The Dark Tower v7: The Dark Tower by Steven King

So I finally finished the series. Ultimately, I liked it. It's ambitious, it's compelling, and it's pretty fun. On the other hand, it is occasionally pretentious, shallow, and wooden.

Bad: The first and fourth books can be kind of a slog to get through. Susannah/Detta/Odetta/Mia kept getting on my nerves. There's a little bit of artistic masturbation. It probably would mean more to someone a little more versed in the works of Steven King.

Good: I kept turning the pages. I like the way the worlds influence each other (the snitches are a nice touch). I really liked the ending, actually.

Anyway, it didn't change my life or anything, but it was worth the time I spent reading it, and may inspire me to dabble a little further into King's oeuvre.

Ace in the Hole

Billy Wilder is awesome, even if Some Like it Hot is overrated. This isn't exactly a "lost masterpiece," as it has been billed, but it's not the runt of the litter either. Actually feels a little stage-y to me, what with the speeches (and self-conscious lines like "Is this another one of your long playing records, Chuck? Let's hear the other side."), relatively few key locales, and the melodramatic final scene. But there's some good performances, and a compelling if familiar story, not to mention a few flashes of the ol' Wilder wit, especially in the first half. (watched 8/22/07)

Dang, man!

Man, how many freaking blogs have I started and never continued?

Answer: About 4.

Almost 3 years since I started this one. Crazy, man, crazy.

Check, check, check it yeah!

Number one in the hood, G.