When I went into my Muriel Spark phase a few months back, I soon learned that she had had a relationship with The New Yorker. But none of the books that promote the New Yorker mythology even mentions her. You will read all about Mr. Shawn and Capote and Updike and Thurber and many lesser Read More
I’m in a state of grief, gratitude and excitement over Muriel Spark’s death. This reflects the fact that I only really discovered her for myself six months back. Yes, I had read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie some time ago. But it was rereading The Prime last November that catapulted me into Dame Muriel’s Read More
The Times is confused about the scandal at the Post. On the one hand, it regards it as titillating gossip. Thus the montage of gossipy photos and the nut-graf dismissing the story as the gossip that everyone is buzzing about. On the other hand, the giant front page display, dominating the page. A picture of Read More
Make Mine Manchurian!
Denzel Washington is the kindest, warmest, bravest, most wonderful actor I have ever seen in my life, but he will not be able to save the remake of The Manchurian Candidate.
Of course, the movie could turn out to be a great political thriller: spine-tingling, white-knuckle-inducing, jaw-droppingly fantastic. Jonathan Demme, Academy Award–winning Read More
Streets full of musicals, please advise.
As I write these notes from the West End, there are currently 19 musicals playing, or sort of playing-doing the best they can, swamping the landscape. Nineteen! From Grease to Buddy , from Cats to Saturday Night Fever , from Smokey Joe’s Cafe to Starlight Express , from sea Read More
