Okay, I’m not doing this intentionally, but there are two more terrific, downer films that I’ve seen, both worth mentioning.

Elephant, Gus Van Sant’s film that took home some hefty awards from Cannes in 2003 (including the Palme D’or and best director), ran recently on IFC. It’s basically the Columbine story fictionalized. I didn’t expect to like it, but I was really drawn in and surprised by the great performances of the young cast, especially John Robinson, who simply captures the screen every time he appears. The film is frighteningly realistic and will make you think about the Columbine tragedy, how it happened and, sadly, how inevitable it was. Recommended, but be prepared, it’s not a comfortable movie to watch.

Also on IFC, The Pianist, Roman Polanski’s 2002 film starring Adrien Brody, is the true story of Polish Jewish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman and how he survived the German occupation of Poland during WWII. If you ever wondered how cruel, horrible, and uncaring humans can be toward one another during wartime, this film will certainly convince you of it. It’s a miracle Szpilman survived. When the reality of the situation isn’t horrifying you, the suspense of the story will keep you riveted. No need to tell you to be prepared for a WWII Jewish survival story; it’s not easy to take, but the rewards are great. Highly recommended.

Okay, the next film I see will be a comedy.

One old, one new, both will make you want to read the books. I went to the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman House last week to see Christ in Concrete, a film by director Edward Dmytryk based on the proletarian novel by Pietro di Donato. The film is a remarkably compelling, tragic story of Italian-American bricklayers in Brooklyn who are struggling to survive through the Depression. The novel was originally published 1n 1939 and was actually chosen over The Grapes of Wrath for the Book of the Month Club. Although I haven’t read the book yet, I know there are significant differences between the book and the film, mostly because of the style of the book and the way the story was told versus what would work on film, making this not only a great film but an intriguing read. Highly recommended.

Went to the Little Theater last night. Elegy is a film by director Isabel Coixet based on the Phillip Roth novel The Dying Animal. Ben Kingsley is amazing. Penelope Cruz is stunning. This is a quiet story about a man in his 60s who falls in love with a woman in her 20s, and yet it’s not in the least bit cliched or predictable. The characters are tortured yet sympathetic. The film takes advantage of brilliant, silent spaces and deeply moving emotional moments. A friend informed me that Kingsley’s character, David Kepesh, is much harder and far more difficult to like in the book. I’m looking forward to finding out. Highly recommended.

Burn After Reading was hysterically funny, absurd, and brilliantly written and conceived. The Coen bros at their very best. A great story with unpredictable plot twists and the feel of complete spontaneity. And everyone delivered on their performances. Saw this one with a bunch of friends and all loved it. Highly recommended.

Also well worth seeing is Tell No One, the French foreign film thriller based on Harlan Coben’s novel of the same name. After a slow and somewhat frustrating start, the film picked up and became extremely involving right up to the end. François Cluzet (as Alex Beck) was asked to carry this film on his shoulders and did a more than admirable job of it. Recommended.

Just finished reading Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair. Some of my pals know that The Quiet American is one of my favorite novels ever. In Affair, Greene offers the same sort of protagonist, a self-involved, you might even say selfish writer, a guy essentially hard to like. I found this book just as emotionally intense, but without the war-time backdrop or the larger worldview I so enjoyed in American. Heavy in the departments of Morality and Religion, and I’d have to say downbeat if not outright depressing. Even so, Greene is a brilliant writer and deeply introspective. Recommended.

Now that summer is over, here are a few of the books I read this season:

Casino Royale, Ian Fleming: Fleming would have been one hundred years old this summer, and I’d never read any of his novels, so I thought I’d start with the first. It was a fun read. I can see why so many critics pick on Fleming’s outdated view of women. Even so, it was a good book and I certainly wouldn’t mind reading through the series. This one was a product of its time, no doubt, and I would expect the others are as well. Recommended.

Gods in Alabama, Joshilyn Jackson: It’s a murder mystery with the added elements of religious and spiritual and family angst and crushing guilt, all done with a touch of humor. Well-written, not terribly deep, but a light, entertaining book. Mildly recommended.

Christine Falls, Benjamin Black: I had really high hopes for this book. Black is actually John Banville (author of The Sea) and this book has gotten terrific reviews. By all respects I should have loved it. 1950s Irish noir, a flawed protagonist, people’s rotten lives revealed. The writing was fine, but the story and the characters left me unmoved and disappointed. Not recommended. (But realize that I am in the minority here.)

The Tender Bar, J.R. Moehringer: This one was a memoir and the best of the bunch that I read this summer. My pal Susi loaned it to me and I enjoyed every page. Maybe it’s because I hold a special fondness in my heart for bar culture, and moving life stories, and for young men struggling to become writers. Highly recommended.

The Forever War, Joe Haldeman: Classic SF novel. I can’t believe it has taken me so many years to get around to reading it. This book is the Vietnam war story of the far future and is well worth your time for that reason alone. Beyond that it’s well written, fast paced, and filled with moral questions about the nature of war and man. Recommended.