Byrd is the Word

Last night I was christened into Richmond's historic Byrd Theatre. I walked down the aisle soaking up its sheer beauty envisioning everyone clad in double-breasted suits and Victorian hula hoop dresses lined in ruffles and lace, some smoking french cigarettes with long plastic filters from the balcony overhead. I immediately missed my friend, who owns one of the most amazing digital camera's I've come in contact with (check out the zoo pics below), this place is not only living history but a heavily breathing architectural masterpiece.

Although my rear never quite molded to the lumpy cushioned seat quite reminiscent of a miniature trampoline that has been in use by a daycare for centuries, the theatre darkened, I lost all sight of my surroundings, my mind quieted, and finally I viewed "Shutter Island."


Overall, it was a pretty good film, and I promise not to drop spoilers here in my mini review. The film followed the book like a map and only one small scene was interjected that strayed from the original text. I wasn't impressed by the melodramatic music that sometimes seemed a bit misplaced nor by the forced special effects which I felt was amateur considering the film was directed by Martin Scorsese. A bit of humor was sprinkled throughout the film which I found to be a nice touch to the otherwise dark and disturbing tone. In addition, the ending of the book leaves the reader open to some interpretation about what actually happens, one of the most powerful elements of the story, whereas the film does not. I'm pleased that I read the book first on this particular story, and that isn't always the case. Lehane was able to effectively convey the macabre in his book which is fairly rare for authors outside of Stephen King, the primary reason why I favor this book.

Netflix is delivering a copy of "Extraordinary Measures" today. Bear with me while I take a momentary Google intermission to investigate whether or not this film was born of a book... The results are in, Google tells me that this film is based on a biography written by Greeta Anand titled Chasing Miracles: The Crowley Family Journey of Strength, Hope, and Joy. I'll let you know how this one goes.