April Book Club Selection(s) - Second Time's the Charm!

Hello there Kittens!

So...Book Club.  BOOK CLUB!!  Am I excited about bringing this institution back?  More than I can express!

When I began to think about the first selection for The (newly reinstated) Vintage Project Book Club, I went through the list on the Book Club page.  I REALLY wanted to come to you with something great!  A title that would draw you back in and maybe even persuade you to join me this month!  But I couldn't stop thinking about the loose ends I'd left - the fact that the last two selections I made...well, I never finished them.

I am ashamed, but I am going to make it right!  (Doubly right!)

ALSO...the reason for choosing both titles was prompted by their relevance to Mad Men.  Both were referenced in the first and second seasons respectively and in case it's been so long that you've forgotten, I DO love me a good tie-in!  Since the second half of the last season starts on Sunday, the idea of having TWO Mad Men-inspired Book Club selections couldn't be more perfect!

Lady Chatterley's Lover was originally the March 2014 selection and with Fifty Shades still very much on our collective radar, going back and finishing this early piece of 'erotica' seems like a pretty good idea.  (Wink wink!)  While I'm sure the scandalous nature of this work that had it BANNED and resulted in a British obscenity trial in the '60's for using then unprintable words isn't nearly as shocking today, who can resist a book with such a sordid past?  Certainly not me!

Meditations in an Emergency was originally the April 2014 selection.  This collection of poetry is said to perfectly capture New York in the '60's and since I hold a special place in my heart for MidCentury poetry, I have wanted to read this collection for a VERY long time!  Another great tie-in?  April is National Poetry Month!

purchase your copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover here
purchase your copy of Meditations in an Emergency here

While Meditations in an Emergency doesn't have the salacious draw of having been on the naughty list, perhaps hearing Don Draper read from this will make you consider picking this one up?  Oh, Don, my favorite anti-hero - how sad and lovely you are, made sadder and lovelier only by Frank O'Hara's poetry...

Since I didn't finish either one of these works the first time around - okay, if I'm being perfectly honest, I never even started the second (WHO decided giving me a book club was a good idea? ;) ), I'm essentially starting from scratch and I'd LOVE for you to join me - won't you consider it?!?  For one or the other or, if you're feeling ambitious, perhaps both?!?

Happy Reading, Kittens!
XOXO!!

A Room With A View - Book Club Meeting and Movie Day

A Room With A View

E.M. Forster, 1908

Hello there Lovelies!

This post has been a long time in the making, but honestly, I just couldn't get excited about it.  Overall, Bridget and I have been very lucky in The Vintage Project Book Club picks.  The only exceptions have been The Alchemist and now A Room with a View...

I'm really not sure why A Room with a View is considered a classic because I liked the idea of this novel far more than I liked the novel itself.  Perhaps the novel gained some notoriety for the fact that the main character bucks the societal conventions of repressed Edwardian society.  Kind of.  While Lucy holds some pretty radical ideas for her time, she doesn't really stray from the expectations that people have of her and, personally, I didn't like her.  Or any of the other characters (aside from the unconventional Mr. Emerson).  I'm not sure if I can completely blame the elitist, self-righteousness that seemed to permeate the fabric of the upper class or if these characters are ALL terrible people.  That's truly a difficult decision.

I won't really get into the novel too much, and if you enjoy characters that say things like, "Stop a minute, let those two people go on or I shall have to speak to them.  I do detest conventional intercourse," then maybe this IS the book for you.  To back me up even further, Bridget couldn't even finish it, and this was HER selection!  I'll admit that the last quarter of the story was somewhat engaging, but it took too long to get there and it couldn't make up for everything that came before it.

Seeing as how I'm not selling the novel....because I'm not going to advocate you subjecting yourself to it, if you must know the story, perhaps you'll watch the film like we did.

watch the trailer

In 1985, Merchant Ivory Productions (which evidently means a lot to Anglophiles) released the film adaptation of the novel.  The film has an extraordinary cast, including a VERY young Helena Bonham Carter in her breakout role.  While the film tells a much better story than the actual story itself, I feel the need to warn you that it is a bit slow and surprisingly long.  Oh, and there's A LOT of penis in it.  Frankly I was surprised by that aspect, but it managed to make an Edwardian story that was incredibly difficult to finish much more interesting!

I mentioned the cast - Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy, Maggie Smith as Charlotte, and Judi Dench as Miss Lavish were amazing.  I may not have liked their characters, but they brought so much to the flat, irritating characters that were found on the page.  But far and away, my favorite portrayal in the film was Cecil, played by a COMPLETELY unrecognizable Daniel Day-Lewis!  Now, I know that his 'thing' is to immerse himself in a character and alter his appearance, but this was spectacular!  So spectacular, in fact, that while I knew it was him, I kept looking at him and still wasn't able to see Daniel Day-Lewis.  Can you tell that it's him?  You can?  Liar.

photo credit

My two cents?  Watch the movie.  Skip the novel.  There are so many other great reads out there, no need to waste your time with this one.  Hey, our selections can't all be winners....  So, we'll just call this a Book Club Fail and move on - here's hoping that we all enjoy the next one!

Have you been following along at home?  If so, I do apologize for this one and I hope it doesn't scare you off.  Perhaps if a few more of you join in on the fun and let me know, we will have more motivation to actually stick to our Book Club schedule.  We're using May to play a little catch up, but new selections are just around the corner!

Happy Reading!

XOXO!! 

April Book Club Selection

Hello and Happy April, Lovelies!

This year is simply FLYING by!  Even though it seems like I just did this, it's time for a new Book Club selection.  In my excitement for the new season of Mad Men, I thought I would chose another title that has a tie-in to the show.

Since Season 2 of Mad Men, I've been meaning to pick up Frank O'Hara's Meditations in an Emergency.  This collection of poetry is said to perfectly capture the pace of New York in the sixties.  And what could be more interesting that that for someone who didn't experience it firsthand?  "O'Hara, a key interpreter of the aesthetics of abstract-expressionism, was a vital presence in New York's dynamic postwar art world, whether as a curator at the Museum of Modern Art, a visionary critic, a lushly original and lyrical poet, or an unflagging, often outrageous socialite." -Donna Seaman.

Oh, did I mention that April is National Poetry Month?  Once I learned that, I knew there couldn't be a more perfect choice!

I already have my copy, if you don't have too much on your plate for today, perhaps you'll pick up a copy as well?

XOXO!!

March Book Club Selection

Hello there Kittens!

We're deep in Book Club mode now...you may have noticed that posts related to this elite organization have been coming fast and furious!  But we're not quite done yet...it's a new month.  Which means another fabulous literary selection!

Like me, I'm sure most of you have been patiently waiting (or perhaps chomping at the bit) for the new season of Mad Men to begin.  I won't lie that I'm disappointed with their decision to break up this next and final season into two mini seasons, but I'm hopefully optimistic that it's because it's going to be so amazing that they felt it would ruin us for any other shows if they gave it to us all at once.  So, in the spirit of Mad Men, I thought a novel that was featured in the series would be fitting.  And one in particular seems rather fun...

purchase your copy here

In the third episode of the series, the secretaries of Sterling Cooper have a conversation about D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover.  While I'm sure this book is relatively tame by today's Fifty Shades of Grey standards, I think a book that resulted in a British obscenity trail for using then unprintable words and was banned in multiple countries for its tawdriness is going to make for a fun read and a fun Book Club meeting!

Just look how much fun these ladies have only discussing the book for only one minute!  PS - I keep forgetting that Flo from Progressive was one of the original cast!

Is this the Book Club selection that you've been waiting for?  Why not join us this time around?  No need to be shy or nervous, I'm sure it will be absolutely titillating!

Happy Reading, Kittens!
XOXO!!

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Book Club Meeting and Movie Day

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde, 1890

Hello Lovelies!

I know this Book Club Meeting is LONG overdue (this novel was the SEPTEMBER selection), and while things have been crazy and I'm terribly behind, I couldn't NOT share this fantastic novel and the fabulous Book Club Movie Day that Bridget and I had back in January!  Better late than never, right?  While not done on purpose, this makes me think of one of the characters in the novel, 'He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time.'

If you have not read Oscar Wilde's only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, you will want to remedy that as soon as you are able.  This novel, originally published in the July 1890 edition of the monthly magazine, Lippincott's was considered obscene by the magazine and edited without Wilde's knowledge prior to publication.  Despite these revisions, social outcry and the possibility of being prosecuted on moral grounds forced Wilde to make further revisions for the version published in book form in 1890.  It was not until just recently that the unabridged version was available for purchase.  And purchase it, I did.  For this Book Club selection, I read the original uncensored version.

I read The Picture of Dorian Gray years back and LOVED it!  There was just something about this novel that resonated with me, so I enjoyed the idea of picking it up again...perhaps it's that this is one piece of literature where I cannot decide how I feel about ANY of the characters.  I love them, identify with them, and loathe them all in equal measure.  I'm not sure if that was deliberate, but something tells me that this was all part of Wilde's master plan and not some happy accident!  Wilde famously wrote in a letter that "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry is what the world thinks me: Dorian is what I'd like to be - in other ages, perhaps."  Having the three main characters essentially being different versions of himself makes this work even more interesting.  Also, a lifelong friend of mine named his daughter Dorian, which made me look at the main character in a different light.

pick up your copy here

The Picture of Dorian Gray is the story of a beautiful, naiive young man named Dorian Gray who becomes the obsession of a romantic and idealistic painter, Basil Hallward.  While sitting for his portrait, Dorian meets Basil's friend Lord Henry Wotton who dramatically alters his worldview.  While Dorian is depicted as the narcissist of the novel, I would argue that Lord Henry loves himself even more than Dorian.  Under Lord Henry's influence, Dorian becomes obsessed with his own youth and beauty while Lord Henry is obsessed with his own warped ideals and his influence over Dorian.  And while his youth and beauty are a thing of the past, he develops an obsessive way of living vicariously through Dorian.  Many cite narcissism as the theme of this novel, but I believe obsession is the driving force behind it.  

"The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink flowering thorn."  Oscar Wilde was a poet and playwright, not strictly a novelist, a fact that is very apparent with how his words appeal to the senses.  Not only are his descriptions lush, provocative, and suggestive, but those descriptions also apply to the conversations his characters have.  Wilde's style was perfect for the double entendres, sexually charged passages, and sometimes overtly homo-erotic themes, for which he came under fire.

Basil idolizes Dorian, and Lord Henry quickly follows suit.  'No wonder Basil worshipped him. He was made to be worshipped.'  The difference between Basil and Lord Henry is that Basil's infatuation leaves him intimidated and Lord Henry sees Dorian as someone he can intimidate and mold.  Lord Henry is sublimely dissatisfied with his own life and seems to take great pleasure in exerting his influence over Dorian.  During their first meeting, Henry philosophizes about the importance of beauty and youth to Dorian.  '"You have now the most marvelous youth, and youth is the one thing worth having... No, you don't feel it now.  Someday when you are old and wrinkled and ugly, when thought has seared your forehead with its lines, and passion branded your lips with its hideous fires, you will feel it, and you will feel it terribly. Now, where ever you go, you charm the world.  Will it always be so?... Yes, Mr. Gray, the gods have been good to you. But what the gods give they quickly take away. You have only a few years to really live. When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will suddenly discover that there are no more triumphs left for you... Time is jealous of you, and wars against your lilies and roses... Our looks fail, our senses rot. We degenerate into hideous puppets, haunted by the memory of the passions of which we were too much afraid, and the exquisite temptations that we did not dare yield to. Youth! Youth! There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!"'

So when Basil Hallward finishes his portrait of Dorian, the picture's perfection, coupled with Lord Henry's words, stir something inside him.  '...Now, as he stood gazing at the shadow of his own loveliness, the full reality of the description flashed across him. Yes: there would be a day when his face would be wrinkled and wizen, his eyes dim and colourless, the grace of his figure broken and deformed... The life that was to make his soul would mar his body.  He would become ignoble, hideous, and uncouth... As he thought of it, a sharp pang of pain struck like a knife across him... He felt as if a hand of ice had been laid upon his heart... "How sad it is," murmured Dorian Gray, with his eyes still fixed upon his own portrait. "How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day in June...If only it was the other way! If it was I who were to be always young, and the portrait were to grow old! For this - for this - I would give everything! Yes there is nothing in the whole world I would not give!"'

It is that thought that lays the groundwork for everything that is to follow.

In the following weeks, Dorian begins dining more frequently with Lord Henry who begins waxing poetic about his views on sin and hedonism '"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it and your soul grows sick of longing for the things that it has forbidden itself , with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful."'  (I believe that these passages about hedonism were the biggest problem that Victorian England had with Wilde and this novel.)  During that time, Dorian stumbles across a theatre and quickly falls in love with its ingenue, Sibyl Vane.  Dorian idolizes Sibyl (not unlike Basil and Lord Henry did with him) for her youth, beauty, and her acting ability.  After he proposes marriage to her, he takes Basil and Lord Henry to see her perform.  And she is terrible.  She tells Dorian that she can no longer act because he has shown her what REAL emotion is.  He is so embarrassed and disgusted by her performance that he cruelly breaks things off with her.  Upon returning home that evening, something interesting happens.  'As he was passing through the library...his eyes fell upon the portrait that Basil Hallward had painted of him. He started back in surprise, and then went over to it and examined it. In the dim arrested light that struggled through the cream-coloured silk blinds, the face seemed to him to be a little changed. The expression looked different. One would have said that there was a touch of cruelty in the mouth. It was certainly curious... Suddenly there flashed across his mind what he had said in Basil Hallward's studio the day the picture had been finished... He had uttered a harsh wish that he himself might remain young, and the portrait grow old; that his own beauty might be untarnished, and the face on the canvas bear the burden of his passions and his sins... Surely his prayers had not been answered? Such things were impossible.'

Dorian cannot bear to look upon the painting and locks it up in the attic so that he may keep his secret safe.  As time goes by, the portrait ages and becomes ugly with physical manifestation of Dorian's sins - for which there are many.  Once Dorian realized that he would never lose his youth and beauty, he seemed to feel invincible, like the world was his for the taking.  And with Lord Henry encouraging his hedonism, there was no stopping Dorian.  In the notations of the uncensored version, I learned that the idea of assessing someone's character based on physical qualities was quite common at the time.  When Basil visits Dorian to speak with him, as a friend, to make him aware of the reputation he had received, that is something that he struggles with - reconciling the stories and Dorian's appearance.  "'Mind you, I don't believe these rumors at all. At least, I can't believe them when I see you. Sin is a thing that writes itself across a man's face. It cannot be concealed. People talk of secret vices. There are no such things as secret vices. If a wretched man has a vice, is shows itself in the lines of the mouth, the droop of his eyelids, the  moulding of his hands even."'

Much like the flowers on my table (which were unexpectedly perfect for this post - the one single rose which remains fresh and beautiful while the rest grow old and die), Dorian's painted image becomes old and withered, which leaves him looking as young and beautiful as he did on that day in June.

I won't give anything further away for those of you who have not read this novel, but the concept is absolutely brilliant.  And the ending is something that you will take you completely by surprise.  I also couldn't get into too many aspects of this novel, but the character of Lord Henry goes off on some fantastic tangents - he holds very passionate views which always make for good reading - whether you agree with him or not.  And it wasn't until this second reading of the novel that I realized this is where the very famous (and very true) quote comes from.  Another musing from Lord Henry:

"Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing."

Read this novel.  NOW!  (Yes, I'm kind of yelling at you.)

While Oscar Wilde penned this novel in 1890, the theme of the importance that is placed on youth and beauty is still very prevalent in today's society.  Mainly we see this where women are concerned, so it's refreshing to see it turned around to apply to men.  Unfortunately, this is just as big a problem in the gay community which is really what Wilde was writing about without blatantly saying so.

The story of Oscar Wilde himself is nicely depicted in the film Wilde.  For our Book Club Movie Day, Bridget and I poured a few glasses of bubbly, discussed the novel, and then watched the film.  It was a fabulous day!  There are some really great lines in the movie, but I think my favorite and the most spot-on statement made in the film was by Vanessa Redgrave when she said that Oscar Wilde saw 'beauty as a religion'.  It was not only beauty and youth as is largely discussed in the novel, but also art that Wilde was obsessed with.  And since today that is not as popular a view point as it was in Victorian England, it's kind of refreshing.  If you are in any way interested in the story of Wilde's life, you may want to watch this film.  He is a fascinating literary figure who is brilliantly portrayed by Stephen Fry.  On top of that, this film has a fabulous cast of characters!

watch the trailer

Afterwards, I popped in the 2009 adaption Dorian Gray with Colin Firth and a very attractive Ben Barnes.  This film is absolutely stunning!  While it's very modern in its sensibilities and it is not a literal re-telling, I highly recommend it!

watch the trailer

There have been many film versions released over the years and I was very interested in watching the 1945 version with Angela Lansbury.  So maybe I'll do that sometime in the future.  But not today.  Today I'm going to be satisfied with getting this post put together and finally being able to check this off of my list!

Looking forward to seeing you at our next Book Club Meeting, Lovelies! 
XOXO!!

February Book Club Selection

Hello Lovelies!

Show of hands, who has missed The Vintage Project Book Club?  My hand is definitely raised.  And I'm waiving an enthusiastic hello to all of you!!

An integral part of the whole-getting-back-on-track thing that I'm doing starting right now is getting back to our much neglected Book Club.  I have a few over-due Book Club Meeting posts that I will soon be sharing, but in the meantime, let's see if we still squeeze a pretty lengthy novel in for February, shall we?

February's selection is courtesy of Bridget.  In the theme of all things February, she went with our first romance, A Room With A View by E.M. Forster.

This comes from Modern Library's list of 100 best English-language novels of the 20th Century (one of the three lists that I used to compile my list of potential Book Club reads).  It ranked 79th.  Not too shabby.  While I know absolutely nothing about this novel, I'm game to dive into it.  How about you?

I'm picking up my copy in the next few days and plan on making a good dent into this novel this weekend.  If you haven't curled up with a good book in a while, you might want to give our February selection a try.

Happy Reading, Lovelies, it's good to be back!
XOXO!!

November Book Club Hiatus

Hello there Lovelies!

This is usually the time where I reveal the new Book Club selection, but we're going to deviate from the normal program this month.

The Vintage Project Book Club has fallen a little behind.  And when I say The Vintage Project Book Club, I mean Bridge and myself.  With my schedule and the fact that Bridget, you know, got married, we've slacked a little bit when it comes to Book Club.

So we've decided that we are going to take November to catch up on Book Club meetings and finishing October's selection.  We will be back on track for December.  Join us, won't you?

Please Stand By!
XOXO!!

October Book Club Selection

Good Evening Lovelies!  And Happy October!

While we are a little behind in our Book Club activities, I still want to announce The Vintage Project Book Club selection for October.

October is one of my favorite months.  Halloween, Oktoberfest, the change of season, Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING!  But let's get back to the fact that it is this the only month where everyone embraces the darkside and vampires are EVERYWHERE!  We all know vampire lore and know to credit the picture of vampires that most of us have to Bram Stoker, but how many of us have actually READ Dracula?

I haven't.  And if you haven't either, here's your chance.

1st Edition cover

I have the feeling that the book club meeting for this novel is going to be FANTASTIC!!!  So, if you are looking to finally join the book club, I think this will be an excellent time to do so.

Happy Reading Lovelies!
XOXO!!!

L.A. Confidential - The Cinematic Experience & Book Club Meeting

L.A. Confidential

James Elroy, 1990

Hello Lovelies!

As with the Book Club Meeting for Post Office, I had initially planned to have our meeting over Brunch.  I thought a diner in Hollywood for L.A. Confidential would be perfect.  Sadly, that did not work out as planned, although I did find two really great little eateries that have been added to my list of Brunch places to try, so it wasn't a total loss.

Instead of a separate Book Club Meeting Brunch and movie night, Bridget and I combined the two.  The only other member of my book club (what will it take to convince the rest of you to join?!?) came up on Saturday morning for Brunch and a movie and it was fabulous!

If you didn't read this book, I highly suggest you do so if you can devote a good amount of time to it.  I say that because it's an epic read - 496 pages in my copy.  At first, I was not a fan of Ellroy's writing...he jumps around a lot and incorporates SO many characters, but at a certain point in the novel, his writing style started making sense.  A lot of sense.  He gives you so much backstory and has so many different story lines going for so many different characters that when it all starts to come together, you realize that he'd been weaving this rich tapestry the whole time but you hadn't yet noticed.  It was so lush and incorporated so many different elements that if you are not someone who becomes fully immersed in a story, he probably isn't the author for you, but I loved it!

Although beautifully constructed, this IS a crime novel and Ellroy has described it as, "...a book for the whole family, if the name of your fucking family is the Charles Manson family!"

It is a gritty, grisly read at times, but the major characters really pull you in and don't let go.  In the beginning, you don't really identify or care for any of them, but as time goes on and you get the backstory to understand who they are, you find yourself rooting for each of them individually.  Or at least I did.  This classic crime novel focuses on three separate crimes that you come to discover are all interwoven:  a 1950 shootout for legendary gangster Mickey Cohen's heroine, the 1951 'Bloody Christmas' beating at the Hollywood Police Station, and the 1953 'Night Owl Massacre' multiple homicide at the Night Owl coffee shop.

The heroine shootout establishes the tone and the writing style for L.A. Confidential, while the 'Bloody Christmas' incident in lockup at the police station begins establishing the characters of the novel.  The Christmas beatings of four Hispanic men arrested for assaulting two police officers was fueled by the fact that the officers were having a Christmas party and had been drinking heavily.  Understandably they were upset about two of their own being beaten, but you soon learn that the police department was no stranger to using violence to solve most matters.  Some of the arrestees later recanted their testimony and Officer Bud White asks Captain Dudley Smith how he got them to do that.  He responded with no words, but instead,  "Smith laid brass knucks on the table: chipped, caked with blood."

Though the violence of this novel is in the forefront, the underlying theme here is the idea that nothing is as it seems.  Everyone has something to hide and what you see is rarely the truth.  "And the thing about secrets, Jack, is that everybody's got them.  Including you."  Every character in this novel is hiding something, fighting demons from their past, and putting up façades.  Well before the 1950's in which this novel is set and well into the present, façades and illusion have been an integral part of Los Angeles' history and identity and that is nowhere more apparent than in Pierce Patchett's business of running call girls:
"What Terry Lux does do is alter girls for Pierce's little studio.  There's Ava and Kate and Rita and Betty.  Read that as Gardner, Hepburn, Hayworth, and Grable.  Pierce finds girls with middling resemblances to movie stars, Terry performs plastic surgery for exact resemblances...Perverse?  Perhaps."
"Lux cut you to look like Veronica Lake?"
"No, I refused...I'm really a brunette, but the rest is me."

Ironically, the only character in this novel that knows exactly who she is the one that has to pretend to be someone else.  Lynn Bracken is Patchett's Veronica Lake and is the shining beacon of glamour in the dark world that Ellroy has created.  I've always been fascinated with the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles and this novel perfectly captures the element of this city and its history that is so often swept under the rug.  L.A. Confidential is a very serious read that is peppered with the humor and the stereotypical lingo of the day.  The great balance is that Ellroy confines this to the excepts from the tabloid magazine Hush Hush:  "The Mick also ran bookmaking, loansharking, gambling, prostitution, and dope rackets and killed an average of a dozen people a year.  Nobody's perfect, right, Hepcat?  You leave your toenail trimmings on the bathroom floor, Mickey sends people on the night train to Slice City.  Dig it, Hepcat: people also tried to kill Mickey!!!  A mensch like that?- No!!!  Yes, Hepcat, what goes around comes around."

After a few mimosas and a veggie scramble, Bridget and I settled in for the 1997 adaptation of Ellroy's novel.  This film was nominated for nine Academy awards but only took home two - Best Supporting Actress (Kim Basinger) and Best Adapted Screenplay.  Unfortunately this was the year of Titanic, which means it lost Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Dramatic Score, and Best Sound Mixing...all to Titanic.  Yes, I never saw it (seriously), but how a Film Noir of this caliber did not take home Best Cinematography, I will never know.  It was breathtakingly beautiful.  Time ranked L.A. Confidential the best film of 1997.  Smart cookies.  And while it did not win the Academy Award for Best Picture, is has been at the top of MULTIPLE film lists for that year and was also voted by the Los Angeles Times as the best film set in Los Angeles in the past 25 years.

Watch the trailer.

It had been a very long time since I watched this film and I had forgotten most of the particulars.  After reading such a long, involved novel with so many characters and subplots, I was trying to remember how they had turned the novel into a cohesive film.  In watching the special features afterwards, even James Ellroy thought his work was unadaptable!  But the screenwriters, Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson (who also directed the film) did an amazing job!!  The film introduces the three main characters in a very matter of fact way that, in retrospect, is the first clue that this film's plot is much more streamlined and cohesive than the novel's because it focused only on the three main crimes and the three main characters.  As Ellroy stated in the special features, he was very happy with how the film turned out and since so much had to be cut from his original story, he felt that 80% was still specific to the book, which in a way kept it separate and special.

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The casting in this film is superb!  When this film was made in 1997, two of the three main roles went to unknowns - Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce.  This was done partially due to financial constraints since these types of films usually do not do well at the box office and had to be done on a relatively small budget.  Another reason for casting relative unknowns in these two roles was so that the audience wouldn't have any preconceived notions about these two characters since what you see is not what you get.

Both Russell Crowe as Bud White and Guy Pierce as Ed Exley are great, but Kevin Spacey as Jack Vincennes and James Cromwell as Dudley Smith are truly spectacular!

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Another perfect choice is the casting of Kim Basinger as Lynn Bracken.  Lynn is the Veronica Lake of Pierce's little studio and she ended up looking so much like her it was crazy!

photo credit

Just like in the novel, Lynn brought so much glamour to this film.  While I own almost no white clothing and absolutely no white furniture, this dress and her apartment made me rethink those choices.  How incredibly fabulous is this?  Everything surrounding this character is soft and is dripping with 1940's glamour which is so starkly different from the rest of the film.

photo credit

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Another perfect casting choice was Brenda Bakke as Lana Turner!  This scene where Exley thinks she is just one of Patchett's girls is one of the film's highlights!
"A two-bit hooker cut to look like Lana Tuner is still a hooker."
"That IS Lana Turner."
Cue Lana Turner throwing her drink in Exley's face!  This interaction was not in the book, and I feel like Ellroy kicked himself for not having thought of it himself.  It was hilarious!!

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The costuming and the casting really bring you into this world and into the story.  And the amazing locations really put it over the top!  Perhaps a post just dedicated to the many locations is necessary.  Actually, there were a few kismet moments later that very night, so stay tuned - it's going to be fabulous!

While the film is not nearly as saturated with characters and sub-plots as the novel, I'm not going to delve into much more except to say that watching it again reminded me why I consider this one of my favorites!  After a while, I tend to forget certain details, but I remember the impact that a novel or a film have on me in a very visceral way.  L.A. Confidential is one of those experiences for me each time I watch it!

What do you think Lovelies?  Did you read the novel on your own?  Have you watched the film recently?  Does it affect you in the same way?

XOXO!!

September Book Club Selection

Good Evening Lovelies and Happy Long Weekend!

Per usual, I'm slightly behind in posting.  There are some Book Club related items which I need to share with you, and since I do not want to find myself even further behind, I am keeping on schedule with the September selection for The Vintage Project Book Club!

As I did earlier this year, I started doing some research and came up with a list of potential novels for the next few months.  I do love a good tie-in, and since the October selection will be a nice compliment to the spirit of Halloween that I will be immersing myself in, I thought I would also chose something slightly darker, a bit macabre or morbid in its sensibilities for September since we will be holding that Book Club meeting in October.  While September's novel is not overtly grisly or gory, it is a beautifully haunting and disturbing work of Gothic fiction, meaning it contains elements of both horror and romance.  I thought it was perfect!

Behold, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde!

The first publication of this novel was in the July 1890 edition of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine

While I have read this before, I have been meaning to re-read it for a while and I thought it would be a great title to introduce you to if you are not already familiar.  I have come to learn that Wilde's original text was only published in Lippincott's and the first edition which was published only a year later was heavily edited in order to be considered less vulgar and immoral.  This 1891 version was still met with outrage in England's Victorian society and was edited numerous times in the first few printings.  The original version was only released within the last few years and essentially all the copies floating around are based off the heavily edited (and much longer) version.  Since that is the version that I already own, I will be reading both that version and also the uncensored version that I just purchased.  I am looking forward to comparing the two!  Super nerdy, I know.

Mild by today's standards, why not join me in September in reading what the British press of 1891 called "vulgar", "unclean", and "poisonous"?  It's going to be oh so much fun!

XOXO

August Book Club Selection

Good Evening Lovelies and Happy August!

It's crazy how this year feels like it's just flying by!  Every time I turn around, I'm making a new Book Club Selection!  And I'm at it again...

Admittedly, I'm still working on last month's selection, but I hope to finish that in the next few days.  After such a long novel, I was looking for something slightly shorter.  A few months back, I took a look at my schedule and planned out about three month's worth of novels which gave me ample time to scout out old copies of a few of the older novels.  This month is the first in a while that I didn't know until the night of posting what this month's would be, so I wanted something contemporary as I do not have the time for any early edition searching.  I wanted to go back to the BBC list since all the other novels that are part of the L.A. Weekly Tournament looked like they would pale in comparison to L.A. Confidential if they were read back to back.  So, I'm going as far from Old Hollywood Noir as possible.  I'm going to The Alchemist.  

First edition cover.  Purchase your own copy here.

I know that this novel has been part of the Book Club circuit for a while now and we may be late to this party, but since neither Bridget nor I ever got around to reading it, I think it's a good choice!  Finally, we'll see what all the fuss is about.

"A magical little volume."  - San Francisco Chronicle
"[His] books have had a life-enchanting effect on millions of people." - London Times

If you've also never read this novel, perhaps this is a good time for you to join The Vintage Project Book Club!

Will you be joining us this time around?  We'd be thrilled to have you!
XOXO

Brunch 07.07.2013 - Post Office Book Club Meeting

Post Office

Charles Bukowski, 1971

The Misfit, Santa Monica

Hello Lovelies!

Have you ever been super impressed with yourself?  It happens to me CONSTANTLY.  And the fact that I planned ahead for the June Book Club meeting for Post Office was just one of those instances.  Since there were three of us reading this novel and all three of us thoroughly enjoy Brunch, I thought it would be the perfect setting for this meeting.  Shortly after I announced the June selection, I put an invite together for Brunch on Sunday, July 7, though I was not exactly sure where we would be going.  After reading the novel, it was very apparent what type of venue would be appropriate.

A bar.

Since I have had The Misfit on my list of places to visit for a few months now and I knew that they served Brunch, I thought it was the absolute perfect opportunity to go!

Unfortunately, one of the fabulous Book Club members was unable to attend at the last minute, so that left Bridget and myself to enjoy a most FAB Brunch.  This is my new favorite spot.  And you're about to see why!

Per usual, we ordered a French Press full of fabulous coffee and got right to perusing the Brunch cocktails.

We both decided on the Bijou.  And it was heaven!!  Mine even came with a halo.

While the description on the menu sounded quite tasty yet somewhat plain, what was put in front of us was a fizzy glass of infused vodka, grapefruit juice, and bubbly poured over a cube of raw sugar.  So much better than we had expected!  Really, how often does that happen??

The lovely East Coast Bridget.  Wearing a suit for Brunch and totally classing up the place.

I have always felt strongly that the best food choices are made with a drink in hand, and that's exactly how we made our selections.

While the Brunch menu (in the box) is quite limited, they were some very yummy looking options.

I chose the Wild Mushroom Omelet

This French-style Omelet was light and fluffy and full of Gruyere and herbs.  It was lovely.

Bridget ordered the Shakshuka which was so spicy her "brow started dewing", but she requested a second order of bread to sop up all the yumminess that was set in front of her.  Draw your own conclusions.

Before we get to all the grittiness of the novel (yes, we had to remind ourselves of the fact that the main purpose of Brunch was to discuss Post Office), I'd like to show you around The Misfit a bit.  If you don't understand why I need to live in this place, we should really part ways now...

The only fault I could really find with The Misfit was the fact that the mirrors seem to have been neglected...

LOVED the recessed ceiling detailing!

"I love you to the point of madness."  I am enamored with this phrase...leave it to the French!

We will definitely be coming back for Happy Hour (though our Brunch cocktails fell into this category)!

As if the whole experience wasn't fabulous enough, after Brunch we received a complementary chocolate chip cookie with sea salt.  Probably the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever eaten.  Seriously.

I think it's pretty clear that we only did a very minimal amount of actual Book Club business, so we got to that after we left The Misfit.  Discussing this particular novel was something that could be done rather quickly as it was very short and a rather easy read.  Bridget and I both agreed that while this novel was short, it was exactly as long as it needed to be in order to still keep our interest.  I didn't particularly like Henry, our protagonist, but I didn't particularly dislike him either.  Bridget likened him to the anti-heroes that virtually every '90's sitcom was built around, though I disagree.  Those characters tended to have some incredibly likable attributes.  This one didn't.

There weren't many redeeming qualities that Henry himself had but he was real and the writing style was gritty, entertaining, and at times it was very funny - though I would not say it was 'one of the funniest books ever written' as is claimed on the cover.  While in no way was this book terribly literary in its use of foreshadowing or symbolism or any other classic elements, there was a charm about this work...it felt less like a novel and more like storytelling, a man telling HIS story.  In this case, the storyteller was a dirty old man with whiskey on his breath, swaying from side to side in his ratty old chair.  Bridget put it best when she said that she felt hungover after reading Post Office.  Hence the bar for Brunch.

Bukowski modeled Henry Chinaski after himself and did not sugarcoat his love of drink.

I do love a man with a cat.

I knew I was about to read something unlike anything I'd read before with the (anti)dedication...

"This is presented as a work of fiction and dedicated to nobody."

While this is more of a rambling story than anything else, there are some rather amusing passages and situations.  They are honest and many times, not particularly pretty, but it's refreshing since you rarely see them in most works since many take them themselves far too seriously.  "But I couldn't help thinking, god, all these mailmen do is drop in their letters and get laid. This is the job for me, oh yes yes yes."  Sometimes there was humor and other times there was self deprecation and humor laced with deep sadness.  "I was lost in the dark and the rain. Was I some kind of idiot, actually? Did I make things happen to myself? It was possible. It was possible that I was subnormal, that I was lucky just to be alive."

There isn't much about this novel to summarize as the plot is far less important than the experience of reading it.  And while I first thought that I wouldn't be reading any of his other works, I'm not so sure about that anymore because, aside from some vulgarity that was even a little much for me, I really liked the experience of reading Post Office.  So much so that I did it in just one sitting.  There's this authenticity in the picture that Bukowski paints of the experience working in the Post Office since the story is autobiographical - he seems to have only changed a few names along the way.  The novel was published very shortly after he left the post office after working there for nearly 12 years and in a letter written to a friend of his, he explains, "I have one of two choices - stay in the post office and go crazy...or stay out here and play at writer and starve. I have decided to starve."  Another very authentic aspect of the novel is his depiction of Los Angeles - a depiction which can only come from someone who has spent their entire life here.  Southern California natives do not feel the need to only show the glitz that most people associate with L.A.  The seedy underbelly, the grit, the fact that it is the birthplace of the Noir genre is such a large part of this city's history and Bukowski had seen and felt it all.  His family moved to South Central Los Angeles when he was just 10 years old and he never really left - spending the rest of his life living in various places in L.A., in mostly rough areas which greatly influenced his writing.  In 1986, Time called Bukowski a "laureate of American lowlife".  If you want an idea of Bukowski's voice, you can take a short tour of L.A. with him.  It's especially fun because he seems to have had a few drinks before (and possibly during) this little tour from 1985!

I hope you enjoyed the June Book Club Selection.  If you didn't read it last month and you need a short, interesting read, you might consider picking up Post Office.  Also, if you haven't made up your mind about joining the Book Club for July, I have the feeling that while The Misfit is my new favorite Brunch spot, the outing for July's Book Club Meeting is going to be far more fabulous than this one!  It's going to be quite the field trip!!

I hope to see you all at the next Book Club meeting!  Happy reading lovelies!!
XOXO

July Book Club Selection

Good Morning Lovelies!

And happy July!  Not only last month, but the entire year, has simply flown by!  And it occurred to me last night while working VERY late, that I should really announce The Vintage Project Book Club's July Selection before people started heading off for the long weekend.  This time it's even more important that I let you know as early as possible since this one is very long.

The novel I'm referring to is James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential.

This is the first edition cover.  Find your copy here.

The 1997 movie adaptation is one of my favorites and I'm very excited to read the novel!  I will be going to Mexico later this month and I think this will be pretty fantastic to read while lounging by the pool!  So if any of you are headed out of town over the long weekend and plan on spending some quality time with yourself poolside, you might want to pick up a copy and join the ranks of the Book Club.

"Ellroy is a master at juggling plot lines, using a stripped, spare noir style that hits like a cleaver but is honed like a scalpel." - Chicago Tribune

If the review above and the film aren't incentive enough to join the Book Club for July, perhaps telling you that the Book Club Meeting will consist of Brunch and a Field Trip will...

Let me know if you are interested Lovelies, I'd be tickled to have you!
XOXO

Nineteen Eighty-Four - Book Club Meeting

Nineteen Eighty-Four

George Orwell, 1949

Good Evening Lovelies!  And welcome to The Vintage Project Book Club's May meeting.  This meeting seems to be quite late, but the May selection piqued the interest of my Mad Men partner in crime, Bridget and was officially the first time the Book Club had more than one member (that one member being me).  We had the official meeting right after I got back from my trip to Georgia, but it's taken me a while to get this post put together.  In an effort to not have this happen again, I have already set the date for the June Book Club meeting - and things just keep getting better and better as this time we've added yet another member!  Looks like The Vintage Project Book Club is becoming more and more appealing to you guys and I couldn't be happier about that!

If you've been paying attention, you already know that I have quite an affinity for old books.  Since this novel resonated with me so deeply when I first read it (despite not remembering many of the details), I found a first American edition!  This has been my most exciting literary purchase to date!!

I tried my hardest to do our Book Club Meeting for Nineteen Eighty-Four before I left for Georgia, but that didn't work out as planned, so we moved the meeting to the day after I got back.  On June 18, at 8:00, the first official meeting with a second member was called to order.  Since my previous meetings consisted of me simply reviewing the novels, I was quite entertained when Bridget came up with a notepad and her IPad and asked me, "Okay, so just how hard is your Book Club?"  WHAT?  Really?  There is nothing hard about it, I just want to discuss the novels.  Port is cute and all, but he doesn't have much insight when it comes to analyzing literary devices.  This is usually his contribution:

So let's get down to it, shall we?

'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.'  I am always fascinated with how a novel begins and this one very quickly established the bleak, cold world of Oceania.  In the world that Orwell creates in this novel, the globe is divided into three superstates - Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia.  Oceania is essentially the British Isles, North America, South America, and Australia, though there is always room for doubt when it comes to whether or not the world actually functions in this fashion.  Either way, the people of England are made to believe this is true and that the three superstates are at constant war with one another.

Bridget had never read this novel and was amazed at how many of Orwell's concepts have been adopted into our collective consciousness and how many of his phrases and terms are used in everyday speech.  The most notable is the idea of Big Brother and that he is watching you.  'The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At the end of it a colored poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features...the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it read.'  The poster of Big Brother is most likely the inspiration for the Obey clothing posters.  Though, credited as being inspired by Andre the Giant, the concept is straight out of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Every aspect of Oceania is rooted in propaganda.  London is cold, bleak, and grey.  It is a place where everyone is kept living in poverty and, thus, have no means of even attempting to question or stand up to the Party.  'Outside...there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere. The black-mustachio'd face gazed down from every commanding corner...in the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a blue bottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the Police Patrol snooping into people's windows. The patrols did not matter, however. Only the Thought Police mattered.'  The Thought Police could be in helicopters, co-workers, people you passed on the street, or they could be sitting in some back room somewhere watching you through your telescreens which were installed in every house or apartment.  'The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the line of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time...You had to live - did live from habit that became instinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.'

The Thought Police is ultimately what our protagonist, Winston Smith, is most afraid of.  Winston is a part of the Outer Party and works in the Ministry of Truth.  His job is to constantly re-write history to suit the needs of the Party.  The government of Oceania is run by the Inner Party and the Thought Police are an integral part of keeping everyone in line.  Winston fears the systematic brainwashing that the Party is successfully controlling people with - he knows how information is manipulated (sound familiar?) and how the Party is stripping people of their own individual memories and knows that it is only a matter of time before his treason of thought is found out.  'The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed...the essential crime the contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. It was always at night - the arrests invariably happened at night...People simply disappeared, always during the night. Your name was removed from registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word.'  The Thought Police sought out people guilty of Thoughtcrime by small tells - involuntary gestures, facial ticks, and whether you actually did anything or not, they put an end to the treason before you had the chance to do anything or corrupt anyone else.  '"...We are not interested in those stupid crimes you have committed. The Party is not interested in the overt act; the thought is all we care about."'  The concept of Thought Crime and the Thought Police was the inspiration for the novel and movie Minority Report.

'He was alone. The past was dead, the future unimaginable. What certainty had he that a single human creature now living was on his side? And what way of knowing that the dominion of the Party would not endure (for ever)?'  The brilliance of Orwell and this novel is how it impacts the reader.  There are sparks of hope that Winston can overthrow the Party, but overall, the bleakness of this society looms over everything.  Even when Winston meets Julia, a like-minded young woman, and they begin a relationship in secret, you are never able to forget that people who acknowledge what the Party is doing are few and far between.  The three slogans of the Party are absolutely terrifying when you consider that most people accept them whole heartedly...

'WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH'

As many of my Book Club posts have been quite lengthy so as to review the plot, this novel is less plot-driven and more terrifyingly political, focusing on the manipulation of facts, history, and human psychology.  While many of these concepts can be seen in a countries like North Korea, Orwell took this political ideology to an extreme that you can only hope is the exception rather than the rule in even the most extreme countries.  And while his concepts ARE extreme, when you think about it, in a society that is cut off from everything else, one that only receives government sanctioned information, many of these concepts could be possible.

'"Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your choosing...In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy - everything...There will be no loyalty, except loyalty toward the Party. There will be no love, except love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except laughter of the triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science...There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of love. All competing pleasures will be destroyed...If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face - forever."'

'"We control life, Winston, at all its levels. You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us. But we create human nature. Men are infinitely malleable...If you are a man, Winston, you are the last man. Your kind is extinct; we are the inheritors. Do you understand that you are alone? You are outside history, you are nonexistent."'

This concept is truly terrifying - a Rosemary's Baby kind of terrifying, but instead of all the people in your neighborhood being in on a dastardly plan, Orwell expands this to an entire government.  Sometimes I look at the Republican party in the this way.  In the United States, we have people who are trying to dictate what women, minorities, and the LGBT community can and cannot do based on religious fanaticism and fear mongering.  In the world today, you can see the manipulation of information to suit a specific need online, on TV, and in the few newspapers that are left.  Fortunately Orwell was not entirely correct with his timeline, for 1984 was a tacky and flamboyant year for fashion.  People were not relegated to the blue overalls of the Party, but brightly colored ensembles, usually incorporating parachute pants.

And instead of the songs for Hate Week, we had music that made people happy to be alive, unlike the zombies that Oceania was creating.

If you've read this novel, you know that I left out A LOT - there was just too much to cover.  But the question that I kept asking myself was, 'What's the point?'  What was the Party trying to do in creating a country of robots?  People with no thoughts of their own, no industry, no trade, nothing that would really sustain a country.  I love what Orwell did, how he was able to look to the future and give us a warning of the world we were in for if totalitarian nations were not stopped.  Without being a total downer, much of what he described is happening all over the globe, though to a lesser extent.  And that's the mark of a great novel - one that keeps you thinking and analyzing and applying concepts.

Though you've missed the Book Club meeting, if you didn't read this novel in May, you owe it to yourself to read it if you never have, or re-read it if you haven't read it since high school.

What did you think of this selection, Lovelies?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

See you at the next Book Club meeting!!
XOXO