Carl Deuker -- Books, Movies, TV

 Agatha writing about Nile.  Nile's wife "befriending" Agatha, visiting A's ex-wife at her studio/gallery.  Lots of different agendas.  Abbott, the FBI guy, still interested.  Body of teenager who supposedly drowned himself still not found, nor has the body of Nile's first wife been found.  Pretty good.

 Nicole has seemingly recovered from her mental illness; Dick is a mess,  alcoholic and depressed by his lack of anything close to the career he anticipated. Too much money . . . which also makes it hard for me to sympathize with the guy.  Glamorous and weak.  I'll be glad to be done with it.

 Mormon girl . . . family "stars" on YouTube, but mother Ruby is actually abusive.  This recounts the movement from starting out to the arrest of Ruby. So far, very good

 Episode One:  Claire Danes (Aggie Wiggs) writer's block continues. Matthew Rhys (Nile Jarvis) has perhaps murdered the boy who hit and killed Aggie's little boy. Continued conflict over jogging trail.  Jarvis suggests that Aggie should write a book about him . . . the probable plot.

 Roaring Twenties roaring to a bleak close for Dick and Nicole.  He has lost his position at the sanitorium . . . alcoholism She is still lying about worrying about her mental health. Her father, who sexually abused her as a child, is perhaps dying. 1929 . . . 

 Claire Danes (Homeland) Matthew Reis (Americans) Danes is writer with one wildly successful book, a son who died in car accident? caused by teenager, and a new neighbor (Reis) who is suspected to have killed his wife though no body has been found

 Janice, drunk, accidentally drowns her baby.  Rabbit returns, tries to man up in the traditional sense, seems to be succeeding.  At a funeral for baby he suddenly shouts:  Don't look at me, I didn't kill her.  She did. People are appalled, and book comes full circle as Rabbit runs again, away from the funeral and his life. Updike's ability to observe and his formation of similes are one of a kind. amazing

 DD has affair with Rosemary. Nicole a mess as usual. Abe died in NYC, best to death leaving bar. Dick becoming drunken bum. Arrested in Rome

 Another film with a strong opening and a weak ending. Jane Fonda won academy award, which is puzzling. She was okay, but nothing special. Perhaps the daring aspect — high class prostitute was reason

 Great  opening.  Rabbit, unhappy in marriage, goes out on an errand (pick up his car) and takes off . . . driving where?  South?  West?  Gets to West Virginia and turns around, but doesn't go home.

Abe a total drunk.  Dick Diver spends all his time and talent on Nicole.  Idle, rich life.  Abe gets involved with Black man who has invented shoe polish. Dispute over money . . . Black guy is killed.  He's found in Rosemary's (young actress in love with Dick) bed.  Scandal, ruining her career, if discovered there.  

 Solid movie with good, if not great ending.  Credits show actual photos from the incidents upon which the film was based.  Only ones to remain on island were Heinz and his wife (Sidney Sweeney).  Dr. Ritter dies of food poisoning which might be murder.  Duchess and one lover killed. Other lover dies trying to leave island when boat runs out of fuel. Mysterious why it was a flop.

 Riviera drinking ends.  All decamp for various places.  Nicole breaks down; Dick comforts her.  This is witnessed by a garrulous woman.  She starts to blab; a man tells her to shut up.  Woman's husband takes offence . . . duel occurs in which no one is hurt.  Divers are unaware of the drama they've caused.

 Things, never good, go completely to hell.  The "baroness" and her two lovers steal food from the others.  Her goal is to pit the two other couples against one another.  The doctor, first resident, wants to team up as well against her.  Yacht arrives--Hancock oil baron.  Brings food.  Baroness tries to seduce him; he laughs at her.  A first for her. When he leaves, Baroness steals the supplies he's left.  Confrontation--Baroness shot in head by doctor; one of her lovers stabbed to death.  (The second lover has deserted her.) Bodies thrown into ocean.  Wives don't know . . . for sure.

 Six episodes, so story telling is not rushing along.  Nicole (incest victim) fights for mental health with the aid of Dick Diver (husband) who is ambitious psychiatrist. Her wealth makes work unnecessary, sapping that ambition.  Her mental illness keeps him busy.  Living on Riviera, drinking.

 Jude Law Sidney Sweeney Loosely based on true events. Disgruntled doctor after WWI moves to isolated Galapagos Island.  Writes about his experiences living alternate life.  Couple shows up with son suffering from TB to live on island also.  He and his girlfriend are furious, unhelpful, but couple does well and builds home and garden. Wife (SS) gets pregnant. A third group shows up:  Baroness/tart with her two or three lovers. Her plan is to make money off the island by building a hotel . . . impossible to imagine.  Three groups in tense non-equilibrium; something has to give. Baby born . . . doctor begrudgingly helps 50%

 More of the same. Art G goes through a series of women, all of whom are "the one." Jack N. mocks him, certain that no woman is the one. Two versions of the screwed-up male. Ends with Nicholson at a prostitute acting out an intricate "play" designed to bolster his masculinity so he can perform.  The stud is borderline impotent. I don't have a strong memory of my first impression of the movie; more, I have a memory that it was a big deal at the time for discussing sex so candidly and so non-stop.  The non-stop part now wears; don't Sandy and Jonathan have anything else that they talk about, ever? I suppose that would have complicated and lengthened the movie, and it was long enough.

 Years pass. Garfunkel (Sandy) marries Candice Bergen.  His dialogue with Jack N. (Jonathan) reveals that "she's perfect" but he's unhappy.  Nicholson suggests an affair; A.G. is eager. Nicholson reveals he's been fighting impotence.  Girls have made suggestions that hurt (no doubt that he's gay).  He meets Ann Margaret and (for a little while) her 38 D body revives him.  However, she wants marriage and children and he wants . . . who knows? The non stop discussion of sex was no doubt daring/different/groundbreaking in 1971.  Now, it's a bit boring.  Don't these people have anything else in their lives to talk about?

 First 30 minutes.  Garfunkel and Nicholson discuss girls . . . college students who seemed to have had no contact with females in high school. Enter Candice Bergen.  Garfunkel falls for her.  Nicholson sneaks after her, has sex with her, while she is still ostensibly G's girl.  She doesn't want to her G but seems to love Nicholson more.  He expects her to dump Garfunkel . . . she's hesitating. 

 Fast moving, but that's about all.  Too many cartoon characters.  Junglepussy . . . Colonel Lockjaw . . . Perfidia Characters fit their name.  Perfidia leads a gang of revolutionaries perhaps based on SLA.  Shoots and kills guard in bank robbery.  Arrested, turns state evidence.  DiCaprio, her lover, raises their "child" without knowing he's not the father. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) has raped Perfidia and is the father. Skip ahead 15 years.  DiCaprio is burnt out druggie who somehow gets along with his perfect daughter.  The govt, though, is on to him. Now he must reconnect with his revolutionary old self and fight. Best thing about the movie is his incompetence.  His 15 years of drug use do tell on him. Worst thing . . . room full of white men = evil   room full of brown men and women = good.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars . . . Jack Nicholson role . . . ex revolutionary raising mixed race daughter (the mother, also a revolutionary, has gone into witness protection, but she was never interested in motherhood.  A group of racist rich white guys is out to get all these old revolutionaries.  They take on Sean Penn (Colonel Lockjaw) to track them down.  Lockjaw suspects he is the mother of the mixed race girl as he raped the mother.  He is now so committed to white supremacy that he'd kill his daughter to free himself of her taint.   Lots of implausible characters, moments, etc.  Visually striking.

 Another DeNiro movie by Scorcese.  Strong opening 2/3. Jerry Lewis object of DeNiro's obsession (and Sandra Bernhard).  Lewis politely shines them along; they kidnap him.  Release?  Let DeNiro do his opening late night monologue.  Ending weak.

 I didn't see this when it came out, so new to me.  DeNiro is excellent.  Jodie Foster as 13 year-old prostitute would not be allowed (for good reasons) to do the part today.  Cybil Shepherd in the movie for a little glamor.  Highlight DeNiro's mental collapse.  Weak ending, DeNiro a hero for killing Foster's pimp.  Her loving parents take her back to their home.  (Why did she run away?)

 Not nearly as good as the book.  Cillian Murphy sees abused girl at laundry convent in Ireland.  He rescues her, risking his status in the neighborhood and the education of his younger daughters (the nuns will not take them into their school).  His wife is a shrew, but his own experience as an orphan drives him to do the right thing.  3.5