February Media Round-Up
I seem to have actually kept pretty busy in February, so not a lot of reading/watching. Started A LOT of books, finished only three.
Books read (finished) in February:
No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July (2007)
The Book of Fours by Nancy Holder (2000)
Marley and Me by John Grogan (2005)
Movies watched in February:
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
He's Just Not That Into You (2009)
Coraline (2009)
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)
No One Belongs Here More Than You
This book annoyed me. Only a few of the stories left an impression, and they were sad stories. Moving on.
The Book of Fours
A Buffy fanfic novel. I was interested because it dealt with the slayer lineage, and I always wanted to know more about the previous slayers. This novel introduces the reader to India, the slayer immediately before Buffy, whose death triggered Buffy's calling. India was a Navy brat in the Philippines. Unfortunately, that's about all we learn that makes any sort of sense. The novel is very all-over-the-place and incoherent. I shouldn't have expected anything more.
Marley and Me
I am VERY surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I expected it to be sappy and full of cliches, but it is actually very well-written, very self-conscious in its potential sappiness, and just very TRUE, in every sense of the word. It chronicles the life of the family who owns the dog just as much as the dog, and it makes a lot of good points about the nature of a family's relationship with their dog. I just finished this book in bed late last night, and I actually woke Lee up by sobbing over the dog's death near the end of the book. Even though it wasn't an untimely death-- the dog was very old and very sick, but the author wrote so honestly about the good-byes and the grieving that it was beyond heart-wrenching, and left me bawling like a baby-- not only for Marley but for all of the pets I've said good-bye to in my lifetime, and for the day when I'll have to say good-bye to my current pets. I hope that day is as far in the future as possible.
I also consider myself very lucky to have a husband who still loves me after I wake him up by crying over a book. In fact, he says that makes him love me more. I haven't cried that hard over a book in a long time.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Lee flipped to this after the Super Bowl for some reason, so he and Brynn and I half-watched it while talking, mainly taking note of the sweet moments. And that the groom is Aiden from Sex and the City- I'd never realized that.
Desperately Seeking Susan
So 80's Bohemian I can't stand it! Actually, yes I can. I can even fantasize about how fun it might be to wear those short tulle-y party dresses. This movie is a bit strange, plot-wise, but deserves camp classic status because of Madonna (who was a fairly new celebrity at the time). She may take a lot of flak for her acting abilities (or lack thereof), but she has such stage presence that I don't think she needs much more.
Also, I can't help but feel for the housewife character in this movie- she is a true desperate housewife, so desperate that amnesia is the thing that liberates her. Amnesia and a thrift store jacket. Can you imagine such an existence?
Thoughts on He's Just Not That Into You and Coraline are here
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
1985 must have been a great year for movies.
I have no idea how I'd never seen this before. I would have eaten it up if I'd seen it in middle school.
Sarah Jessica Parker is beyond adorable in this as the sheltered private school girl. And the wilder girl who draws her out of her shell is Helen Hunt!
Apparently Catholic schoolgirl uniforms weren't considered hot in 1985? That threw me.
This movie has a lot of the same elements as Dirty Dancing, Hairspray, and Footloose, but I had such a good time watching it that I don't care how much of it was familiar.
I vaguely remember being told about the "Tune into Tokyo" scene when I was in Elementary School. I don't know why. I guess at the time a guy groping a girl's (clothed) breasts was shocking. What shocked me about seeing it as an adult was that this was done against the girl's wishes and played for laughs. Hi, it's called sexual assault. And why did ABC Family leave that in but censor what appeared to be a verbal reference to a wet dream? I will never understand ABC Family.
Books read (finished) in February:
No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July (2007)
The Book of Fours by Nancy Holder (2000)
Marley and Me by John Grogan (2005)
Movies watched in February:
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
He's Just Not That Into You (2009)
Coraline (2009)
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)
No One Belongs Here More Than You
This book annoyed me. Only a few of the stories left an impression, and they were sad stories. Moving on.
The Book of Fours
A Buffy fanfic novel. I was interested because it dealt with the slayer lineage, and I always wanted to know more about the previous slayers. This novel introduces the reader to India, the slayer immediately before Buffy, whose death triggered Buffy's calling. India was a Navy brat in the Philippines. Unfortunately, that's about all we learn that makes any sort of sense. The novel is very all-over-the-place and incoherent. I shouldn't have expected anything more.
Marley and Me
I am VERY surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I expected it to be sappy and full of cliches, but it is actually very well-written, very self-conscious in its potential sappiness, and just very TRUE, in every sense of the word. It chronicles the life of the family who owns the dog just as much as the dog, and it makes a lot of good points about the nature of a family's relationship with their dog. I just finished this book in bed late last night, and I actually woke Lee up by sobbing over the dog's death near the end of the book. Even though it wasn't an untimely death-- the dog was very old and very sick, but the author wrote so honestly about the good-byes and the grieving that it was beyond heart-wrenching, and left me bawling like a baby-- not only for Marley but for all of the pets I've said good-bye to in my lifetime, and for the day when I'll have to say good-bye to my current pets. I hope that day is as far in the future as possible.
I also consider myself very lucky to have a husband who still loves me after I wake him up by crying over a book. In fact, he says that makes him love me more. I haven't cried that hard over a book in a long time.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Lee flipped to this after the Super Bowl for some reason, so he and Brynn and I half-watched it while talking, mainly taking note of the sweet moments. And that the groom is Aiden from Sex and the City- I'd never realized that.
Desperately Seeking Susan
So 80's Bohemian I can't stand it! Actually, yes I can. I can even fantasize about how fun it might be to wear those short tulle-y party dresses. This movie is a bit strange, plot-wise, but deserves camp classic status because of Madonna (who was a fairly new celebrity at the time). She may take a lot of flak for her acting abilities (or lack thereof), but she has such stage presence that I don't think she needs much more.
Also, I can't help but feel for the housewife character in this movie- she is a true desperate housewife, so desperate that amnesia is the thing that liberates her. Amnesia and a thrift store jacket. Can you imagine such an existence?
Thoughts on He's Just Not That Into You and Coraline are here
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
1985 must have been a great year for movies.
I have no idea how I'd never seen this before. I would have eaten it up if I'd seen it in middle school.
Sarah Jessica Parker is beyond adorable in this as the sheltered private school girl. And the wilder girl who draws her out of her shell is Helen Hunt!
Apparently Catholic schoolgirl uniforms weren't considered hot in 1985? That threw me.
This movie has a lot of the same elements as Dirty Dancing, Hairspray, and Footloose, but I had such a good time watching it that I don't care how much of it was familiar.
I vaguely remember being told about the "Tune into Tokyo" scene when I was in Elementary School. I don't know why. I guess at the time a guy groping a girl's (clothed) breasts was shocking. What shocked me about seeing it as an adult was that this was done against the girl's wishes and played for laughs. Hi, it's called sexual assault. And why did ABC Family leave that in but censor what appeared to be a verbal reference to a wet dream? I will never understand ABC Family.