MOVIE TIP

Jerry & Marge Go Large

This warmhearted comedy is based on the real tale of a mathematical whiz who figured out a way to win the Winfall lottery — over and over again. As played by the incomparable Bryan Cranston, that man, Jerry Selbee, is well-meaning and respectable — and altruistic, sharing winnings with fellow residents of his fallen-on-hard-times hometown of Evart, Michigan. It’s a story of community and caring. Cranston is paired with Annette Bening as Jerry’s wife, and, boy, you could not ask for a more magical acting duo. They make you want to hang out with Jerry and Marge. The rest of the cast are humor virtuosos, too, including Michael McKean, Rainn Wilson and Larry Wilmore.

— Kristina Dorsey

BOOK TIP

The Long and Faraway Gone

Lou Berney

I’m moving backwards through the literary/noir novels by Lou Berney, who has won multiple awards yet seems to be somewhat and lamentably unknown. “The Long and Faraway Gone” is based on two horrific long-ago crimes that happened in his native Oklahoma City when Berney was 13. In one, six employees (including four teenagers) were murdered in a steakhouse robbery. In the other, two young women vanished from the State Fair. Exploring the haunting and cruel but tauntingly flawed power of memory, Berney has crafted a brilliant, heart-carving, thoughtful story. Two adult protagonists look back in perpetual sorrow: The sole survivor of a movie theater massacre who doesn’t know why he was spared, and a nurse who, as a young girl witnessed her big sister vanish at a carnival. That this novel is, amazingly, also very funny is a testament to Berney’s astounding grasp of character and dialogue.

— Rick Koster

BOOK TIP

Like a Rolling Stone: A Memoir

Jann Wenner

Jann Wenner, the co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine, has written a behemoth of a book, nearly 600 pages. Despite all of that content, the tome somehow feels superficial and vaguely impersonal. There is so much packed in here that most things get short shrift. Wenner jumps from quick scenes of building the influential publication to glimpses into his time hanging with his celebrity pals (Bono, Springsteen, etc.) at ritzy locales. Wenner supposedly wrote “Like a Rolling Stone” after being angry over a biography on him penned by Joe Hagan and titled “Sticky Fingers.” I want to read that earlier book now to see if I can get a better feel for Wenner as a person.

— Kristina Dorsey