Arts Books Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors Michael Giltz Freelance writerGET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Follow Book Reviews , .</p><p> The Yard , Alex Grecian , Alex Grecian The Yard , Books , The Yard Alex Grecian , The Yard Review , Books NewsReact Inspiring Funny Typical Important Outrageous Amazing Innovative BeautifulBooks: Alex Grecian's The Yard Measures Up as Satisfying Mystery The Yard by Alex Grecian Putnam; May 29, 2012 Jack The Ripper has disappeared into the mist of Victorian London.</p><p> But Scotland Yard -- shamed and embarrassed over its failure to catch the taunting madman -- must carry on.</p><p> In this debut novel by comicbook author Alex Grecian (Proof ), the Yard is an absorbing launch pad for a new series built around the detectives who are finding their way in the new business of criminology.</p><p> Fingerprinting, saving evidence, comparing notes from different crimes to see if there's a pattern, even something as simple as working in pairs are all novel, untested ideas tried out for the first time.</p><p> Our heroes include the new kid on the staff, Walter Day; a passionate journeyman cop named Hammersmith and the doctor who has taken it upon himself to be a de facto medical examiner.</p><p> At thetop is Colonel Sir Edward Bradford, the one-armed man leading his team with grim humor and determined insight into both his men and the dangerous new strain of violent, unhinged murderers spawned by the festering atmosphere of the most crowded city in the world.</p><p> They're all focused on the brutal killing of one of their own -- a detective found dismembered and crammed into a piece of luggage at a train station.</p><p> But other crimes soon weave their way into thenarrative, from a little boy abducted by an unhinged lunatic to a pair of slightly mad prostitutes gettingtheir revenge on the police who couldn't capture Jack The Ripper.</p><p> Grecian's world is also populated byMOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 Isaac Balloons Into A Hurricane, New Orleans Threatened Limbaugh's Wild Isaac Conspiracy MAP: Hurricane Isaac's Path Aims For Gulf Coast GOP Approves Abortion Ban Deaf Boy Asked To Make Controversial Change (VIDEO) Republican Attendees Thrown Out After Racist Attack On CNN Worker The Most Awkward Wedding Photobombs Sylvester Stallone's Half- Sister Dies At 48 PHOTO: The Queen Rolls In A Range Rover Wearing A Hoodie DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5 Dean Baker Poverty: The New Growth Industry in America Robert L.</p><p> Borosage The Hard Truth About Romney’s Republican PartyFOLLOW USBook Club Libraries In Crisis August 29, 2012 Edition: U.S.</p><p> FRONT PAGE POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS MEDIA ARTS SCIENCE RELIGION TRAVEL EDUCATION LIVE ALL SECTIONS Dean Baker Robert L.</p><p> Borosage John Hillcoat Jeff MadrickHOT ON THE BLOG HuffPost Social Reading Like 102 Posted: 05/29/2012 1:00 pm SHARE THIS STORY Submit this storyRecommend 667 Like 6k Recommend 248 Recommend 8k Like 3k Like 5k Like 882 Recommend 292 Like 862Authors NYR More Log in Create AccountFOLLOW BOOKS Ray Bradbury FBI File: Sci-Fi Legend Suspected...</p><p> Worst Book Reviews: Michiko Kakutani's 11 Meanest...</p><p> Reading Great Writers' Worst Books Reclaim Your Heartthe colorful denizens of the streets from a lumbering gentle giant who dances to amuse to Blackleg, a burglar who can't look away when he stumbles across an innocent boy left stuffed in a chimney to die.</p><p> Caleb Carr's The Alienist is an obvious comparison, thanks to The Yard 's attention to detail and mix of historical facts and vivid fictional creations.</p><p> It's great fun, despite a dramatically over-stuffed finale.</p><p> Grecian's debut is the promising start of a new series and should be one of the most acclaimed and popular mysteries of the year.</p><p> BOOKS I'VE READ SO FAR IN 20121.</p><p> The Underneath by Kathi Appelt *** 2.</p><p> Jack Holmes and His Friend by Edmund White *** 3.</p><p> The Last Unicorn by Peter S.</p><p> Beagle ** 4.</p><p> Fun Home by Alison Bechdel ***5.</p><p> Death Walks In Eastrepp by Francis Beeding *** 6.</p><p> Lumious Airplanes by Paul La Farge ***/ 7.</p><p> The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen ** 1/2 8.</p><p> Unterzakhn by Leela Corman ** 9.</p><p> The Child Who by Simon Lelic *** 10.</p><p> Hinterland by Caroline Brothers *** 11.</p><p> The Yard by Alex Grecian *** 1/212.</p><p> The Alienist by Caleb Carr *** 13.</p><p> On The Wings Of Heroes by Richard Peck *** 1/2 14.</p><p> A Princess Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs * 15.</p><p> The Gods Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs ** 16.</p><p> The Warlord Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs ** 1/2 17.</p><p> Undefeated: America's Heroic Fight For Bataan and Corregidor by Bill Sloan ** 1/218.</p><p> Stoner by John Williams ****19.</p><p> The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt *** 1/220.</p><p> The 500 by Matthew Quirk **21.</p><p> The Age Of Innocence by Edith Wharton **** 22.</p><p> The Alienist by Caleb Carr ***\ 23.</p><p> Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi **24.</p><p> Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household ***25.</p><p> The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky **26.</p><p> Traitor's Gate by Avi ** 1/2 27.</p><p> Cogan's Trade by George V.</p><p> Higgins *** 28. 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson *** 1/2 29.</p><p> The Twelve Rooms Of The Nile by Enid Shomer ** 1/2 30.</p><p> Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel *** 1/231.</p><p> In One Person by John Irving **32.</p><p> A Million Heavens by John Brandon ***33.</p><p> The Case Of The Deadly Butter Chicken by Tarquin Hall ***34.</p><p> Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man by Walter Stahr *** 1/235.</p><p> The Kings of Cool by Don Winslow *** 36.</p><p> The Case of The Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall *** 37.</p><p> Savages by Don Winslow *** Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests.</p><p> It's available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.</p><p> Note : Michael Giltz is provided with free galleys and/or final copies of books to consider for review.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz More in Books...</p><p> MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2 HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3 HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2 HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Snooki Elections 2012 Michael Jackson Taylor Swift Orrin Hatch Mitt Romney Chris Christie District of Columbia Comfort Food MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » Like 20k GET ALERTS Comments 1 Pending Comments 0 View FAQ Ray Bradbury's FBI File WINNER: Best Novel Of All Time How to Talk to Little Girls Michiko Kakutani's 11 Meanest Book Reviews feliciaday RetweetThink on it: Cambridge scientists say all mammals, birds, many others including octopi, havehuman-like consciousness.http://t.co/aF6W2ZQh cher RetweetRT @cher This is the TRUTH http://t.co/pW8Dq69N…04:56 AM on 05/31/2012 I am always excited to see anything new in the crime thriller sections, I am a big fan of the good old fashioned whodunnit that keeps you wanting to finish a book rather than a general novel that can bepicked up and put down at will. bravo and I hope its a success.posted by James at http://www.book-buyers.co.uk Advertise | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | About Our Ads | Contact Us Copyright © 2012 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.</p><p> All rights reserved.</p><p> Part of AOL LifestyleRecency | Popularity james buyers Permalink | Share itComments are closed for this entry View All 0 Fans New York Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors Michael Giltz Freelance writerGET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Follow Theatre , Baby Case , Baby Case Review , Foreverman , Foreverman Review , Musicals , Off-Broadway , New York NewsReact Amazing Inspiring Funny Scary Hot Crazy Important WeirdNYMF 2012 Roundup #5: The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping and theLure of Eternal Youth This is the fifth in a series of roundups covering shows appearing in the New York Musical Theatre Festival , or NYMF .</p><p> Every year I attend as many shows as I can and invariably see one or two that will rank among the best of the year, as well as discovering some new talented performers and behind the scenes artists I'll want to keep an eye on in future productions.</p><p> Go to the NYMF website for more info on inexpensive tickets.</p><p> BABY CASE ** 1/2 out of **** FOREVERMAN * 1/2 out of **** BABY CASE ** 1/2 out of **** SIGNATURE THEATREThis is perhaps the most ambitious and potentially most exciting show I've seen at NYMF this year.</p><p> It's clearly in the vein of Kander and Ebb, a cynical, smart, unexpected tale that bites off quite a bit -- mediafrenzy, prejudice, celebrity and much more.</p><p> It will be fascinating to see if this show develops further.</p><p> Creator Michael Ogborn has been working on it for a decade and the passion and care shows.</p><p> It centers on the kidnapping of the baby of Anne and Charles Lindbergh, one of the most famous couplesin the world because of his trans-atlantic flight.</p><p> The baby was ultimately found dead (hello, Kander and Ebb, building a musical around the death of a baby!) and an immigrant carpenter Bruno Hauptmann wasfound guilty and executed in what was dubbed "the trial of the century" back in the 1930s.</p><p> The musical Chicago looms large over this effort, with their similar takes on the frenzy surrounding crimes that capture the public imagination.</p><p> Act One focuses on the crime and Act Two on the trial, with caustic takes on the media sprinkled throughout, whether it's the reporters and photographers that won't even leave the Lindbergh couple alone on their honeymoon or the even more vulture-ish people who snap photos of the baby's corpse and others who pretend to hawk locks of the baby's hair for profit.MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 Isaac Balloons Into A Hurricane, New Orleans Threatened Limbaugh's Wild Isaac Conspiracy MAP: Hurricane Isaac's Path Aims For Gulf Coast Republican Attendees Thrown Out After Racist Attack On CNN Worker RPatz Agrees To Meet KStew But Is Selling Their Home Deaf Boy Asked To Make Controversial Change (VIDEO) GOP Approves Abortion Ban PHOTO: The Queen Rolls In A Range Rover Wearing A Hoodie The Most Awkward Wedding Photobombs DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5 Bill Moyers WATCH: Both Parties Give Invisible Americans the SilentFOLLOW USAround Town Restaurants Real Estate NY Impact Best of New York NYPD Scandals Parties MTA WTC August 29, 2012 Edition: U.S.</p><p> FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA STYLE FOOD TECH ARTS GAY VOICES LIVE ALL SECTIONS Bill Moyers Dean Baker John Hillcoat Robert L.</p><p> BorosageHOT ON THE BLOG HuffPost Social Reading Like 102 Posted: 07/25/2012 12:11 pm SHARE THIS STORY Submit this storyRecommend 671 Like 6k Recommend 248 Like 6k Like 32 Like 3k Recommend 8k Like 895 Like 882MIchelle Rodriguez Funny Videos Michael Jackson Log in Create AccountIn a smart bit of double casting, Will Reynolds plays both Charles Lindbergh and Bruno Hauptmann, while Anika Larsen plays both Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Anna Hauptmann.</p><p> Interestingly, Reynoldshas more success with the passionately defensive Hauptmann than the tight-lipped Lindbergh while Larsen enjoys her best moments as the stolid Mrs.</p><p> Lindbergh rather than the wife who spends her life protesting her husband's innocence.</p><p> Michael Thomas Holmes has great fun as the ringmaster Walter Winchell, setting up the story and informing us of developments (and the general public opinion) in the rat-a-tat manner of a newsman.</p><p> For me, the emotional high point was Hannah Elless as reporter Adela St.</p><p> Johns describing AnneLindbergh on the day of her testimony in "Hour Of Gold" (a song named after Lindberg's memoir).</p><p> Theirduet has the wrenching emotional power you want and expect, anchoring a story that often has razzle dazzle but not always the undercurrent of genuine heart that such a story needs to make us care.</p><p> Indeed, the many songs of cynicism begin to blend a bit, with one piece after another mocking the media frenzy that erupted around the case.</p><p> Other times, the much-needed heart is attempted but not reached, such as Melissa van der Schyff's passionate delivery of "Dirty Dishes," a song by a servant badgered by the police and the media which stretches a modest image to the breaking point.</p><p> The set and costume design by Martin Lopez is top-notch, with stacks of newspapers cleverly used in numerous ways throughout, always reminding us that however painful the story, at least it sells papers.Ditto the lighting by Zach Blane and the graphic design by Ben Spriggs.</p><p> Above all, the choreography byWarren Adams and the sterling direction by Jeremy Dobrich take a large cast and a complicated tale anddeliver it with pizazz.</p><p> The performance I saw was unfortunately plagued with audio problems throughout.</p><p> And now that I know it's been in development for a decade, I'm not certain they're ready to somehow tighten and focus thestory even more, uncovering the beating heart that lies at its center without losing the caustic take on themedia that drives it along.</p><p> Certainly, the umpteenth scene of corruption in "Lawsuit Daddy" felt like overkill, as fun as it was for the actors to perform.</p><p> And the title is a bother throughout.</p><p> I've no idea what rights are at issue, but surely a better title than Baby Case could be found.</p><p> It also proves a weak chorus in the title song.</p><p> Many other songs, however, are strong, and the sense that something needs to be focused more tightly is a common complaint of Kander and Ebb shows... the first time around.</p><p> And like most Kander and Ebb shows, I'd love the chance to see Baby Case -- whatever it's called -- again.</p><p> It's an intelligent, sometimes truly exciting piece of theater.</p><p> If it falls short in some ways, that's because it attempts so very much.</p><p> FOREVERMAN * 1/2 out of **** THE PEARL ON 42 ST.</p><p> Fans of Frank Wildhorn should rush to catch Foreverman , a new musical very much in the vein of Jekyll and Hyde and the like.</p><p> Brett M.</p><p> Boles wrote the book, music and lyrics and while his tale is rooted in the romantic potboilers of Robert Louis Stevenson and the like, at least he came up with an original story: two young men, one wealthy and one poor, become fast friends, discover an elixir that can offer eternal youth and then bitterly part ways over the love of a woman.</p><p> Their struggles to achieve happiness and truelove will take hundreds of years to reach its climax.</p><p> Foreverman is handsomely mounted with a serviceable scenic design by John McDermott, so-so projections by Mark Costello and excellent costumes by Anne Liberman and Barry Doss.</p><p> Those clothes do the heavy lifting when it comes to setting the period and the high adventure mood of a costumer.</p><p> The cast is strong-voiced and does their best while director Stephen Nachamie ably keeps this ambitious work focused and moving along.</p><p> Unfortunately, Boles is akin to Wildhorn in spirit and deed.</p><p> His book takes forever to get going and continually must stop and explain itself.</p><p> Plot twists are downright silly -- a kiss immediately reawakensone character's suppressed memories of a past life? Sure, you'd go with it in some context but not here.The cuts back and forth between centuries in the first act feel random and unnecessary.</p><p> And most damning of all, the songs are filled with tepid lyrics that all the passion in the world can't ignite. "You're a sun and I'm a shooting star" is perhaps a fine distinction between a woman cursed to die young and a man who will live forever.</p><p> But the shooting star image is repeated again and again, 'til you're sick ofit.</p><p> Pedestrian rhymes abound. "She's a mystery and a danger/ Now she's here to stay" or "Fiona/ Theworld bursts into blossom at the sound of her name" or "I know this isn't what we planned/The way we thought our lives would go/ What stranger's footprints in the sand/ Have caused an elemental chain reaction" or "It's madly taunting and strangely haunting" and so on.</p><p> Like the book, the lyrics spend agreat deal of time simply spelling out what is going on.</p><p> By the fourth or fifth explanation that they've discovered an elixir that grants eternal life etc. etc. your attention begins to flag.</p><p> Further, the suspense and drama of those hundreds of years is rather mild. [SPOILER} Our two heros simply avoid each other for that entire time, meet up again unexpectedly and then rather confusingly make amends in a finale that left me a tad confused as to exactly what noble adventure they're embarkingTreatment Dean Baker Poverty: The New Growth Industry in America TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 9 MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2 HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3 HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2 HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGESYun Zi's 3rd Birthday Party PATH Command Center Tour How to Ride the Subway NYPD Bullets Wounded All Nine In Empire State Building Shooting MAP: The GOP In NYC The 'Dumbest Drug Law' In The Country? BREAKING: Gunman Shoots 5 Outside Empire State Building feliciaday RetweetThink on it: Cambridge scientists say all mammals, birds, many others including octopi, havehuman-like consciousness. http://t.co/aF6W2ZQh cher RetweetRT @cher This is the TRUTH http://t.co/pW8Dq69N…FOLLOW NEW YORK New York Republicans: Locating The GOP In...</p><p> Marijuana Law In New York The 'Dumbest...</p><p> Lighting "Escape Fires" to Fix Health Care FNO 2012: Grace Coddington At Balenciaga, Azealia...on together. [END SPOILER} Despite this, the cast commits themselves wholly to the project with admirable passion.</p><p> Kelly McCormick and Glory Crampton are the love interests, pretty and passionate when called for.</p><p> In the small role ofLord Fairwright, Nat Chandler has weight and actually makes a scene of betrayal carry the night's lonesource of emotion.</p><p> Larry Cahn and Karen Elliott as two servants enjoy the brief bit of humor in the piece when they embark on a romance.</p><p> Adam Monley is the voice of reason as the poor but resolute Jack Mercer.</p><p> And as Will Timeson (get it?), Omar Lopez-Cepero cuts a dashing romantic figure and has thevoice for this sort of popera endeavor.</p><p> It's a pity he and the rest of the cast don't have songs and storymore worthy of their talent.</p><p> THE THEATER SEASON 2012-2013 (on a four star scale) As You Like it (Shakespeare In The Park w Lily Rabe) **** Chimichangas And Zoloft * Closer Than Ever *** Cock ** 1/2 Harvey with Jim Parsons * My Children! My Africa! *** Once On This Island *** Potted Potter * Storefront Church ** 1/2 Title And Deed *** Picture Incomplete (NYMF) ** Flambe Dreams (NYMF) ** Rio (NYMF) ** The Two Month Rule (NYMF) * Trouble (NYMF) ** 1/2 Stealing Time (NYMF) ** Requiem For A Lost Girl (NYMF) ** 1/2 Re-Animator The Musical (NYMF) *** Baby Case (NYMF) ** 1/2 How Deep Is The Ocean (NYMF) ** 1/2 Central Avenue Breakdown (NYMF) *** Foreverman * 1/2 Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests.</p><p> It's available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.</p><p> Note : Michael Giltz is provided with free tickets to shows with the understanding that he will be writing a review.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz More in New York...</p><p> Snooki Gay Rights Energy Mitt Romney Hackers Television Germany News and Trends LGBT MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » Like 24k GET ALERTS Comments 0 Pending Comments 0 View FAQAdvertise | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | About Our Ads | Contact Us Copyright © 2012 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.</p><p> All rights reserved.</p><p> Part of HuffPost LocalRecency | Popularity Post Comment Preview Comment Post to Facebook.</p><p> Post to Blogger.</p><p> Post to Twitter.</p><p> Post to WordPress.</p><p> Post to TypePad.</p><p> Post to Tumblr.To reply to a Comment: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to.</p><p> Share your Comment: View All Entertainment Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors Michael Giltz Freelance writerGET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Follow Movies , DVD Reviews , Dvds , Film Reviews , Films , Move Reviews , Entertainment NewsReact Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyDVDs: No Excuses! Catch Footnote , Deep Blue Sea , Margaret & More MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 Isaac Balloons Into A Hurricane, New Orleans Threatened Limbaugh's Wild Isaac Conspiracy MAP: Hurricane Isaac's Path Aims For Gulf Coast Republican Attendees Thrown Out After Racist Attack On CNN Worker RPatz Agrees To Meet KStew But Is Selling Their Home Deaf Boy Asked To Make Controversial Change (VIDEO)FOLLOW USCelebrity TV Political Hollywood Features Hollywood Buzz Videos Help Us Write 'The Words' Quick Read | Comments (27) | 08.20.2012August 29, 2012 Edition: U.S.</p><p> FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA CELEBRITY TV COMEDY FOOD STYLE ARTS BOOKS LIVE ALL SECTIONS Bill Moyers Dean Baker John Hillcoat Robert L.</p><p> BorosageHOT ON THE BLOG HuffPost Social Reading Like 102 Posted: 07/31/2012 4:13 pm SHARE THIS STORY Submit this storySPONSOR GENERATED POST Recommend 674 Like 6k Recommend 250 Like 6k Like 35Political Hollywood Electronic Dance Music The Avengers One Direction More Log in Create AccountFOOTNOTE ($35.99 BluRay; Sony Pictures Classics) THE DEEP BLUE SEA ($38.94 BluRay; Music Box) THE FAIRY ($29.95 DVD; Kino Lorber) MARGARET ($39.99 BluRay; Fox) -- Seriously, has there ever been a better time to be a movie buff? Even if you're not wowed by Hollywood's current blockbusters, you have the entire history of cinema virtually at your fingertips.</p><p> Art house and foreign films get wider distribution than ever via independentchains, streaming and on-demand.</p><p> And even if you live in a city where tiny but acclaimed movies are shown and still don't get to the theater in time (hey, nobody's perfect) you still get to see virtually every well-reviewed film on DVD, BluRay or some other online source.</p><p> A gal in Montana can legitimately putout a diverse, sophisticated best of the year list as knowing and smart and on-the-money as every majorfilm critic.</p><p> Even better, unlike most major film critics, she doesn't have to wade through a big chunk ofclearly inferior studio releases.</p><p> She can just wait for the critical consensus and favorite taste-makers topoint her towards the movies worth checking out.</p><p> So now the onus is on movie fans.</p><p> You have no excuse not to rent or buy or stream these four films if you haven't seen them already.</p><p> Three of them are on my shortlist for the best films of 2012 and the fourth is one I'm eagerly anticipating.Footnote is a very funny drama perfect for anyone who knows the world of academia or office politics.</p><p> At its heart it is a movie about fathers and sons.</p><p> Both are scholars.</p><p> The father is a dutiful student, very goodat the actual work of scholarship (we think) but terrible at playing the games that curry favor, get you onboards and win grants and the like.</p><p> His son is the exact opposite, a glib glad-hander who appears ontelevision as a talking head.</p><p> When the father finally receives a coveted recognition of his body of work,it's a deeply moving moment -- until the son discovers, to his horror, that the award was meant for him, GOP Approves Abortion Ban PHOTO: The Queen Rolls In A Range Rover Wearing A Hoodie The Most Awkward Wedding Photobombs DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5 Bill Moyers WATCH: Both Parties Give Invisible Americans the Silent Treatment Dean Baker Poverty: The New Growth Industry in America TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 8 MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2Like 3k Recommend 8k Like 945 Like 882 Cameron Diaz Rocks Short Shorts Celebrity Bytes: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Book a Holiday in the Lake District Celebrity Bytes: Harry Styles Flashes a New Tattoo While Shooting Music Video Madonna's Message For Americans: 'Don't Get Fat And Lazy' Samuel L.</p><p> Jackson's Shocking Tweets About Isaac not his dad, and the officials who messed up want him to break the news to his father.</p><p> This is a very intelligent film, wittily shot like an action film (it sounds silly but works quite well) with all sorts of nods to scholarship, with notes popping up on screen and so on.</p><p> Not to be missed.</p><p> The Deep Blue Sea is a beautifully crafted film about doomed love during World War II.</p><p> It's based on the play by Terence Ratigan and who better to savor that repressed era than director Terence Davies, who truly makes this work his own.</p><p> Rachel Weisz is especially good as the heroine but then Davies alwaysshows his leading ladies in the best light.</p><p> This is filmmaking for adults.</p><p> The Fairy is a frothy bit of silliness from a team that revels in silent movie antics, setting up slapstick scenes of silliness that are distinctly their own but nod to the glory days of Keaton and Tati.</p><p> The gentle romance revolves around a seaside hotel, a fairy, shoplifters and more.</p><p> They still haven't matched the purity of their debut L'Iceberg, but this is a solid, charming confection.</p><p> Finally, there's Margaret .</p><p> I have no excuse for missing the movie in theaters.</p><p> But knowing there was a director's cut out there did make me long to see that version of Kenneth Lonergan's troubled but acclaimed/damned drama.</p><p> Given his great work in plays and movies, anything by Lonergan will be must-see viewing for years to come.</p><p> With this BluRay, we get a chance to view either the theatrical version or Lonergan's preferred cut.</p><p> Let thecult-status myth-making begin! JULIA CHILD'S FRENCH CLASSICS ($19.99; PBS Direct) JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI ($26.98; Magnolia) -- In the last few years, I've fallen in love with Julia Child and her cooking shows.</p><p> The color episodes get replayed again and again on TV, so I think I've seenjust about all of them.</p><p> She's such a fun, winning personality that even reruns are fun.</p><p> But the black andwhite episodes are rarely shown, as if fans of Child couldn't handle black and white, which is just silly.Here, finally, is a DVD containing three hours of cooking segments.</p><p> Some of the equipment used is datedand it would have been nice for a DVD extra to contain the actual recipes, but you can find them online.It's a good value such as it is.</p><p> But why put out these episodes piecemeal? Surely any fans of Child whowould want some of her black and white episodes would want all of them? All the ones available should be slapped on a no-frills boxed set and be made available.</p><p> Otherwise they're just sitting in a vault somewhere and what's the point of that? in other words, a second helping of Child, please.</p><p> Jiro is like many other documentaries in this era where the tools to make a documentary film are so readily available.</p><p> As a film, it's not terribly interesting.</p><p> But if you're intrigued by the topic -- a profile ofone of the top sushi chefs in the world, this one a man who operates out of a modest restaurant located ina subway station in Tokyo -- you'll find this worth your time.HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3 HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2 HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Snooki Housing Crisis Russia Gay Rights Energy Mitt Romney Hackers Television Germany MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » WATCH: Raging Grannies Have Some Words For Todd Akin Fact-Checking '2016 Obama's America' feliciaday RetweetThink on it: Cambridge scientists say all mammals, birds, manyothers including octopi, havehuman-like consciousness. http://t.co/aF6W2ZQh cher RetweetRT @cher This is the TRUTH http://t.co/pW8Dq69N…THE 39 STEPS ($29.95 DVD; Criterion) THE SAMURAI TRILOGY ($39.95 BluRay; Criterion) DOWN BY LAW ($39.95 BluRay; Criterion) METROPOLITAN ($39.95 Bluray; Criterion) -- Alfred HItchcock is one of the most famous and successful directors in history and The 39 Steps is the movie that defined him forever.</p><p> It's a grand adventure rather loosely based on the spy/adventure novel by John Buchan.</p><p> What day of the week am Iwriting this? Well, it's Tuesday, so that means this is my favorite Hitchcock film of all time.</p><p> OnWednesdays it's Rear Window .</p><p> On Thursdays, it's his other British gem The Lady Vanishes .</p><p> On Friday, it's Shadow Of A Doubt (Hitch's favorite so I'm just trying to curry favor).</p><p> Oddlly, it's a safe bet that most people haven't seen the box office hit The 39 Steps.</p><p> Do watch it and you'll suddenly realize where the inspiration for countless movies you have seen sprang from.</p><p> And there's no safer place to start than aDVD release from Criterion, which features an essay by Hitchcock expert David Cairns, TV interviews, excerpts from Truffaut's audio interviews with the director, a documentary about his British years and more, including my favorite -- a radio play version starring Robert Montgomery and Ida Lupino.</p><p> The Samurai Trilogy is a step below the true classic samurai films, but it's great fun and terrific to have in this good-looking, more compact BluRay edition.</p><p> Toshiro Mifune stars as the samurai, delivering his usual full-bodied performance that's more nuanced than the potboiler novel it's based upon.</p><p> Any fans ofwesterns and samurai films should dive in.</p><p> Down By Law is the movie that made clear Jim Jarmusch was in it for the long haul.</p><p> Stranger Than Paradise was an oddball movie that might have been a one-off fluke.</p><p> Down By Law showed Jarmusch was a rich and interesting filmmaker who would have a long career ahead of him.</p><p> Among the usual extras are recordings of phone conversations between Jarmusch and his leads, including Tom Waits.</p><p> Fans of extras know that technical people like the DP and composer often are the most informative andunguarded so they'll seek out the Robby Muller interview from 2002.</p><p> Finally, Whit Stillman is not enjoying a comeback with his latest release Damsels In Distress, but he has remained true to his unique sensibility.</p><p> That's on full display in his utterly assured debut Metropolitan , the arch comedy of manners that made him an instant success.</p><p> The modest extras include an audio commentary and outtakes of scenes and alternate casting.</p><p> The movie has grown in my estimation overthe years and this edition reinforces that.</p><p> BOSS SEASON ONE ($39.97 BluRay; Lionsgate) HATFIELDS & MCCOYS ($55.99 BluRay; Sony) THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION ($19.97 DVD; HBO) THE KENT CHRONICLES ($59.99 DVD; Acorn) ALPHAS SEASON ONE ($44.98 DVD: Universal/SyFy) JAMES MAY'S 20TH CENTURY ($59.99 DVD; Athena) THE IN-BETWEENERS COMPLETE SERIES ($39.98 DVD; EOne) -- One of the more egregious oversights in the Emmy nomonations was Kelsey Grammer not getting a best actor nod for Boss Season One as a corrupt mayor.</p><p> The proof is right here. (Who would I take off the list to make room for him? Jonn Hamm or Michael C.</p><p> Hall.) Hatfields & McCoys got a little repetitive in the feuding, but I love a western and America loved this miniseries, one of cable's biggest hits of all time.HBO has done a great job trying to bring the crisis of obesity into the spotlight via this miniseries The Weight of the Nation and all the other programming and outreaches that surrounded it.</p><p> This set contains the four part series and more than four hours of extras, one time where piling on the content is OK.</p><p> The Kent Chronicles combines three cheesy miniseries from the late 1970s based on the sprawling romantic epics by John Jakes.</p><p> They haven't aged well in the least but it's nice to see all three in one set.My friend Geoff Boucher at the LA Times blog Hero Complex is crazy about the SyFy show Alphas .</p><p> That's good enough for me and it should be good enough for you.</p><p> If this is your genre, this show is worth giving a look.</p><p> James May is famous in the UK for his cheeky car show Top Gear .</p><p> Here on James May's 20th Century , he makes history fun for people who get queasy at the sight of dates and timelines and men in powdered wigs. it's good for parents and kids but will hopefully spur them on to more.</p><p> There's also a three hourbonus program called James May's Big Ideas .</p><p> Finally, The In-Betweeners is a show about lads in the UK that probably seems smarter than it is because of their accents.</p><p> It captures high school with a Skins -like maturity and the series has already made the leap to feature film with a huge hit movie in the UK.</p><p> INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS ($29.95 BluRay; Olive Films/Paramount) HIGH NOON ($29.95 BluRay; Olive Films/Paramount) BODY AND SOUL ($29.95 BluRay; Olive Films/Paramount) FORCE OF EVIL ($29.95 BluRay; Olive Films/Paramount) -- Smaller companies rescuing classic films can't get any credit.</p><p> Of course, they don't have the finances to do a full restoration of movies, no matter how much the movie needs or deserves it.</p><p> They also can't afford to create lots of extras.</p><p> Then they needto charge a fair price because these movies aren't going to sell at the level of the latest Adam Sandlercomedy.</p><p> So here are four "bare bones" DVD releases of four genuine classics.</p><p> I personally don't care thatmuch for extras so I don't miss them, but others do.</p><p> Two of the films look terrific.</p><p> Invasion of the BodySnatchers literally blew me away when I saw it for the first time at Film Forum a few years ago.</p><p> I was hoping for a good B movie, a great sci-fi flick.</p><p> But I saw a great film, period.</p><p> It's clearly a landmark work and one of the best of the 1950s and indeed of all time.</p><p> High Noon has never done it for me, but this new BluRay edition looks very good and is the only one of the four to have an extra of note, namely a making- of documentary hosted by Leonard Maltin.</p><p> The last two are just transfers of current prints onto BluRay.They won't blow you away but if you haven't seen these movies, you really should.</p><p> Both star thepugnacious John Garfield.</p><p> He plays a boxer in Body and a dirty lawyer in Force of Evil .</p><p> Both wereFOLLOW ENTERTAINMENT Robin Williams As Dwight D.</p><p> Eisenhower In...</p><p> Samuel L.</p><p> Jackson: 'Unfair' Hurricane Isaac Avoid...</p><p> Guns N' Roses Slash Once Caught David... '2016: Obama's America' Fact- Checkwritten and the latter was also directed by the great Abraham Polonsky, whose career was curtailed by the blacklist.</p><p> We'll never know what he might have created in his prime but these movies are a testament to his talent.</p><p> BASEBALL'S GREATEST GAMES: NEW YORK METS FIRST NO-HITTER ($12.95 DVD; A&E/MLB) -- I'm lucky enough to get a lot of DVDs.</p><p> And every once in a while I get sent one I know Ican't keep.</p><p> DVDs about the UK monarchy go to my mom, for example.</p><p> And this DVD about the first no- hitter by a New York Mets pitcher is headed right to my friend Sam, a lifelong Mets fan.</p><p> If it wasn't bad enough that the Mets had never had a no-hitter, Sam and other Mets fans had to endure the indignity of watching Mets pitchers head to other teams and THEN getting a no-hitter or a perfect game.</p><p> Dwight Gooden did it for the New York Yankees, the bitter rival of the Mets.</p><p> And David Cone threw a perfect game for the Yankees after his days with the Mets were over.</p><p> Oh the horror.</p><p> So here, finally, is the gamewhere Johan Santana accomplished what seemed impossible: a no-hitter for the Mets.</p><p> It's in the mail,Sam. ***** Most titles listed here will be available in multiple formats and in multiple combinations, includingDVD, Blu-ray, digital download, video on demand, streaming and the like.</p><p> The format listed is theformat provided for review, not all the formats available.</p><p> It is often the most expensive version with themost extras.</p><p> Do check individual titles for availability in all their various guises and price points.</p><p> Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests.</p><p> It's available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog .</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.</p><p> Note : Michael Giltz is provided with free copies of DVDs and Blu-rays with the understanding that he would be considering them for review.</p><p> Generally, he does not guarantee to review and he receives farmore titles than he can cover.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz More in Entertainment...</p><p> Like 75k GET ALERTS Comments 2 Pending Comments 0 View FAQ05:23 PM on 07/31/2012 You have just guaranteed sainthood for yourself. 10:09 PM on 07/31/2012 Well, as a season ticket holding Yankee fan, it actually wasn't that hard for me to give it up.</p><p> But I can probably use all the brownie points I can get in heaven, so I'll take it.</p><p> Advertise | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | About Our Ads | Contact Us Copyright © 2012 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.</p><p> All rights reserved.</p><p> Part of AOL-HuffPost EntertainmentRecency | Popularity mrmetforpresident Permalink | Share it HUFFPOST BLOGGER Michael Giltz freelance writer Permalink | Share it Post Comment Preview Comment Post to Facebook.</p><p> Post to Blogger.</p><p> Post to Twitter.</p><p> Post to WordPress.</p><p> Post to TypePad.</p><p> Post to Tumblr.To reply to a Comment: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to.</p><p> Share your Comment: View All 0 Fans 127 Fans
