I know some fans will disagree with me, but I thought the movie was one of the rare adaptations that is WAY better than the source material. I really did not like the literary device of referring to the Morganstern version and most of the asides, nor did I care for the Buttercup’s Baby chapter added on for the anniversary edition.

Still, I loved the classic lines that had I loved (do love) in the movie.

Nobody can do smart legal thrillers like Scott Turow, and he doesn’t disappoint in this story of an appellate judge receiving death threats as he considers a politically and emotionally charged case.

The story was originally written for a magazine, and this version, while longer than the original, is shorter than the usual Turow novel.

Not as good as the original, but worth watching.

Some of the short stories in this book were pretty good, some were OK, and some were just plain awful—so awful they should never have been published anywhere. Still, overall I think it was worth reading.

I was a little leery of this because Turow strayed from his usual theme of Kindle County lawyers. Well, the lead character is a Kindle County lawyer, but he’s a JAG officer in Europe in World War II, so the usual formula is very different.

But I really enjoyed this book, much more than I thought I would.

Silly but funny, especially if you understand the other movies being spoofed. I am glad I didn’t pay money to see this in a theater, but it definitely was worth watching on TV.

I really enjoyed this, and immediately after I mailed it back to Blockbuster, I wished I had kept it longer (I guess I can always rent it again or even buy it). I never saw the theatrical production, so I can’t compare it to that. I did think that a few elements were obviously leftovers from the theatrical production that didn’t quite translate well to film, and some of the singing was a bit overdone, since it was apparently recorded in a studio and then lip-synced in (I’m thinking specifically of the cemetery scene, but it probably applies to a few other scenes as well).

Still, as I said, I really enjoyed it and am now on the lookout for a second-hand version of the soundtrack.

I didn’t really drink much Yuengling beer until I assisted at a three-week trial in Pottsville, home to the original Yuengling brewery. The hotel where we stayed served Yuengling, and we ate dinner there every night, so I almost always a Yuengling to relax with dinner.

After the trial was over, I was the last one in our group to leave (as usual—my responsibilities include packing and shipping the file boxes), so on the last day, I allowed enough time before my return flight so I could go on the brewery tour. Hands down, it was the best brewery tour I’ve been on, plus we got free samples of our choice after it was over.

Mmmm, beer!

It was OK—a slight twist on the usual. I would have rated this “wishy-washy” if that had been an option.

This was an OK book, mostly fluff. The first half or so was very entertaining (although I thought parts were somewhat confusing), but it seemed to get bogged down in the final 90 pages or so, and I found myself, seeing what was coming, wishing it would just happen already.

A good beach-type read.