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 | Tony Pisarenkov Member since November 2002 Last login on 21 November 2009 |
| New Orleans Sketches by William Faulkner, 173 pages Tony Pisarenkov 21 November 2009 A delightful collection of Faulkner's early sketches, written when he lived briefly in New Orleans in 1924-1925, and inspired by it. Very enjoyable, and made more so by my recent trip there. The editor's introduction is very well-written as well and gives some interesting information on Faulkner's early life. | The Conformist by Alberto Moravia, 376 pages Tony Pisarenkov 01 November 2009 Though I've seen the movie twice, reading the book reminded me how much I didn't remember about it. I initially had some misgivings about Moravia's style, but in the end it worked. |
GULAG: A History by Anne Appelbaum, 677 pages Tony Pisarenkov 03 October 2009 Let's face it: most of us will never have the fortitude to get through Solzhenitsyn's opus. This book is the best substitute. |
In the Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent, 342 pages Tony Pisarenkov 27 July 2009 An absolutely fascinating and very well-written account of artificial languages throughout history, their inventors' frequently outsized personalities, and the motivation behind their quixotic undertakings. Heartily recommended. |
Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization by W. Hodding Carter, 241 pages Tony Pisarenkov 19 July 2009 Surprisingly interesting and occasionally very funny. A little heavy on the solid waste removal aspect of plumbing for my taste. |
Death on the Installment Plan by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, 592 pages Tony Pisarenkov 05 July 2009 Had its moments, but on the whole -- definitely a slog. Céline's Journey... was much better, and that's saying something. |
Surrender on Demand by Varian Fry, 272 pages Tony Pisarenkov 18 April 2009 Fry, as the representative of the Emergency Rescue Committee in Marseille from August 1940 until September 1941, is credited with saving over 1,000 refugees from Nazi-occupied France, most of them clandestinely. It is a shame he is not better known. This is his fascinating and occasionally chilling memoir. Highly recommended. |
Left Bank by Herbert Lottman, 319 pages Tony Pisarenkov 07 April 2009 An enjoyable history of a fairly narrow subject: political involvement and allegiances on the part of intellectuals, particularly writers, in France between 1930 and 1950. Recommended if you care about that sort of thing, and want to get an impression of how pervasive Communism was in France before De Gaulle. |
Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time by Phyllis Rose, 321 pages Tony Pisarenkov 24 March 2009 A lot about her time, which is interesting, but less than one might expect about Baker herself. Informative, but didn't really draw me in. |
Gullible's Travels by Cash Peters, 276 pages Tony Pisarenkov 15 March 2009 Only occasionally funny. |
The Soviet Story   Tony Pisarenkov The Cato Institute, Washington, DC 02 November 2009 A documentary on the Soviet Union, its collusion with the Nazis in 1939-1940, and, following its joining the Allies, the West's continued reluctance to indict the Soviets fully for the horrors they perpetrated throughout the country's existence. Occasionally didactic in tone, but highly recommended nonetheless, for its chilling archival footage if nothing else. | It Might Get Loud Tony Pisarenkov Landmark E St. Theatre, Washington, DC 14 September 2009 Had its moments, but on the whole couldn't decide whether it wanted to be about How To Communicate Your Great Art To The World Through Music or a guitar geek-fest. It also had more than a whiff of an ego trip for jack White about it. |
Future War (MST3K version) Tony Pisarenkov DVD chez C.&S. 03 January 2009 Rating of movie: 1 Rating of MST3K commentary: 8 I forgot how funny those guys could be |
For Your Consideration Tony Pisarenkov DVD at the in-laws 25 December 2008 Christopher Guest's send-up of Hollywood. Easy target, but has a wider appeal for it. |
The Corpse Vanishes Tony Pisarenkov DVD at home 31 October 2008 Do you mean to tell me that this Dr. Lorenz is both a hypnotist and a horticulturalist?! |
The Maltese Falcon Tony Pisarenkov DVD at home 16 September 2008 Nice visuals made for a good mood piece, but I forgot just how hokey and lame the dialog was. |
Flic ou Voyou Tony Pisarenkov DVD chez Pisarenkov the Elder 05 September 2008 On me dit que j'ai vu ce film à l'age de six ans à Moscou, et que mon père m'a fait entrer clandistenement dans le cinema parce que j'etait trop jeune. |
The Big Lebowski Tony Pisarenkov DVD chez G&N 23 August 2008 Initially, had its moments but didn't do much for me as a whole, until I realized that (a) I am simply not in the mood for comedies these days and (b) it got a lot more creative and funnier once I thought about it a bit and discussed it with others. |
Let's Get Lost Tony Pisarenkov Landmark E St. Theatre, Washington, DC 07 March 2008 Pretty decent documentary on Chet Baker, though some of the more impressionistic, "mood" footage comes across as a bit self-conscious. The film did not redeem Baker for me, and did not really help me understand his mysterious appeal, but was morbidly fascinating anyway. |
Marat/Sade Tony Pisarenkov DVD at home 01 March 2008 I suppose it takes the Royal Shakespeare Company to peddle sixties' counterculture as delivered by insane asylum inmates in early XIX-century France. |