By Andrew Buckner

The following is a new feature on my site. It is called “A Word of Dreams Recommends”. The function of this section is to shed light on high-quality, recently released works that I believe audiences will enjoy as much as I do. Unlike the full-length reviews which are otherwise found here, this column will issue my thoughts on the books, films or musical releases I am endorsing in just a few brief sentences. My initial entry in this arena covers Douglas Preston’s latest book, The Lost City of the Monkey God, director Martin Scorsese’s Silence and the documentary Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary.

THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD

****1/2 out of *****.

So vividly written that you can simultaneously hear and feel the jungles of Mosquita coming to life around you, The Lost City of the Monkey God (2017) by Douglas Preston fascinates as both a non-fiction adventure and as a historical mystery. The 328 page volume, distributed through Grand Central Publishing and unveiled on January 3rd, chronicles Preston joining a team of explorers in Honduras. This is in hopes of unveiling the remains of Ciudad Blanca (“The White City”): a place often believed to be a myth. As he did with The Monster of Florence (2014), Preston entertainingly delivers a meticulously researched tome. It is one that is in-depth and thoughtful as it is intent on providing a three-dimensional portrait of the past, present and future. This is in respect to both his subject and those directly linked to such a theme.

SILENCE

***** out of *****.

Martin Scorsese’s Silence (2016) is exactly what a great film should be: a beautiful, challenging and emotive journey; an unforgettable and unflinching experience on celluloid. Scorsese stays true to the envy-inducing traits that has made him such a cinematic force over the past 50 plus years. In turn, he has given us an equal balance of visceral art, distinct vision, character insight and understanding. In adapting Shusaku Endo’s 1966 novel of the same name, which chronicles two Christian missionaries who go to Japan in the 17th century to find their long missing advisor and encounter a country which outlaws their belief system, Scorsese’s stylish and wholly cinematic guidance of the project often draws a remarkable and unmistakable alignment to the timeless films of Akira Kurosawa. Rodrigo Prieto’s Oscar-nominated cinematography as well as Andrew Garfield’s performance as our central figure, Rodrigues, are both sweeping and impassioned. Liam Neeson, as Ferreira, and Adam Driver, as Garupe, are also superb. Additionally, the screenplay from Jay Cocks is assuredly cerebral. To grand effect, it never loses focus of the plight of its leads. It is, just as you’d expect from Scorsese, an absolute masterpiece. Never once in its one-hundred and sixty-one-minute runtime does it falter. True cinephiles owe it to themselves to see this immediately on the biggest screen imaginable. This is, by all means, a real movie for real movie lovers.

UNEARTHED & UNTOLD: THE PATH TO PET SEMATARY

****1/2 out of *****.

Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary (2016) is an endlessly absorbing, brilliantly made and comprehensive documentary. It concerns the crafting of Mary Lambert’s film version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (1989) as well as the early inspiration for the novel of the same name (1983). The interviews with cast and crew in this ninety-seven-minute production are riveting. So are the various behind the scenes photographs and related materials John Campopiano and Justin White, whose direction is skillful and deft, issue throughout. The result is an ingenious, confidently paced and easy to enjoy slice of non-fiction. It is one which appealed immensely to both the cinephile as well as the King fanatic in me. If either, or both, of these terms describe you, I highly recommend giving this Terror Films distribution release a look.