Has it only been 136 weeks that Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has been on the New York Times best-seller list? Remember those days? Gas was affordable and so were houses, and every third person wasn't asking you if you'd read The Da Vinci Code yet—the "yet" implying that you inevitably would. Well, except for the gas and real-estate prices, we may be returning to those days: When you race to the best-seller list on November 13, Da Vinci Code will not be there. Whew!
Not that the book's slide has made way for more deserving literature on the list: It was bumped off in part by new books from Danielle Steel and Nicholas Sparks.
The One-Minute Critic |
The Pirate Captain and his crew are back in a sequel to the hilarious The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists, this time sailing to Las Vegas and other ports in their pursuit of money to pay for their new ship. Naturally while in town, they lose everything at roulette and are forced to put on a variety show, only to be undermined by the dastardly yet rakish Black Bellamy, and embark on a hunt for Moby Dick. Defoe's quirky, easy charm calls to mind Monty Python and Douglas Adams.
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Ahab (4 stars)
By Gideon Defoe; $15.95
LOCAL CD |
Jerome Lee
Life This Time (1 star)
A mix of smooth jazz, R&B and pop stuck firmly in the '70s, Lee has a good but unremarkable voice. In a couple of the eight tracks, recorded in Amsterdam, Lee's Christianity comes through but his faith is stronger than his musicianship.
DVDs |
Miracle's Boys (NR) (3 stars)
$16.99
LeVar Burton, Bill Duke, Ernest Dickerson and Spike Lee lent their considerable talents to this smart, savvy dramatic miniseries for N, Nickelodeon's offshoot service for tweens and young teens. Miracle's Boys was adapted from Jacqueline Woodson's coming-of-age novel about three recently orphaned brothers trying to make their way in Harlem. Credit the A-list directorial talent for keeping the stories and dialogue real and never condescending to Nick's young audience.
Amargosa (NR) (4 stars)
$14.99
In the minds of most Americans, Death Valley is a nice place to visit but any resemblance to Broadway would begin and end with the clear visibility of stars. One story not told in the classic TV series, Death Valley Days, was that of Marta Becket, a gifted ballerina from New York, who turned the dilapidated Amargosa Opera House into her own La Scala. As becomes clear in Todd Robinson's stunning documentary, Becket is no mere eccentric. Her perseverance in the face of formidable odds is genuine and her still-vital talents undeniable. You can find the DVD at www.cinequestonline.org and Netflix.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Two-Disc Deluxe Edition (PG) (3 stars)
$30.97
Wise-ass critics occasionally write things that not only aren't accurate, but also detract from readers' ability to enjoy a perfectly decent movie. By comparing Johnny Depp's kooky portrayal of candy mogul Willie Wonka to Michael Jackson, a handful of reviewers planted the seed that Tim Burton had turned Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory into some perverse endorsement of man-boy love. His wonderfully eccentric film was no such thing. While hardly perfect, Burton's reimagining of Roald Dahl's dyspeptic tale merged technology with old-fashioned Hollywood spectacle. Compelling reasons to go with the two-disc package include featurettes on Dahl and his books; Veruca Salt's encounter with the factory's squirrels; and interactive games for kids.