The only reason to see this movie is Ginnifer Goodwin who looks cute in just about every scene. Ginnifer plays Rachel, a repressed lawyer. Ginnifer’s annoying best friend (played by Kate Hudson), Darcy, is engaged to marry the guy (Tom Cruise clone, Colin Egglesfield) Ginnifer loves. John Krasinski (from The Office) is largely wasted as Ginnifer’s long suffering friend. I thought Gennifer should have ended up with John Krasinski but what do I know. What do you call a romantic comedy that isn’t very romantic and isn’t very funny? You could call it Something Borrowed. GRADE: C

Readers of Brian Greene’s The Elegant Universe and The Future of the Cosmos know what to expect from this gifted science writer: explanations of mind-blowing concepts in clear, literate prose. In Greene’s latest book, The Hidden Reality, Greene explores the possibility that there are parallel universes. Based on string-theory, an infinite universe allows for the probability of an infinite number of universes, some resembling ours. I don’t pretend to understand all the quantum mechanics and probabilistic theorems Greene discusses, but I was able to follow his critique of Einstein’s physics. Much of The Hidden Reality is a history of physics in the 20th (and 21st) century. If you’re in the mood to be astounded, read The Hidden Reality. GRADE: A

Jack Vance, best known as a Grand Master of Science Fiction, wrote mystery novels as well. Subterranean Press has collected three of Vance’s best mysteries in a wonderful 560-page omnibus volume: the Edgar Award winning The Man in a Cage (1960), the suspenseful Bad Ronald (1973), and the mysterious The Deadly Isles (1963). Jack Vance was at the top of his game in the 1960s and early 1970s and these three mysteries are first-rate. I hope Subterranean Press reprints more of Jack Vance’s mysteries that have long been out-of-print.

Simone Dinnerstein’s Bach: A Strange Beauty will rile some Bach purists. Dinnerstein plays with verve and passion that goes against the grain of traditional Bach interpretations of these works. Dinnerstein, with the Kammerorchester Staatskapelle Berlin, play these pieces with such energy, it sounded like I was listening to this music for the first time. In the extensive liner notes, Dinnerstein explains why she isn’t interested in performing in a period performance practice style or playing this fabulous music in a more accepted fashion. Dinnerstein’s expressive playing and the superb sound of this CD completely captivated me. If you’re a Bach fan, you’ll want to listen to this wonderful music play with such panache. Take a listen below. GRADE: A
SET LIST
1. Choral “Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ”, BWV 639 3:40
2. Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: I. (Allegro) 3:17
3. Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: II. Largo 2:56
4. Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056: III. Presto 2:48
5. Choral “Nun freut euch ihr lieben Christen”, BWV 734 2:26
6. English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: I. Prélude 2:53
7. English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: II. Allemande 5:02
8. English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: III. Courante 1:59
9. English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: IV. Sarabande 4:13
10. English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: V. Gavotte I/II 2:50
11. English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: VI. Gigue 2:20
12. Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052: I. Allegro 8:00
13. Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052: II. Adagio 7:16
14. Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052: III. Allegro 7:13
15. Choral “Jesu, joy of man’s desiring”, BWV 147

Marc Freedman suggests that with our extended life-spans, we need to plan (and implement) plans for second and third careers. The Big Shift includes plenty of stories about successful men and women who have transitioned from one career path to another. Marc Freedman provides research which shows that if people remain engaged in their later years, they have better health and happiness than if they retired to a couch with a remote. Freedman includes lists of resources to help with the planning process and advice about how to make it happen. If you don’t want to continue working in your later years, Freedman provides contacts for volunteer projects and agencies if that is more your style. The message behind this book is “Stay Active & Engaged” if you want to stay healthy and happy. For more detail, you can listen to the NPR story below. GRADE: B

Watching a 27 year-old Bruce Springsteen and the young E-Street Band recording Darkness At the Edge of Town with commentary by all the principals makes The Promise one of the all-time great rock-&-roll documentaries. Thom Zimny carefully crafts the story of Springsteen’s legal problems that resulted in a three-year hiatus from the recording studio. Springsteen had one hit, Born to Run, and suddenly his fledgling career teetered on disaster. Along with the documentary, The Promise includes a Springsteen and E-Street Band concert with performances of “Racing in the Street,” “Gotta Get That Feeling,” “Ain’t Good Enough For You,” “The Promise,” and “Blue Christmas.” Also included is a revealing conversation with Bruce Springsteen and some fans. If you’re a Springsteen fan, you’ll love this DVD. If you’re a casual fan, you’ll enjoy the evolution of a great artist and his band. GRADE: A

Garrison Keillor single-highhandedly tries to keep poetry somewhere central to our lives. Good Poems: American Places is the just published second collection Keillor’s brought out in his quixotic quest to keep poetry relevant in our decadent times. Many of my favorite poets are included: Grace Paley, W. S. Merwin, Emily Dickinson, Robert Bly, Kenneth Rexroth, Philip Levine and a dozen others. Keillor includes poems that celebrate all parts of America. There’s even a poem entitled “City of Tonawanda Softball Championship” by Sarah Freligh. I also discovered some new poets I’ll have to read more of. One of them wrote the poem below:

NANCY DREW
By Ron Koertge

Merely pretty, she made up for it with vim.
And she got to say things like, “But, gosh,
what if these plans should fall into the wrong
hands?” And it was pretty clear she didn’t mean
plans for a party or a trip to the museum, but
something involving espionage and a Nazi or two.

In fact, the handsome exchange student turns
out to be a Fascist sympathizer. When he snatches
Nancy along with some blueprints, she knows he
has something more sinister in mind than kissing
with his mouth open.

Locked in the pantry of an abandoned farm house,
Nancy makes a radio out of a shoelace and a muffin.
Pretty soon the police will show up, and everything’s
hunky dory.

Nancy accepts their thanks, but she’s subdued.
It’s not like her to fall for a cad. Even as she plans
a short vacation to sort out her emotions, she knows
there will be a suspicious waiter, a woman in a green
off the shoulder dress, and her very jittery husband.

GRADE: A

Kirstin Wiig’s raunchy and riotous Bridesmaids shows how everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, can go wrong with wedding preparations. Kirstin Wiig plays Annie Walker, best friend of Lillian. Lillian is engaged to be married and chooses Annie to be her Maid of Honor. But Annie’s life is a disaster area: manipulative boy friends, creepy roommates, dead-end job. Everything Annie touches turns to shit (and I mean that literally when it comes to the aftermath of the Bridesmaids’ luncheon). Yes, much of the slap-stick humor is over-the-top. But, you’ll laugh at the absurd situations Annie finds herself in (mostly because she creates the chaos that engulfs the wedding preparations). GRADE: B+

Claire Danes won an Emmy playing Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who revolutionized the cattle industry. Danes captures the brilliance of Grandin’s mind as well as the frustration with the “normal” world. Director Mick Jackson cleverly uses some flashbacks to fill in the back story of Grandin’s difficult childhood. David Stathairn plays Dr. Carlock, a former NASA scientist, who teaches science at the boarding school Grandin attends. He helps develop Grandin’s scientific curiosity and urges her to go to college. Grandin’s story, if it were presented as fiction, would be too incredible to be believed. This is an astounding movie with a strong cast (Julia Ormand as Grandin’s mother, Catherine O’Hara as Grandin’s aunt who owns a cattle ranch). HBO made the Right Decision when they green-lighted this film! GRADE: A+

Graham Greene divided his output into two parts: literary novels and “entertainments.” Some readers might consider Greene’s entertainments examples of his best writing. Penguin Books’ Three Entertainments is an omnibus volume that includes A Gun for Sale (aka, This Gun For Hire), The Confidential Agent, and The Ministry of Fear. My favorite of these three novels is A Gun For Sale which deals with a contract killer who seeks revenge after a betrayal. The other two novels, about deceit and double-dealing, make great reading, too. If you haven’t read any of Graham Greene’s “entertainments” you’re missing some best suspense novels ever written.