An interesting, well-balanced biography of this phenomenon of the 20th-century American musical scene, emphasizing the many facets of Bernstein's achievement (pianist/conductor/composer/media personality) and his identity as a Jew, and wisely (for this audience) ignoring the details of his convoluted personal life. Lisker's b&w drawings are appropriate and well-placed, but a biography for this age group is much better served by photos. Chronology; bibliography; index not seen. (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-8276-0501-3
Page Count: 72
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1993
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A quirky inside portrait of brotherhood within the “insane Hollywood system.”
Marx, Coen, Farrelly. Add to that list the Duplass brothers, who have been carving out a place for themselves as writers, directors, producers, and actors (Mark in The League, Jay in Transparent, etc.). In her foreword to this jumpy, eclectic collection of odds and ends, Mindy Kaling writes that the brothers are funny, “woke as hell,” and have a “tireless entrepreneurial spirit that inspires.” The brothers write that the book is “filled with essays on all kinds of things,” which isn’t exactly true. There are some—e.g., a short piece on why the band Air Supply is so good or the value of The Karate Kid Part II (even though “there are so many things wrong with this movie”)—but mostly this is a hodgepodge of autobiographical sketches, lists of favorite movies (actually the same list slightly edited over and over), emails, rough screenplays, advice to young filmmakers, Mark’s short story “The Blowjob,” edited by Jay, comments from their wives, and “Airport” 1-5, in which the brothers make up filmic scenarios inspired by the people they see walking and sitting about. We learn that they grew up outside New Orleans and had great boyhoods. Creative and ambitious kids, they played around with a video recorder their father gave them and started writing little scenarios and filming them. In 1996, they started Duplass Brothers Productions and got to work. We follow them in action as they fail (Vince del Rio) and succeed (Cyrus). They made The Puffy Chair for $10,000 and premiered it at the Sundance Film Festival. Other successes followed, including HBO’s Togetherness series (2015), until cancelled, and Room 104 (2017).
A rather chaotic and messy tale of talent, determination, and success in the world of independent film and TV that hardcore fans will enjoy.Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-101-96771-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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The fantasy world we build around professional athletes took a serious hit when this NBA superstar announced his HIV infection and retirement. Here, a simply phrased account of Johnson's record-breaking basketball career is sandwiched between an analysis of the announcement's immediate effects and a look at his other career as a successful businessman. This is timely but superficial: the ``If I can get it, anyone can'' message is delivered, but readers will not learn much more about AIDS or the AIDS crisis, nor are they directed to other books or organizations that might help. Marginally useful for assignments; better efforts are probably in the pipeline. B&w photos. (Biography. 11-13)
Pub Date: May 5, 1992
ISBN: 0-8225-0546-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1992
Categories: BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
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