Moonlight Mile

Twelve years have passed since private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro located and returned the abducted Amanda McCready. Since that time, Patrick and Angie have gotten married and have a child of their own. Now 16, Amanda has gone missing again, and it is up to the pair to find her. This time, however, there is more at stake than Amanda’s own life.

Picking up where 1998’s Gone, Baby, Gone and Prayers for Rain left off, Dennis Lehane returns to his long-running detective series after forays into historical fiction (The Given Day) and television writing (The Wire). As a stylist, he hasn’t lost a beat. Patrick remains an engaging narrator: as tough and cynical as his job requires him to be, but also full of smartassery, pop culture quips, moral wrangling, and, above all, compassion. His back-and-forth banter and relationship-threatening arguments with Angie are back too, but the former Miss Gennaro feels shoved into the background in this latest outing. It’s a shame to see such a strong character demoted from partner-in-crime to wife/mom who is just along for the ride.

Characterization, on the whole, is something Lehane (surprisingly) botches here. There will always be bright spots (namely, the return of incorrigible psychopath/loyal best friend Bubba Rogowski, who tells a henchman, “I’ll kill you because you’re short.”), but the layers of humanity and despair that previously marked Lehane’s characters are missing here. Far too much is played for laughs. The book’s crazed Russian mobster antagonists are stock, seemingly coming to us straight from the set of Running Scared. And Amanda’s selfish, neglectful mother Helene, a rightfully reviled character in Gone, Baby, Gone, comes off more like a drug-addled clown here. Then there’s Amanda herself. Lehane continually reminds us of how she is mature and intelligent beyond her years, which makes her seem capable of anything and drains the book of tension and suspense.

That isn’t to say that there is nothing at Moonlight Mile’s core. The book traffics in themes of maturity and the perils of aging. Patrick and Angie are in their early 40s now. They must accept the fact that they can no longer put their lives in danger for crusades on behalf of their clients. They must also come to terms with the fact that the rough-and-tumble, blue collar Boston that bred them is almost unrecognizable now. It is watching them adapt to their respective challenges (Patrick working a corporate job, Angie doing the stay-at-home mom thing) that holds this book up when the plot crumbles.

In spite of the finality suggested by the conclusion, it is difficult to say whether or not Moonlight Mile will in fact be Patrick and Angie’s last hurrah. If this is the end, then it comes as a bit of a disappointment (Gone, Baby, Gone, A Drink Before the War, and Darkness, Take My Hand were all far superior). Nevertheless, it is a book that Lehane had to write: a weak send-off is far more preferable than keeping these characters on the shelf for another dozen years and pretending that it is still the mid-to-late ‘90s.

7.5/10

Vietnamese Garden Cuisine (CLOSED)

NOTE: Vietnamese Garden has since closed. Los Gordos Mexican Cafe currently operates in its location.

Located at 2505 Battleground Ave., Vietnamese Garden offers Vietnamese dishes, sushi, and desserts. Lunch specials are available from 11-2:30 Monday to Friday, and the restaurant is open all day on Saturdays.

Vietnamese Garden is Vietnamese food for Americans who can’t handle the real thing. Whereas the more authentic establishments tend to put a lot of emphasis on the food, Vietnamese Garden plays up appearances. The décor is handsome and tasteful: dark mustard colored walls, bamboo accents, and plenty of artwork. Don’t go here expecting a quiet meal, though: the restaurant’s popularity among families and the business crowd means you’re in for a boisterous dining experience. It also means you could be in for some wait time, both before and after you get your table.

Of course, the wait and the noise would be abundantly more tolerable if the food raised its game. I tried the combination (pork, shrimp, and spring roll) vermicelli bowl on two occasions. It was decent the first time around, but the pork was overcooked on the second occasion. It’s also telling that the menu offers an extremely limited selection of pho, the noodle soup that has become synonymous with Vietnamese cuisine.

On the other hand, that very same menu can’t help but curry (pun intended) the favor of diners seeking a break from the usual. Braised quail, crab fried rice, and stuffed calamari rolls give me hope that I’ve simply been ordering the wrong thing. The dessert selection is also impressive and showcases French influences. Mousses and ganaches abound.

For those new to Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese Garden is probably a good way to gain an introduction without overwhelming your palette. But if you know what a proper pho or mixed bowl is supposed to look/taste like, better options exist. Only the breadth of the menu encourages a repeat visit.

6.75/10

Thor

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a proud, headstrong warrior and heir to the throne of Asgard. When he angers his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) by breaking a centuries-old truce with the malevolent Frost Giants, he is stripped of his power and exiled to Earth where Asgardians are regarded as mythological figures. He is befriended by rogue astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her colleagues, who believe him to hold the answers to all sorts of scientific mysteries. Meanwhile, in Thor’s absence, his scheming, manipulative brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) launches an ambitious plan to improve his standing in Odin’s eyes.

Even in the post-Dark Knight era, comic book adaptations are still not universally embraced. But Thor is no ordinary comic book adaptation. The character was a product of Norse mythology long before he hit Marvel’s pages. Further, the film’s director (Kenneth Branagh) is noted for his adaptations of Shakespeare. That and the A-list cast give Thor unprecedented (for its type) dramatic heft. And, sadly, it is on that level (dramatic craftsmanship rather than mere entertainment) that Thor disappoints most egregiously.

Aesthetics are the biggest offender. Asgard is presented as an awkward array of golden spires in the sky, and the inter-realm transport sequences across the Bifrost Bridge look like something out of Power Rangers. Granted, the source material doesn’t lend itself to ultra-realism, but there is no reason it need be so cartoonish.

Then there’s the script. Though it does tackle the worthwhile theme of maturity and sacrifice, it is peppered with melodrama and cheese sentimentality. Thor’s relationship with Foster, for instance, seems a little too conveniently manufactured to be believed. Come to think of it, the Foster character in general felt misplaced. For as talented as Portman is (and for as well as she can project genius-level smarts), she is still too damn young to convincingly portray an accomplished astrophysicist.

Ironically, in spite of its pedigree, it is as simple fun that Thor finds its footing. Whether he is smashing things with his hammer or dropping amusing fish-out-of-water quips (at one point, he walks into a pet store and demands a horse), Hemsworth fills the title role ably. Ray Stephenson as the gluttonous warrior Volstagg and Kat Dannings as Foster’s airhead assistant also up the fun factor. For comics fans, there’s even a brief cameo by Jeremy Renner as ace marksman (and future Avenger) Hawkeye.

On the whole, though, the cast is slumming it. Hopkins provides screen presence but little else as Odin, and Rene Russo has barely any screen time as his queen, Frigga. It’s not that Thor is a bad film – it entertains admirably, and it is a good introduction to the character – but in an age where X2, The Dark Knight, and Iron Man have raised the bar for what comic book adaptations can achieve, Thor feels far from mighty in comparison.

7.25/10