Something About the Weather

It has been unseasonably warm in Southern California the past few days, and I think the warm temperatures fooled the plants into believing it's Springtime. Two of the palm trees in front of my parents' house started dropping their black seeds all over their driveway this weekend -- that usually doesn't happen until early March. The two tea roses in their backyard were covered in pink and white clouds of petals. And inside their house, the Amaryllis my Mom received for Christmas was just about to fully bloom, as you can see in the picture. It makes me wish we had space for our own little flower garden....

Pink Zombies

As you know, I read quite a bit, but thanks to one of my writing gigs, I can't always post a review here of what I've read. Such is the case with a novella called Asylum by Mark Allan Gunnells that I reviewed for The G.O.R.E. Score. For those interested in reading LGBT books, I recommend taking a looksee at this one. Just be wary of the zombies....

Quickie Book Review: The Silver Hearted by David McConnell

In an unnamed part of the world, a young man is hired to transport a cache of silver from a port city about to be torn apart by rebellion. Shortly after loading the silver, the inevitable happens as a violent and bloody battle begins in the city of B. The young man and what remains of the crew and passengers watch the horrors from the supposed safety of the Myrrah before the captain hastily sets the ship sailing. As the Myrrah journeys down the river, the young man tries to get suss out what he can about those left aboard ship, from the curious Van Loon who seems to have a finger in all the different activities within B to the grossly overweight captain of the ship to the young sailor Topher Ammidon Smith who helped him carry the boxes aboard.

Topher intrigues the young man, who wants to trust him, to care for him, but not sure if he can because of the threat behind the silver and its rightful owners. Yet he tries to get closer to Topher once they reach Alejandrina, allowing him to be the only one to know where the silver is being hidden and being allowed into part of Topher's personal life. But everything for the young man leads back to the silver, and with the threat of the rebellion heading toward Alejandrina, he needs to find a boat heading to the city of Z as soon as possible.

When I first started reading The Silver Hearted, I found the time period and location confusing, not quite sure if was in South America or Asia (until the narrator mentioned the Mandarins) nor when it was taking place (until the narrator mentioned the helicopters). Perhaps that was only to add to the confusion created by the rebellion and the fighting going on during the first few chapters, but it slowed my getting into the story. But once past that, it's an interesting read, and to me, focused more on the character of the unnamed narrator. I felt his subtle paranoia and distrust of everyone throughout the story, even when he showed some kind of interest (or lust) for Topher. The narrator is an interesting character in a world of interesting characters, and they each do their part to create a grimy, seedy, untrustworthy world in and around Alejandrina and the river.

It's definitely worth checking out.

The Silver Hearted
by David McConnell
Alyson Books
trade paperback, 213 pgs.

purchased book

Image from Chroma.

Stop/Start

After almost 5 years, my car battery finally gave up the ghost.

The morning started just fine, with the car casually catching once I turned the key in the ignition. I made my way to my parents' home in Laguna--about 35 miles south--without any problems. From there, I drove to my bank. Park the car, deposit a check and have the key in the ignition in less than 10 minutes.

I turned the key, and the dashboard briefly flashed to life before quickly fading away. A few more times, and the same nothingness happened. So I let it rest for a few minutes, tried again--no luck.

Thank goodness for AAA...the mechanic arrived within 20 minutes. Checked the battery and was shocked that the car hadn't given out earlier. He showed me the readings from the battery tests, and the power line was near the skull and crossbones. He replaced the battery right then and there. $95 and a three-year warranty isn't too high a price for that kind of service on a Sunday. It all happened in less than an hour, and I made it home before the downpour.

The Artist

We've started playing "catch-up" trying to see some of the movies that are generating much Oscar buzz. Luckily for us, the Art Theatre just up the street started showing The Artist on Thursday, which afforded us the chance to see it last night.

For those who don't know much about the film, it tells the tale of actor George Valentin, one of the Silent Era's top-grossing stars. At the peak of his stardom, movie studios begin introducing a new feature to movies: talking pictures. He sees "talkies" as a passing fad, but soon realizes that the public disagrees. His star quickly begins to dim, while that of Peppy Miller, a young actress who stumbled upon her big break thanks to Valentin, begins to ascend to the top or the talking pictures.

It's a wonderful film, perfectly capturing that specific time period in motion pictures when the silents were quickly fading into history. Not simply because the story is set during the latter part of the 1920s, but the movie is silent, using title cards and a beautiful score from Ludovic Bource to tell the tale. Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Béjo could have been silent movie stars, they're performances were so spot-on. Plus, the supporting cast, including John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle and Uggie the dog, were flawless.

And that dancing sequence at the end!

If you haven't seen The Artist yet, head to a theater now!!!

Image from Global Mechanic Blog.

Take a Bow

One of my favorite singers has a new album coming out. Take a listen to Matt Alber's cover of Madonna's Take a Bow:

Holiday Musical Mashup

Our first foray into the theater this year, and it happens to be a holiday story. But not just any holiday story. Our favorite troupe, The Troubies, created a new mashup of a classic holiday movie with an odd selection of music. Their ingredients: the classic tale of a young boy who only wants a Red Rider gun for Christmas and the timeless love story of Tony and Maria. Throw them in a blender and what do you get? A Christmas Westide Story.

Dancing elves, a boy sticking his tongue on a frozen light pole, the leg lamp trophy prominently displayed in the window, a fireman stripping before the intermission, and the BB gun transmorphing into a beautiful cowgirl -- all misinterpreting the classic music of Westside Story. And with it being closing night, the actors had a little fun with each other, making the other actors laugh, ad libbing with the audience, changing props. And it was hysterical!

Every once in a while, you need something a bit silly and inane to allow you a good laugh, and this show definitely provided that. I can't wait for the next mash-up: The Two Gentlemen of Chicago -- Shakespeare and the supergroup Chicago. What could be better?!


Image from The Falcon Theatre.