Movie: Midnight in Paris
Like/Don't Like: Yeah, I liked it
I never quite get the allure of a Woody Allen film. I think my west coast, non-neurotic sensibilities makes him sort of just okay in my book. But I aside from the usual unrelatable characters that are always in his films, I thought this one was totally charming. Mostly because it's set in Paris, partly in the 1920s which means it's filled with Hemingway and Gertrude Stein and Picasso and Cole Porter. And the whole thing was warmly lit and had lovely jazz music in the background and, well, I watched it like 2 weeks ago which means that it has completely slipped out of my mind. But it counts if I remember that I liked it, right?
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Unbroken
Book: Unbroken
Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Like/Don't Like: Like, if only to learn that you should never go to war against the Japanese.
You should read this book, because it's a ridiculously good story told by an amazing writer and you'll be so grateful that you have never 1.) been lost at see for 40+ days, 2.) been captured by the Japanese and put into a POW camp, 3.) what, you need more to be grateful for than that?
It's the true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic mile runner and WWII vet whose plane went down in the Pacific, which he and a fellow crewman survived, only for the current to sweep them right into enemy territory. You will want to shut the book when you get to the part about all the torture they went through in those camps. Those Japanese were hard core when it came to brutality. There were several times I had to shut the book and breathe slowly and imagine fields of daisies because it was just so horrific. But it is a testament to how resilient the human spirit is.
And I have to give it up to the author. Laura Hillenbrand wrote Seabiscuit and I was floored by how much a story about a horse sucked me in. So I wasn't surprised by what a gripping story-teller she is. I generally stay away from non-fiction because all I really care about is a good story told well and most non-fiction writers have the good story but forget that they are not in a lecture hall. Hillenbrand moves things along and gives you just enough facts and data to keep you feeling like you're actually learning something while being entertained.
And if none of that has piqued your interest you should know that somewhere in the south Pacific, while they're floating along, exhausted and starving, Louis decides to get even with the sharks who have been stalking them the whole time. So he kills one with his bare hands.
Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Like/Don't Like: Like, if only to learn that you should never go to war against the Japanese.
You should read this book, because it's a ridiculously good story told by an amazing writer and you'll be so grateful that you have never 1.) been lost at see for 40+ days, 2.) been captured by the Japanese and put into a POW camp, 3.) what, you need more to be grateful for than that?
It's the true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic mile runner and WWII vet whose plane went down in the Pacific, which he and a fellow crewman survived, only for the current to sweep them right into enemy territory. You will want to shut the book when you get to the part about all the torture they went through in those camps. Those Japanese were hard core when it came to brutality. There were several times I had to shut the book and breathe slowly and imagine fields of daisies because it was just so horrific. But it is a testament to how resilient the human spirit is.
And I have to give it up to the author. Laura Hillenbrand wrote Seabiscuit and I was floored by how much a story about a horse sucked me in. So I wasn't surprised by what a gripping story-teller she is. I generally stay away from non-fiction because all I really care about is a good story told well and most non-fiction writers have the good story but forget that they are not in a lecture hall. Hillenbrand moves things along and gives you just enough facts and data to keep you feeling like you're actually learning something while being entertained.
And if none of that has piqued your interest you should know that somewhere in the south Pacific, while they're floating along, exhausted and starving, Louis decides to get even with the sharks who have been stalking them the whole time. So he kills one with his bare hands.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Brave
Movie: Brave
Like/Don't Like: Like. I was suprised by some parts. But in a good way.
I've never been envious of a cartoon character's hair until I saw Merida's red curls. Pixar should get an oscar just for how glorious they looked. In other news: this was a sweet movie. All I've really heard about it was that the animation was amazing. And I totally agree. Let's all move to Scotland! But the story was really good. And suprising. You don't often find a movie that deals almost exclusively with a mother/daughter relationship, but especially an animated one. Because most mother's are dead or abscent in animated Disney films. And you definitely don't find a Disney movie without a love story. This didn't have one at all. And it was kind of refreshing. I was genuinely surprised by the twist this had (no, I won't tell you ) and was kind of put off at first but then went with the flow and saw that it was a really tender story. It still has everything you expect from Pixar, it was funny and sweet and had a lot of depth. And Merida made a great heroine. It was pretty solid.
Like/Don't Like: Like. I was suprised by some parts. But in a good way.
I've never been envious of a cartoon character's hair until I saw Merida's red curls. Pixar should get an oscar just for how glorious they looked. In other news: this was a sweet movie. All I've really heard about it was that the animation was amazing. And I totally agree. Let's all move to Scotland! But the story was really good. And suprising. You don't often find a movie that deals almost exclusively with a mother/daughter relationship, but especially an animated one. Because most mother's are dead or abscent in animated Disney films. And you definitely don't find a Disney movie without a love story. This didn't have one at all. And it was kind of refreshing. I was genuinely surprised by the twist this had (no, I won't tell you ) and was kind of put off at first but then went with the flow and saw that it was a really tender story. It still has everything you expect from Pixar, it was funny and sweet and had a lot of depth. And Merida made a great heroine. It was pretty solid.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Bunheads
TV Show: Bunheads
Like/Don't Like: Conditional like, if only because it is so familiar
(NOTE: There is a big spoiler in this so stop reading if you haven't watched the first episode and are planning to. Or keep reading and just live with knowing.)
I don't normally review TV shows, simply because I don't usually start watching new TV shows. I don't like being committed to a show, even with the magic of the DVR. And also, it's tough to judge a show on just a few episodes. But this was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who created Gilmore Girls, and if there was one show that I loved and truly miss and wish that they would do a reunion special just so I can see how happy Luke and Loralei are right now that would be it. So I recorded the first two episodes and watched them tonight and am happy to report that this is Gilmore Girls on the west coast.
Proof: it has several actors from GG. Like Emily. And Gypsy. And Mitchum Huntsburger as a hippie barkeep. The same gal who did the music in GG is doing the music here, with similar guitar strumming and la-la-ing. It has the same rat-a-tat-tat dialogue that I loved in GG, with lots of pop culture references and sarcastic zingers. And Sutton Foster is a good fit for that, even though I hope she'll ease out of her Broadway broadness and into the subtleties you can get away with in television. So over all, I liked it, because it was so nicely familiar.
But here's where I object (And here's where the spoiler begins. You've been warned.) I do not think that I can get beyond Alan Ruck being given to us for one episode and then so abruptly taken away. When I saw that it was him I squealed, because who doesn't love Cameron? And he's such a sweetheart in the first episode. And now he's gone. Boo. I fear I will always think what might have been.
Like/Don't Like: Conditional like, if only because it is so familiar
(NOTE: There is a big spoiler in this so stop reading if you haven't watched the first episode and are planning to. Or keep reading and just live with knowing.)
I don't normally review TV shows, simply because I don't usually start watching new TV shows. I don't like being committed to a show, even with the magic of the DVR. And also, it's tough to judge a show on just a few episodes. But this was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who created Gilmore Girls, and if there was one show that I loved and truly miss and wish that they would do a reunion special just so I can see how happy Luke and Loralei are right now that would be it. So I recorded the first two episodes and watched them tonight and am happy to report that this is Gilmore Girls on the west coast.
Proof: it has several actors from GG. Like Emily. And Gypsy. And Mitchum Huntsburger as a hippie barkeep. The same gal who did the music in GG is doing the music here, with similar guitar strumming and la-la-ing. It has the same rat-a-tat-tat dialogue that I loved in GG, with lots of pop culture references and sarcastic zingers. And Sutton Foster is a good fit for that, even though I hope she'll ease out of her Broadway broadness and into the subtleties you can get away with in television. So over all, I liked it, because it was so nicely familiar.
But here's where I object (And here's where the spoiler begins. You've been warned.) I do not think that I can get beyond Alan Ruck being given to us for one episode and then so abruptly taken away. When I saw that it was him I squealed, because who doesn't love Cameron? And he's such a sweetheart in the first episode. And now he's gone. Boo. I fear I will always think what might have been.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Book: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
Like/Don't Like: I was completely taken in
I've been a little annoyed lately with writers who don't trust their readers. Few things infuriate me more than when an author spends too much time explaining things that should be understandable through context. Or puts in references simply to look smart. It makes me feel like they think I'm dumb. You have to trust that your reader will figure things out on her own.
So here we have Alan Bradley who not only wrote a YA novel, a genre that is fraught with this sort of stuff, but did it without the slightest bit of condescension. This story is stocked with Latin phrases, chemical compounds, allusions to female chemists, snippets of Shakespeare, and a mystery involving stamp collecting and not a bit of it is spoon fed to you like you're an imbecile. He does not coddle his readers at all His heroine, Flavia de Luce, is a smart, no-nonsense, eleven year old budding chemist and member of the British gentry. She's a heroine I can get behind and not just because she's a girl sleuth. I love girl sleuths. With the exception of Nancy Drew who was just too perfect. Ugh, didn't you just wish Ned would dump her, even if he was a dope?
Anyway, Flavia finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery and she manages to make her way around the inspectors and the murderer and her two scheming sisters to discover the truth, all while whizzing around the English countryside on her bike. It is charming and smart and a book I would have devoured if I had gotten my hands on it as an 11 year old. Ok, so I devoured it as a 36 year old. It's just that good.
Author: Alan Bradley
Like/Don't Like: I was completely taken in
I've been a little annoyed lately with writers who don't trust their readers. Few things infuriate me more than when an author spends too much time explaining things that should be understandable through context. Or puts in references simply to look smart. It makes me feel like they think I'm dumb. You have to trust that your reader will figure things out on her own.
So here we have Alan Bradley who not only wrote a YA novel, a genre that is fraught with this sort of stuff, but did it without the slightest bit of condescension. This story is stocked with Latin phrases, chemical compounds, allusions to female chemists, snippets of Shakespeare, and a mystery involving stamp collecting and not a bit of it is spoon fed to you like you're an imbecile. He does not coddle his readers at all His heroine, Flavia de Luce, is a smart, no-nonsense, eleven year old budding chemist and member of the British gentry. She's a heroine I can get behind and not just because she's a girl sleuth. I love girl sleuths. With the exception of Nancy Drew who was just too perfect. Ugh, didn't you just wish Ned would dump her, even if he was a dope?
Anyway, Flavia finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery and she manages to make her way around the inspectors and the murderer and her two scheming sisters to discover the truth, all while whizzing around the English countryside on her bike. It is charming and smart and a book I would have devoured if I had gotten my hands on it as an 11 year old. Ok, so I devoured it as a 36 year old. It's just that good.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sherlock
TV Show: Sherlock (both seasons 1 and 2 - because I'm behind, okay?)
Like/Don't Like: So much to love!
I never reviewed this after the first season but I finally got around the watching the last episode of the second season and I am still heartily in love with the whole thing that I felt like I needed to share it with the world. Although, let's be honest here, you've already seen it right? Right?! So you know what I'm talking about. It's AWESOME! With a side of Holy Cow!
Aren't you so excited that they got it right? Sure, the Robert Downey Jr. movies are highly entertaining, but they're not really Sherlock Holmes. He's just a really beefed up smart guy (listen, I'm not complaining. I'm just speaking the truth.) But this is Sherlock Holmes. Even as a 21st century Sherlock, it's dead on. It has captured his genius and arrogance and condescension and his itty bitty slip of humanity. I love how they have taken his most famous stories - A Study in Scarlett, The Hound of the Baskervilles, etc. - and gave them a modern twist. The stories move quickly and nothing is wasted, just like the books.
Benedict Cumberbatch has that other-worldly look about him, which makes him a great Sherlock because we all know he's an alien. And Martin Freeman has always been the perfect rumpled but stalwart friend - just right for Watson. They made Moriarty sufficiently creepy. Maybe too creepy. Can he be too creepy? And bonus, Rupert Graves is Lestrange. He has aged into quite the silver fox from his days as the floppy-haired Freddie Honeychurch in A Room With A View.
I just saw that there will be a season 3. Let's rejoice!
(Note: season one is streaming on Netflix and you can catch season two on pbs.org. It's worth it. Also, have something or someone to hold onto because it gets a little tense.)
Like/Don't Like: So much to love!
I never reviewed this after the first season but I finally got around the watching the last episode of the second season and I am still heartily in love with the whole thing that I felt like I needed to share it with the world. Although, let's be honest here, you've already seen it right? Right?! So you know what I'm talking about. It's AWESOME! With a side of Holy Cow!
Aren't you so excited that they got it right? Sure, the Robert Downey Jr. movies are highly entertaining, but they're not really Sherlock Holmes. He's just a really beefed up smart guy (listen, I'm not complaining. I'm just speaking the truth.) But this is Sherlock Holmes. Even as a 21st century Sherlock, it's dead on. It has captured his genius and arrogance and condescension and his itty bitty slip of humanity. I love how they have taken his most famous stories - A Study in Scarlett, The Hound of the Baskervilles, etc. - and gave them a modern twist. The stories move quickly and nothing is wasted, just like the books.
Benedict Cumberbatch has that other-worldly look about him, which makes him a great Sherlock because we all know he's an alien. And Martin Freeman has always been the perfect rumpled but stalwart friend - just right for Watson. They made Moriarty sufficiently creepy. Maybe too creepy. Can he be too creepy? And bonus, Rupert Graves is Lestrange. He has aged into quite the silver fox from his days as the floppy-haired Freddie Honeychurch in A Room With A View.
I just saw that there will be a season 3. Let's rejoice!
(Note: season one is streaming on Netflix and you can catch season two on pbs.org. It's worth it. Also, have something or someone to hold onto because it gets a little tense.)
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.
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