Ferrell, Hoffman deliver in "Stranger than Fiction"

I discovered two things during "Stranger than Fiction" - Will Ferrell can do drama, and literary theory can be successfully discussed in a Hollywood film.

Warm, sentimental, and absolutely captivating, "Stranger than Fiction" manages both comedy and drama without becoming hokey or (too) predictable. Harold Crick (Ferrell) is a slightly obsessive-compulsive but an otherwise terribly mundane IRS auditor. However, Harold's routine is suddenly and completely disturbed one Wednesday as he begins to hear a woman's voice narrate his life "accurately, and with a better vocabulary." That voice belongs to Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), an eccentric and somewhat disorganized author suffering from both writer's block and the new, unwanted, assistant, Penny (Queen Latifah) her publisher sent to her office to assure that Kay's new book is completed.

Unfortunately for Harold, Harold has never heard of Kay and she believes Harold exists only in her story. Even worse for Harold, Eiffel intends to kill the character she's writing about. In search of answers, Harold sees a therapist (Linda Hunt) who suggests he may be schizophrenic but eventually refers him to a literary expert. It is only after Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) finds out about a key phrase in the narration that he takes Harold seriously, at which point he recommends Harold figure out whether he is in a comedy or a tragedy in order to determine how likely he is to actually be killed. This is further complicated, of course, by an eccentric baker named Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who Harold is currently auditing.

The acting in this film is fantastic. Ferrell and Gyllenhaal have remarkable chemistry, Hoffman shines in an unlikely role and Thompson plays Eiffel as such as brilliant train wreck that we often worry about her safety as much as Harold's. "Stranger than Fiction" manages to avoid too much of the annoying overt "life is short, live it to the fullest" message by contemplating the situations in which Harold finds himself as well taking an interesting approach to the "predestined fate versus free-will" argument.

This film is rated PG-13 for some disturbing images, sexuality, brief language and nudity, but its contemplative nature will have appeal little to the younger crowd anyway. Director Marc Forster's "Stranger than Fiction" is unexpectedly thoughtful and powerful, leaving audiences with something to talk about for hours over coffee or drinks, unlike most films this holiday season.

Originally published in The Chronicle in November 2006 as Jade Lee Culberson

Y comic books are more than just fluff

I've been reading an interesting story about survival and love, a tale that uses an abstract concept to illustrate the importance of perspective. This story is epic in length, well over 1,000 pages, yet absolutely captivating.

"Y the Last Man," the tale of a young man named Yorick who is searching for his fiancé in a post-apocalyptic world, is written by Brian K. Vaughan. "Y the Last Man" is also a comic book. It has substance, addresses issue of philosophy and contains fantastic art. When I started reading comic books (unlike most comic book enthusiasts, I didn't start reading them until college), I imagined most comics were focused on superheroes. However, after reading many series - distributed by various publishers, written by a myriad of authors and covering many genres - I realized, to my happy surprise, that I was wrong.

I've been avidly reading comic books and graphic novels for many years now. I look forward to regular trips to the comic shop - my husband and I frequent Creative Comics in Griffith - to pick up some of our monthly subscriptions (we're up to approximately 30 titles). For me, comic books are a form of entertainment. But, in my graduate research, I've discovered that comic books, graphic novels and even comic strips can be educational tools as well. These things can help students (elementary through high school students as well as college and non-traditional scholars) who are reluctant or remedial readers, or who have English as a Second or Other Language (ESL) concerns, gain context for language.

Many great pieces of literature - including Kafka's "The Metamorphosis," a shortened version of Melville's "Moby Dick," and several Edgar Allen Poe tales - have been translated into graphic novel form. But for those who prefer tales of history, political intrigue, science fiction or actual science, there are comic books/graphic novels for you as well.

I really believe that people - even fairly hard-to-please individuals - willing to spend a bit of time looking at various books will find a genre, author and/or series they enjoy. So, for those of you who have never picked up a comic book - or whose former collection is collecting dust in your basement between high school year books and posters of 80s bands - I suggest stopping by a local comic book shop and perusing the selection. Who knows, maybe next year I'll see you at Wizard World Chicago.

Originally published in The Chronicle in September 2007.