Showing posts with label don't like. Show all posts
Showing posts with label don't like. Show all posts
Monday, May 14, 2012
Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Book: Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Author: Jamie Ford
Like/Don't Like: I wouldn't recommend it
This has been on my radar for a long time now. And I keep thinking that loads of people have recommended it to me. But maybe they were just asking if I had read it and what did I think. Maybe that was it.
Well, here's what I think: meh.
I think it must have been just mentioned rather than recommended because it's about the Japanese Internment and I would never have read a book about that subject unless it had come with high praise. There are few things in American history that make me more incensed than the internment camps. I get all sorts of angry over it. But there's more to the story than just that. There's a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl both living in Seattle during World War II and they fall in love and it keeps jumping back to the Chinese kid as an old man reminiscing about those days. Which isn't a bad story. It was just poorly written. Not even badly written. Just sloppy. And kind of lazy. The author seemed to have used up all of his descriptors by about page 30 and then just kept repeating them. The shift bell at Boeing Field, the "I am Chinese" button the kid wore, his father not speaking to him - all of these things and more just kept coming back. And that made all the other weaknesses in his writing - weaknesses that I probably would have overlooked had it been a stronger story - turn into annoyances.
But my biggest problem was that I didn't really believe the characters. They didn't talk like 12 year olds. They talked like a middle aged guy writing like a 12 year old. They talked like a history teacher. So their relationship seemed phony from the start. But I will say that all of the eye-rolling I did helped with taking my mind off of the injustice that went on in the book.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thornfield Hall
Book: Thornfield Hall
Author: Emma Tennant
Like/Don't Like: Wretched
Someone must have given this to me because in general if I'm going to pick up a knock-off of a classic (particularly of one I know so well as I do Jane Eyre) it has to come highly recommended. But this has been sitting in my stack of to-be-read books for a very long time and I thought, oh, why not, and dove in.
I'll tell you why not. It was rubbish.
I love Jane Eyre. If I believed in such things it would easily find a spot in my top 10. So I'm a little biased. But I think even people who haven't read the book would find this unbearable. In it we get the point of view of Adele, along with a bit of Mr. Rochester and Mrs. Fairfax. There were some serious flaws in the writing. Continuity, for one. I am a stickler for these sorts of things so I noticed right away when it says it is "nearly full dark outside" and then what is supposed to be a few hours later "turning dusk." There were things like this riddled throughout. Then there was the constant saying of names. Does this bother anyone else? Adele was always saying, "My mother, the celebrated actress, Celine Varens." like on every other page, even deep into the story, when we KNOW that she was her mother. And Mrs. Fairfax was always saying, "While working at that magnificent estate, Thornfield Hall under the watchful eye of my master, Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester." Yes, we know all of this! And there was too much use of the old bait and switch. A revelation would nearly be made but first you have to read through two pages of a flashback before getting to it. It was frustrating.
But I suppose all of those can be chalked up to my own pet peeves. So how about I give you some highlights of the story since I know you're not going to read it (because you trust me, right)(warning: these may come as a shock to those who know Jane Eyre): Adele becomes best friends with Bertha, Mr. Rochester's mad wife up in the attic; she hates Jane; she has a twin brother who was born just minutes before her but who has a different father (they were conceived on the same day but by two different men) but who is only briefly mentioned at the end of the book as an "oh, and by the way"; her mother (the celebrated actress Celine Varens, in case you have forgotten) didn't die but went off to Italy with a musician; and how about this one - Bertha didn't fall from the rooftop in the fire, that was Grace Poole. Mrs. Fairfax killed her much earlier, slipped Adele a mickey in order to convince her that she was the one who killed her, and later told all as she dangled a very pregnant Jane out of a window like she was some sort of Scooby-doo villain. Then, realizing that the jig was up she lights the place on fire and throws herself out the window. What the H?!
To top it all off, just three short paragraphs after all of this goes down, the phrase "and they lived happily ever after" is actually used and the book ends with a brief explanation of how Adele went on to become a celebrated actress, like her mother, Celine Varens.
I once caught a glimpse of a show about Anne of Green Gables the Much Later Years where Gilbert had died and Anne was hooking up with some guy named Gene. It was blaspheme. This felt the same way. I could not shake the sour look off of my face for a good half hour after finishing.
Author: Emma Tennant
Like/Don't Like: Wretched
Someone must have given this to me because in general if I'm going to pick up a knock-off of a classic (particularly of one I know so well as I do Jane Eyre) it has to come highly recommended. But this has been sitting in my stack of to-be-read books for a very long time and I thought, oh, why not, and dove in.
I'll tell you why not. It was rubbish.
I love Jane Eyre. If I believed in such things it would easily find a spot in my top 10. So I'm a little biased. But I think even people who haven't read the book would find this unbearable. In it we get the point of view of Adele, along with a bit of Mr. Rochester and Mrs. Fairfax. There were some serious flaws in the writing. Continuity, for one. I am a stickler for these sorts of things so I noticed right away when it says it is "nearly full dark outside" and then what is supposed to be a few hours later "turning dusk." There were things like this riddled throughout. Then there was the constant saying of names. Does this bother anyone else? Adele was always saying, "My mother, the celebrated actress, Celine Varens." like on every other page, even deep into the story, when we KNOW that she was her mother. And Mrs. Fairfax was always saying, "While working at that magnificent estate, Thornfield Hall under the watchful eye of my master, Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester." Yes, we know all of this! And there was too much use of the old bait and switch. A revelation would nearly be made but first you have to read through two pages of a flashback before getting to it. It was frustrating.
But I suppose all of those can be chalked up to my own pet peeves. So how about I give you some highlights of the story since I know you're not going to read it (because you trust me, right)(warning: these may come as a shock to those who know Jane Eyre): Adele becomes best friends with Bertha, Mr. Rochester's mad wife up in the attic; she hates Jane; she has a twin brother who was born just minutes before her but who has a different father (they were conceived on the same day but by two different men) but who is only briefly mentioned at the end of the book as an "oh, and by the way"; her mother (the celebrated actress Celine Varens, in case you have forgotten) didn't die but went off to Italy with a musician; and how about this one - Bertha didn't fall from the rooftop in the fire, that was Grace Poole. Mrs. Fairfax killed her much earlier, slipped Adele a mickey in order to convince her that she was the one who killed her, and later told all as she dangled a very pregnant Jane out of a window like she was some sort of Scooby-doo villain. Then, realizing that the jig was up she lights the place on fire and throws herself out the window. What the H?!
To top it all off, just three short paragraphs after all of this goes down, the phrase "and they lived happily ever after" is actually used and the book ends with a brief explanation of how Adele went on to become a celebrated actress, like her mother, Celine Varens.
I once caught a glimpse of a show about Anne of Green Gables the Much Later Years where Gilbert had died and Anne was hooking up with some guy named Gene. It was blaspheme. This felt the same way. I could not shake the sour look off of my face for a good half hour after finishing.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The House at Riverton
Book: The House at Riverton
Author: Kate Morton
Like/Don't Like: If only I had known I would be so bored with it I would have quit reading
Let's talk about foreshadowing for a sec. I feel it is a device bested used in small, subtle amounts. If it's going to be used it needs to be just enough to give the reader an inkling that something is coming without making them try to guess what that something is through the entire story. One of my least favorite phrases to read in a novel is, "If only we had known what we know now." It gives the entire book away. Suddenly, I know that there's going to be a twist so I miss out on it because I'm anticipating it. When a twist comes I want to be so surprised that I go back and reread it to catch any hints that might have been there. What I don't want to do is shrug. There was a lot of shrugging going on while I was reading.
So there was a lot of foreshadowing in this book. And absolutely zero surprises. Which made reading it a bit of a drag. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You don't even know what it's about. This 98 year old woman Grace is recounting her time as a maid in a big fancy English house during and just after World War I. She is intrigued by and mysteriously drawn to the family she is serving and the story really becomes more about them than her. There are quite a number of subplots and characters, none of them adding anything to the actual story. There is a lot of telling and not a lot of doing. All that foreshadowing felt like a weak substitute for what was happening in the moment - which was very little. There just wasn't a whole lot of action. And I could barely muster any feelings for the characters. They were so underdeveloped, I felt like they were just there to move the story along and get to the big climactic ending - which wasn't nearly as climactic as it could have been. The whole thing felt really contrived and a lot was sacrificed for an ending that was a let down.
Author: Kate Morton
Like/Don't Like: If only I had known I would be so bored with it I would have quit reading
Let's talk about foreshadowing for a sec. I feel it is a device bested used in small, subtle amounts. If it's going to be used it needs to be just enough to give the reader an inkling that something is coming without making them try to guess what that something is through the entire story. One of my least favorite phrases to read in a novel is, "If only we had known what we know now." It gives the entire book away. Suddenly, I know that there's going to be a twist so I miss out on it because I'm anticipating it. When a twist comes I want to be so surprised that I go back and reread it to catch any hints that might have been there. What I don't want to do is shrug. There was a lot of shrugging going on while I was reading.
So there was a lot of foreshadowing in this book. And absolutely zero surprises. Which made reading it a bit of a drag. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You don't even know what it's about. This 98 year old woman Grace is recounting her time as a maid in a big fancy English house during and just after World War I. She is intrigued by and mysteriously drawn to the family she is serving and the story really becomes more about them than her. There are quite a number of subplots and characters, none of them adding anything to the actual story. There is a lot of telling and not a lot of doing. All that foreshadowing felt like a weak substitute for what was happening in the moment - which was very little. There just wasn't a whole lot of action. And I could barely muster any feelings for the characters. They were so underdeveloped, I felt like they were just there to move the story along and get to the big climactic ending - which wasn't nearly as climactic as it could have been. The whole thing felt really contrived and a lot was sacrificed for an ending that was a let down.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Angels and Demons
Movie: Angels and Demons
Like/Don't Like: Rome - like. History lesson and icky things - don't like.
Wait, didn't this movie come out like a gajillion years ago? Right. It did. But it takes me a while to get around to things. I'm the late bloomer of movie watching.
Anyway, this movie would have been a little unbearable for me had it not been set in Rome. I love Rome. Have I told you that? I've been to so few places in the world but Rome is one of them and, I don't know, maybe it was all the gelato and pasta I ate, but I think it's a magical place. Nearly every scene was set somewhere I'd strolled through and at the end I called up my traveling companion Cynde and screamed, "Have you seen Angels and Demons? That scene where the priest gets burned alive? It's in the chapel we were nearly killed in front of by a speeding yellow Ferrari being chased by the police!"
But that, my friends, was its only redeeming quality for me. Fond memories of gelato and near death experiences. It also stirred up other memories - the ones from when I read the Davinci Code and said out loud on multiple occasions, "ENOUGH, you enormous wind bag!" Because if Robert Langdon isn't the most insufferable character out there, I don't know who is. Nobody likes a no-it-all. It was one thing in a book to expound upon everything, because information needs to be given and there's plenty of time and space to give it in. But it's a joke in a movie. When the only dialogue there is consists entirely of information to catch you up on the Illuminati, arcane Catholic protocol, and ancient religious shenanigans, the movie is going to struggle. Plus, it was predictable. I guessed the bad guy from the start. And many of the plot points in between.
But oh, those memories of gelato. Let's all go to Rome!
Like/Don't Like: Rome - like. History lesson and icky things - don't like.
Wait, didn't this movie come out like a gajillion years ago? Right. It did. But it takes me a while to get around to things. I'm the late bloomer of movie watching.
Anyway, this movie would have been a little unbearable for me had it not been set in Rome. I love Rome. Have I told you that? I've been to so few places in the world but Rome is one of them and, I don't know, maybe it was all the gelato and pasta I ate, but I think it's a magical place. Nearly every scene was set somewhere I'd strolled through and at the end I called up my traveling companion Cynde and screamed, "Have you seen Angels and Demons? That scene where the priest gets burned alive? It's in the chapel we were nearly killed in front of by a speeding yellow Ferrari being chased by the police!"
But that, my friends, was its only redeeming quality for me. Fond memories of gelato and near death experiences. It also stirred up other memories - the ones from when I read the Davinci Code and said out loud on multiple occasions, "ENOUGH, you enormous wind bag!" Because if Robert Langdon isn't the most insufferable character out there, I don't know who is. Nobody likes a no-it-all. It was one thing in a book to expound upon everything, because information needs to be given and there's plenty of time and space to give it in. But it's a joke in a movie. When the only dialogue there is consists entirely of information to catch you up on the Illuminati, arcane Catholic protocol, and ancient religious shenanigans, the movie is going to struggle. Plus, it was predictable. I guessed the bad guy from the start. And many of the plot points in between.
But oh, those memories of gelato. Let's all go to Rome!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The City of Ember
Book: The City of Ember
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Like/Don't Like: It could have been better
This book would have been significantly improved with better writing. The story was gripping - an underground city whose inhabitants don't know anything more than the fading light bulbs and dwindling supplies left centuries ago by the people who built it - but the storytelling was lacking. There just wasn't any spark or magic. There were plenty of times when I found myself getting caught up in the story, I would imagine what it must be like to live in such a place, the constant fear of black-outs, only breathing stale cold air, a food supply that was quickly running out. There was a wealth of emotions and feelings to pull from but most of them were just alluded to without any kind of depth or understanding. Which made the characters seem very flat and dull and made a really great story a bit disappointing.
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Like/Don't Like: It could have been better
This book would have been significantly improved with better writing. The story was gripping - an underground city whose inhabitants don't know anything more than the fading light bulbs and dwindling supplies left centuries ago by the people who built it - but the storytelling was lacking. There just wasn't any spark or magic. There were plenty of times when I found myself getting caught up in the story, I would imagine what it must be like to live in such a place, the constant fear of black-outs, only breathing stale cold air, a food supply that was quickly running out. There was a wealth of emotions and feelings to pull from but most of them were just alluded to without any kind of depth or understanding. Which made the characters seem very flat and dull and made a really great story a bit disappointing.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Larry Crowne
Movie: Larry Crown
Like/Don't Like: Pass
Due to some miscommunication we were under the impression that this movie was 2 hours and 45 minutes. Which, in my book, is 45 minutes too long for any movie, an hour too long for a a romantic comedy, and an hour and a half too long for a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts. There is only so much I can handle of her toothy grin. (Does anyone else get the feeling she hates you?) So around 1:30 I was feeling like it should be ending and was practically in the depths of despair when I realized we were only halfway through. You can imagine my elation when it actually came in at under two hours. We weren't clapping because it was any good. We were clapping because it was over.
It's not really bad, there just isn't anything there. It's basically a pretty long set up about this guy Larry Crown losing his job and going back to school and...that's it. He takes a public speaking class and an economics class (with George Takei as his teacher, hereafter known as The Guy Who Saved the Movie.) and falls in with a scooter gang (?) made up of young college kids who hang out at yard sales (Double ?). There is no real conflict, no real plot, and nothing really to keep your interested. There were, however, several instances of Tom Hanks wearing one of those ridiculous pocket chains. I hope the whole point of that was to feel embarrassed for the poor guy, because I did.
Like/Don't Like: Pass
Due to some miscommunication we were under the impression that this movie was 2 hours and 45 minutes. Which, in my book, is 45 minutes too long for any movie, an hour too long for a a romantic comedy, and an hour and a half too long for a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts. There is only so much I can handle of her toothy grin. (Does anyone else get the feeling she hates you?) So around 1:30 I was feeling like it should be ending and was practically in the depths of despair when I realized we were only halfway through. You can imagine my elation when it actually came in at under two hours. We weren't clapping because it was any good. We were clapping because it was over.
It's not really bad, there just isn't anything there. It's basically a pretty long set up about this guy Larry Crown losing his job and going back to school and...that's it. He takes a public speaking class and an economics class (with George Takei as his teacher, hereafter known as The Guy Who Saved the Movie.) and falls in with a scooter gang (?) made up of young college kids who hang out at yard sales (Double ?). There is no real conflict, no real plot, and nothing really to keep your interested. There were, however, several instances of Tom Hanks wearing one of those ridiculous pocket chains. I hope the whole point of that was to feel embarrassed for the poor guy, because I did.
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Thirteenth Tale
Book: The Thirteenth Tale
Author: Diane Setterfield
Like/Don't Like: It was exasperating. Don't.
This is a 400 page book, which is not much of a challenge. I mean, it's not Dickens or Atlas Shrugged. Yet it took me one month to read the first 200 pages (ONE MONTH! Did I somehow end up in Remedial Reading?) It zapped my will to read. So this morning, at only halfway through, I made the decision to stop reading. I even made an announcement, "I'm not going to finish that book." Because I just didn't care. I didn't care about the characters, the mystery was too slowly revealed, the pacing was laborious. I could not justify spending another minute on the book. So how did I get to this point - a mere 12 hours after making the proclamation that I quit? Spite. I was a little peeved that I had wasted an entire month of reading on a book that I wouldn't even finish. So I postponed cleaning my room and dug in. And I have to say the second half was decidedly better than the first. But not enough to make me want to recommend it to you.
The concept is an interesting one and, on a personal level, a familiar one. A woman whose twin sister died at birth (I thought that would give me some kind of connection to the story because I have a twin sister who died at 4 months. It didn't.) is brought in to write the biography of a famous but reclusive writer who is also a twin. There are a lot of mysteries and all of them are solved nice and neat and the end. But the problem is that I felt very little satisfaction in any of the answers because getting there was so exasperating. The story really suffers from a lack of good editing. What could have easily been said in 1 paragraph was often said in 1 chapter. Characters who should be important to you seem to have no personality beyond what is necessary to keep the mystery alive. It was hard to care about anyone in this book. Once I made the resolve to finish the book it went really fast. The pacing was still dragging but more things were revealed, enough so to keep my interest. But once the big reveal came - the point at which I should have been yelling, "No way!!" because I didn't actually see it coming - I just shrugged and said, "It figures."
Author: Diane Setterfield
Like/Don't Like: It was exasperating. Don't.
This is a 400 page book, which is not much of a challenge. I mean, it's not Dickens or Atlas Shrugged. Yet it took me one month to read the first 200 pages (ONE MONTH! Did I somehow end up in Remedial Reading?) It zapped my will to read. So this morning, at only halfway through, I made the decision to stop reading. I even made an announcement, "I'm not going to finish that book." Because I just didn't care. I didn't care about the characters, the mystery was too slowly revealed, the pacing was laborious. I could not justify spending another minute on the book. So how did I get to this point - a mere 12 hours after making the proclamation that I quit? Spite. I was a little peeved that I had wasted an entire month of reading on a book that I wouldn't even finish. So I postponed cleaning my room and dug in. And I have to say the second half was decidedly better than the first. But not enough to make me want to recommend it to you.
The concept is an interesting one and, on a personal level, a familiar one. A woman whose twin sister died at birth (I thought that would give me some kind of connection to the story because I have a twin sister who died at 4 months. It didn't.) is brought in to write the biography of a famous but reclusive writer who is also a twin. There are a lot of mysteries and all of them are solved nice and neat and the end. But the problem is that I felt very little satisfaction in any of the answers because getting there was so exasperating. The story really suffers from a lack of good editing. What could have easily been said in 1 paragraph was often said in 1 chapter. Characters who should be important to you seem to have no personality beyond what is necessary to keep the mystery alive. It was hard to care about anyone in this book. Once I made the resolve to finish the book it went really fast. The pacing was still dragging but more things were revealed, enough so to keep my interest. But once the big reveal came - the point at which I should have been yelling, "No way!!" because I didn't actually see it coming - I just shrugged and said, "It figures."
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Eat, Pray, Love
Movie: Eat, Pray, Love
Like/Don't Like: don't
It wasn't that this movie was particularly bad. It just didn't resonate at all. It seemed to be a collection of self-help aphorisms and pretty pictures. Very pretty, really. I silently wept into my pillow as they showed scenes from Rome because I miss my gelato guy. Julia Roberts' character was difficult to relate to, and sometimes difficult to like, and the side characters, Richard Jenkins especially, seemed a lot more real and compelling but were only on for about 20 minutes each. It didn't motivate and it wasn't particularly entertaining. But Jarvier Bardem in nice to look at and it inspired me to eat more pasta just for the joy of it.
Like/Don't Like: don't
It wasn't that this movie was particularly bad. It just didn't resonate at all. It seemed to be a collection of self-help aphorisms and pretty pictures. Very pretty, really. I silently wept into my pillow as they showed scenes from Rome because I miss my gelato guy. Julia Roberts' character was difficult to relate to, and sometimes difficult to like, and the side characters, Richard Jenkins especially, seemed a lot more real and compelling but were only on for about 20 minutes each. It didn't motivate and it wasn't particularly entertaining. But Jarvier Bardem in nice to look at and it inspired me to eat more pasta just for the joy of it.
Monday, March 14, 2011
A Flaw in the Blood
Book: A Flaw in the Blood
Author: Stephanie Barron
Like/Don't Like: Nah. Not much. Sigh.
Is it me? Or is it Winter? Is it my reading ennui that has tainted everything I pick up? Or is it just plain mediocre writing? Because it's been ages since I've enjoyed a book. And I specifically picked this one up because I love Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen Mystery series. They're fantastic reads. But this one? It was like hearing a sad trombone while eating unbuttered toast.
The plot centers around Patrick Somebody (it's been a few weeks since I've finished. It's all pretty hazy.), an Irish barrister living in London, and Some Girl Whose Name I Can't Remember Because She Was So Underdeveloped Even Though She Was a Central Character, and Queen Victoria, of all people. Prince Albert has just died and the Queen is a wreck, and Patrick and the Girl have some clues to Albert's death that Victoria doesn't want the public to know of so she sends some German henchman out to kill them. They must unravel the mystery before that happens.
The plot sounded interesting and I've always thought that Barron was a gifted writer when it comes to pacing a mystery. But this was was pretty weak all around. It switched between several POVs (a pet peeve, as you well know) and it just didn't go anywhere. Sure, it traveled all over London and the Alps but the story just dragged without any real revelations until the very end and by that point it didn't seem so revelatory or earth shattering as it should have.
There's supposed to be a new Jane Austen Mystery (and I really do recommend them, which is rare because I don't normally sign on for knock-offs of classics) and I'll have to give that a try to get this one out of my head.
Author: Stephanie Barron
Like/Don't Like: Nah. Not much. Sigh.
Is it me? Or is it Winter? Is it my reading ennui that has tainted everything I pick up? Or is it just plain mediocre writing? Because it's been ages since I've enjoyed a book. And I specifically picked this one up because I love Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen Mystery series. They're fantastic reads. But this one? It was like hearing a sad trombone while eating unbuttered toast.
The plot centers around Patrick Somebody (it's been a few weeks since I've finished. It's all pretty hazy.), an Irish barrister living in London, and Some Girl Whose Name I Can't Remember Because She Was So Underdeveloped Even Though She Was a Central Character, and Queen Victoria, of all people. Prince Albert has just died and the Queen is a wreck, and Patrick and the Girl have some clues to Albert's death that Victoria doesn't want the public to know of so she sends some German henchman out to kill them. They must unravel the mystery before that happens.
The plot sounded interesting and I've always thought that Barron was a gifted writer when it comes to pacing a mystery. But this was was pretty weak all around. It switched between several POVs (a pet peeve, as you well know) and it just didn't go anywhere. Sure, it traveled all over London and the Alps but the story just dragged without any real revelations until the very end and by that point it didn't seem so revelatory or earth shattering as it should have.
There's supposed to be a new Jane Austen Mystery (and I really do recommend them, which is rare because I don't normally sign on for knock-offs of classics) and I'll have to give that a try to get this one out of my head.
Monday, July 26, 2010
The Brothers Bloom
Movie: The Brothers Bloom
Like/Don't Like: Eh, not so much
I am a sucker for highly stylized films. I love all the attention to detail, the clothes, the music, the lighting, the settings, and the generally quirkiness that goes into them. I am pretty susceptible to being carried away by them. I guess I just really appreciate it when film maker has a vision and goes for it whole hog.
This was about 3/4 hog. It had the vision, but it just didn't carry it through to the end.
It follows the capers of two con artist brothers, one the mastermind and the other his faithful front man. They're trying to scam a rich woman out of her fortune by convincing her to go on a decoy con with them. I actually loved her character, played by Rachel Weisz. Mostly because were I a woman of independent means I would be very much like her. She has spent her time and money learning new hobbies like karate and the tuba and DJing. Basically she's living my dream.
The story was a little hard to follow, which I was okay with because I always assume that mysteries will work themselves out in the end and I shouldn't get caught up in the details. And this one did. But it also had a heavier ending than I was expecting and the stylized form with it's retro gothic feel had petered out a little by then and that left the emotional ending a little flat. There were some clever and funny moments throughout but they weren't enough to make it feel like a whole film.
Like/Don't Like: Eh, not so much
I am a sucker for highly stylized films. I love all the attention to detail, the clothes, the music, the lighting, the settings, and the generally quirkiness that goes into them. I am pretty susceptible to being carried away by them. I guess I just really appreciate it when film maker has a vision and goes for it whole hog.
This was about 3/4 hog. It had the vision, but it just didn't carry it through to the end.
It follows the capers of two con artist brothers, one the mastermind and the other his faithful front man. They're trying to scam a rich woman out of her fortune by convincing her to go on a decoy con with them. I actually loved her character, played by Rachel Weisz. Mostly because were I a woman of independent means I would be very much like her. She has spent her time and money learning new hobbies like karate and the tuba and DJing. Basically she's living my dream.
The story was a little hard to follow, which I was okay with because I always assume that mysteries will work themselves out in the end and I shouldn't get caught up in the details. And this one did. But it also had a heavier ending than I was expecting and the stylized form with it's retro gothic feel had petered out a little by then and that left the emotional ending a little flat. There were some clever and funny moments throughout but they weren't enough to make it feel like a whole film.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Just Wright
Movie: Just Wright
Like/Don't Like: Just Wrong
You know how people who go through traumatic events together share a special lifelong bond? War buddies and survivors of plane crashes - those types. So no matter how far apart they are or how many years separate them from the event they still can call each other up and say, "Hey, remember that time we were marooned on an island?"
Well, I had my Band of Brothers experience tonight with 8 other girls watching this movie. We all went out to celebrate Camille's birthday and had a grand time at dinner before hand. We were giggly and full and relieved we weren't in line for Sex and the City II, where there appeared to be a skanky dress and laughably inappropriate-for-a-movie-theater high heel shoes dress code going on. And it's a Queen Latifah movie, and well, I think she's great. I mean, she doesn't really have a wide range or anything but she plays sassy really well, and we all know how much I love the sass.
It all seemed so promising.
And then Common came on. He played the man who's suppose to fall in love with her - and that would have been fine and believable except that a.) they had sub-zero chemistry and b.) he has sub-zero acting skills. I know that Common is a rapper but I've never heard any of his music. But based strictly on his acting abilities, he had better stick with his day job. Knights of Columbus, he was BAD! Painfully bad. Awkwardly bad. There were moments when I had to avert my eyes because I was so embarrassed that he was so bad. And it was slow. And long. And Paula Patton had freaky teeth, like her dentist just laid a set of veneers over her original teeth, thus making them too big for her mouth. It was distracting. But also a relief because then I could focus on them instead of how crappy the movie was.
At the end of it we all gathered in the lobby and stood in stunned silence over what we had experienced - knowing that this would be the day that forged our friendship forever.
Like/Don't Like: Just Wrong
You know how people who go through traumatic events together share a special lifelong bond? War buddies and survivors of plane crashes - those types. So no matter how far apart they are or how many years separate them from the event they still can call each other up and say, "Hey, remember that time we were marooned on an island?"
Well, I had my Band of Brothers experience tonight with 8 other girls watching this movie. We all went out to celebrate Camille's birthday and had a grand time at dinner before hand. We were giggly and full and relieved we weren't in line for Sex and the City II, where there appeared to be a skanky dress and laughably inappropriate-for-a-movie-theater high heel shoes dress code going on. And it's a Queen Latifah movie, and well, I think she's great. I mean, she doesn't really have a wide range or anything but she plays sassy really well, and we all know how much I love the sass.
It all seemed so promising.
And then Common came on. He played the man who's suppose to fall in love with her - and that would have been fine and believable except that a.) they had sub-zero chemistry and b.) he has sub-zero acting skills. I know that Common is a rapper but I've never heard any of his music. But based strictly on his acting abilities, he had better stick with his day job. Knights of Columbus, he was BAD! Painfully bad. Awkwardly bad. There were moments when I had to avert my eyes because I was so embarrassed that he was so bad. And it was slow. And long. And Paula Patton had freaky teeth, like her dentist just laid a set of veneers over her original teeth, thus making them too big for her mouth. It was distracting. But also a relief because then I could focus on them instead of how crappy the movie was.
At the end of it we all gathered in the lobby and stood in stunned silence over what we had experienced - knowing that this would be the day that forged our friendship forever.
Monday, April 20, 2009
17 Again/High School Musical 3
Movies: 17 Again & High School Musical 3
Like/Don't Like: I didn't want to slit my wrists but an orange jumpsuit is still an orange jumpsuit.
You know how sometimes you're out shopping with your friends and you try something on, let's say an orange jumpsuit, that in your heart you know is a bad idea but your friends are all, "That's so CUTE! You should totally get that! You look so thin in it! I think I saw Tyra Banks wearing it the other day!" And suddenly you go from thinking you look like an Oompa-Loompa in it to thinking you're America's Next Top Short Model so you buy it but when you get home and are going through all your purchases (because you know that when you go out shopping with friends you buy WAY more than you normally would on your own) you wonder how your friends managed to slip you a mickey because that would be the only logical reason for an orange jumpsuit to end up in your shopping bag.
This totally happened this weekend, only the orange jumpsuit was Zac Efron.
And Camille is the one who slipped me a mickey. Because she's the common thread throughout this. She invited me to see 17 Again with her and Allie and Sarah on Friday night and then she and Katie rented High School Musical 3 on Saturday and called me up to come down and watch it with them. What are you trying to do to me Camille?! (I shouldn't really blame Camille. I am certainly not above watching cheesy teen flicks. I'm a very immature 80 year old.)
I'm putting these two movies together because they're essentially the same thing. They both have a lot of Zac Efron casually tossing his shaggy bangs out of his eyes.
17 Again is your typical changing-bodies movie that would have been a real dud if not for this guy. He made the movie. In movies like this the hero's' best friend is always suppose to be hilarious but he was over the top. If you were going to see a movie based strictly on one character this should be it. But be warned, he's the best part of it. The rest is pretty weak.
High School Musical 3 can be summed up in a few words: lots of singing. Knights of Columbus! There were like 183 songs in this movie. I know you're thinking, "Duh, Rachel. It's a musical." But in most musicals you have a breather in between songs. There were no breathers here. It went from one song about school and the end of their youth to another song about the future and the end of their youth to another song about prom and the end of their youth. I saw the first movie a long time ago and I didn't see the second so I have no idea if they had the marathon singing in them too. I just wasn't prepared. And they all sounded the same. Either upbeat big production numbers or swoony teenage love ballads. But there was one song that made me think of Bret's Angry Dance, and that's always a bonus.
Like/Don't Like: I didn't want to slit my wrists but an orange jumpsuit is still an orange jumpsuit.
You know how sometimes you're out shopping with your friends and you try something on, let's say an orange jumpsuit, that in your heart you know is a bad idea but your friends are all, "That's so CUTE! You should totally get that! You look so thin in it! I think I saw Tyra Banks wearing it the other day!" And suddenly you go from thinking you look like an Oompa-Loompa in it to thinking you're America's Next Top Short Model so you buy it but when you get home and are going through all your purchases (because you know that when you go out shopping with friends you buy WAY more than you normally would on your own) you wonder how your friends managed to slip you a mickey because that would be the only logical reason for an orange jumpsuit to end up in your shopping bag.
This totally happened this weekend, only the orange jumpsuit was Zac Efron.
And Camille is the one who slipped me a mickey. Because she's the common thread throughout this. She invited me to see 17 Again with her and Allie and Sarah on Friday night and then she and Katie rented High School Musical 3 on Saturday and called me up to come down and watch it with them. What are you trying to do to me Camille?! (I shouldn't really blame Camille. I am certainly not above watching cheesy teen flicks. I'm a very immature 80 year old.)
I'm putting these two movies together because they're essentially the same thing. They both have a lot of Zac Efron casually tossing his shaggy bangs out of his eyes.
17 Again is your typical changing-bodies movie that would have been a real dud if not for this guy. He made the movie. In movies like this the hero's' best friend is always suppose to be hilarious but he was over the top. If you were going to see a movie based strictly on one character this should be it. But be warned, he's the best part of it. The rest is pretty weak.
High School Musical 3 can be summed up in a few words: lots of singing. Knights of Columbus! There were like 183 songs in this movie. I know you're thinking, "Duh, Rachel. It's a musical." But in most musicals you have a breather in between songs. There were no breathers here. It went from one song about school and the end of their youth to another song about the future and the end of their youth to another song about prom and the end of their youth. I saw the first movie a long time ago and I didn't see the second so I have no idea if they had the marathon singing in them too. I just wasn't prepared. And they all sounded the same. Either upbeat big production numbers or swoony teenage love ballads. But there was one song that made me think of Bret's Angry Dance, and that's always a bonus.
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Dark Knight
Movie: The Dark Knight
Like/Don't Like: I fast forwarded through the last hour and a half. Don't Like.
But I still didn't like it.
Mostly because I don't like violence in movies. Well, violence anywhere, really. But since I don't often come into contact with violence in my own life, movies seem to be the only place I really see it. And I just can't handle it. I don't think it's fun to watch people die, even if it is fake. I know that people will argue that it's important to realistically portray evil and violence in films but let's be honest here, they didn't make that movie to teach us not to kill. They made that movie to make money. And I'm more afraid of people who revel in that kind of violence by depicting it on screen then I am of the prospect of a guy wreaking havoc on a city just for the fun of it. Halfway through I thought, "What kind of sicko would even think to write about this kind of violence?" And that's when I started fast-forwarding it. I wanted to see how they would resolve it all. And I guess it was an alright ending. The people didn't all kill each other. Hooray. But it wasn't worth it. It didn't leave me feeling uplifted or edified or educated or even entertained and it makes me kind of sad that I finished watching it.
Like/Don't Like: I fast forwarded through the last hour and a half. Don't Like.
On the plus side Christian Bale is cute, but minus points for his even more exaggerated gravelly voice. But plus points for replacing Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhaal. Good choice there.
But minus about a billion points for all the death and carnage and blowing things up and dead people ever where. Oy, my nerves.
I realize that I'm the last person on earth to see this movie and the world loved it. And yes, Heather Ledger was a very convincing sociopath. And it certainly did take a compelling look at the nature of good and evil.
But I still didn't like it.
Mostly because I don't like violence in movies. Well, violence anywhere, really. But since I don't often come into contact with violence in my own life, movies seem to be the only place I really see it. And I just can't handle it. I don't think it's fun to watch people die, even if it is fake. I know that people will argue that it's important to realistically portray evil and violence in films but let's be honest here, they didn't make that movie to teach us not to kill. They made that movie to make money. And I'm more afraid of people who revel in that kind of violence by depicting it on screen then I am of the prospect of a guy wreaking havoc on a city just for the fun of it. Halfway through I thought, "What kind of sicko would even think to write about this kind of violence?" And that's when I started fast-forwarding it. I wanted to see how they would resolve it all. And I guess it was an alright ending. The people didn't all kill each other. Hooray. But it wasn't worth it. It didn't leave me feeling uplifted or edified or educated or even entertained and it makes me kind of sad that I finished watching it.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Indiana Jones and the Kindgdom of the Crystal Skull
Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Like/Don't Like: Far-fetched, but I can't lie that I didn't get a little thrill when I heard the music and saw the hat.
I'm going to assume that everyone has seen this movie by now. So I'm just going to say this:
Aliens? Really? You went with Aliens? Because that was pretty lame.
Now, I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the movie. I love Indiana Jones. But aliens was a dumb move. I wondered what made it harder to swallow then say a man guarding a cup in a cave for a few centuries, but apparently aliens cross the line for me. I can see why they went there. It's set in the 50s. Little Green Men were big then. I get it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It still had a bit of the old Indiana Jones Charm but the whole movie felt a little unnecessary to the franchise.
Like/Don't Like: Far-fetched, but I can't lie that I didn't get a little thrill when I heard the music and saw the hat.
I'm going to assume that everyone has seen this movie by now. So I'm just going to say this:
Aliens? Really? You went with Aliens? Because that was pretty lame.
Now, I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the movie. I love Indiana Jones. But aliens was a dumb move. I wondered what made it harder to swallow then say a man guarding a cup in a cave for a few centuries, but apparently aliens cross the line for me. I can see why they went there. It's set in the 50s. Little Green Men were big then. I get it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It still had a bit of the old Indiana Jones Charm but the whole movie felt a little unnecessary to the franchise.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II
Movie: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II
Like/Don't Like: A bit of a waste
I'm not really opposed to teenage girly movies. They fill a need sometimes. But this one filled two hours that I kind of wish I had spent reading or painting my toe nails or organizing my receipts. About halfway through Katie and I looked at each other and basically said, "Lame!"
It's the style of story telling that I just have a hard time getting into. That being a bunch of stories told individually. So you get 5 minutes with this character in this place then 5 minutes with another, then another. And it just gets old after the first 20 minutes because the movie is going nowhere. Not that I expected much but I think it could have been done better.
Like/Don't Like: A bit of a waste
I'm not really opposed to teenage girly movies. They fill a need sometimes. But this one filled two hours that I kind of wish I had spent reading or painting my toe nails or organizing my receipts. About halfway through Katie and I looked at each other and basically said, "Lame!"
It's the style of story telling that I just have a hard time getting into. That being a bunch of stories told individually. So you get 5 minutes with this character in this place then 5 minutes with another, then another. And it just gets old after the first 20 minutes because the movie is going nowhere. Not that I expected much but I think it could have been done better.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Leatherheads
Movie: Leatherheads
Like/Don't Like: Lame
I should say, to be fair, that it was not Renee Zellweger that ruined this movie for me. It had a lot of flaws that got in the way of me liking it. But she certainly didn't help it any.
I love George Clooney. And I love Jim from the Office. And I love movies about sports. And movies set in the 1930s. And movies with spunky girl reporters. See, I should have liked this movie, even with Renee's squishy drunken face in it. But the story was weak. An old timer football player who's trying to save the game so he hires on a young star who's too good to be true. That's all there was too it. But it was more than just a thin story. It was really lacking something. You know what it was? Rat-a-tat-tat. It was missing that fast talking rhythm that should be found in sports movies with spunky girl reporters set in the 1930s.
Maybe it's because I've seen it done better. If you're looking for a great girl reporter look at Jennifer Jason Leigh in the Hudsucker Proxy. George Clooney was better as the fast talking slickster in O Brother Where Art Thou. Jim is better in the Office. And Renee Zellwegger is better under a rock.
Like/Don't Like: Lame
I should say, to be fair, that it was not Renee Zellweger that ruined this movie for me. It had a lot of flaws that got in the way of me liking it. But she certainly didn't help it any.
I love George Clooney. And I love Jim from the Office. And I love movies about sports. And movies set in the 1930s. And movies with spunky girl reporters. See, I should have liked this movie, even with Renee's squishy drunken face in it. But the story was weak. An old timer football player who's trying to save the game so he hires on a young star who's too good to be true. That's all there was too it. But it was more than just a thin story. It was really lacking something. You know what it was? Rat-a-tat-tat. It was missing that fast talking rhythm that should be found in sports movies with spunky girl reporters set in the 1930s.
Maybe it's because I've seen it done better. If you're looking for a great girl reporter look at Jennifer Jason Leigh in the Hudsucker Proxy. George Clooney was better as the fast talking slickster in O Brother Where Art Thou. Jim is better in the Office. And Renee Zellwegger is better under a rock.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Movie: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Like/Don't Like: I guess I didn't like it much
There were a few things that would have, if I were a weaker person, pushed this into the like category. But most of it would boil down to Ciaran Hinds. I love him because he plays Captain Wentworth in the good adaptation of Persuasion. The one that did not have a kissing scene at the end that made me want to vomit. I know that it's completely irrational to like a movie because one person is in it but he just has such a nice way about him. I feel better with any movie that he's in.
But he couldn't save it. It was like a piece of cotton candy -- sweet but not very satisfying. There just wasn't enough to it to make me believe in it. And I think that again it boils down to Ciaran Hinds, and all the other fine actors in it. There just wasn't enough for them to do and in the end I was unimpressed with the whole thing.
Like/Don't Like: I guess I didn't like it much
There were a few things that would have, if I were a weaker person, pushed this into the like category. But most of it would boil down to Ciaran Hinds. I love him because he plays Captain Wentworth in the good adaptation of Persuasion. The one that did not have a kissing scene at the end that made me want to vomit. I know that it's completely irrational to like a movie because one person is in it but he just has such a nice way about him. I feel better with any movie that he's in.
But he couldn't save it. It was like a piece of cotton candy -- sweet but not very satisfying. There just wasn't enough to it to make me believe in it. And I think that again it boils down to Ciaran Hinds, and all the other fine actors in it. There just wasn't enough for them to do and in the end I was unimpressed with the whole thing.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Twilight
Book: Twilight
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Like/Don't Like: Dear Stephanie Meyer, Please edit. EDIT! EDIT! EDIT! Love, Rachel
Alright. I get it. I see why every single person on the planet has recommended this book to me. The story is interesting. Edward is dreamy. I wish I could fall in love with a vampire. Now will you please leave me alone?
It's not the story I have a problem with, it's the writing (okay, maybe a little bit of the story, but they're minor points and mostly because of the writing so I'm not even going to touch them) Which means that this is purely a technical issue I have with it and if you're not like me and certain writing styles don't ruin a book for you then by all means read it and love it. I'm not judging you at all. I want you to love this book. Really. I have a load of friends who love this book and I don't want to offend any of them so I hope the "it's not you, it's me" excuse flies here.
How about I talk about what I did like? It's quick and easy. The perfect book for summer. And it's romantic. And interesting in that I've never read a vampire book before. But it's not actually a vampire book, it's a romance book. A big fat romance book. You should keep this in mind.
Which leads me to what I didn't like. You remember that friend of yours who started dating a guy and for the first month or so they couldn't stop cuddling and whispering and touching each other and every time you were with them you wanted to gag and you would talk about them with your other friends, like, "For crying in the mud! We're in the middle of church and they can't stop massaging each other!"? That is totally this book. It's like I was stuck on a very long road trip with Bella and Edward and all they could say was, "I love you," "I love you more," "No, I love you more." "Uh-uh. I love YOU more." "Schmoopy." "No, you're a schmoopy." "But you're my schmoopy." "Stop it schmoopy!" "No, you stop it schmoopy!" Cuddle, cuddle, snuggle, snuggle, gaze longingly into each other's eyes. Gag! I'm totally fine with a page or two of that and I know exactly how true to form it is, but 200 pages is ridiculous.
And enough with the descriptions. The book never shuts up. It is never just, "'Blah, blah, blah,' said Bella." Instead it's "'Blah, blah, blah,' whispered Bella as she looked deep into his golden eyes and touched his perfectly sculpted hand." Every, and I really do mean every, conversation went on like this.
You see, I'm a less is more girl when it comes to books. I like to use my imagination a little and this book never lets you. It tells you everything. Every class Bella has, the path that she takes at school, the friends she sees in the hallways, what she cooks for dinner, the clothes that she's wearing, the gas mileage her truck gets. I know that this is a common flaw in a lot of first books but it's not one that I deal very well with. It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't get in the way of the story but when 50% of the book is describing things like how gorgeous Edward is, I get a little annoyed.
And now for some examples of things that nearly made me give it all up.
She would not stop talking about his eyes and so I started jotting down a few of the descriptions: ocher, deep golden honey, darker than butterscotch, deep gold, burning gold, blazing gold, dark golden, and - my personal favorite - liquid topaz. LIQUID TOPAZ!
How about this one: "The light of the setting orb glittering off his skin in ruby-tinged sparkles." Are you kidding me?
Or..."I didn't feel like mentioning that my stomach was already full -- of butterflies."
And do people really gulp when they're taken aback? Because Bella was always gulping, as in, "He touched my arm. I gulped." Really? Like she's some kind of old-timey cartoon.
If I were in a Stephanie Meyer book right now it would go something like this: "Rachel sighed and rolled her grass colored eyes, tossed the weighty licorice black book to the side of the couch and sarcastically whispered, 'Looks like someone found her thesaurus."
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Like/Don't Like: Dear Stephanie Meyer, Please edit. EDIT! EDIT! EDIT! Love, Rachel
Alright. I get it. I see why every single person on the planet has recommended this book to me. The story is interesting. Edward is dreamy. I wish I could fall in love with a vampire. Now will you please leave me alone?
It's not the story I have a problem with, it's the writing (okay, maybe a little bit of the story, but they're minor points and mostly because of the writing so I'm not even going to touch them) Which means that this is purely a technical issue I have with it and if you're not like me and certain writing styles don't ruin a book for you then by all means read it and love it. I'm not judging you at all. I want you to love this book. Really. I have a load of friends who love this book and I don't want to offend any of them so I hope the "it's not you, it's me" excuse flies here.
How about I talk about what I did like? It's quick and easy. The perfect book for summer. And it's romantic. And interesting in that I've never read a vampire book before. But it's not actually a vampire book, it's a romance book. A big fat romance book. You should keep this in mind.
Which leads me to what I didn't like. You remember that friend of yours who started dating a guy and for the first month or so they couldn't stop cuddling and whispering and touching each other and every time you were with them you wanted to gag and you would talk about them with your other friends, like, "For crying in the mud! We're in the middle of church and they can't stop massaging each other!"? That is totally this book. It's like I was stuck on a very long road trip with Bella and Edward and all they could say was, "I love you," "I love you more," "No, I love you more." "Uh-uh. I love YOU more." "Schmoopy." "No, you're a schmoopy." "But you're my schmoopy." "Stop it schmoopy!" "No, you stop it schmoopy!" Cuddle, cuddle, snuggle, snuggle, gaze longingly into each other's eyes. Gag! I'm totally fine with a page or two of that and I know exactly how true to form it is, but 200 pages is ridiculous.
And enough with the descriptions. The book never shuts up. It is never just, "'Blah, blah, blah,' said Bella." Instead it's "'Blah, blah, blah,' whispered Bella as she looked deep into his golden eyes and touched his perfectly sculpted hand." Every, and I really do mean every, conversation went on like this.
You see, I'm a less is more girl when it comes to books. I like to use my imagination a little and this book never lets you. It tells you everything. Every class Bella has, the path that she takes at school, the friends she sees in the hallways, what she cooks for dinner, the clothes that she's wearing, the gas mileage her truck gets. I know that this is a common flaw in a lot of first books but it's not one that I deal very well with. It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't get in the way of the story but when 50% of the book is describing things like how gorgeous Edward is, I get a little annoyed.
And now for some examples of things that nearly made me give it all up.
She would not stop talking about his eyes and so I started jotting down a few of the descriptions: ocher, deep golden honey, darker than butterscotch, deep gold, burning gold, blazing gold, dark golden, and - my personal favorite - liquid topaz. LIQUID TOPAZ!
How about this one: "The light of the setting orb glittering off his skin in ruby-tinged sparkles." Are you kidding me?
Or..."I didn't feel like mentioning that my stomach was already full -- of butterflies."
And do people really gulp when they're taken aback? Because Bella was always gulping, as in, "He touched my arm. I gulped." Really? Like she's some kind of old-timey cartoon.
If I were in a Stephanie Meyer book right now it would go something like this: "Rachel sighed and rolled her grass colored eyes, tossed the weighty licorice black book to the side of the couch and sarcastically whispered, 'Looks like someone found her thesaurus."
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
August Rush
Movie: August Rush
Like/Don't Like: It was a little much
I once went to the tea room at the Huntington Library with some friends. They have this sensational buffet with all sorts of yummy tea snacks like wee little sandwiches and tarts and scones and fruit. And they have this cheese tray. Oh the cheese! We probably spent a good two hours in that tea room eating our weight in cheese.
I thought, at that moment, that I would never in my life ingest as much cheese as I did then. I was wrong. There was so much cheese in August Rush that I prayed I would suddenly become lactose intolerant so I would have a medical reason to stop watching it.
Like/Don't Like: It was a little much
I once went to the tea room at the Huntington Library with some friends. They have this sensational buffet with all sorts of yummy tea snacks like wee little sandwiches and tarts and scones and fruit. And they have this cheese tray. Oh the cheese! We probably spent a good two hours in that tea room eating our weight in cheese.
I thought, at that moment, that I would never in my life ingest as much cheese as I did then. I was wrong. There was so much cheese in August Rush that I prayed I would suddenly become lactose intolerant so I would have a medical reason to stop watching it.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
27 Dresses
Movie: 27 Dresses
Like/Don't Like: Don't like
I watched this over a week ago and I kept forgetting to write about it. Which is not surprising because it is an entirely forgettable movie. It's your basic romantic comedy, but not a very convincing one. It had everything it was suppose to: a slightly neurotic girl, her testy over-sexed best friend, the guy she loves who doesn't love her, the guy she meets and instantly doesn't like for no reason at all but will find out that he has a heart of gold, the widowed father, the needy sister, and the obligatory cutesy montage with a fun soundtrack. It wasn't that I had seen it before, it was that I have seen it done better. This is saying something since my expectations for romantic comedies is already pretty low. When the needy sister asked if the testy best friend, who she didn't even know, would be in the wedding because she would look good in the dress, you know that the writers couldn't figure out another way to get her into those scenes for comic relief and had basically give up before the title paged was typed.
Like/Don't Like: Don't like
I watched this over a week ago and I kept forgetting to write about it. Which is not surprising because it is an entirely forgettable movie. It's your basic romantic comedy, but not a very convincing one. It had everything it was suppose to: a slightly neurotic girl, her testy over-sexed best friend, the guy she loves who doesn't love her, the guy she meets and instantly doesn't like for no reason at all but will find out that he has a heart of gold, the widowed father, the needy sister, and the obligatory cutesy montage with a fun soundtrack. It wasn't that I had seen it before, it was that I have seen it done better. This is saying something since my expectations for romantic comedies is already pretty low. When the needy sister asked if the testy best friend, who she didn't even know, would be in the wedding because she would look good in the dress, you know that the writers couldn't figure out another way to get her into those scenes for comic relief and had basically give up before the title paged was typed.
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