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I'm on another movie bender. I haven't done this in years, but every so often I need to escape, and seeing a movie or two every day is a way to briefly forget about cold weather, snow, getting my life together and being present. I mean, who wants to be present and live in the moment ALL THE TIME? Most of us would be pretty bored. It's nice to go and live in someone else's moment for a couple of hours. Every day. This is also a good way to make the awards shows more meaningful if that's not a comical statement. Which it is. Come on folks, these are movies. Without further ado, I'd advise seeing
Argo - which you already knew you had to do. You have a bit of an idea that it's about rescuing hostages from Iran, but you didn't know that there were two groups of hostages, and this movie is about the group that got away so to speak. It's based on a true story, and it moves quickly, there is very little violence per se, and you'll come away thinking you saw a good movie. Best picture? I don't know yet.
Hyde Park on the Hudson - Bill Murray has become one of those actors you just have to watch, and in this case, he portrays Franklin Delano Roosevelt with aplomb. I enjoyed seeing how he lived, how he related in general to those around him, and how he entertained the King and Queen of England at a crossroads in history. I was left cold about the story that is the main reason for the movie. Laura Linney didn't deliver for me, and for that reason, this can wait until you can see it for free. Don't have to shlep to the theater, but if you see it at the redbox or library, and there is nothing else appealing, treat yourself to some Bill Murray. Plus the portrayal of Eleanor is pretty nutty. I wonder if she really was such a combination of clueless and wimpy. I'd thought of her as strong in body and personality. I think I have some reading to do....
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri - Whenever people ask me about favorite authors, I never think to say Jhumpa Lahiri, but she is definitely at the top of the list. Unaccustomed Earth is a generous compilation of long short stories. The short story's only fault is that it's sometimes too short, and the fault of the novel is that it can drag somewhere along the line. A long short story solves those concerns, to provide a story of perfect length. I love these people of Indian background, and I enjoy being allowed in to their particular way of talking, cooking, living, communicating and being seen in the world. Ruma, Pranab Kaku, Amit and Megan, Rahul, Sang, Hema and Kaushik populate these stories with grace and human fault. Hema and Kaushik are especially strong and their story is the powerful one that still moves me days later.
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker - This unlikely story was the best book of my vacation. It takes place in Southern California, and at the very beginning we find out that the earth has slowed its rotation. This causes the days and nights to be unpredictably longer, and people are freaked because there is nothing they can do about it but adapt to an uncertain future. The narrator and protagonist is Julia. She has a wonderful voice and she's telling the story as an adult who hasn't forgotten what it was like to be a smart, thoughtful and observant 11 year old who lived through the changes of nature around her as well as those happening to her personally as an adolescent. She has close connections with the people around her, but as she grows up, she finds out that grown ups are not always grown up.
D'Jango - The best movie I've seen in ages. But not for everyone. I like how Quentin Tarentino asks the question: What would have happened if.....? And then he answers it with so much wit, action, excitement and violence that you just can't stop watching. You know that there are going to be some sacrifices. You know that your hero is going to win. You know that it is not going to be pretty. But you have to see it for yourself. D'Jango is a slave with no hope, until, improbably, and luckily, he gets an opportunity. And the story takes off. Action, excitement and violence by themselves aren't enough. For me it's the wit and the wink.
Normal Girl by Molly Jong-Fast - Miranda is a rich New York party girl who constantly parties and is slipping off the edge. Told in the first person, it's all the more poignant because the reader is left to figure out whether she is smart enough to realize what's happening to her. It's a quick read, intelligent and thoughtfully written.
This is 40 - It might as well have been titled This is 30 or This is 50, because these milestones come along no matter what we do. In this case, a husband and wife are turning 40 and have a great looking life from the outside. It's the inside where things are happening, though. Pure dramady just like we like it from Judd Apatow. I loved Albert Brooks and Jason Segel. Inspiration and wisdom sometimes come from the strangest places. Fun to watch as a very in the moment movie.
That's My Boy - If I had known this was going to be such a funny and good and sweet movie, I would have seen it at the theater. Adam Sandler plays the dad, and he is at his best for goofy comedy with heart. There wasn't a moment of drag in this sometimes raunchy looking movie (channeling the endless desert scene in Hangover, the endless airplane scene in Bridesmaids, and other endless pushed-too-far-we-already-got-the-laugh scenes in so many other movies). It is like a good read - no wasted words or scenes. And it's a great little story!
Sad Desk Salad by Jessica Grose - Sometimes you really want chocolate ice cream, and sometimes you see a chick-lit cover and it calls your name with it's smooth satiny texture and bright clear colorful modern graphics. Both are uncomplicated ways to relax and zone out and feel good for a few minutes. Such was the case. Sad Desk Salad takes us through five days in the life of celebrity blogger Alex, who breaks a controversial big story and then has to live with the consequences. It's easy to read and a good place to go when other parts of your life are busy and stressed (holidays anyone?).
Rock of Ages - For some reason I was under the impression that this was going to be a comedy, but it's actually a musical based on a Broadway play, and it's charming. A small town girl comes to Hollywood to find fame and fortune, meets a city boy, and together they experience real life. The music is 1980s rock and roll, the acting is great, and the surprise character actors make the show.
Ruby Sparks - Ruby Sparks is intelligent, quirky and filled with this wonderful California light that gives the movie an etherial feel. It's about a young writer and the unusual girl he's dating. It's not your every day love story; you've got to pay attention to the little things. I loved it.
The Campaign - Can you go wrong with Will Ferrell and Zack Galifanakis? I don't think so! The laughs start right away, and continue through the entire movie. I love modern raunchy movies with heart. Somehow the heart takes away some of the guilty pleasure. Easy and fun to watch.
It's funny about my blog. I have been neglecting it for the longest time while attending to long term projects and new distractions and a super fun Thanksgiving visit from my family. It's like the blog is a sourdough starter. It's a living thing that is always there, waiting to be accessed and used and added to, but since it's in the back of the fridge, it's also easy to ignore and even forget. I never really do forget, though. Sometimes it's very pleasant to bake bread, and sometimes it's more like something that gets fit in among other tasks and pleasures. Funny enough, I also use this analogy for my garage sale stuff. After every sale, I get rid of most of the items that didn't sell. There are always a few things that was hoping to sell but got left behind. I box these up into a small container, label it, and hang onto it for the next year. During the year, a new garage sale pile starts, and when it's finally time, it's so nice to go back to that original starter box where I've also kept the price tags and markers, and to know there are a few really nice things that might sell this year at lower prices. Just like the sourdough starter, if I really don't want to have a sale that year, the little box sits quietly on the shelf, waiting for its moment in the sun.
Blog-wise, sometimes the sourdough starter doesn't make as nice a batter, and here at the blogspot, since things have changed, it's not as much fun to write with the new ways of labeling, attaching pictures, etc. Fonts and colors are all different, too. There must be an easier way, but of course, there is no one to call. Just an impersonal "HELP" menu which doesn't help at all.
I've been reading......
Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon - This one is a National Book Award Winner, but I'm not sure why. It's difficult to read, which is fine, and the characters do grow on one, which is nice, but it's a story that you don't see where it's going until you are there. It's about a small time race track in West Virginia and the horses and the small time operators who work the races. When I was younger, my Uncle Peter took me to the track all the time, and I loved betting and watching the races. There was something exotic and mysterious about it all. Uncle Peter loved it, and I have a photo of us in the Winner's Circle. His horse had won and he was so happy that day. From that standpoint I read and enjoyed.
A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes - At some point during the narrative of this charming story about children and pirates, I realized that it might not be a modern book. Sure enough, with a few pages to go, I checked the copyright page and found that the book was originally copyrighted in 1929! That's mainly a comment on the writing style which is enjoyable and not so old-fashioned as you might think. Not necessarily a delightful story, but a delightful read. For me, anyway.
Playing With Matches by Carolyn Wall - You know how when you read To Kill A Mockingbird for the first time even if you'd seen the movie, you didn't want it to ever end? I wanted that book to go on and on into forever and eternity, and I would do nothing but read it always. No other books required. Here's a book, albeit with a less than satisfactory title, that lives up to Harper Lee. Playing With Matches takes place on Potato Shed Road in a Mississippi prison town. It's about an outspoken girl named Clea and her remarkable family. It is so good that I will tell you no more. Clea is the first girl who ever reminded me of Scout Finch and I love the author for the gift of this powerful character.
A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style by Tim Gunn - Who doesn't love Tim Gunn, that formal, fun voice of reason and kindness on Project Runway. You won't learn anything new from his book, but you'll learn about Tim's aesthetic, and here and there you'll revisit some age old basics of style.
Dreaming in Chinese by Deborah Fallows - The author and her husband lived in China, and she studied the language which is filled with complicated characters and nuance. If you are a student of the Chinese language or a language aficionado, you might enjoy this account of some of the vagaries of the language, otherwise, read my review or the back cover and go on back to your fiction. An imaginary world is so much more enticing than the real one!
Seasons of Sun by Paula Renee Burzawa - This is one of my favorite books in a long time. It's a novel about an all american Greek-American 14 year old girl who spend the summers of her teen years in her mother's reletives' village. Her mom lets her have run of the town and she finds romance, fun and drama living life far from home with new friends and family. The village becomes her second home, and when she's there it's like her home in a Chicago suburb doesn't exist. It's a charming story for all ages, but especially women and girls, and then most especially for those who have a second life in a second home.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding - Finally! Peter read this for sophomore English last year, so my version is rife with annotations from both George T and Peter. It slowed me down at first, then I just ignored them and plowed on through. What a story. Young boys find themselves stranded on a desert island and have to figure out how to survive. It's as good as it always was, although today's version would be so much different in style and language. I wish I'd been reading it along with Peter, so I've got to be more diligent with Junior Year reading. We've got The Great Gatsby coming up!
