The Twenty-fourth One

A few months ago I posted a list of books I wanted to read this year. Books I already owned. Books I already started. The following is that list:

• Fluke* by Christopher Moore
• Lullaby* by Chuck Palahniuk
• What-the-Dickens* by Gregory Maguire
• Book Thief* by Markus Zusak
• The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
• Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
• Dracula* by Bram Stoker
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies* by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters

 I happy to announce that the past couple weeks were remarkably successful in terms of reading (unfortunately, not all that productive otherwise). The list now looks like this (notice the final book was not the original list. I was bored and in an airport and it was the only one that looked interesting).

• Fluke* by Christopher Moore
• Lullaby* by Chuck Palahniuk
• What-the-Dickens* by Gregory Maguire
• Book Thief* by Markus Zusak
• The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
• Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
• Dracula* by Bram Stoker
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies* by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
• Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

So, here we go.

First of all, I believe that I have previously stated how, to a certain extent, I judge the books I read by their covers. Although I give myself a hard time, it actually works pretty well most of the time. I have, however, read some spectacular failures according to this method. This includes what I refer to as The Mistake. But I won't talk about that here. Anyway. The cover to this book is amazing and chilling and beautiful and a little bit terrifying. All adjectives which I could use to describe the story as well.

I have been a fan of Laurie Halse Anderson since reading her excellent book Speak, which deals with sexual high school, growing up, losing friends, communication (or lack there of) with parents, sexual abuse, and how to deal when all these things happen at or around the same time. I have not, however, read any of her other books until Wintergirls.

Wintergirls deals with eating disorders, cutting, depression, divorce, and living up (or failing to live up) to too high expectations. Our first introduction to the main character, Lia, is when she finds out her ex-best friend was just found dead, alone in a hotel room. As we follow Lia over the next days, weeks, months, we learn about her workaholic mother, her mostly absent father, her step-mother and stepsister, her isolation from the rest of the world, her disinterest in anything/everything, and finally her descent once again into the world of anorexia and cutting.

The content of the book is ugly, but the writing style is beautiful. So intriguing that I often forgot what I was reading. Anderson does not shy away from real issues, and she does not offer false or flimsy solutions. She takes you through a process that lasts months, not days, and the ends of her books are not  happily-ever-after endings, but rather the first chapter to the rest of the story, or rather, the rest of the characters' lives. Lia is a real girl with real problems searching to find real solutions and she is surrounded by other, equally real, people who are dealing with both their own problems and Lia's.

I firmly believe that anyone who works with teenage girls in any fashion (coach, teacher, Bible study leader, club advisor, school administrator, pastor, any sort of group organizer or volunteer, etc.) should all have to  read both this book and Anderson's other  book Speak.

A couple summers ago I read Dashiell Hammet's The Thin Man and The Maltese Falcon, thus turning me on to the world of mystery noir books. I'm not going to lie, I love this genre and Raymond Chandler's book The Big Sleep is most excellent... and super fun.

Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe is intriguing with his deadpan, self-deprecating approach to life. It is no wonder Humphrey Bogart was chosen to play this character. Although, I'm going to have to go back and watch the movie again, as I have no idea how closely it follows the book's story. I remember watching and loving the movie, but I don't remember a whole lot about the movie itself...

The best part of Chandler's writing is the great metaphors. He doesn't spend a lot of time making the language beautiful, but the metaphors are no less vivid. Personal favorite was found in the first couple chapters of the book (maybe the first couple pages... I don't have my book in front of me):

The General spoke again, slowly, using his strength as carefully as an out-of-work showgirl uses her last good pair of stockings.

I wish I could actually pull off talking like that, but alas! I am not Humphrey Bogart.

I loved the book by itself and for its own merits, but it often vividly reminded me of Calvin and Hobbes. I could (and probably will at some point) spend a LOT of time just waxing poetic about Bill Watterson's comic strip. (I don't like calling it a comic strip. It makes people take this trivial view of it. Calvin, Hobbes and Bill have all influenced my life greatly. There is a strip for almost every moment/event in my life up to this point. I am constantly being reminded of "that one strip from Calvin and Hobbes.) One of the great things about Calvin is that he, like Snoopy before him, has an incredible imagination (which is actually the premise of the strip, if you think about it). This imagination enables him to become other people entirely. The most famous of these characters is probably Spaceman Spiff, but my personal favorite is Tracer Bullet. The hardened private investigator who investigates such mysteries as math problems and who broke the lamp? Without going too crazy, here's a little taste of the Bullet himself:

Now, I've taken up enough of my time. I know I have a couple books left to review, but I'm stopping here... I am supposed to be working.

The Twenty-Third One

This week I have been revisiting one of my favorite directors (writers, producers):

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN

Every movie I have seen by him, I have loved. I'm just going to highlight my favorites/the ones I own. It is possible the following blurbs contain some spoilers. So, tread carefully.

"See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?"

When this movie first came out I remember a lot of friends going to see and coming back disappointed. They couldn't believe he showed the alien! It would have been way scarier if the aliens were never shown! My friends went to see this movie expecting an alien movie. With all the horror/slasher movies that have been inundating movie theaters for the past decade or so, Signs fell well beneath a lot of peoples expectations, because what they wanted was just another horror/slasher flick. I would have been disappointed as well.

What I like about Signs was everything my friends did not like. I like how the premise was not the story. Just because there are aliens in the movie, doesn't mean the movie is about aliens. It is about so much more than aliens. It is about a family floundering, trying to find their footing after facing a devastating loss. It is about ordinary people finding courage in extraordinary circumstances. It is about losing your faith and finding it again. It is about miracles.

The main character, Graham Hess (played by Mel Gibson), loses his faith when he loses his wife. The above quote is said by him during a conversation with his brother Merrill (played by Joaquin Phoenix). Afterwards, Merrill claims to be a "miracle man" and Graham, despite having been a Pastor of some sort, emphatically declares, "There is no one looking out for us. We are all alone." And the story progresses from there.

"We can move towards hope, that's what's beautiful about this place. We cannot run from heartache."

and

"Yes, I have risked! I hope I am always able to risk everything for the just and right cause."

I couldn't decide which quotation best summarized what I believe is the primary theme of the story. I lean strongly toward the first one.

Again, after this movie came out there was an uproar among my friends for the same reason as with Signs. They wanted a monster movie, and what they got was a movie about people. That is what I find most spectacular about Shyamalan's movies, not the cinematography (which is beautiful) or the music (which is always, always perfect) but the fact that he seems to understand people; he truly seems to know peoples' reactions, motives, what causes them to rejoice and despair. His movies reflect this understanding and The Village is no exception.

By the time this movie came out I knew Shyamalan well enough to know there is always a twist. I can honestly say I did not see this twist coming. Joaquin Phoenix's character Lucius said it best when he pointed out to his mother (Sigourney Weaver) that "there are secrets in every corner of this village." These secrets lead to questionable decisions on the part of the elders, the ones in charge. They are secrets with the intent to do as the first quotation above states, to run toward hope and away from heartache. Their secrets keep them secure in their decisions until circumstances have them questioning themselves and risking everything.

Outstanding performances here by everyone, Phoenix (who I fell in love with in Signs), Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, really everyone was beautifully cast.

"You know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world. To not know why you're here."

I say I love Unbreakable I get one of two looks. Either the person has no idea what movie I'm talking about, or the person is incredulous that I actually like it. But I don't like it, I love it.

There are so many levels to this movie. There is the theme of self-discovery, good vs. evil, reconciliation, and love, be it romantic, paternal, platonic, whatever. All of this is set to the backdrop of comic books.

First of all, as a comic book fan myself, I love that they play such a vital role in the development of both the main characters, David Dunn played by Bruce Willis and Elijah Price played by Samuel L. Jackson.

That said, there are so many different relationships to explore in this movie. You have the strained, almost broken relationship between David and his wife Audrey (Robin Wright Penn), the relationship between David and his son (Spencer Treat Clark), the relationship between David and Elijah, and the relationship between Elijah and his mother (Charlaynne Woodard).

The confidence and strength of his mother helped to shape the person Elijah would become and Elijah in turn opens David's eyes to his own potential, to what is missing from his life. With David's new found self-awareness he is able to open himself up more to his family. I find it so interesting how greatly his relationships suffer simply because David does not know his place in this world. I also find this incredibly true to life, once again an insightful look at how people operate.

The Twenty-Second One

Three movies I can watch and watch and watch and never tire of (aka. the default movie list):

The Princess Bride

The best thing about this movie: it's absolutely, perfectly cast. The actors and actresses truly inhabit the characters they portray. Everything about this movie is delightful. Including the book it's based on. Reading the book only made me appreciate the movie more.

Pride and Prejudice

I know some of you are thinking, "But wait! That's not the BBC miniseries!" And you would be correct. I love this movie even more than the miniseries. It includes all the best dialogue (the only part of Jane Austen's books I like) with some of the most beautiful cinematography I have ever seen. It is beautiful and fun and entirely charming.

Die Hard

If this wasn't a list of three, I would go ahead and add all (even Live Free or Die Hard) to the list as well. Love this movie. John McClane doesn't get old, ever.

The Twenty-First One

Or, the one where I finally succumb and post this on a blog instead of sending it out via email.

Or, the one with SPAIN!!!

Once upon a time, in January 2010, I made my first trek to Europe; specifically I visited Spain: Toledo and Madrid. And it was wonderful and beautiful and educational. I was fortunate enough to not have to pay for my hotel room (which was great) or my food (which was the very best part of the trip) and everywhere I went I had someone who knew the history of the area I was in. Let this blog serve as a record of my time there. You will see a lot of pictures of architecture, but not a lot of pictures of me. Here we go.

Welcome to Toledo: the first capital of Spain.

Toledo's location was chosen because of the excellent geographic location. As I asked my students: what did cities of old have to do to protect themselves? Answer: build walls. Toledo was built where it was built because of the river and gorges that surround it, providing natural protection. Consequently, they did not have to build a great big wall all the way around and yet there is still only one way in and out of the city.

No history lesson would be complete without some dates, so here's the one that I remember: 711. This is when the Moors conquered Spain. What does this mean for Toledo? Nothing bad actually. In fact, during this time, before the Christians took over again, Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived in relative peace and harmony together. So much so that this time period was called La Convivencia. You can see this coexistence in the architecture of the city. The Moors/Muslims used a lot of brickwork, the Christians used stones and the Jews didn't contribute a whole lot architecturally speaking, but they are responsible for the crazy, winding streets of the city. If you ever visit Toledo you must a) know where you are going, b) be with someone who knows where they are going, or c) not be afraid of getting lost. Because chances are you will.

As you look at the pictures of Toledo you may start asking yourself, "How many pictures of alleyways can one person take?" The answer to this is, of course, a lot. Way more than I am showing you here. You get the cream of the crop. Also, that tall spire you see in the background of some of the pictures is a beautiful cathedral that was a mosque that now is a cathedral again. It has the most amazing art and is a combination of many different styles of architecture because it is old. Something we don't know much about here in the United States: when a building is old enough to survive thousands of years, the building and art will reflect that history. I also was privileged to see many works by El Greco, who was not Spanish, but has since been adopted by the Spaniards because he was rejected by his own people. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take any pictures inside the cathedral. This worked out in my favor I think, because it meant all I had to do was listen and look and absorb. The world is a different place when you look at it through a lens, or in my case, an lcd viewscreen.

Welcome to Madrid: the current capital of Spain.

Otherwise known as the place where my eyes were opened to a history I never knew. It's not a history of a thousand years ago, but rather history from only 30 years ago. For me, this history was told best as I toured El Museo Sofia Reina and learned about the life and work of Pablo Picasso. Picasso lived in a time of amazing achievement. He was born when people were still using horses and buggies to get around and by the time he died man had made his way to the moon. His greatest work La Guernica was painted during a time in his country when the arts were as oppressed as the people. Learning about Picasso's life and what the Spanish people went through in such recent times almost, almost made me like his paintings. It certainly made me appreciate them anyway.

The museum didn't have the most extensive Picasso collection in the world. It was built for the sole reason to house La Guernica which Picasso vowed would never come back to Spain until his country was no longer under the rule of a dictator, until his people were free. La Guernica was kept in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City until 1992.

This is a contraband picture of La Guernica. Throughout the entire museum you could take pictures so long as you weren't using flash photography. In THIS room, which housed only the one painting (and some photographs of it while it was in-progress), you weren't allowed to take pictures at all. Unfortunately, they told us this by posting a small sign on the wall as you were coming into the room. A sign that is easily hidden by the bodies of people as they walk through the entryway. Long story short, I was yelled at, in Spanish, by a woman who took her job very, very seriously. It was very, very embarassing.

In case that's not enough art for you, I also went to the Prado where I was not allowed to take any photographs at all. Please enjoy a picture of the outside of the museum. It's in the top left corner.

I would also like to direct your attention to the building in the bottom right. This building, during Frando's rule, was a prison. Our tour guide said that her parents and grandparents can still remember walking in front of the building and hearing screams coming from the basement, from the prisoners who were being tortured. This is something the youth of Spain know nothing about. Talk about a generation gap.

And finally. The view of Madrid as seen from the window of my hotel room.

The End.

The Twentieth One

Or how Slylock Fox trumps Psych.

Once upon a time, when I was a little girl, I would read all about Slylock Fox and the mysteries that he solved with his little mouse friend, Max. Slylock and Max taught me many things.

Now that I am older, I get my mystery fix in other ways: books, movies, television. Television like: Psych. Psych is a wonderful show, one of the best out there. I love it dearly. But as I was watching it this past week there was an unfortunate, glaring mistake. [SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD]

At one point Gus and Sean were searching for a bullet in the woods. The bullet was shot many years ago and they just assumed it hit one of the trees. Gus proceeded to lecture Sean that he was looking too low and not accounting for tree growth.

Well, immediately I was aghast, for Slylock had taught me years ago that trees do not grow like that. They grow upward from the tips of their branches, downward from the tips of their roots, and outward from the outside of their... bark. Meaning any mark you make on a tree now will be at the same height years from now. It's how Slylock and Max knew Count Weirdly was lying about... something.

Having the information that I had, I instantly googled (Googled?) "How trees grow" to see who was correct. Turns out, Slylock was right all along and Sean and Gus were completely and utterly wrong.

I still love Psych, Sean, Gus and the whole gang. But apparently the writers did not do their research well enough, nor did they read the Slylock Fox section of their Sunday newspapers as thoroughly as they should have. They should have paid better attention to that wiley fox detective.

That said, my brother and I successfully dominated at Trivial Pursuit on the Wii last night, coming back from behind during normal play to WIN IT ALL and awesoming it up during the movie version to win by, oh I don't know, THREE WEDGES. Thank you, thank you very much. And a special thanks to imdb for making that last one possible.

For more Psych
For more Slylock

The Nineteenth One

As anyone who could possibly be reading this blog knows, I have a problem holding myself accountable. This is why, even though I have had the blog for years, I only have 19 posts. It's also why I didn't make my summer reading goal.

Always in an attempt to hold myself more accountable, I make lists. To-do lists, to-read lists, to-watch lists, it doesn't matter. Up until this point (this point right here, right now) I have refrained from making any virtual lists. Naturally, it's because I am afraid if it is published in cyberspace and I don't complete the list, then I will be judged by the few, faceless individuals that might occasionally visit. But then I figured you were all judging me anyway, so I am throwing caution to the wind and actually (gasp!) writing a list right here, right now.

I call this list the "Books-owned-but-not-read-until-year-2010" list. These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head, I am sure there's more. (The ones with asterisks are partially read.)

• Fluke* by Christopher Moore
• Lullaby* by Chuck Palahniuk
• What-the-Dickens* by Gregory Maguire
• Book Thief* by Markus Zusak
• The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
• Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
• Dracula* by Bram Stoker
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies* by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters

There are more, I know there are more, I simply cannot think of them. I will republish this as I am able to cross them out. Maybe somday I will learn how to cross things out virtually. Or maybe I'll put them in another color. We will see.

The Eighteenth One

My book list for the upcoming year is a long one, but then it always is. Coming off the holiday season, however, I am turning my attention away from literature to the wonderful world of cinema.

Holiday Movie Treat #1: Nine.

This movie stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Fergie, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren, and Judi Dench. Every one of them delivers.

It is a musical from the director of Chicago, but don't go expecting to see another Chicago. There are two musical numbers that are reminiscent of the other musicals. They are big, choreographed scenes, but for the most part Nine is a more intimate and introspective movie. Almost all the songs are sung by one person to another person, or one person to himself as the case may be. Even the songs with a larger chorus really only have the intended audience of a single person. It is a musical about the Italian director Guido Contini and the characters, settings, events, and songs almost literally revolve around him.

Contini is played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who continues to be unrecognizable to me. Every movie I see him in I have to look twice because he never looks the same or sounds the same or acts the same. He plays a conceited, self-centered jerk in the film, but the way he plays Contini, the audience doesn't end up judging him as much as they pity him.

All the women are wonderful. All of them. But the standout actress of the film: Cotillard. This is the first movie I have seen her in and I found her captivating. I can't wait to see her other roles.

Holiday Movie Treat #2: The Blind Side

What a sweet, heart-warming movie. Who new Hollywood could make such a family-friendly movie with a good story AND good acting. Sandra Bullock is totally believable in her role as a confident, pushy Southern belle, who takes in a struggling kid from "the other side of town." I know that it's based on a true story, and if the real Mrs. Tuohy is half the woman Bullock portrays (and I am sure that she is probably twice the woman) then she is a force to be reckoned with.

As a final note: Before I saw the movie I doubted there was any actress out there I believed would walk out on a football field and tell those football players how it's done. With Sandra Bullock, I totally bought it.

Holiday Movie Treat #3: Sherlock Holmes

At first I was apprehensive about the portrayal of Sherlock Holmes with so many explosions and fist fights, but then I re-read some of the stories, and decided that Holmes lends himself easily as an action hero. Plus, he really was a pugilist. So there's that.

Robert Downey Jr. has be a favorite of mine since I first saw American Air with Mel Gibson, so I am very excited about his recent "come back." He is as wonderful here as I expected he would be. The real surprise for me was Jude Law, whose performances have never particularly impressed me. He gave a depth and appeal to Watson that I had never considered.

The movie was enjoyable and entertaining and bears owning someday. Of course I have always been a sucker for stories about best friends, and despite the love interests for both Sherlock and Watson, this is at its core a story about SherlockandWatson. I have a friend who firmly believes that "soul mate" does not have to refer to a romantic love, but rather an enduring love in an enduring relationship, whether or not the two people involved are romantically involved. I have always been inclined to agree with her; this movie clinched it for me.