I can't give you anything but love.
(OR, the things I've been reading/watching lately)
Eek! February, where did you come from?
Without further ado, allow me to present my January Media Roundup!
Books read in January:
Persepolis: Story of a Childhood by Marjane Sartrapi (2003)
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling (2008)
Forever Princess by Meg Cabot (2009)
Spike by Peter David, Scott Tipton, and Fernando Goni (2007)
Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Rhonda Wilcox (2005)
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (2005)
Movies watched in January:
Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs (2008)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
Gremlins (1984)
Mad Money (2008)
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Bye Bye Love (1995)
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
The Stepford Wives (2004)
Inkheart (2009)
Persepolis
Took me a little while to get into, but then I found it very absorbing. And very educational. I don't know much about the war between Iraq and Iran, and the perspective of a spunky twelve-year-old Iranian girl was a very enlightening lens through which to view it. It made me tear up at the end. Still have to read the second one.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
A very little book, in every sense of the word. The massive spacing and margins remind me of trying to stretch college papers to maximum capacity. The stories are nice; they're not much more than that. Albus Dumbledore's commentary is far more enjoyable, and it's delightfully consistent with his character.
Forever Princess
The tenth and final volume of the Princess Diaries series. I've read and enjoyed the entire series, although there have been times I wanted to strangle the protagonist-- but I'm pretty sure that's intentional. She's a very realistic teenager, with all the naivete and foolishness that entails.
I have some mixed feelings about the final volume, probably because I'm way too analytical. I found it very well-written, and I found myself rooting for Mia just like always. But it also felt a bit strange to be dropped into the end of Mia's senior year, two years after we left her. And the way things were resolved seemed a little too happily-ever-after. Which may seem like a "duh" from a series with "princess" in the title, but the thing is- I really felt like Mia came into her own in the last couple of books. I liked that she had cut ties with the former boyfriend and the former best friend. And I loved the new love interest. I thought he was a very interesting character, and I liked him pointing out to Mia that she shouldn't let people treat her like crap. So I was very disappointed that he turned out to be-- well, a disappointment. I would have found it more palatable if they had simply parted ways for college, or realized that there just wasn't a spark between them, but it rubbed me the wrong way that he had to turn out to be using her and deceiving her. Just. Too much.
There was a lot of notable growth in the character, though. I like the fact that none of the characters were static. I dislike that that several of them magically became celebrities.
Spike
Composite graphic novel containing "Old Times" (Spike and Halfrek, and it turns out Cecily WAS a vengeance demon, and after he left the party that fateful night she granted his wish and made all the other guests bleed out their eyes), "Old Wounds" (Spike was maybe sort of almost involved in the Black Dahlia murder), and "Lost and Found" (there was a second Gem of Amarra, which Harmony sold on ebay, and you know that can't be good). I enjoyed reading it, but as with most Buffy comics, it doesn't break much new ground.
Why Buffy Matters
I am a nerd. I devour academic analyses of TV shows like they are crack. And Buffy analyses are both the easiest to find and the nerdiest.
This one is possibly the nerdiest of the nerdiest, since it's all by one person (most are multi-author) and cross-references a great deal of other essays as well as mythologies. It is an interesting and thought-provoking read (why isn't television considered a viable art form anyway?) but at times even I rolled my eyes at the author's insistence on finding symbolism in every. little. detail.
Stumbling On Happiness
I stumbled upon this book in the Psychology/Self-Help section of McKay's. The author's conversational tone and humor got me interested. The book is really much more psychology than self-help. It makes a lot of interesting points about the patterns of the human brain and human emotions, and how we are constantly trying to predict what will and will not make us happy, and we are constantly wrong.
An interesting read, most certainly, although every time I talked about what I was reading, my husband questioned the author's point and occasionally his sanity.
Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs
Very much fun, and actually some food for thought in a similar vein to Jasmine on Angel-- is happiness worth the price of free will? Is it truly happiness if it comes with that cost? My favorite thing about Futurama is that the most badass character by far is a woman. An alien, but a woman.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
A favorite of mine. How can you not love a detective story that combines cartoon characters from every cartoon EVER? I'm curious about the novel it was based on-- it seems like no one's ever heard of it outside of the film credits.
Gremlins
Another old favorite--got it for Christmas and have watched it three times since, plus one of the commentaries on an entirely separate occasion. I love the combination of horror and comedy, cuteness and goriness. The only part I dislike is Phoebe Cates's speech about her dad dressing like Santa Claus and breaking his neck in the chimney. Apparently everyone on set, including Steven Spielberg, also disliked that scene, but it was left in at the director's insistence. Which is why it was openly mocked in the sequel.
Mad Money
A giant question of ethics, made enjoyable by three exceptional actresses. Katie Holmes may have horrible taste in men and religion, but girl's got talent. Overall though-- a forgettable movie.
Muppet Treasure Island
Not the best Muppet movie by any means, but it's fun. Anything with pirates involved is usually fun. And Tim Curry! I'm ashamed that I've never actually read Treasure Island. I was surprised to learn that there wasn't a love story in the book.
Bye Bye Love
I turned to this movie mainly to see a young Eliza Dushku and a young Amber Benson, and it was quite satisfying in that regard-- they're both cute and young and innocent, and Eliza Dushku is the rebellious one who drives home drunk from a party, and Amber Benson is the level-headed friend who tries to throw herself in front of the car to stop her. It's like Faith and Tara knew each other in an alternate universe pre-Sunnydale. I was also amused to see Professor Walsh, as well as two cast members from Private Practice. Also, Janeane Garofalo! And Paul Reiser!
Not a bad little movie--not exactly a great one, but a fair commentary on divorce and the difficulties inherent for families.
Kung Fu Panda
There's not much to be said about Kung Fu Panda-- it's fun, it's sweet, it speaks positively of kung fu, which causes my husband to watch it over and over again.
Bringing Up Baby
I know it's a travesty that I had never seen this before, and even more so that this may well be the first Katharine Hepburn film I've ever watched all the way through. I suppose I am a product of my generation in that the cinematography and pacing of most old movies usually causes me to lose interest and wander off. But this movie kept me entertained with very witty, sharp dialogue. And the fact that there was a leopard involved. I had no idea until very recently that the "Baby" of the title was not a human baby, but a leopard. That was what made me netflix it, because leopards are awesome. And, of course, the movie made me want a pet leopard. It also made me laugh out loud several times. Katharine Hepburn's character is awesome- very charming, very well-played.
The Stepford Wives
Never read the book, never saw the 1975 movie, but I decided to netflix this one after hearing it named as the superior version. I was surprised by how amusing it was, as well as how aesthetically pleasing. The whole thing is very artistically done, and puts the Reaganistic idealism front and center.
As I understand it, the 1975 movie is pretty horrific, and this remake took a much more comedic approach in addition to modernizing elements of the story to keep the satire alive. It worked, I say with my limited knowledge, although there were a few glaring continuity errors, apparently because Frank Oz was on a bit of a power trip and rewrote parts of the script at the last minute, pissing off much of the cast in the process. It doesn't sound like it was a fun movie to be on the set of.
I knew the gist of the plot, of course, and I have referenced "Stepfords" in conversation on many occasions. So I knew what to expect, for the most part, but what I didn't expect-- what made my jaw drop-- was that all of the Stepford wives had previously been women in positions of great power and had been stripped of that power by their own husbands. Very disturbing.
Also, this movie showcased the talents of Nicole Kidman and Bette Midler very well, since they each essentially play two characters-- the true characters and the Stepford versions of the characters.
Inkheart
First theater movie of 2009!!! Saw it tonight actually, a 9:45 pm showing, which I was very surprised that I was able to talk Lee into, but he actually really wanted to see this movie.
It's a fantasy in the truest sense, in that it presents very fantastical events happening to ordinary people and makes you wish you had some of their magical abilities. The internal logic is a bit, well, illogical, but that's easy enough to overlook. What took me out of the film was the striking resemblance of one of the main characters to someone I'd rather not be reminded of, which not only made that character difficult to sympathize with, but actually made me avert my eyes from the screen at a couple of points.
Actingwise, very good, and dude, Toto from The Wizard of Oz is a character in this movie. I have to respect that.
Eek! February, where did you come from?
Without further ado, allow me to present my January Media Roundup!
Books read in January:
Persepolis: Story of a Childhood by Marjane Sartrapi (2003)
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling (2008)
Forever Princess by Meg Cabot (2009)
Spike by Peter David, Scott Tipton, and Fernando Goni (2007)
Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Rhonda Wilcox (2005)
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (2005)
Movies watched in January:
Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs (2008)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
Gremlins (1984)
Mad Money (2008)
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Bye Bye Love (1995)
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
The Stepford Wives (2004)
Inkheart (2009)
Persepolis
Took me a little while to get into, but then I found it very absorbing. And very educational. I don't know much about the war between Iraq and Iran, and the perspective of a spunky twelve-year-old Iranian girl was a very enlightening lens through which to view it. It made me tear up at the end. Still have to read the second one.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
A very little book, in every sense of the word. The massive spacing and margins remind me of trying to stretch college papers to maximum capacity. The stories are nice; they're not much more than that. Albus Dumbledore's commentary is far more enjoyable, and it's delightfully consistent with his character.
Forever Princess
The tenth and final volume of the Princess Diaries series. I've read and enjoyed the entire series, although there have been times I wanted to strangle the protagonist-- but I'm pretty sure that's intentional. She's a very realistic teenager, with all the naivete and foolishness that entails.
I have some mixed feelings about the final volume, probably because I'm way too analytical. I found it very well-written, and I found myself rooting for Mia just like always. But it also felt a bit strange to be dropped into the end of Mia's senior year, two years after we left her. And the way things were resolved seemed a little too happily-ever-after. Which may seem like a "duh" from a series with "princess" in the title, but the thing is- I really felt like Mia came into her own in the last couple of books. I liked that she had cut ties with the former boyfriend and the former best friend. And I loved the new love interest. I thought he was a very interesting character, and I liked him pointing out to Mia that she shouldn't let people treat her like crap. So I was very disappointed that he turned out to be-- well, a disappointment. I would have found it more palatable if they had simply parted ways for college, or realized that there just wasn't a spark between them, but it rubbed me the wrong way that he had to turn out to be using her and deceiving her. Just. Too much.
There was a lot of notable growth in the character, though. I like the fact that none of the characters were static. I dislike that that several of them magically became celebrities.
Spike
Composite graphic novel containing "Old Times" (Spike and Halfrek, and it turns out Cecily WAS a vengeance demon, and after he left the party that fateful night she granted his wish and made all the other guests bleed out their eyes), "Old Wounds" (Spike was maybe sort of almost involved in the Black Dahlia murder), and "Lost and Found" (there was a second Gem of Amarra, which Harmony sold on ebay, and you know that can't be good). I enjoyed reading it, but as with most Buffy comics, it doesn't break much new ground.
Why Buffy Matters
I am a nerd. I devour academic analyses of TV shows like they are crack. And Buffy analyses are both the easiest to find and the nerdiest.
This one is possibly the nerdiest of the nerdiest, since it's all by one person (most are multi-author) and cross-references a great deal of other essays as well as mythologies. It is an interesting and thought-provoking read (why isn't television considered a viable art form anyway?) but at times even I rolled my eyes at the author's insistence on finding symbolism in every. little. detail.
Stumbling On Happiness
I stumbled upon this book in the Psychology/Self-Help section of McKay's. The author's conversational tone and humor got me interested. The book is really much more psychology than self-help. It makes a lot of interesting points about the patterns of the human brain and human emotions, and how we are constantly trying to predict what will and will not make us happy, and we are constantly wrong.
An interesting read, most certainly, although every time I talked about what I was reading, my husband questioned the author's point and occasionally his sanity.
Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs
Very much fun, and actually some food for thought in a similar vein to Jasmine on Angel-- is happiness worth the price of free will? Is it truly happiness if it comes with that cost? My favorite thing about Futurama is that the most badass character by far is a woman. An alien, but a woman.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
A favorite of mine. How can you not love a detective story that combines cartoon characters from every cartoon EVER? I'm curious about the novel it was based on-- it seems like no one's ever heard of it outside of the film credits.
Gremlins
Another old favorite--got it for Christmas and have watched it three times since, plus one of the commentaries on an entirely separate occasion. I love the combination of horror and comedy, cuteness and goriness. The only part I dislike is Phoebe Cates's speech about her dad dressing like Santa Claus and breaking his neck in the chimney. Apparently everyone on set, including Steven Spielberg, also disliked that scene, but it was left in at the director's insistence. Which is why it was openly mocked in the sequel.
Mad Money
A giant question of ethics, made enjoyable by three exceptional actresses. Katie Holmes may have horrible taste in men and religion, but girl's got talent. Overall though-- a forgettable movie.
Muppet Treasure Island
Not the best Muppet movie by any means, but it's fun. Anything with pirates involved is usually fun. And Tim Curry! I'm ashamed that I've never actually read Treasure Island. I was surprised to learn that there wasn't a love story in the book.
Bye Bye Love
I turned to this movie mainly to see a young Eliza Dushku and a young Amber Benson, and it was quite satisfying in that regard-- they're both cute and young and innocent, and Eliza Dushku is the rebellious one who drives home drunk from a party, and Amber Benson is the level-headed friend who tries to throw herself in front of the car to stop her. It's like Faith and Tara knew each other in an alternate universe pre-Sunnydale. I was also amused to see Professor Walsh, as well as two cast members from Private Practice. Also, Janeane Garofalo! And Paul Reiser!
Not a bad little movie--not exactly a great one, but a fair commentary on divorce and the difficulties inherent for families.
Kung Fu Panda
There's not much to be said about Kung Fu Panda-- it's fun, it's sweet, it speaks positively of kung fu, which causes my husband to watch it over and over again.
Bringing Up Baby
I know it's a travesty that I had never seen this before, and even more so that this may well be the first Katharine Hepburn film I've ever watched all the way through. I suppose I am a product of my generation in that the cinematography and pacing of most old movies usually causes me to lose interest and wander off. But this movie kept me entertained with very witty, sharp dialogue. And the fact that there was a leopard involved. I had no idea until very recently that the "Baby" of the title was not a human baby, but a leopard. That was what made me netflix it, because leopards are awesome. And, of course, the movie made me want a pet leopard. It also made me laugh out loud several times. Katharine Hepburn's character is awesome- very charming, very well-played.
The Stepford Wives
Never read the book, never saw the 1975 movie, but I decided to netflix this one after hearing it named as the superior version. I was surprised by how amusing it was, as well as how aesthetically pleasing. The whole thing is very artistically done, and puts the Reaganistic idealism front and center.
As I understand it, the 1975 movie is pretty horrific, and this remake took a much more comedic approach in addition to modernizing elements of the story to keep the satire alive. It worked, I say with my limited knowledge, although there were a few glaring continuity errors, apparently because Frank Oz was on a bit of a power trip and rewrote parts of the script at the last minute, pissing off much of the cast in the process. It doesn't sound like it was a fun movie to be on the set of.
I knew the gist of the plot, of course, and I have referenced "Stepfords" in conversation on many occasions. So I knew what to expect, for the most part, but what I didn't expect-- what made my jaw drop-- was that all of the Stepford wives had previously been women in positions of great power and had been stripped of that power by their own husbands. Very disturbing.
Also, this movie showcased the talents of Nicole Kidman and Bette Midler very well, since they each essentially play two characters-- the true characters and the Stepford versions of the characters.
Inkheart
First theater movie of 2009!!! Saw it tonight actually, a 9:45 pm showing, which I was very surprised that I was able to talk Lee into, but he actually really wanted to see this movie.
It's a fantasy in the truest sense, in that it presents very fantastical events happening to ordinary people and makes you wish you had some of their magical abilities. The internal logic is a bit, well, illogical, but that's easy enough to overlook. What took me out of the film was the striking resemblance of one of the main characters to someone I'd rather not be reminded of, which not only made that character difficult to sympathize with, but actually made me avert my eyes from the screen at a couple of points.
Actingwise, very good, and dude, Toto from The Wizard of Oz is a character in this movie. I have to respect that.