Bret Easton Ellis’ 1985 work “Less than Zero” tells the tale of the rich and elite part scene of the early 1980’s through the eyes of Clay, son of privilege who returns home from his posh life at Camden University in New Hampshire to his life of decadence in Los Angeles’ famed neighborhoods. As Clay first returns he seems struck that his friends continue life at normal, instead subconsciously wishing they would stop what they’re doing and acknowledge the fact that he has moved on in his life and has come back to visit. As the novel progresses the reader finds Clay progressively easing back into the elite social scene of the early 1980’s at all the clubs on Hollywood et al. This continues for a bit, until Clay grows disenfranchised with his friends lack of progress and maturation. One  of his friends turns into a male whore, and another one is into snuff films. Clay is the only one disturbed by the course his friends’ lives are on. Ultimately the decisions his friends have made lead to Clay leaving Los Angeles, and his return is questionable, even doubtful.

The book was pretty uninteresting, and didn’t really seem to make itself accessible. To me it seemed to be one of those books that was just arrogant to say, “If you don’t like it, then you don’t get it.” It was bogged down with boring, even artificial dialouge; and often left me wondering if any of this stuff ever happens, and by the end of it, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Not one of the better books I’ve ever read, though I should have known when the back of the cover said, “Catcher in the Rye for the MTV generation- Usa Today” It should have said “Catcher in the Rye for the generation that doesn’t really like literature” 2/5 stars at best.

Guest editor Claire Messud dedicates the new issue of Guernica to women writers, including Holly Goddard Jones, Porochista Khakpour, and Elliott Holt. In her introductory essay, Messud writes: “Here’s the deal: men, without thinking, will almost without fail select men. And women, without thinking, will too often select men…. Our cultural prejudices are so deeply engrained that we aren’t even aware of them: arguably, it’s not that we think men are better, it’s that we don’t think of women at all.”

Aleksandar Hemon (also in Guernica): “I think the short story has been revived by these so-called immigrant writers; they do not know what the common lore is so they don’t care about it.”

John Updike never reviewed T.C. Boyle’s books, and don’t think Boyle didn’t notice. But that that doesn’t mean Updike did him no favors.

This Side of Paradise will be a musical.

So will American Psycho.

Daniel Green has assembled an impressive list of major author interviews (i.e., non newspaper-phoners) that are available online. HTMLGiant wants suggestions for worthy additions to it. (I have one!)

Myla Goldberg: “Writing—it’s sort of the opposite of blogging and tweeting because I’m trying to conceal. I don’t want you to see me.”

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it…

Any-way, I read at B.E.A.T. last week, the night before I went to Paris. I was nervous and threw up before reading – apt, given I used to be a model (I DON’T KNOW IF I’VE MENTIONED IT) – although my girlfriend said I was good. But she would, bless her little brightly-coloured cotton socks.

Here are some photos:

I’m about to read.

Andreas referred to me as an ‘ex-model’. I corrected him, explaining I’m very much ‘washed-up’. I thought that was witty.

Your honour, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this is irrefutable evidence that the defendant can, in fact, read.

J.D Salinger is dead. A lot of people much smarter than me have already discussed this.  Over on Slate, Chris Wilson avoided an outright eulogy and instead touted “Seymour: An Introduction” as the deceased writer’s greatest work (Not true. Not even close).  Via Twitter, Bret Easton Ellis mocked the writer’s death and planned a celebratory party. And all across Facebook you can find various people who haven’t read much since high school claiming that old Jerome was their favorite author, and that they’ll miss him dearly.

What I’d like to address is the question of what Salinger will be known for. Will future scholars look back on his brief career and modest output of literary fiction, or will they remember the nearly fifty years of silence and all the memoirs and bizarre legal wranglings?  All writers hope to be remembered by the words left behind, the monk-like work done at the desk, and hopefully that will be the case with J.D. But one can certainly imagine a world in the not too distant future where Catcher in the Rye is purged from high schools much in the way A Separate Peace has fallen out of favor. It’s esoteric. It’s out of touch. The fragmented American identity no longer bears any tangible resemblance to that phony Holden Caufiled. And if Salinger loses his millions of guaranteed new readers each year from mandatory high school English classes, then it will be left to fans of literary fiction to remember the slim volume left behind by Salinger just like readers who still champion the work of other mid-century writers like Cheever and Updike even though they too have fallen off reading lists.

So what will last? What is remembered? Clearly, Catcher in the Rye will live on, but what about Salinger’s short fiction? Why does it seem that very few people when discussing Salinger’s work bring up Nine Stories? For my money, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and “For Esme–With Love and Squalor” are two of the finest examples of short fiction from not only the waning days of post-World War II traditional realism, but of any era. And surely Salinger devotees will remember Franny and Zooey and even the first novella of Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction with nostalgia. So what I hope for is that in the following weeks, when commentators discuss his strange post-literary career and the possibility of movies, sequels or even video games, we stop and remember the work Salinger shared with us. I hope we will remember the only part of him or herself that a writer can leave behind: the words, the words, the words.

I woke up this morning with three burning Facebook Status Updates I wanted to post.

1:  Carl Swanson had some honest to goodness insomnia last night.  What a refreshing change of pace, finally I got some reading done.

2:  Carl Swanson Is it just me or are all of Bret Easton Ellis’ male characters bisexual?  Actually, best not to question a good thing…

3:  Carl Swanson Since work doesn’t seem to need or want me these days, I’ll put in another full day of Annex’d editing.

And editing I am, spending my second full day in a row in my chair, whittling away at this beast of an Annex’d ’short’.  The bitch is down to 19:08 now, which means I only need to cut, oh, twelve minutes or so.  Fortunately I’m nowhere near finished, so I’ll have plenty of time to figure out what to cut.  Yesterday I did take a two hour break to make a huge amount of Honey Currey Chicken, which I will also eat today and it will be delicious.  Comment if you want the recipe, I’m gonna get back to work.

And I know, I know, Patrick Bateman is emphatically straight.  Best not to question a good thing.

I’ll be reading at B.E.A.T. tomorrow night.

It starts at 9pm, at Peter Parker’s Rock n Roll Club on Denmark Street, so come along.

And for more, click here.

After a decade of loving Ellis, Süskind, Mills ..and *very* nearly falling in love with Danielewski

I should have guessed how much I’d adore Louise Welsh… and good God I do.

Just before Christmas I found The Cutting Room on a bookshelf.  48 hours, I sat, sofa-bound and still, and devoured each richly, darkly, absorbing page, each twist and turn, watched the mystery ravel, then unravel, all to it’s one line conclusion, that explained everything – subtle, as if in a whisper after a storm of ‘who dunnits’ in the Glasgow underground. the single line explanation is a trick best taught by Mills; he follows the gothica, the foreboding, six words,  a line you could easily miss if you were skimming, a warning, never to skim noir.

I had high hope for The Bullet Trick.

It jaunts between the seedy underworld of London, Berlin and Glasgow… being a Berlino-Glasgaphile, this I adore (I’m also a Francophile and a Japanophile and a Finnophile).

It’s dirty Cabaret, and piss soaked glamour, smoke and mirrors. What’s not to love?

Aside from the fact that I didn’t buy the version with the deliciously Sally Bowles cover above, I bought the one with the decidedly chick-litty cover, below…my error

My favourite-writer-in-the-world-who’s-NOT-Bret-Easton-Ellis Christiana Spens, author of the best book I read all last year,  interviewed me for the Cambridge Tab. Read the full interview here.

In other news, Madame Arcati called me ‘the world’s handsomest author’, while one of the comments on my interview post suggested I look like Dean Gaffney. They say things come in threes, so I’m eagerly awaiting the next compliment…

SOUNDTRACK: THE DECEMBERISTS-Austin City Limits (2007).

I’ve recently discovered the awesomeness of Austin City Limits.  And in the two or so years that I’ve been watching, I’ve seen some great live shows (even is most bands are reduced to 30 minutes).  This re-broadcast of The Decemberists, however, just blew me away.

The concert comes from The Crane Wife tour, and it is just a wonderful exploration of this fantastic CD.  I’ve liked the Decemberists for years, and have listened to all of their discs multiple times, but there was something about this recording, in particular the wailing guitar work of Colin Meloy (seeing him lying on the floor making crazed feedback was pretty impressive), and the amazing solo work of Chris Funk that gave me even more respect for this wonderful album and the band.

It is highly recommended. For more info see here.

[READ: January 14, 2010] 100 Page Tribute to David Foster Wallace

I was able to order a copy of this journal directly from The University of Arizona and received it not too long ago.  It is a two part issue (55/56) that is chock full of all kinds of things, including this 100 page tribute to DFW.  I intend to read the whole thing, or at least more than just the DFW stuff, but as I don’t see that happening too soon, I wanted to address this tribute section directly.

DFW received his MFA from UA and he was also an editor at Sonora Review.  He also published “/Solomon Silverfish/” there shortly after getting his MFA.  So the tributes make sense from this publication.  All of the tributes here come from varied people and are all either interesting or moving to the Wallace fan.

It opens with a note from the Editor who thanks DFW for his work both during and after his tenure there.

SVEN BIRKERTS focuses on DFW’s sentences, picking some more or less at random and basking in their intricacies.

TOM BISSELL (in an interview) talks in great detail about DFW’s works (although I’m unclear exactly what his relationship to DFW was as it is never explicitly stated.)  The focus is on Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (he loves “Octet”), and he is curious how the film (which I have yet to see) will differ from the book’s interviews.  He also offers an insight to the interviews themselves that I had not explicitly connected.  He also raves about “The Depressed Person” including its initial publication in Harper’s and the mail it generated.  Interestingly, as Bissell talks about the rest of DFW’s work, he rather dislikes the story “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way” (which I have not read yet…I know, I know).  But of all the other tributes seem to really enjoy that particular story, so huh.  Bissell also disliked BIWHM’s “Tri-Stan: I Sold Siesee Nar to Ecko” callilng it “migraine fiction.”  And it easily my least favorite DFW piece as well.  So I do agree there.

CHARLES BOCK looks in detail at passages in IJ, specifically Kate Gompert’s soliloquy. He introduces a great idea that seems so obvious but which I missed.  Kate says “the feeling maybe had to do with Hope,” which in her mind means Bob Hope (street slang for pot) but which readers initially see as, well, Hope.  Devilish and wonderful.

MARSHALL BOSWELL looks at DFW’s single handed dismantling of the overt realism of 1980s fiction.  This is something I was unaware of, mostly because I was not really reading new fiction at the time (being in High School) but also because retrospectively, the fiction that DFW is undermining is fiction I do not like.  But this piece puts DFW’s early stuff in context, which I think is very helpful, especially as I head back towards his early fiction very shortly. I’m also delighted by the idea that somehow DFW predicts and parodies American Psycho a few years before it was written.

GREG CARLISLE looks at the mathematical set up of IJ, and its use of lack of climax throughout the book. For even though the book ends unresolved, he posits that each section in fact ends unresolved, unless you go back and look at previous (in timeline, not necessarily in book order) elements.  He also puts forth the audacious claim that DFW’s actual suicide date is  the same date as Don Gately’s first day of sobriety (he includes the math): 12 September, YDAU (2008).

DAVE EGGERS includes a little piece about how helpful and wonderful DFW was in the launching of McSweeney’s.  There’s also a funny look at why DFW submitted “Mr. Squishy” pseudonymously as Elizabeth Klemm (the why is never given) and how many people figured out it was him so quickly.

JONATHAN FRANZEN spoke words at a memorial service.  He was one of DFW’s older friends.  And his piece is very touching.

KEN KALFUS has a couple of paragraphs about DFW as editor and unseen hand of goodness.

GLENN KENNY worked with DFW for Premier magazine on the David Lynch and Adult Video Awards pieces.  He reminiscences are very funny.

LEE MARTIN dealt with but never met DFW, but found him very useful as an editor.

MICHAEL MARTONE writes a convoluted and at time amusing piece about Endnotes and Footnotes, and his relationship with DFW.

RICK MOODY interviews MICHAEL PIETSCH the actual editor of IJ and DFW’s other works.  This is a delightfully incisive piece into DFW’s work and methods and his remarkable attention to detail.  It is, of course, while reading this that I have to wonder (again) if the full unedited manuscript of IJ (which Pietsch claims has 250 lost pages but which DFW suggested was 400 during editing) could ever see the light of day.  Oh, dare to dream.  This piece is very insightful for DFW fans.

Finally is a reprint of /Solomon Silverfish/ which I reviewed here.

This collection of pieces was really moving and also very informative.  For instance, since I have yet to read The Girl with Curious Hair, I have to decide if I should first read John Barth’s Lost in the Funhouse, which “Westward” is a response to.  It also inspired me to jump back into the DFW canon.  I had put it off after reading all of those unpublished works, but I think it’s time to finish what I started.

If you’re a fan of DFW, this journal is worth having. Not only for the unpublished short story, but for the insights that the authors present.  And, heck why not help DFW’s alma mater with a check?

I did an interview for Madame Arcati and her blog. We discussed my book, Bret Easton Ellis and the history of my cock. Read it here.

I like Madame Arcati because she mixes spite with spunk, which is no simple task. And we’ve crossed swords, so to speak, before.

As with all good blogs and Daily Mail gay-bashing ‘features’, the proof is in the post’s comments thread. (Easy for me to say.) Here’s my favourite comment on the interview, so far:

Anonymous said…

You should see a shrink about your obsession with cocks. Phallophile!

Patrick and Sean Bateman

Here’s a little movie connection and titbit that’s rather interesting.., Patrick Bateman has a little brother, Sean. First things first this has absolutely nothing to do with American Psycho 2: All American Girl (2002) or the bizarre mocumentary This is not an Exit: The Fictional World of Bret Easton Ellis (2000). Indeed this connection leads to a strange ongoing relationship between Christian Bale (Patrick Bateman in American Psycho 2000) and the main cast of Dawson’s Creek. 2002’s The Rules of Attraction was the second film adaptation in as many years of a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, the first of course being American Psycho. Apart from being a decent little preppy sex romp it also features Patrick Bateman’s little brother Sean, played by Dawson Creek’s James Van Der Beek.

30


American Psycho (2000)

Even though there were many great things about this movie I felt like it was seriously lacking something. But I think that was what the movie was trying to tell its audience: something might look stunning on the outside but inside there might lie a big black hole that can never be filled. I’ve seen most of Christian Bale’s films and this is one of his finest performances. Although he may seem extremely charming on the outside, the way he harbors his cravings for a kill in order to calm his inadequacies was brilliant. His inner freak-outs were memorable and darkly amusing. The tone of the film looked sleek and modern but the shadows during the night might suggest something darker and primeval was at hand. “American Psycho,” based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis and directed by Mary Harron, was above all else a great character study of a narcissistic man on the brink of a breakdown.

29


Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

Written, directed by and starring the talented John Cameron Mitchell, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is my favorite musical of the decade but it was actually more than a musical. It was about the many impacts of Hedwig’s unsuccessful sex change operation that left him with “an angry inch.” I love this film because it was kitschy so it made me laugh, the songs were very catchy and insightful and in its core was a message about totally loving one’s self despite (or especially) the flaws. It’s so frustrating whenever I try to recommend this film to friends (most of my friends are straight) because they assume that it’s merely about a sex change operation. Admittedly, it is a topic that not many people want to discuss, let alone watch an entire movie about. But it really is quite poignant and I found it very moving when I saw it for the very first time.

28


Revolutionary Road (2008)

Directed with great skill by Sam Mendes, he tells the story in a non-linear fashion and it works because the audiences are asked to immediately contrast how the couple was like when they met and after they’ve been together for a couple of years. The reason why I loved this film was that I got to watch these two extremely talented actors (with great chemistry) scream at each other for long periods of time; they gave me some sick satisfaction because they were so good at it. Even though the tone of the film was sad and depressing, there were pockets of unforgettable darkly comic moments. I don’t know what it is about me but I always find something amusing when it comes to depressed rich people living in suburbia. This is the kind of movie that I would recommend to couples everywhere who think that they’ve fallen in love after only going out for a short amount of time. It works as a cautionary tale for people who believe in love at first sight.

27


(500) Days of Summer (2009)

“(500) Days of Summer,” directed by Marc Webb, is for movie lovers who love watching films showcasing real-life instead of films imitating real-life. There is a subtle but important difference between the two and this one is well aware of that line it daringly treads. By the end, others may be saddened by Tom’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) journey from naiveté to awareness or be uplifted with the possibilities that face him. I belong with the latter because I believe in the necessity of sacrifices for the learning experience. Others may be frustrated with the choices Summer (Zooey Deschanel) made during her relationship with Tom. Webb managed to capture how it was like for a twentysomething to feel lost in the world but still have that glimmer of hope that things would ultimately turn out for the better. Maturity is one of this film’s biggest strengths and it was always at the forefront. I dare say this film was one of the best romantic comedies ever made.

26


El espinazo del diablo (2001)

“El Espinazo del diablo” or “The Devil’s Backbone,” written and directed Guillermo del Toro (“Hellboy,” “Pan’s Labyrinth”), was about a newcomer in an orphanage named Carlos (Fernando Tielve) and the dark secrets that were about to unfold during his short stay. I love the fact that the film started off trying to define what a ghost was. When the proposed definitions seemed unfit, it jumped into the story and actually showed us what a ghost could be. The organic manner in which all of the various elements involving the characters and the extremely atmospheric orphanage was exemplary. I saw this film back in 2002 or 2003, liked it, forgotten about it, and since then became a sleeper hit. I’m not surprised at all because it was so well done. There’s still a lot of people out there that haven’t seen the movie and they really should because it takes ghost stories on a new level.

25


The Others (2001)

Written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar, right from the beginning we know that there’s something wrong with the characters, the place where they live, the fog that surrounds the mansion, and the broken memories of the children. However, we cannot quite put our finger with what exactly is wrong so figuring it out is half of the fun that this film had to offer. On our way to discover the big mystery, “The Others” is able to deliver genuine scares because we do not know what exactly is going on, aided by the fact that each corner of the room is covered in darkness. This movie proves that a horror story does not need special effects in order to generate thrill and tension. What it needs is a creepy atmosphere, unsettling setting, and a spice of great acting. The more I watch it, the more I love and respect it because while it is a solid horror film, its religious implications took it to the next level. If one is to look closely, the movie is not anti-Christian, it’s pro-thinking.

24


28 Days Later (2002)

The first time I saw this film, directed by Danny Boyle, I was in total awe because of how well-written and well-executed it was. Cillian Murphy was electric as a man who wakes up in a London hospital, completely unaware that the city has been evacuated… and the ones left are the hungry undead. I must admit that I love placing myself in his shoes, knowing that all of it is fictional. But when I actually had a dream that was extremely similar to this film, I was absolutely horrified and woke up soaked in sweat, my heart pounding like mad. The tone of the film was nothing like I’ve ever seen in a horror movie, which was really refreshing. The use of silence was masterful and the scares were first class. “28 Days Later” revolutionized zombie flicks because it introduced the idea that zombies could run like sprinters. Years later, (less quality) zombie movies copied the concept.

23


Into the Wild (2007)

Based on a book by Jon Krakauer and directed by Sean Penn, I love that “Into the Wild” is not just about one thing; it’s not just about Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), or family dynamics, or the people one meets on the road, or the life lessons learned (or not learned). It’s about all of those elements combined which made it reach a completely new, raw and captivating level. My favorite scenes are with Hal Holbrook because everything felt sadder, happier yet heavier, and lighter at the same time. There was that one scene when Hirsch and Holbrook sat on this hill and Holbrook says, “When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God’s light shines upon you.” And suddenly the clouds parted and the sunlight fell upon them. I’m not a religious person but that really got to me though I don’t know exactly why… or for way too many reasons. For me, it’s not about a sign that God or a higher power exists–it’s more about the message of what was said and what was left unsaid between the characters, between the landscapes and those that live in and on them, between the film and the audiences.

22


Encounters at the End of the World (2007)

Prior to watching the documentary, I expected to see strange creatures and jaw-dropping landscapes of Antarctica. What I didn’t expect was fascinating human stories of those who live, work, and research that unknown continent. This film really opened my eyes; this may sound stupid but when I think of Antarctica, I think of penguins and endless desert of ice. I don’t think of people actually living there for years–not just living there for the sake of work but actually living there because they feel like they belong there. Werner Herzog, the director, features different kinds of people who have some kind of amazing stories tell. Watching this picture was like a tour of Antarctica. Not only do the audiences get to hear seals communicate with each other, go through survival training during intense ice storms, and see hypnotic landscapes, they also get a chance to think philosophically: how it’s a priviledge for humans to live on this Earth and how one day we will become extinct and nature will regain its place.

21


Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

“Where the Wild Things Are,” directed by Spike Jonze and based on a children’s book by Maurice Sendak, tells the story of a boy named Max (Max Records) and where his mind goes after going through a very tough confrontation with his mother (Catherine Keener). As a person who has taken courses on child psychology, I think the writing is exemplary. A lot of people may think that Max is just a kid who is self-absorbed and immature. But has anyone really met a nine-year-old who does not have any of those qualities? I can barely even name an adult who is not at times self-centered and lacking maturity. While there definitely are cute images, Jonze took the material to the next level and it really delves into many emotions such as sadness, confusion, isolation, not being heard or considered an integral part of a group, anger, jealousy, and even depression. I loved the fact that it’s rough around the edges and far from a typical movie where everyone goes “Aww” and easily label it as a great movie. Yes, it’s a very polarizing picture. However, it’s very rewarding film if one makes an effort to see some parallels between Max’ reality and imagination.

The Yellow Wall-paper by Charlotte Perkins Stetson is a Gothic short story about a woman who is taken to a remote house by her husband. She is suffering from what seems like a mild mental illness, (a baby is mentioned so it is perhaps post-natal depression) at the beginning of the story the narrator is neurotic but still fairly clear-headed. The narrative describes her isolation and the deterioration of her mind. The room she is locked in is almost empty, and the only thing to stimulate her mind is the pattern on the wall-paper (hence the title).

I found the story very frightening, because it highlights how, in living memory we had such a appallingly small understanding of mental health. The narrator’s husband-physician is incredibly patronising towards her, even allowing for the fact that she is unwell and possibly a little younger than him. I sometimes get the impression that in the Victorian era you were either ‘mad’ or’ sane’. And once you were classified as ‘mad’ your family and doctors could do whatever they felt best with you. In actual fact the human mind is a very complex thing and there are all sorts of shades of grey between sanity and madness. I read some research a few years ago by Simon Baron-Cohen, into the nature of Autism. He suggests that different people’s minds process in different ways, and that the mental illness we call ‘Autism’, is a more extreme version of the ‘male’ or ’systematising’ brain. As long as a person does no harm to them self or others why not just accept them for how they are?

There was an asylum near to where I grew up (back in the day when they still had asylums), where the patients were allowed to wander around the town, and walk along the seafront. None of them were dangerous, and they had enough presence of mind to navigate the small town. It was a pretty and safe neighbourhood, so I suspect the freedom and mental stimulation was very therapeutic for them. Even if the condition is incurable, surely it’s important to give these patients as much comfort and enjoyment as we can.

C P Stetson suggests in The Yellow Wall-paper that the boredom and isolation turn the mild mental illness into full-blown psychosis. The story is told in the first person, and uses the motif of the ‘unreliable narrator’. The story may have an autobiographical tilt, which makes it all the more chilling.

Bret Easton Ellis uses a similar device in American Psycho. (Please don’t read this if you’re squeamish, it’s good but really disturbing, the clue is in the title.) The story is told in the first person by the protagonist, initially he is neurotic and obsessive but able to hold down a job and function in society. He becomes increasingly unhinged throughout the novel. His deranged state of mind is brought about by his heavy use of prescription and non-prescription drugs. I like that his psychosis is somewhat self-induced in this way, unlike the heroine of The Yellow Wall-paper, who is essentially a prisoner. American Psycho and The Yellow Wall-paper are written in the present tense, this is fairly unusual in fiction, but it works really well.

Very often novels and short stories are narrated by some sort of observer, this can give a good all-round perspective on the events in the story, but it can be more exciting to be inside the mind of the character, even if we don’t entirely understand everything which is going on. This device is particularly pertinent for stories about the battle between madness and sanity.

80


Shattered Glass (2003)

I’ve forgotten how much affection I had for this film because it was one of those movies that I saw in transition from being a casual moviegoer to someone who really loves the cinema. Hayden Christensen deserves to be commended for achieving a great feat of making his character sympathetic but not too sympathetic to the point where the character is viewed as a good person. Also, I found the look and feel of this film to be extremely realistic. I’m not just talking about the lighting, props, and sets. I’m also talking about the way the journalists looked, the way they spoke, and the way they acted. It was all perfecly weaved; I’m amazed that “Shattered Glass,” written and directed by Billy Ray, was not embraced by the mainstream.

79


XXY (2007)

Inés Efron does a great job as Alex who has not yet made a decision whether to continue as a female or get an operation to become a male, but has recently decided to stop taking pills which contain hormones that aim to retain her femininity. I don’t know if I felt pity or sympathy for Alex (maybe it’s understanding) but I wanted to scream for her. Every time I look in her eyes, I feel like she desperately wants to escape but couldn’t. She tries to love her body but she’s always reminded by others that she’s different so she constantly reevaluates herself. Even though she has supportive parents and some supportive friends, some strangers are so cruel to her to the point where I wanted to jump into the movie and fight for her. “XXY,” written and directed by Lucía Puenzo, was emotionally exhausting but it was very rewarding since I didn’t know much about Klinefelter’s Syndrome.

78


The Rules of Attraction (2002)

This dark comedy, directed by Roger Avary and based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, was taken apart by critics but I couldn’t help but love it. Despite the pointlessness of it all, I bonded with the characters played by James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Kip Pardue and Ian Somerhalder. I’ve read some of Ellis’ novels and they were about the hollowness of the characters and the glitters surrounding their cocoons. I thought this film perfectly embodied that emptiness as the characters experiment with drugs, violence, and delusions. I believe that a lot of college students can relate to this because they will either see themselves in subjects or may know someone like the subjects. Personally, I can write all day about each of the characters because of their many self-destructive behaviors, their ugliness on the inside and the lies they tell themselves so that they could keep on living.

77


Entre les murs (2008)

I thought “Chalk” was a realistic portrayal of the classroom environment but “Entre les murs,” also known as “The Class,” directed by Laurent Cantet, was grittier and far more realistic. Based on the novel and starring François Bégaudeau, this film was a docudrama about a teacher who tries to encourage fourteen- to fifteen-year-olds to be more passionate about learning via being honest with them and using various methods to find their strengths in a span of one year. Seeing François Bégaudeau’s character reminded me of my best teachers in high school (unsurprisingly, my favorite classes: French and Psychology) because even though they always try their best and put on a mask that everything is okay, tiny cracks on their armors are sometimes seen and the frustrations leak out like a dam about to burst. Most American films about inspirational teachers have this message that teachers are always proper, always wearing decent clothes and always having that need to provide a big speech that would change everybody’s minds for the better. None or very minimal of that American formula was painted here.

76


Spider-man 2 (2004)

Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) tries to balance his personal life, career and saving New York City from Doc Ock (Alfred Molina). Although critically adored and hailed as the best superhero movie at the time (and one of the best sequels ever made), I’ve read some critics mention that watching the movie didn’t feel like a comic book. For me, it did in fact feel like a comic book and that’s what I loved about it. The wonder I felt made me feel like a child again. The translation from comics to film was so seemless yet it was able to retain its roots. “Spider-man 2,” directed by Sam Raimi, was action-packed, full of drama, funny and thoughtful all wrapped into one.

75


Once (2006)

Even though I bought the soundtrack months before I’ve seen this film, the songs are more powerful when I actually saw the actors (Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová) perform them. Even though it’s a small movie, it delivers a big wallop because it tends to wear its heart on its sleeve. I enjoyed some of the film’s grainy look, shaky camerawork, and toned down dialogue. Somehow, it all felt very real and very sincere. Written and directed by John Carney, “Once” is a simple but thoroughly engaging film that blows grander musicals out of the water.

74


La meglio gioventù (2003)

“La meglio gioventù” or “The Best of Youth,” directed by Marco Tullio Giordana, runs for six hours but I was so invested in all of the characters so I wanted it to run longer. Its focus was on two brothers named Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio) and Matteo (Alessio Boni) and how the choices they made back when they were young in the 1960s have impacted their respective futures all the way to the 2000s. I really felt like I was watching someone’s life unfold before my eyes because as the characters often reflected on a certain memory when they were younger, I actually had a picture on which memory they were talking about as well as the circumstances that surrounded that event. I’m so happy to have seen “The Best of Youth” because it inspired me to love my life and the people in my life more.

73


No Country for Old Men (2007)

Five minutes into the film, everything started rolling and people started dying. The violence is deftly handled, the dialogue is crisp and menacing, and the characters are endlessly fascinating. I heard a lot of complaints about the ending but I thought it was the right kind of conclusion for this film. My favorite scene has got to be the hotel scene when one of the characters awaited for the enemy behind the door. And then the chase after that was magnificent. Ethan Coen and Joel Coen really know how to tell a story in a unique, sometimes frustrating, but always interesting manner.

72


Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

I’ve heard of the term “exploitation film” before (mainly from Quentin Tarantino because his movies often reference to that genre) but I never really knew what it really meant until I saw this film and did a bit of research about it. I had no idea that Australia released all these cult classics, some of which have never been released in America. The way Australians made and released these daring movies in the 1970s and 1980s was so refreshing because nowadays, especially here in the United States, those kinds of movies are not made anymore. The documentary, written and directed by Mark Hartley, was divided into several sections which started from movies about sex and nudity and ended with movies about car crashes and extreme violence. I wish this movement would repeat itself here in America because I’m starting to get sick of Hollywood trash being released in theaters weekly.

71


Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Directed by Sam Raimi (“Spider-man” and “Evil Dead” series), “Drag Me to Hell” has more than enough energy to balance comedy with pure terror. What I love about this film is its ability to take risks. Sometimes the horror scenes may look like they’re cheesy or that they should be from a midnight B-movie but one should realize that it’s all purposeful. Raimi wants to communicate to his fans, especially of the “Evil Dead” series, that he’s still got it after all these years and just because he’s directed big-budget Hollywood movies, it doesn’t mean that he’s above using tried-and-true elements like wind and loud noises to scare his audiences. “Drag Me to Hell” is not your typical horror movie. For one, it does not involve stupid, sexually-charged teenagers running around a deserted hallway as they try to escape from a serial killer, or cellphones/videotapes that have ghosts in them. It’s about how one decision that we initially thought others would notice and commend us for turns out to be the decision that ultimately shatters our lives.

Um, in case you wondered…

Any-way, on a lighter note, I would like to watch this film. And yes, I have seen that girl before.

I bought and read this paperback edition on recommendation from a friend after finishing 1984 and Brave New World. It hasn’t disappointed.

I must stress, it’s been a while since I saw the movie American Psycho, though this has now been added to my Lovefilm rental list.

I see a lot of negative reviews about this book; not just because of its graphically violent and perverse content (the splatter / gore movies such as Saw or the Hostel series possibly make that a moot point now) but because of the way it is written.

If you’re not too sure of the plot of American Psycho, the blurb on the back page sums it up well:

Patrick Bateman is twenty-six and works on Wall Street; he is handsome, sophisticated, charming and intelligent. He is also a psychopath. Taking us to a head-on collision with America’s greatest dream – and its worst nightmare – American Psycho is a bleak, bitter, black comedy about a world we all recognize but do not wish to confront.

In the way I interpret this book, it’s easy to counter head-on people’s negative comments on Ellis’ writing. Most complains are on the prose; lengthy paragraphs string together names of designers, style of garb and struggles to get reservations at top (and seemingly short-lived) restaurants. Every character in this novel is interchangeable; our protagonist Bateman is constantly mistaken for other yuppies, and likewise, he often has trouble identifying anyone outside of his close social circle. But even for his close “friends” we find no more to describe them than the clothes they wear, and the quality of their business card in comparison to Bateman’s own (which causes him no end of distress).

Patrick Bateman only comes alive – only seems to notice people – when is either stalking them for, or in the act of murdering them. At these points in the novel (and the murders in graphic detail only start a third of the way through the book, though one is alluded to right at the start) Bateman (through Ellis) describes in graphic closeness the  way a person looks – their facial expressions, their reaction to what is happening, and more importantly, Bateman’s own reactions to the situations.

A pyschopath Bateman clearly is; the mastery of the writing in this book leaves no doubt in the readers mind as to that fact. The way he explores the detachment of the rising social class of the 80’s has to be admired. Yes, the lengthy paragraphs of designer-clad yuppies scrutinising hardbodies can be bland and repetitive; pretty much like the world Ellis is showing us. The juxtaposition of this blandness against the shocking depth of analysis when Bateman is alternately screwing, torturing or, for want of a more decent turn of phrase, defacing his dead victims is undeniably effective.

A fine read. If you can stomach it.

I’ve discovered the high point of my stunted academic career: I have become a Wikipedia footnote. And, until I get to be as famous as one of Paperhouse’s guest posters, that will have to do. The best part is that, if you look at the discussion page, it seems as though my article on Bret Easton Ellis and his not-very-good horror novel has been included as a result of an etiquette-smashing argument between contributors about whether satire can co-exist with unreliable narrators:

let’s just stop this squabble while we still have some dignity.

I’ll add a reference for American Psycho and we’ll leave it at that.

Helping to maintain the dignity of Wikipedia. It’s very nearly as exalted as getting a doctorate.

© Sarah Ditum, 2010

I have never loathed a book as much I have loathed this one. I understand what Bret Easton Ellis is trying to get at by depicting the mundane and the insanely violent thoughts of Patrick Bateman together, but there is a thing as too much violent. American Psycho was met with much shock when it was released, but it’s impact on the literary world has cannot be forgotten. It pushed the boundaries of violence and gore. I believe it has more violence and gore than most horror books. The master of horror, Stephen King doesn’t have that much gore in his books. Reading American Psycho, I got into a conversation with a stranger who thought that such a book would have been banned on the Little Red Dot. I too was initially shocked that it was sold on the Little Red Dot. I am just glad I didn’t plonk down 20 bucks on a copy, although I was tempted to part with about 15 Swiss francs while in Bern a couple of years back.

As much as I loathe this book for it’s insane gore, Ellis has to be commended for what he has done here. Patrick Bateman is a normal looking yuppy earning big bucks and living the life that every young generation Xer would envy. However beneath his facade of normalcy, Bateman is a cook! In fact, I’m not surprised by his craziness considering the bland boring people that he meets in his daily life. Bateman has a penchant for murder and his penchant slowly swells up as the story progresses. Unfortunately I never could tell whether they were real or in his head. For that, Ellis is given high marks. He (Ellis) has managed to make me go as crazy as Bateman minus the killings. Alas, I failed to reach the final few pages as the craziness that was slowly infiltrating my very being began making me uneasy. So how am I to objectively review this, by simply stating that I liked the device employed by Ellis but hated the gore. Would I recommend it to anyone? Perhaps not. I think we need much happier things in today’s world.

“Do you girls know you have a television set between your legs?”

So, it’s been a while since I last wrote. I can’t really say that I’ve been busy, which is perhaps why I haven’t written; nothing much to report. Seen a few movies, on DVD, not in the cinema. Actually, one in the cinema too, I’ll get to that. They’ve been a variety of what I’ve been interested in seeing, gifts and, in one case, one that was forced upon me pretty firmly.

I rewatched Ocean’s Eleven, it was a good reminder of how awesome that movie is. The one I just watched tonight was Less Than Zero, a 1987 film based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, who wrote American Psycho. It was very good, quite different to American Psycho in many ways, but there were a few links and I think the novel is a bit different. Robert Downey jr. was very good, as usual. The lighting and music were cool, I liked it.

I watched Zodiac last night, which was forced on me by my film buff friend, Liam. I was glad, it was a very good movie. It’s directed by the guy who did Fight Club, Se7en, Benjamin Button, very good. It’s all in the details, the characters all have their little things and there are so many things to notice in the film. The acting was really top notch, I was impressed by everyone, they all had their own physicality, their own body language.

One I watched a little while ago was Kids, which Liam had given me as a present, since he knows how much I enjoy child pornography, date rape and AIDS. It was a rough film, it started off fairly strong but still funny, many amusing bits, but it was downhill fairly quickly, was very harsh. Good movie though, nothing like a bit of drug-related date rape of an AIDS infected minor to end off a film.

At the cinema I saw Zombieland, which was really funny. I’d pay for a ticket just to see the credit sequence at the start, amazing. Like Shaun of the Dead, this is a comedy that takes its zombie effects seriously. They looked proper, it was actually shocking at parts, as well as being extremely funny. I recommend it. Who ya gonna call?

Your sleep-deprived casino thief,

TDE

Lunar Park
by Bret Easton Ellis
Publisher by Picador USA,  2005

Bret Easton Ellis, author of modern classics such as “Less Than Zero” and “American Psycho” takes the reader into an uncategorized genre with this novel, “Lunar Park.”  What at first seems like a memoir listing the trials and tribulations of a young man that becomes a famous author while still in college (“Less Than Zero”) and then becoming part of the Literary Brat pack and living the Rock and Roll lifestyle.  Bret becomes an addict and loves the groupies the fame and the drugs.  But this book takes an odd turn and the reader realizes this is no memoir.  The book soon becomes a sort of a haunted house horror novel.

Basically what has happened in “Lunar Park” is that Bret has written himself in as a main character with a haunting past.  The drugs, no ability to maintain a lasting/meaningful relationship and a verbally abusive father.  The Bret Easton Ellis in the novel may not be too far from the real life Bret Easton Ellis, but keep in mind, it is a novel.

Bret Easton Ellis has lived the most extreme of celebrity lifestyles and even fathered a child with a model, Jayne Dennis.  The only problem is that he denied he was the father (he claims that Keanu Reeves is the father).  After years of continuously hitting bottom; there are tales of his publisher having to send a handler out with him on book tours to make sure he does not imbibe, but most of them quit, not able to handle the downfall.

Finally Bret’s ex-girlfriend decides to take him in and maybe establish a family and help Bret get better.  She has not only Bret’s son, now 11, but also a 4 year old fathered by a record industry mogul.  This already doomed family moves into a “McMansion” in suburbia in the northeast United States.  They send their children to elite schools and keep the kids medicated on all the latest drugs, Ritalin, etc.

Bret decides to throw a Halloween party and this is where the horror begins.  He soon becomes haunted by his father, who ignored him as a child but once Bret became rich and famous, tried to become part of his life.   He is also strangely being haunted by the main character from his novel “American Psycho.” All this while trying to become closer with his son and trying to form family bonds and dealing with the communities strange string of murders and missing children.

At the apex of this haunting story, the family is chased from their home by a carnivorous toy, and the home they are living in changing form into the home in which Bret was raised.

Very interesting story and some very good haunting, this horror story definitely would give Stephen King a run for his money.

I’ve long thought college life to be a great subject for fiction writing, but until recently I never knew that there is a recognized ”college novel” genre. It was first brought to my attention two weeks ago when a library patron asked me for an old book called The College Novel in America by John O. Lyons. Unfortunately, after she pried it from my hands she checked it out, so I can’t tell you much more about it. However, I found a recent reference work on the subject at neighboring Hillman Library called The American College Novel by John E. Kramer, and I can tell you about that one and some of the hidden treasures it reveals.

Kramer provides annotations for 648 American college novels divided into two sections: student-centered and staff-centered. Some student-centered titles include End Zone by Don Delillo; The Paragon by Jon Knowles; Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis; Big U by Neal Stephenson; Continuing Education by Dorothy Weil; and Hippies by Peter Jedick. In the staff-centered category you’ll find The Human Stain by Philip Roth; The Temptation to Do Good by Peter Ferdinand Drucker; Straight Man by Richard Russo; Japanese by Spring by Ishmael Reed; Intimate Enemies by Caryl Rivers; Unholy Loves by Joyce Carol Oates; and Breakers by Martin Walser.

If you don’t want to sift through 648 books to decide where to begin your college novel reading, no worries, Kramer provides a top 50 recommendation list that includes Fanshawe by Nathaniel Hawthorne; The Women’s Room by Marilyn French; Fall Quarter by Weldon Kees; Rookery Blues by Jon Hassler; The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarthy; A Friend in Power by Carlos Baker; Stepping Westward by Malcolm Bradbury; and Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon.

Kramer also supplies an index that allows you to find titles based on a character’s staff position at their respective college setting, and yes, there are some that include librarians and archivists as main characters. Four to be exact: Alamo House by Sarah Bird; Lusts by Clark Blaise; The Devil in Texas by Wolf Mankowitz; and The Archivist by Martha Cooley.

Anglophiles, fear not: There is another book I stumbled across here at CLP called The English University Novel, by Mortimer Robinson Proctor, that features critical interpretations of Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, Angus Wilson’s Anglo-Saxon Attitudes, Dorothy Sayers’s Gaudy Night, and many more.

–Wes

PS. You might have noticed that some of the titles in this post weren’t linked to the catalog. That’s because those titles aren’t available within our library system and will need to be obtained through our Interlibrary Loan service. Unfortunately, Interlibrary Loan was drastically affected by this year’s state budget cuts to library services, resulting in less access to materials by patrons, and increased costs to deliver those materials. Let’s not forget that in 2010 we need to sustain our advocacy efforts to ensure an increase in library funding in next year’s state budget.