Monday, January 17, 2005
What we've been watching lately:
On TV: Clare says "Medium" is lousy; we remain hooked on the "CSI" shows, with "CSI:NY" being my favorite. We've given up on "Law & Order," the original version, but still watch the "Criminal Intent" and "SVU" spinoffs. We did watch the orignal last week, when DA Southerlyn ended her tenure on the show with "Is this because I'm a lesbian?"...WHAT!!?? They never portrayed her character as a lesbian! What was that all about?
At the movie theater:
"Finding Neverland" made me cry. Johnny Depp is awesome.
On DVD:
"A Home at the End of World" -- another tearjerker. GREAT movie. Loved it.
"The Village" -- not what I expected, but good. An interesting premise, but could have been more deeply explored. For instance, I'd like to know more about what the elders thought would happen after they died off...who would carry on what they created? In any case,"Unbreakable" remains my Shymalan favorite.
On TV: Clare says "Medium" is lousy; we remain hooked on the "CSI" shows, with "CSI:NY" being my favorite. We've given up on "Law & Order," the original version, but still watch the "Criminal Intent" and "SVU" spinoffs. We did watch the orignal last week, when DA Southerlyn ended her tenure on the show with "Is this because I'm a lesbian?"...WHAT!!?? They never portrayed her character as a lesbian! What was that all about?
At the movie theater:
"Finding Neverland" made me cry. Johnny Depp is awesome.
On DVD:
"A Home at the End of World" -- another tearjerker. GREAT movie. Loved it.
"The Village" -- not what I expected, but good. An interesting premise, but could have been more deeply explored. For instance, I'd like to know more about what the elders thought would happen after they died off...who would carry on what they created? In any case,"Unbreakable" remains my Shymalan favorite.
Friday, July 30, 2004
I just finished reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves, a lovely book about punctuation by Lynne Truss. If you have ever gasped in horror (as I have) at the sign on the Cumberland Farms' gasoline pump that reads: "Some Bank Policy's require a 72 hour hold on up to $60 when debit cards are used at the pump", then this is the book for you. Read it! You will enjoy it!
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
to add to the list:
finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a very well-written book... and loooong. but kept my interest. i give it a B+.
finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a very well-written book... and loooong. but kept my interest. i give it a B+.
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Okay, okay, I admit it. I'm a sucker for trade suspense/horror/gothic/thriller novels. Right now, I'm working my way through Lives of the Mayfair Witches, a series from the author of The Vampire Chronicles (which I haven't finished). Not a great work of literature, but a decent leisure read. Not as sophisticated as Stephen King, but a vast improvement over V.C. Andrews. We'll see if my opinion changes as I continue...
We find lots of good stuff from The Criterion Collection. A recent find was #226, Onibaba. I think C already described this one, but I'm adding my two cents -- rent it! It was really good. Sometimes I don't have the patience for subtitles, but this was the kind of subtitled film where you can actually forget that you're reading subtitles! I give it an A.
Monday, May 10, 2004
In case you missed it, please don't be upset about missing NBC's "10.5." It was so melodramatic it made me laugh. Not that I don't feel for folks who've suffered losses from earthquakes. I do. Nevertheless, this made-for-TV miniseries was a big D-. I did watch the second night, though, so what does that say about me?
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
BOOKS
as Melanie will attest, i plowed through The Dogs of Babel (by Carolyn Parkhurst) in its entirety last night and, although i can't say that this is the best book i've ever read, it definitely kept me reading. was a bit on the sad side, though. i give it a B... but i'm inclined to give it a B+ because it pulled me in so successfully and nearly brought me to tears by the end (hey, i said nearly). i initially pulled it off the library shelf because the subject matter looked interesting: a guy loses his wife and the only witness to her death is their dog, Lorelei. he decides to try to teach the dog to speak in order to find out more about the circumstances of her death. i won't spoil the book for you by telling you more, except to say that the book has the feel of a mystery novel. see? see what i mean? sounds intriguing, huh?
Another B book i recently finished is The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith. i really, really love her writing style, but i must admit that i got a bit mired in the details... i felt that this is the type of book that takes five or six read-throughs to get a good feel for what it's about. and it just sort of fizzled at the end; i'm the type who likes a resounding OOMPH at the end of my reads, although they need not be conclusive endings. just some kind of closure is needed, i think. but i gave it a B largely because of the style.
on the other hand, another of Zadie Smith's novels i'd give a solid A is, of course, White Teeth, which chews around issues of race, class, and gender, and international politics in an fun and fun-ny way. don't let my analysis scare you, though. it doesn't hit you on the head with Politics the way Michael Moore does--no, not at all. it's politics wrapped up in a captivating story. and i like stories.
as Melanie will attest, i plowed through The Dogs of Babel (by Carolyn Parkhurst) in its entirety last night and, although i can't say that this is the best book i've ever read, it definitely kept me reading. was a bit on the sad side, though. i give it a B... but i'm inclined to give it a B+ because it pulled me in so successfully and nearly brought me to tears by the end (hey, i said nearly). i initially pulled it off the library shelf because the subject matter looked interesting: a guy loses his wife and the only witness to her death is their dog, Lorelei. he decides to try to teach the dog to speak in order to find out more about the circumstances of her death. i won't spoil the book for you by telling you more, except to say that the book has the feel of a mystery novel. see? see what i mean? sounds intriguing, huh?
Another B book i recently finished is The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith. i really, really love her writing style, but i must admit that i got a bit mired in the details... i felt that this is the type of book that takes five or six read-throughs to get a good feel for what it's about. and it just sort of fizzled at the end; i'm the type who likes a resounding OOMPH at the end of my reads, although they need not be conclusive endings. just some kind of closure is needed, i think. but i gave it a B largely because of the style.
on the other hand, another of Zadie Smith's novels i'd give a solid A is, of course, White Teeth, which chews around issues of race, class, and gender, and international politics in an fun and fun-ny way. don't let my analysis scare you, though. it doesn't hit you on the head with Politics the way Michael Moore does--no, not at all. it's politics wrapped up in a captivating story. and i like stories.
Monday, April 26, 2004
Hi there y'all! Melanie here, and I'll be adding my commentary to this media blog. Clare and I watch a lot of movies together, and enjoy the same magazine and newspaper subscriptions, so you can bet on hearing 2 views of the same media. You'll probably hear a lot more from Clare than from me, since I'm not A#1 at keeping up with blogging. Nevertheless, thanks for the invite, Clare, and here goes...
As for House of Sand and Fog, a truly excellent movie, one of the best I've seen in awhile. Definitely emotionally affecting, so Clare's recommendation to follow it up with Happy Accidents is a good idea. Based on a book by Andre Dubus III, which I plan to read soon.
If you're looking for books to read, I recommend Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I couldn't put it down. Well-written, thoughtful, and engaging. A truly enjoyable novel.
As for House of Sand and Fog, a truly excellent movie, one of the best I've seen in awhile. Definitely emotionally affecting, so Clare's recommendation to follow it up with Happy Accidents is a good idea. Based on a book by Andre Dubus III, which I plan to read soon.
If you're looking for books to read, I recommend Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I couldn't put it down. Well-written, thoughtful, and engaging. A truly enjoyable novel.
