New Moon

I went to see this movie (albeit reluctantly), since Thanksgiving is the natural time for vampires and werewolves. Unfortunately, my worst fears were realized: this movie is not worth watching. Overwrought teenaged angst, no plot: what more could you expect from a bad movie?

Matt Damon

I saw Matt Damon outside the Mandarin Oriental hotel near Columbus Circle. I was too lazy to get a photo on my cell phone, though.

Reilly, Ace of Spies

We watched this 4-CD series, which was a fascinating (semi-fictional) story of Sidney Reilly, the first international superspy. Well done, although it was weird to see Russians and Germans speak English with an English accent. Sam Neill played the ruthless Reilly with aplomb.

Random Passage

This mini-series is a beautiful adaption of a novel of the same name about the settling of Newfoundland. I don't think I can do it justice, other than to say that it is well worth watching. The main character, Mary Andrews, is fantastic; and it was good to see Colm Meaney in a non-Star Trek role as one of the other important characters.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

A fascinating cast of characters inhabits this entertaining book about the world of rare book dealers and thieves. Well, one thief in particular. The author, Allison Hoover Bartlett, finds an interesting way to tell the story of John Gilkey, an obsessive book thief, but the insertion of her own commentary and self-reflection into the narrative ultimately are boring, as there is no real resolution to her own involvement in the story.