Book and Movie Reports by Ed

Book report: The Escapists, written by Brian K. Vaughan, various artists, characters created by Michael Chabon Why does “escapism” have such a negative connotation? So much of life is built around escaping. What else are movies, theater, music, sports, TV, books, and margaritas about? We are blessed with brains that enable us not only to deal with reality, but also pretend that it doesn’t exist. Who doesn’t enjoy a good story of escape? So, why does escapism get such a bad rap? How can I explain The Escapists? A few years ago, Michael Chabon wrote a great novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. That was about two Jewish young men, Kavalier and Clay, who write a comic book about their original character, The Escapist, who helps people get out of dangerous situations. This current graphic novel, The Escapists, takes place in the world of Kavalier and Clay. Max, another Jewish young man discovers his deceased father’s collection of Escapist memorabilia. The young man beg...

Book report: Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life, by Steve Martin Steve Martin is a performer whom people either love or can’t stand. I love watching and hearing Steve Martin, from his comedy albums to his appearances on SNL to his movie career. This book is a memoir about his professional life as a performer. It has lessons for performers of all kinds, but also for anyone who tries to be creative and original in their life. This is not a biography or an autobiography. He leaves out important information about his life, because it doesn’t pertain to his life as a performer. But what he does include is fascinating, significant, and well presented. This is a guy who, by his own admission, couldn’t act, couldn’t sing, and couldn’t dance, but who yearned to be a performer, to stand up in front of an audience and entertain them. As he puts it, “obsession is a substitute for talent.” He worked with what he had, which wasn’t much. He came from a financially and emotionally impoverished famil...

Book report: Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card Humanity is in trouble. The Buggers, an insect-like alien race, have already attacked Earth twice, and Earth barely survived each attack. Now, Earth is preparing for the third invasion, knowing it will be hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned by the Bugger fleets. A desperate search is on for a supreme military commander who can lead Earth’s meager forces against the impending invasion. In this society, children are routinely tested for the right psychological combination, and the best candidates are implanted with “monitors” for up to three years. The chosen few are selected for Battle School in a space station, and the best of those go on to Command School. Andrew (Ender) Wiggin is one such child. Six years old when the story begins, he is small, weak, and nonviolent. He is tormented incessantly by his jealous, psychopathic older brother Peter, and defended by his loving sister Valentine. He’s the target of bullying and beatings at ...

Movie report: Thor In Norse mythology, and the Marvel comic books, Thor is a god. This movie makes it clear that the residents of the realm of Asgard are not gods, but their vastly superior technology was seen as magic by 10th century humans, who saw fit to worship them. This is how you get days of the week named after you. With that point out of the way, you can sit back and enjoy the entertainment without any nagging theology. !!! SPOILER ALERT !!! When the movie begins, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is swaggering like every other top jock you’ve ever seen as he steps forward to be named the next king of Asgard by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). The ceremony is interrupted by Frost Giants breaking into a secure area to steal back the MacGuffin that gives their realm its power. They don’t succeed, but hot-head Thor is so ticked off at being upstaged that he gathers his boon companions, including his brother Loki, and sets off to the Frost Giant realm to kick some butt. The ensuing ba...

Movie report: Gattaca Someday, Uma Thurman will appear in a movie where she doesn’t smirk. This isn’t that movie, but I had my hopes. For the first third of it, she is stern and suspicious of the main character, Vincent. She has good reason to be suspicious. The world of Gattaca, as with most good science fiction, is like our world, but with a twist. In this world, parents have the option of scanning their almost-conceived children for genetic defects, and correcting any problems, plus doing a genetic makeover to produce designer babies. This is sold to parents much as special day-care and pre-school is sold to parents today: don’t you want the best for your child, to give them the best start in life? Who can say no? Vincent (Ethan Hawke) is a child made the old-fashioned way, in the back seat of a car, without genetic upgrades. He has a heart condition that will limit his life, and he needs glasses. His younger brother, however, gets the full genetic treatment and is the family’...

Book report: The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins Boy, do I miss Carl Sagan. In the good old days, if I wanted to read scathing indictments of religion, closely reasoned arguments against the existence of God, and a boost to atheism generally, all I had to do was reach out and read Sagan’s latest book. I was guaranteed to find fascinating insights, clever analysis, and impressive reasoning, all in his elegant and memorable style. Plus, the bonus of Sagan himself as a courtly and genial host. Now, all we have is Richard Dawkins and, believe me, it just ain’t the same. In reading The God Delusion, I find myself in a peculiar position. I am unquestionably Dawkins’s target audience. I’m reasonably intelligent, educated, and have a background in science and math. I tend to be analytical, critical, and skeptical about every other topic under the sun. I even believe in evolution. However, I do happen to know that God exists, for reasons that would not impress any other person, but that ar...

TV report: Who Do You Think You Are? Genealogy is one of my favorite hobbies. The genealogy of my own family is very difficult to pursue, because before about 1910, it’s all in Italy and Portugal. My wife’s genealogy, on the other hand, is both fascinating and accessible. She has lots of ancestors in America, and many interesting ones, including a fellow who once owned the city of Springfield, Massachusetts and two veterans of the Revolutionary War. Some people look on genealogy as irrelevant: it’s all about the past, which has no effect or impact on present life. I disagree. Our view of ourselves depends very heavily on what we know about our families. Your image of your life must change if you find out that you are a descendant of a slave, a slave-owner, an accused Salem witch, a Holocaust victim, a World War I hero, or European royalty. Each week, the TV show “Who Do You Think You Are?” shows the process of uncovering some of the genealogy of a celebrity. The choice of using a...