Gonzo . . . acidic hilarity . . . 'The Fun Parts' has fine moments, but it's not the whole Lipsyte story. Read it with 'The Ask' if you really want to know how a mordant jokester with a madman's imagination became a literary rock star.

Janet Maslin

Categorized in : Fun Stars Rocks

The Oscar seems to have been confused with the Nobel Peace Prize. by Janet Maslin

The Oscar seems to have been confused with the Nobel Peace Prize.

nobel-peace-prize oscars confused

The cliché of the 'Eureka!' moment easily obscures the doubt and uncertainty that are also part of the discovery process.

moments doubt discovery

Ever heard of the phrase 'midlife crisis'? by Janet Maslin

Ever heard of the phrase 'midlife crisis'?

midlife crisis phrases

Bizarrely funny... Rarely is a documentary as well attuned to its subject as Howard Brookner's BURROUGHS, which captures as much about the life, work and sensibility of its subject as its 86 minute format allows.

documentaries capture minutes

[On the movie "American Hot Wax:] A plot so thin you could thread... by Janet Maslin

[On the movie "American Hot Wax:] A plot so thin you could thread a needle with it.

thread plot hot

Eroticism bubbles beneath the surface of every vampire story, but Anne Rice is a writer to make the pot boil.

make story vampire bubbles

Beyond its romance, 'Titanic' offers an indelibly wrenching story of blind arrogance and its terrible consequences. It's the rare Hollywood adventure film that brings mythic images of tragedy - the fall of Icarus, the ruin of Ozymandias - so easily to mind.

arrogance mind adventure fall