Ben Affleck plays a cocky, smirky marketing manager for major corporation. One day, he shows up at work after playing a terrific round of golf and finds out he’s been laid off. Over 6,000 other employees of the corporation have been laid off, too. Affleck drives his Porsche home to his million dollar house to tell his wife he’s lost his job. Initially, Affleck remains optimistic. He thinks he’ll just rebound and find a similar job. But that doesn’t happen. Affleck’s severance checks run out, his home is foreclosed, and his Porsche is repossessed. Affleck, his wife, teenage son, and young daughter move into Affleck’s parent’s house. Affleck swallows his pride and asks his brother-in-law, a building contractor, for a job. The scenes of Affleck putting up drywall and making cement are ironic and sad at the same time. Once a six-figure earning executive, Affleck learns what hard labor is all about. Tommy Lee Jones plays a maverick VP, Chris Cooper plays a 60-ish executive trying to hold on to his job in order to pay his daughter’s tuition at Brown University. Kevin Costner is convincing as Affleck’s acerbic brother-in-law. This talented cast present a portrait of the American workplace that is all too real. GRADE: B+
THE COMPANY MEN
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Although Trollope’s The Eustace Diamonds is the third novel in the Palliser series, it can safely be read without knowledge of the two previous books. The Eustace Diamonds blends mystery with humor and explores the social culture of London. Following the death of her husband, Sir Florian, beautiful but conniving Lizzie Eustace comes into possession of an expensive diamond necklace. Lizzie insists that the necklace was a gift from her husband (it wasn’t), but the Eustace lawyers insist she give it up. Lizzie’s ambitious cousin Frank, a lawyer, takes her side. However, Lizzie’s new lover, Lord Fawn, declares that he will only marry her if the necklace is surrendered to the Eustace lawyers. Lizzie becomes the object of gossip and scandal. Then, the necklace is stolen! Trollope’s creation of Lizzie Eustace trumps Becky Sharp of Vanity Fair in skulduggery and manipulation. The Eustace Diamonds will challenge and delight you.
Alex Ross is one of those few music critics who can write about Mozart and Radiohead with equal authority and insight. Alex Ross is the music critic for The New Yorker. The wonderful essays in Listen to This cover classical music in China, composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, Schubert, John Luther Adams, the St. Lawrence Quartet, Sonic Youth, Verdi, Bob Dylan, the late Brahms, Bjork, and much more. If you’re going to only read one book about music this year, make it Listen to This. GRADE: A
Nobel Prize winner V. S. Naipaul travels to Africa and reports what he finds. In an acerbic style that angered some critics, Naipaul describes an Africa hopelessly stuck in beliefs in magic and a mythical glorious past. Naipaul begins in Uganda, then goes to Ghana and Nigeria. From there, he treks to the Ivory Coast and Gabon, and ends up in South Africa. Naipaul is critical of evangelical “rock-and-roll” churches and the slow demise of African religions. In South Africa, Naipaul quotes its extraordinary writer Rian Malan who says, “In Africa the white people built themselves a moonbase for their civilization; when that crumbles there is nothing for black or white.” The Masque of Africa is a gloomy assessment that rings true. GRADE: A
For 35 years an intrepid band of mystery fans contributed to an amateur press association (aka, apa) known as DAPA-EM. Every other month, the members would duplicate their zines and mail their copies to the Official Editor. For most of those years, that Official Editor was Art Scott. And, in all those years, Art never missed an issue. With the January 2011 issue that just arrived at my home, DAPA-EM ends. Over the years I’ve learned about mysteries (and a lot of other things) from John Nieminski, Ellen Nehr, Barry Gardner, Marv Lachman, Bill Crider, Jeff Meyerson, Dan Stumpf, Beth Fedyn, Bob Briney, Len and June Moffatt, Steve Stilwell, Bruce Taylor, Dave Lewis, Rick Robinson, Bob Napier, Steve Lewis, Tina Karelson, Walter Albert, Maggie Mason, and dozens of other knowledgeable fans who were members of DAPA-EM at one time or another. Yes, some of these folks will transfer their energies to blogs, but it won’t Be The Same. This is a sad day.