Trachtenberg

17 Again
$28.98
It's 1989, and for 17-year-old high school star Mike O'Donnell the future looks brilliant. High school as his personal Camelot and flaunting exceptional skills at hoops, Mike is about to put on a show on the basketball court, for his fans and for that all-important college scout on the bench. But here's his gorgeous girlfriend and she's just given him a shocking reality check. And, just like that, there go the fame and fortune, Mike's future now narrowed down to one simple choice. Mike chooses to do the right thing, marries his girl who is expecting.

It's 2009 now and we find Mike O'Donnell a discontented, out-of-shape loser of a family man. Two decades he's been married to his high school sweetheart, and the fallout to this are crippling regrets and a perception of potential having been wasted. That is how Mike sees it. Now his wife Scarlett is about to divorce him, and he's woefully out of touch with his two teenaged kids. The final straw comes when his 16 years of service at the firm is rewarded by his being skipped over for a big promotion (the extra scoop of shame comes in losing that promotion to a girl who was hired only two months ago).

But Mike is about to get a do-over. In one of those messed-up, unconvincing plot devices, Mike plummets into the river and magically sheds twenty years. Seventeen again, Mike has this idea of rebooting his life or maybe fixing his life. He enrolls in his old high school, now being attended by his two troubled, disaffected children. But Mike is unprepared for how drastically high school life has changed. Once the coolest dude in the classroom, Mike O'Donnell finds himself languishing outside the popular loop.

I caught 17 AGAIN last night on cable TV. I wasn't jonesing to see this flick when it was out in the theater, mostly because I've seen variations of this fantasy premise before, and seen it done well in movies like Big (Extended Edition), both versions of FREAKY FRIDAY (Freaky Friday 2-pack (1977 & 2003 Versions)), and even in Vice Versa. But, it turns out, 17 AGAIN is a well-constructed family flick, surprisingly watchable and able to bring a freshness to this old tale. Zac Efron steps away from being a featured song & dance puppet in the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL franchise. Not that he gets edgy or street gritty all of a sudden, but it's nice to see the kid get off the Disney factory treadmill. Efron is still a teen idol and 17 AGAIN is still very much in that girl heartthrob wheelhouse, but at least it's a bit different and this time he gets a chance to play with established grown-up actors. Having said that, in the opening scene, Efron treats the movie audience to an "All the girls drool now" moment as he goes thru a shirtless workout in the school gym. Zac Efron definitely has got charm and he's even credible when demonstrating the unhip sensibilities of a dad on the pessimistic side of 30. And, in those scenes calling for emotional depth, he shows surprising range; he even sounds sincere as he dispenses parental advice to his "peers." Maybe the kid's got the chops to last.

Matthew Perry happens to be a favorite of mine, and it's a shame that his film career hasn't taken off, post-FRIENDS. He's not in this movie much; he plays the adult Mike O'Donnell . But he manages to do that thing he does, which is play characters who are sarcastically witty but uncomfortable in their own skins. The wonderful, lovely Leslie Mann shows up, and she's predictably wonderful and lovely. Thomas Lennon, as Mike's peculiar best friend, lends the film an influx of nerd oddity. And for Michelle Trachtenberg, it's nice to see that there's life after BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.

It's not that startling that the narrative beats are contrived. Much of the humor is predictable, making that extra layer of quirk that much more welcome. As mentioned, the quirky element comes in the shape of Mike's best pal who happens to be one of those differently-wired cats and who should just never be let out in public because he is that socially inept. It's twisty fun, though, keeping up with his courtship (or - let's not talk falsely now - stalking) of the icy but kinda hot high school principal. Lest all nerds lose hope, realize that even the most aloof of goddesses may wave a freak flag. So cue the seductive dinner conversation, but in Elvish. Later, the sexy principal coyly extends an offer: "You can plunder my dungeon anytime." Mike's weird friend responds with: "I'll bring my longbow." Oh, unholy nerdgasm. The film also flirts with a case of the icky but, thankfully, doesn't follow thru. You'll see what I'm talking about.

And as if we weren't already aware, the movie comments on the pervasiveness of today's communication devices. No sooner is Mike pummeled by a school bully than the beating is posted on YouTube and shared thru everyone's cellies.

It's a bit huh? that the high school coach, who was Mike's coach 20 years past, doesn't ever mark the eerie similarities between Mike now and Mike ago. But, despite that and all the cliches and despite the lame inclusion of the janitorial guardian angel, 17 AGAIN supplies enough grace notes to resonate with just about everyone, but especially with us middle-agers drowning in nostalgia. Ah, wedgies, doing someone else's homework, and relinquishing one's lunch money... who knew my stroll down memory lane would be so rosy? Excuse me, please, while I go cry into a big pillow.

Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity, Reprint (2nd Edition)
$133.40
Product was in Excellent condition except for a minor tear on the cover jacket (Which I don't use)

Was delivered fast and have had nothing wrong with it

Good stuff :)

Reading American Photographs: Images As History, Mathew Brady to Walker Evans
$18.00
Trachtenberg's subtitle of Images as History , Mathew Brady to Walker Evans does no do the contents of book justice. This well-written and consrtucted book covers much more than from Mathew Brady to Walker Evasn, it also broaches photography subjects that were previously found in the realms of art history, architectual photographs, and of sociology, afroamerican representations. Ths book is a treasure for anyone interested in photography, America and its history.

The Incorporation of America: Culture and Society in the Gilded Age
$16.00
THE INCORPORATION OF AMERICA: CULTURE AND SOCIETY IN THE GILDED AGE was first published in 1982 and is re-issued in an updated 25th anniversary paperback edition here for any collection strong in American history, whether it be a high school or college holding or a public lending library. Trachtenberg's analysis of the expansion of capitalist power in the late 19th century and the cultural changes that accompanied it provides historical essays key to understanding both the era and capitalist efforts.