Where Eagles Dare (1968) is Steven Spielberg’s favorite World War II movie and it’s essayist Geoff Dyer’s, too. Dyer decided to write a book about Where Eagles Dare to celebrate the movie’s 50th Anniversary.

If you haven’t seen Where Eagles Dare, it’s the coolest caper WWII movie ever. Seven agents–six Brits and 1 American–are sent to Germany on a mission to rescue an American general from the Nazi’s impregnable alpine fortress, the Schloss Adler (aka, “Castle of the Eagles”). Richard Burton is the head of the team. After parachuting into Germany, one of his team is found dead. Not a good start. Burton uses Clint Eastwood, the American agent, to set a plot into motion to expose the traitor on the team.

Where Eagles Dare resembles a Mission Impossible movie set in World War II. Just when you think you know where the plot is heading, screen writer and High Adventure novelist Alistair MacLean throws another twist into the action. Geoff Dyer loves these twists and lavishes his wit on them in ‘Broadsword Calling Danny Boy’ as he gives a running commentary on the entire film. Sometimes Dyer’s comments reveal subtle aspects of the film, sometimes he’s just plain funny. If you’re a fan of WWII movies, Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Alistair MacLean, and impossible missions you’ll love ‘Broadsword Calling Danny Boy’. GRADE: A

What better way to celebrate Presidents’ Day than by reading Albert O. Hirschman’s slim little book, The Passions and the Interests (1977). Hirschman quotes Alexander Hamilton on the dangers of a greedy President:

“An avaricious man, who might happen to fill the office, looking forward to the time when he must at all events yield up emoluments he enjoyed, would feel the propensity, not easy to be resisted by such a man, to take the best use of the the opportunity he enjoyed while it lasted, and might not scruple to have recourse to the most corrupt expedients to make the harvest as abundant as it was transitory…” (Number 72, The Federalist)

And Samuel Butler wrote that foolish and incapable persons in government: “have one advantage, above those who are wiser, and that of no mean importance: for no man can guess nor imagine, beforehand what course they will probably take in any business that occurs…” (p. 50)

Sound like someone we all know?
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 3
PART ONE: How the Interests were Called Upon to Counteract the Passions 7
The Idea of Glory and Its Downfall 9
Man “as he really is” 12
Repressing and Harnessing the Passions 14
The Principle of the Countervailing Passion 20 “Interest” and “Interests” as Tamers of the Passions 31
Interest as a New Paradigm 42
Assets of an Interest-Governed World: Predictability and Constancy 48
Money-Making and Commerce as Innocent and Doux 56
Money-Making as a Calm Passion 63
PART TWO: How Economic Expansion was Expected to Improve the Political Order 67
Elements of a Doctrine 70
1. Montesquieu 70
2. Sir James Steuart 81
3. John Millar 87
Related yet Discordant Views 93
1. The Physiocrats 96
2. Adam Smith and the End of a Vision 100
PART THREE: Reflections on an Episode in Intellectual History 115
Where the Montesquieu-Steuart Vision Went Wrong 117
The Promise of an Interest-Governed World versus the Protestant Ethnic 128
Contemporary Notes 132
Notes 137
Index 147

“Men seldom make passes,
At girls who wear glasses.”

That’s Dorothy Parker’s famous aphorism (which I disagree with since I dated several women who wore glasses…and married one!). James Geary collects a wide range of aphorism writers and provides examples of their best work. Plenty of my favor aphorisms are included in this book. How about “The most entertaining surface on earth is the human face.” (p 106) That’s Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. Or how about Seneca’s “Do not regard as valuable anything that can be taken away.” (p. 59). Or “We are what we think” (p. 32) from Buddha. The World in a Phrase (2005) provides pithy wisdom and guidance. This handy little book brings humor and intelligence in fun phrases. Excellent book! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Guessing Is More Fun Than Knowing: The Confessions of an Aphorism Addict; 1
The Five Laws of Aphorisms;
1. It Must Be Brief; 2. It Must Be Definitive; 3. It Must Be Personal; 4. It Must Have a Twist; 5. It Must Be Philosophical;
2. We Are What We Think: Ancient Sages, Preachers, and Prophets; 21
Lao-tzu; 27
Buddha; 31
Confucius; 35
Jesus; 38
Muhammad; 42
The Zen Masters; 45
3. A Man Is Wealthy in Proportion to the Things He Can Do Without: Greek and Roman Stoics; 49
Diogenes; 52
Epicurus; 55
Seneca; 58
Epictetus; 62
Marcus Aurelius 65
4. Upon the Highest Throne in the World, We Are Seated, Still, upon Our Arses: French and Spanish Moralists 67
Michel de Montaigne; 69
Baltasar Gracián; 75
FranÃois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld; 81
Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues; 87
Sébastien-Roch Nicolas Chamfort; 92
Joseph Joubert; 97
5. Good and Evil Are the Prejudices of God: Heretics, Dissenters, and Skeptics; 102
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg; 106
Arthur Schopenhauer; 109
Friedrich Nietzsche; 114
Ludwig Wittgenstein; 119
E. M. Cioran; 123
6. The Lack of Money Is the Root of All Evil: The Rise of the American One-Liner; 126
Ralph Waldo Emerson; 130
Henry David Thoreau; 133
Mark Twain 139
Ambrose Bierce 144
7. Know Then Thyself, Presume Not God to Scan; The Proper Study of Mankind Is Man: In Praise of Light Verse; 149
Alexander Pope; 152
William Blake; 157
Emily Dickinson; 160
Samuel Hoffenstein; 164
Dorothy Parker; 166
Dr. Seuss; 169
8. In the Beginning Was the Word–At the End Just the Cliche: The Aphorism Today; 174
Karl Kraus; 176
Antonio Porchia; 180
Malcolm de Chazal; 183
Stanislaw Jerzy Lec; 188
Barbara Kruger; 191
Jenny Holzer; 192
Afterisms; 199
Notes; 201
Bibliography; 209

Diane chose Isn’t It Romantic as our Valentine’s Day movie. Rebel Wilson (best known for her roles in the Perfect Pitch movies) stars as Natalie, a low-level architect (she designs parking garages). One of Natalie’s co-workers, Josh (Adam Devine) has a crush on her. But Natalie is oblivious. Natalie also thinks romantic comedies are stupid. Then, during a mugging on the subway, Natalie runs into a pole and goes into a coma. In her coma, Natalie finds herself in a Perfect World where she’s successful and men are all interested in her romantically. Her best friend and assistant, Whitney (Betty Gilpin) suddenly follows the Romantic Comedy script and becomes her enemy at work. Wealthy real estate investor, Blake (Liam Hemsworth, THOR’s little brother), falls in love with Natalie.

Direct Todd Strauss-Schulson spares us none of the Romantic Comedy tropes: The Kiss, The Bollywood-like Musical Dance Number, The Slow-Motion Run to Stop a Wedding, and a painful Karaoke Sing-a-long. I did like Isabella (Priyanka Chopra), a gorgeous model and Yoga Ambassador. I could have done without Natalie’s grouchy neighbor Donny (Brandon Scott Jones) who becomes her gay best friend and fashion consultant. Sure, Isn’t It Romantic spoofs the whole Romantic Comedy genre, but I wish it was funnier. GRADE: B-

Julien Courtois, a womanizer and struggling businessman, borrows money from a loan shark. And, of course, the money is due and Julien can’t pay. What to do? Julien comes up with the perfect crime. And, it almost works. Unfortunately, Julien inadvertently leaves some critical evidence behind. Realizing his mistake, Julien reenters the empty building…and gets stuck in a powerless elevator! While Julien is stuck, two juvenile delinquents steal his car. That theft leads to a death. Meanwhile, Julien’s wife suspects Julien is having an affair when he doesn’t come home from work. Noel Calef’s Frantic juggles several cunning plots that culminate in a noirish ending filled with irony and dark comedy. Frantic was filmed by Louis Malle as Elevator to the Gallows (1961). This is one of the best novels in STARK HOUSE’s Black Gat Books series. GRADE: A-

Steve Bannon, once Trump’s Chief Strategist, announced, “We are witnessing the birth of a new political order.” (p. 122) Ronald Beiner, a professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, claims that the rise of the Far Right in the United States and Europe result from the ideas of Frederick Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger. Victor Hugo once wrote, “There is nothing more powerful that an idea whose time has come.” Both Nietzsche and Heidegger admired “Strong Leaders”–Nietzsche even labeled these individuals “Supermen” or “Overmen.” Both men didn’t believe in democracy. Both men had contempt for the Masses. Heidegger joined the Nazi Party. Beiner shows how the Far Right uses the ideas of Nietzsche and Heidegger to justify their actions in America and Europe against immigrants and groups who are “different.” This slim little book explains a lot of what’s going on. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction. Nietzschean Ideologies in the Twenty-First Century 1
Chapter 1. Reading Nietzsche in an Age of Resurgent Fascism 15
Chapter 2. Reading Heidegger in an Age of Resurgent Fascism 65
Conclusion. How to Do Theory in Politically Treacherous Times 121
Notes 135
Acknowledgments 167

During the last couple of weeks, I watched and enjoyed the DETECTIVE DEE movies (you can read my reviews here and here). Still in the mood for some action, I dug out House of Flying Daggers (2006), a Robin Hood-type story where outlaws in the forest fight against a corrupt government…sound familiar? And instead of bows and arrows, there are daggers. Many, many daggers. Zhang Ziyi plays a gorgeous rebel whose traits in both marshal arts and ballet-like dancing are stunning. The twisty plot will keep you guessing right until the end of the movie. The photography and colors are eye-popping! House of Flying Daggers bursts with action and surprises. Pure fun! GRADE: A

The audience for Mary Pipher’s Women Rowing North is obviously women. But the review I read in The Wall Street Journal suggested male readers would profit from reading this helpful guide to aging, too.

My favorite chapter in Women Rowing North is “Building a Good Day.” Pipher shows how our choices each day affect our happiness and health. Too many older people get stressed out because they over-schedule their days trying to jam in too much stuff. Pipher is definitely in the “Less is More” camp.

Friends and family become more important as we age. Dealing with increasing health problems and infirmities that come along with the aging process can be eased with a little help from our friends and family. I know my visits to the Alzheimer’s wing of the nursing home my mother resided in the last 8 years of her life lifted her spirits and resulted in better treatment by the staff. Yet I saw some residents who NEVER had a visitor. Their treatment was much different.

Aging tests us all. This wise and witty book can help us prepare for what’s ahead of us. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction 1
I Challenges of the Journey
1 A New Stretch of the River 14
2 The Lay of the Land 26
3 The Worn Body 37
4 Intensity and Poignancy 53
5 Caregiving 60
6 Swept Away 69
7 Loneliness and Solitude 83
II Travel Skills
8 Understanding Ourselves 98
9 Making Intentional Choices 109
10 Building a Good Day 122
11 Creating Community 135
12 Crafting Resplendent Narratives 147
13 Anchoring in Gratitude 160
III The People on the Boat
14 Travel Companions 174
15 Co-Captains 184
16 The Lifeboat of Family 195
17 Grandchildren 206
IV The Northern Lights
18 Moon River: Authenticity and Self-Acceptance 220
19 The Long View 231
20 Everything Is Illuminated 241
Acknowledgments 252
Index 253

On Friday, February 15, 2019 Netflix will release episodes of The Umbrella Academy. The Umbrella Academy, based on a graphic novel created and written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá and published by Dark Horse Comics. The Apocalypse Suite‎ introduces a strange group who have “powers.” Thirty-seven single women give birth to babies with powers. Most of the babies are abandoned.

The Umbrella Academy is established by Sir Reginald Hargreeves (aka, “The Monocle” and Colm Feore), a mysterious alien disguised as a wealthy entrepreneur and world-renowned scientist. Hargreeves adopts the seven members of The Umbrella Academy at birth including Spaceboy (Tom Hopper), The Kraken (David Castañeda), The Rumor (Emmy Raver-Lampman), The Séance (Robert Sheehan), Number Five (Aidan Gallagher), The Horror (Ethan Hwang), and The White Violin (Ellen Page). Number Five, who has the power to time-travel, goes to the near future and finds the world is destroyed. It takes Number Five 50 years to figure out how to travel back in time. When he does, he finds he’s back in his 10-year-old body. Number Five and the other members of the Umbrella Academy try to stop the forces that threaten to bring the Apocalypse. I enjoyed this quirky graphic novel and now I want to check out the Netflix series. GRADE B