Carl Deuker -- Books, Movies, TV

Not enjoying this as much as Brat Farrar. From the start, the "conventional" reading is that the young girl is framing the older (richer) women. There hasn't been much back-and-forth as to our sympathies.  As we get closer to the trial, the townspeople remain virulently anti-Marian and her mother. The observation that Tey is anti-democratic seems reasonably. Average person is gullible fool; aristocrats see more. Ugh. Plot:  Betty Kane actually was in Amsterdam with a man rather than being beaten by Marion. The hotel keeper, as Robert Blair semi-predicted earlier, saw an old copy of Ack-Emma, happened to be traveling to England, and came to Robert Blair's office in the nick of time. Additionally, the maid who heard "screams" from upstairs was actually a thief who blackmailed a friend into backing her story.  The friend returns a stolen item with a note, the note is identified as hers by comparison to school work, so the maid's story of the "screams...

Plot thickens.  A couple of witnesses come forward who seem to corroborate Betty Kane's story. One says he saw her get in a car like Marion's.  The other is a former maid of Marion who insists she heard screams from upstairs.  (She was sacked for theft so it's a little tricky.) In favor of Marion is the fact that the girl describes the circular driveway even though she could not have seen it from her prison window.  Marion and her mother are served with a summons to appear in court, so Scotland Yard believes it has enough. Not sure what will come. Marion talks about wishing she could "torture" the girl because of her anger. Hmmm. Odd thing to say if you have been accused of beating the very same girl.  Robert remains convinced of the innocence of the two, yet there is the hint that the two women living alone have become quite eccentric.

Treat Williams acting is all over the place; sometimes great, sometimes laughable.  Screenplay and directing inconsistencies.  He'll be on the verge of a nervous breakdown in one scene, and in the next be just fine. Cop films start out with much in their favor, and this is pretty good with tension between prosecutors who aren't on the street and cops who are.  Prosecutors go after cops for breaking laws; cops break laws to enforce laws. One character based on Rudy Guiliani. Too long by an hour at least.  Family totally ignored.  Don't bother to see this.

Marion and her mother are accused of kidnapping a 16 year old girl and forcing her to be their servant. Impossible, but the girl is able to describe the inside of the Franchise (the house) perfectly.  She also was missing for four weeks.  So how does she know about the house and what was she doing all that time.  Blair is a bit in love with Marion but hates to admit it.  Intriguing story. Audible/Kindle Whispersync

Blair, a lawyer in Milford, gets a strange call.  His practice is wills and similar--nothing criminal.  A woman tells him that Scotland Yard is accusing her of abduction and implores him to come out to help her, even if later on he passes the case to someone else.  The woman says she has called him because he is "her type," meaning respectable and conservative.  He agrees.

Of Mann's famous books (Magic Mountain, Doctor Faustus), this is the most conventional.  Family drama, rise and fall of the Buddenbrook family.  Thomas is the main character. He fights hard to keep the family going, but ultimately fails.  He's a bit of a prig, though his basic dignity makes him an appealing character.  The tides of change overwhelm.  Christian, his brother, is a sign of the changes.  A hypochondriac, lazy, self-centered . . . funny at times. Perhaps his greatest "flaw" in Thomas's mind is that he doesn't admire the business. Antoine (Tony), the sister, wants to further the Buddenbrook's line.  She even gives up her first love to marry properly.  But . . .  nothing works for her.  Failed marriages and then her daughter, Erika, fails in marriage, too. Erika actually marries an insurance agent who is jailed for insurance fraud over arson cases. Greda is Thomas's somewhat exotic wife from Amsterdam.  She is musical, as ...

Hagstrom takes over the Buddenbrooks house after the death of Thomas's mother.  Christian tells Thomas off--you're a prig, have no heart, etc. Thomas acknowledges the truth of some of it.  Little Hanno continues to care more about music than about anything else.  The death of Thomas's mother is described in detail.    The decline is in full swing.

Decline is setting in. Thomas involves himself in shaky/shady business deal. His son, Johann, only interested in music--obviously an incapable future leader.Tony's son-in-law is a criminal. After fires, he sells off insurance policies to unsuspecting third parties who learn after they buy the policies of the fires.  Jail time. Elisabeth, Thomas's mother, dying of pneumonia.  The business is 100 years old, but it is quite impossible to imagine it will last another 100.  End near. (I'm finding this slow decline section a bit boring perhaps because I am not at all a music expert.  Little Johann with the music master and his mother . . . yawn.

Terrific family novel.  All characters well-rounded. Thomas:  holding the family together, integrity, common sense, some imagination, tense, weighed down by the burden of his name. Christian: younger brother, hypochondriac, profligate, failure in business, womanizer, drain on family resources, irritates Thomas because he so readily recognizes Thomas's superiority in business yet doesn't seem to care. Tony: sister, "I am not a silly goose.", two unsuccessful marriages, daughter Erika marries, and Tony in a way gets her third shot at marriage, did not marry her one true love early on because she needed to keep up the Buddenbrook name. Thomas's son: Johann, weak, overly sensitive, the last of the line.

Rich firm, during Christmas party, is attacked by terrorists/mercenaries.  Willis is visiting his estranged wife.  he's a cop from New York, she's an uppity-up in the company.  Willis sees the attack take place and has become a mole, hiding in the background and coming out to attack the villains whenever he can.  It's about 10 to 1, but so far he's doing fine. Moves along very well, just what you want in an action movie.

Clara, the religious, quiet daughter, is wooed and won by a Pastor from Riga whose family has money. Thomas goes to Amsterdam where his heart is won by the daughter of a rich merchant and former classmate of Tony's.  So the $$$ situation for the family is looking up. Madame Buddenbrooks has become strongly religious. Christian is lazy, not respectful of anyone or anything--including Thomas. Tony remains haughty. Her daughter, Erika, is not growing properly. All in all, though, a good period for the family.  It is not in the early 1850's.

Tough opening chapter, but since then it's been wonderful.  Buddenbrooks, old family, in a slow decline.  Father holds to old, honorable business standards and is out-maneuvered.  Example, he agrees to the wedding of his daughter Tony after he checks on the prospects of his son-in-law.  Glowing recommendations--but they are based on the desire of creditors to get Buddenbrooks family money behind the debts of future son-in-law. Next generation:  Tony is spoiled, now divorced, mother of little girl, living with family again and looking forward to another marriage. Tom falls in love with shop girl but knows better than to propose marriage.  Sickly but sensible. Christian headed to South America to make his fortune.  As younger son he has no great role to play in the company. He's also a bit of a flake. Tony, after falling for Morton a doctor-in-training but lower class, marries unhappily. Her no-good husband goes bankrupt.  Buddenbrooks will ...

Okay: The bad cop is the bad cop, right from the start.  Connor.  He has sex tapes of aspiring politicians which he wants to use to revenge the firing of his father.  The sex tapes involve teen-age boys. He kills three of the boys to secure the tapes and keep himself in the clear. Donley figures it out with the help of Ross.  Donley, as a boy, killed his abusive father in a fight before Donley headed off to college--this to protect Mom from abusive Dad.  Ross lost his son (abducted) and became an alcoholic.  Ross redeems himself by helping Donley and will get his cop job back. Donley encounters Connor twice--once at a salvage dump where dogs attack both of them. Later, Connor shows up at Donley's house for a second climactic confrontation. This time Connor dies.  One climax too many.  The corrupt politicians, at the end, are exposed. Ross adopts. Donely's doctor wife is pregnant with a little girl.  Happy all around

very good 4/5 Weakness is that Mom (Mary Tyler Moore) is just a heartless bitch and the family is better when she leaves.  A little too simple.  But still very well acted and directed with lots of tense scenes that rang true.

Holding up very well. Timothy Hutton is guilt-ridden teenage survivor of sailing accident that killed his brother.  Mary Tyler Moore is mother--angry at Hutton because he lived and her favorite son died.  Hutton feels her anger and attempts suicide before movie starts. Depressed during movie.  Donald Sutherland is dad.  Sort of clueless regarding MTM but supportive of his son. Judd Hirsch is the psychiatrist who helps Hutton to realization of the true problem--survivor's guilt. Well acted, great pacing. Directed by Robert Redford. Edward Guest, Judith Guest's father, was poet laureate

Complicated plot--spoilers follow Connor (bad cop) has arranged for the filming of sex tapes of Ramsey (ambitious politician).  He kills street runaway boys to get control of the tapes, then blackmails Ramsey. Donley, our good attorney, figures this out. Knows Father Tom is innocent and that Connor is guilty.  Breaks into Connor's house to get the tapes back and thereby exonerate Father Tom. Problem--Connor figures it out and puts a gun to Donley's head.  major problem Frank Ross, detective, was helped by Donley's uncle when he (drunk after his son was abducted) smashed into a car and injured a family.  Ross helps Donley because he likes Donley's uncle, the lawyer who has heart attack early on in the book. Finish tomorrow.

Shenanigans. A thwarted politican (now elcerly) is trying to push his son into the governorship and eventually the presidency.  Convicting the priest quickly through a plea bargain will somehow help. How are these two involved in the murder of runaway?  Bad cop, Connor, also seems to be involved. He's revenging the firing of his father through this case. His targets are the aforementioned aspiring governors, but how?  Donley fighting the demons of his own father as he defends Father Tom.  Donley's investigator, Ross, is trying to get back onto the force after his disgrace.  What a tangled web!  And yet it is all flowing quite well. Liking this book!

Enjoying this very much. Donley's mentor and uncle has heart attack. Donley must take over the defense of the accused priest. Ins and outs of media manipulation by lawyers.  Judge takes firm control of courtroom.  Who is the murderer?  Well-written and has the feel of someone who worked on the inside.  I need to research Dugoni to see if he was a lawyer.  San Francisco locales don't yet play much part. Plot:  Donley's uncle/mentor has heart attack.  The priest is also being accused of trafficking in child pornography.  Donley had an abusive father and -- it's strongly hinted -- killed him. Donley's excessive protection of his own son is a natural result. Well-written and fast-paced.

Murder.  Priest who runs a shelter for teen-age boys discovers dead body in the manger scene.  (he slips on drops of blood.)  Priest is the suspect.  Our attorney is currently working for peanuts for an old-timer, but is thinking of quitting for more money. Old timer has heart attack.  Atty will stay and defend. Subplots--police dept. intrigue. Atty had brutal father.  SF setting.  Seems very good

I'm guessing the original is probably better than this sorta director's cut.  This seemed a little too long in a few places. Orson Welles as the corrupt but correct cop who is exposed by Charlton Heston.  Janet Leigh as the busty wife of Heston who is kidnapped and given drugs (though she really isn't). Welles shoots his best friend who then shoots him at the end.  Wire-tap confession. Charlton Heston running through the water to keep the connection up. For all its flaws, it's still much better than most movies of its time.  Well-acted, directed, photographed. Good depiction of the tension between Mexico and USA. Interesting how little has changed--drugs from Mexico, racist contempt in America.

Good, not great.  Some of the scenes strain for grittiness.  And touch of evil?  It's more like indelible imprint of evil. Vargas (heston) a Mexican uppity up vs. Welles, a corrupt but sorta honest cop.  Welles' wife was strangled when first married, so he wants to see justice done to the bad guys even if he has to plant evidence to pull it off.  Janet Leigh, in tight sweaters always, is drugged by the bad guys and is supposed to take the fall for murder.  Can't remember the ending, but I don't think it goes well for Welles.  (:

I don't normally subscribe to the idea that there is a Chick Lit genre, but maybe this book fits.  Or maybe it fits with the I LOVE ALL THINGS BRITISH group.  I found its humor and characters forced. Spoilers coming:  Emily and Armstrong figure out that the murderer is the Senden family, specifically Mrs. Senden. A few things.  #1  Mrs. Senden is supposed to have strangled Pickering, put him on a hand cart, rolled him out into the country, and then used a block-and-tackle to hoist him up so that it looks like he hung himself.  She later kills a trumpeter by smacking him over the head with his trumpet case.  Quite a hit. Maybe feminism gone mad . . . #2  Mrs. Senden, unlike Lady Hardcastle, isn't a real (i.e., born, lady). So that the author makes her the murderer smells to me a bit like class prejudice.  Those crass newcomers aren't really upper crust and -- by the way -- they commit murder also. #3 Armstrong (Flo) saves Lady Hardcastle wit...

I'm trying, but not succeeding, to get into the flow.  It all seems too purposefully cutely eccentric.  Armstrong the child of circus performers; Lady Hardcastle nearly murdered in the Orient. They are both witty and sophisticated and have a friendship that is deep and unique.  In other words, it crosses all the t's and dots all the i's of an Oprey book, a women's reading club selection, etc.  Too cute for me. The plot thickens:  Second murder--Trumpet player dead, trumpet case missing. This murder occurs at the Senden party.  The Senden firm is the victim of an embezzler, but Mr. Senden doesn't want to hear about it . . . one of his family is the embezzler?  Jewels stolen from the Senden's by members of the band.  Inspector, with lots of help from Lady Hardcastle and Flo Armstrong, discovers the robberies but still doesn't have the connection of the robberies to the murders to the embezzling.

Exciting finale.  Joseph Cotton to the rescue.  Can't see this being revived too much as Ingrid Bergman is such a doormat.  She does have one final scene in which--as Boyer assures her she wasn't imagining anything--she pretends she can't find the knife to free him, etc. while the police wait outside for him.  Boyer's rage is excellent, and Bergman's facial expressiveness is unmatched.