VinceKeenan.com

Book: Ponzi’s Scheme, by Mitchell Zuckoff (2005)

It’s a genuine accomplishment to have your name enter the English language. Even when it’s used as shorthand for robbing Peter to pay Paul.

At the heart of Charles Ponzi’s swindle was a legitimate idea – speculating on international postal reply coupons. It’s just that Ponzi never, you know, figured out how to make money on it. By the time he was forced to admit the truth, he’d already taken in $15 million dollars and counted half the Boston Police Department among his investors.

Zuckoff’s decision to shift focus between Ponzi and a crusading newspaper editor doesn’t pay off, mainly because I found myself rooting for Ponzi – a devoted husband who could have fled with his ill-gotten gains but instead made noise about running for office. An immigrant arrives with nothing, amasses a fortune through sheer moxie, and maintains his optimism when it all goes south in a hurry. There’s something uniquely American about that story.

DVD: Cellular (2004)

It made my list of the best movies of 2004. After watching it again, I not only stand by that opinion, but I’ll go it one better. In terms of story construction – exploiting every possible complication that can be milked from its premise – it’s the best-written movie of last year, too. Credit goes to Chris Morgan, working from an idea by B-movie legend Larry Cohen.

Miscellaneous: Link

A local coffeehouse takes a bold step toward making the world a better place by turning off wi-fi access on the weekends. I’m ready to start petitioning Starbucks right now. Who’s with me?

posted by Vince # 2:17 PM

4 Comments:

At 2:30 PM #

EcamirG said:

Are you serious, man? Cellular? Agh... I read that script (couldn't bring myself to actually watch the movie) and wrote it off as precisely what we need less of in Hollywood.

At 6:17 PM #

Anonymous said:

I'm with Vince on this one. Cellular was an almost perfect popcorn movie. Very well constructed and executed. I didn't read the script though, so I can't comment on that. Maybe the movie is better than the script? It's quite possible.

Cellular is not high art, but it was a fun ride.

At 6:40 PM #

Vince said:

Yeah! What Anonymous said!

G, you're not the first to look at me askance when I talk up Cellular. But the movie is a near-perfect example of its form. It takes genuine skill to make a good popcorn movie, and that skill is in evidence here. Believe me, I've sat through enough bad ones to tell the difference.

At 11:24 PM #

Anonymous said:

Vince, I posted the anonymous comment above. I meant to sign it, but I forgot.

Anyway, I think a lot of movies are better seen than read (MOST movies, probably). I'm surprised anyone would judge a movie by reading a script instead of watching the final product. Not too many films make a simple transition from page to screen. Many a good script has been ruined in the process - and many an average one has been greatly improved in the making.

I think Bill Goldman (or one of the old masters) once said that only about three people in all of Hollywood even knew HOW to read a script properly. There's a lot of truth in that very complex statement.

TL

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Friday, May 27, 2005