`Confederacy' of satire and nihilism
By JADRIAN KLINGER
STAFF WRITER
JJKSOB9@PSU.EDU
Since the cold reality of my
graduation draws nigh and this
review stands as my last ever in
the "Cap Timps," I decided not
to review a new release. Rather,
I want to brush the dust off an
old favorite for the benefit of my
three to five loyal and constant
readers.
Recently, one of my three to five
readers asked if I had a favorite
book. I wanted to respond with
a title that seemed intelligent
and a little bit book-snobbish
like something by Dostoevsky,
Camus, Melville or even Joyce,
but it wouldn't have been the
truth. My favorite book is and
always will be "A Confederacy
of Dunces" by John Kennedy
Toole. Not exactly highbrow,
but at least it is not something
by V.C. Andrews.
The story behind the story of
"A Confederacy of Dunces"
`Quantum' provides a tougher Bond
BY JAMES COUCHE
STAFF WRITER
JTCSIOI@PSU.EDU
Most movie franchises are lucky
if they can make it past three
films without falling apart; some
struggle with making it past two.
Don't tell that to James Bond who
has reached his twenty-second
film and is stronger than ever.
Bond has the second longest
film series in history (the current
champ is Godzilla with 29 films).
His latest may just be one of his
best.
Quantum of Solace picks up
roughly an hour after the events
of Casino Royale. We are re
introduced to Bond in the classiest
way possible: getting shot at in
a high-speed car chase along the
Italian coast. After evading his
pursuers (see: shooting them
in the face and sending them
off a cliff) Bond takes a quick
break to interrogate his new
prisoner Mr. White. It is here
that we're vaguely introduced
to QUANTUM, a super-secret
criminal organization with (you
stands as a testament to the
greedy blindness and absolute
ineptitude of the publishing
industry. John
Kennedy Toole
poured his soul into
"A Confederacy of
Dunces" and the
result was a comedic
masterpiece,
which "Simon and
Schuster Publishing"
displayed their
ignorance by
rejecting the novel.
The rejection
sent Toole into a
downward spiral
of mental anguish,
which resulted in his
suicide. Several years
later, his mother
found a carbon
copied draft of the
original manuscript.
Convinced of its
greatness, she
brought it to novelist
Walker Percy who
after much badgering
guessed it) plans for world
domination. Sadly, this little plot
development session is cut short
by an assassination attempt and
an ensuing rooftop chase. A few
dead bodies later and Bond has his
newest target Dominic Greene, a
shady faux environmentalist and
all around creepy looking guy.
Of all the Bond films, "Quantum
of Solace" is probably the least
indulgent; it is lean, efficient,
FTWI77TIR7M
finally read it. Also convinced
of its brilliance, Percy helped
get the novel published. "A
and moves at a lightning pace.
Clocking in at 103 minutes, this
is also one of the shortest movies
in the series. Gone are the long
poker sequences of Casino Royale
and in their place are rapid-fire
action sequences; and what great
action it is.
Some of the action set pieces
are so intense and satisfyingly
brutal you may just need a
cigarette after watching them:
Nov. 19 2008
Confederacy of Dunces" went
on to win the Pulitzer Prize in
1981.
Not only was the
world robbed of
Toole's future work,
but think about all the
other masterpieces
rejected by the
publishing world. If
"Simon and Schuster"
failed to recognize
a Pulitzer Prize
winner, what else
have they and others
like them rejected?
On that happy and
inspirational note,
let's get on with the
review already.
In an effort not to give
too much of the story
away because part of
the greatness of the
novel comes from the
discovery of the rich
characters and unique
plot, I will keep the
summary brief.
"A Confederacy of
car chases, a rooftop chase,
gunfights, fistfights, a boat chase,
and a finale which takes place in a
desert hotel that is in the process
of blowing up. Some of these
scenes feel a little over-edited and
get a little confusing from time to
time (a common practice in action
movies these days) but overall this
is some of the best of 2008. Some
fans complain that the action is
too Jason Bourne (Bond fans
are a whiney bunch
these days) and while
that may be justified,
Bond is ten times more
vicious than Bourne
ever was. If "Casino
Royale" didn't make
you think, "I don't
want to mess with this
guy" then "Quantum
of Solace" definitely
will.
The story of this film
makes it stand out the
most from other Bond
films. The events of
Quantum of Solace
can be considered the
aftermath of Casino
Royale with Bond still
Dunces" chronicles the trials and
tribulations of Ignatius J. Reilly
who is a fat, lazy, often flatulent,
mustachioed, green hunting
capped, eccentric, unemployed,
highly critical momma's boy.
Ignatius lives in New Orleans
with his always-doting mother.
After his mother wrecks her
car into a building, she forces
Ignatius to find employment.
Eventually, he gets a job at
Levy Pants where he leads a
labor revolt. His next career is
that of a hotdog vendor, which
results in the consumption of his
own product. Madness, alcohol,
prostitutes, libel suits, a bird
attack, hotdogs and Big Chief
tablets are just a few things the
reader can expect.
The character Ignatius has been
compared to Don Quixote, and
in a lot of ways they are similar.
Ignatius is like a crusader
with good intentions but the
worst luck. "A Confederacy of
Dunces" is a great read. Do not
be surprised if you find yourself
reading it more than once.
very conflicted by the death and
possible betrayal of Vesper Lynd.
Here, he is on a mission and needs
closure. You really get to see his
relationship with M grow into
something genuine; something
that could never be said of the
Pierce Brosnan films.
If this film has one element that is
just plain bad, it is the theme song
"Another Way to Die" written by
Jack White. Thanks to White's
lack of range and the producer's
poor judgment in choosing him,
we now have a song to rival
Madonna's "Die Another Day"
as the worst Bond theme ever.
The song is beyond inappropriate
for the film its attached to and
compared to Chris Cornell's "You
Know My Name" it's downright
laughable. The uninspired video
that accompanies it doesn't help
either.
Fortunately, the awful song
does not destroy the movie and
it comes highly recommended.
Whether you are a Bond fan or
just looking for a good action
movie (it has been awhile since
we got one of those) "Quantum of
Solace" will serve you well.