This one's dark folks. I have to say I didn't expect Steinbeck's "East of Eden," to catch me the way it did. The themes Steinbeck struggles with are epic--the relationship of men within the family, good and evil, human nature. Critics derided the novel when it came out and it may have left Steinbeck struggling to write in his waning years, but the Nobel prize he received shortly after "East of Eden's" release was truly deserving. Truly deserving because of the work of "East of Eden," and not despite it.

I read the wonderful and incomparable biography "John Steinbeck, Writer," by Jackson J. Benson before tackling "East of Eden," and it tainted my expectations. Some criticisms of the novel I found initially true. Steinbeck seems to be more straightforward and writes more of what's on his mind instead of letting the story and characters breathe these things naturally. At some point in the novel that approach strikes me as breaking the novelist dictum of, "show don't tell." Steinbeck does a lot of telling. Surprisingly enough, in the end, this slight misstep strengthens the overall story. It puts you in the mind of Steinbeck and allows the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the dark dark nature of some of "East of Eden's" characters.

Steinbeck always tended to have a dark side, but "East of Eden," is a stark look at the underbelly of humanity. However, while we are looking at the underbelly of a seemingly upright community of Salinas, we also see that humanity is redeeming. Some of the very incomprehensible evil within a person is matching by a boundless capacity for good. How can that be? This is why Steinbeck's "East of Eden," surpasses the better known and wider read, "The Grapes of Wrath." Steinbeck seems to accept human nature and not sugar coat. He tells it like it is.

Steinbeck struggled and struggled to write and finish "East of Eden." The scope of what he was trying to attempt was extremely daunting...almost debilitatingly so. Steinbeck tried to retell the story of "Genesis," set in his hometown of Salinas...drawing from his own life, the town's life, the times between the Civil War and World War I. He pulls it off with quite some characters...Adam Trask and his twin sons Caleb and Aron, their mother--the completely evil Cathy/Cat/Kate, Adam's evenly evil and good brother Charles, the sage Chinese Lee, and the beautiful of mind, body, and spirit love interest of no less than Caleb, Aron, and Lee...Abra. I think to call, "East of Eden," lacking in story and characters is severely missing the mark. Another criticism of the book is that the Chinese character of Lee is a racial stereotype. I didn't find this to be the case. Lee seems to be a multi-dimensional character that if anything deepens the understanding that his ethnicity takes a back seat to his humanity. Another criticism is that the character Kate is too evil...to the point of dehumanization. Steinbeck's portrayal of Kate may have roots in his failed relationships but it does not come across as misogynistic. He balances this out with other female characters, such as Abra, that have capacity for the gamut of human characteristics. Kate's portrayal of evil makes the character more real...more frightening...and indicative of human evil that, regardless of philosophy, tends to surface from time to time.

In my mind, Steinbeck's "Cannery Row," still stands out as his best (at least among his works I've read so far), but "East of Eden," solidifies his place among a very short list of greatest American authors. It is a work deserving of a Nobel Prize for literature...damn the critics to say what they will.
--MMW

It's hard to know what to make of the Boss's twin release of "Human Touch," and "Lucky Town," in 1992. He was into striking out on his own and surrounding himself with studio musicians. I'm not sure if the thinking was that he could free himself up to make some music solely on his own terms or maybe to creatively expand, but for whatever reason it has left these two recordings slightly flat. Both "Human Touch," and "Lucky Town," are lumped together in my mind with "Lucky Town," being the slightly rawer more rocking of the two.

"Human Touch," starts out promisingly enough with a classically catchy Springsteen tune. From there it skips around until it arrives at a less than inspired folky Nebraska-esque "Pony Boy." However, gone is the desperation, the glaring soul cry of poverty and despair, the screaming social need of the working class, the insanity of an insane world, the cold hard light of dawn. Instead we are left with, "Giddy up Giddy up my Pony Boy."

Bruce doesn't write to many bad songs and any album he puts out proves very listenable. The man has a way with music...a gift for the singing troubadour of the common man, a voice for the masses. Unless you are a diehard fan of the boss, go looking elsewhere for his music. "Human Touch," might leave you slightly untouched.
--MMW

This is one of those recordings that brings back memories. That's good and bad. Usually the recordings that only "bring back memories," are so often just a mere memory themselves, stuck in time not carrying a sound that transcends a certain period in a certain life. The Gin Blossoms, "New Miserable Experience," is something a little more than that. Let me tell ya 'bout it Brother Ben.

I, like other reviewers here, was introduced to the Gin Blossoms when the album first came out through a free promo mini-cassette. I listened to it. I was initially impressed by the catchy jangly nature of the Gins. My roommate at the time liked it so much, he went out and bought the tape. The Blossoms definitely had the pop catchy song craft thing down. And if memory serves me correctly it wasn't until about a year or two after the album was released that it caught on like wildfire on top 40 radio and supported by massive sales. I suppose A&M's promo campaign paid off to some degree.

Though the album is solid through all tracks and includes some of the more catchy sing-a-longs you are likely to run into, something about it doesn't truly transcend time. I can much more easily listen to Toad The Wet Sprocket's "Fear," these days than find "New Miserable Experience," on regular rotation in my CD player. There's a good dose of country rock, a good dose of radio friendly Jackson Browne-esque pop, jangly guitars and poetic lines. It's a summer time at the lake CD. It's a slice of time in a young adults life. It's not terribly relevant to today. It's not bad music. It's not extraordinary music. It's what it is, but it's a far cry from a, "New Miserable Experience." Get this for a window into your mind's memory.
--MMW

I came upon Elvis Costello's "Imperial Bedroom," by way of a Rolling Stone article something along the lines of the best 100 albums of this century and sure enough Costello's "Imperial Bedroom," made the cut. I already was a big fan with a greatest hits tape that introduced me to "Allison," and "Pump it Up." "Imperial Bedroom," is pretty steeped in the 80's. Though it contains some memorable songs, the general tenor is symphonic, jazzy, flowing numbers. For some reason it didn't strike a chord with me like other Costello and the Attractions works I've come to know and love.

Granted, "Almost Blue," and "Beyond Belief," rank right up there with Costello's best, the album stays on the surface slick and sleepy, torchy and touched. Granted it was hard to live up to the expectations set forth by making a Rolling Stones top 100 list, but with the likes of Elvis Costello it was possible.

I believe you should give Costello his due...the man is ultra-talented and knows his way around a song. But unless you are drawn to the more pop-ish polished side of Elvis, go elsewhere. If you need some "Peace, Love, and Understanding," and don't mind some of the sameness give "Imperial Bedroom," a whirl. Just don't get your expectations up too high unless you are a "Seal," crossed with Burt Bacharach fan. If you are...first seek counseling...next get Imperial Bedroom...it's only bound to make the condition exasperated. Not bad for a sleepy Friday night date under candle-light but other than that the Bed ain't spinning, it's imperial after all.
--MMW

Cut in 1992 this one qualifies as a vault recording, it isn't timeless, it isn't destined to be a classic. INXS, from Australia, hit all the right buttons in the late 80's and petered and fizzled out into the 90's.

The album packaging did prove that over the years the band did learn how to all dress like each other in snazzy matching outfits for photo shoots.

"Welcome to Wherever You Are," was the Fixx making "Ink," the Cars making "Door to Door," Van Halen doing "Van Halen III," you know...the beginning of the end. "Welcome to Wherever You Are," granted has enough listenable material that you won't immediately go out running to your local Hastings to try to sell it dirt cheap or stick it in the pile of garage sale recordings right next to worn copies of Air Supply, Barry Manilow, and Bread. INXS became commercial...they were tainted by success. Maybe that was more than lead singer Michael Hutchence bargained for. Fame can be a daunting thing. Commercialism alone doesn't make a band start to pump out uninspired drivel but if heads aren't on right it can lead to it. Though the collective musicians of INXS seem to be talented enough that "Welcome To Wherever You Are," doesn't delve to the drivel level. Nevertheless the band members picked up the road signs, mapped it out on Mapquest, and yep with this CD they were heading to drivel city, USA.

The album starts out interestingly enough with a Sitar-singed, "Questions." Follows it up with some hit top-40 radio play ditties in "Heaven Sent," "Taste It," and "Not Enough Time." But by the time they reach the big horns bouncy, "Baby Don't Cry," all inspiration has ran dry. "Wishing Well," has an interesting bass line, but the rest of the album is same 'ole same 'ole.

Look elsewhere if you are starting out with INXS. Shaboo Shabah or Kick might be good places to start. The band did make some good music, unfortunately too little of it can be found on "Welcome to Wherever You Are."
--MMW

I would have to say there aren't too many artist out there like Robbie Fulks and there aren't too many disc like his "Country Love Songs."

You will find yourself asking pondering questions like, "Is this country?," "What exactly is Fulks talking about in Nickels and Dimes?," and the ever popular and probing, "What were Fulks musical influences and what chemicals influenced Fulks music?" The answer my friend may be blowing in the wind, but I would posit that Fulks music (though he is based out of Chicago God forbid) reflects true Country roots more so than the majority of popular drivel churned out by Nashville these days.

You will find unique songs like "The Scrapple Song," that espouses the culinary delights hailing from Pennsylvania of all sorts of pig parts fried in a big baking pan. Granted it's not pork chops served off a front porch in Appalachia or Texas hill country, but it is a story to be told nonetheless. Curiously enough "The Scrapple Song," and other fare on Fulks "Country Love Songs," comes off as this curious bastard child of Bob Wills and AC/DC. Country with a kick of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," if you can imagine such a hell spawn amalgam.

There are songs on this disc that immediately get into your mind and will find you singing along to that high lonesome wail upon second plays. Where Fulks truly makes his mark though are on the songs that are country through and through like "The Buck Stops Here," "Barely Human," and "Papa was a Steel Headed Man." Speaking of the album's closer, "Papa," it's Fulks answer to Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach." There is a wonderfully apocalyptic moment when the song reduces itself to church pipe organ and Fulks rants rails and raves end of times, tent revival, hail and brimstone, gospel preacher style deconstructing the simple obstinateness of a father that was stubborn to the point of de-humanization. He could either be regarded as the meanest man on earth or a genius. It is a musical moment that is difficult to live down and luckily we don't have to since we have Fulks, "Country Love Songs," to listen to again and again.

Just short of a must listen, don't miss out on Fulks original and back to basics music.
--MMW

A life such as Mother Teresa's is deserving of an insightful vibrant and skillfully told biography. I found Kathryn Spink's "Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography" left wanting. It did not live up to the magnitude of Mother Teresa's life of service and giving throughout the world but especially in India's Calcutta in the formation and running of the Sisters of Charity.

Spink's "Mother Teresa," reads, at times, like a laundry list of events with no coherent effort made to illuminate the person behind the events. The best biographies I have found don't rely so much on the cold hard history to build a story around, but rather insight as to who the person is and how they interacted with the world. I think of skillfully told biographies in which I walked away from the reading of them with insight, motivation, and the feeling that I knew the subject and was engaged in their life. Benson's "John Steinbeck: Writer," and Morris "Theodore Rex," come to mind as examples. Spink's "Mother Teresa," does not do the same.

I credit the writer for tackling some tough issues in the last two chapters. She addresses criticisms of Mother Teresa and the Sister's of Charity co-workers and does so without sidestepping difficult points of contention. Some social work critics fault the work of Mother Teresa for not wielding her influence to address the root causes of poverty and only tackling the end-product of suffering in a simplistic manner. In addition, Mother Teresa was loyal to the Catholic Church and stood staunch in support of difficult traditional stances espoused by that organization to include pro-life in all cases. Spink's does a good job of pitting Mother Teresa's perspective of service and belief to explain why she did what she did and why she believed as she did. However, this isn't until the last two chapters of the book and this illuminating approach could have been begun on page 1.

All in all, I would only recommend this book if you are attempting to delve deeply into the life and times of Mother Teresa and have read other books on that subject. If you want a good read and are just scratching the surface finding out what Mother Teresa's life was all about, look elsewhere dear reader.
--MMW

The strength in this movie lies in the acting. It is too rare that a cast like this is collected in one movie and a director of the caliber of Clint Eastwood solicits powerful gripping and believable performances out of each of them. This movie may have suffered from comparison on the rating scale in that I watched it back-to-back with "In America," and it did measure up to a greatest top ten list movie deserving of five stars. "In America," did.

"Mystic River," is set in blue collar working class Boston suburbs and Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Tim Robbins bring off the local accent and sense of place and attitude beautifully. Two pivotal tragedies, one that happened in the past and one in the present. In boyhood the three main characters were involved in a common event in which Robbins character was abducted. In their adult lives, tragedy befalls Sean Penn's family and the chain of events spirals out of control locking each character into a Shakespearean tragedy that seems to be out of all of their control. Sean Penn's acting is gritty and the emotional seething and need for vengeance weigh upon his character heavy. See Mystic River for no other reason than to take in Penn's performance.

There are better movies out there but you won't be disappointed by taking a swim in Eastwood's river.
--MMW

Fight Club is certainly not a monumental film, but it struck a chord about the modern condition. The comedy is of the blackest variety and you will have to suspend any squeamish-ness you may feel toward very violent films to reap enjoyment out of it. But all the roles are skillfully played, especially by Brad Pitt's Tyler Durden, and underlying the banality of blood and mayhem is a message...a message that perhaps life doesn't have to control us...life can be what you make it...just be carefully you do so thoughtful with positive human regard and a degree of clarity. Attempting to control life can get out of hand.

Chuck Palahnuik's novel comes to life in the adept hands of director David Fincher (of Seven fame). It is no surprise that the scenes are slickly cool, the violence is of the "in your face" variety, and we are entertained despite our misgivings. The movie has some real "Momento" moments, so I won't try to delve into the story-line to risk giving any of those away. A truly fetching role is turned in by Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer a chain smoking barely hanging on to life love interest of Edward Norton's. Their chemistry and interplay is terrifically authentic and dead-on funny. Brad Pitt take the show though as Tyler Durden, an ultra-confident hipster that makes soap. The lines he and Norton toss back and forth are classics to be remembered and quoted in bars, around water coolers, at support groups.

"Fight Club" is an experience you owe yourself, if not for anything more than to ponder the state of society and what is truly important. I think if you see the movie out to the end and get past the violence, you may find this message though-provoking. You just may find yourself laughing along the way.
--MMW

It will be difficult for me to say enough good words about this film. It pulls the heartstrings, but not in a heavy, forced, sentimental way. I too, question reviews that seem overtly overly praise-filled. But maybe this movie struck a chord with me being a parent and going through some difficult times with babies that you care the world for but struggle with health issues.

The actors and actresses (not sure which one the coffeehouse across the way from the Hell's Kitchen tenement slum transvestite group truly falls into) in the film all perform brilliantly. It is a testament to director/writer Jim Sheridan that he solicits such honest seamless performances out of each of the main players that act out the events of a battered and beleaguered family that comes across the Canadian border illegally into New York City. New York City comes to represent America as a place of challenge difficult to work through poverty, difficult to cope with the cost of medical care, difficult to catch a break, but fraught with freedom and opportunity none the less.

The film brilliantly turns into less of a movie about New York City slums and more about the powerful grace of the human experience, more about a family going through the grieving process and sticking together through difficult times.

"In America," goes directly on my top ten movie list of all times (dang it now I'm going to have to go figure how to update Listmania lists on this web site...go figure). It truly is that good.

--MMW