like. (The David Gray album is particularly good. I'll let you know about the others when I hear more of them.)

Apparently, I'm going to have a few days like this in the next couple months because a bunch of my favorite singers and bands have new albums coming out, including Michael Bublé (October 9), Flight of the Conchords (October 20), the Swell Season (October 27), Train (October 27), Robbie Williams (November 10), Jamie Cullum (November 10), Jason Mraz (November 10), and John Mayer (November 17). There's also the Glee soundtrack (November 3), American Idol winner Kris Allen's debut (November 17), and others I'm sure I'll want when the times comes. (Hopefully, I'll be able to get a few on Jonny Ali's blog.)

Point is, I guess it's a good thing I got the 32GB iPhone after all, because I'm going to need all that memory to hold all the new music I plan to acquire between now and the end of the year. I'd better get my headphones ready now.

An Exception to the Rule

Based on the the best-selling book of the same name by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, the film He's Just Not That Into You tries to dramatize and explain — and make light of — the reasons why dating is so hard for so many people. We meet the wrong people. We believe lies. We get overeager and share too much about ourselves up front. We don't read the signs. Etc. Etc. We've all done it or caused someone else to do it. Thankfully, the movie doesn't remind us of all these stupid behaviors in grating, annoying fashion. Instead, it's a surprisingly enjoyable time that won't make men feel emasculated or ashamed when the lights come up.

To be clear, HJNTIY is less of a romantic comedy than romantic dramedy. Which is not to say that it's unfunny. It's just that more of the laughs come from watching the movie and saying to yourself, "I've done that" (or listening to people around you who say it), or from knowing that what the characters are doing is exactly the wrong thing to do (and, yes, hearing people who sit next to you call that out). The Altman-esque ensemble is filled with likable actors in likable, sympathetic roles — even Scarlett Johansson, who plays a seductress who tries to break up a marriage, while also trying to deflect the affections of a young suitor played by Entourage's Kevin Connolly. Think Love Actually, but set it in Baltimore not at Christmastime, and cast it with younger people, and you have the basic idea.

Much of the movie is told from the POV of Ginnifer Goodwin's Gigi, the prototypical single girl who keeps falling for the wrong guys and believing they're more interested in her than they actually are. When a guy tells her he'll call and then doesn't, Gigi spends all day checking her voice mail and working herself up over why he hasn't, and whether she should call him or do a "drive-by" at a place she knows he'll be. On one such drive-by, Gigi befriends Alex (Justin Long), the manager of a bar, who advises her in blunt, honest style about how to understand men (essentially, he's Behrendt's stand-in). If you, like me, were a fan of the TV show Ed, then you'll agree that it's good to see these two back together again all these years later. The entire cast has easy chemistry, and while they all don't interact with each other, the relationships on screen do seem believable.

Thankfully, HJNTIY avoids most of the obvious cliches of chick flicks: there's no silly montage of bad dates, no gay best friend, no cheesy soundtrack, no sitcom-y cliches, no nothing like that. Which, I think, means that HJNTIY may not be a chick flick at all, given the conventional definition. Yes, some of the story lines do end happily, but not all of them, and it's not like there's sweeping music or guys running down the street to meet an impossible deadline or anything cliched like that to make you groan when they do. The women here are not swans in ugly duckling wardrobes, or put-upon sad sacks prone to clumsy antics, who are waiting for Prince Charming ... and the guys are portrayed in equally imperfect fashion. This is essentially a lesson movie, but it's one whose lessons go down easy.

Because dating foibles are something we can all identify with, and because it's not just the women who are the victims here, HJNTIY is actually a movie that can be enjoyed by either gender. Could it be a tad shorter than two hours, 10 minutes? Sure. But the winning cast keeps things moving and the relatable storylines keep the action engaging. I'm into He's Just Not That Into You so I'm giving it a B+.

On the Record

In his new book, Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age, writer Steve Knopper explores the history of the record companies, from the 1960s and the creation of the CD to the present day, trying to explain why the industry enjoyed such boom times in the 1980s and late 1990s, and why it's in the crapper today. I suppose it wouldn't take much thought for any casual music fan and amateur industry analyst to provide a guess as to where the business went wrong, but chances are it would not be as thorough or enjoyably presented as Appetite is.

Knopper knows his stuff — he's been a regular contributor to Wired and Rolling Stone for years — but rather than rehash his old articles and tell the same old stories (like Jeff Gordinier did in his X Saves the World), he's gone back to the well, conducting more than 200 brand new interviews with executives and others who've had a hand in creating or distributing music over the past 40 years. Much of Appetite is anecdotal and episodic, with Knopper zeroing in on one or two characters for pages at a time and telling their stories. There's a chunk about Steve Jobs and his early struggles with getting the record companies to buy into the iTunes Music Store, of course, and there are sections about Shawn Fanning, Lou Pearlman, and Walter Yetnikoff, among others. Yes, you've probably heard some of this before, and Knopper seems to know that, but the way he tells the stories, it's still entertaining. The Napster chapter is one example where I basically knew the story arc, but I still loved reading about it and learning some new facts about the players involved. It brought me right back to those heady days when I was enjoying the software, before it was taken offline.

It doesn't really ruin anything to say that Knopper's message is essentially that the record companies screwed themselves and have only themselves to blame for their current financial woes. They tried to duplicate the success of Thriller too many times, they took advantage of music buyers by raising prices of CDs too high, they sued their own customers at the dawn of the digital age, and they still haven't adequately capitalized on the potential of the Internet. As charismatic as some of them are, the executives often are presented as slow-to-react traditionalists who resist new technologies, not even realizing the potential of CDs at first, and who stick to the "tried and true" and other old fashioned methods rather than embracing new ways of reaching customers. Everything is included — everything. For example, Knopper includes a history of the longbox and gives appropriate grief to SONY BMG's rootkit, the software included on some CDs (including one by Neil Diamond) that installed viruses and worms on users' computers without their knowing. Suffice it to say, music fans won't find many heroes in this book; instead, they'll be saying "I told you so" over and over.

Full disclosure: I know Steve Knopper, and have worked with him multiple times on articles for Continental magazine. One of my favorite Knopper articles in Continental was about the Chicago blues scene. Point is, I am not entirely unbiased about this book. But that said, if you're a music fan, like I am, I hope you'll give this one a try. It's a quick but comprehensive read, and it's full of really interesting information. If Appetite is correct, and the record industry will soon be dead, then Knopper's book will serve as one hell of an obituary.

Oh, The Places He's Gone

I've always had a fondness for Waldo. You know, the bespeckled wanderer and star of the Where's Waldo? series of books by Martin Handford. Back in the day, I was a little obsessed. I collected the books. Most of my college admissions essays tackled the same theme: that I was very much like Waldo, an explorer who still hadn't found what he was looking for. Freshman year (and maybe sophomore year too) of college I had a poster of Waldo in the Land of Waldos on my dorm-room wall. And when my hair was longer and parted like so, people used to tell me I looked like Waldo. (No, I never did dress up like him for Halloween. I knew you were going to ask.)

Why do I mention this now? Well, Sunday was Waldo's 21st birthday. The first Where’s Waldo? book was published on September 21, 1987, and since then, Waldo has sold more than 46 million books worldwide. Sure, over the years, as I've grown up (snicker, snicker), Waldo's been less on my mind, but to this day, I enjoy the hunts and think of Waldo as someone I can still identify with. Like him, some days I'm lost and some days I'm on a journey. Some days I stick out in a crowd, and some days I blend right in. Wherever Waldo goes, he's got a smile on his face and he's waving. You never know where Waldo will turn up; he's like Matt, that guy who goes all around the world dancing. I actually have a picture of Waldo on my cube wall at work. And though my glasses and hairstyle are different than they were when I was 17, I can still see a slight resemblance.

So as Waldo turns "legal," I just wanted to wish him a (belated) happy birthday. If his travels ever bring him to Boston, I hope we'll go out for a drink so he can tell me all about the places he's been and the people he's seen. I can only imagine the stories he'd tell.

He's Back

Just a quick plug to let you know that Brad Meltzer, who I've written about here and here, will be in Boston Monday night to read from and sign copies of his new book, The Book of Lies. He'll be at Brookline Booksmith in Coolidge Corner at 7 p.m. You know I'll be in attendance. Will you be there too?

Meltzer Just Blows It Completely

I've written in the past about why it is that I like Brad Meltzer, and since he's got a new book out now, I thought I'd give him a quick plug here. I always knew the guy had a real sense of humility, but now I know he's also got a nice self-depreciating wit — as evidenced by the following video. It's a compilation of little leaguers and senior citizens reciting some of the barbs that have been thrown at Brad. It's pretty funny. I got an advance copy of Brad's new book a few weeks ago and I'm just under halfway done at this point, so I'll hold off on giving any form of review for now. Instead, I'll say grab a copy for yourself and let me know what you think. The book is called The Book of Lies, it's about what the Cain and Abel story and the creation of Superman might possibly have in common, and it's available at bookstores everywhere. Heck, the book even has a soundtrack. (Really.) Brad will be at Brookline Booksmith on Monday, September 22 at 7 p.m. I'll see you there. For now, enjoy this video.

X Marks the Spot

I've always been kind of fascinated by reading about myself. Or rather, articles and books that discuss my generation or groups I'm a part of. So that's why I chose Jeff Gordinier's X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft But Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking as my latest book to read. I've now finished it (hooray!) and wanted to weigh in.

In the book, Gordinier posits that Generation X, the generation that's often perceived as misunderstood, hard to categorize, and largely ignored, has the unfortunate luck of being sandwiched between the self-centered Baby Boomers and the self-centered Millennials. And because it's often pigeon-holed as being forgotten, the accomplishments of Gen X are often overlooked. To wit: members of Gen X created YouTube, Google, Wikipedia, and Craigslist. Zines, a Gen X creation, were the progenitor of blogs. Netscape changed the face of Web browsing. Jon Stewart, Barack Obama, Kurt Cobain, and Dave Eggers are all members of Gen X. In essence, we, the members of Generation X, have a lot to be proud of.

So why are we always overlooked? Gordinier's major thesis is that it's because Boomers and Millenials keep hogging the spotlight, either by comparing their accomplishments to ours (Boomers) or by adopting and assuming ownership of our creations (Millenials). "The boomers never came up with anything that approaches the hugeness of Google," he writes. "John Lennon got bitch-slapped for saying the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, but Google ... gives God a run for His money." Gordinier, also an editor-at-large at Details magazine, adds that we are a generation that doesn't want or crave attention, and we're happy to make change happen quietly, almost under the radar, if it brings us personal satisfaction. Getting attention isn't the goal, like it is for so many Millenials (Paris Hilton takes a pretty big — albeit expected — hit for that), and that only serves to make our accomplishments that much more significant. And that's also probably why you may not have heard of the Poetry Bus, for example, which gets almost as much space in the book as Nirvana and Lauryn Hill.

Amid the pop culture and political references and recaps of case studies we've heard before, Gordinier makes a moderately effective call to action, and says we're nearing the time when Gen X can reclaim its rightful place in the world. "The Bush crowd will be gone soon, and then we can pounce," he writes.

I'm not sure the book is as compelling as I'd hoped it'd be, but it's a pretty easy read and it oftentimes reaffirms the belief that Generation X is not a bunch of slackers. I wish the book was more rallying cry or manifesto like it is at the very end, but there's something to be said for learning from others' example. Sure, I may not have changed the world like some people have, but that doesn't mean I can't be proud to be associated (in the most minimal of connections) with the people Gordinier includes. And hey, like the author encourages, maybe my time is coming. Stay tuned.

(And if you want to hear more about this book, here's a video of Gordinier explaining what it's all about.)

Back to Books

The nice thing about having a longer commute is that I get a lot more time to read now than I had when I took the C line from Coolidge Corner. In fact, I get almost double the time. It means I can plow through the latest issues of Entertainment Weekly in a day, for example. But then it leaves me with all sorts of time to fill. So, I've gotten back on the book-reading train. Perhaps you'll be amused to know that while I dove right in to A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically last summer, I hadn't read much of it since the end of October. Well, now, nearly six months later, I've finally finished the book. Yeah, it sure did take me long enough. But now I'm wondering what I'll read next. Thankfully, I have a cleaned-up bookshelf full of options. Perhaps I'll go back to Honeymoon with My Brother. Maybe I'll finally read Tom Perotta's Little Children. Or maybe it's finally — finally! — time for me to read Faithful, Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan's document of the 2004 Red Sox season. Something tells me I'll leave those on the shelf and instead pick up a fun little collection called Things I've Learned from the Women Who've Dumped Me. That might be just the book I need to ease me back into this habit.

Thinking Out of the Box

I'm just a few short days away from officially being a homeowner, and less than two weeks from moving into my new condo, so I figure it's high time I made a real dent in my packing. But first, some purging. Lots and lots of purging. It'll definitely help the cause if I have less to pack. The biggest dent was made in my book collection, which, after six years of living in one place, had swelled to ridiculous proportions. I'm lucky in that I get a lot of free stuff sent to me at work, but I'm also a sucker because over the past 6.5 years I've brought much of it home. Today I'm happy to report that most of it has gone right back from whence it came. I packed up two boxes of books — travel books, advance copies of best-sellers, random books I thought were funny, a couple cookbooks, a couple books I'd started reading but will likely never finish, a duplicate copy of a book I must have bought twice, other books I'd read and will never look at again, and one book I had purchased and actually had signed (to me) by the author — and Sunday I dropped them off at the office for some lucky souls to take home. Their problem now, not mine. The funny thing about it, I suppose, is that of all the books I brought in (and there were plenty, as you can see), I had actually bought maybe 5, but no more than 10, of them. So clearly, I need to learn restraint whenever I get something in the mail.

Of course, I still have plenty of books and stuff left on my bookshelves, but the point is, I have less of it now. Far less than what I had. My shelves were overflowing and there were multiple stacks of books on my floors, just collecting dust. So goodbye to unneeded clutter. Same goes for my magazine collection. This weekend I filled up four garbage bags of old magazines and dumped 'em. I did what were likely my last two loads of laundry in my building on Sunday night and instead of washing some old t-shirts, I just threw them away. I did the same with some discolored glasses and old bowls I hadn't used in three years. After all, I already had new glasses from my recent trip to IKEA (unopened, I might add), so that's one less thing I have to pack.

Point is, I'm being productive here, even if there aren't so many boxes actually packed. I really can't wait to move, and not just because of my instrument-playing neighbors. It's very exciting to close a chapter in your life both symbolically and literally — when you get rid of stuff you've owned for too long — and while packing up to move is definitely a chore, I can say I'm enjoying this part of the process.

Quick Thoughts

After the rain stopped, Monday was a really nice day.

Teflon-coated pots are excellent. One of the best inventions ever.

I wish I had given Gossip Girl more of a chance and hadn't given up on it after the first episode.

We're negotiating, and I should have a decision on the apartment on Tuesday. I'm now feeling more 65-35 as far as excitement and nervousness go.

Ben & Jerry's Crème Brûlée ice cream is so so so good.

I'm rooting for a There Will Be Blood Best Picture upset on Sunday.

There's something about seeing baseball players practicing down in Florida, smiling, happy, with the sun shining, that makes everything all right.

Are you on Facebook? Why not? Sign on and let's be friends.

Days off would be more enjoyable if there was something good on TV in the morning. At least on Saturdays there's three hours of repeats of 90210 and two of The O.C.

Which is the more annoying instrument to listen to: violin or the flute?

I don't think there's any movie in theaters right now that I haven't seen that I want to see.

My early American Idol favorites are Amanda Overmyer, a.k.a.: the rocker nurse, and Michael Johns. Kristy Lee Cook is cute, but she won't get past the top 8. And David Archuleta is overrated. And anyone who sings "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" will never win, much less make it to the top 12.

Sometimes when scrolling through the names and numbers in my cell phone I'll come across Bubby and I'll be tempted to call. I wish I could.

Next week, March 1 to be exact, marks the 11th anniversary of the day I moved to Boston. Still the best decision I've ever made.

I own way way way too many books, CDs, and DVDs.

Can't believe I still haven't finished The Year of Living Biblically.

Kupels went and raised their prices, and in so doing went from being a great deal to a total rip-off.

When I move, I think I'm going to hire a cleaning person to come regularly.

Some movies I can watch over and over and never get tired of them. The Shawshank Redemption is one of them.

Long weekends are great ... until you have to go back to work the next morning.

See and Be Seen

Two PSAs for y'all ...

See them: People always complain that they're not interested in the Oscars because they haven't seen many of the nominated films. Well, the AMC theater chain is hosting an all-day marathon showing of the nominees for Best Picture on February 23, the day before the Oscars are handed out, at theaters all over the country. That's right: you can see Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, and No Country for Old Men all in one day, one after another, and then you'll be ready for the big show. It'll cost you only $30, and when you buy your ticket, you'll also get a large popcorn with unlimited refills. Score! (Thanks to Dan for the heads up.)

See him: I'd tell you that Love Is a Mix Tape was my favorite book of 2007, but considering I only read three, that's probably not saying much. Still, Love was the first book I read start-to-finish in many years (too many, really), so that's saying something significant about how good it is. And this Wednesday, the book's author, Rob Sheffield, is going to be at Brookline Booksmith reading from and signing copies of his book. I'll be there. If you're looking for a great memoir about love, loss, and music, then come on down and meet Rob with me. The book is now out in paperback too, so you can buy your own copy.

Book Him

Not too long ago I wrote about A.J. Jacobs' new book, The Year of Living Biblically, and how much I was enjoying reading it. Well, A.J. will be at the Barnes & Noble in Kenmore Square tomorrow night, November 1, at 7 p.m. I'll be there. If you live in the Boston area, you should come on down and meet me, have a book signed, get to know the man himself. I'm sure it'll be a fun event. If you don't live in Boston, head over to your favorite local bookseller and pick up a copy for yourself. Year of Living Biblically is a very good, thought-provoking, and also very funny book. (And that's my friendly plug for the day.)

Not Wild Enough

I remember when I first heard the story of Chris McCandless. It was in 1997 on an episode of 20/20, where there was a segment about author John Krakauer's book Into the Wild. Something about McCandless fascinated me and I went out soon after to buy Krakauer's book. I read it, too. McCandless tapped into my young, idealistic sense of adventure and wanting more out of life. Ten years later, there's still a part of me that yearns for such excitement.

All that is my way of saying I was pretty excited to see Sean Penn's Into the Wild movie, especially because the reviews have generally been very good. So I'm happy to report that the movie is good. Mostly. True to McCandless, it doesn't pander and takes its time telling the story of how, following his 1992 graduation from Emory, McCandless cut up his credit cards, donated his savings to Oxfam, changed his name to Alexander Supertramp, and headed out on the road to, as Thoreau said, "live deliberately." There's a natural, organic feel to the 2.5-hour movie, and Penn really wants to pay tribute to someone he considered a kindred spirit. To that end, the film was shot in many of the same locations that McCandless journeyed to, and rather than raise questions about McCandless' motives and psyche — as Krakauer's book did a lot of — Penn clearly takes McCandless' side and makes you sympathetic to the character. Penn also knows the affinity people feel for the book, and there are all sorts of reveals that seem to make readers excited, starting with when McCandless first stumbles upon the abandoned bus. (Amazingly, the tragic site has become a morbid tourist attraction for McCandless fans.) It helps that as McCandless, Emile Hirsch is generally very good, capturing the alternately wide-eyed and yet fearful young man. In supporting roles, Catherine Keener and Vince Vaughn are also very good.

But where Penn stumbles, and where he lost me, was with some of the filmmaking choices. I didn't love how McCandless would every now and then look right into the camera. That didn't seem true to the character or the film. I also didn't like the multiple points of view. Between McCandless' letters, his voiceovers, his sister's voiceovers, etc., you either didn't always know who was actually telling the story or were distracted from it. Why the film is broken into four "chapters" is unclear. Also, there were a couple scenes that could have been cut. And there's one scene late in the movie where Hirsch's performance is so lame that it damn near threatens to derail the whole momentum of the film. In fact, it's so bad that when McCandless does finally die (no spoiler there), I wasn't sure if I still felt the sympathy for him that I felt earlier.

So I think I'm going to call Into the Wild a little bit of a letdown. It's still generally, mostly, a good film, but I can't really give it a stronger grade than a B.

A Good Book

I suppose it's a little bit premature to be writing about A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically since it won't be out for another month or so, but I'm now two-thirds of the way done with it, and I couldn't wait to give a partial review. In short, the book is about how A.J., an editor at large at Esquire decided to spend an entire year living according to the Bible — both the Old and New Testaments. But the book doesn't make a mockery of the Bible or those who do live their lives more religiously. Instead, A.J. takes the task seriously, obeying every little (and not so little) law. He doesn't cut his hair or shave, he doesn't wear clothes of mixed fibers, he prays, he blows a shofar at the start of every month, he respects his elders, he tries not to lie, and so on.

But don't go thinking this is a book only about religion, or a serious examination of Biblical law. From the start, A.J. uses his sense of humor to explain that while he grew up in a Jewish home, it was Jewish "in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant. Which is to say: not very." As he did with his last book, The Know-It-All, A.J. also weaves in his personal life — in this case the challenges of being a new father and the difficulty (with his wife, Julie) in conceiving a second child (which, of course, makes it hard to "be fruitful and multiply"). But one thing I really like about the book is how unassuming and surprising it is. One second you'll be laughing at A.J.'s unwillingness to take or be in pictures at family events, and then he'll catch you off-guard with a Biblical passage or lesson. It's this approach that makes some of what he writes more meaningful.

At its core, YoLB is an examination of what place the Bible has in modern times. Do all the laws translate or have the same meaning as when they were first written? I mean, if you work in an office, can you really not gossip? And in an age of constant advertising, how can you not covet? And which is more meaningful: fitting prayer into your busy schedule when you can, or reserving time for it? And even if the Bible says not to lie, aren't there times when you have to lie? The book is filled with those kinds of questions. A.J. does his best to make the Bible as relevant as possible, and adapt some laws to fit modern life. But mostly he obeys them as written, and it's really interesting how it plays out.

Also interesting are his trips — to Amish country in Lancaster County, Pa. (where he has to avoid making jokes about Intercourse), to the Creation Museum in Kentucky, to Israel, and to other places — where he is able to gain greater perspective on religion in general, beyond the standard Jewish/Christian world. And the insights from A.J.'s guides — pastors, rabbis, etc. and others he meets along the journey — further his quest to understand the Bible's messages.

I'm really enjoying YoLB. I liked Love Is a Mix Tape and Cabin Pressure too, but with YoLB, I feel like I'm actually learning something, and that makes it feel like a more worthwhile read. Apparently, plans are already in the works to make YoLB into a movie. Not sure how that'll work and still stay true to the book (likely, the movie will strip out the real serious stuff and maintain a tone of comedy; hopefully it'll be better than Evan Almighty), but I hope it's a good flick. For now, we have a great book. When it hits stores a month from now, go pick it up and read it for yourself.

Tedy! Youk! Martin!

As if there wasn't already enough going on in the Coolidge Corner general area today, Tedy Bruschi was doing a book signing at Brookline Booksmith. I may not be a huge Patriots fan (at least not as big as I am a Red Sox fan), but you gotta love a guy who battles back like Bruschi has. And hey, I love a good book signing. So I waited in the line — which snaked down Harvard St. and about halfway up Green St. — for an hour and got my book signed. And it was pretty cool to see everyone walk out of the store with a big grin, relating what inspirational words he told them. Tedy shook my hand, signed the book, and gave me a little smile. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

But here's the thing: as if Coolidge Corner wasn't already crawling with sports fans today, who did I spot walking down Harvard St.? None other than Kevin Youkilis, with a woman and a child (It was probably Enza, but I'm not sure). And the guy managed to walk through town without being harrassed or stopped for autographs or photos or anything — not even by me. I wanted to say hi, or take a picture with him, or ask how his knee was (he was walking with a brace on it), but I resisted. Although, we did give each other the "I know you"/"I know you know who I am" looks. So it still made a halfway decent story.

And for all you football fans out there, here's a shot of Tedy Bruschi after signing my book.

Harry Potter and the Raging Hormones

Like so many others, I've been eager to see how the Harry Potter series would end. And now that I've finished my advance copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, I have to say I'm shocked. Shocked! I can't believe J.K. Rowling had the nerve to have Hagrid admit his love for Hermione on page 72, when the story had barely begun. But who knew they'd make such a perfect pair? I loved the scene when they go on their first date to Tinkerdoo. Harry being overcome with jealous rage seemed the obvious reaction to it all, and when he overdosed on Butter Beer and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, I knew that couldn't be good. Voldemort didn't stand a chance. Anyway, the book's awesome, just like the other six were. I just sort of wish J.K. Rowling hadn't done that whole thing with Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Kids shouldn't be exposed to fringe art like that. At least not until they're twelve years old.

But seriously, happy Harry Potter Day. I have no idea how the series will end — in fact, the only book in the series that I've actually read is the first one (I tried to read the second but couldn't get into it). In fact, I've only seen the first and third movies too. I just don't have much interest in the series. That said, I do love the Saturday Night Live skit from a few years back where Lindsay Lohan played Hermione. So in honor of the release of the final book, I thought I'd post it here for your weekend viewing enjoyment.