Spielberg’s “WAR HORSE” Gallops Into Theatres

After seeing the new trailer for Steven Spielberg’s WWI opus “War Horse,” I honestly cannot understand the ongoing beef that so many “film enthusiasts” seem to have with the master lensman. Certainly it’s not for a lack of chops—the man can make a movie. So what if his films make millions, appeal to the masses, and win Oscars—get over it, hipsters.

The latest in Spielberg’s oeuvre, “War Horse” is based on a young adult novel that tells the story of Joey, a horse sold to the army for duty on the Western Front. There he witnesses the horrors of trench warfare, brings comfort to the men who fight it, and longs to be reunited with a farmer’s son, the crestfallen Albert. I love that “War Horse” tackles familiar historical territory from the POV of a homesick colt while recognizing the role that horses played in brutal battles for centuries.

With chest-tightening military sequences and an alienated young boy at its center, “War Horse” has the makings of Spielberg gold—namely, Hollywood’s most coveted gilded statue.

Check out the War Horse trailer – complete with another three-hanky score from John Williams.

Obit? You bet! The Fascinating World of Obituaries

 One of my obsessions and true pleasures in life is reading obituaries.  It’s an odd fascination, but not if I really think about it. I love history—both the bang-the-drums watershed moment and that which is less known but far more personal. My preferred outlets for these mini-histories are the obit sections in the Sunday editions of the San Francisco Chronicle and The New York Times. Steaming cup of coffee in hand, I comb through these one minute summations of lives energetically (or unceremoniously) lived in utter fascination. Obits are, essentially, human interest stories at their most mesmerizing and least time consuming—a must for those whose schedules require a thumbnail sketch opposed to 500-page novel. Too often we do not see history beyond the timeline. But a well-written obit—one with cadence and poetry that is equal parts hilarious, sentimental, mysterious, wacky, and sometimes, near criminal—considers history from a more personal POV.  And did I mention the near-nothing time commitment?

Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about everyone you’ve never met—but probably should have—in three of my favorite books on the fascinating and oddball world of obituaries and those who write them.

The Economist Book of Obituaries  

 

 

Obit: Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Led Extroadinary Lives

The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries ()

Great Book Alert! Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin

My entire life I was convinced that books were my passion until I realized that they were the porthole to my real passion—history. (What gave it away, I wonder…the documentary collection, the repeated readings of Shelby Foote’s Civil War trilogy, the college major?).

On the book front, I’ve been on a roll lately. Somehow—and I honestly don't know how this happened—I missed Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin when it was released last year. And shame on me. Needless to say I’ve made up for lost time and devoured the non-fiction thriller in three days. 

Author Hampton Sides (Ghost Soldiers, Blood and Thunder, Americana) is a truly proficient storyteller and at top of his game with the hold-your-breath Hellhound—a lightning-quick account of the months leading up to and the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. All three of book’s principal characters—a human King; his assassin, the enigmatic James Earl Ray, and J. Edgar Hoover, a riddle who for years waged his own campaign to bring down the Civil Rights leader, but instead would be tasked with hunting down his killer. A riveting three-parter, Hellhound does the impossible—it humanizes King, while giving us a glimpse into the troubled Ray, who not only engineered an ingenious escape from prison (he was on the lam when he shot King), but very nearly evaded justice for one of the most notorious slayings in history. 

Sides is at his best when describing the moments following King’s killing (a brutal, sometimes beautiful rendering by the author), the night after his now prophetic Mountaintop Speech, when he said “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!” 

My one quibble (maybe) is that Hellhound is a little thin on Ray’s motives for killing King beyond racist comments and a connection to George Wallace’s presidential campaign—a shortcoming Sides compensates for with a compelling story and meticulous reporting. 


I encourage you to read all about it in the book! And please leave a comment to recommend what I should be reading…