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Maynard Post, Maynard's Books 'n' Stuff
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Johnson Smith Catalog
by Maynard on May 26, 2010A randomly nostalgic post by Maynard American males above a certain age will probably remember the Johnson Smith catalog. It was once part of every boy’s life, full of pranks and magic and contraptions and other fascinating stuff. And cheap, too. Every now and then you’d scrape up enough allowance money to order a few trinkets. Mostly they turned out to be flimsy and silly. The X-Ray spex couldn’t really see through girls’ clothing, and the Ventrilo didn’t actually help you throw your voice. But it didn’t matter. Johnson Smith was part of the magic of childhood. (I’m thinking maybe America was a better place when kids were less political and more interested in inducing their peers to take a...
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The Language God Talks
by Maynard on May 5, 2010A post by Maynard Here’s a book that caught my eye. I regard Herman Wouk as one of the great modern authors. Unlike so many writers of “important” literature, Wouk makes a point of creating stories that an ordinary human being can read and enjoy. Every American should at some point pick up his two novels (which are really a continuation of the same story) of World War II, “The Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance”. (See my earlier blog notes on these war books and also Wouk’s “Youngblood Hawke”.) Wouk is approaching is 95th birthday, so I was much surprised to see a new title appear: “The Language God Talks: On Science and Religion”. This is not a...
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Pasadena Babalon
by Maynard on February 25, 2010A Los Angeles theater note (sort of) by Maynard Unlike the false tolerance of political correctness in which nonconformity is condemned, Starfleet Academy was a truly eclectic place. Thus we saw more than our fair share of weirdoes. (Much more.) It’s my opinion that society needs a few weirdoes if it’s going to advance. Only a weirdo is willing to “think outside the box”. Therefore, it would have been counterproductive for a bleeding-edge institute of technological research to purge its ranks of oddballs and eccentrics. (I hasten to add that not all weirdoes are good weirdoes. No, weirdness for its own sake is not a virtue.) Anyway, Jack Parsons was a weirdo who was one of the significant rocket pioneers...
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Connections
by Maynard on February 21, 2010Maynard flails. (Be warned that what follows has nothing to do with politics or current events, and will be of interest only to navel-gazing pseudointellectuals and lunatics.) In 1963, I stumbled onto the road that would inevitably carry me to a meeting with Montmorency almost half a century later. I don’t suppose you know who Montmorency is? You get points if you do. Life is all about points. Really!
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Jack Woodford
by Maynard on December 23, 2009Maynard meanders… This one’s only for my core fans (if any). Otherwise, don’t bother.
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A Serious Man
by Maynard on October 25, 2009Maynard at the Movies I have great respect for the artistic talent of the movie-making Coen brothers. Their latest film, currently in limited theatrical release, is “A Serious Man”. The film observes an American Jewish community, focusing mainly on the trials and tribulations of one Larry Gopnik. Or then again, maybe it’s a movie about Schrödinger’s cat. Sounds fascinating, eh? Would it be surprising if I were to report the film is rather mundane? And yet… Did anyone see the Coen’s earlier “No Country for Old Men”? That was a superb movie. It took the heavy awards…Best Picture, Best Director, etc. “No Country for Old Men” was both deep and accessible (meaning you could watch it and enjoy it without...
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The Hurt Locker
by Maynard on July 23, 2009Wow, someone finally did an Iraq war film that’s not an anti-war film! That’s not to say it’s a pro-war film; rather it’s a film about people at war. But it’s a good film. If you’ve been sitting out treasonous garbage, here’s the one you waited for. Watching the movie, I was riveted. Afterwards, I had second thoughts. How realistic is this? It’s a fictional story, and I’m sure many liberties were taken. The drama was contrived, and some sequences were not quite logical. But these are quibbles. The film works. The focus is on a team that neutralizes bombs and booby traps. Watching from the safety of the theater, you feel very close to the action. A report comes,...
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Gods and Generals
by Maynard on March 2, 2009A post by Maynard I wanted to put in a word for "Gods and Generals", which is running occasionally on Cinemax (see Cinemax on Demand and the schedule). And of course there's Amazon and elsewhere. Every now and then,...
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Charlie Wilson’s War
by Maynard on December 3, 2008A post by Maynard The 2007 movie Charlie Wilson's War is showing this month on HBO. It's a fact-based docudrama about Texas politician Charlie Wilson's role in crafting the policy which drove the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan during the...
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An American Carol
by Maynard on October 15, 2008Maynard at the Movies I wasn't expecting much from An American Carol. It was mostly ignored or savaged by the critics, and the distribution is limited. But it was said to be a "conservative" movie, which would be a...
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What is Burning Man?
by Maynard on August 17, 2008I'm bumping this article from last year, since Burning Man starts next weekend. Tammy's screener/AP Nikki is a regular "Burner", so she'll be there. (Hey, Nikki, will you be able to call in and report from the scene?) As...
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The Entire History of Mankind on a Single Page!
by Tammy on July 21, 2008Maynard points to an interesting reference Wow! I was visiting my local library, trying to ignore the librarians' loud discussion about how it would be necessary to assassinate both Bush and Cheney at the same time in order to preserve...
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The Night of the Hunter
by Tammy on March 19, 2008A post by Maynard On Wednesday afternoon, after the Tammy Bruce Show, Turner Classic Movies (the cable channel) will screen "The Night of the Hunter". (Check local listings; it's at 1:30 PM Pacific Time and 4:30 PM Eastern.) This...
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