A soap opera disguised as a sophisticated period drama…it’s no Upstairs Downstairs, but I found it engrossing none-the-less.

Interesting idea, poor execution (obnoxious product placement, trite plot, overbearing music, etc).

Great dialogue, great cast, good performances – the whole thing is a little too obviously adapted from a play (what with everyone ALMOST going somewhere but then not), and is a bit dated, but still entertaining…

I meant to hit “wishy-washy” – oh well. This has some of the least believable dialog (Al speaking to Tootie for example), in addition to myriad improbable plot devices (barber shop quartets?). I enjoyed it none the less, but I think this is maybe the weakest of the “mainstream” novels Dick wrote.

Stephen King story – quick read, not entirely successful, a bit pedantic.

The highlight for me was the article on Jonathan Gold and his ceaseless gluttony (heh)…it made a really interesting point linking the insularity of Los Angeles culture to the preservation of regional differences in “ethnic” cuisine…

Blurb on Meridith Monk was too much in the vein of a hagiography, but still well written.

George Saunders story, worth reading though not up to his usual standard…

Heavy handed music and over-use of montages, but great performances all around…

This movie is wrong on so many levels…

Great interviews on the Criterion disc – very interesting to see how Fuller insisted on changing the ending (in the original book, Keys trains the dog to attack white people), to learn that originally the studios wanted to hire Polanski to direct, and that it was at another point going to be an exploitation/horror movie (Jaws on paws basically)…

Not the best script, but the acting and music make up for it to me…