Movie and Book Reviews

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the best Harry Potter movie yet. I think much of it has to do with being able to dispense with the "ooh, look at that cool new spell Hermione can do" and the "oh no, a cave a troll in the girl's bathroom" type gimmicks and get down to the nitty gritty story that's been brewing for six books.

Even if you've never read the books and have only seen the movies, you know that a war is coming. It's always been leading to a showdown between Harry and Voldemort. Half Blood Prince is a great set-up for the ending of the series. I understand the need to cut out as much from the books as possible to get the movie down to a good running time, but the movie-only people (I feel) have been cheated out of the entire back story of Tom Riddle/Voldemort. While not entirely necessary, it seems like something everyone should know going into the Deathly Hallows. It only seems fair since we've been exposed to most of Harry's back story and this series ostensibly centers around those two and how and why they're bound together through Trelawney's prophecy (though we discover at the end of the last book that the series is really about two other characters, but I won't spoil that for those of you who haven't read the books).

And now I'm going to whine about other scenes missing from the movie because I'm a huge Potter dork. The most satisfying scene in the book, and possibly the whole series, was when Dumbledore came to pick up Harry from the Dursley's and gave them all the big old what for, Dumbledore-style of course. Those horrible people have had that coming for a long time and I would have loved to see them get what's coming to them on screen. I also would have liked to see the opening chapter, The Other Minister, where the Prime Minister (unwillingly) meets the Minister of Magic who has to explain that all the disasters occurring in England are actually caused by bad wizards. They even could have gotten Michael Sheen to play the Prime Minister (he plays Tony Blair in just about half the movies he's in). It's a funny chapter in the book and it would have brought a moment of levity to a dark movie. As would the scenes at the Weasley's in the beginning with Fleur Delacour, who the rest of the kids nickname Phlegm due to her overbearing personality. But at 2 1/2 hours I understand why these scenes were cut.This is a fabulous must-see movie. The seasoned actors are great as you would expect (Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane). But this movie also highlights how good the kids have become. They've all done a little bit of work outside of the Potterverse and it's improved their acting in these movies. Emma Watson has always been the best actor of the main trio, but Daniel Radcliff's stage work on Equus has brought him up to the level of the adult actors in the movie. I think he now has the ability to believably pull off all the horrible and wonderful things that happen in Deathly Hallows. If only I had one of those darn time-turners I could speed myself ahead to watch the last two installments right now!

Public Enemies with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale was boring. The movie makers missed the mark on what to focus on and how to make it interesting. Don't bother with this one.

I also rented a couple. Shooter with Mark Wahlberg was decent but predictable. Stephen King's The Shining (not to be confused with the Kubrick version) was an excellent adaptation of the book. Less psycho and more cerebral, it focused more on the mental state of the alcoholic father, and his son who is gifted with some form of ESP that he calls 'the shining.'

Speaking of books, I've read quite a few. I've read the 13 Dark Hunter books by Sherrilyn Kenyon and most of the ancillary short stories. The series is fun but starts off a little slow. I don't think she really had an overall story arc in mind until several books in. The last two books, Acheron and One Silent Night, were fantastic. They focused more on action and the overall plot development and less on the individual love stories.

The background of the story centers around ancient Greek and Atlantean gods. 11,000 years ago, some Apollites killed Apollo's Atlantean mistress and their baby. He took revenge by cursing all Apollites by 1) making it so they can't go in the sun so he doesn't have to look at them, 2) they have to feed off each other for sustenance, and 3) they die a very painful death on their 27th birthday since that's how old his mistress was when she was murdered. Some of them accept their fate, but those who don't, daimons, feed off of humans to suck their souls, thereby extended their lives. The Dark Hunters are the ones who kill the daimons to keep humans safe. They are people who die tragic deaths and call on Artemis (known to many in this series as 'the bitch goddess' - and rightfully so) who trade their souls to her for immortality and some extra powers so they can exact their revenge, but are then bound to serve as Dark Hunters. There's a lot of other stuff going on, but that's the main gist of the background.

I also read the four Dream Hunter books, which are offshoots of the Dark Hunter series. It takes place in the same universe but focuses on the Oneroi, the gods who can enter your dreams. I don't find these books as interesting as the Dark Hunter books, but they fill in a lot more of the overall background and characters.

This is light reading, but if you can tolerate the goopy love stories you might enjoy the overall storyline like me. I'm all set now for the latest book which comes out on August 4th, which is supposed to center around Fang and Aimee. I can't wait to see what happens next.

I also read His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik which I downloaded for free on my Kindle. It was a good story that explores how dragons would have been incorporated into the Napoleonic wars. I liked the beginning more than the end. The beginning focused on the dragon and its relationship with his person. The end of the story focused a lot on the battles. Because of that, I wasn't compelled to read additional stories in this series. But it was a solid book if you want to check it out.

Goodbye, Michael Jackson

I'm sure many of you are mourning the loss of Michael Jackson today like I am. I was obsessed with him in 6th, 7th & 8th grade. I had all his posters all over my walls and all his buttons all over my jacket. For Christmas I got a red pleather jacket that looked just like the one he wore in his Beat It video. My brother got a black one just like it and my mom a white one.

I think our neighborhood was the last one in the entire USA to get cable. When the Thriller video came out I had to go over to a friends house to catch it. MTV was playing it every half hour. They've never done that since - that's how groundbreaking the video was. That zombie dance is STILL totally kick ass!
And the moonwalk?! W-O-W!! There hasn't been a dance move before or since (or any kind of move by anybody doing anything) that blew everyone away. 'Fess up - you tried to do it and failed miserable but even now you still wish you could to it. (It's ok, me too.)

I dragged my whole family (though it wasn't hard) to the Jackson's Victory concert at the Pontiac Silverdome when I was 13. It was my first concert so I couldn't say for sure, but I think that was the first concert tour that was a 'production' and not just a concert. I remember we were all dazzled the entire time. I got to see him moonwalk live while singing Billie Jean. What a memory to have! I still have my concert ticket.

I remember when the Black or White video premiered on MTV when I was college. It obviously was about race relations so I thought it was going to be slow and preachy, but it turned out to be one of the best pop songs he ever wrote. And how cool was the end of that video when all those people were morphing into each other?!

At the end, it seems like he surrounded himself with a bunch of self-serving leeches who didn't do anything to help him emotionally or physically. And if the toxicology report reveals that his death was caused by all meds, I hope the evil Dr. Feelgood gets stripped of his medical license and thrown in jail. He had all those people around him - why didn't any of them help him? The frustrating thing is that he could have gotten help and didn't have to die.

MJ: You are missed. Say 'hi' to Elvis for me.

Movie Reviews

Movie review time! The Life Before Her Eyes starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood is the story of a woman who survived a Columbine-like tragedy. This isn't my normal genre of movies, so please believe me when I say it's worth renting.

I also recommend Death At A Funeral, a British comedy about family dynamics in midst of the funeral of the family patriarch. I wasn't in the mood to watch a British film, but it won me over in spite of my bad mood. It was pretty darn funny.

Darjeeling Ltd. was a little too goofy for me. It's the story of a trio of brothers who never got over the death of their father. If you're in the mood for a very quirky movie you might like this one.

Outlaw starring Sean Bean is slow, and Awake is stupid. Don't rent either of them.

Movie & Book Reviews

I've been laid up after having surgery on my foot so I have lots of reviews to post from all this free time on my hands. I'll start with The Hangover which was hilarious. Three guys wake up in their trashed Vegas hotel room after a crazy night out on the town for a bachelor party to find a chicken, a baby, and a tiger - but no groom. They have no memory of the night before and try to retrace their steps so they can find their friend. This movie was absolutely laugh out loud funny. This is a must see.

Yesterday I went through South Park Season 12. If you're a South Park fan this is a must see. The first few episodes were a little on the weak side, but as the season progressed the episodes got funnier culminating in the best and last episode of the season where Butters thinks he's turned into a vampire after getting a Hot Topic makeover and drinking Clamato. I love Butters.

The rest of the movies I watched I can't really recommend. Deception, starring Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor, is slow and predictable. Harsh Times, starring Christian Bale, is about a stupid white guy trying to fit into Latino street culture. One Missed Call wasn't scary at all. Lars and the Real Girl wasn't bad, but I thought it was supposed to be comedy and it turned out to be a touching indy film.

Now for a couple book reviews. The first one is a short story that was free on the Kindle called Serial by Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch. It's three chapters long. The first chapter follows a male serial killer who rapes and tortures a hitch hiker in a cornfield. The second chapter follows a female serial killer who drugs her victims so she can tie them to the back of the car and drag them until they die. The third chapter has these two serial killers meet each other and gets interesting as we watch them try to kill each other. Very twisted. It's not bad, but I'm glad it was only three chapters because it was disturbing.

The other book was also a free Kindle download called The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. It's aimed at a pre-teen audience, but it was a good little story. It's about Nicholas Flamel and the philosopher's stone, which can make the elixir of life. Some bad people steal the codex of ancient formulas and it's up to a set of twins to help Flamel save the world from destruction. Cute, but I can't recommend it to an adult audience.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

Zombies?! Yes, you read that right. Some genius named Seth Grahame-Smith took Jane Austen's torturously boring novel and wrote in a bunch of zombies to spice it up. The Bennet girls are all ninja warriors pledged to kill Satan's minions, but the main story is still Austen's original drivel. This book is much more clever and entertaining than it sounds like it would be.

It took me a long time to read this; probably about a month when my usual pace for a book is a few days to a week. It if weren't for Grahame-Smith's upgrades I would have stabbed my eyes out with a fork and tossed the book into the garbage (well, not really because I have it on my Kindle, but you get the point). I don't know how Austen got herself published and why her books are considered classics. Thank God Grahame-Smith had the inclination and the time to revamp it so than now I may say that this new version is definitely a classic.

My initial thought was that he should upgrade all of Austen's books, but his next project is going to be Abe Lincoln: Vampire Slayer. I'm glad he's spreading the love around. I'm looking forward to his future works.

Movie Reviews

Up was a fabulous movie! I love that animated movies are more geared to an adult audience these days. It's about old man who lifts his house up with helium balloons to fulfill his life-long dream of exploring South America. Soon after lift off he realized that he's not alone. An eight year old Wilderness Explorer was on his porch when the house lifted off. I loved this kid - he had the funniest lines!

The most beautiful part of the movie is the beginning, which tells the life story of the old man exclusively visually (no dialogue whatsoever). We learned so much about our main character in only a few minutes of animation. Very impressive. Definitely go see this one.

One you should definitely skip is Drag Me To Hell. Indeed. I felt like I was actually in hell while sitting through this piece of crap. At the half hour point I was bored stiff. I wasn't scared at all and it was completely predictable. At several points I laughing because it was so lame - like the angry talking goat, for example. I'm amazed that someone thought this was a good enough script to give Sam Raimi millions of dollars to make this. Do you really want to be the guy who made the worst movie in the past decade?!

I've rented several movies as well. Ones you should catch are Kill Shot based on an Elmore Leonard book starring Mickey Rourke and Diane Lane (filmed in Michigan, btw); December Boys, a British coming of age movie about a group of orphans in Australia starring Dan Radcliff; and Swing Vote, a very over-the-top political comedy starring Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper and Kelsey Grammer.

Ones to remove from your movie queue Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which was really stupid and not funny at all (I think Adam Sandler had his hand in this somehow which explains why it sucked so hard); and American Yakuza from 1993 which wasn't horrible, but doesn't stand up to today's movie standards.

Terminator Salvation

I have to say that I liked Terminator Salvation, I think mostly because I didn't have any expectations going into it. Christian Bale was totally awesome as John Connor, leader of the resistance against the machines who have taken over the world. It fills in the backstory implied in the first three movies nicely. The movie seemed to wander a bit in the middle, but pulled together nicely toward the end. It was totally awesome to get a bit of Ah-nold in there too. It was fun movie to watch, but it's only a must-see for Terminator junkies.

I also rented a few movies. Mirrors with Keifer Sutherland was so beyond horrible that it wasn't scary at all. I can't believe they make movies this bad. The original War of the Worlds made in the 50s was really horrible too. Sid & Nancy with Gary Oldman was somewhat interesting. It's about the relationship between Sex Pistols bass player Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungeon. These people are really annoying so the movie got a little boring.

Movie Reviews: Angels & Demons, etc.

I've been a movie watching fool these last few days. I went to see Angels & Demons this weekend. I thought it was a good adaptation of the book, which is essentially an action/adventure story anyway. One of the reasons it probably works so well is that we actually get to see the churches and statues referenced in the book, which helps a lot if, like me, you don't know anything about old sculptures and churches in Rome.

This story centers around a group founded hundreds of years ago by scientists who were bold enough to go against the Catholic church and say crazy things like, "the earth isn't the center of the universe." This group, called The Illuminati, has supposedly been secretly kept alive and are now exacting their revenge on the Catholic church by threatening to blow it up with anti-matter made in an experiment that basically proves that man can create "the big bang," thereby kind of proving that there is no god. It's a fun romp . Definitely go see it.

I don't recommend the rest of the movies I've seen recently. Therefore, I'll give you a quick list.

Lucky You - boring movie about a poker player. Great acting by Robert Duvall and Eric Bana. Horrible horrible horrible acting by Drew Barrymore.

The Nugget - little Aussie film about three average guys who find a giant nugget of gold and the problems it causes. It's a light, funny film but not a must-see.

5th Element - futuristic sci-fi movie that's too quirky for its own good. Surprisingly, Milla Jovovich was the best part about this movie. Go figure.

The Grudge - would have been scary if it wasn't overly-long and thus, boring.

Pumpkinhead - lame 80s horror flick with false advertising - no guy with a pumpkin on his head.

Vampires - I almost enjoyed this movie. It got the right mix of serious and sass. Made by John Carpenter and stars James Wood.

Star Trek

Star Trek is possibly the best movie ever made. It was so incredible. There are so many 'easter eggs' for trekkies (from Captain Pike to the Kobayashi Maru to Captain Archer's Beagle) but if you've never seen a Star Trek movie or tv show you could enjoy the movie just as much. It's a 'prequel' to the entire series focusing on a young Kirk, Spock and the gang and how they came together.

Hats off to JJ Abrahm's and his crew for putting a lot of thought into the actual script and effort into making a great movie. I think my favorite character (aside from Spock, of course, who is and will always be everyone's favorite character) was Bones played masterfully by Karl Urban. He got the exact attitude and timing down for Dr. McCoy's lines. But the whole cast was fabulous, especially our Romulan villain played by Eric Bana.

If there's any downside at all to this movie it's bad science. I won't even tell you about it because if you don't know about it (or don't really care, like me) you can just go with the flow of the the story and enjoy a marvelous movie.

I can't say enough great things about it. I can't wait to see it again. This is a must see.

Dead and Gone

I just read the latest Sookie Stackhouse book Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris. I enjoy reading these books because they're light and fun and easy to read. This latest book is very Eric-centric (for you Eric fans out there) but centers around a rift within the fairy realm. Sookie gets sucked into the war because her great-grandfather, Niall, is one of the two fairy princes at war with each other. But don't fret, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, and witches are all part of Sookie's life so they're all in this book.

And, I am very pleased to say, my favorite literary character of all time makes an appearance, Bubba. If you don't know who Bubba is, pick up the first book in this Southern Vampire Series called Dead Until Dark. If you've watched the first season of the HBO series based on these books, True Blood, you will have missed out on the insanity that is Bubba. It's your loss.

These aren't the deepest books in the world, but if you're looking for something fun and light to read on the beach this summer I would recommend these.

Assassin's Quest

Wowee wowee wow. I just finished Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb, the last book in the Farseer trilogy. I totally loved this series and adamantly recommend it to everyone. I had no idea that any current author was writing fabulous science fiction tales. Why hasn't this gained the same popularity as the works of Tolkein and Rowling? Am baffled at this because Hobb truly belongs in the upper most echelon with them.

I have read several reader reviews that complain of the story, and especially this last book. I think their primary complaint stems from this story not taking the obvious route to the expected closure of a typical science fiction novel. However, this is what I enjoyed most about this series. The world and the characters Hobb created had me mesmerized from start to finish. The end of this book had me speed-reading as fast as I possibly could because I absolutely had to see how the final events were going to unfold as quickly as possible. I was not disappointed.

I the other complaint I've read from readers is of our hero, Fitz. I think Fitz is the best protagonist I've ever read in science fiction. I find it extremely boring to read about perfect people who always make the best choices; what's interesting reading about somebody doing something that's easy for them? In this story, Fitz tries throughout his life to do the right thing, to be a "king's man." But his mistakes, misjudgments and wrong assumptions combined with his constant struggle to do what he wants versus what he should, shape him into such a robust character that, by the end of the series, I was breathing each breath with him and hoping his same hopes and fearing his same fears.

This was an incredible series. I can't wait to read other books of Hobb's. She has written two more trilogies in this same world she created in the Realm of the Elderlings, as well as other books outside of this universe. Check back to my blog in the future for postings on all of these books, which I will surely read.

Reviews

I haven't posted in a while and I do have several reviews to post. I'll start with the movies. I went to see I Love You Man, which was much funnier than I expected it to be. It was nice to see that his fiance wasn't a nagging you-know-what and was happy for him when he found a friend. I think it's out of the theaters now, but you haven't seen it make sure you rent it on DVD. I guarantee you'll laugh.

My good friend loaned me some of her horror movies and I managed to watch two of them so far. The Prophecy stars Christopher Walken (mister freaky looking himself) as a fallen angel and Viggo Mortensen as The Fallen Angel. Hellraiser was just a smidge disappointing because there wasn't very much Pinhead in this first movie. I am told that the next few have more Pinhead and that if I watch them I will be rewarded (with a puzzle box). These two are both decent in an 80s horror flick kind of way. They're fun to watch if you're in the right mood.

Last and least for the movies in this post is 88 Minutes starring Al Pacino. I figured out the problem - Al can't act. He just just struts around stating his lines with extreme arrogance and no emotion whatsoever. It's quite a far fall from The Godfather. Do not watch this movie under any circumstance.

Now on to my latest book, The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne. I found this book on the blog of Diana Gabaldon, the author the Outlander series which I adore. This was a fun romp following French and English spies during the reign of Napoleon. I classify this book in the same category as the Outlander series - action/adventure books for chicks (I say for chicks because there is a romantic element to the story, as you can probably tell from the cover). It was a fun and easy read that I definitely recommend. I have her follow up book in my book queue and will probably be blogging about it in the near future.

State of Play, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

State of Play is an excellent movie. It's a twisty, turny thriller starring Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, and Helen Mirren. The movie opens with a petty thief being gunned down in an alley, which is the catalyst to uncovering a vast conspiracy. I don't want to say much more about the plot which keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Take it from me, don't drink a large Coke while watching this movie because you won't want to get up for a bathroom break.

I should have caught The Other Boleyn Girl in the theaters, but I'm glad I finally did see it. It's a great depiction of the story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII starring Natalie Portman and Eric Bana, as well as Scarlett Johansson who plays Anne's sister Mary. I never knew Anne had a sister and that she was actually the king's lover first. Great story, very well acted. Definitely catch this one if you haven't already.

I took a chance on The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and it was way to boring and weird for me. I can't recommend this movie, which I ended up fast forwarding through. It's the true story of a guy who had a stroke that resulted in locked-in story. He wrote a book by communicating with blinks of his one good eye. It sounds interesting and inspiring, but you really have to want to watch this kind of movie to make it through the whole thing.

Royal Assassin

Royal Assassin is the second book in Robin Hobbs' Farseer trilogy, and as far as second books in trilogies go, this one was pretty darn good! The overall story arch progressed nicely and there was actual character development (things both generally missing in second books of trilogies).

The story continues to follow young FitzChivalry, bastard grandson and assassin to the dying King Shrewd, as he weaves his way through life in the royal court serving both Shrewd and king-in-waiting Verity, while the Shrewd's youngest son Regal weaves his nasty web of deceit and betrayal. The Red Ship Raiders continue to attack the coast and turn all survivors into zombie-like beings. In a desperate attempt to save the kingdom, Verity leaves his ailing father and pregnant wife in the hands of shady Regal so he can pursue the Elderlings spoken of in their land's ancient lore who were said to have some special power that may help end the coastal attacks. Needless to say, everything goes to hell in a hand basket.

This is a wonderful, well-written story. It was almost heartbreaking to read about the internal destruction of the kingdom and the king's court at the hands of dastardly Regal. I thought it had a great ending (which I will not reveal here). I'm looking forward to reading the last of this trilogy, as well as the other books Hobbs has written about this brilliant world she's created.

Adventureland

Adventureland is a coming of age story set in 1987 as James graduates from undergrad, then faces the harsh realization that his parents can't afford to finance his summer trip to Europe or his graduate school even though he was accepted to Columbia. As a journalism major he's unqualified to do anything except work in a dumpy amusement park. Here he learns more life lessons than he ever learned in college, and he falls in love.

This is more of a 'dramedy' (sorry to use this word - I'm not a big fan of it) than a comedy. Much of the humor is in the horrible clothes, hair, make up, and music throughout the movie. The main 'soundtrack' is comprised of bands like The Cure, Husker Du, The Replacements, and, for some gawdawful reason, Lou Reed. But the film also gives a nod to the other genres of 80s music. For example, Rock Me Amadeus plays incessantly at the amusement park driving everyone crazy. (Feel free to admit to yourself that you owned the '45 back in the day - you know you did). And one of my favorite scenes was James running for his life from a dumb thug who wanted to beat him up while Breaking The Law by Judas Priest played in the background.

It was a good film that had more of an indy feel to it. It's worth seeing, especially if you grew up in the 80s, but it's not necessary to catch it in the theaters.

Assassin's Apprentice

Lucky me to have downloaded Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb on my Kindle for free. Yes, I'm addicted to the free books offered on the Kindle, but the 'lucky' part is that this book is actually good and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it; in fact I plan to read the whole series and possibly everything Robin Hobb ever wrote. (This, I am sure, was the diabolical reasoning behind the free offering, like giving a person one M&M knowing that they will certainly eat more...tricksy, tricksy.)

The story begins with a grandfather dumping his six year old grandson at the king's castle because he can no longer afford to feed and clothe the child, who is apparently the bastard son of the prince first in line to the throne. The book is the story of the boy, who they call Fitz (which means illegitimate son) and how he grows up in the castle keep, not quite royalty but not quite commoner. He is taught many skills by many experts, one of which (you guessed it) is how to be a subtle assassin. The assassin's trade deals with poison's and herbology as opposed to the skills he learns with weapons.

But Fitz has a two unique abilities of his own that set him apart from everybody else. First, he is very powerful but very unstable with the 'Skill,' a form of telepathy that runs in the genes of some royalty. Once honed, the Skill can be used to influence what people think (for example, I could touch your mind without you even knowing it and have you bring me a bag of M&Ms). Fitz's other ability is the 'Wit' which is extremely shunned so he has to keep it a secret from everyone. Wit is not only the ability to connect minds with animals, but to possibly bond with one of them, thus eventually turning your mind into something much more savage and animalistic.

The story unfolds as Fits learns all these things while he grows up in the midst of royal intrigue and scheming. He learns what it truly means to be a 'king's man' and all the sacrifices that entails. One of my favorite characters in the book is the Fool, who is the least foolish person in the book. I will leave it up to you to discover the meaning behind "Fitz fixes feists fits. Fat suffices." I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Sunshine Cleaning and Heavenly Creatures

Sunshine Cleaning was an even better movie than I hoped for. It stars Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as sisters who start a crime scene cleaning service to make some money, and Alan Arkin who plays their father. While there are several funny scenes in the movie, it's a poignant drama about a family coping with the suicide of their mother/wife two decades later, and how her loss still deeply touches them all. It's an excellent movie and well worth your time to watch it.

My latest movie rental was Heavenly Creatures (1994) which, like Sunshine Cleaning, was better than I was expecting. It's a true story starting Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey as girls who develop an intensely close relationship in prep school in the 1950s. Their parents are disturbed by this relationship and the extremely elaborate fantasy world they've created for themselves. One of them is forced to move to South Africa and the other is not allowed to go with her, so the two girls kill one of their mothers in an attempt to stay together. It took me a little while in the beginning of the movie to realize that all the hokey melodramatic music was a device that kept the viewers in the girls' constant existence in their fantasy world. Once I got past that I really got into the movie. I definitely recommend this one.

Movie Reviews: Role Models, King Arthur, and Othello

Role Models (2008) is one of the funniest movies I've watched in a long time. I was laughing out loud throughout the whole movie, which is something I normally don't do. Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott play two energy drink salesmen who are sentenced to community service to avoid jail time, and end up in a mentoring program with two young misfits. One is the shy, nerdy Auggie who's overly involved in a live action role playing game, and the other is sassy, potty-mouthed Ronnie who has most of the best lines in the movie. I don't want to say any more so I don't ruin the laughs for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. If you haven't, rent it very soon.

King Arthur (2004), starring Clive Owen and Kiera Knightly, is a movie that explores who Arthur would have been if he were a real historical figure. In this adaptation, he's a knight of the Roman empire as it is falling and the Roman armies are fleeing the British isles. Lawlessness erupts and Arthur stays in England to fight in hopes of restoring order. It's a well done movie, but Blockbuster sent me the "directors cut" which means it was overly long. However, it was a nice surprise to see Ray Stevenson as one of Arthur's knights. Stevenson was one of the stars in the HBO series Rome which totally rocked. I recommend both this movie and HBO's Rome.

Othello (1995) was surprisingly enjoyable to watch. I'm not a Shakespeare buff by any means, but I think I was able to enjoy it because they cut out about half of the original text (and let's face it, that's where we all lose interest after a while). I couldn't understand the meaning every single spoken line, but I was able to follow the story very easily. It stars Laurence Fishburne as the jealous and untrusting Othello and Kenneth Branagh as the dastardly Iago. Rent this if you're in the mood to try out a Shakespeare flick.

Movie Reviews: Wilde and The Four Feathers

I've been working my way through my huge backlog of older movies and recently rented a couple movies that can both be described in the same way: well made, well acted, but too long and therefore a smidge boring. Wilde (1997) is the biopic of poet and playwright Oscar Wilde staring Stephen Fry and Jude Law. Wilde lived in Victorian England with a wife and two children - and a male lover. His homosexuality was discovered and exposed, but his refusal to leave the country led to a court trial and he was sentenced to two years hard labor. Only pick this one up if you're specifically interested in learning more about the life of Oscar Wilde. (Note that his writing isn't really addressed or discussed in this movie.)

The Four Feathers (2002) is a remake of an old 1915 movie set in 1884 Sudan about a man who resigns his enlistment in the British army right before his regiments ships out for battle. He receives four white feathers from his friends and fiancee as symbols of his cowardice. To redeem his honor, he spends the rest of the movie undercover helping his army regiment during and after the battle. It stars Heath Ledger and Djimon Hounsou and, again, it's well made but long and slow. I only recommend this movie if you've dedicated yourself to watching all of Heath Ledger's movies.

Movie Reviews: Duplicity, Timeline & Undercover Blues

Duplicity was the most fun I've had at a movie in a while, but I'm sure that has a lot to do with all those overly-serious Oscar nominated flicks I've seen lately. This movie has the audience constantly guessing at whose side everyone is on and where everyone's allegiances really lie. Clive Owen and Julia Roberts play ex-MI-6 and ex-CIA agents, respectively, who have teamed up to pull their own scam - or have they? Can they possibly trust each other long enough to pull off their plan, or are they playing each other (along with everyone else)? I'm not a Julia Roberts fan (she freaks me out if I look at her odd face for too long), but if you're like me I say suck it up for two hours because this movie is too fun to miss.

I rented Timeline (2003) based on the Michael Crichton book of the same name. I remember this movie getting trashed in the reviews when it first came out. I think I may have enjoyed it more because my expectations were low and I was able to watch it in the comfort of my own home. Starring Gerard Butler, Michael Sheen and David Thewlis, among others, it's about a group of archeology students who travel back in time via a wormhole to 14th century France to save their professor who gets trapped in the past. It's overly sensational and cheesy, but so was Michael Crichton's book. If you're looking for something fun and light check this one out, but it's definitely not a must-see movie.

I also watched Undercover Blues (1993) at the recommendation of my back therapist. This is a zany family romp about a couple with a baby who happen to be former spies that get lured out of retirement to catch a dangerous arms embezzler. Hilarity ensues as Dennis Quaid and Kathleen Turner multi-task their way through this action comedy. It's dated, lame, and way too cheesy. I'm definitely not recommending this one.

Hunted

Hunted is the fifth installment of the House of Night series written by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast. The story continues to follow Zoey Redbird, a vampyre fledgling blessed by the goddess Nyx, and her small band of friends. In this latest story, they have to defeat Kalona, a fallen angel turned to darkness, and Neferet, the high priestess of the school who has turned her back on Nyx in her quest for power and domination.

Overall, I like the world the authors have created where vampyres are known and exist along side humans though not quite peacefully. I also like the overall story where a small band of good guys are trying to overthrow the more powerful bad guys - having been raised on Star Wars movies and Lord of the Rings books this is exactly why I started this series. However, I wish the authors would stop trying so hard to make trendy teen-talk and spend more time on the quality of the writing.

I recommend this series if you're into action/sci-fi books. Start with the first one in this series, Marked, in which Zoey first gets introduced to the vampyre world. Starting with Hunted would leave you lost as to what is going on in the story overall.

Music Within and Forgetting Sarah Marshall

I took a chance on a movie I never heard of before, Music Within, and was pleasantly surprised. It's a true story about Richard Pimentel who came back from Vietnam legally deaf, being able to only hear vowel sounds but not consonants. He befriends Art, a very smart writer with cerebral palsy, primarily because Richard can understand the way Art speaks (when no one else can). The movie explores Richard's life after the war, focusing on his achievements on behalf of Americans with disabilities. I definitely recommend this movie.

Also watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which was funnier than I thought it would be. As you can tell from the title, it's about a guy trying to get over the girl who dumped him. He decides to go to Hawaii, but ends up at the same resort with Sarah and her new British rocker boyfriend. Hilarity ensues, but my favorite part was the end (**spoiler alert**) because he doesn't get back with Sarah but ends up with someone better for him. Rent this one when you want a laugh.

Into the Wild and Jumper

I rented two non-recommendable movies this weekend. The first one I suffered through was Jumper, which is about a few guys who can teleport to anywhere in the world any time they want. Sounds like a cool premise, but there wasn't much of a plot and the girl that was supposed to be the love interest was exceptionally annoying; I couldn't help but want the bad guy, played by Samuel L. Jackson, to kill her. He didn't.

The other movie was an artsy-fartsy movie directed by Sean Penn called Into The Wild. It's based on a true story about a kid who left to go to Alaska to live alone in the wilderness away from all society. It was really long (2 1/2 hours) and was really boring. I think if it had been condensed into an hour and a half I would have enjoyed it more, but then it wouldn't have been the self-indulgent indy film Sean Penn wanted to make. Needless to say, I can't recommend either of these movies.

Book Reviews

Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain is a good follow up to her first book, Heart Sick. Both stories center around a police detective who was nearly tortured to death by a female serial killer, with whom he now needs to have a very sick and unhealthy relationship. In Heart Sick the serial killer is in prison but in Sweetheart she escapes. These are both really good books. You should read them both, starting with Heart Sick. They're fun, twisted reads.

And now, I'll cover the three Christopher Moore books I just read: Coyote Blue, A Dirty Job, and The Stupidest Angel. Coyote Blue is about love and redemption. A Native American who has been hiding from his past when an ancient tribal god named Coyote the Trickster offers him the dangerous gift of love and totally screws up his life. A Dirty Job is about death and dying, but it's wrapped up in a hilarious and heartwarming story. The main character discovers that he has a new and bazaar "second job" of collecting soul vessels - objects that hold a person's soul after death.

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror was such a joy to read. It takes place in Pine Cove, the same location as his book Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove with all those same wacky characters. It also has Tucker Case and Roberto the talking fruit bat from Island of the Sequined Love Nun, and Raziel (the aforementioned stupid angel) from Lamb. You don't need to read all those other books first, but you do need to read this one. It was hilarious and crazy and so much fun. In fact, read all of his books - I have!

Movie Reviews

I've been busy watching movies but not busy posting them here on my blog. I'm just going to do them all at once and give just a quick review.

The Wrestler with Micky Rourke and Marissa Tomei is great but it's probably the saddest movie I've ever seen - not in a tear-jerker kind of way, but it's just flat out depressing. I would have given Micky Rourke the Oscar for this performance. You should see this one.

The International with Clive Owen is just OK. I think this film is lucky it had Clive Owen to carry the movie. There's nothing unpredictable in this one. If you have any interest you can wait for the DVD.

What Just Happened with Robert DeNiro leading an all-star cast is an indy movie that I think only Hollywood insiders would enjoy. Skip this one.

Driving Lessons is a coming of age story staring Rupert Grint as a teen who starts working for Julie Walters' free spirit aging actress to get away from his over-bearing mother played by Laura Linney. This was much better than I thought it was. Rent this one.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang starring Robert Downey Jr. was also better than I thought it would be. It's a funny, twisty murder mystery with Val Kilmer as a gay private detective. Rent this one.

Dirty Filthy Love starring Michael Sheen is about a guy who has Tourette's and OCD (!what a combo!). It's an incredible movie; very well acted. Definitely rent this one.

Heartlands is a little British movie about a dorky guy whose wife leaves him. He goes on a trip across England to track her down and win her back, but on his journey he comes into his own. I liked that when he finds her he has enough self confidence to leave her. This movie is slow so I wouldn't recommend it.

Laws of Attraction with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore was better than I thought. I didn't realize this movie was in my queue but I'm glad it was because I enjoyed it. Rent this one on a rainy day.

Last and least is The Rocker with Rainn Wilson. This was just bad. Skip it.