This is not a great book, but it's a fairly good one -- if you are Christian. If you do not have a Christian background or beliefs, this book will not appeal to the same extent. I do have a Christian background, but would consider myself spiritual rather than religious. God and Jesus are mentioned constantly in the book, and the traditional way of getting to God/Heaven is through Jesus (and no other). This shuts out millions of people. What I liked most about the book was the information about angels, a personal interest of mine. I would recommend this book to active Christians as it will substantiate their beliefs, and may give them a few concepts to ponder that might not be introduced in church. For non-believers, this book would be a supernatural tale that is claiming to be non-fiction. It's not an entirely "enjoyable" book in that there is nothing remarkable about the writing style which is quite simplistic, but it's easy to read in one or two sittings. I tend to think of this story as a reverie rather than a revelation. I believe a short story format would have been more appropriate in this case as the "book" has a sense of being drawn out for no important purpose. The editing process seems to have been lacking. I doubt that I would read this book again.

I agree with other reviewers that say "The Lincoln Lawyer" is a page turner. I have never read anything else by Michael Connelly so I cannot compare it with his other novels. There is constant "action", and that is what I object to. There are too many "goings on" to be believable in my view. (I normally read non fiction.) There are enough twists and turns for more than one novel. Other reviewers have outlined the story so I will refrain from doing so. This is one instance in which I think the movie will be better than the book. The movie can eliminate the "clutter", and focus on developing those things that the Director deems most important to the storyline, making for a more realistic experience. Sometimes less is more.

Deepak Chopra has made the story of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha accessible to all ages through this novel. For those of you that know the story of Siddhartha through Herman Hesse or others, there is nothing new here, but this novel is very easy to read. Older children may enjoy the story as a kind of adventure of a man who gives up his princely power and trappings and sets out to see what lies beyond the safety of his palace walls. My favourite part of the book is actually the Epilogue and "The Art of Non-Doing" that Chopra chose to add to the back. Of course, I also thoroughly enjoyed my winding journey through jungles and the mountains with Siddhartha, the people he meets along the way, etc. The novel can be read on two levels -- as an adventure story set in another time and place with tricksters, magic, trials between good and evil, and as one man's very human journey toward enlightenment. Either way, it's a lovely tale.

I watched this movie with no preconceived notions about it except that the TV listing said something about it being an existential film. I would not have come up with that idea on my own, and I don't know to what extent it is true. The film is about a young professional New York couple. They have a seven year old son. Everything seems fine on the surface (the American Dream), but there is an undercurrent of separation between husband and wife. One evening the husband has a chance meeting with the female designer for an architectural project he has been working on. There is an easy connection between them. They spend a few hours together. He doesn't say anything about the fact that he is married. They think about each other. When the woman tries to meet him again, she runs into the wife. So it seems as if that's the end of it. Another chance meeting between them follows near the job site. He is leaving the job site, and she is walking by with a friend. He learns that she has accepted a job in LA and will be moving in a few days. Time goes on. There is no contact between them. The husband is offered a job with the large architectural firm he has been working with. His wife is all excited about the job offer. It's what she has been looking forward to. But he does not accept the job. There is a third chance meeting between the husband and the woman. At the last minute, she had decided not to move to LA. They are obviously glad to see each other, and you know they will be together eventually. None of this sounds very interesting in itself. What's very good about this movie is the way it is executed. The details and dialogue are minimal. None of the characters are intricately drawn. The plot is without depth or colour. The audience is shown only what is important. There are no distractions. This film is not a slice of life. Rather, it is a concept. Fresh. Original. Very well done in my opinion.

Lynn Redgrave is great in this film, as is Kirsten Dunst. The writer/director of the film (Sheri Elwood) is Canadian. The setting is an island in the Atlantic off the coast of Canada I believe. I am not sure if this film affected me so deeply based on its own merits or because I know the story so well. This is a love lost tale about a time when the world was smaller and the hearts were younger. On the surface, it's about an age-old curse on the livelihood (fishing) of the islanders that comes around every 50 years, at which time, the sea claims the life of a 17 year old. It's about feeling different from the everyone else, and being the same. It's about the restlessness in the Spring of life, waiting for something to change on the outside to reflect all that is bursting forth on the inside. And then the soul mate comes crashing into Cilly's life and First Love explodes to the heights of Perfection. The water surrounding the island represents the inner world of powerful emotions that engulf the boy and the girl as their hormones, hearts and minds soar. In the matter of a very short time, their lonely worlds have collided and become one. There is no going back. They recognize themselves in the depths of the other. They long only to be together. They imagine leaving the world (the island, their families) behind so they can float endlessly on and in the ocean of their love. No one could possibly understand what has happened to them, and how wonderful and painful it is. Throwing caution to the wind, the boy and girl drift away on the ocean. They are blinded to all but the their love for each other, and to Love itself. Unbeknownst to them, the Fates or the island curse has/have conspired to set the stage for the story of Deep Love "Lost". The boy is 17. He is called upon to pay the ultimate price, and he cannot refuse the call. He dives overboard, a storm comes up, and he is swept away. The girl is now an older woman (played with understated elegance by Lynn Redgrave), but she has not forgotten the boy. She has spent 50 years filled with love for that boy. She has lived in solitude to the outside world, but her heart has been overflowing with pain and longing for her days with the beautiful boy who opened her heart so completely long years ago. The timing of the curse has come again, and there are plans to bring development to the island. The plans include extending the land mass by filling in the area where the fishing boats lie in wait. It's time for Cilly's story to be passed on. A teenage girl (Claire) comes to the island with her mother following the sudden death of the girl's one true love. The girl had survived the motorcyle accident, but the boy did not. Claire is inconsolable. She identifies closely with the story Cilly has written because it is her story. She takes possession of the story that the elderly woman has written. Claire is now the bearer of the heartache for the First Love Lost. If you have lived this story, you will devour the movie. If not, you will still enjoy the magic of this tale.

The movie begins in 1849 (post Revolution) on a remote island under the jurisdiction of the French Republic, located off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. A Captain (played by Daniel Auteuil) and his new wife (Juliette Binoche in her role as Madame La) are young, modern, free thinkers from mainland France (Paris). It appears that the wife has been well educated. Because of issues in his past, the Captain has been stationed in the small community of Saint Pierre with its inhospitable climate and unsophisticated people. The young couple attempts to make the best of life on the island. Here they are free to express their love for each other, and for life itself. The isolated setting also affords them the freedom to "grow" their values and progressive ideas. Their love, passion and respect for each other spill over into the larger community as the story unfolds. On the surface, the film concerns itself with a man who commits a drunken, senseless murder, and is sentenced to death by guillotine. The fact that the island does not have a guillotine or an executioner allows for an extended period during which Neele (the convicted murderer) is given opportunities for reflection and growth. Through the gentle kindness of Madame La and the support of her husband, Neele takes full advantage of those opportunities and becomes a generous, hardworking and valued member of the community. Neele learns by example about the redeeming effects of such things as Kindness, Goodness, Trust, Love, etc. Such things had previously been beyond his grasp and experience. Neele gradually comes to embrace the qualities and sensibilities demonstrated by Madame La, as he serves as a living example of the possibility of personal transformation through kindness rather than punishment. The regular folk know that Neele is no longer the same man he was when the murder was committed. He has given his eager and unfailing commitment to every task presented to him. Eventually, the guillotine arrives, and the common people don't want him to die. What end will Neele's death serve? Although chopping off his head will satisfy the letter of the law, it won't provide a human sense of justice in the minds and hearts of the people. For his role in supporting Neele and trying to keep the guillotine out of Saint Pierre, the Captain is required to pay a steep price. His downfall comes from knowing his convictions and remaining true to them. His fault is being an independent thinking man at a time and place where these qualities are not appreciated. For me, the Captain and Madame La represent the intelligensia informing the masses, and the success of the greenhouse experiment illustrates the impact of their influence.

"The Widow of Saint Pierre" is an intelligent drama with powerful actors. It is a French language film (subtitled) which adds to the air of authenticity. This film raises questions about capital punishment; the idea and purpose(s) of justice; higher values, our duty to know them, to live them, and to be prepared to pay for them, etc. I look forward to seeing this movie again so that I can focus less on plot and more on the richness of ideas that are so finely wrought. The effects on me of this fine piece of cinema continue to grow as I think back on it. Hence, the five star rating.

This film (based on actual events?) is about a lovely young woman (Nancy) who is severely depressed. She was sexually abused by an uncle when she was seven years old, and that resulted in her being too torn up inside to ever have children. She knows pain, both physical and mental. She has been in a loveless marriage for 15 years. It is more than loveless. She is personless within the marriage. Nancy gets to the point where physical pain (cutting herself) is better than feeling nothing at all. Meanwhile, her psychologist takes notes. Over time, Nancy meets a man on-line who agrees to help her. For a fee, he will abuse her sexually (specifically as agreed) and more. Nancy leaves her empty life and goes to him. At this point, I was going to turn the movie off. I figured it was going to be some kind of snuff film. But I'm glad that I did not give up on it because the emotionality of the film was about to begin. I would spoil it by saying more, but I became totally engaged in the film. It's about the characters (of which there are really only three), how they affect each other, how they interact.... It's also about love, revenge, and redemption. A good movie to watch alone. This film is not for everyone as it takes you deeper than many people want to go in the name of entertainment. But sometimes, it takes pain of some kind to promote an authentic connection. I purchased this movie, and I will watch it again - when I'm in a certain mood. I'm not likely to forget "Downloading Nancy". This is ART, and I'm richer for having experienced it.

I just finished watching "Rust Never Sleeps" for the first time. It documents an outdoor concert at The Cow Palace in San Francisco on Oct. 22/78 - about 32 years ago. I've been a die hard Neil Young fan since "Harvest". This blast from the past DVD is FABULOUS in my opinion. Neil is so young, passionate, and beautiful in this film. He has lots of brown hair. His face is unlined. He is so slender (ah youth!) that he has to wear suspenders to hold his pants up. When he's doing a song, it's like his whole being is at one with the music, as if he's a fabulous instrument unto himself. His songwriting genius was undeniable back then, and he's still going strong. This film is not perfect in terms of visuals or sound (as others have noted). But that's typical Neil Young. If you have ever seen him live, you will know what I mean. You get all the bumps and warts along with the moments of sheer perfection. He's totally authentic, and this is his film ("A Film By Neil Young"). He doesn't edit out guitar tunings, the things that went wrong, the rain storm, his background talk to staff, etc. When the sky exploded with a downpour, he was worried about his guitar. Typical. When he doesn't want a band member to accompany him with vocals, Neil pushes him away from the microphone mid song. This is not a polished concert film. It's raw. It's real. It's Real Neil. You don't go to a concert for the warts, but sometimes it's those things that you remember, because they allow for little "intimacies". The "road eyes" (roadies?) theme is hokey, but who cares? I'm not interested in who moves things around the stage or what they are wearing. I didn't buy the DVD for that. The music is, of course, SO GOOD, but you can get that from a CD. You watch this DVD to experience the man who is the music. It all comes together in Neil Young at that place in time. The musical highlights for me: "Sugar Mountain", "I am a Child", "Comes A Time", "Out of the Blue", "When You Dance", "The Loner", "Needle & Damage Done", "Powder Finger", "Cortez the Killer", "Cinnamon Girl", and "Hurricane" (in order of appearance). The older acoustic stuff brings back memories of youth. Songs like "Powder Finger", "Cortez the Killer" and "Hurricane" still engage me. There are a few tunes in the film that I am not familiar with. If you are only interested in the music, buy some CDs. If you are interested in the Neil Young experience and would like a glimpse of him from the good old days, you should ENJOY this film.

I just finished watching "Precious". I had known about the hype surrounding the film, but didn't really feel that I would be able to identify very well with a film about inner city youth. I had it all wrong. I didn't watch the movie; I lived through it. All of the ignorance, betrayal and abuse suffered by this 16 year old girl bursts forth like a flash of blinding light upon society's dirty secrets. Not another place or another time; this place and this time. Children suffering behind closed doors. In spite of the fact that the film is based on a novel, it all rings true. It's the authenticity that hurts so much. Precious did not know what it was like to be precious to anyone. She did not know about love or respect. Abuse at the hands of both parents began when she was only three years old. She was accustomed to the frequent beatings, demoralization, servitude, and the sexual abuse that resulted in two babies by her father. Dreams and fantasies had been her only means of escape. In spite of all the obstacles, Precious learns to read and write and, through this process, she learns to communicate. She begins to see things as they really are. She has friends for the first time, and she learns what it feels like to be safe and cared for. She notes the contrast between the life she had led and a kinder world she has glimpsed. She wants a better life for herself and her children and we know, by the end of the movie, that Precious is headed in that direction. This film reminds me of "Antwone Fisher". Both films effectively address the "slave mentality" of abuse that seems to perpetuate itself from generation to generation.

If I had to choose ten albums to take to a desert island, this would probably be one of them. These bluesy tunes sound as good as (or even better than) they did in the 60s. I remember what I was doing when President Kennedy was shot, and I remember what I was doing when "House of the Rising Sun" came out. This CD is exceptional for both the great tunes and for the wonderful memories they invoke. Every Boomer should have The Animals "Retrospective" in his/her collection - for the good times then and now.