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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2001)
Tin e ______ L A&E CL ac I< amas P rìnt WedNEsdAy, M ay 2, 2001 Tailor of Panama struggles for right fit Yet, Geoffrey Hush shines in the film ROBIN CONNER Staff Writer I don’t remember why I put down John Le Carre’s 1996 novel, The Tailor of Panama, a few years ago after reading only one chapter. I do remember that it was a fine first chapter, which is why I went to see how it turned out in the new movie adaptation from Columbia Pictures. The Tailor of Panama, a spy thriller/comedy directed by John Boorman (Deliverance), paints an interesting portrait of the ner vous political atmosphere sur rounding the return of the Panama canal to Panama. Tailor to the rich and power ful, Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush) comes equipped with some se crets of his own and manages to come up with more under pres sure from British spy Andy Osnard, played by Brosnan. Though warned against spilling the beans by his down-to-earth secretary and by hallucinations of his dead uncle Benny, Pendel winds up entangling his friends and family in his web of lies. Jamie Lee Curtis tempts type casting with the return of her “wife in the dark” role from True lies, but is enlightened a little too late to get in on the action. That is, unless you count her flirta tions with Osnard, James Bond’s obnoxiously shameless and less talented evil twin. So here’s the skinny: If you just like to enjoy movies, you’ll enjoy this one. You can’t help but appreciate Rush’s outstanding performance as the loose-lipped but well-intentioned tailor, who will keep you guessing on what he’ll do next to save his soul. Curtis is definitely tolerable, and though you may not like Brosnan, you’ll laugh at his cheap tricks, as well as those of the "incompetent and insane Brit ish and American governments, re spectively. On the other hand, if you feel that movies owe you something, you will still enjoy the tailor and the scenery, but feel distracted by Curtis and dis gusted by Brosnan (not to mention his strangely effective come-ons, which had the whole au dience wincing). British spy Andy Osnard, played by Pierce Brosnan, contemplates his next For better or move in Tailor of Panama. worse, “The Tailor of Panama” is a film that is hard confused as to what label to put to pin down. Seriously silly one on it. My advise is this - don’t • , minute, seriously tragic the next; even try. too real and surreal, it left me Prodigal SummerXAevAs intriguing characters with environmental issues TAM OLIVER A&E Editor Barbara Kingsolver’s latest novel, Prodigal Summer is filled to the brim with insights about nature. Set in southern Appalachia, the book follows one summer in the lives of three women, who in different ways, are in touch with their environment. Deanna Wolfe, a wildlife biologist, lives in seclusion as she tends the Zebulon National Forest for the forest service. Her elation with the discovery that coyote have returned to the mountainous area and are about to produce a litter of pups is disturbed by the ar rival of a young coyote bounty hunter. LusaMaluf Landowski, acity- girl who marries a farmer, be comes the farm’s sole care- taker after her husband’s ac cident. Her knowledge of na ture is vast, but it originates from books. She finds it easier to become attached to the land than to the farm ers and their way of life that has been passed down for generations. If she stays on the farm, she has to find a way to make it pay for itself. Her search for a solution exemplifies the plight of many southern farmers who have depended on growing tobacco for many years, and now find them selves fn a changing country. The third woman is Nannie Rawley, an eld erly farmer of organic apples. Proud of the fact that she was the first or ganic apple grower in Zebulon County, she is the bane of neighbor Garnet Walker’s ex-' istence. Almost eighty year-old, Garnet has a strong sense of how things should be and spends a good part of his day worrying about what Nannie will be up to next. According to Garnet, Nannie Think You’re Pregnant? We can help you work through your choices. PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTERS Milwaukie 503.659.3336 Lloyd Center Area................... 503.284.1977 Gresham..................................503.666.6527 Lake Grove............................. 503.968.6780 Beaverton..................... 503.643.4503 SE Portland..... ........„.............. 503.777.7097 www.portlandprc.org FREE Pregnancy Tests Confidential Counseling bribes everyone with her home made apple pies and gets away with it to the extent that every one in town has forgiven her for once having an illegitimate child. They’ve forgotten that she didn’t have the shame to even hide her pregnancy and that she bla tantly raised the child “...like she had every right to pa rade a bastard child through a God-fearing community.” Garnet Walker’s unyielding sense of right and wrong provide some of the more hu morous mo ments in the novel as he spies on Nannie and attempts to make her life as miserable as he thinks she is making his. Whether sloshing through a weed-in fested ditch to yank up one of her home-made “NO SPRAY ZONE” signs that is posted along the roadside over his prop erty line or simply hoping that the pesticide he’s using drifts over to her trees, he makes him self into a mean-spirited, yet comical, old man. It doesn’t help matters that she always seems to get the best of him. Yet, the most enjoyable part of the book comes with the abun dant descriptions of nature, from moths to coyotes. Kingsolver has a graduate degree in biology and she knows her stuff. Her writing is so lyri cal that ev ery insect she describes becomes a pleas ant short story within itself. Her understanding of nature allows her to intersperse environmental lessons for those willing to lis ten. The interaction between well-developed characters makes the fiction novel Prodi gal Summer enjoyable. At the same time, it gently persuades the reader to consider environ mental issues important to our continued existence and points out how we are interrelated with each other and all of na ture. Perfect Pizza & Deli 2262 Molalla Ave. (503) 656-3020 Free 12oz Coke with purchase of any 9" sub $4.99 Or Personal Pizza 4 toppings $4.99 Student ID card is your coupon Why settle for less than perf ect? Return to India Authors' night features tales of the Indian Diaspora in fiction and memoir As a part of International Cel ebration Week, Authors' Night tonight will feature two women writ ers that honor their Indian heritage through works of fiction, memoir and cookbooks. Mira Kamdar, Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute at New School University, will be reading from her memoir Motiba's Tattoos: A Granddaughter's Journey into Her Indian Family's Past which tells of her grandmother and her family's immigration to Burma and then the United States from India. Kamdar's writing has appeared in publications around the world, including The International Her ald Tribune, The Times of India, The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angelos Times. Bharti Kirchner is the author of two novels and over 70 articles about Indian cookery and fitness that have appeared in magazines such as Food and Wine, Writer's Digest, and The Seattle Times. She is the author of four cookbooks including The Bold Vegetarian, The Healthy Cuisine of India and India Inspired. The event will be presented in the Gregory Forum at 7 p.m. and is co-sponsored by Friends of the Library and the English Depart ment. Although admission is free, contributions of $2 to Friends of the Library will be appreciated. Authors' books will be available for purchase and signing.
