Word: random
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Western translations of his basic prerevolutionary teachings are of doubtful authenticity or accuracy. In particular, a howlingly funny French translation of some of his remarks?dealing with, among other things, the proper attitude of Muslims toward the meat of a camel that has been sodomized?is composed of random pronouncements from a thick book, deliberately excerpted out of context to make the Ayatullah look ridiculous...
...hard to contend that reporters should behave simply as vacuums, Hoovering about the halls of power after random crumbs. A story without a focus--be it the filth of the meatpacking industry, the sinister evil of Joe McCarthy, the links between political espionage and government officials--does not deserve to be called reporting. It is repeating what others have told, even if what they have said is pointless or silly. At best it is crude history ("History on the run," Woodward called it during his Harvard appearance), but historians too usually look for a way to focus their work...
...Justice for All--Don't pay attention to the critics or the ads. This is one of the worst films ever released. And Justice for All attacks the evils of our judicial system with all the subtlety and flow of random hammer blows. Injustices are hurled at you for two hours--with Al Pacino donning the knight's armor and defending them...
...Duke of Deception. Memories of My Father. By Geoffrey Wolff. (Random House, $12.95): His Pa is no Father Christmas. Wolff's father, Duke, is a con artist, a chronic debtor, a wanderer with illusions of grandeur, and an irresponsible parent to boot. A man only a son could love. Wolff's compassion is inspiring, though you may find his object of affection is less than deserving...
...year's most perverse children's book is Raymond Briggs' Fungus the Bogeyman (Random House; $4.95). Fungus is free to do what kids cannot: live underground, put grease in his hair, make things go bump in the night and in general be a grain of sand in the public eye. His adventures cover oversized pages full of puns ("Hullo, my dreary," "my direling") and bile green anatomy charts that provide a perfect send-up for the child who has ODed on gnomes and faeries...