Deborah Lawrenson's "The Lantern" and Other Reviews

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For the past month, I've been promising to review Deborah Lawrenson's The Lantern. Before you read my review though, you should be made aware of the existence of a casual online friendship between Deborah Lawrenson and myself. We'll never share feelings over cups of coffee at two in the morning, or anything like that. However, I read her blog, she reads mine, and we've given each other words of encouragement from time to time. With that in mind, this is what I thought of her book. Following, my review of The Lantern, you'll find some of my other opinions on recent movies and TV.
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The Lantern, is a book which tells two stories at the same time. In what most readers will consider to be the main story, we see Eve, as an adult, fall in love with an older man named Dom. It's not until they buy home together in the south of France, that Eve begins to realize how extremely secretive Dom is about his past, most notably regarding his former, not necessarily ex, wife. Her curiosity prompts Eve to investigate Dom's past while trying not to ignite his volatile temper. The second story shows us Eve's childhood and the lengths she'd go to to placate her sadistic brother.

As much as I love & admire Deborah, I have to say, the Godfather Part II style back and forth between the two stories makes each story a bit hard to get into. Once the reader DOES get into the narrative though, the purpose for the alternating chapters becomes clear. Like James Fenimore Cooper's The Leatherstocking Tales, The Lantern is as much about sensory descriptions of the setting as it is about the plot or characters. Deborah Lawrenson does a brilliant job of describing the floral hills, ripening fruits, and cloud dotted skies of the French countryside as they are perceived by all five human senses. As each story unfolds, Eve is repeatedly exposed to the same mysterious scent, which ties the stories together in an interesting way.

This wasn't a casual afternoon read for me,The Lantern requires some work to get through. Yet, Henry David Thoreau once said, "Books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written." Thus, if a reader puts in the time & effort, they'll find themselves amply rewarded by the beauty of The Lantern. 4 out of 5 stars

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Recent Movies:
If To Live & Die In LA met one of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns at a bar, and they hit it off, the product of their union would be Drive. Even though it's set in modern times, a horde of "me" oriented characters, the gritty downtown style of story telling, hip but dark background music, and neon style lettering in the credits, work together to produce the feel of an 80s crime drama, reminding movie goers of when Agent Richard Chance avenged the death of his partner and Crockett and Tubbs fought to stem the flow of drugs in Miami. Yet, almost channeling Clint Eastwood, Ryan Gosling plays The Driver as a quiet man with no name who's guided by a quasi-moral code. He's willing to drive getaway for a heist, but he'll risk his life to right a wrong and protect those he perceives to be innocent. 4.5 out of 5 stars
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What happens when a lie becomes not only a matter of record, but a piece of history? How far would you go to protect that lie and perpetuate widely accepted illusions? These are the questions Director John Madden asks in this gritty gripping espionage thriller, The Debt.

Like The Lantern, crucial parts of this story are revealed as a series of flashbacks, first showing us the accepted myth, then the truth behind the reported events. As we witness both versions, as well as the aftermath of the lie, we begin to sympathize with the liers, played by Helen Mirren, Rome's Ciarán Hinds, and Tom Wilkinson. With knowledge of the harm the truth could do, if made public, audience members find themselves routing for the continuation of the cover up. 5 out of 5 stars.
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After a 27 year absence from the big screen, Robert E. Howard's mythic hero has found his way back into theaters. This version of Conan the Barbarian had way more action and colorful villains than Arnie's version. While the fight scenes were amazing, including a swash buckling sword fight aboard a pirate ship, the Conan character had been substantially altered. This version was never raised as a slave, nor did he worship the warrior God, Crom, stating several times that he worshiped no God. If Arnie's version was based on Robert E. Howard's novels, this movie felt more like an adaptation of one of the comic book versions. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

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The New Fall TV Season:
Initially, I was excited about this year's new TV line-up. I, of course, haven't seen every offering this year, nor do I intend to make the effort. However, I've seen enough to be really disappointed.
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In the original British version of Prime Suspect Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Jane Tennison, played by Helen Mirren, lead a major case unit of the Metropolitan Police. The show was centered around the character trying to solve murders while confronting DS Bill Otley (Tom Bell) and other sexist officers on her squad who attempted to have her replaced as team leader. In NBC's version of the series, Maria Bello plays Detective Jane Timoney, a younger, more action oriented sleuth with a mentoring ex-cop for a father.

While Bello's character still faces a staggeringly blatant brand of sexism from her co-workers, especially Detective Reg Duffy played by Brían F. O'Byrne, that's where the similarities end. Timoney is more masculine, and in some ways less seasoned, than her English counterpart, Tennison. While her increased willingness to draw her gun, or participate in a fist fight, makes for a more visually exciting program, it takes Prime Suspect from the realm of thought provoking mysteries such as Perry Mason and Inspector Morse, and plops it into a category along side Charlies Angels and Hunter.
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"Up All Night" and "Whitney" whetted our appetites all summer with outrageously funny clips about raising babies and dating. Unfortunately, Up All Night proved to revolve around the quest to be 30-something and cool, rather than a comedy about embarking upon the adventure of parenting. Likewise, Whitney has proved to be just another "boy likes girl" sitcom with mediocre jokes, maybe one big laugh per show, and tender Cunningham-esc moments to end each episode.
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The one new show I think has potential is, oddly enough Pan-Am. In order to enjoy the show, viewers need to suspend disbelief, more than usual, and accept the ideas that in 1963 stewardesses were actually CIA agents and commercial airliners were sent on missions to rescue Cuban refugees. If you can put reality to one side though, the unique formula makes a wide variety of stories possible. If ABC utilizes what they have, audiences may be treated to love stories, inflight murder mysteries, spy thrillers, and other tales of intrigue, danger, and romance.
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As a final note, I must confess to being majorly disappointed by the return of a show I loved last year. In January of 2011, viewers were introduced to Harriot Korn, played by Kathy Bates. She was a recently fired lawyer who did things her way. Harry's Law was a fun show about Harriot's shoe store front law office. Featuring a different quirky case each week, we were treated to her display of off the cuff antics as she dealt with her colorful staff, gang members, and downtown neighbors.

This year however, her practice is part of a larger contemporary law office, and she's been involved in a single ongoing murder trial. OK, I get that NBC may have been contractually obligated to give Alfred Molina a certain number of episodes to round out his Law & Order. L.A. contract, but the case they have him involved with is just plain boring. It's gone from being a uniquely fun show, to being a hum-drum clone of Ally McBeal or Boston Legal. If not for the overly Machiavellian prosecutor, played by Jean Smart, and the occasional screwball remark from Tommy "Big Boy" Jefferson, played by Christopher McDonald, Harry's Law wouldn't have ANY energy at all this year.

To paraphrase the wives of Dogpatch, "Put it back, the way it wuz. Oh, put it back the way it wuz. It was smart, it was funny, she helped with clients with no money. So whatever else you does, put it back the way it wuz! Put it back [put em back] the way it wuz [the way it wuz] oh, put it back the way it wuz!"
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