Charlie's Books

Charlie's Books
Buon Giorno, Amici!

Our motto ...

Leave the (political) party. Take the cannoli.

"It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela

Right now 6 Stella crime novels are available on Kindle for just $.99 ... Eddie's World has been reprinted and is also available from Stark House Press (Gat Books).

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Nurses of the world unite ... More Foreign Movie reviews ...

Amici:

Yesterday I received an email from one Roxanne McAnn who maintains a website for nursing schools. They recently published an article called: “10 Greatest Novels for Nurses” and since the wife has recently joined the RN crew, how could I not add this to our blog?

There are some damn good novels in that Greatest list including: The English Patient, A Farewell to Arms, The Healer’s War and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest but the others look intriguing as well, especially No Other Medicine.

You go nurses!


New Foreign Flick Reviews (hey, somebody has to do it):


The Sicilian Girl - the story of Rita Atria and her role in helping to bring down some high level mafiosi in the motherland; a story about the real Italian Mafia where it began in Sicilia and its eventual downfall in Rome. The documentary about the murder of Paolo Borsellino by a car bomb in Palermo, less than two months after his fellow anti-Mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone had been assassinated is part and parcel of Rita’s story. In the movie, her brother is named Carmelo (uh-oh) but was actually named Nicolo ... and if you think the Sicilian mob was tough, wait’ll you meet Rita’s mother ... oy vey.




I Am Love ... unfortunately for moi, the background to the title of the film was more interesting than the film itself. I know this one caught a ton of attention, but that probably has more to do with Tilda Swinton than the film itself. A high-ender (through marriage) in Milan finds passion in the kitchen (her son’s chef friend) while her daughter discovers her sexuality (lesbian) and her son finds trouble with his business inheritance (the troubles of the rich indeed) ... my overall impression was “eh” ...

Oh, yeah, the background bit ... it's from an aria from Andre Chenier (the one featured in Philadelphia sung by Maria Callas, La Momma Morte) ...



Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky ... who knew? Not me. Who cares? I shouldn’t have ... “eh” minus the “h” ... mostly because the “affair” seems to have been mostly in Coco’s head (although it is believed there was one between the composer and famoso fashion designer, the one depicted in the movie is apparently way off the mark). I especially didn't like the ending ...

TK says: Get it right or don’t bother ...




As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me ... it’s difficult to imagine feeling sympathetic toward any member of the Germany Army during or after WWII, but this movie manages to do it. His trek after being taken prisoner takes him to Siberia, from where he escapes in an attempt to walk across the Soviet Union back to Germany. There’s a relentless Soviet Officer after him ... the weather and wolves don’t make it any easier ... but a Jewish man manages to put aside the recent German past to give him aid ... there’s even a scary detour in Iran.



—Knucks