pop culture consumption Feb 09
recs in bold
anti-recs in italics
7. Manhunting - Jennie Crusie
I really enjoyed this. It's typical chick lit - intelligent and pretty and witty woman is inexplicably single, meets hot and intelligent guy, they have obvious chemistry and yet feel some sort of manufactured antipathy towards each other until they get over their prejudices and realise they are perfect for each other, and everyone has a happy ending. But for all the formulaic moments in this, her characters are charming and fun to read, and the romance is sweet and well-paced. I liked that the main character is truly resourceful and intelligent, and that a sideplot about career choices is nicely drawn to give her a well-rounded happy ending that isn't just about the romance but also about personal satisfaction in all areas of life.
8. UA: Dallas 2
Necesary exposition to get to...
9. UA: Dallas 3
...which is AWESOME. More of that great deadpan humour, and a good dollop of backstory for No. 5 (who is my favourite character; I always have a soft spot for the sociopathic child).
10. Princess Diaries: Ten out of Ten - Meg Cabot
Well, I'm kind of glad that's over. This was not a great end, unfortunately; Mia is too ditzy in this, and several rather simple plotlines are stretched very very thinly over the length of this book. I was glad for the ultimate resolution of several long-running plotlines, but it also made me realise how much I've missed Lilly and Mia's friendship in the last few books. The romantic resolution was also more satisfying than I thought it would be, though again it involved just too many unbelievably dense moments from Mia.
11. Self Made Man - Norah Vincent
A lesbian aims to pass as a male in different social situations to try and get an understanding of the modern man. I'm really confused by this book, hence both the rec and the anti-rec. I found it a fascinating read, but I'm not sure how I feel about her conclusions in the end. It started to read as rather essentialist argument about gender development and expression; as in, men and women are just different, and the social cues reinforce that to the point that men are being oppressed by women's reactions to their expressions of their masculinity. I could be reading it all wrong, but emotionally I felt like she was coming to a conclusion that many of my fundamentalist Christian friends would wholeheartedly agree with, and that felt a bit weird for me.
Some of the chapters are just captivating though - she really did manage to get under the skin of so many different examples of males in modern America and drew out some really interesting responses about male bonding and emotional expression. I think, in particular, the experience she had in the monastery was so fascinating and eye-opening and SAD; these men who feel like they cannot have close male relationships hiding in this place where they are allowed to spend every moment with other males just to continue being emotionally and sexually repressed. Her writing is easy to read, and it's an engaging and thoughtful book; I just wonder how accurate and noteworthy her personal observations are in the end, as it was clear by the end that her lack of emotional distance in this year and a half long deception had really done a number on her.
12. 1602 - Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert
Interesting mostly for the transition of all the well-known Marvel heroes into Elizabethan times. Artwork is lovely.
13. Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader 1 - Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert
I love the layers in this, the storytelling motif as Batman witnesses his own funeral, and hears the circumstances of his own death retold by important people in his life - Selina and the reality that could've been had she turned away from crime, and Alfred's desperate attempts to keep Batman from recklessly endangering his life. I can't wait to see how this ends, and what it all means.
14. What I Was - Meg Rosoff
I found this confusing, and I just didn't believe in the narration. I know it's a play on gender roles, but the twist still irked me. And then it just didn't go anywhere solid, and emotionally I felt very distant from the characters.
recs in bold
anti-recs in italics
The Class
Absorbing, naturalistic, almost documentary-like feature about a year in the class of a junior high school in the 20th in Paris. Based on the real life events documented in Francois Begaudeau's book on his own teaching experiences, the author plays Mr Marin, who teaches French to a class of 14/15 year olds, and tries to push them to be more engaged with learning and thinking in general, by challenging, and on occasions, mocking them, about their behaviours, attitudes and beliefs. But it's not some cut and dried heartwarming tale that ends in the salvation of a previously recalcitrant class, but true to life, there are some children who blossom under this intense environment, and others who fall by the education wayside, the consequence of not one but many conflicting factors of class and race and societal pressures and personality.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
This is sweet. It diverts a fair bit from the novel, which improves the pacing a little (there's a more defined quest arc which keeps the momentum going), but also includes new cringeworthy scenes that overemphasise Tris' sexuality in questionable ways. Michael Cera is, you know, his usual mopey adorable self, and Kat Dennings is lovely - she has that prickly nature of Norah's down, but it's clear why she feels the way she does, and she makes Norah a sympathetic character. It helps that she looks amazing while pouty, heh. Also, the scene in the studio between Nick and Norah is HOT. That was an addition I didn't mind at all. I did wish they hadn't sidelined Nick's bandmates - they lose a lot of the outrageous personality from the books, relegated to stereotypically gay stock support roles.
Yes Man
I'm not even a fan of Jim Carrey's mugging, but despite some cringetastic moments where he over waay OTT, this is such a sweet, and yes, funny comedy about being more open to life. Zooey Deschanel works her kooky love interest schtick again, but she and Carrey have some adorable moments which redeem their romance. A good supporting cast, particularly Rhys Darby, who is hilarious as Carrey's earnest manager.
He's Just Not That Into You
This is not the romantic comedy it's been selling itself to be, though it rises about its self-help roots somewhat. Selling confused messages about the interpersonal relationships between an entangled group of 30 and 40 somethings in Baltimore in order to paint a generalised view of male-female interactions in society, the movie collapses in on itself at the end of the movie when it succumbs to the cliches it has been trying to upset for most of the film. It's also hampered, despite a likeable cast, by unlikeable or unknowable characterisations for pretty much everyone involved. If the cheating husband (Bradley Cooper), the uptight wife (Jennifer Connelly), the carefree homewrecker(Scarlett Johansson), the neurotic everyman (Kevin Connolly) or the knowledgeable but playboy bartender (Justin Long, miscast) don't make you want to throw things at them, then the incredibly desperate, terrifyingly needy Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin, who *almost* gets away with it because she is so darned cute) will have you cringing in your seats.
Fall Out Boy / All American Rejects / Hey Monday - 21 Feb - Acer Arena
Hey Monday - Despite my misgivings about their youth and relative inexperience, they just about won me over with their adorable bouncy show, their bright (if not particularly memorable) pop tunes, and Cassadee's sweet voice (noticeably stronger in the higher register). Pete came out for second song Obvious, and we LOLed at the idea of Pete singing. I thought Candles - acoustic at the start with just Cassadee and a guitar - was a particular highlight. Oh, and apropos of nothing, the hairhat on the left (one of the guitarists) had a suprisingly high voice when harmonising.
AAR - Tyson Ritter looked incredibly skeevy and unwashed. Nick came out wearing a black, patterned velvet jacket - WTF? The banter was forced and a bit arrogant (as was coming out to the 1812 Overture). The crowd on the floor was really into them though, particularly in the big hits that started the show (Swing Swing, Dirty Little Secret). Musically they were solid, but it wasn't a dynamic set, and it left me a little cold.
Fall Out Boy - As I've already noted, this was probably the best I've seen them live. Pete was in a fine mood, cracking jokes about being a R.Patz fan, and telling rambling anecdotes about Gabeisms. :) Joe's hair was epic, and I worried every time he twirled dangerously close to the great pyro displays that punctuated the songs. Patrick looked every inch the rock star, and his vocal has improved so much, noticeably when he reached some really low notes (though I did love that he had to make the appropriate hand actions to help himself get to that particular note in the first verse of Headfirst Slide...). There wasn't much band interaction at first, but the second half was peppered with Pete/Patrick moments, from Pete grabing a surprised Patrick from behind in Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner, to Pete calling on Patrick to tell a story that ended with them having a mind meld (oh, but of course). They played Lullabye, which was lovely, though it was a jarring segue from that into Arms Race. And Cassadee came out to sing on Sugar, and she and Patrick sounded really nice in harmony, and it does make me wish that they could somehow clone Patrick so he could harmonise with himself live. Anyway, it was a really fun, high energy show, pakced with hit after hit, and the crowd obviously adored them.
littlerhymes's recap / erilyn's recap with so much media, including all the hilarious banter by Pete
Minus the Bear / HORSE the Band / Straylight Run / Jaguar Love - 23 Feb - Campbelltown City Hotel
Sigh.
We heard HORSE's set from a distance and it was just a bit too loud and aggressive.
Minus the Bear had an extended tantrum at their soundy when they realised all their settings were wrong about ten minutes before they were to start, but when they luanched into starter Dr L'Ling they sounded great anyway. I hope I get the chance to catch them again someday.
John Nolan is smaller in real life than expected, and still has kinda Jesus-like hair.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus / Forever the Sickest Kids / Jack's Mannequin / Bayside - 25 Feb - The Metro
Bayside were loud, and played a solid set of surprisingly tuneful songs.
Jack's Mannequin were poptastic and fun, and very warmly welcomed by the already packed theatre. Andrew McMahon was an adorable muppet, throwing himself around the stage with the same abandon he bashed at his keyboard and sang. Set list was an almost even mix from both albums: Crashin', The Mixed Tape, Spinning, Bloodshot, Dark Blue, The Resolution, Bruised. Thirty minutes was too short a time - I would love to see them headline one day.
The Resolution (youtube)
Forever the Sickest Kids were enjoyable beyond expectations. They came out to a pre-recorded tongue-in-cheek announcement, with half the band sporting amazingly emo hair, and wearing lolzy band t-shirts (Creed, Nickelback). It wasn't so much their musical ability - a bit shambolic live, which lessened the poptastic impact of their songs on record - but rather their energetic, ironic performance that really sold their show. Frontman Jonathan Cook worked the crowd into a frenzy with his cult leader like posturing, and the blond drummer was fun to watch too, with his endless stream of stick tossing tricks. They were a lot of fun to watch overall.
Then Ro and I decided not to stay for RJA, and headed into Chinatown for some late dinner/supper instead. As we walked past the table by the door as we left, I caught sight of a cute guy out the corner of my eye, so I took a second look. Totally worth doing, heh; even as I had to try and nudge littlerhymes in that direction and go OMG subtly at the same time.
Oh yeah, that's right, we had dinner about three tables away from Andrew McMahon and friends, ahahaha. He is really pretty in person. :)