Book: The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
Like/Don't Like: Yeah, sure, I liked it.
I'm not sure what all the fuss is about with this book. It seems like I've been seeing it everywhere for years and years and I hear people talking about it like it has changed their lives. But I'm going to be honest here (like I'm going to lie to you) and say that while it was a sweet little allegory and made some good points it certainly wasn't revolutionary. There are plenty of books and people out there who say the same thing. Dr. Laura for instance. I know this because I have to hear Dr. Laura every day at work whenever I walk into the back office. She is always telling people to get on with their lives and dump all the baggage that's holding them back. But I would recommend reading this book instead of listening to Dr. Laura. She's a bit of a crank. I try very hard to not go to the back office when she's on. This book is much nicer and won't make you cry.
But just because it didn't wow me doesn't mean it was unpleasant to read. It had a great message, that we all have things that we need to accomplish in life and sometimes they're hard and sometimes things get in the way and sometimes we fail but there are forces out there willing us to succeed and if we just get to work and use our surroundings and our abilities to our advantage then success is inevitable. Everyone needs to hear that, right? It was like a little self help book in the form of a fable. And even better that it can be read in just a few hours. If you're looking for a novel then skip it. It's not much of a story. But if you're looking for a little shove in life, go ahead.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
La Vie En Rose
Movie: La Vie En Rose
Like/Don't Like: Like-ish
I have found that with most music biopics the performance of the star of the film and the music that accompanies it are usually the best part. I'm thinking of Ray and Walk the Line here. The same is true with La Vie en Rose - a film about Edith Piaf and her bulging eye balls. Marion Cotillard is sensational as Edith Piaf and the music is amazing. At one point in the movie someone says that Edith Piaf is the voice of Paris and I have to say it's true. Whenever I think of classic French music I hear her bold, passionate voice and an accordion. Well, the accordion goes without saying because every single song I've ever heard that was in French has an accordion. Which makes me wish I were born in France because maybe I would have learned how to play one. It is a wish of mine to play the accordion while wearing a sparkly vest. I like to dream big.
But if Marion Cotillard and the music with all those accordions are the best parts, the worst parts are just about everything else. It was all jumbled. We're at the end of her life, then when she's a kid, then back to an old lady, then a teenager, then older but not really old. And one minute she looks like she's dying and the next minute she just looks drunk and you're not sure if it's when she's actually dying or just one of her spells. And there's all these people who are her friends but you only know a few names and only recognize a few faces and were they with her earlier or later? And when did she go to California? And when did she get married anyway? You can't tell because it just keeps jumping around and her hair keeps changing from red to black to red to black. It was slightly exhausting. And I kept sitting up straight but she had the WORST posture.
But then there were all of those wonderful songs. So I liked it. Sort of.
Like/Don't Like: Like-ish
I have found that with most music biopics the performance of the star of the film and the music that accompanies it are usually the best part. I'm thinking of Ray and Walk the Line here. The same is true with La Vie en Rose - a film about Edith Piaf and her bulging eye balls. Marion Cotillard is sensational as Edith Piaf and the music is amazing. At one point in the movie someone says that Edith Piaf is the voice of Paris and I have to say it's true. Whenever I think of classic French music I hear her bold, passionate voice and an accordion. Well, the accordion goes without saying because every single song I've ever heard that was in French has an accordion. Which makes me wish I were born in France because maybe I would have learned how to play one. It is a wish of mine to play the accordion while wearing a sparkly vest. I like to dream big.
But if Marion Cotillard and the music with all those accordions are the best parts, the worst parts are just about everything else. It was all jumbled. We're at the end of her life, then when she's a kid, then back to an old lady, then a teenager, then older but not really old. And one minute she looks like she's dying and the next minute she just looks drunk and you're not sure if it's when she's actually dying or just one of her spells. And there's all these people who are her friends but you only know a few names and only recognize a few faces and were they with her earlier or later? And when did she go to California? And when did she get married anyway? You can't tell because it just keeps jumping around and her hair keeps changing from red to black to red to black. It was slightly exhausting. And I kept sitting up straight but she had the WORST posture.
But then there were all of those wonderful songs. So I liked it. Sort of.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Three Cups of Tea
Book: Three Cups of Tea
Authors: Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin
Like/Don't Like: Like. And it inspired me.
You've seen this book everywhere, right? Everywhere! And when I asked for recommendations a while back this one got a number of mentions. And I'd like to thank all of you who did because it was really amazing.
About 15 years ago Greg Mortenson attempted to climb K2 and failed but in that failure he has managed to build dozens of schools for the poorest of poor in Pakistan and later other parts of Central Asia. He started out with one school, learning from mistake after mistake how to best get a school up and running in one of the most remote parts of the world. And he did it because he felt that everyone benefits when people are educated. This is a fairly simple and obvious idea but it's amazing how many obstacles he faced because not everyone believed it.
Because of the region and the wars that are going on there I was afraid that it was going to be heavy handed in its politics and I felt like it would have ruined the story. But this was not the case at all. They told about what they saw, both the good and the bad and I thought it was very fair. It read like a very long newspaper human interest story. The style got a little old at times but when it veered away from it it got overly sentimental and romanticized so I was happy with the way it was written in the long run. I should warn you though that you may feel like a bum when you're done reading for not doing more. Like, why haven't I thought to fly to Pakistan and build a school with my bare hands in a place that takes a 3 day mule trip to get to over unpaved mountain passes in a war zone using money I saved while living in my car for a year to cut expenses? Clearly, I hate humanity.
Authors: Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin
Like/Don't Like: Like. And it inspired me.
You've seen this book everywhere, right? Everywhere! And when I asked for recommendations a while back this one got a number of mentions. And I'd like to thank all of you who did because it was really amazing.
About 15 years ago Greg Mortenson attempted to climb K2 and failed but in that failure he has managed to build dozens of schools for the poorest of poor in Pakistan and later other parts of Central Asia. He started out with one school, learning from mistake after mistake how to best get a school up and running in one of the most remote parts of the world. And he did it because he felt that everyone benefits when people are educated. This is a fairly simple and obvious idea but it's amazing how many obstacles he faced because not everyone believed it.
Because of the region and the wars that are going on there I was afraid that it was going to be heavy handed in its politics and I felt like it would have ruined the story. But this was not the case at all. They told about what they saw, both the good and the bad and I thought it was very fair. It read like a very long newspaper human interest story. The style got a little old at times but when it veered away from it it got overly sentimental and romanticized so I was happy with the way it was written in the long run. I should warn you though that you may feel like a bum when you're done reading for not doing more. Like, why haven't I thought to fly to Pakistan and build a school with my bare hands in a place that takes a 3 day mule trip to get to over unpaved mountain passes in a war zone using money I saved while living in my car for a year to cut expenses? Clearly, I hate humanity.
Son of Rambow
Movie: Son of Rambow
Like/Don't Like: How could I not like this?
As soon as I saw the previews for this movie I knew I would love it. Mostly because I think that little boys are the funniest things around. Especially when they're at that age around 9, 10, and 11 and they're just all freckles and arms and legs and energy and they laugh and jump and run and their whole lives are centered around finding adventure. They are just so cute. I think that God made them that way because when they hit 12 and start acting like they're in Lord of the Flies you're going to need those memories of when they were cute and funny.
The movie centers around these two unlikely friends who are out to make a sequel to Rambo: First Blood. They do their own stunts and camera work and they scamper around town getting shots in. It's hysterical. There's a little conflict and there were some legitimately sweet moments to it but it mostly is just fun. And it had kind of a timeless quality to it. Boys are boys no matter the time or place. It hit me about an hour after I finished watching it that it was set in the 80s. I didn't even pick up on that (this is not the film maker's fault. I'm fairly dense and what with all the kids these days wearing leg warmers and gold lame Members Only jackets I could easily get confused. Remember, I'm 80.) But it could have been set in the 50s or the old west or ye olde days of yore. Boys are always going to shove each other around and dream up crazy ways to hurt themselves. And I love them for it.
Like/Don't Like: How could I not like this?
As soon as I saw the previews for this movie I knew I would love it. Mostly because I think that little boys are the funniest things around. Especially when they're at that age around 9, 10, and 11 and they're just all freckles and arms and legs and energy and they laugh and jump and run and their whole lives are centered around finding adventure. They are just so cute. I think that God made them that way because when they hit 12 and start acting like they're in Lord of the Flies you're going to need those memories of when they were cute and funny.
The movie centers around these two unlikely friends who are out to make a sequel to Rambo: First Blood. They do their own stunts and camera work and they scamper around town getting shots in. It's hysterical. There's a little conflict and there were some legitimately sweet moments to it but it mostly is just fun. And it had kind of a timeless quality to it. Boys are boys no matter the time or place. It hit me about an hour after I finished watching it that it was set in the 80s. I didn't even pick up on that (this is not the film maker's fault. I'm fairly dense and what with all the kids these days wearing leg warmers and gold lame Members Only jackets I could easily get confused. Remember, I'm 80.) But it could have been set in the 50s or the old west or ye olde days of yore. Boys are always going to shove each other around and dream up crazy ways to hurt themselves. And I love them for it.
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.
Friday, September 5, 2008
The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters
Documentary: The King of Kong: A Fistfull of Quarters
Like/Don't Like: My face almost exploded from the joy of watching it.
This pretty much was made for me. Because it combined several things that I love. 1.) Documentaries, 2.) the ridiculous, 3.) a good under-dog story and 4.) really bad hair. I mean REALLY bad hair. So bad that it's fabulous. So bad that at one point it showed this guy blow-drying his hair and I almost swooned. The picture doesn't even do it justice. You have to see it in motion. Like a wild horse's mane.
That guy is Billy Mitchell, the original world record holder of Donkey Kong. And he's a jerk. You will hate him at the end. But you will also love him because you couldn't create a character like this. He's everything you want in a geek/hot sauce mogul/egomaniacal video game lord, complete with sycophantic toadies and all wrapped up in black jeans and an American flag tie. You will be cheering for Steve Wiebe, who has been cheated out of the record by Billy Mitchell several times. He's a good guy that bad things have happened to and he just wants to do something great. And Donkey Kong is that something.
I never even dreamed that I would care about Donkey Kong or gamers but I'm telling you, by the end of the show you're going to be laughing and screaming and crying. There's drama and espionage (seriously) and real heart touching moments. And bonus, a video game tournament on Lake Winnepesaukee. I couldn't stop smiling through the whole thing.
Like/Don't Like: My face almost exploded from the joy of watching it.
This pretty much was made for me. Because it combined several things that I love. 1.) Documentaries, 2.) the ridiculous, 3.) a good under-dog story and 4.) really bad hair. I mean REALLY bad hair. So bad that it's fabulous. So bad that at one point it showed this guy blow-drying his hair and I almost swooned. The picture doesn't even do it justice. You have to see it in motion. Like a wild horse's mane.
That guy is Billy Mitchell, the original world record holder of Donkey Kong. And he's a jerk. You will hate him at the end. But you will also love him because you couldn't create a character like this. He's everything you want in a geek/hot sauce mogul/egomaniacal video game lord, complete with sycophantic toadies and all wrapped up in black jeans and an American flag tie. You will be cheering for Steve Wiebe, who has been cheated out of the record by Billy Mitchell several times. He's a good guy that bad things have happened to and he just wants to do something great. And Donkey Kong is that something.
I never even dreamed that I would care about Donkey Kong or gamers but I'm telling you, by the end of the show you're going to be laughing and screaming and crying. There's drama and espionage (seriously) and real heart touching moments. And bonus, a video game tournament on Lake Winnepesaukee. I couldn't stop smiling through the whole thing.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The Solitaire Mystery
Book: The Solitaire Mystery
Author: Jostein Gaarder
Like/Don't Like: Liked
A few weeks ago an envelope appeared under my door mat (The ugly door mat that we have since gotten rid of now that the neighbor who gave it to us has moved. REJOICE!(for the door mat, not the neighbor moving.)) Inside was a nine of hearts card with some Norwegian written on it. Clearly Brett was involved, but what did it all mean. A few weeks later a Joker card showed up with more Norwegian and a Cinnabon gift card. Awesome. But still, I was very confused.
And then Brett came by with a book that held the answers. A book involving a sticky bun with a baker's personal history inside, soda that tastes like every flavor on earth, lots of goldfish, lots of philosophy, a boy and his dad on a European roadtrip to find his mom who is a supermodel working in Greece, and 53 midgets on a magical island.
Yep, that's right, midgets. And since this was translated from Norwegian there is no political correctness involved. Midgets everywhere!
I love getting books from friends. Not just Borders gift cards but actual books that they think I'll like that I would probably never pick out for myself. And I did like this one. It was kind of a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Neverending Story with a bunch of philosophy thrown in. And, on top of being a great adventure, it made me think - which is always a bonus.
My only problem was in the translation. I don't know Norwegian or how easily it translates but this one did not translate well. There were times when it seemed almost literal and that was distracting. But as far as the story goes it was fun to read.
And I'm not telling what the nine of hearts of the joker means. You'll have to read it to find out.
Author: Jostein Gaarder
Like/Don't Like: Liked
A few weeks ago an envelope appeared under my door mat (The ugly door mat that we have since gotten rid of now that the neighbor who gave it to us has moved. REJOICE!(for the door mat, not the neighbor moving.)) Inside was a nine of hearts card with some Norwegian written on it. Clearly Brett was involved, but what did it all mean. A few weeks later a Joker card showed up with more Norwegian and a Cinnabon gift card. Awesome. But still, I was very confused.
And then Brett came by with a book that held the answers. A book involving a sticky bun with a baker's personal history inside, soda that tastes like every flavor on earth, lots of goldfish, lots of philosophy, a boy and his dad on a European roadtrip to find his mom who is a supermodel working in Greece, and 53 midgets on a magical island.
Yep, that's right, midgets. And since this was translated from Norwegian there is no political correctness involved. Midgets everywhere!
I love getting books from friends. Not just Borders gift cards but actual books that they think I'll like that I would probably never pick out for myself. And I did like this one. It was kind of a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Neverending Story with a bunch of philosophy thrown in. And, on top of being a great adventure, it made me think - which is always a bonus.
My only problem was in the translation. I don't know Norwegian or how easily it translates but this one did not translate well. There were times when it seemed almost literal and that was distracting. But as far as the story goes it was fun to read.
And I'm not telling what the nine of hearts of the joker means. You'll have to read it to find out.
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