Saturday, December 26, 2015

Favorite book or movie

If one uses times viewed as the determining factor in picking a favorite movie my choice would be Camelot. I loved the music, politics and especially the performance of Richard Harris. But though for years Camelot was my favorite movie it has at times been replaced by The Man Who SHot Liberty Valance, The Quiet Man, DR Strangelove and my current fave - The Americanization of Emily.

Emily is an excellent anti-war film starring James Garner and Julie Andrews, written by Paddy Chayefsky. Here's one of the most in-your-face clips from the movie -



Most of the movie is much more subtle in its preaching. It is easily my favorite movie and although that is subject to change Emily never falls out of my top 3 films.

Most of what I read must I suppose be considered light reading.  I have never been a huge fan of the classics as I prefer to read about the human condition as it relates to those sharing this time on the third rock from the sun with mw. I find those observations are best  handled by good mystery writers. I make no apologies for my preferences, I simply do not enjoy reading poetry and consider the classics simply the mysteries of their day.

If you wish to trace the development of the human condition and attitude here in the U.S.A. try starting with Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series,  Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe, Gardner's Perry Mason, McDonald's  Travis McGee series, Pronzini's Nameless Detective Series, Parker's Spenser series,  Burke's Dave Robicheaux books, Emerson's Thomas Black series or Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak series., All of these characters and their authors are excellent observers of the human condition. 

Were I to choose from one of the above as the last book I could ever read I'd be hard pressed to choose between a Stabenow Kate Shugak book or - and this is cheating as these are not considered in the above list - a new Harry Dresden novel by Jim Butcher. Dresden is a wizard detective based in Chicago and his forays into the supernatural world and the monsters that inherit same are the literary equivalent to what I call popcorn movies.

In the past two weeks I have read four books, a Robicheaux, a Milan Jacovich mystery set bear Cleveland, a Dresden and a Kathy Reichs Termperence Brennan book. Retirement has been very good for my reading habits - along with my Kindle Paperwhite.

2 comments:

  1. Those were the days, when movies depended on acting not special effects. Great clip.
    blessings ~ maxi

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  2. Now there speaks a man of my generation with similar tastes in movies but though of the matched habit of reading, with different tastes in the genre of books to read. I enjoyed this post Shackman.

    ReplyDelete