Samuel Rogers

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Not unlike the "ghostly Spanish moss" that acts as a kind of drapery for the mysteries tucked within this enigmatic city (Savannah, GA) and its surrounds (the Low Country), this book's tale is both intriguing and solemn. The flow and style are comparable to Capote's in In Cold Blood, the seminal book of this genre (nonfiction novels). It doesn't hurt that Capote had a connection to the South as well. It mixes journalism with true poetic candor that would be unattainable without the residency Berendt claimed for the time he researched and wrote the book. The inverse of Capote (a transplanted Southerner), the author here is a transplanted Yankee with an eye for detail. He takes you inside the socially cryptic world of Savannah, which seems to invite outsiders even as it staunchly sets its boundaries. The eponymous garden is both literal and metaphorical: a root doctor takes us there and explains the juxtaposition of "good" and "evil" from the temporal standpoint. The characters are each a totem for this duality, manifesting both their virtues and their vices - their light and their darkness - in a self-possessed foothold in the universe they inhabit. You won't want to miss it. It's a great "prism sentence".

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

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Book was well researched. I found the tempo a bit sluggish at times. Most of the prose is dedicated to the preparation for the crime: the two year period in which Leonardo Notarbartolo "cased" the joint (The Diamond Center in Antwerp), as well as the coinciding research and planning back in Italy based on his inputs from Belgium. The crime itself probably spans about one, or two chapters, at most. There are some interesting figures but we don't get a lot of time to familiarize ourselves with them and, as a result, the character development suffers (even though these are real people). Character schemas are introduced by way of The Wired article, which is found wanting for truth (e.g. "The Genius", "The Monster", et al.); these schemas seemed to get lost in the tedium of describing the respective figures' limited roles in the crime. There is some technical content that would probably be easier to understand with images (an engineer might be more comfortable with this material). Overall, the book can feel a bit tedious (but this is not uncommon in this genre - true crime) and lacking in the excitement you might expect from the typical narrative chased by the film adaptations of books (this one really has no such adaptation), because its subject doesn't have those "sexy" plot diversions (with some exceptions).

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History

This “historical” narrative explores the origins of the eponymous films’ and books’ primary antagonist. It is brilliant in its delivery and content, both adding to and supplementing the originals’ story arc and suggesting, paradoxically, both the humanizing, existential angst and terror of its main character, Corialanus (later President) Snow. The historical “shift” is projected upon the timeline of a fictional Panem, which morbidly intrigued us in the earlier films. Hints of a retro world come through in the meticulous set design and characterization of the principal roles, lending a strange hybrid of both Harry Potter-like elements and 1950s/real world nostalgia. Thematically, the film’s focus on the emotional and moral trajectory of a young Snow is fascinating and nuanced. In the same way that Snow’s character is developed through the foil of Katniss in the earlier films, the puerile version of the eventual villain is brought to a curious illumination by way of the portrayal of Lucy Gray, whose humble, Americana demeanor belies the grandiosity and macabre ambience of a post “Dark Days” Panem. Snow’s fixation with her, which forces him to balance an ingrained opportunism with truly heartfelt emotions, presages the love/hate relationship he has with Katniss in his later days. At once sympathetic and reviling, Corialanus’ transformation to President Snow is one that you will not want to miss.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

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Hardcore horror with a softcore, moralizing center. I have watched all of the seasons (Murder House to 1984) thus far and have found each one unique, although there are occasionally forced connections between seasons that kind of detracts from the subject season's central narrative. The acting (particularly Lange and Paulson) is superb and worth a view on its own standing. Season 2 ("Asylum") really exemplifies the "schlock" horror mixed with campiness (downright funny sometimes) that makes this series click.

American Horror Story

Compelling, emotionally-charged drama series based on historic (and continuing) truth. The web of stories can be a bit chaotic at times, although there is significant overlap in the narratives of the various everyday, unwitting fighters on the frontlines of the most outrageous FDA-approved cartel in history. Falls from grace are devastating and eye-opening at once. The shady concepts unleashed in marketing of Oxycontin, including "pseudo-addiction" (actually, pseudo-science), are based in actual practice of the company. Highly recommend.

Dopesick

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