Book Review: "The Evening Hour" by Carter Sickels

Twenty-seven-year-old Cole Freeman has lived in rural Dove County, West Virginia for his entire life. Raised by his snake-handling pastor grandfather and his doting grandmother, he has never felt completely comfortable, although he lacks the motivation to make changes. Cole works as an aide in a nursing home, and many of the elderly residents take to him for his gentle manner and willingness to indulge them by listening to their stories and not dissuading them when they confuse him for a long-lost relative.

While Cole doesn't mind spending time with the residents, his job has a lucrative side benefit, in that he is able to steal money and other valuables from them, and they're often too unaware to realize it. He also resells the prescription medications that some of his grandmother's friends and other people in the community sell him. He knows what he is doing is wrong, but he feels powerless to stop what he has put into motion.

His grandfather's fire-and-brimstone preaching scarred him in many ways, and coupled with a childhood stutter, Cole has never been able to truly feel good about himself. As a teenager he had a very close relationship with his best friend, Terry Rose, who moved away and got married. But Terry's return to Dove County unsettles Cole in a number of ways, and it affects the relationships he pursues with two different women, each of whom has their own issues to deal with.

Dove County is under siege from the local mining corporation, which has been buying up and destroying all of the available land it can, convincing residents to sell their property and move away. Yet Cole has convinced his grandmother not to sell her land, and he refuses to do so either, despite the opportunities he could pursue with the money. When a tragedy occurs in his hometown, it helps put things into perspective for Cole, and it serves as somewhat of a catalyst for him to begin trying to take control of his own life.

Where do our obligations lie, with ourselves or with those we love? Should we finally put our own happiness above others' wishes if we've spent our whole life doing what is better for others? When you've never believed that you're capable of succeeding, how can you be motivated to try and pursue a life different than the one you have? The Evening Hour strives to answer those questions, although the answers aren't always easy to find.

Carter Sickels is a terrific writer. His use of language and imagery reminds me a little of one of my favorite writers, James Lee Burke. While Cole isn't the most sympathetic character given some of his behaviors, I found myself drawn into his life and wondered what would happen to him and those around him. I was glad that Sickels didn't fall into any real dramatic traps with the plot, which would have derailed the simple beauty of this book.

I enjoyed this book although, like many around him, I wanted Cole to do something more, to try and move out of his comfort zone. This is more a book of reflection than action, but Sickels' storytelling makes it a book worth reading, even if it tended to be a bleak story. I look forward to seeing what's next in Sickels' career.

Book Review: "The Explanation for Everything" by Lauren Grodstein

I've often remarked that at times I just want to enjoy a book or movie simply for what it is without thinking about heavier issues, or dissecting how plausible the plot may actually be. Sometimes I just want to laugh, or cry, or be transported into some fantastical place or time, without considering deeper meaning. The converse, however, is also true—sometimes I enjoy books or movies that make me think, that stretch my mind beyond simply appreciating the talent that went into the work's creation, and perhaps force me to consider different perspectives or ideas.

Lauren Grodstein's new novel, The Explanation for Everything, definitely falls into the latter category. Andy Waite is a biologist at a small New Jersey college. He is a diehard evolutionist, having learned from one of the foremost experts on the topic while he was a graduate student at Princeton. But Andy's life hasn't gone the way he planned—he's raising his two young daughters on his own following the sudden death of his wife several years ago, he's worried about getting tenure, and he's trying to make the results of his years of research make enough sense to be worthy of a major scientific grant.

Andy teaches a biology course called "There is No God." While rarely students try to challenge what he teaches, every so often he has a student express dissent about the Darwinian and other scientific theories he introduces them to. One day he is approached by Melissa Potter, a transfer student, who asks Andy to direct her independent study. But it isn't any theory Melissa is interested in pursuing—her independent study will focus on intelligent design, the idea that the creation of the universe and science must have been the work of an intelligent designer, or God. Melissa's course of study is in direct contrast to everything Andy has taught and believed for years.

As Andy struggles with the everyday challenges of raising two daughters on his own, trying to further his career, and dealing with the memories of his wife, he begins to wonder if everything that he has put his belief in might not be as black and white as he has thought. Is there a God? Should we put our faith in a creator, instead of in science? This book explores both sides of the debate, and wonders if a little faith is truly what we need to survive.

I was tremendously intrigued by this book and think Lauren Grodstein is a tremendously talented storyteller. I liked the fact that she explored the ideas of evolutionism and intelligent design without ultimately saying whether one is right and one is wrong, instead allowing you to make your own conclusions. While Andy at times was a little bit passive (understandably), I thought the struggles his character went through were moving and truly human. And when the book dealt with his own questions of faith and trust, the story really resonated with me.

Although there were a few subplots in the book, one involving Andy's neighbor and one involving an outspoken student, that I didn't feel were fleshed out as much as the rest of the story, I found this book very compelling without being heavy handed. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Grodstein's previous novel, A Friend of the Family, one which also raised questions for me while drawing me into the plot, I am a definite fan of her storytelling ability, and I look forward to continuing to watch her career progress.

Cool cover song of the week...

It's funny how sometimes songs written for movie soundtracks gain more notoriety than the movies themselves. One shining example is Phil Collins' 1984 hit, Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now), recorded for the Jeff Bridges-Rachel Ward-James Woods film Against All Odds. The film, a remake of the 1947 movie Out of the Past, barely made a dent at the box office.

The song, however, hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (the first time for Collins), and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. (The less said about Ann Reinking's performance of the song on the Oscars that year instead of Collins, the better.)

For me, this song has a great deal of emotional poignancy. The music video (remember those?) was in heavy rotation on MTV in March 1984, which was when my baby brother died of SIDS. Strangely it seemed as if this song followed me everywhere, and still, nearly 30 years later, that time in my life is the first thing I think of when I hear this song.

While the song has been covered a number of times, most notably by Mariah Carey in 2000 (she recorded a second version later that year with Irish boy band Westlife), my favorite cover version was recorded by indie band The Postal Service, ironically for the 2004 Josh Hartnett movie Wicker Park. In the first verse, the song almost has an Owl City-like quality, but then as the beat gets slightly more uptempo, the vocals get richer. The New York Post and Rolling Stone both included this version in their list of the best cover songs of all time.

Here's The Postal Service's version:

Here's the Westlife/Mariah Carey version:

And here's Phil Collins' original. (Boy, what Jeff Bridges looked like in 1984...):

Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Who Wants to Live Forever by Breaking Benjamin

Redemption Song by Chris Cornell and Audioslave

Love Me Tender by Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile

All You Need is Love by The Flaming Lips

Lovesong by Adele

I Love It by Robin Thicke

Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

Across the Universe by The Scorpions

Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix

Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow

Book Review: "The Affairs of Others" by Amy Grace Loyd

Celia Cassill is a widow whose husband died far too young five years ago. Although the money she received from her husband's estate allowed her to move out of their Brooklyn neighborhood into another, and purchase an apartment building in which she lives and rents space to others, she didn't move far, and she hasn't been able to let go.

"Grief carried on too long is a self-indulgence. George had said that to me once...We don't always have a choice, I told him in reply then."

Celia's life is lonely and empty, save for mourning her husband and holding tight to his memories. She keeps a respectable distance from most of her tenants, although she pays special attention to the elderly Mr. Coughlan, a former ferry captain. But when one of her tenants, George, sublets his apartment to his friend, Hope, her arrival cracks Celia's solitary world open. Hope is exotic, mercurial, searching for refuge following her husband's affair. As she becomes involved in a passionate, sometimes violent relationship with a man from her past, Hope's actions draw Celia in, and for the first time in a long time, Celia starts to feel something other than loneliness.

Hope's presence changes Celia. Suddenly this woman always so mindful about keeping distance from her tenants finds herself getting more involved in their lives, sometimes surreptitiously. Her actions move from careful and quiet to more reckless and flighty. But will these be permanent changes, or will she find herself drawn back to her previous existence?

The Affairs of Others tells a familiar story of a woman who has so distanced herself from any emotions to avoid the pain they cause that she cuts herself off from relationships with anyone. Yet as she finds herself suddenly awakened to possibilities she hadn't considered in some time, she is unsure whether she is ultimately capable of changing, or whether she'll always be grounded back to the life she's made for herself.

Amy Grace Loyd, the former literary editor of Playboy, is a very talented writer. I love her use of language which took on almost poetic qualities at times, describing love, loss, longing, loneliness, and grief. But I was never able to warm up to the characters—it's almost as if the wall that Celia built around herself to keep others out kept me out as well, and Hope's behavior, which troubled and intrigued Celia so near the start of the book, made her a character that was difficult to like.

There have been other books which have their narrator playing the part of voyeur, but this gives that theme an interesting twist. I just wish I had the opportunity to get to know Celia more and understand her actions and motivations better, because that would have given the book additional depth I missed. But Amy Grace Loyd's writing deserves to be read.

Movie Review: "The World's End"

It's been said you can never go home again. Whether or not that's true, trying to relive your past isn't always advisable, because it's rare that you can capture the magic of your glory days.

Gary King (Simon Pegg) has learned that lesson the hard way. When he and his four best friends were seniors in high school in 1990, they were at the top of their game—Gary more so than anyone else. Cocky, confident, popular with the ladies, the quintet had some spectacular memories. One night around their high school graduation, they planned to accomplish a worthy goal—conquering the epic pub crawl in their town, with one pint of beer at all 12 pubs, ending at The World's End. While they weren't successful in this feat, for Gary, that night was the highlight of his life—one that he hasn't been able to replicate more than 20 years later.

Determined to relive those memories, Gary reunites his friends—his estranged wingman, Andy (Nick Frost, Pegg's compatriot from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz); his rival, Steven (The Bourne Ultimatum's Paddy Considine); perpetually henpecked Peter (Ray Donovan's Eddie Marsan); and type-A real estate agent Oliver, aka "O-Man" (Bilbo Baggins himself, Martin Freeman). No one, particularly Andy, seems interested in drinking themselves into oblivion for one last hurrah, but Gary's charm convinces them to make the return trip to their hometown.

The pub crawl clearly emphasizes that Gary has never grown up or moved past high school, and it reopens some old wounds from those days. Yet a jealous rivalry between Gary and Steven for Oliver's sister, Sam (Jack Reacher's Rosamund Pike) appears to be the least of their problems, when the group discovers their hometown has been taken over by robots (although not quite robots). Suddenly the very fate of the world lies in the hands of these old friends, who must put aside their own issues to help protect life as we know it.

As you might imagine from the description, this is about where the movie goes from wry and funny to outlandishly silly and a little off the rails. It's certainly what you'd expect from the team behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, but truth be told, I would have been satisfied if the film had stuck to the story of the friends attempting the epic pub crawl without the ink-spouting replicants. It's almost as if Pegg and his co-writer, Edgar Wright, just wanted to cram everything they could into this movie, which left it a little weighted down rather than the stupidly funny movie I was expecting.

When the film allows Pegg and company to relive days of yore, pick up old fights and start new ones, it really shines, because the actors play really well against each other. Pegg and Frost are a terrific film pair, and Considine in particular has a wry, smirking bravado that works for his character. Everyone seems to be having a good time (you almost expect them to burst into laughter a few times), and that adds to the amusement factor.

In the end, this is definitely an amusing movie for a matinee or a rental (when available), as long as you keep its limitations in mind.

Movie Review: "Closed Circuit"

Remember that line from Rockwell's 1980s hit with Michael Jackson, "I always feel like somebody's watching me"? At the start of Closed Circuit, you see camera after camera focused on what appears to be a regular day at London's Borough Market. Couples fight, friends gossip, parents reprimand their children, people walk through the crowds talking on their cell phones. A random panel truck pulls into an alley where it shouldn't be parked, but no one really suspects a problem. And then the truck explodes, killing 120 people.

A Turkish suspect, Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto), is arrested for masterminding the bombing, and awaits trial. Attorney Martin Rose (Eric Bana) is appointed to lead Erdogan's defense team after the first attorney's death. But because the government's case against Erdogan includes information so sensitive it could impact national security, Rose will not be able to hear this evidence; instead, a special advocate for the defense, Claudia Simmons-Howe (The Town's Rebecca Hall), will be the only one to hear the evidence and argue whether it should be used in the trial. There's one small problem: Martin and Claudia once had an affair, from which they both still bear emotional scars. And as you might imagine, the two attorneys swore there was no impediment to them working together.

The more Martin digs into the evidence surrounding his client the more he realizes the case against him is not what it seems, yet Erdogan has no plausible defense. Both he and Claudia grow ever more paranoid that they are being watched and manipulated, especially once they uncover a major aspect of the case. But where do you turn when it seems like everyone is watching you, everyone is trying to steer you away from doing what is right? How far will you take your principles, even if doing so may put you and those you care about in danger?

Closed Circuit is a highly intelligent thriller that seems scarily plausible given what we've learned about our governments over the years. While I always question thrillers in which the "bad guys" are always one step ahead, always know exactly what it is that is happening, the movie definitely kept me intrigued (if not completely buying all of it) from start to finish. With movies like these, you wonder just how the plot will tie itself up, and I wasn't disappointed here, even if I wasn't entirely surprised.

This movie works in large part because of the performances and the chemistry of Bana and Hall. Bana, while sexy as hell, has always struck me as a cerebral hero, which may be one reason his performance in Hulk didn't work as well, but that thoughtful passion and simmering rage works here. And I don't know why Rebecca Hall isn't a bigger star; she's proved her mettle using both her native British accent and gone American in movies such as Vicky Cristina Barcelona, plus she's gorgeous to boot. I loved the way these two played off of each other, and you could feel the emotional history between them.

I've been fairly vague in my plot synopsis because I don't want to give anything away. But suffice it to say Closed Circuit (which I keep referring to as Short Circuit, which is a wholly different film) is a complex, compelling, and well-acted movie that may stretch your plausibility meter a bit, but it's still worth a watch.

Movie Review: "Short Term 12"

Earlier in the year, a colleague asked me what was the best movie I had seen thus far, and I struggled to find an answer beyond Star Trek: Into Darkness and the zombie rom-com Warm Bodies (which I really did enjoy, BTW). Now, nine months into 2013, I can definitely say I've seen some fantastic, memorable, and affecting movies—Fruitvale Station, The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, Mud, Much Ado about Nothing, and now, Short Term 12, which was truly terrific.

Short Term 12 is the name of a foster care facility that focuses on teenagers with emotional issues. It's supposed to be a short-term solution until the county figures out a more permanent solution for these kids, but some wind up staying there for more than a year. The home is run by Grace (Brie Larson, of United States of Tara and The Spectacular Now) and her goofy-but-lovable boyfriend Mason (Tony Award-winner John Gallagher Jr.), who are fiercely protective of the kids but are not willing to cut them any slack.

Grace and Mason's secret-but-not-really relationship is tested over a period of days by Grace's unexpected pregnancy, the pressure of unrevealed secrets, and the arrival in the home of Jayden (Last Man Standing's Kaitlyn Dever), a troubled teenager who tries to cover up her problems with sullen attitude. Jayden ignites a fire into Grace, who recognizes in the girl more similarities than she'll care to admit. Add to this issues with a few of the home's other residents, and you've got a brewing emotional disaster sure to challenge even the strongest people.

Short Term 12, written and directed by Destin Cretton, is a quiet powerhouse of a film that keeps surprising you every time you expect it to take the usual turns. You learn surprising details about the characters, which give you more insight into their actions. There are scenes of tremendous emotional poignancy—perhaps none more gut-punching than a rap song performed by moody Marcus (Keith Stanfield), who is about to be released from the home on his 18th birthday.

While the movie certainly triggers your emotions, at no point is any of the plot overly manipulative or contrived to provoke a particular reaction. Each scene contributes to the overall power of this movie. I was so worried that the film would take a wrong step into familiar, clichéd territory time and time again, and time and time again Cretton's nuanced script shifted, but never misled. Beyond the script, this is a movie that soars because of its performances. Larson, Gallagher, Dever, and Stanfield, as well as those in the smaller, supporting roles, are all spot-on and so mesmerizing.

One of the reasons I love living in the Washington area is the number of movie theaters that show "smaller" and/or independent movies instead of just the same films (in IMAX, 3D, etc.) on 10 different screens. I hope people get the opportunity to see Short Term 12 because it is a film that absolutely deserves an audience. If it comes to your area, see it. I hope it moves and amazes you like it did me.