Colin Farrell Books

The first time I read this book, I was blown away. But then I saw the movie. Now, don't get me wrong, there were moments of beauty in the movie--and certainly, Collin Farrell's masterful acting (and good looks) made it worth the price of admission. But still, the movie lacked something. Which is why I recently decided to reread this truly elegant work and was, once again blown away.

Michael Cunnigham is one of a handful of popular gay writers who, in my opinion, have achieved their fame both for the the uniqueness of their stories AND for the masterful way in which they write them. For me, Michael Cunningham, Alan Hollinghurst, Robert Leleux, and Andre Aciman stand out as writers who follow in the footsteps of Truman Capote and Noel Coward and a generation of both heterosexual and homosexual writers whose mastery of the english language allowed their works to transcend time.

So, upon the occasion of a second reading of the often under praised A Home at the End of the World, I find myself, once again, in love with both the author and the book.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (Essential.penguin)

The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy

The Line of Beauty

Call Me by Your Name: A Novel

The Letters of Noel Coward

Couldn't put this book down. I loved the strong sense of place and time the author establishes--from the restless suburban 70's, to the wild East Village 80's, to the calm Upstate NY 90's, the author takes you there in a relatable and vivd manner. The story of the bond between these two wonderfully complex men is bold, honest, and inspiring. This is a story of family, of friendship, of unrequited love, and making your own rules for life. A great read.

I'm a bit surprised to find myself giving this one only three stars, because I enjoyed the first several chapters more than any other book I've read for quite a while. Cunningham has a gift for wonderfully descriptive prose, although his style would be better suited to third-person narratives. As it is, his shifting first-person perspective is a classic case of "people don't really think like that," and all four narrators sound a bit too much like the same person. Nevertheless, the story flows beautifully for most of the book, the setting is always vivid, and I always wanted to know what happened to Bobby, Jonathan and Clare next.

Why only three stars, then? After getting off to a great start, the story becomes increasingly and unnecessarily depressing. Towards the end, it becomes almost nihilistic in its portrayal of the three friends. For reasons that are not always entirely clear, they all come across as desperately unhappy with their living arrangement, yet unwilling to make any changes despite being more than able to do so. This appears to be because they're all too much in love with one another, yet that is never conveyed very convincingly to the reader. All of which would be acceptable if it were to lead to some meaningful climax. But in my opinion, it doesn't. I was left only with a sense that they all really should have done more with their lives, and that I really ought to read something with a happy ending next time.

Granted, that could be said about a lot of real people's lives. But then, one reason why I read novels is to get away from that for a while!

A stunning literary achievement, A Home At the End of the World explores the universal need for witnessing by challenging conventional ideas of family. Cunningham examines three lives brought together by love in all its incongruent and mysterious forms. He masterfully composes a literary symphony of discordant moments balanced with the rich sonority of exquisite joy.

The characters are vivid and step outside unilateral definition as they strive to find meaning within a world that is largely dependent on orthodoxy. Through sex, fashion, music, and travel, Bobby, Jonathan and Clare take a journey, sometimes together and sometimes apart, to finally be at home in their own hearts.

Michael Cunningham possesses a talent that is so profound each word he writes touches your psyche. Lyrical, powerful, touching, thought-provoking, you are forced to feel each occurrence without indifference; your senses welcome the invasion of descriptions that profoundly arouse sensations. Michael Cunningham is brilliant.

In this offering, Bobby and Jonathan become childhood friends; Jon searching for acceptance and Bobby gifting it freely. As they grow, Jonathan moves to New York while Bobby stays behind in Cleveland to live with Jonathan's parents. Jonathan moves in with Clare, a woman he loves, while having a sexual relationship with Erich. Bobby, finally kicked from the comfortable nest of Cleveland, moves to New York into Jonathan and Clare's abode; he and Clare fall in love, creating precious Rebecca. Deciding New York City is too harsh for a child, they move to a dilapidated farmhouse outside of Woodstock. This is where their growing pains begin and truth is a rich as the scent of the alfalfa acres.

The tale is told from four narrators; Jonathan, Alice,(Jonathan's mother) Bobby and Clare. The technique allows us vast viewpoints and explanations which expertly enhance the story.

Beautifully melodic, heartbreakingly sensitive, and crisply flawed characters make this book a poetic gem you don't want to miss.

Tons of movies are being made today based on television shows from the recent past. Well, at least it's recent to me. CHARLIES ANGELS, MCHALES NAVY, SGT. BILKO and more have made the transfer over the past few years. And there are more on the way. But for now, let's look at S.W.A.T.

The old show had a hardened veteran in Steve Forest as Hondo, leading an elite team of police officers into harms way, solving situations that regular officers couldn't handle on their own. The group became known and the fans began to love each of their favorite S.W.A.T. team member.

This movie does the same thing, with one exception. Gone are the days when police officers were respected and well liked. They have been replaced with images of police beating men brutally and without mercy. They have been made out to be the bad guys more than the bad guys by the press. And with that in mind, we begin to understand the theme here, the underlying current laid out by the Capt. Fuller (Larry Poindexter). They need a team that is special, that can get the job done, but also a team that can garner the respect and admiration of the whole city.

The main story revolves around an S.W.A.T. member, or ex member, named Jim Street (Colin Farrell). When his partner goes down for disobeying orders and getting a hostage shot, Street stays on the force, being subjected to the lowest duty possible for a man of action, taking care of the cage. There, he cleans boots, checks out guns and waits for the day he'll get a chance to prove himself once more. Had he turned on his partner, he would have walked and stayed with the team. But now....this.

Six months pass and a new team is being assembled. Brought in to shake things up and train the team is Sgt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson). A veteran of the original teams in their beginning, Hondo is brought back to whip into shape a new team, the team that they are looking for to not only get the job done, but to look good doing it.

Hondo recruits his own team, putting his reputation and job on the line for them, and sets out to train his team. Included are L.L.Cool Jay, Josh Charles, Michelle Rodriquez, Brain Van Holt and Farrell. Hondo does get the team up and running and it doesn't take long for them to see action, as does the audience.

A converging storyline follows a foreign mobster who has been arrested for a broken tail light. Once recognized, he is about to be escorted to prison. Along his walk into the jail, with the assistance of the ever anxious press, he calls out that he will give $100 million to anyone who breaks him free. With most of the city contemplating the idea and with gang bangers looking for easy money, the attacks begin.

Does he get rescued? Does he go to prison? Does the S.W.A.T. team gel? Watch and see in this action packed film.

I never saw this movie in theaters, but after watching it on TV i had to buy it, it has a lot of fun scenes and is generally good.

I would have rated this as 5 stars if it was released in the unrated version which what my DVD is. Transfer was very good.

This a better film than what most people will lead you to believe although not spectacular it is very entertaining in its own right. Has some subpar acting and a weak dialouge, but if you like action and colin farell then you should see it.

S.W.A.T. DVD

Samuel L. Jackson stars as the leader of a S.W.A.T team with Colin Farrell as his assistant in a high action, thrill a minute movie with more exotic guns and other weapons than you can count. Supposedly a very realistic movie, I wouldn't know, I`ve never been a member of a a S.W.A.T team and wouldn't want to be either.

The Team escorts an international criminal to prison who has publicly offered a very large reward ($100 million) to anyone who can get him free. Highly recommended to fans of Samuel L. Jackson and S.W.A.T teams.

Gunner March, 2008

Jane Kelly attempts to pad her book with long drawn out explanations of the plot of every film Farrell has done. Page after page of plot and character descriptions that have little to do with the subject at hand. At other times she pads this book with long winded descriptions of some of the characters to enter in to Farrell's life. Do we need to read three pages about a soapopera star he had a two week affair with?Then there are the times she plays arm chair psychologist disecting farrell's childhood and relations with women with the insight of someone who has just completed their first week of psych 101. To top it all off there are glaring mistakes, most notably a caption reads "Colin is worried about his hair on the David Letterman show in 1993", yet it is Jay leno sitting at the desk in the picture. There are several misquotes that distort Farrell's intentions. This is a piss poor attempt even for a tabloid level biography. Save your money and read about the guy on the web if you are really that curious. All the quotes from him are from old interviews anyway.