The Swallow's Nest

Tales from the Bookstore

This evening I went spotting at the Hong Kong Airport and, as is my custom, I dropped into the airport bookstore. Often I find the books there are more expensive (duh!) but they also have newer titles and often they come out in paperback first at the airport (duh again). This evening one booked jumped off the new rack by the front door. The color and picture on the cover captured my attention. The book is The Men Who Stare at Goats. For the life of me I could not figure out where I had heard about this book before, and then it hit me. A film by the same title is about to be released in Hong Kong (next week) and I saw the poster for it down at IFC Mall in Central. 

I read the first chapter and I'm kind of intrigued by it. It is the true story of a division within the U.S. military of psychic spies. Here's a little description from Amazon, "As Ronson reveals, a secret wing of the U.S. military called First Earth Battalion was created in 1979 with the purpose of creating 'Warrior Monks,' soldiers capable of walking through walls, becoming invisible, reading minds and even killing a goat simply by staring at it. Some of the characters involved seem well-meaning enough, such as the hapless General Stubblebine, who is 'confounded by his continual failure to walk through his wall.' But Ronson (Them: Adventures with Extremists) soon learns that the Battalion's bizarre ideas inspired some alarming torture techniques being used in the present-day War on Terror."

Now I wish I bought the book when I had the chance. When will I learn? I have not seen it anywhere else in my city bookstores and I do not feel like going back out to the airport anytime soon, although that could change. This story sounds fascinating - kind of a mix between paranormal, adventure, and mystery. 

Have you heard about it? Read it? Seen the movie? 

Picture Pages

Note: some of you will find the following hilariously funny, others will find it a bit crass. I felt both! And it's sometimes true, as well. Read the sign slowly, and sound it out. If at first you don't get it, try again. Chinese friends, read it in English only. 

If you can't find the book you want...

You're probably shopping at the...

Review: The Informant!

I am really not sure how I feel, but not being sure how I feel is how I feel about The Informant. Ever felt this way about a film? The piece had all the right elements to make it one of the year's best. An intriguing true story played out on the big screen and carried by a very talented actor (Matt Damon) as he was directed by another gem (Steven Soderbergh) and made nearly flawless by the times in which it took place. The plot winds and twists and gives you that sense of just-when-I-thought-I-had-this-figured-out. But, while I cannot put my finger on it, I've concluded it was missing something. What? I am not sure. Just...something.

I didn't mind the slight element of humor and wit, the cartoon like fonts and music intros and exits (see the film & understand what I mean), the snappy pace of the dialogue, or the adaptations from the real life story and book that launched the idea for the film. Damon was good enough to be worthy of an Oscar come the Spring. He almost single handedly made the two hours and I felt like he could have carried it on for another 30 minutes or so no problem. And classic Soderbergh. Well done, as always.

 

So what was missing? Maybe weak character development in supporting actors and actresses? The bumbling agents of the FBI nearly nailed their roles, but not quite. Melanie Lynskey played Damon's wife and botched it. The attorneys, Damon's colleagues at ADM, and the actors who portrayed justice department officials weren't any good. Damon's performance may have been enough to make up for all of this, but he's no Daniel Day-Lewis (in There Will Be Blood). Matt needed some of the others to step up and they were too flat. And yet this is not really the missing ingredient. I'll have to think on this some more and see if I can pinpoint a reason why The Informant! could have been better. 

But not much better. It's a four star flick. It dances with five stars here & there. I suspect the real life story of Mark Whitacre is five stars. It would have to be to pull off what he did and then very nearly almost did again! Smart dude. I wonder what he thinks of Damon's portrayal? It must be fascinating to see yourself on film, faking out the feds, far ahead of them, but then remembering how it all collapsed. Considering the diagnosis of manic-depressive. Then going out to live your post-prison life. If only all of us could see our mistakes, our sin, our folly, our sickness, our potential, and our decisions this way. Watching it alongside millions of others worldwide, particularly if we could make a movie while we were up to all this mischief, so that we could gauge public opinion before we pressed our crimes to their logical end! Maybe then we would not commit them, or we would re-consider the implications more carefully, or we would do it anyway and with even more pizzaz and punch. The real Mark Whitacre gets to consider all this now from his seat in the theatre. A free man, and COO and president of a new business, he sure will get to consider his life in perspective.  

Tales from the Bookstore

Last week my beloved and I were entertaining our nephew for the evening. We took him for ice cream after dinner and not far from the Haagen Dazs is Metro Books. For some reason or another he got the impression I wanted a book for my upcoming birthday. "You're a smart little guy," I was thinking to myself secretly wishing my adult friends could read my mind like he can. "Of course I want a book." So after dinner he told my wife that only he and I were going to look at books for a few minutes before he went home to bed. He ran up the escalator to the bookstore and I followed as quickly as I could. 

When we got inside my nephew (aged 5) promptly began pulling softcovers off the shelf and asking "what about this one, Uncle Mark?" We were in the chick lit section so I told him "these are girl books" and he asked "where are the boy books?" After I pointed him in the right direction he became obsessed with a Robert Ludlum novel (the title alludes me now). When he informed me he was actually buying me this book for my birthday I told him I would love a book, "but how about this one?" It was City of Thieves. He wasn't pleased with my selection but he suggested we go get his Aunt so she could help him pay for it. Then he informed me, "actually, text her. It's faster." Well, OK, Mr. 5-Year-Old! 

My wife, always the cautious one, had followed us into the store anyway. She gave him the HK$78 and he waddled his little self up to the counter, reluctantly giving up on the Ludlum novel, and bought me City of Thieves. But, he then announced he had to take it home "and show Mommy and Daddy so they don't buy you the same book." It was time for me to be a mature adult and part with my gift and give it to him (albeit that requiring a kick in the shins from my wife!). He shoved it in his backpack. I yelped at how rough he was being with it. It went home with him and I went home empty handed with a promise that, in the end, that sucker will be mine.

Now fast forward to the next morning at 6.30AM. Sound asleep we hear my mobile phone ringing. Bleary eyed, I answer. "Uncle, this book has 428 pages." Click. Well, I hope he didn't count each page. I went back to bed and tried to sleep, but the boy's Auntie rolled over and asked, "was that him? So early?" "Yes, babe. That was him." And then we both got up and the day was underway. Cute (all but the early morning phone call part). And another tale from the bookstore. 

Do You Believe?

Do you believe in ghosts? Halloween has just passed and Larry King had an interesting show on Friday night (Saturday morning in Hong Kong) in which he interviewed several people related to ghost appearances, ghost whispers, the paranormal, and the spiritual. I was sucked in from beginning to end. But what really hooked me on the topic was the story of Eastern Airlines flight 401. Have you heard of this? Apparently when this plane went down on December 29, 1972 in Florida the captain died, and returned to haunt Eastern Airlines for many more years to come. 

Since I had absolutely no idea about this air accident or the supposed haunting I decided to read about it for myself, but not immediately on the World Wide Web. Instead I am placing an order for this and this. There is something about an unsolved mystery, an airplane accident, and a ghost that intrigues me and (I think) will make for good reading and watching. Delayed gratification. I've barred myself from reading the Wikipedia entry on the matter, and I'm going to anticipate receiving these resources so I can dig in. It will be fun. Something to look forward to.

But that was just an honorable mention during the show. King interviewed Dan Aykroyd and his father Peter. Together, they are authors of this new book. You may think, "well of course he had on Aykroyd. The movie Ghostbusters is one of the all-time classics." But did you know the Aykroyd's believe (sincerely) in ghosts and Peter is a regular at seances? They have studied ghosts (what they prefer to call spirits) for generations. That was an interesting nugget since I just assumed Dan was in the movie because he is a good actor. But the more they talked on LKL the more I wondered about the connection of their idea of spirits and my own ideas about spirits, formed mainly (in my case) by my faith in Christ and awareness of evil spirits that fight in vain with Jesus for my soul. What is the connection between spirits and ghosts? 

Larry also hosted the guys from the television series on Discovery Channel Ghost Lab. These two sure do have an intriguing set of stories where they actually record supposed ghosts on film and also the voices of ghosts. King had them show how a hotel down south in the U.S. is haunted by Civil War veterans. They had footage which looked like a woman from that time period in the hallway and they use some souped new technology to record voices (in this case of some Civil War General). You may be thinking what I would normally think, "Doubt it. Doesn't happen. Figment of their imagination." I am generally skeptical as well. Ghost lab guys claim ghosts are an energy that leaves a person when they die, and this energy cannot die. So the person returns and speaks and appears and scares the living daylights out of those they haunt. Well, these guys and many other producers of t.v shows think this is real. Doing all of it for a buck and some ratings? Maybe? Most likely? I don't know, but it sure was interesting. (And there are dozens of other shows, just like this one, tracing ghosts. Check your local listings.)

What was less interesting was guest Joan Rivers who claims her NYC apartment was haunted by the previous owner until she called in a spiritist that cleansed it, and until she hung up a portrait of the old woman in her foyer. Now the deceased former owner is happy and doesn't come through the pad at night while Rivers is sleeping scaring the fur off her dogs and locking doors, etc. 

But seriously, why does this fascinate so many people? Why am I getting subtly sucked in to at least explore the reality of ghosts and/or spirits? Beyond the fear and the mystery and the unknown I do just wonder. My conviction still is there is no such a thing as a ghost, but there most certainly are spirits. We need not fear them. We have all the protection we need in Jesus Christ. But I think an exploration of Larry's topic sure will make for an interesting study and I'll come back later to report what I find out, especially about Eastern Airlines 401. 

Until then...