(hb; 1992: first book in the Jumper trilogy)
From the inside flap:
“Davy can teleport. He first discovers his talent during a savage beating delivered by his abusive father, when Davy jumps instantaneously to the safest place he knows, his small-town public library. As his mother did so many years before, Davy vows never to go home again. Instead, he sets off, young and inexperienced, for New York City.
“Davy gradually learns to use and control his powers, first for sheer survival in an environment more violent and complex than he ever imagined. But mere survival is not enough for Davy. He wants to know if there are other people like him. He needs to know if his mother disappeared so completely from his life because she, too, could Jump. As as he searches for a trace of anyone else with powers like his own, he learns to use his abilities for more than escape and theft.
“A young man with nothing to lose, and the ability to go anywhere he wants, can help a lot of people. But he can also make a lot of trouble, and sooner or later trouble is going to come looking for him. The one way Davy can think of to locate other who can Jump is to make himself visible to them, but if he does, the police will surely find him, too...”
Review:
Dark undertides (domestic abuse, terrorism, non-graphic violent death, alcoholism) add reader-intriguing anxieties to Davy's first-person coming-of-age narrative, an expeditious narrative that becomes darker as it progresses. More than mere teleportation-clichéd frippery, this is a quality, not quite classic, read: worth your time, this.
Jumper, the novel, has two book sequels - Reflex, and Jumper: Griffin's Story (which is set for an August 21, 2007 release).
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The resulting film is set for a February 15, 2008 stateside release.
Doug Liman directed the film, from a script by David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls and Simon Kinberg.
Hayden Christiansen played Davey. Samuel L. Jackson played Cox. Diane Lane played Mary Rice. Michael Rooker played William Rice. Tom Hulce played Mr. Bowker. Kristen Stewart played Sophie. Barbara Garrick played Ellen.
Showing posts with label Michael Rooker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Rooker. Show all posts
Friday, September 22, 2006
Monday, April 10, 2006
Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison
(hb; 1992)
From the inside flap:
“Greenville County, South Carolina, is a wild, lush place of black walnut trees and weeping willows, of sweet tea served on shaded porches. It is also the home to the Boatwright family – rough-hewn men who drink hard and shoot up each other’s trucks, and indomitable women who marry young and age all too quickly. At the heart of this memorable family – and of this astonishing novel – is Ruth Anne Boatwright, called Bone by her family, a South Carolina bastard with an annotated birth certificate to tell the tale.
“Bone knows what Greenville County thinks of her family, and when she’s not defending them passionately, she has to agree: Boatwrights are drunks and thieves, and she’d like nothing more than to escape the life they would make for her. Observing everything with a mercilessly keen eye, Bone sees the legacy of poverty and futility that marks her family’s place in this small Southern town – the fierce pride that erupts in rage and violence; the women who ward off loneliness by having more children; the desperation of itinerant souls who scarcely dare to dream of a better life.
“Bone dreams. She dreams of becoming a gospel singer (despite the fact that she can barely carry a tune), or of living a life out of one of the books she steals from the local library. She dreams of a life not only beyond Greenville but also away from Daddy Glen, the stepfather whose tenderness quickly gives way to a sly, meanspirited jealousy that will test the loyalty of her mother, Anney. The edges of this family triangle are sharp enough to draw blood: Glen calls Bone ‘cold as death, mean as a snake, and twice as twisty,’ yet Anney needs Glen ‘like a strong woman needs meat between her teeth.’ At first gentle with Bone, Daddy Glen becomes steadily colder and more furious – until their final, harrowing encounter, from which there can be no turning back...”
Review:
Told from the first-person perspective of Ruth Anne (aka, “Bone”), this is a heartbreaking, vividly-rendered novel. Author Allison’s scenes are detailed and relatable, especially when the sadness, and later, rage, of the characters (particularly Bone’s) come to the surface, infusing the characters’ actions with a palpable brutality that made me forget that I was reading a book. I was so engrossed in this book that I cursed every time my reading of it was interrupted.
Bastard Out of Carolina isn’t all darkness, though. There’s plenty of love and strength, despite the pervasive poverty and gloom of the Boatwright households, and that’s a major reason why I kept reading this; that, and author Allison creates such actualized characters – even Daddy Glen is not completely evil – that ring true.
Not an easy read (there’s semi-explicit and horrifying depictions of molestation, depression, fury and violence), but highly recommended.
The resulting cable film aired on December 15, 1996.
Jena Malone played Ruth Anne. Jennifer Jason Leigh played Anney Boatwright. Ron Eldard played “Daddy Glen” Waddell. Lyle Lovett played Wade. Christina Ricci played Dee Dee. Michael Rooker played Uncle Earle.
Anjelica Huston directed the film, from a teleplay by Anne Meredith.
From the inside flap:
“Greenville County, South Carolina, is a wild, lush place of black walnut trees and weeping willows, of sweet tea served on shaded porches. It is also the home to the Boatwright family – rough-hewn men who drink hard and shoot up each other’s trucks, and indomitable women who marry young and age all too quickly. At the heart of this memorable family – and of this astonishing novel – is Ruth Anne Boatwright, called Bone by her family, a South Carolina bastard with an annotated birth certificate to tell the tale.
“Bone knows what Greenville County thinks of her family, and when she’s not defending them passionately, she has to agree: Boatwrights are drunks and thieves, and she’d like nothing more than to escape the life they would make for her. Observing everything with a mercilessly keen eye, Bone sees the legacy of poverty and futility that marks her family’s place in this small Southern town – the fierce pride that erupts in rage and violence; the women who ward off loneliness by having more children; the desperation of itinerant souls who scarcely dare to dream of a better life.
“Bone dreams. She dreams of becoming a gospel singer (despite the fact that she can barely carry a tune), or of living a life out of one of the books she steals from the local library. She dreams of a life not only beyond Greenville but also away from Daddy Glen, the stepfather whose tenderness quickly gives way to a sly, meanspirited jealousy that will test the loyalty of her mother, Anney. The edges of this family triangle are sharp enough to draw blood: Glen calls Bone ‘cold as death, mean as a snake, and twice as twisty,’ yet Anney needs Glen ‘like a strong woman needs meat between her teeth.’ At first gentle with Bone, Daddy Glen becomes steadily colder and more furious – until their final, harrowing encounter, from which there can be no turning back...”
Review:
Told from the first-person perspective of Ruth Anne (aka, “Bone”), this is a heartbreaking, vividly-rendered novel. Author Allison’s scenes are detailed and relatable, especially when the sadness, and later, rage, of the characters (particularly Bone’s) come to the surface, infusing the characters’ actions with a palpable brutality that made me forget that I was reading a book. I was so engrossed in this book that I cursed every time my reading of it was interrupted.
Bastard Out of Carolina isn’t all darkness, though. There’s plenty of love and strength, despite the pervasive poverty and gloom of the Boatwright households, and that’s a major reason why I kept reading this; that, and author Allison creates such actualized characters – even Daddy Glen is not completely evil – that ring true.
Not an easy read (there’s semi-explicit and horrifying depictions of molestation, depression, fury and violence), but highly recommended.
The resulting cable film aired on December 15, 1996.
Jena Malone played Ruth Anne. Jennifer Jason Leigh played Anney Boatwright. Ron Eldard played “Daddy Glen” Waddell. Lyle Lovett played Wade. Christina Ricci played Dee Dee. Michael Rooker played Uncle Earle.
Anjelica Huston directed the film, from a teleplay by Anne Meredith.
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