Month: September 2023

Bartleby, The Scrivener (1853)

Audiobook.

With all due respect, this is as boring as the world that Bartleby seeks to escape from.

Much of the interest in this story is seeing the physical reactions, which is done much better with pictures.

It’s just…dull. Not “bad”…just *dull*.

DISCLAIMER: If you have no idea what to expect beforehand, it will be more interesting. If you know the quote, and the inevitability, there’s just no point in listening.

Grade: D (Upped a notch for newbies)

Born Of Man And Woman (1954)

Short story by Richard Matheson. It’s interesting and quite sad.

A first-person “entry by entry” account of something/someone chained in their (supposedly?) parents’ basement.

By “its” own vague description and from what it says “mother and father” tell it, it is hideous in appearance, but that’s not made explicit.

Probably more interesting that way; leaves a bit to your imagination.

It’s a little TOO short, would be my only real complaint.

Grade: B

The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

To make it quick, this was written by Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker. They went on to write ‘Airplane!’, among others.

But this is minor-league baseball – where even the best stars first need to work out the kinks and learn the ropes.

Sometimes painfully.

So unless you really (REALLY) can’t get enough of ZAZ, stick with something else.

Grade: D-