Editor’s Note: This is the last week that Christopher Smith’s reviews will appear in the scene. Starting Sept. 21, his reviews will appear on Monday and Friday in the Style section. In theaters googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
Pity “Wolf Lake.” Debuting at 10 tonight, the CBS supernatural thriller soon will find itself up against venerable TV institutions, “Law & Order” on NBC and first “20/20” and later “NYPD Blue” on ABC. Even if it were perfectly executed, which it’s not, it would… Read More
When you think of Neil Simon, you may think of kitschy, sentimental, comedic sendups of life in New York or Los Angeles, with a lot of one-liners, and a few cheap shots thrown in. Criticize him as fluffy if you’d like, but Simon is one of the most… Read More
ANTIQUEMAN’S DIARY: THE MEMOIRS OF FRED BISHOP TUCK, edited by Dean A. Fales Jr., Tilbury House, Gardiner, 2001, paperback, 150 pages, $15. Given the sheer volume of antique shops and their popularity in Maine, it’s no wonder Maine often is referred to as New England’s… Read More
SADIE’S SONG, by Linda Hall, Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, Ore., 2001, 301 pages, paperback, $10.99. Sadie Thornton hears music – chilling, haunting music – that no one else hears. It comes to her on the beach one afternoon and it wakes her up at night a… Read More
THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE by Rodman Philbrick, The Blue Sky Press, New York, 2000, hardcover, 223 pages, $16.95. In today’s world, books written with “reluctant readers” in mind usually go no further. It is a rare gem that can combine the fast-packed action… Read More
JOY IN THE MOURNING, by Beth Rogers, AmErica House, Baltimore, 2000, 217 pages, softcover, $17.95. Many have experienced the death of a family member and can remember the feeling of little or no closure, with the wound sometimes taking years to heal. In “Joy in… Read More
VACATIONLAND: A HALF CENTURY SUMMERING IN MAINE, by David E. Morine, Down East Books, 233 pages, paperback, $15.95. David E. Morine’s love affair with Maine started in 1946 when he was 3. That was the first year his parents rented a cabin at Jordan’s Camps… Read More
STAR SPLIT by Kathryn Lasky, Hyperion Books for Children, New York, 1999, 204 pages, hardcover, $15.99. If one’s life has been mapped out before the moment of conception – if there is no unpredictability, no chance or risk to it – what is the value… Read More
In theaters JEEPERS CREEPERS, 90 minutes, R, written and directed by Victor Salva. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if… Read More
COOKING WITH WILD BERRIES OF DOWN EAST MAINE, Bar Harbor Jam Co., Bar Harbor, 2001, 224 pages, $12.95. Nothing compares to the tongue-tingling joy of a berry still warm from the summer sun. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
TABERNACLE: POEMS OF AN ISLAND, by Susan Deborah King, Island Institute, Rockland, 2001, 75 pages, $14.50. The islands of Maine have been known to capture the hearts of poets. Whole collections have been devoted to these offshore places. Harold Vinal’s “Hurricane Island,” Hortense Flexner’s “Poems… Read More
In theaters O, directed by Tim Blake Nelson, written by Brad Kaaya, based on William Shakespeare’s “Othello.” 91 minutes. Rated R. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
FAULT LINES: STORIES OF DIVORCE, collected and edited by Caitlin Shetterly, The Berkley Publishing Group, New York, 2001, 357 pages, $21.95. When something really terrible happens, many of us turn to literature for comfort. This is what Caitlin Shetterly did when her parents got divorced,… Read More
WEST SULLIVAN DAYS, by Jack Havey, Down East Books, Camden, 2001, 143 pages, $9.95. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” writes Jack Havey about his early life, not only in Sullivan and environs, but also in Bangor, in “West Sullivan Days: Recollections of Growing… Read More
If you go to a play by Christopher Durang, you can expect certain hit-you-upside-the-head themes. Urban angst, sexual irreverence, psychobabbling nutsos, the unworkability of religion – this is the stuff of his career, manifested most popularly in “Actor’s Nightmare” and “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You.”… Read More
In Theaters AMERICAN OUTLAWS. Directed by Les Mayfield. Written by Roderick Taylor and John Rogers. 94 minutes. Rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length;… Read More
In theaters Rat Race. Directed by Jerry Zucker. Written by Andy Breckman. 112 minutes. Rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
It takes some guts to use a lobster as a prop in a Shakespeare production in Maine. The effect can be totally mean-spirited, freakishly corny, or sharply insightful and jocular. Julia Whitworth’s production of “The Tempest,” performed this weekend only at the Stonington Opera House, falls into the… Read More
In theaters OSMOSIS JONES, 98 minutes, PG, directed by Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, written by Marc Hyman. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++)… Read More
ENOTECA: SIMPLE, DELICIOUS RECIPES IN THE ITALIAN WINE BAR TRADITION, by Joyce Goldstein, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2001, 196 pages, $24.95. I scrape myself up onto the stool next to you. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
At the end of what would be his final interview, William Thon agreed to let the reporter see his Port Clyde studio, but urged gallery owner Cynthia Hyde to give the tour of the large shed where many of his works and painting materials were stored. Read More
In Theaters “The Others.” Written and directed by Alejandro Amenabar. 104 minutes. Rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) {… Read More
A VOYAGE FOR MADMEN. By Peter Nichols, HarperCollins, N.Y., 2001, 290 pages, $26. You’ve probably heard the rather derisory phrase, “About as exciting as a sailboat race,” meaning dull with a capital D. It’s not true, not true at all. You’ll know why when you… Read More
?Art is never chaste.? ? Pablo Picasso Some theme shows in the art world seem obvious. Georgia O’Keeffe’s flowers or Winslow Homer’s seascapes, for instance. That a current traveling exhibition detailing 75 years of Picasso’s erotic works – earmarked as one of this year’s hottest… Read More
THE MAINE MULCH MURDER, A. Carman Clark, The Larcom Press, 2001, 228 pages, $22. “The Maine Mulch Murder” opens with a mundane errand done by a seemingly ordinary woman. Sixty-year-old Amy Creighton goes to the local mill to help herself to the free sawdust she… Read More
DARK HOLLOW by John Connolly, Simon & Schuster, 2000, 443 pages, $25. Now here’s a murky mystery about a serial killer, laid in Scarborough. The protagonist is a former cop, Charlie “Bird” Parker, whose wife and daughter have been killed. He has some weird friends… Read More
RACING THE PAST by Sis Deans, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2001, 151 pages, $15.95. Many spend their lives running from the past, but Maine writer Sis Deans has created a character that is able to put a more competitive spin on things –… Read More
AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY. Written by Margy Burns Knight and Mark Melnicove, illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien, The Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Conn., 2000, 40 pages, $24.90. Thomas and his father travel over snow covered paths by pony to go to market and visit friends… Read More
RACING THE PAST, by Sis Deans, Henry Holt and Co., New York, 2001, 151 pages, $15.95. Sis Deans’s most recent book, “Racing the Past,” fits comfortably within a category that librarians see more and more of – the “problem novel.” In this case, it’s Ricky… Read More
In theaters ORIGINAL SIN. 112 minutes, R, written and directed by Michael Cristofer, based on the novel “Waltz Into Darkness” by Borness Woolrich. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
Most of the metal fans at Cumberland County Civic Center on Monday night came shirtless, and it’s a good thing. During the “Big Day Off” show, the state’s exhibition of select Ozzfest tourmates, even those sitting in the bleachers were drenched in sweat. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
At last week’s opening night of the State Theater of Maine production of “Oliver!” at Lakewood Theatre, there was a surge of energy that’s possible only with townsfolk on a hot August night. It sounds unbearable, really: to come up with vibrancy in the midst of wilting heat… Read More
In theaters RUSH HOUR 2. Directed by Brett Ratner. Written by Jeff Nathanson. 90 minutes. Rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) {… Read More
The hair. The hurt. The pout. The smirk. Only James Franco, a wily 22-year-old actor best known for his turn in the 1999 NBC drama “Freaks and Geeks,” could have slipped so convincingly into James Dean’s rumpled sweater and khaki trousers. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
PORTLAND – After the near-standing-room crowd of 900 fans packed into the State Theatre Friday night were given The Samples, Bruce Hornsby came out and delivered the groceries. Hornsby’s entrance onto the stage was greeted with thunderous applause as he said a polite “hello” and… Read More
Mark Torres’ production of “King Lear,” the last of three plays in this year’s Maine Shakespeare Festival on the Bangor waterfront, begins with breathtaking pageantry. To an ominously pounding drumbeat, the actors march onto the stage in a royal procession. The scene is filled with primal, pre-Christian ritual,… Read More
In theaters PLANET OF THE APES. Directed by Tim Burton, written by William Broyles Jr., Lawrence Konner and Mark D. Rosenthal. Based on the novel by Pierre Boulle. 125 minutes. Rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
Showtime’s new series offering, “Leap Years,” seeks innovation but falls flatly into gimmickry. The drama, which debuts at 10 p.m. Sunday, follows the lives of five New Yorkers not just in the present, but also in 1993 and 2008. (It airs regularly at 10:45 p.m. Read More
In theaters AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS, 100 minutes, PG-13, directed by Joe Roth, written by Billy Crystal and Peter Tolan. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++)… Read More
I’ve been known, on many occasions in recent years, to tell people I hate Italian food. Of course, that’s a lie. I pretty much love most Mediterranean cuisine. No, it’s not Italian food in general I dislike; it’s pasta. OK, I don’t actually dislike pasta… Read More
If you think you minded the rainy weather in the early part of July, think of the actors and directors for the Maine Shakespeare Festival. During the bout of rain, rehearsals were trounced by water throughout the much-needed rehearsal time on the outdoor stage on Bangor’s waterfront. The… Read More
In theaters JURASSIC PARK III. Directed by Joe Johnston, written by Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. 90 minutes. PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
“All art is quite useless,” wrote Oscar Wilde in the preface of his novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Nevertheless, there’s a useful lesson about artistic beauty in the story of a man whose face stays youthful and alluring while his portrait uglifies with each expression of his… Read More
You know the feeling when a bell goes off. You wake up. Or class is over. Or the cake is done. Playwright David Ives takes the meaning of the bell to a whole new level of possibility in his collection of six mini plays “All in the Timing,”… Read More
THE COLOR OF ABSENCE: 12 STORIES ABOUT LOSS AND HOPE, edited by James Howe, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 2001, 237 pages, $16. I WILL REMEMBER YOU: A GUIDEBOOK THROUGH GRIEF FOR TEENS, by Laura Dower, Scholastic Inc., New York, 2001, 211 pages,… Read More
One of the most reliable sources of fresh, edgy summer programming is the Sci Fi Channel. The cable channel shows new episodes of its original series during the summer, where they stand out among the network reruns and burn offs. Now, the USA network is… Read More
FACE DOWN BEFORE THE REBEL HOOVES, by Kathy Lynn Emerson, St. Martin’s Minotaur, 256 pages, hardcover, $23.95. Until the northern countesses began plotting rebellion, Susanna Appleton had left the political intrigue to her late husband Robert and his friends. Yet, when Robert’s former mistress is… Read More
NIGHT CROSSING by Don J. Snyder, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2001, 277 pages, $24. Don Snyder is adept at picturing scenes for us in his novels and equally deft in characterization. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
L IS FOR LOBSTER, A MAINE ALPHABET, written by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds and illustrated by Jeannie Brett, Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, Mich., 2001, 36 pages, hardcover, $16.95. Twenty years ago a librarian friend recommended that journalist Cynthia Reynolds create a book about Maine for young… Read More
OFFICERS OF THE COURT, by Donald V. Organ, 1st Books Library, 329 pages, $4.95 electronic, $12.95 paperback, $17.95 hardback. A vanity press was where writers used to go when the rejection slips piled up and the manuscripts started gathering dust. Looked on as houses of… Read More
DOGWALKER, stories by Arthur Bradford, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, August 2001, 144 pages, $20. Arthur Bradford, originally from Maine but now living in Vermont, is an O. Henry Award-winning short story writer. He is a stylist in writing, possessed of hilarious wit and a… Read More
THE LOBSTER WAR, by Ethan Howland, Front Street/Cricket Books, Chicago, 2001, 146 pages, $15.95. It can be very hard to come of age right now in Maine. Many of our teens and young adults must grapple with the realization that the traditional industries – manufacturing… Read More
PROSPECT, by Bill Littlefield, Mariner Books, New York, 2001, softcover. $12. This is a surprising book. Yes, it’s about baseball, full of the game’s details, aspects most of us never see or would never notice if we did. But it’s also a story full of… Read More
About halfway through Bar Harbor Theatre’s “The Complete History of America (Abridged),” it’s smilingly clear that this overview of 500 years of manifest destiny was developed in conjunction with such primary sources as “Star Trek,” “Gilligan’s Island,” “The Wizard of Oz” and the Bee Gees. Though perhaps cynical,… Read More
So few people laughed when the comedy “Murder at the Howard Johnson’s” opened on Broadway in 1979, the show closed after four performances. But when Acadia Repertory Theatre in Somesville staged it 10 years later, summer audiences couldn’t get enough of its purposefully mindless humor. If you renounce… Read More
TIKI DRINKS by Adam Rocke, illustrations by Shag, Surrey Books, 2001, 64 pages, $12.95. You won’t find a thatched bamboo hut with a menu of tall, frosty cocktails on any beach in Maine, but who cares? In “Tiki Drinks,” author Adam Rocke and his retro… Read More
In theaters A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Written and directed by Steven Spielberg. 145 minutes. PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) {… Read More
Editor’s note: Christopher Smith will be on vacation next week. His column will return in the July 12 scene. In theaters googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
BANGOR – The crackle of the radio wasn’t enough to mask the urgency in the woman’s voice. “KHAQQ calling Ataska. KHAAQ calling Ataska. Fuel running low.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
BAR HARBOR – It is said that good things come to those who wait. Certainly it was so for the audience at the Criterion Theatre on Sunday evening who endured a warm, half-hour wait for the house to open. Avishai Cohen and the R. J. Miller Quintet’s performances… Read More
More than 200 people lined up to see two Friday night screenings of a romantic comedy at the historic Criterion Theatre. They laughed at the antics of the rich and idle, cheered and applauded when the villain fell into the ocean and got his due,… Read More
In theaters DR. DOLITTLE 2. Directed by Steven Carr, written by Larry Levin. 88 minutes. Rated PG. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) {… Read More
The lost underwater city of Atlantis has intrigued many people through the centuries. So it was natural that the creative types at Disney would seize upon it as the backdrop for their latest animated picture, “Atlantis: The Lost Empire.” My junior critic Samantha had no… Read More
In theaters ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE. 95 minutes, PG, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, written by Tab Murphy. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
ORONO – If “portrait” makes you think of a man in a powdered wig, posing stiffly in an armchair, the University of Maine Museum of Art’s latest exhibit will change your mind. “The Potential Self … Portrait as Signifier,” which runs through Oct. 20 at… Read More
BAR HARBOR – It was a hot night, even by the ocean, but the Cowboy Junkies kept things cool inside the Criterion Theater. Sarah Harmer had the audience going early, with a strong, clear opener (think Ani DiFranco minus the angst) before the Junkies took… Read More
In theaters THE GOLDEN BOWL, 130 minutes, R, directed by James Ivory, written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, based on Henry James’ novel. Starts tomorrow, Railroad Square Cinema, Waterville. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
PITCHER’S STORY: INNINGS WITH DAVID CONE, by Roger Angell. Warner Books, New York, 2001, hardcover, $24.95. “At batting practice one weekend afternoon, a boy with an autograph book called from behind the dugout. ‘Mr. Jeter! Mr. Jeter! I’m looking for someone.’ googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
In theaters EVOLUTION. Directed by Ivan Reitman. Written by David Diamond, David Weissman, and Don Jakoby. 103 minutes. PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length;… Read More
TARTABULL’S THROW, by Henry Garfield, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2001, 262 pages, $16. Every good major league baseball player learns how to stay loose, take the game as it comes. The same advice applies to readers of this book. It’s not a story for… Read More
ANTLERS FOREVER, written by Frances Bloxam and illustrated by Jim Sollers, Down East Books, 2001, 32 pages, $15.95. MOOSE ON THE LOOSE, by John and Ann Hassett, Down East Books, 1987, 46 pages, $11.95. It’s here – Moosemania – the time of year when black… Read More
MAINE: THE SEASONS, photographs by Terrell S. Lester, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2001, 146 pages, $35. Terrell S. Lester’s coffee-table book “Maine: The Seasons” is a must-have for Maine natives and those from away who love the state. Lester’s artful photos take the reader… Read More
THE SECRET INGREDIENT MURDERS: A EUGENIA POTTER MYSTERY by Nancy Pickard, based on the character created by Virginia Rich, Delacorte Press, 2001, 288 pages, hardcover, $22.95. Culinary sleuth Eugenia Potter has returned to take a bite out of crime. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
In a few days our kids will be happily starting the year’s longest vacation. Many youngsters see this time as a respite from books. But Anne Mundy, head of children’s services at the Bangor Public Library, and Laurie Rose, youth services librarian at the Orono… Read More
EMPIRE FALLS by Richard Russo, Knopf, 483 pages, $25.95. The death and partial recovery of Maine’s old mill towns form the backdrop for this mainstream novel that is very topical in its plot. It’s a simple one, it seems, as it depicts life through the… Read More
In Theaters Moulin Rouge. Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. 126 minutes. PG-13 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
In theaters THE TAILOR OF PANAMA, 109 minutes, R, directed by John Boorman, written by Boorman, John le Carre and Andrew Davies. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0;… Read More
In theaters PEARL HARBOR. Directed by Michael Bay. Written by Randall Wallace. 183 minutes. Rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
In theaters ANGEL EYES, 104 minutes, R, directed by Luis Mandoki, written by Gerald DiPego. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice())… Read More
So vacationing photographer Holly is a little neurotic and lifeguard Leo is a tad uncouth. But you’ll want to know these characters created by Tina Howe, whose “Pride’s Crossing” was a hit last year for the Penobscot Theatre Company. Nina Nevins and Patrick J. Zeller… Read More
Picture me at 11 years old around 1977, my ears perking and something in my musical soul going “toinnnnnng!!!” the first time I heard Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “What’s Your Name.” This is good stuff, said I. I’ll have to look into it. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
In theaters SHREK. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson. Written by Ted Elliott, TerryRossio, Joe Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman. Based on the book by William Steig. 90 minutes. PG. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
SPIN CASTING BRILLIANTLY, by Michael Rutter and J. Alan Baumgarten, Mountain Press Publishing Co., Missoula, MONT, 2001, 174 pages, $18. Reading this comprehensive book as a guy who made his first spin cast more than 60 years ago, I’m wondering if this is quite fair… Read More
About fifth grade, many children, even good readers, begin to lose interest in books. Literature that holds their attention can be hard to find. Fortunately, American Girl’s History Mysteries are real page turners with heroines young women can identify with easily. A good balance between… Read More
It’s one thing to put a play together and perform in the same venue every night – and quite another to use a different stage each day and sometimes have to hit the road at dawn to get there. But it’s worth it to bring… Read More
ORONO – At the end, the cheering crowd yelled out “Encore,” and “One more time!” As Christopher Zimmerman took his final bows Sunday, it was evident that the departing music director had led the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and the combined voices of the University of… Read More
In theaters PLACE VENDOME. Directed by Nicole Garcia. Written by Garcia and Jacques Fieschi. 117 minutes. No MPAA rating. In French with English subtitles. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
BETTY DOLL by Patricia Polacco, Philomel Books, New York, 2001, 40 pages, $16.99. These days we tend to think of inheritance in terms of taxable property: real estate and stocks and bonds. The implication is that if you don’t manage to pass on those earthly… Read More
SUNFLOWER HOUSES by Sharon Lovejoy, Workman Publishing, New York, 1991 and 2001, $13.95. Does life get any better than spring in Maine? The snow mountains and slush puddles vanish. Trees are newly clothed in pale green baby leaves and blossoms. The streets ring with the… Read More
COLD PARADISE by Stuart Woods, Putnam, 2001, 336 pages, $24.95. Stone Barrington fans will be delighted with Stuart Woods’ newest novel about the debonair New York lawyer. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
LYDIA BAILEY by Kenneth Roberts, Down East Books, 2001 (reprint), 488 pages, $17.95. In the foreword to “Lydia Bailey,” author Kenneth Roberts wastes no time letting the reader know his narrator, Albion Hamlin, is a man of principle much puzzled by the “hell and ruin… Read More
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS: STEPHEN KING by John F. Wukovits, Lucent Books, San Diego, 1999, 96 pages, $23.70; STEPHEN KING, KING OF THRILLERS AND HORRORS by Suzan Wilson, Enslow Publishers, Berkeley Heights, N.J., 128 pages, $20.95. Last year, as I envied parents of children who… Read More
THE BLACKBIRDER by James L. Nelson, William Morrow, 336 pages, $24. Mainer James L. Nelson is carving out a strong niche for himself as a first-rate author of American sea stories. Where C.S. Forester, Dudley Pope, Alexander Kent and Patrick O’Brian have built solid readership… Read More
In theaters AMORES PERROS. 153 minutes, R, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, written by Guillermo Arriaga. In Spanish with English subtitles. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
THREE BLACK SKIRTS: ALL YOU NEED TO SURVIVE, by Anna Johnson, 2001, Workman Publishing, New York, 204 pages, $13.95 softcover. I was about 12 years old when my mother gave me a book called “Girltalk” by Carol Weston. It was one of those how-to guides… Read More
Maybe it’s because she moved away and then came back that Patricia Ranzoni so deftly mines memories of Maine – digging dandelion greens, baking beans for Saturday night, watering the cows, brushing against “touch me not” jewelweed until its buds pop. In her latest collection… Read More
In theaters THE MUMMY RETURNS, written and directed by Stephen Sommers, 125 minutes, rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice())… Read More
STEAMBOAT LORE OF THE PENOBSCOT by John M. Richardson, privately republished by Sally Richardson Rice, Stonington, 2001, 208 pages, $20. For a couple of real treats, turn to the dramatic tales of the wreck of the Portland and the loss of the Pentagoet. Both steamers… Read More
BELFAST – Lenny Magrath is having a bad day. Her little sister Babe’s in jail for shooting her husband, her singing sister Meg’s somewhere in Hollywood without a phone, her granddaddy’s in the hospital with blood vessels popping in his head and not a one… Read More