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Maynard Post, Maynard's Books 'n' Stuff, Movies
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Maynard’s Movie Note: American Pastoral
by Maynard on October 24, 2016This isn't necessarily a recommendation, but "American Pastoral", now in theaters, is worth a note. It's based on Philip Roth's novel; the story of an American family disrupted by the controversies and radical politics of the 1960's.
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How Much Government?
by Maynard on December 4, 2014I'm bumping this old 4th-of-July post because of its fundamental relevancy to the Eric Garner case. Aside from the immediate questions of ascertaining blame for a man's death, it's worth asking why this micro-industry of selling cigarettes even exists, and the appropriateness of the regulatory structures that are backed up by police enforcement.
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Maynard’s Movie Note: The Beaver
by Maynard on May 17, 2011I don’t think I’m giving anything away in saying that Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver” is a tale of a man with “issues”. This is the sort of film that inherently interests me (Maynard), assuming it’s done well. Say what you will about his real-life problems; Mel Gibson is a genius, and he’s the perfect actor for this role because he understands the character inside and out. And Jodie Foster, too, has an eye for misfits; she’s sympathetic but not overly sentimental, and has a deft sense of the irony and quirky humor of this situation. If you’ve got a soft spot for offbeat drama, you might want to catch this one. It’s quite good, although I’d say it falls short...
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Remembering German Hyperinflation
by Maynard on May 11, 2011A history note by Maynard. In the aftermath of World War I, the fiscal irresponsibility of the short-lived Weimar Republic plunged the German nation into the hyperinflation of the early 1920’s. The German Mark was devalued on an hourly basis, and yesterday’s fortune rapidly became today’s wastepaper. I mean that literally; pictured here are worthless bills in the street (see this page for more photos). German hyperinflation was a much-remembered event as the 1960’s rolled along and American inflation heated up. But we pushed our own stagflation aside, at least for a while, and today this bit of history is largely forgotten. Hyperinflation happens in Zimbabwe, not rich places like Europe and America. Let me pause here to mention that...
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Book Note: “Earth Abides”
by Maynard on February 22, 2011A post by Maynard There’s a select genre of end-of-the-world novels, and I wanted to put in a word for what may be the best of them. That would be George R. Stewart’s Earth Abides, which is the tale of a survivor. This is a hauntingly beautiful book, and completely detached from today’s frantic reality. The Earth is decimated by a sudden plague (I’m not giving anything away here; this scenario becomes clear in the opening pages), and one man is mysteriously spared. What he finds and what he does — well, let me just say that reading these pages is like living through the experience, and feeling every pang of triumph and tragedy that a human being can encounter....
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Atlas Shrugged, the Movie?
by Maynard on February 12, 2011A post by Maynard Ayn Rand is one of those lightning rod names. Speak it aloud and you’ll get a strong reaction, one way or another. But do people really know Rand, or do they just express what they’re supposed to feel? Personally I’m an advocate, but I’ll stop short of being an acolyte. Rand was a genius, and she said what needed to be said; things that others had neither the courage nor the articulation to express. If you haven’t been exposed to Rand, you’re missing a fundamental piece of the puzzle. However, she had her blind spots. To rely too heavily on Rand’s philosophy to the complete exclusion of others seems to me unrealistic. To understand Rand more...
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Maynard’s (Non-Political) Book Note: “The Egyptian”
by Maynard on February 3, 2011A post by Maynard If you’ve got an eye for a good book, take a peek at Mika Waltari’s novel, The Egyptian. This was first published in Finland in 1949, and went on to take the world by storm. It became a best-seller, and has remained in print ever since. From the Amazon page: The Egyptian outsold every other novel published in 1949, and remains a classic; readers worldwide have testified to its life-changing power. It is a full-bodied re-creation of a largely forgotten era in the world’s history: the Egypt of the 14th century B.C.E., when pharaohs and gods contended with the near-collapse of history’s greatest empire. This epic tale encompasses the whole of the then-known world, from Babylon...
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Maynard’s Movie Roundup
by Maynard on January 19, 2011Maynard posts his movie notes Here’s what I saw over the holiday. First, we have the Coen brothers‘ presentation of True Grit. The Coens are my favorite filmmakers. They aspire to remind us of our American and spiritual heritage. Their movies are entertaining and uplifting. My favorite Coen films are “Fargo”, “Raising Arizona”, “No Country for Old Men”, and “A Serious Man”. Those are, in my eyes, sublime. “True Grit” was merely excellent. Here are the thoughts of other reviewers. Then there was The King’s Speech, a historical drama based upon the personal struggle of England’s King George VI, prior to ascending to the throne, to deal with a debilitating stutter. These were in the tense days before the Second...
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Los Angeles Screening of “Barry Lyndon”
by Maynard on December 3, 2010A note by Maynard This Sunday, December 5, at 7:30 PM, there will be a rare screening of Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 masterpiece, Barry Lyndon at Hollywood’s historic Egyptian Theatre. Click here for program details. I thought this worth mentioning because Barry Lyndon is an amazingly powerful and sumptuous film. But its appeal is limited (meaning that most of you won’t be interested and should ignore this message). If this is for you, then you know who you are. You know you won’t find many chances to see this at such a great place.
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Author Note: Barbara Holland
by Maynard on November 28, 2010An author that caught Maynard’s eye… Be warned that there’s nothing political here. Or, to the extent that anything political happens, you’ll likely find it to be disagreeable, regardless of your orientation. Ms. Holland is clearly a crank who was too smart for her own good, and with antisocial tendencies to boot. So she retreated to the family Unabomber-class shack in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and wrote books. I was saddened to find that she died two months ago, aged 77. How did Barbara Holland come on my radar? Ah, I remember. I was perusing the eBay listings of used books (one of my most serious vices, in that I can find no excuse to give it up), and a...
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Goodman Goes Playboy
by Maynard on October 11, 2010A sleazy, rambling post by Maynard about the degradation of American culture; which nevertheless clings to a lifeline of humor Okay, today I’m posting sleaze. This isn’t the same as trash, or at least that’s my opinion. But I’m somewhere in the borderland between PG-13 and R. If this concerns you, then read no further.
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Literature of the American Apocalypse
by Maynard on October 4, 2010A meandering inquiry by Maynard (so please blame Maynard and not Tammy for the following perusal of dubious material) For the purposes of writing this blurb, I’m going to pretend we’re all mature adults. This isn’t strictly true in my case, except to the extent that I hope I can refer to questionable literature without getting blamed for its accompanying baggage. If I leaf through Mein Kampf, it’s not necessarily because Adolf Schicklgruber is my hero. I’m not a big fan of political literature. I’d rather read novels that have something to say about the human condition, with maybe a bit of history thrown in. Or I might pick up an insightful biography or autobiography. Selected fantasy or science fiction...
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Movie: “The Great Buck Howard”
by Maynard on August 31, 2010Maynard posts a note about a (non-political) movie you’ve never heard of and (to be honest) probably won’t be interested in, but he’s going to put it up anyway, just because. “The Great Buck Howard”, released to the art house cinema circuit a year or two ago, caught my eye this week as it came around on the Showtime cable channel. John Malkovich, who gets attached to unusual stuff, plays the titular Buck Howard. Ricky Jay is also involved, and Jay is a fountain of weirdly eclectic knowledge. This isn’t a movie with wide appeal, but it’s unlikely to be ordinary. Might be my kind of thing.
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Atlas Shrugged, the Movie?
by Maynard on July 27, 2010A post by Maynard I’m a great fan of Atlas Shrugged, but I’d be surprised if anyone could turn it into a decent movie. So we can hope for the best, but our enthusiasm must be cautious. First the bad news. No, Angelina Jolie isn’t in this. On the positive side, Variety says its actually filming. That makes it real, and not just another Hollywood rumor. Lots of projects never get off the ground. The long-brewing feature version of author Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” has begun shooting in Los Angeles as a $5 million indie produced by John Aglialoro and Harmon Kaslow. Cameras began rolling over the weekend on a five-week shoot for “Atlas Shrugged Part One” with Paul Johansson...
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Post-Mortem: The Duke Rape Case
by Maynard on July 22, 2010A post by Maynard We heard about the infamous Duke University rape case in bits and pieces over time, and most of this "news" was driven by political agendas. Now that the story has wound down, it's worthwhile to...