The Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison

There has been a heavy amount of praise for this book, first published in 1952, so the main question for me was how it lived up to those expectations. It is considered by some as a modern American classic.

The writing itself is a well-crafted joy to read. The images in many of the scenes work to create vivid moods and pictures in the reader's mind, as in this early scene when the main character describes how he had stopped himself from stabbing another man:

And I stopped the blade, slicing the air as I pushed him away, letting him fall back to the street. I stared at him hard as the lights of a car stabbed through the darkness.

The main character does not have a name. When the main character joins a political group, his only option for finding suitable employment after a number of failed attempts in areas where he thought he would find success and build his career, he is given a new name which is never revealed. His associates only refer to him as "brother." Having no name is surprising as there is nothing for which the reader can associate, no handle for the personification of the message, which makes it feel, somehow, more omnipresent. It is not simply the cry of a luckless fool weary of the world.

And I defend because in spite of all I find that I love. In order to get some of it down I have to love. I sell you no phony forgiveness, I'm a desperate man–but too much of your life will be lost, its meaning lost, unless you approach it as much through love as through hate. So I approach it through division. So I denounce and I defend and I hate and I love.

The story has a positive message. It's not a science fiction about a man who cannot be seen by other people, but rather, the story of a black man as he discovers that the world does not pay attention to him because of the color of his skin. It isn't only about race, though, and the well-known struggles against racism in America. It's about how the main character learned to see the world and make his own decisions, how he learned to take his life into his own hands, without letting other people use him for their own selfish devices.

Fireworks – Hana-bi (1997)

Takeshi "Beat" Kitano wrote, directed, edited and starred in this violent movie about Nishi, a former detective, struggling with the results of his negotiations with the Yakuza (Japanese Mafia), a crippling injury to his close friend and partner which confines him to a wheelchair, and his wife's illness following the unexpected death of their son. Disguised as a Japanese tough-guy movie, the title reflects the explosive nature of things which can so often be both beautiful and deadly. Full of symbolic imagery, especially the images of flowers which become the main inspiration for Nishi's friend as he discovers painting, the movie does a great job of showing how different people deal with the different crises in their lives.

Sparse dialogue, a good story well told and a collection of unusual characters makes the film well worth watching. The violence, though graphic, is not gratuitous and contrasts nicely with the quieter scenes of reflection and re-evaluation.

The Aviator (2004)

Typical Hollywood film directed by Martin Scorsese depicting the life of Howard Hughes. Typical in the sense that it has the stars and the spectacular sets that Hollywood generally lavishes on its audiences. If you don't know anything about Hughes, it might be an entertaining story, and I thought so, although I don't know how much of the story is factual. Is it that important? No.

The film portrays Hughes as a champion of American ambition and a man who would let nothing compromise his efforts. His successes as a businessman, film director and aviator are counter-balanced by his personal paranoia about cleanliness. Unfortunately, this movie will appeal to aviation enthusiasts as well as an older set, one that remembers Hughes and his contributions to aviation when commercial air travel was still relatively new.

Aside from the obvious star power of the movie, which is as good a reason as any to see one, I was far from satisfied. The movie was too long, a cool 168 minutes, which is one thing that will kill any flick. Some scenes were tedious, especially a scene near the end in which Hughes, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, locks himself into his screening studio and refuses to see anyone as he fights against his paranoia.

Chungking Express (1994)

Unusual film about two cops and their pursuit of romance, by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai. The title of the movie shares the same name as the restaurant where the two cops regularly eat, serving as the location where both stories converge. Although funny throughout, the movie could neither be considered a comedy nor a romance, despite the obvious focus on love in both stories.

While not completely polished, the film was initially unique in its presentation, making use of stop-motion and liberal editing to create a feeling of nervousness and speed during the beginning of the movie. This feeling dominated the first cop's story and captured both his personality and his fleeting encounter with a troubled woman. The second cop's story was cuter, highlighting both his and his lover's shyness as they began to realize their love for one another, and served as a nice contrast to the first story's rougher, hard-boiled edge.

Unfortunately, an over-reliance on technique and form can't make up for weaknesses in dialogue and plot. Often less than inspiring, especially the scenes in the restaurant, the lackluster dialogue could simply have been a result of poor subtitling. Difficult for me to judge such things. A bit on the long side, I found myself wondering when the movie would end.

Lan Yu (2001)

Acquired this movie from a coworker. Interestingly, after doing some cursory research on the eye-net, it was difficult to track down an accurate release date for this Chinese movie, directed by Stanley Kwan from Hong Kong. I'm not overly concerned with that information and, as release dates differ in different countries, there is bound to be some confusion. Someone else more meticulous than I will surely correct me eventually. Additionally, I read that this movie wasn't initially released on mainland China, although it may now be available.

I'm sure part of the reason for not releasing the movie in China, set in Beijing, was due to the content, which involves the relationship between a successful middle-aged businessman and his male lover, a young college student. At one point during the movie, which appears to take place in the late 1980s, there is also mention of the police clearing the "square," which is undoubtedly that famous square in the heart of Beijing. Whatever the reasons, those are easily the most intriguing for watching this film as the acting didn't wow me, the directing didn't amaze me, nor did the story surprise me.

Kitchen – Banana Yoshimoto | Translated by Megan Backus

Her first book, a thin affair showcasing nice, tightly constructed prose, contains two short stories. Two overriding details which appeared in each story, men who like to wear women's clothing and the recent death of loved ones, made it easy to see why these stories were linked together. Unfortunately, because of these strong parallels, the book, as a whole, felt very melodramatic and also very Japanese. In these terms, it might sound a little morbid or perverse, but I enjoyed it.

The first story, Kitchen, revolves around a woman, Mikage, and how she faces her life after all of her relatives die and she is left alone. Through the kindness of friends, a boy and his transvestite mother, she learns to give her life some meaning or direction as she becomes a part of their fractured family. I particularly liked how sight (color) and sound, as well as the other senses, were brought into the story from the beginning, as this example demonstrates, taken from the end of the story's opening paragraph:

White tile catching the light (ting! ting!)

These kinds of details give the writing a nice dimension and also demonstrate Mikage's enhanced perception as she reasons with her grief. It's as if the reader is being toasted before a fine meal.

The second story, Moonlight Shadow, documents a high school girl's attempts to come to grips with the sudden death of her boyfriend. Satsuki tries to keep herself busy as a way to avoid thinking about her grief, and meets a strange, almost ghostly, woman one morning while she is running. It shows the heightened perceptions of the protagonist which, as in "Kitchen," demonstrates how the characters began to see the world in a new way.

There are people I have yet to meet, other I'll never see again. People who are gone before you know it, people who are just passing through. Even as we exchange hellos, they seem to grow transparent. I must keep living with the flowing river before my eyes.

This passage, taken from the end of Moonlight Shadow, shows how Satsuki has accepted her grief. Grief is simply a part of the cycle of our lives.

Brotherhood – Taegukgi (2004)

A Korean film directed by Kang Je-gyu, Brotherhood tells the story of two brothers from South Korea forced into military service during the Korean war. Evacuating their homes shortly after North Korea invaded South Korea in the early '50s, the brothers are suddenly enlisted at a train station, along with all eligible 18-30 year old men, and separated from their family before they can catch a train to safety.

As the movie unfolds, the elder brother tries to perform valorous acts in an attempt to protect and, hopefully, earn a discharge for his younger brother. These efforts only work to build a wall between the brothers, turning the elder brother into a hardened soldier, as they face the brutalities and trials of war. The brothers, who had been able to stay together, were finally drawn apart and, after seeing his fiancé killed by anti-communists and believing his brother dead, the elder brother switches sides and begins fighting for the North Koreans. Eventually, the brothers are reunited on the field of battle, bringing the movie nearer its sad conclusion.

A long, graphically violent war flick, there was plenty of action to go around and I wasn't disappointed. A bit sentimental and overly dramatic, at times, but a good story if the gore and grim realities of war don't get you down.

A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth

An intimidating book (nearly 1500 oversized pages) and a long story about the intertwining lives of many of the members of four Indian families. In particular, the story centers around the marriage possibilities for Lata, a young college student, for whom her mother is attempting to find an appropriate mate. Set in the early '50s, after India has gained its independence from British rule, some of the contradictions presented in the book, such as Hindu vs. Muslim relations, were culturally interesting, although I don't know how accurately depicted. My lack of knowledge about Indian holidays, words and customs didn't detract from the story and, despite my ignorance, I still found most of the book captivating.

Full of poetry and music (many of the characters are musicians, and there is even one poet among Lata's suitors), I was naturally entranced by those details. Even though I have a soft spot for all things poetic, I wasn't blinded by them. Unfortunately, I felt that these details made almost all of the characters seem overly academic or scholarly which, in turn, gave the story a pretentious air. I simply didn't believe it.

Written in nineteen parts, further divided into smaller subchapters, reminiscent of Dickens or any other serializer, the book was easy to digest. Nonetheless, it was too long. Some of the events and characters in the story felt superfluous, that is, they didn't advance the story, especially many of the younger characters who seemed to only be around for ambiance or to give the reader a semblance of dimension. The writing wasn't exceptionally beautiful and, although I was happy to read song lyrics and poems sprinkled throughout the book, even though they weren't especially poignant, the rest of the writing seemed bland in comparison.