Mountain Views News          Saturday, December 27, 2014

10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 27, 2014


Jeff�s Book Picks By Jeff Brown

SEAN�S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

THE THREE BEST FILMS OF 2014

THE CODE BOOK: THE SECRET 
HISTORY OF CODES AND 
CODE-BREAKING 

by Singh, Simon 

Ever since humans began writing, they have 
been communicating in code. This obsession 
with secrecy has had dramatic effects on the 
outcome of wars, monarchies and individual 
lives. With clear mathematical, linguistic and 
technological demonstrations of many of the 
codes, as well as illustrations of some of the 
remarkable personalities behind them � many 
courageous, some villainous � The Code Book 
traces the fascinating development of codes and 
code-breaking from military espionage in Ancient 
Greece to modern computer ciphers, to reveal how 
the remarkable science of cryptography has often 
changed the course of history. Amongst many 
extraordinary examples, Simon Singh relates in 
detail the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, trapped 
by her own code and put to death by Elizabeth I; 
the strange history of the Beale Ciphers, describing 
the hidden location of a fortune in gold, buried 
somewhere in Virginia in the nineteenth century 
and still not found; the monumental efforts in 
code-making and code-breaking that influenced 
the outcomes of the First and Second World 
Wars. Now, with the Information Age bringing 
the possibility of a truly unbreakable code ever 
nearer, and cryptography one of the major debates 
of our times, Singh investigates the challenge 
that technology has brought to personal privacy 
today. Dramatic, compelling and remarkably far-
reaching, The Code Book will forever alter your 
view of history, what drives it and how private 
your last e-mail really was

PROFESSOR ASTRO CAT�S FRONTIERS 
OF SPACE, by Dominic Walliman and 
Ben Newman (Age Range: 8 - 11 years)

Every child deserves to learn moon facts from 
a space-cat wearing a tiny fedora. Written by 
physicist Dominic Walliman, with pictures 
by award-winning illustrator Ben Newman, 
Professor Astro Cat�s Frontiers of Space explains 
everything kids need to know about our universe 
and how we explore it. Ever wonder how rockets 
work, how spacesuits evolved, or just how big Earth 
is compared to our neighboring planets? Professor 
Astro Cat breaks it down with clever diagrams 
and ingenious 
comparisons. 
(If Earth were a 
cherry tomato, 
Mercury would 
be a peppercorn 
and Jupiter, a 
watermelon!) 
Best of all, 
like any good 
scientist, 
Walliman 
doesn�t claim 
to have all the 
answers. Sections 
on the future of 
space travel and 
the possibility of 
extra-terrestrial 
life leave the 
mysteries of deep 
space open for future scientists to unravel.

WHITE FIRE: SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS 
AND TEACHINGS OF ADVAITA ZEN 
MASTER MOOJI by Mooji 

White Fire is a collection of some 800 sayings 
which encapsulate and compress Mooji�s essential 
spiritual teachings into pill form. These end-of-the-
road pointings, when swallowed, are like divine 
grenades that wipe out suffering and delusion thus 
revealing one�s true nature as perfect and timeless 
being. �Fire burns everything leaving only ashes. 
But there is a fire so fierce it burns even ashes -- 
White Fire. Burn me like this, O White Fire, Grace 
of God, until nothing remains but You.� Although 
White Fire is full of wise, direct and encouraging 
guidance, it is not for the faint-hearted seeker who 
is only looking to reinforce a spiritual identity or 
projections. For those who come with openness 
and a Yes in their heart for Truth, may the white 
fire in this book ignite within your heart, leaving 
only the clear space of pure seeing and being.

By Sean Kayden

While there are many 
Oscar contenders/well 
regarded films I haven�t 
seen this year, the following 
three motion pictures 
are my favorite films of 
the year. With that said, I�ve written this before 
viewing such desired films like �Foxcatcher,� �The 
Gambler,� �American Sniper,� �Inherent Vice,� and 
�Rosewater.� Despite that, I still feel quite strong 
these would still remain what I believe to be the 
three best American films of 2014. 

BOYHOOD - Filmed intermittently over the 
course of 12 years, �Boyhood� is the extraordinary 
tale of one ordinary boy�s life. Using the same 
cast the entire time, Richard Linklater started the 
project in the summer of 2002 alongside actors 
Ellar Coltrane as Mason Jr., Patricia Arquette as 
his mother Olivia, Lorelei Linklater as Mason�s 
sister Samantha, and Ethan Hawke as Mason Sr. 
The film chronicles Mason�s life from age 6 to 18. 
At a running time of two hours and forty-four 
minutes, the film is epic in technical scope, but 
never the less an entirely intimate portrait of what 
life was/is during adolescence for the majority of 
us. �Boyhood� doesn�t rely on any trickery or the 
use of �big moments� to capture your attention 
(and heart). It�s a steady stream from start to finish, 
but the results are clear. �Boyhood� is a thing of 
beauty. However, its true avowal is it allows for 
one to believe that life itself is the real thing of 
beauty. It�s amazing to see the transformation 
of how people become older, some wiser, nearly 
right in front of your eyes for two and a half hours 
plus. It�s as if you�re watching a real family journey 
through these twelve years. Arguably, these 
twelve years could be considered the most crucial, 
imperative years in a young man�s life. Newcomer 
Ellar Coltrane was absolutely pitch-perfect for the 
role. He was convincing, sharp, and magnetic on 
screen. Both Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke 
are sublime. I�ve noticed a lot of acclaim for 
Arquette, even as going as far as touting her as a 
best supporting actress nominee for next year�s 
Oscars. Hawke, at least for me, stole the show in 
his snippets throughout the course of the movie 
as a 30-something year old guy kind of wandering 
through life in the beginning, to ultimately reaching 
his own version of adulthood by middle age. He�s 
never been so real, so heartfelt, and undeniably 
solid as Mason�s weekend dad. �Boyhood� makes 
you realize no matter what age you are, 17 or 40 or 
older, life is a series of events and mysteries that no 
one could ever be completely equipped for as they 
come your way. It�s a superlative motion picture for 
all ages, young and old, on the meaning of life. And 
as we all know, the definition of life is distinctively 
unique to each and every one of us. 

BIRDMAN - One of the more original films of 2014 
comes in the form of Alejandro Gonz�lez I��rritu�s 
�Birdman.� Michael Keaton stars as Riggan, a 
one-time A-list movie star that�s attempting to 
recapture his glory from twenty years ago with 
his own Broadway production. He�s washed-
up and is trying to overcome his ego and family 
distress as his play, which he adapted, directed 
and starring in is about to be underway. A colorful 
list of actors round up the cast including Zack 
Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Amy 
Ryan, and Edward Norton. On paper, �Birdman� 
may not seem all that original, but you have to see 
it to believe the true wonder of it all. Supplying 
one of the finest ensembles of any motion picture 
this year as well as the best camera work I�ve seen 
all year, �Birdman� truly sets itself apart from the 
majority of films released this year. The one-two 
mighty punch of the Michael Keaton and Edward 
Norton combo alone is easily worth the price of 
admission. Fortunately, there�s so much more than 
just that to astound you. The way the movie was 
filmed gives the illusion it was one continuous 
shot. I�ve never seen such a film with so many 
close-ups on the actors. You honestly feel right 
there behind the scenes of a real Broadway play. As 
for the ending, the film leaves the audience to their 
own interpretation. Love it or hate it, it should still 
be considered an all around original conclusion to 
a superbly crafted motion picture. The film is also 
quite humorous, dark, and surprisingly heartfelt. 
Beautifully shot, spectacularly acted, marvelously 
executed from screenplay to screen, �Birdman� 
takes flight right from the beginning and soars its 
magical wings for the entire two-hour duration. 

WHIPLASH - Miles Teller portrays the gifted 
young drummer who enrolls at a merciless music 
conservatory where his dreams becoming the 
best are mentored by a vicious instructor (J.K. 
Simmons), who will stop at nothing to realize 
a student�s potential. Up and coming writer/
director Damien Chazelle delivers not only one of 
the finest indie films of the year, but one of the 
few superlative motion pictures this year had to 
offer. The next big thing in young Hollywood can 
be found within Miles Teller. He�s the everyday 
(young) man because he isn�t some heartthrob. 
His authenticity and range is clearly presented in 
both this film and 2013 indie hit, �The Spectacular 
Now.� In �Whiplash,� he slips effortlessly into the 
role of a college student willing to risk anything 
and everything to be number one. He works 
incredibly hard and pushed beyond his limits 
by his unforgiving instructor played by the ultra 
talented J.K. Simmons. In what I would declare 
the true breakout role for veteran supporting actor 
J.K. Simmons, he is on absolute fire in this movie. 
He�s brutal, frightening, and utterly relentless as 
he accepts only the best from his young group of 
jazz musicians. �Whiplash� is the sports film for 
non-sports fans. It�s the story of one young man�s 
journey to be the best drummer there is and 
nothing, not even an uncompromising instructor 
will stand in his way. Both actors, especially 
J.K. Simmons deserve much admiration and 
acclamation. �Whiplash� turned into one of 
those rare indie Sundance films with much buzz 
surrounding it that delivers all the goods and 
beyond so.


Happy Holidays