This is the archive page for the category [Reviews]; below you should see headlines and summaries of all entries found here on the subject. Click the appropriate link at each to read the entire entry.

Justify My Netflix: A Prophet | September 2, 2010
Today's movie: 2009's phenomenal French film "A Prophet," not just a prison drama but a caper film and a deep character study, which either won or got nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA, Cesar, and the Grand Prix of last year's Cannes Film Festival. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Urbis Morpheos," by Stephen Palmer | August 27, 2010
Today's book: The densely challenging far-future tale "Urbis Morpheos" by Stephen Palmer, the latest idiosyncratic "New Weird" title by the great PS Publishing. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "All Quiet on the Western Front," by Erich Maria Remarque | August 26, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: It's Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 World War One classic "All Quiet on the Western Front," which single-handedly established a dozen of the most well-known cliches now seen in almost every modern story about war. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Book of Eli | August 25, 2010
Today's movie: The surprisingly great post-apocalyptic gonzo thriller "The Book of Eli," done under a low profile by celebrated filmmakers The Hughes Brothers, using a smart script that explores a weighty philosophical issue to center what would otherwise be a zany Sam-Raimi-like 'Mad Max' actioner. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Kick-Ass | August 20, 2010
Today's movie: The much-loved 2010 "superheroes in the real world" comic-book adaptation "Kick-Ass," which I instead found to be a depressing, immature, offensive mess, that grown-ups should be ashamed of themselves for liking. Start your angry comments, Facebookers! | Read entire entry

Book review: "Julian Comstock," by Robert Charles Wilson | August 19, 2010
Today's book review: Robert Charles Wilson's "Julian Comstock," the third of this year's Hugo nominees I've now gotten a chance to review, a nearly perfect combination of steampunk comedy and post-apocalyptic thriller that has plenty of metaphorical things to say about the Bush years. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Badlands | August 18, 2010
Today's movie: 1973's supposed countercultural classic and violent crime drama "Badlands," an early hit not just for Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek but director Terrence Malick, which I myself disappointingly found only okay. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Why I Signed '99 Problems' -- An Apologia. | August 17, 2010
It's the release day of CCLaP's newest original book, the running/writing essay collection "99 Problems" by Ben Tanzer! Here, a critical essay on why I signed the book in the first place, written in the style of an "apologia" (or deliberately all-positive critical piece). | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 13 August 2010 | August 13, 2010
Today, short reviews of three recently read books: The awful "Horns" by Joe Hill; the awful "The Novel: An Alternative History" by Steven Moore; and the awful "Point Omega," by Don DeLillo. Ugh, these were all so...what's the word I'm looking for? | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Performance | August 12, 2010
Today's movie: The "lost" 1970 countercultural classic "Performance" (which doubles as Mick Jagger's acting debut), not so much the trippy sex romp of its reputation but more a remarkably solid psychological drama, regarding the complex relationship between a dark-hearted rock star and a straight-laced Cockney gangster. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Chloe | August 11, 2010
Today's movie: The late-night-cable T&A thriller "Chloe," described as a smart guilty pleasure from the otherwise art-house darling Atom Egoyan, but as far as I could tell possessed not one smart thing about it at all. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Precious | August 10, 2010
Today's movie: The Oscar-winning urban drama "Precious," based on the phenomenal 1996 novel by slam poet "Sapphire," an adaptation which of course can't exactly mirror the almost science-fictiony inner-voice literary complexities of the book, but does a fine job trying. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Riverworld (2010) | August 9, 2010
Today's movie: The Former Sci-Fi Channel's dismal 2010 adaptation of the intensely loved Philip Jose Farmer novel "Riverworld," which is even worse than the dismal 2003 Sci-Fi Channel adaptation that this version is supposed to make us forget. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 5 August 2010 | August 5, 2010
Today, short reviews of three books recently read: Xiaoda Xiao's excellent Chinese drama "The Cave Man;" Rachel Cusk's nice but slow-moving character study "The Bradshaw Variations;" and the disappointing Dan Simmons horror "classic," 1989's "Carrion Comfort" (recently re-issued for its 20th anniversary). | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Lord of the Flies," by William Golding | August 4, 2010
Today in the CCLaP 100 essay series on literary classics: It's William Golding's 1954 "Lord of the Flies," the story of British schoolboys going feral on a shipwrecked island, and by now a staple in high-school lit classes worldwide. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: A Hole in My Heart | August 3, 2010
Today in CCLaP's "Naughty Netflix" essay series concerning mainstream films with graphic content: It's Lukas Moodysson's 2004 look at the gonzo online hate-porn industry, "A Hole in My Heart," an ugly and pointless exercise in human cruelty that pretty much ruined this promising indie filmmaker's career. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Is "Inception" actually a film about filmmaking? | July 30, 2010
A recent viewing of the film, plus a pair of essays at CHUD.com and The Awl, has had me thinking today about an intriguing question: Is Christopher Nolan's mindbending new sci-fi movie "Inception" actually an "8 1/2" style autobiographical story about the art of filmmaking itself? Click through for lots of thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Cry of the Sloth," by Sam Savage | July 29, 2010
Today's book: Sam Savage's wickedly funny "anti-villain" look at a whiny lit-journal editor much better at self-promotion than at actually producing, the surprisingly dark "epistolary" (all letters) novel "The Cry of the Sloth." | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 28 July 2010 | July 28, 2010
Today, short reviews of three books recently read: The silly but useful "lifestyle management" guide "The 4-Hour Workweek;" the profoundly disappointing "Roadside Bodhisattva" by Paul Di Filippo; and a collection of two screenplays by David Mamet, "The Spanish Prisoner" and "The Winslow Boy." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Butt," by Will Self | July 27, 2010
Today's book: 2008's bizarro satire on the Bush misadventures in the Middle East, "The Butt" by Will Self (aka "The British Chuck Palahniuk"). | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Ivanhoe," by Sir Walter Scott | July 26, 2010
Today in the CCLaP 100 essay series on literary classics: Sir Walter Scott's 1820 "Ivanhoe," not just one of the first books of the Romantic Era to reignite public interest in the Middle Ages, but which also established many of the modern tropes of the Robin Hood legend. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Dervish House," by Ian McDonald | July 22, 2010
It's "Ian McDonald Week" here at CCLaP; and in honor of that, today is my review of his brand-new "The Dervish House," the latest of his so-called "third-world day-after-tomorrow" tales and probably his most mainstream-friendly book yet, set just 17 years from now in a newly EU-ified Turkey. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Ares Express," by Ian McDonald | July 21, 2010
It's day three of "Ian McDonald Week" here at CCLaP; so in honor of this, today I'm publishing for the first time my review of his 2001 terraformed-Mars fever-dream "Ares Express," a "companion volume" of sorts to his 1988 "Desolation Road," also being reviewed here today. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Desolation Road," by Ian McDonald (reprint) | July 21, 2010
It's day three of "Ian McDonald Week" here at CCLaP; so in honor of that, today I'm reprinting my older review of his 1988 terraformed-Mars fever-dream "Desolation Road," now a companion volume of sorts to his 2001 "Ares Express" (also being reviewed today). | Read entire entry

Book review: "Brasyl," by Ian McDonald (reprint) | July 20, 2010
It's day two of "Ian McDonald Week" here at CCLaP; so in honor of that, today I'm reprinting my review of his 2008 day-after-tomorrow science-fiction tale "Brasyl," part of his "New World Order" series of speculative novels concerning developing nations. | Read entire entry

It's Ian McDonald Week at CCLaP! | July 19, 2010
One of my favorite living writers on the planet, British science-fiction author Ian McDonald, has not just one but two new books out here in the US this month; that's inspired me to dedicate the entire week here at CCLaP to him and his work, including not just reviews of his new books but reprinted reviews of four older titles, and a brand-new text-based interview with McDonald I recently conducted. Click through for more, and links to everything just mentioned. | Read entire entry

Book review: "River of Gods" and "Cyberabad Days," by Ian McDonald (reprint) | July 19, 2010
Today, as the kickoff to "Ian McDonald Week" here at CCLaP, I'm happy to reprint my old review of his monumental 2004 India-set day-after-tomorrow tale "River of Gods," along with its newer companion volume "Cyberabad Days." More McDonald reviews coming every day this week! | Read entire entry

Book review: "The City & The City," by China Miéville | July 15, 2010
Today's book: China Miéville's "New Weird" novel "The City & The City," a speculative metaphorical tale about post-9/11 global politics that is a favorite to win this year's prestigious Hugo Award in science-fiction, but that you certainly don't have to be a fanboy to passionately love. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: An Education | July 14, 2010
Today's movie: The thoroughly charming surprise hit of last year's Oscar season, "An Education," based on a true story by British journalist Lynn Barber (with adapted screenplay by Nick Hornby) about her blossom into womanhood in early-'60s London under the tutelage of an attractive but mysterious older man. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Patton | July 13, 2010
Today's movie: 1970's Oscar-winning World War Two epic "Patton," a superb biopic about the strategically brilliant but hotheaded military commander, and how it was his own inability to get along with others that self-sabotaged his career, based on an early hit screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: Romance | July 12, 2010
Today in CCLaP's "Naughty Netflix" series concerning mainstream films with unsimulated sex: It's 1999's notorious "Romance," the second film of this series by brilliant pro-kinky radical feminist Catherine Breillat, a fascinating portrait of a middle-aged trainwreck which features some of the most intense sex scenes to ever appear in mainstream cinema. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 9 July 2010 | July 9, 2010
Today, short reviews of three books recently read: The disappointing "cyberpunk" novel "Brain Thief" by Alexander Jablokov; the equally disappointing nonfiction book "The Last Duel" by James Landale; and Susan Wise Bauer's "The History of the Ancient World," just as good as her history of the medieval world reviewed earlier in the year. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Mary and Max | July 8, 2010
Today's movie: 2009 claymation festival favorite "Mary and Max," with visuals that are impressive enough, I suppose, but sadly done in support of an overly cutesy-wootsy, silly-willy, extremely slow-moving script, a common problem among animators who care more about images than story. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Shutter Island | July 7, 2010
Today's movie: Martin Scorsese's latest, 2010's supernatural/psychological thriller "Shutter Island," nothing spectacular but a good solid genre exercise, a rare example of a film being literally elevated from a so-so "Memento"-style story by excessive visual flair. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: The Canterbury Tales | July 6, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," the surprisingly sophisticated and bawdy "Middle English" experiment that helped move Western society from the Late Medieval Age of the 1300s to the Early Renaissance of the 1400s. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Crazy Heart | July 2, 2010
Today's movie: 2009's dismal Oscar-bait fest "Crazy Heart," proving once again that Hollywood executives literally can't get enough of hideous white-trash losers and the hot thirty-something single moms who inexplicably fall in love with them. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 30 June 2010 | June 30, 2010
Today, short reviews of three books recently read: The poetically delightful "Water Ghosts" by Shawna Yang Ryan, the unfortunately unreadable "Pen of Iniquity" by Deno Sandz, and the surprisingly good but still pretty silly "World Made by Hand" by "peak oil" doom-n-gloomer James Howard Kunstler. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Surrogates | June 29, 2010
Today's movie: 2009's "Surrogates," based on the 2006 graphic novel I've also reviewed in the past, which is the second sci-fi actioner I've seen this month to feature a surprisingly smart script and extra-subtle and hence extra-powerful special effects. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Avatar | June 28, 2010
Today's movie: James Cameron's "Avatar," which now upon my second viewing (I also saw it in the theatre) makes its plodding, insultingly simple storyline just that much more nakedly obvious, not to mention its Rudyard-Kipling-style accidental backwards "noble savage" racism. We should all be ashamed of ourselves. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: Emmanuelle | June 24, 2010
Today in CCLaP's "Naughty Netflix" series on explicit mainstream films: It's the surprisingly complex 1974 countercultural classic "Emmanuelle," which not only spawned dozens of sequels but virtually kickstarted the entire "softcore" adult industry as we now know it. You're welcome, late-night cable! | Read entire entry

Book review: "The People Who Watched Her Pass By," by Scott Bradfield | June 23, 2010
Today's book: Lit veteran Scott Bradfield's remarkable new novel, "The People Who Watched Her Pass By," which takes a normally abhorrent subject (child kidnapping) to instead turn in a lyrical, surreal look at small-town America. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Daybreakers | June 21, 2010
Today's movie: The 2010 speculative sleeper hit "Daybreakers," much smarter and more inventive than a low-budget vampire action flick has any right to be. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Vanity Fair," by William Makepeace Thackeray | June 18, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: William Makepeace Thackeray's darkly comic saga of human folly, 1848's "Vanity Fair," considered by many to be one of the best novels of the entire Victorian Age. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion! | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | June 17, 2010
Today's movie: Terry Gilliam's latest, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Panassus" (also notoriously known as Heath Ledger's last film), which like many Gilliam projects features visuals so stunning as to be nearly unbelievable, but which like many Gilliam projects still ends up feeling flat and boring by the end. Sigh. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Tinkers," by Paul Harding | June 16, 2010
Today's book: Paul Harding's "Tinkers," the obscure character study from a tiny basement press which controversially won this year's Pulitzer Prize, and pretty much a textbook example of everything people complain about regarding so-called "academic fiction." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Lovely Bones | June 15, 2010
Today's movie: Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson's much-ballyhooed and much-hated adaptation of Alice Sebold's intensely loved novel "The Lovely Bones," which unfortunately skips almost all of the book's intense characterization to instead deliver an endless series of pretty but empty visual images. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Dream of Perpetual Motion," by Dexter Palmer | June 14, 2010
Today's book: Dexter Palmer's stunning New Weird literary debut, "The Dream of Perpetual Motion," a novel that combines steampunk, contemporary alt-history, Willy Wonka, Frankenstein, Shakespeare and Thomas Pynchon to deliver one hell of a speculative fever dream. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Defendor | June 11, 2010
Today's movie: Last year's Toronto Film Festival hit "Defendor," a surprisingly tragic character drama about a mentally-challenged man off his meds who believes he's a superhero, not nearly the goofy comedy about actual superheroes that the trailer and poster make it seem. | Read entire entry

Book review: "600 Hours of Edward," by Craig Lancaster | June 10, 2010
Today's book: Craig Lancaster's remarkable tragicomic look at Asperger's Syndrome, "600 Hours of Edward," its near-perfection even more astounding for it being a Nanowrimo experiment published by an obscure basement press. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 9 June 2010 | June 9, 2010
Today, short reviews of three recently-read books: The space opera "Gardens of the Sun" by Paul McAuley, the "sequel prequel" graphic novel "The Surrogate: Flesh and Bone" by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele, and the disappointing Modernist noir adaptation "Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter," by Darwyn Cooke. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Andromeda Strain (1971) | June 8, 2010
Today's movie: 1971's silly but enjoyable "The Andromeda Strain," one of the first big hits of genre author Michael Crichton, with gorgeous-looking sets but chock-full of cheesy '70s film gimmicks, and much more slowly-paced than you'd expect from a summer genre actioner. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Generation A," by Douglas Coupland | June 7, 2010
Today's book: Douglas Coupland's head-scratching latest, "Generation A," a metaphorical fairytale of sorts which I think is perhaps about the 9/11-caused death of Postmodernism and what comes after. Er, perhaps. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "It Can't Happen Here," by Sinclair Lewis | June 4, 2010
Today's book: Sinclair Lewis' now largely forgotten 1935 speculative novel "It Can't Happen Here," which takes a look at what a possible fascist takeover of the United States might look like, surprisingly enough almost identical in plot to the real events of the Bush administration 75 years later. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Young Victoria | June 1, 2010
Today's movie: 2009's "The Young Victoria," a silly reductionist piece of chick-lit bonnet-porn about the start of the Victorian Age, much more eye-rolling than entertaining to fans of legitimate Victoriana. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 27 May 2010 | May 27, 2010
Today, short reviews of three books recently read, including Sally Sexton Kalmach's Chicago walking-tour guide "The Jewel of the Gold Coast," the speculative comics miniseries "The Surrogates" by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele, and the initially great but ultimately disappointing New Weird thriller "Castle," by J. Robert Lennon. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Dark Crystal | May 26, 2010
Today's movie: 1982's infamous all-puppet fantasy-film cult hit "The Dark Crystal," the first-ever attempt by Muppets creator Jim Henson to appeal to a slightly older crowd. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Jesus Boy," by Preston L. Allen | May 25, 2010
Today's book: Preston L. Allen's slyly funny but ultimately loving look at black evangelism in south Florida, "Jesus Boy," an almost textbook example of how to construct a character-heavy yet lively novel. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Sherlock Holmes (2009) | May 24, 2010
Today's movie: Guy Ritchie's 2009 extreeeeme!!! version of the Victorian classic "Sherlock Holmes," the most steampunky steampunk actioner in the history of steampunky steampunk actioners. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Plague," by Albert Camus | May 21, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: 1948's surprisingly mindblowing "The Plague" by Albert Camus, not just an ahead-of-its-time post-apocalyptic tale and a treatise on existentialism, but one of the most astute examinations of the Nazi years ever written. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The History of the Medieval World," by Susan Wise Bauer | May 20, 2010
Today's review: Susan Wise Bauer's informative and lively "The History of the Medieval World," presenting in a tight 650 pages a truly planet-wide look at the years 500 to 1000 AD, and which today becomes the first book at CCLaP this year to receive a perfect score of ten. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: Sex and Lucia | May 19, 2010
Today in the "Naughty Netflix" essay series: 2001's award-winning "Sex and Lucia," partly a complex "Memento" style metafictional look at the blurry line between reality and art, partly a VERY dirty European erotic thriller. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Phantom of the Opera (1925) | May 12, 2010
Today's review: The classic silent 1925 version of "The Phantom of the Opera," featuring Lon Chaney and his horrific homemade makeup. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," by Stieg Larsson | May 11, 2010
Today's review: Stieg Larsson's 2005 Swedish crime novel and international sensation "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (first published in the US in 2008), an unusually great genre exercise with a complexity and subtlety that belies the usual tawdry nature of serial-killer fiction. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 7 May 2010 | May 7, 2010
Today, short reviews of four recently read books: The disappointing Nazi novel "The Kindly Ones" by Jonathan Littell; the even more disappointing zombie story collection "What Will Come After" by Scott Edelman; the profoundly disappointing "At a Crossroads" by Kate Williamson; and the horribly disappointing "Antwerp" by Roberto Bolano. That's a lot of disappointment! | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Men Who Stare at Goats | May 6, 2010
Today's movie: 2009's surprisingly fantastic "The Men Who Stare at Goats," partly a goofy comedy about Reagan's attempts to build an army of psychic "super soldiers," partly a chilling drama about how this group morphed into the psychological torturers of the Bush years. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Zuleika Dobson," by Max Beerbohm | May 5, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: the 1911 Oxford magical-realism satire "Zuleika Dobson," by the once highly popular humorist and theatre critic Max Beerbohm. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Box | April 30, 2010
Today's movie: Richard Kelly's under-appreciated and badly advertised 2009 science-fiction thriller "The Box," just as obtuse and thought-provoking as his previous "Donnie Darko" and "Southland Tales," but not nearly as head-scratching. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Geosynchron," by David Louis Edelman | April 29, 2010
Today's book: David Louis Edelman's "Geosynchron," the concluding volume in his expansive "Jump 225" science-fiction trilogy, an unusual book three in that it's easily the best of them all, which is not how things usually work with science-fiction trilogies. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | April 28, 2010
Today's movie: Legendary director Werner Herzog's latest headscratcher, the Nicolas Cage comeback vehicle "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," which once again proves that Germans' idea of wacky comedy is profoundly different than ours. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Informant! | April 27, 2010
Today's movie: 2009's "The Informant!," billed as a goofy comedy about corporate whistleblowing but also a heartbreaking drama about mental illness, and what I now consider one of the top five films of Steven Soderbergh's entire career. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Tamara Drewe," by Posy Simmonds | April 23, 2010
Today's book: "Tamara Drewe," graphic novelist Posy Simmonds' witty contemporary adaptation of Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd," first published serially in the UK's Guardian newspaper in 2005 and '06 and just now available in America. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "In The First Circle," by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn | April 22, 2010
Today, a look at the 2009 "uncensored" version of Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's classic 1968 "The First Circle" (now called "In The First Circle"), one of the first projects to show the West exactly what Stalin's labor camps of the 1940s were actually like. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 20 April 2010 | April 20, 2010
Today, short reviews of five recently read books, including Mark Frost's '90s steampunk novels "The List of 7" and "The 6 Messiahs," James Greer's inventive noir "The Failure," Peter Ackroyd's historical novel "The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein," and the disappointing biography of L. Frank Baum, "The Real Wizard of Oz." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: I'm Not There | April 19, 2010
Today's movie: The truly unwatchable experimental Bob Dylan biopic / meditation on persona "I'm Not There," by the usually fantastic Todd Haynes. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Limey | April 12, 2010
Today's movie: Steven Soderbergh's entertaining but artsy 1999 noir film "The Limey," one of many genre exercises from his '90s "lost years" when no one was paying attention to him. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Zuckerman Unbound," by Philip Roth | April 7, 2010
Today, I continue my look at Postmodernism as filtered through the nine autobiographical "Zuckerman" novels by Philip Roth, this time examining in detail book two in the series, 1981's "Zuckerman Unbound." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Jude the Obscure," by Thomas Hardy | April 6, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Thomas Hardy's 1895 "Jude the Obscure," a surprisingly prescient look at Victorian morality that became the first widely banned book of the 20th century. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 5 April 2010 | April 5, 2010
Today, short reviews of four books recently read at CCLaP: Alan Moore's new comic "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century;" the genre compilations "Thank You, Death Robot" and "Black Wings: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror;" and Sarah Pickering's photography book "Explosions, Fires, and Public Order." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Bad Lieutenant | April 2, 2010
Today's movie review: Abel Ferrara's brilliantly dark 1992 "Bad Lieutenant," a character study of a dirty cop and the depths of his depravity, unforgettable in that you will literally never be able to forget some of the dozens of outrageously controversial scenes found within. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The King of Kong | April 1, 2010
Today's movie: The fascinating 2007 documentary "The King of Kong," which follows a group of middle-aged "Balloon Boy" fame-addict losers as they fight over the world's record of thirty-year-old videogame Donkey Kong. Riveting like a trainwreck. | Read entire entry

Book review: "ETA," by Delphine Pontvieux | March 30, 2010
Today's book: The surprisingly great political thriller "ETA" by Delphine Pontvieux, taking a complex Tom-Clancy-style look at the Basque separatist movement of southern France and northern Spain. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Uncle Tom's Cabin," by Harriet Beecher Stowe | March 26, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" classics essay series: Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 anti-slavery tale "Uncle Tom's Cabin," nearly single-handedly responsible for the Civil War but that also accidentally created a whole new class of post-war racial stereotypes. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 24 March 2010 | March 24, 2010
Today, short reviews of four books recently read: Pauline Kael's '80s film criticism book "Hooked;" Marc Nash's prose poem "A, B & E;" the obscure 1897 Victorian detective novel "The Dorrington Deed-Box;" and the profoundly disappointing "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Best In Show | March 23, 2010
Today's movie: The 2000 comedy classic "Best In Show," a fake documentary about dog shows from the same team largely responsible for "This Is Spinal Tap." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Gamers: Dorkness Rising | March 22, 2010
Today's movie: 2008's loving and funny ode to Dungeons & Dragons and the antisocial nerds who play it, "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising," one of the smartest and most touching fan-produced films I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Humboldt's Gift," by Saul Bellow | March 19, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" essay series on literary classics: 1975's Pulitzer-winning "Humboldt's Gift," by Nobel winner and postmodernist master Saul Bellow. A classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Cannibal Holocaust | March 18, 2010
Today's movie: The 1980 seminal horror film "Cannibal Holocaust," recently restored and lavishly released on a two-disc DVD set, so brutally realistic that the director actually got arrested on murder charges, until he could prove that his cast was still happily alive. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Push," by Sapphire | March 17, 2010
Today, a look at the remarkable 1996 novel "Push" by Sapphire (recently adapted into the Oscar-nominated "Precious"), less the weepy tearjerker you're expecting and more like the ghetto version of the science-fiction story "Flowers For Algernon." | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 16 March 2010 | March 16, 2010
Today, short reviews of three books recently read: the South Pacific speculative novel "Stan's Leap" by Tom Duerig; Jim Ruland's story collection "Big Lonesome;" and overwritten Southern Gothic tale "She-Rain" by Michael Cogdill. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Three Musketeers," by Alexandre Dumas | March 12, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Alexandre Dumas' 1844 "The Three Musketeers," the very definition of a swashbuckling adventure. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Big Rewind," by Nathan Rabin | March 11, 2010
Today's book: The personal memoir "The Big Rewind" by "AV Club" head writer Nathan Rabin, a book with all the dysfunction of an Augusten Burroughs story, but all the humor you'd expect from an employee of The Onion. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Julia (2008) | March 10, 2010
Today's movie: The brilliant contemporary noir "Julia" starring Tilda Swinton, essentially a two-hour character study of pure evil, hiding behind a falsely sentimental tale of an out-of-control alcoholic and the desperate kidnapping scheme she gets involved with. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ," by Hooman Majd | March 9, 2010
Today's book: Hooman Majd's "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ," not just a fantastic guide to the old Persian Empire and the modern Iran it became, but also a funny and insightful travelogue about a clueless Westerner getting convinced to do outrageous things. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Watcher in the Woods | March 4, 2010
Today's movie: The dark forgotten gem "The Watcher in the Woods," one of a trio of '80s films (with "The Black Hole" and "Tron") that marked Disney's first foray into the world of PG films. | Read entire entry

Today at the kid-lit blog: Twilight! Twilight! Freakin' Twilight! | March 3, 2010
Today I posted another of my occasional kid-lit reviews that I thought CCLaP's adult audience might find interesting too; in this case, that freaking "Twilight" book by that Stephanie Freaking Meyer. Guess what? I didn't think it was that bad! | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Deception (2008) | March 2, 2010
Today's movie: The ridiculously bad erotic thriller "Deception," starring a thoroughly slumming Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Charlotte Rampling and Michelle Williams. Avoid like the plague. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Public Enemies | March 1, 2010
Today's movie: The 2009 Dillinger biopic "Public Enemies," directed by Michael Mann and starring Johnny Depp, with a surprisingly vicious and modern anti-cop message that is surely what made it originally bomb at the box office. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 26 February 2010 | February 26, 2010
Today, small reviews of four recent books: Charles Schulz's "The Complete Peanuts: 1965-1966," Patrick Wensink's bizarro story collection "Sex Dungeon for Sale!," Nick Harkaway's disappointing "The Gone-Away World," and Philip Roth's latest, "The Humbling." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Under the Dome," by Stephen King | February 25, 2010
Today's book: Stephen King's 2009 psychological thriller and Bush critique "Under the Dome," being called by many the best novel of his entire 40-year career. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: Rendez-vous | February 24, 2010
Today in "Naughty Netflix," CCLaP's look at 30 mainstream films containing graphic sexuality: The 1985 French character drama "Rendez-vous," one of the first starring roles of Juliette Binoche. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Some Things That Meant the World to Me," by Joshua Mohr | February 23, 2010
Today's book: Joshua Mohr's brilliantly dark literary debut "Some Things That Meant the World to Me," perhaps best described as "Charles Bukowski meets Haruki Murakami." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Parasite Dolls | February 19, 2010
Today's movie: The so-so 2002 anime project "Parasite Dolls," itself a spinoff of the legendary '80s futuristic series "Bubblegum Crisis," one of the first anime shows ever available to American audiences. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Jane Eyre (1934) | February 18, 2010
Today's movie: Monogram Pictures' 1934 adaptation of the Victorian classic "Jane Eyre" (the first talkie version ever made), the start of my look at seven different adaptations that have been made of this novel over the decades. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: A Simple Plan | February 17, 2010
Today's movie: The wonderfully convoluted yet always logical 1998 Oscar-nominated noirish caper film "A Simple Plan," so far the only non-FX film in the entire career of Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spider-Man). | Read entire entry

Book review: "How I Became a Famous Novelist," by Steve Hely | February 16, 2010
Today's book: The truly brilliant metafictional comedy "How I Became a Famous Novelist," by former Letterman writer and Emmy nominee Steve Hely. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Murder on the Orient Express (1974) | February 15, 2010
Today's movie: 1974's Oscar-winning "Murder on the Orient Express," the first of a series of all-star Agatha Christie adaptations made in those years. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Frankenstein," by Mary Shelley | February 12, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Mary Shelley's 1818 "Frankenstein," not only the first mad-scientist novel in history but a harbinger of the Romantic Age just around the corner. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 11 February 2010 | February 11, 2010
Today, short reviews of three books recently read here: Jack Ortved's "The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History," Andrew Zornoza's fantastic little art book "Where I Stay," and Sandy Prindle's so-so legal thriller, "The Sins of Tarrant County." | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: I Love You Too | February 9, 2010
Today in "Naughty Netflix," CCLaP's look at thirty mainstream films featuring unsimulated sex: the 2001 European erotic thriller "I Love You Too," which unfortunately is more like Cinemax at two in the morning than its producers and fans want to admit. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Quiet War," by Paul McAuley | February 8, 2010
Today's book: Paul McAuley's 2008 space opera "The Quiet War," a perfect example of how genre pastiches are simultaneously delightful to fans of that genre and infuriating to those who aren't. | Read entire entry

Today at the kid-lit blog: A little Judy Blume, anyone? | February 4, 2010
I now run another blog just for kid-lit reviews, which I mention only occasionally at CCLaP whenever there's a title that might be of interest to grown-ups; today, for example, it's a look at my adult re-reading of 1971's "Then Again, Maybe I Won't," by Gen-X hero Judy Blume. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | February 3, 2010
Today's movie: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment of The Most Lucrative Franchise In Human History. Eat it up, sheep! | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 2 February 2010 | February 2, 2010
Today, small reviews of three recent nonfiction titles: Doug Taylor's "There Never Was a Better Time: Toronto's Yesterdays," Robert Ferguson's "The Vikings: A History," and the art book "Animals and Objects In and Out of Water: Posters by Jay Ryan." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Brood | February 1, 2010
Today's movie: The 1979 fantastically disgusting horror film and sneakily misogynist divorce comment "The Brood," the first non-underground hit of David Cronenberg's career. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Cursed," by Jeremy Shipp | January 29, 2010
Today's book, the inventive and witty alt-horror tale "Cursed," by genre veteran and Stoker Award nominee Jeremy Shipp. | Read entire entry

And did I mention that I'm reviewing children's literature now too? | January 28, 2010
Yes, the wild rumors are true -- I have recently started up a new blog just for reviews of children's literature (anywhere from third-grade to high-school level), essentially my research into trying to become a kid-lit author myself. Click through for much more. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Che | January 26, 2010
Today's movie: "Che," Stephen Soderbergh's lush biopic of the Latin American revolutionary, ignored by US audiences and utterly snubbed by the Oscars for daring to portray a traditional enemy of America as a godlike hero. Warning: Not for teabaggers! | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 25 January 2010 | January 25, 2010
Small reviews of four books recently received here at CCLaP, including Lance Carbuncle's gonzo actioner "Grundish & Askew," Kathleen Norris' "Acedia and Me," Len Belter's "Is Being Pro-Choice a Sin?," and crazy airport tract "The Christ is NOT a Person," by JC Tefft. | Read entire entry

Product review: BookSwim.com | January 22, 2010
Today, a critical review of the "Netflix for books" service BookSwim.com, of which I tried out a guest membership last autumn. Verdict: meh. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: The "Oz" books, by L. Frank Baum | January 20, 2010
Today, a special look at all 14 "Oz" books written by series creator L. Frank Baum (all published between 1900 and 1919), not just a critical look at the books' quality but also a Wikipedia-style guide to his life and how it influenced the titles. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Big Fan | January 19, 2010
Today's movie: 2009's "Big Fan," an ultra-dark comedy about obsessed sports fans from the former editor-in-chief of "The Onion" (and screenwriter of "The Wrestler"), starring Patton Oswalt in a revelatory, pathos-infused performance. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Year of the Flood," by Margaret Atwood | January 18, 2010
Today's book: Margaret Atwood's "The Year of the Flood," a post-apocalyptic feminist thriller which doubles as a pointed criticism of the Bush years, and which also serves as a sequel of sorts to her 2003 "Oryx and Crake." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Xanadu | January 15, 2010
Today's movie: The 1976 rollerdisco musical "Xanadu." Shut up. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: A Real Young Girl | January 14, 2010
Today in "Naughty Netflix," a look at 30 mainstream films containing graphic sexuality: 1976's bizarre and transgressive coming-of-age tale "A Real Young Girl," the debut of the now famous but still controversial writer/director Catherine Breillat. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: (500) Days of Summer | January 13, 2010
Today's movie: "(500) Days of Summer," perhaps the greatest (and definitely the quirkiest) romantic comedy in history. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Cthulhu (2007) | January 12, 2010
Today's movie: The 2007 indie DV feature "Cthulhu," which inventively combines the mythology of HP Lovecraft with a metaphorical story about homophobia in small-town America. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Up | January 11, 2010
Today's movie: Pixar's latest, "Up," the most emotionally satisfying film in that company's history but also one of its darkest. | Read entire entry

"The Year In Books 2009" eBook is now available! | January 8, 2010
Happy day! The free downloadable eBook version of CCLaP's "Year In Books 2009" report is here! Available for laserprinters, Kindles, Sony Readers, iPhones and more! Click through for the direct download links! | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: The CCLaP Guilty Pleasure Awards | January 7, 2010
It's the final part of CCLaP's week-long look back at the best books reviewed in 2009; today is the much anticipated CCLaP Guilty Pleasure Awards, or a look at my seven favorite genre novels and comic books of last year. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: Best Experimental Novels | January 6, 2010
Today, it's part 3 of CCLaP's week-long look at the best books of 2009, this time concentrating on my eight favorite experimental novels of last year. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: Worth a Second Look | January 5, 2010
Today, part 2 of CCLaP's week-long look back at the books of 2009, this time highlighting nine titles that may have not been the highest scorers of the year, but are well worth taking a look at again anyway. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan | January 5, 2010
Today's DVD: The fluffy, pointless after-series TV movie "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan," which feels from start to finish like an excuse for everyone involved to get one more paycheck before the sets were torn down. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: Best of the Best | January 4, 2010
Today, part 1 of CCLaP's look back at the 90 books reviewed here in 2009, this time concentrating on the nine titles with the highest scores out of them all. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Son of Rambow | January 4, 2010
Today's movie review: 2007's "Son of Rambow," which begs the question, "Doesn't the world have enough feel-good dramadies concerning delightfully quirky events within otherwise depressing British small industrial towns in the 1980s?" | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: An introduction | January 1, 2010
It's time for CCLaP's annual best-of essay series, "The Year in Books 2009!" Today, an introduction and sneak preview to the four-part report. | Read entire entry

Product review: Sony Reader PRS-600 "Touch Edition" | January 1, 2010
Today, my review of the Sony PRS-600 eBook reader, which I recently received for Christmas, including lots and lots of photos of the device in action. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 31 December 2009 | December 31, 2009
CCLaP's last four book reviews of 2009, including Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City," Chuck Palahniuk's "Pygmy," the general-interest nonfiction guide "The Joy of Chemistry," and Jon Clinch's brilliant Sam Shepardization of Mark Twain, "Finn." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Democracy in America," by Alexis de Tocqueville | December 29, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" classics essay series: Alexis de Tocqueville's 1831 "Democracy in America," the first modern sophisticated analysis of the US government's structure ever written. Is it a classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Tyson (2009) | December 29, 2009
Today's movie: "Tyson," James Toback's riveting 2009 documentary about the surprisingly complex and haunted controversial boxer. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: Exterminating Angels | December 28, 2009
Today in "Naughty Netflix," my look at 30 mainstream films containing unsimulated sex: The surprisingly great 2006 metafilm "Exterminating Angels," as much a wry comment on the making of European erotic thrillers as it is an actual European erotic thriller. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Madness of King George | December 10, 2009
Today's movie: The 1994 lush historical costume drama "The Madness of King George," pretty good for what it is but only if you're an existing fan already of lush historical costume dramas. | Read entire entry

Book review: "A Naked Singularity," by Sergio De La Pava | December 8, 2009
Today's book: The self-published yet deceptively brilliant Pynchon-meets-Richard-Price crime noir "A Naked Singularity" by Sergio De La Pava, the very definition of an overlooked literary gem. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Kundun | December 7, 2009
Today's movie: Martin Scorsese's 1997 biopic of the Dalai Lama, "Kundun," a lush but by-the-numbers production that's not too terrible but not too memorable either. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Prisoner (2009) | December 3, 2009
Today's movie: AMC's brand-new six-part modern "rethinking" of the classic '60s British trippy sci-fi TV show, which got dumped on by a lot of critics but I thought was a wonderfully trippy mess worth any fangirl's time. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Winesburg, Ohio," by Sherwood Anderson | December 1, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Sherwood Anderson's 1919 "Winesburg, Ohio," the first-ever modern "story cycle" which influenced everyone from Steinbeck to Sam Shepard. Classic or not? Click through for my conclusion. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Star Trek (2009) | November 30, 2009
Today's movie: JJ Abrams' explosive 2009 "Star Trek" reboot, hitting nearly every note right and getting nearly every detail perfect to create one of the most exciting sci-fi thrillers in decades. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Last Tango in Paris | November 24, 2009
Today's movie: The infamous supposed countercultural erotic classic "Last Tango in Paris," which turns out on modern viewing to actually be a badly dated relic of the sexist machismo intellectual Norman Mailer Roman Polanski days, and ironically not erotic at all. | Read entire entry

Book review: "From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain," by Minister Faust | November 19, 2009
Today's book: The disappointing postmodernist superhero comedy "From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain," by Minister Faust. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Jane Eyre," by Charlotte Bronte | November 18, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Charlotte Bronte's 1847 "Jane Eyre," considered by many to be not only the prototypical Victorian novel but also the greatest love story of all time. Is it a classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: Fiona | November 17, 2009
Today in "Naughty Netflix," CCLaP's essay series about mainstream films which feature unsimulated sex: 1998's experimental "Fiona," a fictional tale about crack-addicted prostitutes actually shot in real NYC crackhouses with actual addict prostitutes. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Boneshaker," by Cherie Priest | November 16, 2009
Today's book: Cherie Priest's glorious new "Boneshaker," the Victoriana-meets-zombie tale which might possibly be the best steampunk novel ever written. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Monty Python: Almost the Truth | November 13, 2009
Today's DVD: The new six-part "Monty Python: Almost the Truth," the most comprehensive documentary ever made about the greatest comedy troupe in history. | Read entire entry

Book review: The "Forever Twilight" series, by Peter Crowther | November 12, 2009
Today's books: The first two volumes of the "Forever Twilight" series by Peter Crowther, owner of horror press PS Publishing, which unfortunately prove that the skills that make one a great book editor do not necessarily automatically make them a great author too. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Perestroika | November 11, 2009
Today's movie: Cult director Slava Tsukerman's fantastic "Perestroika," a complex character drama weaving together a Russian-American intellectual's mid-life crisis with his long-awaited homecoming with his beloved Moscow, during the kinder, gentler days of Gorbachev's post-Soviet 1990s. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Israel vs. Utopia," by Joel Schalit | November 9, 2009
Today's book: The brilliant essay collection "Israel vs. Utopia," in which Middle East journalist Joel Schalit attempts to explain the many complex political issues regarding Israel and Judaism to us clueless "Seinfeld" watching Americans. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Queen | November 6, 2009
Today's movie: Stephen Frears' "The Queen," a talky yet fascinating "All the President's Men" style look at what happened behind the scenes among the British royal family after the unexpected 1997 death of Princess Diana. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 4 November 2009 | November 4, 2009
Today, short reviews of three recently read books: The fantastic "After the Prophet" by Lesley Hazleton, the so-so "The Black Heart" by Patrick O'Leary, and the unreadable trainwreck "The Fortress of Solitude" by Jonathan Lethem. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Girlfriend Experience | November 3, 2009
Today's movie: "The Girlfriend Experience," Steven Soderbergh's experimental look at the 2008 financial meltdown and the coke-snorting frat boys who caused it, which will probably be brilliant in another decade but watched this week simply got me f-cking p-ssed off at these people all over again. | Read entire entry

CCLaP's newest book is here! | November 2, 2009
Happy day! CCLaP's newest original book is available for download! It's none other, in fact, than the first bound volume of the popular "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays; click through for more details, and instructions on how to download this free book yourself. | Read entire entry

Tales From the Completist: "Desolation Road," by Ian McDonald | October 30, 2009
Today's book: The 1988 science-fiction classic "Desolation Road" by Ian McDonald, equally combining elements of "The Martian Chronicles" with "One Hundred Years of Solitude." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Treasure Island," by Robert Louis Stevenson | October 29, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 ultimate pirate tale, "Treasure Island." Is it a timeless literary classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Conquering Venus," by Collin Kelley | October 28, 2009
Today's book: Celebrated gay poet Collin Kelley's debut novel "Conquering Venus," strong on plot (a magical realism tale about lost loves and new connections during a random trip to Paris), but unfortunately weak on characterization. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: Porn Theatre | October 27, 2009
Today in "Naughty Netflix," CCLaP's look at 30 mainstream films featuring unsimulated sex: 2002 Cannes notable "Porn Theatre," a plotless yet highly realistic look at a sketchy Paris adult theatre and the gay "cruising" that takes place within it. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Hearts of Darkness | October 26, 2009
Today's movie: The 1991 documentary "Hearts of Darkness," using behind-the-scenes footage by Francis Ford Coppola's wife to show exactly what kind of freaking nightmare the production of his movie "Apocalypse Now" actually was. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Personal Best | October 23, 2009
Today's movie: 1982's track-and-field homage "Personal Best," known anymore for its leering lesbianism and gratuitous nudity, but in actuality a complex character drama well worth your time. | Read entire entry

Your microreview roundup: 22 October 2009 | October 22, 2009
Today, short reviews of two recent books: the nonfiction guide "Classics for Pleasure" by Pulitzer winner Michael Dirda, and ho-hum horror novella "R.I.P." by Terry Lamsley. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Yiddish Policemen's Union," by Michael Chabon | October 21, 2009
Today's book: The endlessly inventive 2006 alternate history tale "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" by Michael Chabon, imagining what the world would be like if the world's Jews ended up settling in Alaska after WW2 instead of Israel. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Twin Peaks | October 20, 2009
Today's DVD: David Lynch's gloriously weird "Twin Peaks," the "surrealist soap opera" from 1989 that still remains the second greatest television show of all time. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Sister Carrie," by Theodore Dreiser | October 19, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: the controversial 1900 Modernist harbinger "Sister Carrie," by Chicagoan Theodore Dreiser. Is it a timeless classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: Spetters | October 16, 2009
Today in "Naughty Netflix," CCLaP's look at 30 films featuring unsimulated sex: The surprisingly great '80s coming-of-age tale "Spetters," one of the first big hits by controversial Dutch director Paul Verhoeven. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Alice Fantastic," by Maggie Estep | October 14, 2009
Today's review: "Alice Fantastic" by Maggie Estep, not her usual ironic tale of hipsters but rather a sincere look what happens to them when they become washed-up middle-agers. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Brothers Bloom | October 12, 2009
Today's movie: Rian Johnson's disappointing comedic heist film "The Brothers Bloom," smart and funny to be sure but with an artsy weirdness that feels much too forced most of the time. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 9 October 2009 | October 9, 2009
Today, mini-reviews of three books recently sent to the center: The contemporary fiction collection "Bad Monkey" by Curtis Smith, the fantasy collection "Eyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight" by Cat Rambo, and funny/dark erotic memoir "Neurotica" by Elva Maxine Beach. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Gods and Monsters | October 8, 2009
Today's movie: 1998 Oscar winner and sleeper hit "Gods and Monsters," using the basics of the real life of '30s horror director James Whale ("Frankenstein") to take a sophisticated look at openly gay life in pre-Stonewall America. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Prince of Storms" by Kay Kenyon and "Starship: Flagship" by Mike Resnick | October 7, 2009
Today, a special double review of two science-fiction novels -- Kay Kenyon's "Prince of Storms" and Mike Resnick's "Starship: Flagship" -- along with general thoughts about the challenges inherent in starting a genre series halfway through. | Read entire entry

Guess who received a free copy of Bolano's "2666?" | October 6, 2009
That's right, it's me! Click through for why I'm so excited by this, who ended up giving it to me, and why it's going to take me two months to make it through this 900-page freaking saga. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: 9 Songs | October 5, 2009
Today's movie: "9 Songs," Michael Winterbottom's brilliant, nearly wordless look at the rise and fall of a sexually adventurous indie-rock couple. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: In praise of Ken Burns' "National Parks." | October 2, 2009
Today, a special personal essay, in praise of documentarian Ken Burns' latest mini-series on the national park system, just finishing up its six-part run on PBS tonight. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The IT Crowd, Season 3 | September 30, 2009
Today's DVD: The truly spectacular third season of the truly hilarious absurdist British sitcom "The IT Crowd," just now out on American DVD. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Babylonian Trilogy," by Sebastien Doubinsky | September 29, 2009
Today's book: The European New Weird tale "The Babylonian Trilogy" by Sebastien Doubinsky, three connected noir novellas set in an alternate-Earth version of New York. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Blue," by JD Riso | September 25, 2009
Today's book: JD Riso's remarkably great dark-erotic tale "Blue," masterfully combining both the enticing and horrific aspects of the stripping industry into a complex and gripping whole. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Swimming Inside the Sun," by David Zweig | September 24, 2009
Today's book: Musician David Zweig's literary debut "Swimming Inside the Sun," a novel so ridiculously bad that it actually become offensive by the end. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Brothers Grimm | September 23, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: Terry Gilliam's 2005 "The Brothers Grimm," delightfully similar in tone to such earlier films as "Time Bandits," and better than its reputation makes it seem. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London | September 22, 2009
Today in the CCLaP 100: The 1903 children's tale "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London. Is it a classic or not? Click through for my opinion and the reasons why. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | September 21, 2009
Today's review: The fantastic '70s British television anthology "The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes," dramatizing the adventures of thirteen other Victorian detectives being published at the same time as Arthur Conan Doyle's creation. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 18 September 2009 | September 18, 2009
Today, three small reviews of recently read books I found only so-so: Ron Malfi's crime drama "Shamrock Alley," Paul Bens' magical-realist "Kelland," and Ben Bova's science-fiction story collection "The Sam Gunn Omnibus." | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: I Am Curious | September 16, 2009
Today in "Naughty Netflix," my look at 30 mainstream films containing explicit sex scenes: 1967's "I Am Curious," one of the movies to help change US obscenity laws and bring about our modern ratings system, more important anymore as a historical record of Sweden's countercultural movement. | Read entire entry

Naughty Netflix: An introduction | September 16, 2009
Today I announce a new essay series here at CCLaP: "Naughty Netflix," a look at thirty mainstream movies that nonetheless contain scenes of graphic, explicit sexuality. Click through for the details, as well as the main list of all movies being reviewed. | Read entire entry

Why I signed "Too Young to Fall Asleep:" An Apologia. | September 15, 2009
It's Sally Weigel Day at the CCLaP website! In this entry, I write an "Apologia" (a purposely all-positive critical essay) on the reasons I ended up signing Sally's novella "Too Young to Fall Asleep" in the first place, and why I'm positive that she is destined to become a major force in the American arts. | Read entire entry

Passing the torch: Ben Tanzer on Sally Weigel | September 14, 2009
It's Sally Weigel Day at the CCLaP website! In this entry, I asked Ben Tanzer (author of CCLaP's previous original book) to weigh in with a few words about Weigel and her new novella, "Too Young to Fall Asleep." Click through to see what he had to say. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Art School Confidential | September 11, 2009
Today's movie: The schizophrenic comedy/thriller/love-story disaster "Art School Confidential," based on a comic by Daniel Clowes and a true waste of his talents. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Ruins," by Achy Obejas | September 10, 2009
Today's book: Achy Obejas' fantastic but surprisingly dark "Ruins," which takes an unflinching look at the downfall of Cuba in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Finding Neverland | September 8, 2009
Today's movie: The treacly yet awfully good 2004 Oscar-bait picture "Finding Neverland," telling the VERY loosely-based story of how JM Barrie came up with the ideas for his play "Peter Pan." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Mind Gone Astray," by Wayne Kallio | September 7, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so schizophrenia memoir "Mind Gone Astray," by Wayne Kallio. | Read entire entry

Book review: "River of Gods" and "Cyberabad Days," by Ian McDonald | September 3, 2009
Today's review: The groundbreaking India-set 2004 science-fiction saga "River of Gods" by Ian McDonald, plus the 2009 companion volume "Cyberabad Days." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Watchmen | August 27, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: "Watchmen," the high-profile 2009 adaptation of the 1986 Alan Moore comic-book classic, which proves once and for all that one can hit almost all the right notes, yet somehow get the entire f-cking song wrong anyway. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters | August 25, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: 1985's "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters," an experimental tone-poem by famed American director Paul Schrader, looking at random moments from the life of the controversial post-war Japanese author, finally out on a mainstream DVD thanks to cult-film distributor Criterion. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Father Ted, Season 1 | August 21, 2009
Today's DVD mini-review: "Father Ted," the absurdist '90s black comedy about Irish priests in the rural countryside, from the same team that would give us "The IT Crowd" a decade later. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Arcade of Cruelty," by Joseph Larkin | August 20, 2009
Today's book: "Arcade of Cruelty," a greatest-hits collection from long-suffering misanthrope and underground comics artist Joseph Larkin. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Renaissance | July 29, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The silly yet visually flabbergasting 2006 European animation experiment "Renaissance." | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 28 July 2009 | July 28, 2009
Today, small reviews of four recent titles I've read, including Jill Jonnes' NPR-worthy history book "Eiffel's Tower," the love letter to literature "Ex Libris" by Anne Fadiman, the academic novella "Disquiet" by Julia Leigh, and Christian relationship guide "How to Keep the Woman You Have," by F.G. Walters. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Mongol | July 27, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: 2007's "Mongol," which proves that even southeast Asian film-production startups can now churn out slick, gory, Hollywood-style quasi-historical silliness, in this case a heroic look at the usually villainous Genghis Khan. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Saturn's Children," by Charles Stross | July 24, 2009
Today's book: The fantastic Asimov "Robot" homage/unauthorized sequel and 2009 Hugo nominee "Saturn's Children," by hot-and-cold genre veteran Charles Stross. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Exorcist II: The Heretic | July 21, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The delightful 1977 trainwreck "Exorcist II: The Heretic," by master of the delightful trainwreck John Boorman ('Deliverance,' 'Excalibur,' 'Zardoz,' and a lot more), considered by many (but not me) to be the worst sequel in film history. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: RKO 281 | July 20, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: "RKO 281," an HBO original movie of pretty good quality, which takes a fascinating look at all the complications involved with Orson Welles making his classic film "Citizen Kane." | Read entire entry

Project review: "Personal Effects: Dark Art," by J.C. Hutchins and Jordan Weisman | July 17, 2009
Today's book: The surprisingly disappointing "alternative reality" cross-media story "Personal Effects: Dark Art," by the usually reliable genre veteran JC Hutchins and ARG pioneer Jordan Weisman. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Choke | July 15, 2009
Today's movie: The excruciatingly awful 2008 zany scatological adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's dark classic "Choke," kind of like trying to make an edgy point about rape by having the woman fart in the middle of it. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Painting and the City," by Robert Freeman Wexler | July 14, 2009
Today's book: The New-York-based 'thinking person's steampunk' tale "The Painting and the City," by the much respected but under-appreciated 'New Weird' veteran Robert Freeman Wexler. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Wrestler | July 13, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The okay but awfully manipulative "The Wrestler," the latest by experimental filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, which like his "Requiem for a Dream" tricks you into crying through the sheer spectacle of despair on display. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 10 July 2009 | July 10, 2009
Today, small reviews of four recent books I read: The Iranian graphic-novel memoir "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi; the surprisingly powerful Alzheimer's memoir "Released to the Angels" by Marilynn Garzione; the so-so genre exercise "The Ringmaster," by M.A. William; and the surprisingly awful "Downtown Owl" by famed Generation X memoirist Chuck Klosterman. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Fitzcarraldo | July 9, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: 1982's "Fitzcarraldo," one of the last collaborations between German New Wave film director Werner Herzog and completely insane actor Klaus Kinski, stunning in its sheer audacity and of course plagued with problems. Fantastic! | Read entire entry

Book review: "Descartes' Bones," by Russell Shorto | July 9, 2009
Today's book: The fascinating new "narrative nonfiction" book "Descartes' Bones," looking at the history behind this Enlightenment philosopher's long-missing skull, and by extension humanity's relationship with science in the 400 years since the Renaissance. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Age of Innocence," by Edith Wharton | July 8, 2009
Today's book in the CCLaP 100: Edith Wharton's 1920 "The Age of Innocence," which ingeniously combines a nostalgic look at upper-class Victorian New York with the contemporary angst of early Modernism. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Dust and Shadow," by Lyndsay Faye | July 7, 2009
Today's book: The spectacular bringing-together of Sherlock Holmes and Jack The Ripper, Lyndsay Faye's steampunkish literary debut "Dust and Shadow." | Read entire entry

Algren at 100: Never Come Morning | July 6, 2009
Today, part 2 of the essay series I'm doing here at the site this year, examining in detail the ouevre of controversial Chicago author Nelson Algren on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Here, a look at his second novel, the cultishly popular 1942 down-and-out tale "Never Come Morning." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Revolutionary Road | July 2, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The surprisingly mindblowing 2008 Sam Mendes adaptation of Richard Yates' 1961 postmodernism harbinger "Revolutionary Road," the first since "Titanic" to co-star the power actors Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Moral Clarity," by Susan Neiman | June 29, 2009
Today's book: The smart and sober primer on Enlightenment philosophy and where it all went wrong with the Bush administration, Susan Neiman's "Moral Clarity: A Guide for Grown-Up Idealists." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Duchess of Duke Street | June 25, 2009
Today's mini-review: The 1976 BBC television series "The Duchess of Duke Street," an Edwardian period drama based on the true story of the Cockney maid who eventually became the owner of one of the most posh hotels in London. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Dune (1984) | June 25, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The notorious 1984 science-fiction trainwreck "Dune," by celebrated Surrealist filmmaker David Lynch, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. | Read entire entry

Algren at 100: Somebody in Boots | June 18, 2009
Today, part 1 of the special 14-part essay series I'm doing this summer, looking in detail at nearly the entire ouevre of controversial Chicago author Nelson Algren, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Here, a look at his very first book, the 1935 communist apologia "Somebody in Boots." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Ghost Writer," by Philip Roth | June 17, 2009
Today's book: 1979's "The Ghost Writer" by Philip Roth, part 1 of his remarkable 9-book autobiographical "Zuckerman" series over the decades, examining not just this Jewish-American's life but the history of postmodernism as well. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 15 June 2009 | June 15, 2009
Today, a roundup of four recent books I didn't have much to say about: Kelly Simmons' "Standing Still," Gilbert Hernandez's "Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories," Thomas Foster's "How to Read Novels Like a Professor," and Alvin Granowsky's "Teacher Accused." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Man Who Melted," by Jack Dann | June 12, 2009
Today, a look back at Jack Dann's 1984 trippy sci-fi classic "The Man Who Melted," reissued recently by Pyr in honor of its 25th anniversary. | Read entire entry

Algren at 100: An introduction | June 10, 2009
Announcing CCLaP's summer reading project for 2009, "Algren at 100," whereby I read for the first time nearly the entire ouevre of this controversial 20th-century Chicago author, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Today, an introduction to Algren and the series. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The President's Pianist," by George Manos | June 9, 2009
Today's book: The great little memoir "The President's Pianist" by George Manos, an overview of this Washington musician's entire career but with an emphasis on the years he played for President Harry Truman in the 1940s and '50s. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Perforated Heart," by Eric Bogosian | June 8, 2009
Today's book: Eric Bogosian's look at a bitter has-been fiftyish writer, and the crazy punk rocker he used to be in 1970s New York, the brilliant new novel "Perforated Heart." | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 4 June 2009 | June 4, 2009
A roundup of my latest "micro-reviews," concerning books that I didn't have full-length essays for, including Eddie Campbell's "The Black Diamond Detective Agency," David Carr's "The Night of the Gun," Dr. Cornelia Franz's "Common Sense Pediatrics," and Ron Riales' "Red Moon: Looming of the New World Order." | Read entire entry

Book review (part 2): "Anathem," by Neal Stephenson | June 2, 2009
Today, it's the second half of my special two-part look at Neal Stephenson's massive, intellectually dense new novel, the science-meets-religion saga "Anathem." In this half, a look at the ultra-complex plotline that makes up the book's actual manuscript. | Read entire entry

Book review (part 1): "Anathem," by Neal Stephenson | June 1, 2009
Today, part 1 of my special two-part look at Neal Stephenson's massive and intellectually dense new "Anathem," which attempts no less than to completely redefine the very relationship between religion and science. Today, a detailed look at the thousand-page novel's ultra-complicated backstory and mythology. | Read entire entry

The Best of CCLaP: "Shining at the Bottom of the Sea," by Stephen Marche | May 29, 2009
This week I'm finally reading Neal Stephenson's massive new "Anathem," but that means no new book reviews for awhile; instead I'm reprinting older reviews this week of books I love, for those who may have originally missed them. Today: "Shining at the Bottom of the Sea," Stephen Marche's endlessly clever fake history of a former British island colony that never actually existed. | Read entire entry

The Best of CCLaP: "Jamestown," by Matthew Sharpe | May 28, 2009
I'm finally reading Neal Stephenson's massive new "Anathem" this week, but that means no new book reviews for awhile; instead, I'm reprinting a series of older reviews concerning books I love, for those who may have originally missed them. Today, Matthew Sharpe's endlessly witty postmodern take on the Jamestown legend from the early 1600s, simply entitled "Jamestown." | Read entire entry

The Best of CCLaP: "The Possibility of an Island," by Michel Houellebecq | May 27, 2009
I'm making my way this week through Neal Stephenson's massive new "Anathem," so won't have new book reviews ready for awhile; I'm instead spending the week reprinting the best of CCLaP's older reviews, for new readers who might have originally missed them. Today: The brilliant but highly offensive "The Possibility of an Island," by celebrated French humanity-hater Michel Houellebecq. | Read entire entry

The Best of CCLaP: "World War Z," by Max Brooks | May 26, 2009
I'm reading the thousand-page "Anathem" by Neal Stephenson this week, so won't have new book reviews ready until next week: instead I'm presenting a series of older reviews new readers may have missed. Today: The mind-bogglingly great attack on George Bush and Hurricane Katrina, Max Brooks' "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Hellboy II | May 21, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The instant stoner midnight classic "Hellboy II," by genre master Guillermo del Toro and based on his much-loved original. | Read entire entry

Book(s) review: The "Quantum Gravity" series, by Justina Robson | May 19, 2009
Today's review: The three-book ribald "urban fantasy" series "Quantum Gravity," the latest titles by British New Wave pioneer Justina Robson. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Great Perhaps," by Joe Meno | May 15, 2009
Today's book: "The Great Perhaps," the highly anticipated major-press debut of Chicago literary wunderkind Joe Meno. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Hitler's Lost Plan | May 13, 2009
Today's mini-review: "Hitler's Lost Plan," a 2004 documentary from the History Channel concerning an unpublished sequel to his "Mein Kampf," discovered in the '90s in East Germany's now-open historical archives. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Television Under the Swastika | May 13, 2009
Today's mini-review: The 1999 documentary "Television Under the Swastika," covering the history of the early TV format under the Nazi regime. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Elk's Run," by Joshua Hale Fialkov | May 12, 2009
Today's book: The violent speculative 2007 graphic novel "Elk's Run," by Joshua Hale Fialkov. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Android | May 12, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The no-budget 1982 Klaus-Kinski-slumming science-fiction thriller "Android." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Ninth Configuration | May 11, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: William Peter Blatty's 1980 "forgotten cult classic" (read: unwatchable trainwreck) "The Ninth Configuration." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Demonlover | May 8, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The sex-and-violence-laced look at the global hipster-douchebag entertainment-startup industry, 2002's "Demonlover," part of the so-called "French New Extremity" wave of '00s cinema. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Perfect Blue | May 8, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The 1997 darkly odd anime classic "Perfect Blue," by festival favorite Satoshi Kon ("Paprika"). | Read entire entry

Book review: "Nobody Move," by Denis Johnson | May 7, 2009
Today's book: The nearly perfect pulp-fiction exercise "Nobody Move," by 2007 National Book Award winner Denis Johnson ("Jesus' Son," "Tree of Smoke"). | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Heart of Darkness," by Joseph Conrad | May 5, 2009
Today's book: The 1902 novella "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, known mostly these days as the source material for Francis Ford Coppola's modern remake "Apocalypse Now." Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Caprica | May 5, 2009
Today's mini-review: "Caprica," the new family-saga prequel to Ronald Moore's massively popular remake of "Battlestar Galactica," which in an ingenious move has been released on DVD months before it's to air on television. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Kolchak: The Night Stalker | May 4, 2009
Today's mini-review: The once-daring 1970s innovative horror series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," yet another old TV show now available at Netflix for digitized "instant viewing." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Blankety Blank," by D. Harlan Wilson | May 1, 2009
Today's book: The 2008 dark suburban bizarro comedy "Blankety Blank," by D. Harlan Wilson. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) | May 1, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The 1938 surrealistically Technicolor classic, Errol Flynn's "The Adventures of Robin Hood," plus a mini-essay on the changing nature of arts consumption in the wake of Netflix's growing amount of digitized "instant movies." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Somewhere in Time | April 30, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The 1980 sleeper hit that's become eventually known by many as the greatest romantic movie ever made, the Christopher Reeve vehicle "Somewhere in Time." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Coupling, season 1 | April 30, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: Season 1 of the racy British 2000s sex sitcom, "Coupling," a.k.a. "The BBC's answer to 'Friends.'" | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Nulapeiron Sequence," by John Meaney | April 28, 2009
Today's review: The early-2000s science-fiction epic "The Nulapeiron Sequence" ("Paradox," "Context" and "Resolution"), by British New Wave author John Meaney. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Doctor Who: The Ribos Operation | April 27, 2009
Today's movie: "The Ribos Operation," a collection of the first four episodes of the old British science-fiction show "Doctor Who"s 16th season, back during the "Tom Baker years" of the 1970s. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Gypsy In My Soul," by Christine Harris | April 21, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so "fictionalized memoir" concerning the plight of the Romanies during the Holocaust, Christine Harris' "The Gypsy In My Soul." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Heavenly Creatures | April 21, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The astoundingly creepy 1994 historical drama "Heavenly Creatures," from "Lord of the Rings" impresario Peter Jackson, about two fantasy-embracing teen girls in 1950s New Zealand who kill one of their parents with a brick. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Out of Africa | April 21, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The 1985 sweeping historical drama "Out of Africa," winner of that year's Best Picture Oscar. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Aguirre, the Wrath of God | April 20, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The 1972 German New Wave classic "Aguirre, the Wrath of God," one of the notorious collaborations back then between feuding artists Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: The Shadow (1994) | April 20, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The forgotten genre classic "The Shadow," from 1994. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Silver Screen," by Justina Robson | April 16, 2009
Today's review: The 1999 "Accelerated Age"-style science-fiction classic "Silver Screen," by Justina Robson. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter | April 15, 2009
Today's movie mini-reivew: The experimental supplemental 2009 DVD "Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter," which offered background info about the main movie to audience members even while the original was still in theatres. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Slumdog Millionaire | April 14, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The controversial "Indian Dickensian" story "Slumdog Millionaire," winner of this year's Best Picture Oscar. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 14 April 2009 | April 14, 2009
Today, quick reviews of four recent not-so-good self-published books: Dayton Alverson's "Race to the Sea;" James J. Collins' "Nuclear Nightmare;" William Bicket's "One Man in a Million;" and Bryan Roscoe's "Majestic Restoration." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Batman Begins | April 10, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: Christopher Nolan's 2005 "Batman Begins," aka "The Greatest Superhero Movie Ever Made, Amen." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Ballykissangel, season 1 | April 10, 2009
Today's mini-review: Season 1 of the gentle 1990s BBC television series about small-town life in Northern Ireland, "Ballykissangel." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Rachel Getting Married | April 9, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: Jonathan Demme's Oscar-nominated "Rachel Getting Married," featuring notorious good-girl Anne Hathaway as a chain-smoking, substance-abusing emotional trainwreck. All right! | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Slide," by Kyle Beachy | April 8, 2009
Today's book: "The Slide," the major-press literary debut of Chicagoan Kyle Beachy, which today becomes only the fourth book in CCLaP's history to receive a perfect 10. Click through to find out why. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Art of War," by Sun Tzu | April 7, 2009
Today's book: The ancient Chinese military guide and surprisingly apt corporate business book "The Art of War," written by Taoist military commander Sun Tzu around 500 BC. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Big Trouble in Little China | April 7, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The 1986 bizarro actioner and cult favorite "Big Trouble in Little China." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Paprika | April 6, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The surreal 2006 contemporary anime classic "Paprika," by long-time respected underground filmmaker Satoshi Kon ("Perfect Blue," "Millennium Actress"). | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Lost Treasures of Tibet | April 3, 2009
Today's movie mini-review: The fascinating 2003 NOVA episode "Lost Treasures of Tibet," about the clash between working monasteries in the Himalayans and the Western conservators who wish to preserve the crumbling murals there. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Berlin Alexanderplatz, disc 1 | April 3, 2009
Today's short movie review: Disc one of the astounding 14-part meditation on the German Weimar years (and rising Nazi power), Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1980 television mini-series "Berlin Alexanderplatz." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Murderland: h8," by Garrett Cook | April 2, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so alt-horror novel "Murderland: h8," by Garrett Cook. | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: An introduction | April 1, 2009
Today, an introduction to CCLaP's newest series of mini-reviews, "Justify My Netflix." | Read entire entry

Justify My Netflix: Ghost In The Shell | April 1, 2009
Today's mini-review: The 1995 anime classic "Ghost In The Shell." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Madame Bovary," by Gustave Flaubert | March 31, 2009
Today's book under review: The 1857 dark suburban satire and deep character study "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert, considered by many to be one of the best novels ever written. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Metapost: {mud luscious} calls 'Repetition Patterns' a "graceful, subtle" delight | March 29, 2009
Great news: Author JA Taylor this weekend got a chance to review CCLaP's first original book, last fall's story collection "Repetition Patterns" by Ben Tanzer...and he liked it. A lot. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Just A Geek," by Wil Wheaton | March 26, 2009
Today's book: The 2004 personal memoir "Just A Geek," by celebrated child-actor turned respected writer Wil Wheaton. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Sardinian Silver," by A. Colin Wright | March 25, 2009
Today's book: The fictionalized memoir "Sardinian Silver," by retired baby boomer A. Colin Wright, a Graham-Greenesque look at Wright's youth spent on the Mediterranean island. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Broken Bulbs," by Eddie Wright | March 24, 2009
Today's book: The experimental "body horror" novella "Broken Bulbs," the literary debut of American author Eddie Wright. | Read entire entry

Book review: "End of the Century," by Chris Roberson | March 20, 2009
Today: The thoroughly genreriffic "tri-history tale" (part medieval, part steampunk, part contemporary) "End of the Century," by Texas science-fiction author Chris Roberson. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Himalayan Passage," by Jean Smith | March 17, 2009
Today's book: The delightful historical novel "Himalayan Passage" by American Buddhist Jean Smith, reimagining the actual Akbar reign of India's Mughal Empire as a rousing adventure tale and love story. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Katka," by Stephen Meier | March 10, 2009
Today's book: The Prague-set contemporary pulp-fiction novella "Katka," the literary debut of Las Vegas author Stephen Meier. | Read entire entry

Book review: "You: Or, The Invention of Memory," by Jonathan Baumbach | March 9, 2009
Today's book review: The semi-autobiographical "You: Or, The Invention of Memory," by celebrated academe Jonathan Baumbach, an artsy mess that some will love and some will despise. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Revolutionary Road," by Richard Yates | March 2, 2009
Today, it's another in the occasional series of reviews I do for much older books, in an attempt to get "caught up" with an important writer. Here, Richard Yates' early-postmodernist classic "Revolutionary Road," recently made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Taj Mahal," by Diana and Michael Preston | February 26, 2009
Today's book: The nicely done NPR-style general overview of India's late Moghul Empire and its greatest remnant, Diana and Michael Prestons' "Taj Mahal: Passion and Genius at the Heart of the Moghul Empire." | Read entire entry

Book review: "A Tomb on the Periphery," by John Domini | February 18, 2009
Today's book: The dense and appealing crime thriller "A Tomb on the Periphery," book 2 of award-winning novelist John Domini's ideologically-linked "Naples Trilogy." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Tarzan of the Apes," by Edgar Rice Burroughs | February 12, 2009
Today's book: The Edwardian-Age genre-actioner "Tarzan of the Apes," by laborer-turned-author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Is it still a literary classic? Click through for my opinion on the subject, and the reasons why I came to that decision. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Commonwealth," by Joey Goebel | February 10, 2009
Today's book: The surprisingly awful political satire "Commonwealth," by the otherwise highly regarded Joey Goebel. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Contract: A Life for a Life," by Joseph Kutrzeba | February 9, 2009
Today's book: The surprisingly great Holocaust memoir "The Contract: A Life for a Life," by Jew-turned-Catholic Joseph Kutrzeba, setting itself off from so many other similar books by its willingness to embrace the now-forgotten moral ambiguity of those times. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Coyote County Loser | February 6, 2009
Today's movie: The no-budget indie romantic comedy "Coyote County Loser," a surprisingly great-looking film featuring a surprisingly terrible script. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Attachment," by m.e. Jabbour | January 30, 2009
Today's book: The "antivillain" dysfunctional character drama "Attachment" by m.e. Jabbour, above-average for what it is but a book that will still appeal to only a limited audience. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Africa: A Photographic Safari," by Carlyle Thompson | January 28, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so travel journal "Africa: A Photographic Safari," by Carlyle Thompson. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Muffy: or A Transmigration of Selves," by ST Gulik | January 27, 2009
Today's book: The radically erotic sex-and-gore comedy "Muffy: or A Transmigration of Selves," by ST Gulik. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Master of Ceremonies," by David Henry Sterry | January 26, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so memoir of notorious '70s male-stripclub Chippendales, David Henry Sterry's "Master of Ceremonies." | Read entire entry

Book review: "End Credits," by AF Rützy | January 23, 2009
Today's review: The only so-so absurdist comedy about corporate culture, "End Credits" by AF Rützy. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Voyeurs of Death," by Shaun Jeffrey | January 14, 2009
Today's review: The genreriffic horror-story collection "Voyeurs of Death," by British author Shaun Jeffrey. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Earthquake ID," by John Domini | January 9, 2009
Today's book: The fantastically written Italy-set dense character study "Earthquake ID," by multiple award-winning academic author John Domini. | Read entire entry

Announcing CCLaP's new microblog -- the "CCLAPocracy" | January 6, 2009
Announcing the latest online experiment from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography: The center's own Twitter-style microblog, in which readers debate recent reviews, announce local artistic events, post goofy personal updates and more. Today, all the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Monastery Ridge," by Henry West | January 5, 2009
Today's book: The surprisingly great fictionalized Korean War memoir "Monastery Ridge," by actual Korean vet and forty-year Silicon-Valley lawyer Henry West. | Read entire entry

CCLaP's newest eBook, "The Year In Books 2008," is here | January 2, 2009
CCLaP's third "white paper," minor publications that gather up longer material first published here at the site, is finally here; it's a collection of the four-part "Year In Books 2008" report that's been running here all week. Today, every bit of information you need about the book and how to download a free copy. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2008: The CCLaP Guilty Pleasure Awards | January 1, 2009
It's the fourth and final report from this 2008's Year In Books report, the awarding of the coveted CCLaP Guilty Pleasure Awards; these are titles I ended up slavishly loving like the fanboy I am, but for one rational reason or another I probably shouldn't have. Yay, my favorite books of all! | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2008: Best experimental | December 31, 2008
It's part three of the four-part CCLaP look at 2008's reviewed books, being posted here all week; today, eight of the best experimental or cutting-edge books to be originally reviewed here over the last twelve months. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2008: Worth a second look | December 30, 2008
It's part two of the four-part report I've been filing here this week, looking back at the forty most interesting books reviewed here at CCLaP in 2008. Today, ten books that are worth checking out again, sometimes phenomenal titles that nonetheless will only appeal to a limited audience. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2008: Best of the best | December 29, 2008
It's part one of CCLaP's four-part look at the year in books for 2008, being published throughout this week. Today, the ten highest-rated books of the year, of the 83 contemporary titles that were reviewed. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP Year In Books 2008 | December 28, 2008
It's here! It's here! It's CCLaP's look back at the 83 contemporary books reviewed here this year, highlighting slowly over the week almost 40 of them again, grouped into themes each day and with brand-new micro-reviews of them all. Here, the roundup and main index. | Read entire entry

Book review: "A Map of Home," by Randa Jarrar | December 22, 2008
Today's book: The sweet yet awfully stereotypical Middle East coming-of-age tale "A Map of Home," by Palestinian-American Randa Jarrar. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Northanger Abbey," by Jane Austen | December 19, 2008
Today's book under review: Jane Austen's chick-lit forerunner "Northanger Abbey," written in 1798 but not published until 1818. Is it a classic? Click through for my verdict and the reasons why. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Ibiza Virgin," by Jennifer Eric | December 18, 2008
Today's book: The oddly organized "Ibiza Virgin" by Jennifer Eric, partly a practical travel guide to this club-heavy Mediterranean tourist destination, partly a memoir of a disastrous summer internship she had there in the mid-2000s. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Ghostwritten," by David Mitchell | December 17, 2008
Today's book: 1999's "Ghostwritten," the first novel by British expat David Mitchell, now considered by many a decade later to be one of the finest contemporary surrealist authors around. What did I think of this early book? Click through to find out. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Zerostrata," by Andersen Prunty | December 17, 2008
Today's book: The short and delightful absurdist tale "Zerostrata," by mid-career Ohio author Andersen Prunty. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Orange Alert Holiday Guide 2008 | December 12, 2008
Today's obsession: The fantastic little downloadable holiday guide from cultural website "What To Wear During an Orange Alert," even cooler because of it being made in a way that almost anyone could, but that only OA thought of and actually executed. | Read entire entry

Photo of the day: "Untitled," by Fabrizio Mingarelli | December 12, 2008
Today's photo: "Untitled," by Italian photographer Fabrizio Mingarelli. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Gargoyle," by Andrew Davidson | December 10, 2008
Today: The much-hyped, badly disappointing, centuries-spanning supernatural romantic thriller "The Gargoyle," by first-time novelist Andrew Davidson. Wow, what a stinker. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Canon," by Natalie Angier | December 9, 2008
Today's review: Natalie Angier's surprisingly disappointing "The Canon," in which she asks a series of scientists what the most important basic lessons about their profession are, hampered throughout by an overly cute, badly written style of "magazine journalism." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound," by Mick Brown | December 9, 2008
Today's review: The 2007 Phil Spector biography "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound" by journalist Mick Brown, surprisingly ho-hum for a tale of a gun-toting rock-icon recluse. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Sunshine Estates: Rx for Rosedale," by Lynn Shirey | December 8, 2008
Today's book: The gentle yet smart retirement-community crime-thriller comedy "Sunshine Estates: Rx for Rosedale," by self-publishing author Lynn Shirey. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Psychological Methods To Sell Should Be Destroyed," by Robert Freeman Wexler | December 4, 2008
Today's book: The mostly fantastic absurdist/surrealist story collection "Psychological Methods To Sell Should Be Destroyed," from veteran "New Weird" author Robert Freeman Wexler. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," by Danny Gillan | December 3, 2008
Today's book: The unfortunately behemoth indie-rock saga "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," by British author Danny Gillan. | Read entire entry

People have been saying some nice things about "Repetition Patterns" | November 28, 2008
Now that it's Thanksgiving week here in the US and I'm taking a break from major site updates, I thought it'd be a good time to mention some of the nice things people have recently started saying about CCLaP's first original book, Ben Tanzer's "Repetition Patterns." Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "All About Lulu," by Jonathan Evison | November 20, 2008
Today's book: The plaintive quirky '90s-set coming-of-age tale "All About Lulu," by first-time novelist Jonathan Evison. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Still Life with Psychotic Squirrel," by CB Smith | November 19, 2008
Today's book: The blog-like collection of personal essays "Still Life with Psychotic Squirrel," by CB Smith. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 12 November 2008 | November 12, 2008
Today, more small reviews of books I've recently read in my life, including Jeremy Shipp's "Sheep and Wolves," Kathryn Harrison's "Envy," Beth Fehlbaum's "Courage in Patience," and Gilbert Hernandez's "Chance in Hell." | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 10 November 2008 | November 10, 2008
Today, a round-up of small reviews from books I've recently read, including Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America," Hideo Okuda's "Lala Pipo," Lawrence Bush's "Waiting for God," Nick Tosches' "In the Hand of Dante," and Stephen Prothero's "Religious Literacy." | Read entire entry

"Repetition Patterns:" Official critique/opinion page | October 27, 2008
The official blog entry tracking all things said (both good and bad) about the book "Repetition Patterns," by Ben Tanzer. Have you own opinions to share? By all means, leave them as a comment at this entry! | Read entire entry

Book review: "Passenger," by Ronald Malfi | October 3, 2008
Today's book: The moody, minimalist, "New Weird" horror tale "Passenger," by Ronald Malfi. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet," by Joanne Proulx | September 29, 2008
Today's book: The midwestern heavy-metal magical-realism coming-of-age tale "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet," by hipster short-story writer and first-time novelist Joanne Proulx. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Heart of a Cult," by Lena Phoenix | September 15, 2008
Today's book: "The Heart of a Cult," Lena Phoenix's fascinating fictional look at the radical edges of the New Age community, and how it is that so many otherwise rational and intelligent people can fall prey to cultlike behavior and brainwashing. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Beloved," by Toni Morrison | September 12, 2008
Today's book: 1987's "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, a powerful tale of the post-Civil-War black female experience, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the catalyst for a new golden age of "minority fiction." Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: "Sex Machine" | September 11, 2008
Today's movie: The darkly humorous, no-budget extreme-horror film and cult hit "Sex Machine," from deep Midwesterner Christopher Sharpe. | Read entire entry

Book review: "MultiReal," by David Louis Edelman | September 5, 2008
Today's book: David Louis Edelman's "MultiReal," part 2 of the massive science-fiction epic trilogy "Jump 225," part 1 of which I reviewed here at CCLaP last year. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 2 September 2008 | September 2, 2008
Today, four very short review of some recent books I've read, including Linda Medley's "Castle Waiting," Daniel Grandbois' "Unlucky Lucky Days," Chip Kidd's "The Learners" and Roger Rosenblatt's "Beet." | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 27 August 2008 | August 27, 2008
Today, extra-small reviews of four DVDs I recently watched: "The Animatrix," Sci-Fi Channel's "Riverworld," "Eragon," and "What The Bleep Do We Know?" | Read entire entry

Book review: "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster," by Dana Thomas | August 25, 2008
Today's book: "Deluxe," by veteran fashion journalist Dana Thomas, showing exactly how the so-called "luxury industry" changed from a handcrafted, elitist service into a mass-produced, overmarketed commodity during the '80s, '90s and '00s. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Sound and the Fury," by William Faulkner | August 22, 2008
Today's book: The 1929 Modernist classic "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner, also one of the first novels to establish the subgenre "Southern Gothic." is it a classic? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Let's Talk About Them Again: "Radiant Days," by Michael FitzGerald | August 20, 2008
Today, the start of a new essay series here at CCLaP, where I occasionally look back at great books already reviewed here that still deserve your attention. Today's pick, the phenomenal 2007 Graham-Greene-like expat novel "Radiant Days," by Michael FitzGerald. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Lost Episodes of Beatie Scareli," by Ginnetta Correli | August 19, 2008
Today's book: The darkly comic, slightly surrealist coming-of-age tale "The Lost Episodes of Beatie Scareli," by self-published first-time novelist Ginnetta Correli. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Gulliver's Travels," by Jonathan Swift | August 18, 2008
Today's book: The 1726 English political satire "Gulliver's Travels," by part-time politician and smartypants author Jonathan Swift. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion on the matter. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Pisstown Chaos," by David Ohle | August 14, 2008
Today's book: The wry, post-apocalyptic black comedy (what, ANOTHER one?) "The Pisstown Chaos," by post-apocalyptic black-comedy veteran David Ohle. It's...eh, it's okay; click through for more. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Running with Scissors" and "A Wolf at the Table," by Augusten Burroughs | August 12, 2008
Today's book(s): Both the oldest and newest "nonfiction memoirs" by gay Generation X new-wave journalist Augusten Burroughs, 2002's "Running with Scissors" and 2008's "A Wolf at the Table." Click through for my extended thoughts. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Faith Between Us," by Peter Bebergal and Scott Korb | August 11, 2008
Today's book: The 2007 nonfictional "The Faith Between Us" by Peter Bebergal and Scott Korb, in which a pair of hipster doofuses and already-published authors with hidden traditional religious beliefs (one Catholic, one Jewish) discuss the daily struggles of such a life. | Read entire entry

In which I respond to the reader question, "What do you think of 9/11 Fiction?" | August 10, 2008
I've been adding a lot of simple scores to books over at Goodreads.com recently; and that inspired someone to ask me what I think of Don DeLillo's September-11th novel "Underworld." Today, my surprisingly complicated answer. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Nazi Literature in the Americas," by Roberto Bolaño | August 8, 2008
Today's book: "Nazi Literature in the Americans," by late Chilean author and smartypants Roberto Bolaño, originally published in Spanish in 1996 but in English just this year (2008). | Read entire entry

Book review: "Snuff," by Chuck Palahniuk | August 6, 2008
Today's book: The filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy 2008 novel "Snuff," by Chuck Palahniuk. Don't say I didn't warn you! | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Tropic of Cancer," by Henry Miller | August 4, 2008
Today's book: Henry Miller's drunken, filthy examination of Paris' post-WWI bohemian community, 1934's "Tropic of Cancer." Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Execution of Sherlock Holmes," by Donald Thomas | August 1, 2008
Today's review: The 2007 "comfort-food" project "The Execution of Sherlock Holmes," a brand-new collection of five stories that are specifically meant to read exactly like Arthur Conan Doyle's original ones from a century ago. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Gradisil," by Adam Roberts | July 29, 2008
Today's book: Adam Roberts' astounding fake history of the coming private settlement of space, "Gradisil," the last of the eight award-nominated science-fiction novels I am taking a look at this month at CCLaP. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 28 July 2008 | July 28, 2008
Small little micro-reviews of some recent projects, including the books "1421" and "1434" by Gavin Menzies, "The Great Neighborhood Book" by Jay Walljasper, "Liverpool 800" edited by John Belchem, and the 1954 movie "The Caine Mutiny." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Resurrectionist," by Jack O'Connell | July 25, 2008
Today's book: The 2008 cult hit and "Hollywood Surrealist" tale "The Resurrectionist," by Jack O'Connell...and I don't mean anything good by that term, either. Click through for more. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Rollback," by Robert J Sawyer | July 21, 2008
Today's book: The Hugo-nominated 2007 near-future tale "Rollback," by industry veteran Robert J Sawyer. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Born Standing Up," by Steve Martin | July 18, 2008
Today's book: "Born Standing Up," Steve Martin's memoirs of his old '70s stand-up comedian years, a time in his life he barely ever discusses in public anymore. It's FASCINATING. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Candida," by George Bernard Shaw | July 17, 2008
Today's book: the 1898 stage-play and comedy of manners "Candida," by astute social observer George Bernard Shaw. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts and opinion on the matter. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Last Colony," by John Scalzi | July 15, 2008
Today's book: The latest 2008 Hugo nominee to be reviewed here, the old-skool grand space opera "The Last Colony" by John Scalzi. How does it compare to the other nominees? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Hats & Eyeglasses," by Martha Frankel | July 14, 2008
Today: The so-so personal memoir "Hats & Eyeglasses," by former "Details" columnist and entertainment journalist Martha Frankel, which is supposedly about gambling addiction but isn't really about gambling addiction. Click through for more on what I mean. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Left Hand of Darkness," by Ursula K Le Guin | July 13, 2008
Today's book: Ursula K Le Guin's 1969 "The Left Hand of Darkness," as important to the history of science-fiction as it is to feminist literature, coming in the middle of the youthful countercultural movement. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts and opinions. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 12 July 2008 | July 12, 2008
Tiny little reviews of four books and movies, being posted on a weekend, including Patricia Wood's "Lottery," Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman's "Shooting War," Marvel Comics' "The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born," and the truly awful 1997 TV-movie version of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "New Monasticism," by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove | July 3, 2008
Today's review: The misleadingly-titled "New Monasticism" by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, a guide not really to modern monk-like behavior but rather traditional liberal activism. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Nova Swing," by M John Harrison | July 2, 2008
Today's book: "Nova Swing" by M John Harrison, the trippy and cutting-edge science-fiction novel that won the 2008 Philip K Dick Award, precisely honoring trippy and cutting-edge science-fiction. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "RenGen," by Patricia Martin | June 30, 2008
Today's review: The 2007 business book "RenGen" by Patricia Martin, arguing that the US is on the brink of a major new cultural renaissance, and that business owners could do themselves some good by anticipating and planning for it. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Youth Without Youth (movie) | June 27, 2008
Today's review: 2007's trippy and dense "Youth Without Youth," the supposed "street-cred comeback vehicle" for Francis Ford Coppola, after two decades now of disappointments from him. Too bad it's not very good. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Ten-Cent Plague," by David Hajdu | June 26, 2008
Today's book: David Hajdu's "The Ten-Cent Plague," a detailed and fascinating look at the 1950s comic-book scare in the United States, featuring a ton of new interviews with the people originally involved. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Brasyl," by Ian McDonald | June 25, 2008
Today: The 2007 Hugo-nominated "Brasyl" by Ian McDonald, a thrilling science-fiction adventure set within the steamy third-world milieu of Rio de Janeiro. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Here's why I'm dropping the "Too Awful To Finish" series. | June 24, 2008
A recent accusation of bad criticism here, along with an interesting reaction by CCLaP's readers, has had me thinking a lot this week about fairness, critical responsibility, and the hipster douchebags I hate so much. Today, the conclusions I came to. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 23 June 2008 | June 23, 2008
Today, little tiny reviews of three recent movies and books, none of which I liked enough to bother writing a full review. Includes Lettie Teague's "Educating Peter," as well as the movies "Spun," "Notes on a Scandal," and "Diary of the Dead." | Read entire entry

Wanna see CCLaP review a specific book? Check out our new wish list! | June 20, 2008
Yes, it's true; due to popular demand, I am now listing online the various books that CCLaP will be reading and reviewing soon; and it's over at Amazon too, in the form of a wish list, so that you can help get me review copies if you feel like assisting a broke critic. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Meth (2006 film) | June 20, 2008
Today's review: The low-budget, hi-def 2006 documentary "Meth," concerning crystal meth and its effect on America's various gay male "cruising" scenes, not just a great film but also a good example of how technology is changing the self-produced arts. | Read entire entry

Book review: "American Transcendentalism: A History," by Philip Gura | June 17, 2008
Today's book: 2007's astoundingly great "American Transcendentalism: A History," a tight and finally clear look at this bizarre early-1800s burp in American history, by culture and lit professor Philip Gura. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 16 June 2008 | June 16, 2008
Tiny little reviews of four books I recently didn't have the chance to finish, including Kate Christensen's "Great Man," Benjamin Wiker's "Ten Books That Screwed Up the World," Sean Williams' "Saturn Returns," and Jon Armstrong's "Grey." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Words of Every Song," by Liz Moore | June 12, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly great and emotional look at the music industry, 2007's fictional "The Words of Every Song" by real-life indie-rocker Liz Moore. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Three Novellas for a Novel," by Carl Shuker | June 10, 2008
Today's book: The dense, trippy, experimental "Three Novellas for a Novel," a Radiohead-style "pay what you want" eBook by award-winning New Zealander Carl Shuker. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Prisoners in Paradise," by Akmal Shebl | June 6, 2008
Today's book: The self-published 2008 supernatural thriller "Prisoners in Paradise," by Akmal Shebl, a book which brings up all kinds of issues about self-publishing that I've been meaning to talk about. Today, I talk about them. | Read entire entry

Book Versus Movie: The 39 Steps | June 4, 2008
Today's review: the proto-spy thriller "The 39 Steps," both the original 1915 novella by John Buchan and the 1935 movie adaptation by the young Alfred Hitchcock. How do they compare? Click through for my thoughts! | Read entire entry

Book review: "All Shall Be Well...," by Tod Wodicka | June 3, 2008
Today's book: The masterfully funny and sad satire of cranky academic eggheads, Tod Wodicka's debut novel "All Shall Be Well; and All Shall Be Well; and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Historian," by Elizabeth Kostova | May 28, 2008
Today's book: The 2005 modern vampire tale and runaway bestseller "The Historian," by Elizabeth Kostova. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "A Farewell to Arms," by Ernest Hemingway | May 23, 2008
Today's book: The 1929 Modernist look at World War One, Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms." Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion, and the reasons why I argue it. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: No Country For Old Men | May 22, 2008
Today's movie: The Coen Brothers' "No Country For Old Men," 2007 Oscar winner for Best Picture, and easily the best film of their careers. Click through for my reasons why. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 18 May 2008 | May 18, 2008
A weekend roundup of small reviews I've recently collected up, including this week the movies "Superbad," "Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms," and "The Saddest Music in the World." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Middlesex," by Jeffrey Eugenides | May 17, 2008
Today's book: The 2002 Greek-American quirky family saga (and trippy hermaphrodite tale) "Middlesex," by Jeffrey Eugenides. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Michael Clayton | May 15, 2008
Today's movie: The surprisingly complex and ambiguous 2007 ethics drama "Michael Clayton," which received seven Oscar nominations (including one for Best Picture), as well as winning one. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | May 14, 2008
Today's movie: The surprisingly great 2007 noir "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," by the 83-year-old Hollywood legend Sidney Lumet. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Lars and the Real Girl | May 13, 2008
Today's review: The quirky indie 2007 dramedy "Lars and the Real Girl," from "Six Feet Under" writer/producer Nancy Oliver. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Gravedigger's Daughter," by Joyce Carol Oates | May 12, 2008
Today's review: The supremely disappointing 2007 novel "The Gravedigger's Daughter," by revered academic author Joyce Carol Oates. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Heart-Shaped Box," by Joe Hill | May 8, 2008
Today's review: The surprise 2007 bestseller "Heart-Shaped Box," the debut novel of horror writer Joe Hill, not nearly as good a book as I thought it was going to be. Click through for the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Day of Empire," by Amy Chua | May 7, 2008
Today's book: The historical and political "Day of Empire" by futurist and law professor Amy Chua, which argues that all world-dominant societies throughout history share a freakishly small amount of traits, both during their ascendancies and their falls. Click through for more. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Somnambulist," by Jonathan Barnes | May 6, 2008
Today: The pretty good new steampunk novel "The Somnambulist," by British book critic Jonathan Barnes, along with some extended thoughts on what exactly steampunk is, and what the difference is between so-called genre fiction and mainstream. | Read entire entry

Photo of the day: "carly," by Drew Valenti | May 6, 2008
Today's photo: "carly," by North Carolinian Drew Valenti. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Bringing Home the Birkin," by Michael Tonello | May 5, 2008
Today's book: The dazzling 2008 memoir "Bringing Home the Birkin," detailing one witty young man's globetrotting adventures buying up the notoriously scarce handbags and then reselling them on eBay for an insane markup. What a great book; click through for the reasons why. | Read entire entry

CCLaP consolidates some of its master lists | May 4, 2008
Just a small programming note here on a quiet weekend; I wanted to let people know that I've gotten rid of the main backlist of mini-reviews, and have enfolded them instead into the main lists for longer book and movie reviews. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 3 May 2008 | May 3, 2008
A round-up of little tiny reviews for the last week or two, including four books and four movies. Click through for a lot more. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Island of Dr Moreau," by HG Wells | May 2, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly exciting and disgusting 1896 medical thriller "The Island of Dr Moreau," by science-fiction godfather HG Wells. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the subject. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Gathering," by Anne Enright | April 29, 2008
Today's book: Anne Enright's "The Gathering," winner of the 2007 Booker Prize. Did it deserve it? As the reader of six of last year's nominees, I definitely have some thoughts on the matter; click through for the details. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Mrs Dalloway," by Virginia Woolf | April 28, 2008
Today's book: The 1925 Modernist experimental masterpiece "Mrs Dalloway," by feminist icon Virginia Woolf. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion and reasons. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Margot at the Wedding | April 24, 2008
Today's movie: Noah Baumbach's 2007 "Margo at the Wedding," the latest in a series of brilliant dark character dramas from this writer/director (including "Mr. Jealousy" and "The Squid and the Whale"). | Read entire entry

Book Versus Movie: "From Hell" | April 22, 2008
Today, the first in an irregular series of essays here at CCLaP -- a review of both the book and movie versions of the "Jack The Ripper" conspiracy tale "From Hell," the 1999 book by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, the 2001 movie by The Hughes Brothers. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Dracula," by Bram Stoker | April 19, 2008
Today's book: The 1897 Victorian horror novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, which single-handedly established the now overwhelmingly known vampire genre. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts and opinion. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Downfall / Der Untergang | April 14, 2008
Today's movie: The haunting, brilliant, absolutely riveting "Downfall," the 2004 German film regarding the last week of World War II from the viewpoint of the Nazis, as seen from Hitler's bunker in Berlin. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 13 April 2008 | April 13, 2008
One-paragraph reviews of five movies and two novels, none of them interesting enough to warrant full critical reviews of their own. Includes "The Name of the Rose," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Closer," "Zeroville," "Beautiful Children," "The Illusionist" and "Funny Games." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Gods Themselves," by Isaac Asimov | April 11, 2008
Today's book: the 1972 Hugo and Nebula winner "The Gods Themselves," by Golden-Age science-fiction author Isaac Asimov. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" | April 10, 2008
Today's review: The awkwardly-titled, fascinating but frustrating 2007 Oscar nominee "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," by obscure Australian filmmaker Andrew Dominik. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Black Hole," by Charles Burns | April 9, 2008
Today's review: The 2005 epic graphic-novel "Black Hole," by comics veteran and "Believer" cover artist Charles Burns. | Read entire entry

Tales From the Completist: "The Long Goodbye," by Raymond Chandler | April 8, 2008
Today's book: the brilliant 1953 detective novel "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler, which happens to be this spring's choice for the "One Book One Chicago" program. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Regarding the glorious trainwreck which is "Southland Tales." | April 7, 2008
Today, a sorta half-review and half-essay of sorts, examining in detail why Richard Kelly's latest film "Southland Tales" is such a creative trainwreck, and why I loved it anyway. Ahoy, pretention ahead! | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Republic," by Plato | April 4, 2008
Today's book: Plato's "The Republic" from approximately 360 BC, the book that single-handedly defined the way most of our modern Western governments currently work. Is it a classic still worth reading today? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Trip," by Mick MacO | April 3, 2008
Today's review: The self-published 2008 European confessional travelogue "Trip," by Irish graphic designer living in Germany "Mick MacO." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Now And Forever," by Ray Bradbury | April 2, 2008
Today's review: "Now And Forever," a collection of two brand-new (2007) novellas by genre legend Ray Bradbury. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Gum Thief," by Douglas Coupland | March 31, 2008
Today's book: 2007's dark and sad "The Gum Thief," the latest by legendary hipster novelist Douglas Coupland ("Generation X," "Microserfs"). | Read entire entry

Your movie micro-review roundup: 29 March 2008 | March 29, 2008
Today, the start of a new occasional weekend series, posting a collection of mere one-paragraph reviews of movies not worth saying that much more about. In today's collection: "Braveheart," "Chocolat," "Kill Bill," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "The Darjeeling Limited," and "Superman Returns." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Washington Square," by Henry James | March 28, 2008
Today's book: The slim 1880 "slice of life" story "Washington Square," by realist-fiction master Henry James. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the subject. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Boy Detective Fails," by Joe Meno | March 27, 2008
Today's book: The brilliantly unique 2006 modern fairytale "The Boy Detective Fails," by Chicago cult favorite Joe Meno. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: "The Reprover/Le Réprobateur" | March 27, 2008
Today's obsession: The witty, experimental hyperfiction project "The Reprover/Le Réprobateur," by French artist and CCLaP reader François Coulon. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Via Dolorosa," by Ronald Malfi | March 26, 2008
Today's book: The minimalist, atmospheric horror story "Via Dolorosa," by experimental writer Ronald Malfi. | Read entire entry

Book review: "World War Z," by Max Brooks | March 25, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly brilliant fake oral history of a zombie apocalyptic war, "World War Z," by the surprisingly intelligent and serious Max Brooks (son of comedy veteran Mel Brooks). | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Catcher in the Rye," by JD Salinger | March 21, 2008
Today's book: 1951's "The Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger, which fans claim single-handedly kicked off the entire genre now known as "Confessional Young Adult." Is it a classic, though? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," by Jules Verne | March 14, 2008
Today's book: 1870's prototypical science-fiction tale "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne, inspiration behind a million young boys' adventuring fantasies for a century and a half. Classic? No? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Shakespeare: The World as Stage," by Bill Bryson | March 13, 2008
Today's review: The delightful 2007 slim and accessible guide to William Shakespeare, travel writer Bill Bryson's "Shakespeare: The World as Stage." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Name of the Rose," by Umberto Eco | March 11, 2008
Today's book: The brilliant 1980 Medieval murder mystery / deceptively complex meditation on semiotics "The Name of the Rose," by Italian history professor and postmodernist Umberto Eco. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion, and the reasons why. | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "Engleby," by Sebastian Faulks | March 3, 2008
Today's book under trial: The virtually plotless 2007 novel "Engleby," by Sebastian Faulks. Ugh, this book drove me crazy; click through for the reasons why. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," by Mark Twain | February 29, 2008
Today's book: the 1876 "American Pastoral" novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," a fictionalized small-town childhood memoir by political satirist Mark Twain. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion and comments. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Great Expectations (1999) | February 28, 2008
Today's review: The 1999 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1861 "Great Expectations," made in this case for the BBC in the UK and "Masterpiece Theatre" in the US. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Sunshine | February 26, 2008
Today's movie: The visually thrilling 2007 science-fiction actioner "Sunshine," by visually thrilling veteran director Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and a whole lot more). | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Matala," by Craig Holden | February 26, 2008
Today's review: The slim and problem-filled 2007 noir thriller "Matala," by genre serf Craig Holden, picked up completely randomly at my neighborhood library a few weeks ago. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: The Ripley Trilogy, by Patricia Highsmith | February 25, 2008
Today's review: The crime-fiction trilogy revolving around Tom Ripley (1955-1972), by Patricia Highsmith. Smartly-done genre pieces that helped defined the industry, or true classics that you should read before you die? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Zodiac | February 19, 2008
Today's review: David Fincher's latest, the surprisingly good 2007 historical drama/true-crime thriller "Zodiac." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Apocalypto | February 18, 2008
Today's review: The surprisingly great 2006 Mel Gibson Mayan Empire epic "Apocalypto." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Clown Girl," by Monica Drake | February 15, 2008
Today's review: The cultishly popular 2006 novel "Clown Girl," an inventive metaphor about corporate life and the debut novel of Monica Drake, which sadly enough I just didn't care for. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Solitudes," by John Crowley | February 13, 2008
Today's book: The cultishly loved trippy academic 1987 fantasy novel "The Solitudes" by John Crowley, part 1 of the massively complicated saga "AEgypt." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Horatio Hornblower: Loyalty | February 12, 2008
Today's review: The 2003 television film "Horatio Hornblower: Loyalty," based on the highly popular series of Napoleonic naval adventure novels by CS Forester. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: THX 1138 | February 11, 2008
Today's movie: The surprisingly crappy 1971 dystopian sci-fi thriller "THX 1138," the first film of George Lucas' career, which makes clear why he delved afterwards so fast into the world of "Star Wars" style space opera. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Man Who Was Thursday," by GK Chesterton | February 8, 2008
Today's book: The 1908 detective tale/absurdist comedy "The Man Who Was Thursday," by quirky ahead-of-his-time genre master and Modernism precursor GK Chesterton. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Abstinence Teacher," by Tom Perrotta | February 7, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly disappointing 2007 novel "The Abstinence Teacher" by Tom Perrotta, a fuzzy and unfocused copy of his much better "Little Children." | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...Charming A--holes | February 6, 2008
Today, a rare new edition of the "Ten Movies About..." series; in this case, ten great movies all featuring charming a--holes. Click through for the choices as well as the reasons I picked them. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Bridge of Sighs," by Richard Russo | February 4, 2008
Today's book: The slow-moving 2007 small-town epic "Bridge of Sighs," by former Pulitzer winner Richard Russo ("Empire Falls"). | Read entire entry

Mini-review: The Simpsons Movie | February 4, 2008
Today's review: 2007's "The Simpsons Movie," which is exactly and precisely what you expect it to be. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Eastern Promises | February 1, 2008
Today's movie: David Cronenberg's latest, 2007's Russian expat crime thriller "Eastern Promises," proving again just how on top of his game this talented director is these days. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Man Who Fell to Earth | January 31, 2008
Today's movie: The so-so trippy 1976 science-fiction film "The Man Who Fell to Earth," which in its rush to employ as many '70s cinematic effects as possible forgets along the way to tell a decent story. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Helvetica | January 30, 2008
Today's movie: The sharp, smart, fascinating 2007 documentary "Helvetica," a two-hour movie about a typeface that has become the biggest money-maker in the history of Chicago's Gene Siskel Film Center. Click through to find out why. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Hot Fuzz | January 30, 2008
Today's review: The 2007 buddy-cop-action-thriller parody "Hot Fuzz," by the British comedy team that made "Shaun of the Dead," much better than its insipid American marketing campaign would have you believe. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Almost Moon," by Alice Sebold | January 24, 2008
Today's book: The delightfully twisted thriller about senile monsters and insane daughters, Alice Sebold's "The Almost Moon." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Clockers | January 24, 2008
Today: The surprisingly disappointing 1995 Spike Lee crime thriller "Clockers," based on the vastly superior novel by Richard Price. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Ratatouille | January 23, 2008
Today: The absolutely perfect family film "Ratatouille," the latest by Brad Bird and the newly Disneyfied Pixar Animation. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Maltese Falcon | January 22, 2008
Today's movie: The seminal detective movie and film noir, 1941's "The Maltese Falcon," which not only established the career of John Huston but also made Humphrey Bogart a star for the first time. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Casablanca | January 22, 2008
Today's review: The surprisingly disappointing 1942 so-called classic "Casablanca," which somehow manages to mix jaded film noir with rah-rah wartime patriotism, not to great effect. | Read entire entry

Book review: "by George," by Wesley Stace | January 21, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly epic tale of a British family of stage performers, the brilliant "by George" by Wesley Stace (aka musician John Wesley Harding). | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Day Watch | January 21, 2008
Today's review: The 2006 Russian big-budget science-fiction actioner "Day Watch," a sequel to the 2004 Russian big-budget science-fiction actioner "Night Watch." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Zardoz | January 18, 2008
Today's movie: 1974's science-fiction "masterpiece" (read: cult favorite) "Zardoz," a perfect example of everything both great and awful about '70s cinema. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Great Gatsby," by F Scott Fitzgerald | January 18, 2008
Today's book: The 1925 stunning look at the Jazz Age, "The Great Gatsby" by F Scott Fitzgerald, the book that inspired the term "Great American Novel" in the first place. Is it a classic? Click through for my own opinion, now that I've finally read it myself. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Night Climbers," by Ivo Stourton | January 17, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly smart intellectual/airport thriller "The Night Climbers," by first-time British novelist Ivo Stourton. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Halting State," by Charles Stross | January 15, 2008
Today's book: The unexpectedly disappointing MMO thriller "Halting State," by the usually-great science-fiction author Charles Stross. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "House of the Seven Gables," by Nathaniel Hawthorne | January 14, 2008
Today's book: The 1851 horror-story prototype "House of the Seven Gables," by American Romantic master Nathaniel Hawthorne ("The Scarlet Letter"). Does it deserve the "classic" label? Click through for my opinion, now that I've finally read it myself. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow | January 10, 2008
Today's review: The 2004 "retro future" cutting-edge computer-animation experiment "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," which deserves a better reputation than it currently has. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Like a planet full of people getting back from the drugstore. | January 9, 2008
Today: A recent evening looking through my Flickr feeds via the application 1001 reminded me of something: of how much doing such a thing is like flipping through photos in my youth that were just back from the drugstore, and what this says about globalism and international art. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Match Point | January 9, 2008
Today's review: The surprisingly thrilling 2005 Woody Allen British crime noir, "Match Point." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Petropolis," by Anya Ulinich | January 8, 2008
Today's book: The delightfully black, blackly delightful Russian immigrant tale Petropolis, by Russian-American snarky intellectual Anya Ulinich. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Brokeback Mountain | January 8, 2008
Today's review: The 2005 f--king gay cowboy movie, "Brokeback Mountain." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: "2001: A Space Odyssey" | January 7, 2008
Today's movie: The 1968 masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey," considered by many to be the greatest science-fiction film ever made. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: King Kong (2005) | January 7, 2008
Today's review: The mostly disappointing 2005 Peter Jackson remake of "King Kong." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Vacation," by Jeremy Shipp | January 4, 2008
Today's book: The delightfully strange "Vacation" by Jeremy Shipp, about as great as "weird literature" gets. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens | January 4, 2008
Today's book: The 1861 Victorian social drama "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens. Is it truly a classic? Click through for my opinion, now that I've read it myself. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Little Children" | January 3, 2008
Today's review: The 2006 Oscar-nominated movie adaptation of Tom Perrotta's "Little Children," which believe it or not may actually be better than the book version (which I loved too). | Read entire entry

Book review: "Crooked Little Vein," by Warren Ellis | January 2, 2008
Today's book: The darkly hilarious look at America's very real fringe underbelly, "Crooked Little Vein," the first novel by transgressive comics veteran Warren Ellis. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Bird is a Raven," by Benjamin Lebert | January 2, 2008
Today's review: The mostly disappointing 2005 "The Bird is a Raven," the latest "novel" (read: barely a novella) from German literary wunderkind Benjamin Lebert ("Crazy"). | Read entire entry

Personal essay: The Year in Books, 2007 | December 31, 2007
Today, CCLaP's look at the year in books for 2007; not a look at the entire industry, of course, but rather the 50 or so books I personally got to read and review this year, including new synopses of the ones I found the best. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Three Fallen Women," by Amy Güth | December 27, 2007
Today's book: The black-as-coal look at three middle-agers recovering from breakdowns, Chicago author Amy Güth's frustrating but rewarding "Three Fallen Women." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen," by Lesley Hazleton | December 20, 2007
Today's book: The fascinating but instantly controversial "Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen," by Hebrew scholar and Middle East journalist Lesley Hazleton. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Cube 2: Hypercube" | December 20, 2007
Today's review: The maddeningly disappointing 2003 movie "Hypercube," a sequel to the far superior low-budget science-fiction classic "Cube." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Time Bandits | December 19, 2007
Today's movie: The wickedly funny "Time Bandits" from 1981, the first solo film by former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, as well as an examination of Gilliam's career as a filmmaker since. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Reservation Road," by John Burnham Schwartz | December 19, 2007
Today's review: The 1999 revenge tale "Reservation Road" by John Burnham Schwartz, which was recently made into a high-profile Hollywood movie. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Lonesome Dove | December 18, 2007
Today's review: The eight-hour revisionist Western freaking saga "Lonesome Dove," based on the Pulitzer-winning novel by Larry McMurtry. | Read entire entry

The Ridiculously Long Guide to CCLaP's 10-Point Scoring System | December 17, 2007
I'm putting together CCLaP first-ever top-ten list of the year right now, and realized something important recently -- that I've never really explained how the 10-point scoring system here works. Today, the ridiculously long and overwritten guide. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Hairstyles of the Damned," by Joe Meno | December 17, 2007
Today's book: "Hairstyles of the Damned," the 2004 fictionalized memoir of growing up punk on Chicago's southwest side in the 1980s and '90s, by Columbia College professor Joe Meno. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "X2: X-Men United" | December 17, 2007
Today's review: The truly awful superhero film "X2: X-Men United." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "LOL" | December 11, 2007
Today's review: The masterful 2006 look at technology and relationships, "LOL," a so-called "mumblecore" film by Chicagoan Joe Swanberg. | Read entire entry

Book review: "A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers," by Xiaolu Guo | December 11, 2007
Today's book: The delightfully romantic "A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers," a look at an Asian immigrant's first year in the West, by Orange Prize nominee Xiaolu Guo. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Whole," by John Reed | December 7, 2007
Today's book: The trippy, experimental, definitely-not-for-everyone "The Whole," by John Reed. | Read entire entry

Book review: "No one belongs here more than you.," by Miranda July | December 6, 2007
Today's book: The story collection "No one belongs here more than you.," by multi-faceted independent artist Miranda July. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Tree of Smoke," by Denis Johnson | December 5, 2007
Today's book: The Vietnam saga "Tree of Smoke" by Denis Johnson, winner of this year's National Book Award. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Announcing the CCLaP 100 | December 3, 2007
Announcing a new project: A list of 100 so-called "classic" books, all of which I'll be hopefully reading and writing essays about over the next two years. Here today, the master list, as well as the reasons why I decided to put it together. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Lucky Man," by Ben Tanzer | November 30, 2007
Today's book: The great although relentlessly dark coming-of-age tale "Lucky Man," the debut novel of Chicago writer Ben Tanzer. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Bourne Identity" and "The Bourne Supremacy" | November 30, 2007
Today's films: The infinitely smart 2002 action thriller "The Bourne Identity," and the infinitely disappointing 2004 action thriller sequel "The Bourne Supremacy." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Donnie Darko | November 29, 2007
Today's movie: The head-scratchingly brilliant (or is that brilliantly head-scratching) 2001 cult classic "Donnie Darko," by "Southland Tales" writer and director Richard Kelly. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Hollywoodland" | November 21, 2007
Today's review: The Los Angeles film noir "Hollywoodland," which takes a look at the real-life bizarre death of actor George Reeves. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Alphaville" | November 20, 2007
Today's review: The artfully messy, messily artful 1965 science-fiction experiment "Alphaville," by French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Ocean's Twelve" | November 19, 2007
Today's review: The only so-so "Ocean's Twelve," directed by Steven Soderbergh and based on his much better "Ocean's Eleven." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Road," by Cormac McCarthy | November 16, 2007
Today's book: The Pulitzer-winning "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, only the second book of 2007 to receive a perfect score here at CCLaP. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Oldboy" | November 16, 2007
Today's review: The highly experimental, ultra-violent South Korean 2003 action film "Oldboy." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Shining at the Bottom of the Sea," by Stephen Marche | November 15, 2007
Today's review: The brilliant "Shining at the Bottom of the Sea" by Stephen Marche, a comprehensive literary history of a country in the British Commonwealth that doesn't actually exist. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Clerks" and "Clerks II" | November 15, 2007
Today's review: The classic slacker two-film series "Clerks" and "Clerks II," both written and directed by Kevin Smith a decade apart. | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "New Bedlam," by Bill Flanagan | November 14, 2007
Today, the borderline-offensive novel about annoying television executives, "New Bedlam," by real-life MTV executive Bill Flanagan. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Black Sun," by James Twining | November 14, 2007
Today, the 2007 hidden secret Nazi gold action adventure potboiler "Black Sun," by James Twining. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "V for Vendetta" | November 9, 2007
Today's mini-review: The truly awful 2005 movie "V for Vendetta," by the "Matrix" trilogy's Wachowski Brothers and based on the '80s comic from Alan Moore. | Read entire entry

Book review: "After Dark," by Haruki Murakami | November 5, 2007
Today's book: The surprisingly accessible "After Dark," the latest novel by the amazing Haruki Murakami. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Grand Avenues," by Scott Berg | November 2, 2007
Today's book: The excellent and intelligent look at the founding of Washington DC, historian Scott Berg's "Grand Avenues." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Eyre Affair," by Jasper Fforde | October 19, 2007
Today's book: The delightful and outlandishly inventive speculative novel "The Eyre Affair," by witty British author Jasper Fforde. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Brick | October 18, 2007
Today's film: The brilliant teenage noir experiment that could've been an absolute disaster, Rian Johnson's 2005 masterpiece "Brick." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Chess Machine," by Robert Lohr | October 12, 2007
Today's book: The delightful steampunk/historial-fiction action-adventure hybrid "The Chess Machine," by German author Robert Lohr, unbelievably enough based on a true story on top of everything else. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Growing Up Moffett," by Sarah Moffett | October 9, 2007
Today's book: The Christian-heavy cancer-coping personal memoir "Growing Up Moffett," by Washington DC attorney Sarah Moffett. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom," by Cory Doctorow | October 5, 2007
Today's book: The brilliant first novel by science-fiction author and political activist Cory Doctorow, 2003's gonzo sci-fi tale "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Kitchen," by Banana Yoshimoto | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The delightful contemporary Japanese tale "Kitchen," by postmodernist author Banana Yoshimoto. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Interview with the Vampire," by Anne Rice | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The Southern Gothic dark erotic vampire tale that started them all, 1976's "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Lolita," by Vladimir Nabokov | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The classic 1955 tale of forbidden lust and American strip malls, "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," by Arthur Conan Doyle | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The classic beginning example of detective fiction, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in book form in 1892. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1957 Objectivist classic "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Something Wicked This Way Comes," by Ray Bradbury | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The creepy 1962 dark fantasy tale "Something Wicked This Way Comes," by Ray Bradbury, which in our modern times doubles as a great story about a lost bucolic rural time in American history as well. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Foundation," by Isaac Asimov | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1951 science-fiction novel "Foundation" by Isaac Asimov, the start of what many consider the greatest SF series in the history of the genre. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Dune," by Frank Herbert | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The groundbreaking 1965 science-fiction classic "Dune," by Frank Herbert. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Kissing On the Mouth | September 28, 2007
Today, part 2 of CCLaP's mini-feature on Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg; specifically, a review of his 2005 sexually-explicit human-interest drama, "Kissing On the Mouth." | Read entire entry

Book review: "On Chesil Beach," by Ian McEwan | September 26, 2007
Today's book: The delicate "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan, considered by many to be the favorite among this year's Booker Prize nominees. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Consolation," by Michael Redhill | September 25, 2007
Today's book: The Toronto-based family drama / historical tale "Consolation," by Michael Redhill, also a nominee for the 2007 Booker Prize. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Welsh Girl," by Peter Ho Davies | September 24, 2007
Today's book: The World War II British love story (and 2007 Booker nominee) "The Welsh Girl," by Peter Ho Davies. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," by Mohsin Hamid | September 12, 2007
Today's book: The terrorist black comedy and 2007 Booker Prize nominee "The Reluctant Fundamantalist," by Mohsin Hamid. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Mister Pip," by Lloyd Jones | September 11, 2007
Today's book: The 2007 Booker Prize nominee "Mister Pip," by New Zealander Lloyd Jones. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Short Films of David Lynch | September 7, 2007
Today's movie: The compilation DVD "The Short Films of David Lynch," collecting up six of the celebrated Surrealist filmmaker's experiments over a 30-year period. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Exception," by Christian Jungersen | August 30, 2007
Today: The controversial look at fascist behavior within a Danish ultra-liberal office, Christian Jungersen's "The Exception." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Rope | August 23, 2007
Today: The classic yet experimental 1948 Alfred Hitchcock gay-subtext murder mystery "Rope." | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...Creepy-Ass Robots | August 21, 2007
Today: Ten great movies that all feature a creepy-ass robot. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Equilibrium | August 20, 2007
Today's movie: The truly awful 2002 science-fiction action thriller "Equilibrium." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Right Livelihoods," by Rick Moody | August 17, 2007
Today's book: The novella collection "Right Livelihoods," by indie-press sex symbol Rick Moody. | Read entire entry

Book review: "dermaphoria," by Craig Clevenger | August 16, 2007
Today's book: The trippy, cutting-edge experiment in fantastical literature, Craig Clevenger's "dermaphoria." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Night Watch | August 15, 2007
Today's movie: The 2004 big-budget Russian science-fiction epic "Night Watch." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Uses of Enchantment," by Heidi Julavits | August 9, 2007
Today: The delightfully twisted and surprisingly complex tale of a repressed New England teenage girl in the 1980s, Heidi Julavits' "The Uses of Enchantment." | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "The Traveler," by John Twelve Hawks | August 7, 2007
Today's book: The truly excruciating science-fiction thriller and "Matrix" ripoff "The Traveler," by the anonymous author who goes by the moniker "John Twelve Hawks" in public. Yeah, I'd hide my name too, if I were the one to write this stinker. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Pan's Labyrinth | August 3, 2007
Today's movie: The breathtakingly expectation-defying adult fairytale and multiple Oscar winner "Pan's Labyrinth," by horror master Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Blade II). | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Dissident," by Nell Freudenberger | August 2, 2007
Today's book: The unfortunately awful cross-cultural comedy of manners "The Dissident," the first novel by award-winning short-story writer Nell Freudenberger. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Giant's House," by Elizabeth McCracken | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1996 novel "The Giant's House," by Elizabeth McCracken. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Me and Kev," by Simon Black | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1993 novel "Me and Kev," by Simon Black. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Independence Day," by Richard Ford | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1996 Pulitzer-winning novel "Independence Day," by Richard Ford. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Redneck Manifesto," by Jim Goad | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1997 book of controversial race and class essays, "The Redneck Manifesto" by Jim Goad. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature," by Neal Pollack | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 2002 humor book "The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature," by Neal Pollack. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Shock Treatment," by Karen Finley | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1990 book of essays and poetry "Shock Treatment," by Karen Finley. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Layover," by Lisa Zeidner | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 2000 erotic thriller "Layover," by Lisa Zeidner. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Exquisite Corpse," by Poppy Z Brite | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1997 darkly erotic novel "Exquisite Corpse," by Poppy Z Brite. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Lords of Chaos," by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1998 nonfiction look at the Scandinavian death-metal scene, "Lords of Chaos." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Lucky Wander Boy," by DB Weiss | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 2003 novel "Lucky Wander Boy" by DB Weiss. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Barrel Fever," by David Sedaris | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1995 humorous story collection "Barrel Fever," by David Sedaris. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Vox," by Nicholson Baker | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1993 novel "Vox" by Nicholson Baker. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Fermata," by Nicholson Baker | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1995 novel "The Fermata," by Nicholson Baker. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Exposure," by Kathryn Harrison | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1994 novel "Exposure" by Kathryn Harrison. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Loving Dominant," by John Warren | August 1, 2007
Today's review: the 2000 nonfiction guide to the BDSM community, "The Loving Dominant" by John Warren. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Blue Highways," by William Least Heat-Moon | August 1, 2007
Today's review: the 1980 nonfiction book "Blue Highways," by William Least Heat-Moon. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America," by Michelle Tea | August 1, 2007
Today's review: the 1998 novel "The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America," by Michelle Tea. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Valencia," by Michelle Tea | August 1, 2007
Today's review: the 2000 novel "Valencia" by Michelle Tea. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Primer | August 1, 2007
Today's movie: The astonishing 2004 no-budget trippy science-fiction epic "Primer." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Radiant Days," by Michael FitzGerald | July 30, 2007
Today's book: The terrific "Radiant Days" by Michael FitzGerald, an unflinching look at the last days of the American Empire, told through the tale of a San Francisco Dot Commer stuck in the Balkans during its 1990s civil war. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Squid and the Whale | July 27, 2007
Today's movie: The amazingly good and astoundingly uncomfortable 2005 divorce dramedy "The Squid and the Whale," by master screenwriter Noah Baumbach (Kicking and Screaming, Mr. Jealousy, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). | Read entire entry

Book review: "Infoquake," by David Louis Edelman | July 26, 2007
Today's book: The trippy science-fiction novel "Infoquake," the first novel and surprise sleeper hit by Washington-DC web developer David Louis Edelman. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Passion of Ayn Rand | July 25, 2007
Today's movie: the cable-television biopic "The Passion of Ayn Rand," detailing the sexual affair between the founder of Objectivism and one of her students, back in the 1950s at the height of her career. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Rant," by Chuck Palahniuk | July 24, 2007
Today's book: The trippy rabies authoritarianism science-fiction cautionary tale "Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey," by "Fight Club" author Chuck Palahniuk. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Sideways | July 20, 2007
Today's movie: The 2004 overhyped character study "Sideways," which is actually much better than original hype and backlash would have you believe. | Read entire entry

Tales From the Completist: "Drop City," by TC Boyle | July 18, 2007
Today's book: The 2003 hippie commune parody "Drop City," by popular and award-winning novelist TC Boyle. | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "You Don't Love Me Yet," by Jonathan Lethem | July 18, 2007
Today's guilty party: The snotty indie-rock nightmare "You Don't Love Me Yet," by the normally much-better Jonathan Lethem. Ooh, what a stinker this was! | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Storytelling | July 13, 2007
Today's movie: The classically uncomfortable 2001 black comedy "Storytelling," by master of the uncomfortable Todd Solondz. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Jamestown," by Matthew Sharpe | July 12, 2007
Today: The insanely great post-apocalyptic black comedy "Jamestown," by Matthew Sharpe, which by the way is the best novel I've read yet this year. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Mimic | July 11, 2007
Today's movie: The 1997 low-budget horror film "Mimic," which happens to also be the American debut of Guillermo del Toro ("Hellboy," "Pan's Labyrinth"). | Read entire entry

CCLaP files its 50th book review | July 10, 2007
Interesting news to report today: that I recently filed my 50th book review online, in my newish role as executive director of CCLaP. Click through for more, and to learn where the majority of these reviews can be found; it's not actually this website, believe it or not. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: The good, the bad, and the ugly of self-publishing. | July 6, 2007
Today, another in my occasional series of personal essays, looking at a subject in the underground arts that may interest you as well. In this case: how to enjoy self-published material without driving yourself crazy in the process. | Read entire entry

Book review: "God is a Woman," by Ian Coburn | July 5, 2007
Today's book: The tragically comic faux dating guide "God is a Woman," by Chicago stand-up comedian Ian Coburn. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Altered States | July 4, 2007
Today, a special essay: not just a traditional review of trippy 1980 sci-fi thriller "Altered States," but also a look at how my understanding of the film has changed over the decades, as my own education about the world has expanded as well. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The End As I Know It," by Kevin Shay | July 3, 2007
Today's book: The hilarious Y2K nostalgia novel "The End As I Know It," by former McSweeney's editor Kevin Shay. | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...How Great Drugs Are | June 29, 2007
Today: Ten great films featuring scenes that glorify drug use. | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "The Pesthouse," by Jim Crace | June 29, 2007
Today's book to be too awful to finish: the grandly pretentious and overwritten post-apocalyptic dystopian novel "The Pesthouse," by award-winning author Jim Crace. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Dead Ringers | June 28, 2007
Today's movie: The 1988 David Cronenberg dense psychological thriller "Dead Ringers." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Special Topics in Calamity Physics," by Marisha Pessl | June 27, 2007
Today's book: the gifted-child murder-mystery "Special Topics in Calamity Physics," by Marisha Pessl. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Soon I Will Be Invincible," by Austin Grossman | June 21, 2007
Today's book: The witty postmodern superhero comedy "Soon I Will Be Invincible," by Bay-area debut author Austin Grossman. Or, hmm, is that gritty postmodern superhero drama? | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: To Live and Die in LA | June 20, 2007
Today's movie: The overlooked William Friedkin 1985 neo-noir "To Live and Die in LA," also one of the first starring roles for both William Petersen (CSI) and Willem Dafoe. | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...Sexy Nerds | June 19, 2007
Today, part 1 of a new series, presenting hopefully funny hyper-specialized lists of themed films, and why I in particular think they're so great. This entry: Ten great movies featuring sexy nerds. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Slynx," by Tatyana Tolstaya | June 18, 2007
Today's book: The darkly funny Russian science-fiction fairy tale "The Slynx," by Tatyana Tolstaya. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: 24 Hour Party People | June 15, 2007
Today's movie: "24 Hour Party People," the partly true, partly fictionalized tale of Factory Records, the Manchester label behind not only the '80s post-punk scene there (Joy Division, New Order, etc) but also the '90s rave one (Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, etc). | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Possibility of an Island," by Michel Houellebecq | June 14, 2007
Today's book: The ultra-dark dystopian science-fiction tale/snarky autobiography "The Possibility of an Island," by controversial French author Michel Houellebecq. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City," by Carl Smith | June 13, 2007
Today's book: Historian Carl Smith's "The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City," a detailed look at the architect and city planner's original 1909 post-fire plan for the city, as well as the current conditions that went into its making. | Read entire entry

Book review: "HP Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life," by Michel Houellebecq | June 11, 2007
Today's book: The extended literary essay/love letter "HP Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life," by controversial French author Michel Houellebecq. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Little Children," by Tom Perrotta | June 9, 2007
Today's book review: The scathing suburban indictment "Little Children" by Tom Perrotta, made into an Oscar-nominated movie starring Kate Winslet. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: A Scanner Darkly | June 8, 2007
In today's installment of Movies for Grown-Ups: "A Scanner Darkly," the black 2006 sci-fi thriller by Richard Linklater, based on the even blacker novel by Philip K. Dick. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future," by Jack Myers with Jerry Weinstein | June 6, 2007
Today, a review of the non-fiction book "Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future," by noted media columnists Jack Myers and Jerry Weinstein. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Raw Shark Texts," by Steven Hall | June 4, 2007
Today, a review of the genre-crossing fantastical novel "The Raw Shark Texts," by Steven Hall. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Metropolis (1927) | June 1, 2007
Today, the latest in CCLaP's series of film reviews, this time covering the 1927 dystopian science-fiction epic "Metropolis." Written by CCLaP executive director Jason Pettus. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Requiem for a Dream | May 24, 2007
Today's movie review -- the 2000 dark anti-drug tale "Requiem for a Dream," by Darren Aronofsky (Pi, The Fountain). | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Prestige | May 16, 2007
Today's movie: The atmospheric Victorian-Age thriller "The Prestige," by Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins). | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Third Man | May 12, 2007
Today's movie: The post-WWII black comedy about the black market, "The Third Man," which recently received a brand-new DVD restoration treatment. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Departed | May 2, 2007
Today's movie: The surprisingly disappointing Martin Scorsese crime noir "The Departed." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Equus | April 28, 2007
Today's movie: The trippy 1970s psychological drama "Equus," starring Sir Richard Burton. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Cube | April 19, 2007
Today's movie: The cultish Canadian science-fiction horror sleeper hit "Cube." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Triumph of the Will | April 16, 2007
Today's movie: the 1935 Leni Riefenstahl Nazi propaganda documentary "Triumph of the Will." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Master list | April 15, 2007
The master list for CCLaP's series of film reviews, "Movies for Grown-Ups," penned by executive director Jason Pettus. | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...Master List | April 15, 2007
Master list for all of CCLaP's "Ten Movies About..." hyperspecialized themed film essays. | Read entire entry

Mini-reviews: Master list | April 15, 2007
The master list of all mini-reviews (books and movies) found at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography. | Read entire entry