Archive
Movie Review: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Summary:
Flint Lockwood has always been different. He’s a nerd, and that doesn’t go over so well in his sardine-fishing, blue collar coastal island town in the Atlantic. His mom was always supportive that he’d do great things one day, however, so the town has grown used to his experiments going awry. When everyone suddenly decides that sardines are gross, the town is facing an economic downturn. It appears that Flint’s latest experiment could bring them the tourism they need.
Review:
There is so much to love about this little film. The storyline about just being who you are and ignoring labels is heart-warming. On the other hand, the film is careful not to make the nerds out to be perfect or the non-nerds to be pointless. Everyone has their strengths, and it is important to use a critical eye when playing up to them.
The animation is quite good, and I imagine it must be spectacular in 3D. Everything is colorful, and the storm scenes in particular are rich and vibrant.
The characters are what really makes the film though. From Flint to his dad to his love interest, Sally Sparks a meteorologist, everyone is richly drawn. Then of course there are my two favorite characters, Flint’s monkey who is voiced by Neil Patrick Harris (“gummy bears!” “Steve!” “excited!”) and the town police officer, who is voiced by none other than Mr. T. Did you catch that? Neil Patrick Harris and Mr. T in the same movie. That is the definition of awesomeness.
The storyline was complex. Although I was nearly certain everything would work out ok in the end (it is a kid’s movie after all), I still found myself on the edge of my seat rooting for the characters.
If you enjoy science, slapstick, or coming of age stories, you will definitely enjoy this film. I highly recommend it.
5 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
Book Review: The World Inside by Robert Silverberg
Summary:
Hundreds of years in the future, Earth society has dealt with the population crisis by discovering the ability to build Urban Monads (urbmons). Each building is 1,000 stories and houses around 880,000 people. This vertical hive living has allowed for most of the land to be farmland, managed by communes still living in the traditional horizontal style. It’s a beautiful day in Urbmon 116, and we’ll get to meet people from each level of the city from artistic San Francisco to academic Shanghai to ruling Louisville. Their lives of enforced zero privacy, no locked doors, mandatory acceptance of sexual requests from anyone of age, and a reverence for fertility resulting in uncontrolled population growth present a unique social situation. An academic wonders if humanity has forcibly evolved itself to naturally enjoy the Urbmon lifestyle or if it is a cultural influence forced upon them. Maybe these next few days will help him tell.
Review:
This book is such a creative imagining of a possible future, one I certainly never had thought of. Silverberg approaches his storytelling by at first making it seem as if we will be exposed to a series of vignettes about the inhabitants of Urbmon 116, but then their interconnection suddenly becomes apparent as the dual climaxes approach. I was certainly not bored with the vignette portion as the society of the Urbmon is so interesting, but the interconnection moved it from being an interesting book to a powerful book.
The World Inside is a look at what would happen if the most fundamentalist pro-lifers were to win the majority and gain great power. There is no birth control, every fetus conceived is brought to childhood (although the gender may be manipulated to maintain a balance). Interestingly, in order for this pro-life construct to gain power, they also had to make concessions to the free love folks. Everyone gets married at a very young age, but there is no such thing as sexual loyalty. People are encouraged to nightwalk–leave their own abode at some point after midnight and enter another apartment and have sex with one of the adults there. Often the husband or wife will stay in the room in spite of the sex going on in the same bed as them with their spouse. This is explained as a necessary way to maintain harmony in the building. It is intriguing to see such a lack of regard for parental loyalty to each other in a society that encourages so much procreation, yet it all makes sense.
That is really what makes this such a strong book. It’s such a plausible future, given the proper circumstances, that it gives chills, and yet Silverberg still shows the basic humanity in these people, stuck in a culture, a society that they have little to no control over. If they fail to fit into the social constructs at all, they are simply put down the chute–killed and used as fuel for the building. There is no room for real discourse or exploration of where they may have gone wrong. It’s a social construct that happened out of necessity due to humanity’s refusal to stop procreating so much. They gave up all their other freedoms for that one. Even the freedom to chose to be monogamous if you want. It is such an emotional, thought-provoking warning gong. It’s definitely a book I will hold onto and re-read.
If you enjoy scifi, dystopias, or philosophical explorations of the human condition, you will definitely enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.
5 out of 5 stars
Source: PaperBackSwap
Book Review: Breakfast at Tiffany’s: A Short Novel and Three Stories by Truman Capote
Summary:
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
A nameless narrator recalls the eccentric 19 year old neighbor he once had in New York City–Holiday Golightly. He reflects on their friendship of just over one year, and wonders where she is now.
“House of Flowers”
Ottilie works as a prostitute in Port Au Prince. She lives in a beautiful house with fine things, but one day at a cock fight, she falls in love and leaves the city for the country with her new husband. Will she regret her decision?
“A Diamond Guitar”
A man in prison for 99 years plus 1 day in a tropical location is well-respected by the other prisoners for his ability to read. One day, a new inmate arrives serving a 2 year sentence. He is young, beautiful, and can play the guitar wonderfully.
“A Christmas Memory”
A man recalls his early Christmases spent with an older relative who had never wandered far from home, but had a love of life the other adults in his family mistook for a bad influence.
Review:
I read this book due to watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s (review) and really enjoying it. Various friends told me they were curious to know my reaction to the different ending in the book, so I decided to read it.
Capote’s strength as a writer is in setting the scene. I could vividly picture the scenes in every single story, despite their vastly different settings. This is what made the stories readable in spite of their plotlines being not particularly my cup of tea. I felt that Capote just approached the edge of something phenomenal, biting, and truthful, but then stopped. Stories that could have been touching and powerful were therefore decidedly average.
What I loved about the movie version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s is that it took a loving look at someone with mental issues and showed how she could get better. There is none of that hope in the short novel. Holly comes off entirely as someone out to use other people, and there is an unforgivable scene with her cat. I came away hating Holly, whereas I felt I was made to understand a possibly unlikable person in the film. This made the short novel quite disappointing and is exemplary of everything I disliked in this collection of Capote’s works.
That said, his writing style is highly readable, and I enjoyed the message in “A Christmas Memory” very much, even if the title is entirely uncreative.
My advice to any who love the film is to skip this if they wish their opinion of the characters to remain untarnished. Those who enjoy mid 20th century American short fiction will enjoy this collection, however.
3 out of 5 stars
Source: PaperBackSwap
Movie Review: Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Summary:
Shaun is a 20-something loser with a dead-end job and a girlfriend who he only ever takes out to the local pub. She dumps him on the eve of a zombie outbreak. Shaun drags his job-less roommate through the streets, battling zombies in an attempt to save his mother and restore his relationship with Liz.
Review:
I couldn’t watch this movie and not compare it to Zombieland, which I watched last summer. I honestly think that anyone wanting to compare US culture to UK culture should just watch these two films. Shaun of the Dead takes an everyman who wants desperately to save people, but his only weapon is a cricket bat (btw, those things look like such a pussy weapon). Shaun stumbles about the city with his line of relatives, friends, and frenemies, and they all make witty asides to each other while maintaining some sense of propriety when battling the zombies. It’s wonderfully funny to watch, but not a point of view I, as an American, would imagine at all for a zombie apocalypse. My pov lines up much more with Zombieland where the characters swipe trucks and double-tap the zombies with guns. However, that’s what made Shaun of the Dead such a delightful watch, because it was a character study on top of the fun zombie scenes. There were some jokes that fell flat for me, and I wasn’t too keen on the ending, but I know some people will enjoy the ending for precisely the reasons I disliked it. However, Shaun of the Dead was still a delightful watch, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys humorous apocalypse or zombie tales.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
Book Review: In For a Penny by Rose Lerner
Summary:
Nev Bedlow’s partying days are over. His father got his brains blown out in a duel, and now Nev must deal with the family’s massive debt, as well as tend to their much too neglected country estate. He must marry new money and pretty, witty Penelope seems just the ticket.
Penelope wasn’t after a title. In fact, she was dutifully waiting, hoping her parents would eventually approve an engagement with her friend Edward, but when Lord Bedlow shows up asking for her hand in marriage, she finds herself saying yes.
The new couple not only must get to know each other and see if love can form, but also deal with the threat of a riot of the tenants, Nev’s impatient younger sister Louisa, and threatening neighbors.
Review:
Regency romance isn’t normally my thing, but I read a review on a book blog (I can’t remember which) that intrigued me. It was well worth it. In For a Penny doesn’t look at the past through rose-colored lenses. It faces the facts of life back then for men as well as women of all stations. However, unlike books of that time period that ignored the occurrence of things like sex, this book includes them. Put those two together, and you get a really pleasant read.
The characters are highly relatable and are not stock characters. Penelope is virginal and innocent due to her station, not because that’s just how women were. An actress is provided as a nice contrast, showing that with the sexual freedom of lower classes came great risk. Nev sports his own kind of innocence, a complete obliviousness to the pain and suffering in the world that then comes to meet him head-first. Instead of a dashing lord, we see a young man whose father failed to properly prepare him for adulthood. It puts exactly the type of human emotion into the story that is necessary for the romance to ring true.
That said, I didn’t completely love it. There were a few scenes that read a bit clunky. Beyond that, I’m not sure why I didn’t love it. I suspect that it’s just that it’s not my favorite genre, and thus even though it is done well, it will never be an intensely loved book in my mind.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by the real emotions and situations in this regency romance and hope to come across more like it. If you enjoy romance or historical fiction, I encourage you to give this book a chance. I bet you will enjoy it.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: PaperBackSwap
Movie Review: The Dinner Game (1998) France Le diner de cons
Summary:
Pierre and his friends have a recurring dinner party where they each bring an idiot. The person who brings the best idiot wins. Pierre is excited that he may have finally found a winner in Pierre–a government worker who makes models out of matchsticks and talks about them incessantly. However, he throws his back out the night of the party, and his wife walks out on him, leaving him at the hands of the bumbling Francois.
Review:
This is the French movie that is being remade/Americanized into Dinner for Schmucks, which is being released this summer. This is what led me to watch it, and I must say I don’t know why I always forget how much I enjoyed the foreign films I watched in university. They’re such a fun way to immerse yourself in another culture.
The Dinner Game plays with that classic light-handed touch often found in French films. The wit is sly, not heavy-handed. The jokes build slowly, rather like American black-and-white classic films.
I found it delightful that the writers made the choice to make Pierre basically an unredeemable douchebag who you still end up sympathizing with. It takes talent to pull that off, and it is done quite smoothly.
The movie is quite short, though, ringing in at only 81 minutes. I wanted it to last longer! Additionally, the ending was rather sudden. People who don’t like to left guessing won’t enjoy that part of it. I also felt the set-up took a bit long, particularly given the length of the film.
If you enjoy light-handed wit and a good character study, you will enjoy this film.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
Book Review: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Summary:
Snowman used to be Jimmy. Jimmy was a word person in a science person world. He couldn’t splice genes to make rakunks or even to make new types of plants. He could sell them to the public who lived outside of the safe Compounds though. Jimmy was with Oryx, although he had to share her with Crake. Now, Snowman must take care of the Crakers with their rainbow of colors, naturally insect-repellant skin, and complex mating rituals. Snowman is alone except for the Crakers. Everyone else died in the bloody pandemic. Or did they?
Review:
This is a companion novel to Year of the Flood (review), although Oryx and Crake was published first. Companion novel means they’re set in the same time-span in the same universe and some characters may briefly cross over, but you don’t necessarily need to read them in a particular order or even read all of them.
Atwood is one of my favorite authors, so I have no idea how to react to the fact that I didn’t like this book. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it. It was a bit of a struggle to get through. As usual, Atwood sets scenes beautifully, but I felt no emotion driving the story. I believe Oryx and Crake suffers from the fact that love triangle of Oryx, Crake, and Jimmy is only hinted at throughout the book, only to be revealed in such a manner that it rings false. Jimmy seems to surf through life on a wave of ennui, until Oryx shows up and cheers him up, but how does she do it? We just don’t ever really find out, because our narrator is Snowman–the version of Jimmy who’s lost his mind. Perhaps Atwood was trying to show a culture that had reached a point where people just couldn’t be truly happy. That’s a good thing to show, but it makes for a boring narrator.
What I really wanted to know about was what made Crake do the things he did. He’s clearly either a mad-man or a genius, but we never get to find out much about him at all. I wish he had been the narrator. To see inside his mind would have been amazing. I could have even overlooked the fact that he’s not a woman.
That’s the other thing that bugged me about this book. Atwood usually writes with female main characters, but in this instance, men were the main players. That kind of pisses me off. Was she unable to imagine a woman doing something so evil? A woman being so stupid? That’s just as sexist as women never being the hero. I would have enjoyed the book so much more if Jimmy and Crake were women (heck, Oryx could have stayed a woman too. That would have been an interesting change).
When you compare this to Year of the Flood, it’s evident that what Oryx and Crake lacks is the emotions driving the bigger picture. It’s a well-imagined and creative big picture, which is what makes the book still readable. I’m sure some people would like it, but don’t come into it expecting Atwood’s more typical emotion-driven story. You won’t find it.
3 out of 5 stars
Source: PaperBackSwap
Movie Review: Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Summary:
Susan is about to get married when a meteor hits her, turning her into a giant. The US government quickly brings her to its monster facility, where she meets other monsters. Soon an alien invades Earth, seeking the material in the meteor that made Susan a giant. The monsters must fight the alien, while Susan tries to come to grips with her new life.
Review:
This is an awful movie. Down-right awful. It was so bad that even though it’s only 94 minutes long, I didn’t finish it. None of the jokes worked. The storyline made zero sense. I mean, the meteor landed on top of Susan. She definitely would have been crushed prior to being able to soak up any special substance. The way the monsters are handled completely misses all opportunities for humor. Omg they have super-powers but can’t seem to use them properly. Hilarious. *eye-roll* Then there’s the invading alien. I don’t even know if we were supposed to find him threatening or funny, but he was certainly neither. Dreamworks, how did you manage to go so wrong? Especially with the gift of such a talented voice cast including Seth Rogen, Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Stephen Colbert. This should have been epically funny, instead of an epic waste of time.
Save yourselves from this disaster, folks. There are plenty of other worthy animated movies out there to spend your time on.
1 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
Book Review: The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox
Summary:
Lizzie’s life is all about control. Her library books are never late, her preschool class is extremely well-behaved, and she always grocery shops with lists. In fact, to date the only out-there thing she’s ever done is to adopt her terrier, Pirate. On her 30th birthday, though, her long-lost grandmother shows up, and she just happens to be a biker babe. Oh, and she’s here to warn Lizzie that the minute she turns 30 her slayer powers will go into full effect and a fifth level demon wants them. Before she knows it, she’s caught up in a whirlwind of roadkill witches, griffins, demons, and switch stars.
Review:
This is a refreshing twist in the paranormal romance genre. No vampires to be seen so far and demons are just demons not fallen angels seeking redemption. Lizzie reads kind of like a reluctant ninja, which is a nice change from the boring girl suddenly made exciting by the appearance of vampires. Her life is suddenly made exciting due to a change that took place inside herself, not outside.
I also really enjoyed that her slayer powers come about when she turns 30, not at adolescence or at 18 or at 21. Thirty makes sense because she actually gets a chance to grow up before dealing with all of this stuff. Plus it gives older readers who long ago gave up on getting a letter from Hogwarts a chance to still imagine a fantastical life for themselves.
On the other hand, Fox does not entirely escape from paranormal romance (or heck, just romance) tropes. There’s this really cute guy and she instantly feels a magical connection but oh my goodness something is holding them apart until they stop letting it but then she gets instantly angry at him. For a writer who put in some very creative elements, such as the witches being elderly grandmas who still kick butt, I was expecting far more from the romance portion. Also, the sex scene really fell flat. I’m not sure if this was due to the way she wrote about the sex or the fact that I just didn’t believe any of the emotions between the two, but it was a disappointment either way.
Similarly, Lizzie hems and haws over being a demon slayer rather late in the game at a point at which it is obvious she really enjoys it but for some reason isn’t realizing it? It just doesn’t make sense and rings false.
However, I still plan on reading the sequel, because the romance was such a minor portion of the storyline, and Lizzie is at least a strong female character who remains feminine. I’m not big into the hardened heart tattoo covered female leads who seem to be the only paranormal alternative to moony-eyed emo chicks. Lizzie lands smack between the two, which lends to the unique qualities in the book.
If you enjoy paranormal romance with a twist, you’ll enjoy this series. Similarly, if you want a humorous, gentler introduction to the genre, try this book out.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Source: SwapTree
Movie Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Summary:
Mr. Fox promised his mate when she got pregnant to stop raiding the local farms and settle down to a safe journalism job, but when they move to a tree close to three farms, he finds night raids irresistible. Soon the woodland critters and the farmers are in an all-out battle of wits.
Review:
OMG I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!
First, it is done in delicious stop-motion animation. The whole film is truly a piece of art. My particular favorite is when they do cut-aways of the animals’ homes and tunnels below-ground. It looks so incredibly real. It reminds me of my well-loved books growing up that would cut-away animal homes like beaver houses and show you their house inside, complete with beds and stoves. Swoon.
Second, there’s the storyline. I’ve always loved the crafty animals out-witting the farmers from basically the first day I could read. This may have been an indication of my future vegetarianism.
Third, there’s the characters. The three farmers each have their own personalities. The animals have more well-rounded characterization than I’ve seen for people in most tv shows. For instances, Mr. Fox’s nephew, Kristofferson, is a naturally calm soul who knows karate and meditates every day contrasted with Mr. Fox’s son, Ash, who just wants to be a bandit and is pretty much perpetually angry.
Fourth, there’s the soundtrack. There’s a wonderful folk tune about halfway through the movie that is very reminiscent of the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou? another one of my all-time favorite movies.
Finally, there’s the fact that Dahl dealt with adult language in a kids’ film by replacing any swear word with the word “cuss.” This results in the adult animals saying wonderful things like “What the cuss?!” Brilliant.
I probably should also mention the fact that Mr. Fox is voiced by George Clooney who is always swoon-worthy.
I honestly can’t think of anyone who would dislike this movie. I suppose if you hate animals and have no soul you might not like it. All others need to go watch it immediately.
5 out of 5 stars
Source: Zune on Xbox
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