A Review of Dan Brown's Inferno

Dan Brown is one of the most popular and controversial authors of all time. His novels such as The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons have been read by millions and have outraged at least as many. Is he one of the best writers ever? No. his style is repetitive, he fills his books with unnecessary details, and may or may not know what the hell he's talking about at times. But it'd be foolish to say he doesn't write effectively, creating memorable thrillers that take advantage of renowned artwork, conspiracy theories, and beautiful European locations to appeal to the world traveler and adventurer in all of us.

While he's widely known for his conspiracy theories about the Catholic Church and secret societies such as the Freemasons, Illuminati, and Opus Dei, his new novel departs from that. Inferno, released May 14, deals with the imagery of Dante's most known work, but not necessarily with clues left by the author. Da Vinci's works had iconography that revealed a conspiracy, but in this, Brown uses Dante's words and imagery to reveal the plans of a psychopath.

This novel follows the Robert Langdon Formula, however, so it is very similar to the others. The Robert Langdon Formula dictates that the novel opens with a murder (in this case, a suicide), has Langdon awake from a nightmare, and get called in to decipher a bunch of codes and symbols to track down a psychopath. The difference here is that Langdon has retrograde amnesia, having been shot, not knowing why he is in Florence and what he is looking for. He eventually finds a few clues and discovers that the mystery deals with Dante's Inferno, as well as artwork by Botticelli and Vasari.

The first half of the novel is good, both fast-paced and entertaining. It may be a bit manipulative, but the plot drags you in, and that's what it needs to do. Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon meets up with the beautiful and genius Dr. Sienna Brooks, who proves to be a surprisingly interesting character because we know so little about her. It's revealed that she has an IQ of over 200, but she leaves far more questions than answers, and that's a good thing in a novel like this.

As good as the first half is, the second half is just as bad. The plot slows down to tie up loose ends with how Langdon got to Florence and how and why he got shot. This section was necessary, of course, but it slows down the novel and makes it dialogue-heavy and actually very confusing. The twist that comes in this part makes no sense and is completely stupid and terrible. Dan Brown's Robert Langdon novels always have some sort of grand twist at the end, revealing that someone whom Langdon trusts is in fact malevolent or something like that, but this twist goes so far as to render the first half of the novel completely pointless. It's made even worse by the conclusion. I don't want to give away anything, but essentially nothing that happened in the novel meant anything; Langdon and Brooks followed all the complicated clues left behind by the villain to really no avail.

As dumb as this novel is and as unsatisfying as its conclusion is, it is still entertaining. Even the expository dialogue is at least somewhat entertaining, and it brings up an interesting moral dilemma that poses perhaps a greater moral gray area than anything in any of Brown's previous novels. That is a slight problem, however, because page-turners don't typically deal with gray areas. When reading a George Smiley novel, you know damn well the Russians are bad, and the mystery comes not from the why but wondering who is the mole. Not all thrillers are like this, however, as Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness dwells almost entirely in a gray area of morality, but that is almost an exception as far as thrillers go, and needless to say, Dan Brown is no Joesph Conrad.

There are far worse novels to read, and certainly more boring ones, but Inferno is far from great. I wouldn't quite say "abandon all hope all who open this book" but this is mediocre by Brown's standards. Angels & Demons was a Grade-A thriller and The Lost Symbol wasn't far from it. I'd rank this closer to The Da Vinci Code and Digital Fortress as his weaker efforts. While you won't be able to predict the outcome, you'll probably wish after reading it that it was the one you predicted. I'm not saying it's terrible, because the journey to that point is a lot of fun, so I'd say it's basically completely average.

MLB Power Rankings through 5/10

1. Texas Rangers (22-13)
2. St. Louis Cardinals (22-12)
3. New York Yankees (21-13)
4. Boston Red Sox (22-14)
5. Arizona Diamondbacks (21-15)
6. Detroit Tigers (20-13)
7. Baltimore Orioles (22-14)
8. Washington Nationals (20-15) 
9. Atlanta Braves (21-14)
10. San Francisco Giants (21-15)
11. Cincinnati Reds (20-16)
12. Kansas City Royals (18-14)
13. Pittsburgh Pirates (19-16)
14. Cleveland Indians (18-15)
15. Colorado Rockies (19-16)
16. Oakland Athletics (18-19)
17. Tampa Bay Rays (17-18)
18. Minnesota Twins (16-16)
19. Milwaukee Brewers (15-18)
20. Seattle Mariners (17-19)
21. San Diego Padres (16-19)
22. Chicago White Sox (14-19)
23. New York Mets (14-18)
24. Philadelphia Phillies (16-21) 
25. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (13-22)
26. Los Angeles Dodgers (13-21)
27. Toronto Blue Jays (13-24)
28. Chicago Cubs (13-22)
29. Miami Marlins (11-25)
30. Houston Astros (10-26)

Greatest Movies About Racism

The best movies that explore the themes of racial/ethnic equality and inequality. I'm sure there are plenty great ones that I haven't seen, but these are the ones I have, indicating the races/ethnic groups being featured.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - White vs. Black
2. Schindler's List (1993) - Aryan vs. Jewish
3. The Searchers (1956) - White vs. Pawnee
4. Do the Right Thing (1989) - White vs. Black vs. Asian
5. Gran Torino (2008) - White vs. Hmong
6. Dances with Wolves (1990) - White vs. Lakota (Sioux) vs. Pawnee 
7. Glory (1989) - White vs. Black
8. Apocalypse Now (1979)  - White vs. Vietnamese/Cambodian
9. Matewan (1987) - White vs. Black
10. The Great Dictator (1940) - Aryan vs. Jewish
11. Hotel Rwanda (2004) - Hutu vs. Tutsi
12. American History X (1998) - Aryan vs. Black
13. Malcolm X (1992) - White vs. Black/Muslim
14. West Side Story (1961) - White vs. Puero Rican
15. Lincoln (2012)  - White vs. Black
16. Gangs of New York (2002)  - White Americans vs. Immigrants
17. The Pianist (2002)  - Aryan vs. Jewish
18. Crash (2005) - Everyone vs. Everyone Else
19. Life Is Beautiful (1997) - Aryan vs. Jewish
20. A Bronx Tale (1993) - White vs. Black
21. The Mission (1986) - White vs. South American
22. Ip Man (2008) - Chinese vs. Japanese
23. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) - White vs. Black
24. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - Aryan vs. Jewish/Black
25. Django Unchained (2012) - White vs. Black
26. Borat (2006) - Everyone vs. Everyone Else
27. La Bamba (1987) - White vs. Chicano
28. The Boys from Brazil (1978) - Aryan vs. Jewish
29. Pocahontas (1995) - White vs. Native American
30. Ulysses (1967) - White vs. Jewish

Greatest Movies About High School

I've been out of high school now for a few years, but there's still something so appealing about a good high school movie. And that's not just my opinion, because a great many of these films have transcended generations.

1. The Breakfast Club (1986)
2. Back to the Future (1985)
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
4. Pretty in Pink (1986)
5. Hoosiers (1986)
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
7. Superbad (2007)
8. Sixteen Candles (1984)
9. American Beauty (1999)
10. American History X (1998)

MLB Power Rankings

Power Rankings through 4/24/2013

1. Atlanta Braves (15-6)
2. Colorado Rockies (14-7)
3. Boston Red Sox (14-7)
4. Texas Rangers (13-7)
5. Oakland Athletics (13-9)
6. San Francisco Giants (13-9)
7. St. Louis Cardinals (13-8)
8. Arizona Diamondbacks (12-9)
9. Milwaukee Brewers (11-9)
10. Cincinnati Reds (13-9)
11. Baltimore Orioles (12-9)
12. Pittsburgh Pirates (12-9)
13. New York Yankees (11-9)
14. New York Mets (10-9)
15. Kansas City Royals (10-8)
16. Detroit Tigers (10-9)
17. Washington Nationals (10-11)
18. Tampa Bay Rays (10-11)
19. Minnesota Twins (9-8)
20. Los Angeles Dodgers (9-11)
21. Los Angeles Angels (8-11)
22. Cleveland Indians (8-11)
23. Toronto Blue Jays (9-13)
24. Chicago White Sox (8-12) 
25. Philadelphia Phillies (9-13)
26. Seattle Mariners (8-15)
27. Houston Astros (7-14) 
28. Chicago Cubs (6-14)
29. San Diego Padres (6-15)
30. Miami Marlins (5-16)

A review of TV's Twin Peaks

            As a mystery, it’s flawed, possibly horrible. As a strange exercise in surrealism, it may be unmatched.

            Twin Peaks is a series that aired for only two seasons, from 1990 to 1991. It was created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. The latter is the respected filmmaker of such avant-garde masterpieces as Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet.

            To describe the series while doing it justice is a very difficult task. The most popular teenage girl in a small town in Washington is murdered and an FBI agent is brought in once another high schooler shows up after being kidnapped, raped, and tortured, and falls into a coma. However, the series isn’t truly about the mystery so much as it is about the people of this town: Twin Peaks, population 51,201 (though this is supposedly a typo on the sign which should read 5,121).

            The series is clearly well-made, with Hollywood-level production values and some outstanding acting and directing, but I still am not sure what to think about it. At times, it’s fairly dull, slow-moving, and plays out very much like a soap opera. At other times, it’s borderline supernatural horror. It plays for quirky comedy many times, and usually hits its mark; there is something about the way Kyle MacLachlan plays protagonist Special Agent Dale Cooper that  results in a great deal of laughter.

            The appeal to the show is that virtually every character leads a double life. The amount of secrets floating about Twin Peaks would put a Hitchcock film to shame. This show certainly succeeds in atmosphere, with its looming score and mysterious happenings. I especially like the retro feel of the show. Though it’s set in 1989, many of the actors and actresses perform like they’re in a noir film from the ‘40s or ‘50s.

            A lot of the characters are great. The aforementioned Agent Cooper is my favorite, but I also love the complexity shown by Audrey Horne, Donna Hayward, and Catherine Martell. Many of the smaller roles have their great moments, too, and I love anything that has Billy Zane in it, even if it’s for only a few episodes. I think my favorite performance of the entire series is Ray Wise as Leland Palmer, father of the murdered. This isn’t without its dull characters, however, as I find Leo Johnson and Andy Brennan mostly a waste of time. Also I really don’t get Nadine and wish they left out the whole thirty-five-year-old-woman-loses-her-memory-and-thinks-she’s-in-high-school-but-also-has-super-human-strength-so-she-wants-to-compete-in-wrestling-and-also-wears-an-eye-patch subplot.

The thing I like least about the film, of course, is the mystery plot. It’s set up to be quite a good one, but it ultimately disappoints as it breaks every rule imaginable. Of course, the mystery isn’t really the show’s purpose, but I can’t be the only one who doesn’t think there should be any kind of supernatural element in a murder mystery. I’m not 100% sure if I’d say the supernatural element ever pays off, either. In the series, Cooper relies on solving the murder by following strange intuitions and dreams rather than collecting all the clues that they actually find. As someone who loves a good mystery story or film, this does bother me, and I do believe that Lynch’s experimental methods occasionally hurt the series as much as they help it.

However, I truly think that Twin Peaks is something you’ll have to formulate your own opinions about. It’s only thirty episodes, so it’s considerably shorter than most series that are worth watching. You may find you love how dark and idiosyncratic it is, or you may find you hate it. The series starts out really strong, with the first three episodes probably being the best in my opinion, and it goes downhill after episode seventeen or so.

100 Greatest Beatles Songs

Only Beatles original songs are included, with the writer(s) credited in parentheses. 

1. Eleanor Rigby (Paul)
2. A Day in the Life (Paul/John)
3. Yesterday (Paul)
4. Ticket to Ride (John)
5. Help! (John)
6. Hey Jude (Paul)
7. Let It Be (Paul)
8. Strawberry Fields Forever (John)
9. With a Little Help from My Friends (Paul/John)
10. A Hard Day's Night (John)
11. Something (George)
12. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Paul/John)
13. Nowhere Man (John)
14. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (John)
15. Can't Buy Me Love (Paul)
16. All My Loving (Paul)
17. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (George)
18. I Want to Hold Your Hand (Paul/John)
19. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (John)
20. Day Tripper (Paul/John)
21. Eight Days a Week (Paul/John)
22. She Loves You (Paul/John)
23. Long, Long, Long (George)
24. And Your Bird Can Sing (Paul/John)
25. I Saw Her Standing There (Paul/John)
26. You're Going to Lose That Girl (Paul/John)
27. I Should Have Known Better (John)
28. Revolution (John)
29. I've Just Seen a Face (Paul) 
30. Love You To (George)
31. Happiness is a Warm Gun (John)
32. All I've Got to Do (John)
33. If I Fell (John)
34. Please Please Me (John)
35. Taxman (George)
36. When I'm Sixty-Four (Paul)
37. Here Comes the Sun (George)
38. For No One (Paul)
39. I'll Follow the Sun (Paul)
40. I Am the Walrus (John)
41. Drive My Car (Paul/John)
42. She Said She Said (John)
43. Helter Skelter (Paul)
44. Come Together (John)
45. Tomorrow Never Knows (John)
46. Here, There and Everywhere (Paul)
47. Hello Goodbye (Paul)
48. No Reply (John)
49. Dig a Pony (John)
50. It Won't Be Long (Paul/John)
51. Any Time At All (Paul/John) 
52. Oh! Darling (Paul)
53. In My Life (John) 
54. Blackbird (Paul)
55. From Me to You (Paul/John) 
56. Octopus's Garden (Ringo)
57. Two of Us (Paul)
58. Lovely Rita (Paul)
59. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Paul)
60. Good Day Sunshine (Paul)
61. Every Little Thing (Paul)
62. If I Needed Someone (George)
63. We Can Work It Out (Paul/John)
64. I Me Mine (George)
65. Get Back (Paul)
66. Birthday (Paul/John)
67. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (John)
68. I Wanna Be Your Man (Paul/John)
69. Do You Want to Know a Secret (John) 
70. I Want to Tell You (George)
71. I Feel Fine (John)
72. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey (John)
73. Martha My Dear (Paul)
74. She's Leaving Home (Paul/John)
75. She's a Woman (Paul)
76. Golden Slumbers (Paul)
77. Don't Pass Me By (Ringo)
78. Back in the U.S.S.R. (Paul)
79. Penny Lane (Paul)
80. Love Me Do (Paul/John)
81. Tell Me Why (John) 
82. I'm Looking Through You (Paul) 
83. All You Need is Love (John)
84. Hey Bulldog (John)
85. The End (Paul)
86. Magical Mystery Tour (Paul)
87. Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (Paul)
88. Wait (Paul/John)
89. Yer Blues (John)
90. Fixing a Hole (Paul)
91. Got to Get You Into My Life (Paul)
92. Think for Yourself (George) 
93. The Fool on the Hill (Paul)
94. Mean Mr. Mustard (John)
95. Tell Me What You See (Paul/John)
96. What You're Doing (Paul)
97. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (Paul)
98. I Call Your Name (John)
99. The Long and Winding Road (Paul)
100. Doctor Robert (Paul/John)