I haven't been able to get this song out of my head for days.
May 10th, 2012
April 5th, 2012
I realize I forgot something in my previous update: My brother, sister-in-law, and I went to see The Hunger Games. While it was an enjoyable film, I found it a bit confusing having not read the book. Why were they called hunger games? How did the badly injured Peeta escape and then find the time to disguise himself so well? How did the knife-throwing girl know that Katniss was friends with Rue? Why did Rue's district riot when she was killed given that this was 74th games (why not the first 73 times)? I also felt that the arbitrary rule changes hurt the tension of the film. Peeta and Katniss could have come to the same decision at the end without the bait and switch, and I think that would have been a more powerful statement.
April 3rd, 2012
I've heard from some quarters that I need to update this more. Yes, some quarters are communicating with me. Not all of them though. Just the Arkansas state coins, bicentennial quarters, and ones minted in 1981.
So here's what I've read and watched since my last update back in January.
Luke and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie - This is the sequel to Rushdie's young adult novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Certainly not Rushdie's best work, but fun for what it is.
The Artist - Gnaw and I went to see this (after originally choosing between Hugo and The Descendants, neither of which we have seen even still). It was good, though perhaps as a film fan the novelty of the silent film was for me, well, not a novelty. And the overarching plot of course had a lot of similarities to Singin' in the Rain. Still, a good film.
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke - Clarke's novel about humanity's first contact with extraterrestrials and the last years of humanity. Not his best work.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan - Novel where each chapter focuses on a different character at a different point in their lives, though the characters appear in other chapters (they just may be set years earlier or later). I enjoyed it. Though the one chapter that was entirely in PowerPoint was a bit much.
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard - I've enjoyed reading the Del Rey Robert E. Howard collections that have been coming out for the last decade or so. This collection was no exception.
The Naked Spur - Noir Western starring Jimmy Stewart and Janet Leigh. A bounty hunter arrests a murderer with the help of two others, and as they journey to collect the reward the murderer tries to sow discord between the three. Very good.
The Sea-Wolf by Jack London - A young man is swept overboard and soon finds himself serving on a sealing boat, commanded by a monstrous but philosophical captain. Really good.
Captain America: The First Avenger - Pretty much as expected. He takes the super soldier serum and wins the war.
Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann - Chronicle of one German family's fall from economic prosperity over several generations. I enjoyed it.
Indiscreet - Ingrid Bergman meets Cary Grant, a married man, and then begin an affair. But, is he married? I watched the first half of this movie about two months before the second. It was okay. The best parts are when Bergman is plotting her revenge. But if you want to see Bergman and Grant together, I'd go with Notorious.
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles - A scandal set in the Victoria era. I wasn't a big fan.
So here's what I've read and watched since my last update back in January.
Luke and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie - This is the sequel to Rushdie's young adult novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Certainly not Rushdie's best work, but fun for what it is.
The Artist - Gnaw and I went to see this (after originally choosing between Hugo and The Descendants, neither of which we have seen even still). It was good, though perhaps as a film fan the novelty of the silent film was for me, well, not a novelty. And the overarching plot of course had a lot of similarities to Singin' in the Rain. Still, a good film.
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke - Clarke's novel about humanity's first contact with extraterrestrials and the last years of humanity. Not his best work.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan - Novel where each chapter focuses on a different character at a different point in their lives, though the characters appear in other chapters (they just may be set years earlier or later). I enjoyed it. Though the one chapter that was entirely in PowerPoint was a bit much.
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard - I've enjoyed reading the Del Rey Robert E. Howard collections that have been coming out for the last decade or so. This collection was no exception.
The Naked Spur - Noir Western starring Jimmy Stewart and Janet Leigh. A bounty hunter arrests a murderer with the help of two others, and as they journey to collect the reward the murderer tries to sow discord between the three. Very good.
The Sea-Wolf by Jack London - A young man is swept overboard and soon finds himself serving on a sealing boat, commanded by a monstrous but philosophical captain. Really good.
Captain America: The First Avenger - Pretty much as expected. He takes the super soldier serum and wins the war.
Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann - Chronicle of one German family's fall from economic prosperity over several generations. I enjoyed it.
Indiscreet - Ingrid Bergman meets Cary Grant, a married man, and then begin an affair. But, is he married? I watched the first half of this movie about two months before the second. It was okay. The best parts are when Bergman is plotting her revenge. But if you want to see Bergman and Grant together, I'd go with Notorious.
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles - A scandal set in the Victoria era. I wasn't a big fan.
January 24th, 2012
Let me know if you want a copy.
As usual, 2002 and 2004-2010 are also still copy-able.
As usual, 2002 and 2004-2010 are also still copy-able.
January 23rd, 2012
Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitc
Time for an update-o.
Miracle on 34th Street - This is the 1947 original, which I had somehow never seen (never seen a remake either). I finally watched it on Christmas Eve. Amusing, but I'm not really sure why it's such a classic.
The Adventures of Tintin - Saw this with my brother and sister-in-law while in Florida. A fun film, though there was a bit of loose plotting. Specifically, the whole movie hinges on two people who have each been looking for something for years showing up just after Tintin has bought it. Computer animation is getting closer and closer to the point where actors will be unnecessary...
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo - You know the plot (unless you've only seen the Disney movie, in which case you don't). Enjoyable classic, though not as good as Hugo's epic Les Misérables.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman - Science fiction classic, clearly inspired by the Vietnam War. It follows the career of a soldier in an intergalactic war who, due to time dilation from relativity, finds that decades and, later, centuries have passed between each campaign, and that consequently his fellow soldiers are from increasingly alien cultures. Pretty interesting.
(500) Days of Summer - Gnaw and I watched this cute film about a doomed romance. Quite enjoyed it; though it was a bit depressing.
Kramer Vs. Kramer - Classic Dustin Hoffman film exploring the effect of a divorce on a father's relationship with his son. Apparently made waves when it came out by helping to show that the mother isn't necessarily the best parent to raise a child. I quite liked it.
Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini - Adventure novel inspired by the life of Henry Morgan (aka, Captain Morgan). It was fun. I may check out more Sabatini at some point.
Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson - Fantasy novel in which a man fighting in the Danish resistance in World War II is suddenly transported to a medieval/fairy tale world, in which he finds himself caught in a coming war between Law and Chaos. It was alright.
Miracle on 34th Street - This is the 1947 original, which I had somehow never seen (never seen a remake either). I finally watched it on Christmas Eve. Amusing, but I'm not really sure why it's such a classic.
The Adventures of Tintin - Saw this with my brother and sister-in-law while in Florida. A fun film, though there was a bit of loose plotting. Specifically, the whole movie hinges on two people who have each been looking for something for years showing up just after Tintin has bought it. Computer animation is getting closer and closer to the point where actors will be unnecessary...
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo - You know the plot (unless you've only seen the Disney movie, in which case you don't). Enjoyable classic, though not as good as Hugo's epic Les Misérables.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman - Science fiction classic, clearly inspired by the Vietnam War. It follows the career of a soldier in an intergalactic war who, due to time dilation from relativity, finds that decades and, later, centuries have passed between each campaign, and that consequently his fellow soldiers are from increasingly alien cultures. Pretty interesting.
(500) Days of Summer - Gnaw and I watched this cute film about a doomed romance. Quite enjoyed it; though it was a bit depressing.
Kramer Vs. Kramer - Classic Dustin Hoffman film exploring the effect of a divorce on a father's relationship with his son. Apparently made waves when it came out by helping to show that the mother isn't necessarily the best parent to raise a child. I quite liked it.
Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini - Adventure novel inspired by the life of Henry Morgan (aka, Captain Morgan). It was fun. I may check out more Sabatini at some point.
Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson - Fantasy novel in which a man fighting in the Danish resistance in World War II is suddenly transported to a medieval/fairy tale world, in which he finds himself caught in a coming war between Law and Chaos. It was alright.
January 17th, 2012
January 9th, 2012
I finally really got back into music in a big way this past year. Well, it happened towards the end of last year, but this was the first year in a while I feel like I really kept up (and even caught up). I think there are two reasons for this: 1) I got a RCA to mini adapter allowing me to play things from my mp3 player on my stereo, 2) I stopped streaming full albums at work and started listening to internet radio again. I found that streaming the albums, usually once each, meant I was listening to everything but hearing just about nothing. Internet radio (specifically, 3wk and KEXP) allows me to hear a wider breadth a few times each, so I can figure out what I like.
So, for the first time in a few years, here's a list of my favorite albums of the year. I did not rank them, but here are my eight favorite albums of the year, listed alphabetically. This was a great year. I probably could have listed 10, or 15, or 20, or 25. But less is more.
I'm also working on my 2011 year-end mix, as usual. I'll keep you posted.
So, for the first time in a few years, here's a list of my favorite albums of the year. I did not rank them, but here are my eight favorite albums of the year, listed alphabetically. This was a great year. I probably could have listed 10, or 15, or 20, or 25. But less is more.
- Cults – Cults
- Destroyer – Kaputt
- The Dodos – No Color
- PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
- Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
- The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Belong
- St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
- Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo
I'm also working on my 2011 year-end mix, as usual. I'll keep you posted.
December 31st, 2011
Hello all. It's time for me to post my rank ordered list of all the films I saw this year, as I've done in previous years (here's the 2010 post, which contains links to 2006-2009). This year, like last year, I saw nine theatrical releases (though one I didn't see until it came out on DVD).
I'll post something about music in the coming days, but now, here's the film list.
It was pretty hard to rank the above, actually. I know I liked the top ones and though the others were okay, but putting them in order was difficult. I'm pretty surprised at what I ultimately ranked #1 actually, considering I wasn't that excited about seeing it when![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1)
m0rn1ng5t4r suggested it.
Definitely not as strong a year (among films I saw) as last year. Darn. I blame Pixar. Or the fact that I basically only watched comic book and animated movies this year. Not that Pixar would have helped in that respect.
I'll post something about music in the coming days, but now, here's the film list.
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- The Muppets
- Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Kung Fu Panda 2
- Thor
- The Adventures of Tintin
- Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
- X-Men: First Class
- The Adjustment Bureau
It was pretty hard to rank the above, actually. I know I liked the top ones and though the others were okay, but putting them in order was difficult. I'm pretty surprised at what I ultimately ranked #1 actually, considering I wasn't that excited about seeing it when
m0rn1ng5t4r suggested it.Definitely not as strong a year (among films I saw) as last year. Darn. I blame Pixar. Or the fact that I basically only watched comic book and animated movies this year. Not that Pixar would have helped in that respect.
December 24th, 2011
It's been a while since i posted an update.
Silent Running - Science fiction film from the early 1970s about a man trying to protect the last forest (which is in a dome in space). Kind of boring, actually.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Extremely long classic adventure novel about revenge. I really enjoyed it.
The Muppets - While not as good as the first few original Muppet movies, this was a worthy addition. And it was preceded by an amusing Toy Story short, which I had not heard about beforehand.
Galactic Patrol by Edward E. Smith - I decided to read this novel (originally serialized in 1937) as one of the original "space operas". It was okay.
Blind Willow, Weeping Women by Haruki Murakami - A collection of short stories, some of which were later expanded into novels that I have read. I love Murakami, so it's not surprising that I enjoyed this.
Amy & Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout - I decided to check this out after I enjoyed one of Strout's other novels, Olive Kitteridge. This was not as good, and was uncomfortable at times (Amy, Isabelle's 15 year old daughter, has an affair with her math teacher).
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris - A selection of short stories by Sedaris where the characters are all animals. Not Sedaris' best work.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Just saw this last night. Based on the title, I was expecting it to be about Holmes investigating whether Bonds really used steroids. I was mistaken. I found some of the plot a bit hard to follow, but overall this was more or less the equal of the previous film.
Silent Running - Science fiction film from the early 1970s about a man trying to protect the last forest (which is in a dome in space). Kind of boring, actually.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Extremely long classic adventure novel about revenge. I really enjoyed it.
The Muppets - While not as good as the first few original Muppet movies, this was a worthy addition. And it was preceded by an amusing Toy Story short, which I had not heard about beforehand.
Galactic Patrol by Edward E. Smith - I decided to read this novel (originally serialized in 1937) as one of the original "space operas". It was okay.
Blind Willow, Weeping Women by Haruki Murakami - A collection of short stories, some of which were later expanded into novels that I have read. I love Murakami, so it's not surprising that I enjoyed this.
Amy & Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout - I decided to check this out after I enjoyed one of Strout's other novels, Olive Kitteridge. This was not as good, and was uncomfortable at times (Amy, Isabelle's 15 year old daughter, has an affair with her math teacher).
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris - A selection of short stories by Sedaris where the characters are all animals. Not Sedaris' best work.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Just saw this last night. Based on the title, I was expecting it to be about Holmes investigating whether Bonds really used steroids. I was mistaken. I found some of the plot a bit hard to follow, but overall this was more or less the equal of the previous film.
October 31st, 2011
Time for another update. Yays.
Thor - Finally saw this spring/summer blockbuster. I enjoyed it. Not among the best super-hero films, but certainly not among the worst either. Also, I'm pretty sure Natalie Portman is the actress I've seen in the most movies.
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad - I found this hard to follow, as it jumped around in time and whole sets of chapters were a quoted story told by a character, rather than "straight" narration. Wouldn't really recommend it.
The Hobbit - This is the 1977 animated film, and it was quite enjoyable, though inessential. Several of the songs were really familiar. I'm not sure why.
All-Star Superman - Animated version of Grant Morrison's comic series. Quite fun.
La Historia Oficial (The Official Story) - 1985 Argentine film about a mother who begins to suspect her adopted child may actually be the daughter of a desaparecido. Somewhat heavy-handed, but I liked it a lot.
Tales from EarthSea - The directorial debut of GorÅ Miyazaki, son of Hayao Miyazaki. Still has the beautiful Ghibli animation style, but not close to the equal of his father's works. Apparently doesn't really have much in common with Ursula K. Le Guin's source novels either.
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville - Steampunk fantasy novel. It was decent, but there was a lot of "introducing the world" stuff, and even one major plotline, that didn't really go anywhere.
A Day At The Races - Halloween research! This is a Marx Brothers film, though frankly it's one of the weaker ones I've seen.
The Complete Jack the Ripper by Donald Rumbelow - I purchased this non-fiction book in 2002 in London after taking Rumbelow's Jack the Ripper tour, and finally read it this month. It was interesting, but there are a lot of the names, as Rumbelow comments not only on the events themselves, but on other writers. Rumbelow is clearly a skeptic, which I like, but it could have been better organized.
Thor - Finally saw this spring/summer blockbuster. I enjoyed it. Not among the best super-hero films, but certainly not among the worst either. Also, I'm pretty sure Natalie Portman is the actress I've seen in the most movies.
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad - I found this hard to follow, as it jumped around in time and whole sets of chapters were a quoted story told by a character, rather than "straight" narration. Wouldn't really recommend it.
The Hobbit - This is the 1977 animated film, and it was quite enjoyable, though inessential. Several of the songs were really familiar. I'm not sure why.
All-Star Superman - Animated version of Grant Morrison's comic series. Quite fun.
La Historia Oficial (The Official Story) - 1985 Argentine film about a mother who begins to suspect her adopted child may actually be the daughter of a desaparecido. Somewhat heavy-handed, but I liked it a lot.
Tales from EarthSea - The directorial debut of GorÅ Miyazaki, son of Hayao Miyazaki. Still has the beautiful Ghibli animation style, but not close to the equal of his father's works. Apparently doesn't really have much in common with Ursula K. Le Guin's source novels either.
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville - Steampunk fantasy novel. It was decent, but there was a lot of "introducing the world" stuff, and even one major plotline, that didn't really go anywhere.
A Day At The Races - Halloween research! This is a Marx Brothers film, though frankly it's one of the weaker ones I've seen.
The Complete Jack the Ripper by Donald Rumbelow - I purchased this non-fiction book in 2002 in London after taking Rumbelow's Jack the Ripper tour, and finally read it this month. It was interesting, but there are a lot of the names, as Rumbelow comments not only on the events themselves, but on other writers. Rumbelow is clearly a skeptic, which I like, but it could have been better organized.
