Movie and Book Reviews

The Informant starring Matt Damon is hilarious. It's based on a true story about a VP at a company who turns informant for the FBI and provides evidence of price fixing in the industry. But the way it's made has you laughing throughout the entire film. It's unbelievable to watch all the events unfold. If you don't catch this one at the theater then definitely put it in your rental pile.

I rented Race to Witch Mountain. I'll admit it: I only rented it because to look at The Rock. You can skip this movie.

Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol is a fun read. I would say it's not as far-fetched as Angels & Demons or The Da Vinci Code, which I liked but I'm guessing most other people won't like this one as much. It's set in Washington, DC and focuses on the secrets and symbols of the Masons.

Last but definitely not least is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. I adored this book! It's a murder mystery told from the first person perspective of an 11 year old chemistry enthusiast named Flavia. The thing I loved the most about this book is the distinction between the world everyone else lives in, and Flavia's world. This book is charming and funny, and you have to put it in your to-be-read pile.

Movie Reviews: Inglourious Basterds, etc.

I finally got to see Inglourious Basterds this weekend and loved it. It's set in Nazi occupied France in WWII and focuses on an elite group of Jewish American soldiers called the Basterds (led by Brad Pitt's character) who brutally kill and scalp Nazis. They eventually cross paths one fateful evening with a Jewish woman (hiding her identity) who runs a movie theater in Paris that is frequented by German soldiers. Together they change the course of history (if only!!). This is classic Tarantino and I highly recommend it to his fans. However, don't go see this movie if you don't like his other movies.

I also rented a bunch of stinkers lately. I highly do not recommend Employee of the Month (not funny), The Watchmen (WAY too long), Dream Girls (well made but boring), or Laddder 49 (predictable and boring).

Gamer and Stranger in a Strange Land

It was a cloudy day here in Michigan so I went to see Gamer starring Gerard Butler. It takes place in the not-too-distant future where nanochips are implanted into the brain cells of convicts and are then controlled like a video game character by real people in a real life combat scenario. Ultimately it explores technology taken to far by greedy, obsessive humans. It's a decent movie if you're into action/sci-fi films, but if you're a chick-flick type movie goer don't see this one.

Also, at the urging of a friend of mine I read Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein...eventually...after setting a reading schedule and forcing myself to stick to it. My main problem is that it was written in the '60s for a '60s mentality. Had I read it then I probably would have loved it. But, with my modern sci-fi mentality, I struggled to make it through. It wasn't a bad book or a poorly written book, it was just very laborious for me to read. But I'm glad I did, though, because it's a sci-fi classic and I've always wanted to read it.

It's about a man from Mars who comes to live on Earth. I would have enjoyed it more if the book focused on the man from Mars. As it is, less than a third of the book is about him. The main portion of the book focuses on our human reactions to him, told primarily through a blow-hard named Jubal who talks just to hear himself talk. If I ran the universe, I would make a "good parts" version like they did for Princess Bride. But I don't, and therefore it's hard for me to recommend this to anyone else.