Sunday, November 18, 2012

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? and Looking for Movie Recommendations

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.






Reading Now:


Daniel Isn't Talking by Marti Leimbach -- So far I'm liking this novel of marriage, motherhood, and autism.


The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides  -- Lyrical, strange, and sad. I'm one chapter into this, and so far I'm quite taken with it.


The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkland & Charlie Alard -- This is a collection of graphic novels or, as we called them in my day, comic books. :-) Since I've been watching Season 2 of the television series, I decided to re-read this book.

Call this part of my education in preparation for the inevitable zombie apocalypse -- my 14-year-old son assures me it's coming. That's why he has to play so many shooter games on his XBox, obviously -- tactical training.

When the day comes, he is on the fence as to whether to look out for the woman who gave him birth or leave my slow, perimenopausal ass and go lone wolf. He's strongly leaning toward the latter option. Ungrateful brat.


The level of fucked-upness in both the book and television series are way out of my league. But I can't seem to look away. I plan to post my thoughts on both the graphic novels and T.V. show tomorrow.



Curiosity Killed the Kat by Elizabeth Nelson (for a book tour) -- This is a quick read -- suspenseful and racy.

Movie Recommendations???

I haven't watched many movies lately -- silly things like work and parenting are clearly cutting into my precious film-viewing time. ;-) I have over 100 movies on by watchlist. I was looking a these as possibilities for next week.

So, film buffs? Any of these I must watch without further ado? Any to avoid?

Submarine -- I've been reading mixed reviews, but my daughter thinks I'll enjoy it. I really like Noah Taylor, Paddy Consadine, and  Sally Hawkins.

Weekend -- My daughter recommended this film -- she said it was excellent.

The Descendants -- I've wanted to watch this for a while and haven't gotten to it. I never used to be a George Clooney fan, but my opinion of him increased exponentially with Michael Clayton. Plus I loved him in Burn After Reading. Every time I think about his "I killed a fucking spook!" scene with Brad Pitt and the "dildo machine," I laugh.

The Usual Suspects -- This is one of those movies I've wanted to see for ages but never have.  I watched a little bit of it once, but something came up and I never got to finish. I thought the line-up scene near the beginning of the film was hilarious. Outstanding cast. I hear there's a "twist." Great stuff!

Eyes Wide Shut -- I've been curious about this one for a while. Plus Josh highly recommends it.

Babel -- I've been reading mixed reviews, but something about this movie intrigues me. Opinions??

Boogie Nights -- Great director, wonderful cast ... I've just never gotten around to seeing it.


24 comments:

  1. bahaha your ds should be more worried about perimenopausal mothers than zombies ... we can be freaky scary LOL

    The Descendants was good if you like 'lame-ish' tear jerkers and Mr Clooney is still pretty easy on the eye :)

    Have a great week!

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    1. "your ds should be more worried about perimenopausal mothers than zombies" ... now THAT is the line of the day!! Brilliant! :-) And sadly, so true.

      And yes, Clooney was always easy on the eyes, even when I didn't like him as an actor.

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  2. Of those films you mention, I've enjoyed them all in varying ways. Submarine and Eyes Wide Shut are the two least "accessible" films. Submarine has a great sense of quirky humour about it but is perhaps too "knowing" in its construction (and is possibly in too much debt to the similar but better Harold and Maude). Eyes Wide Shut has its lovers and haters. I'm in the camp that thinks it is fantastic - one of best Tom Cruise films as you rarely see him in something as dark and surreal as this.

    However, the films I'd recommend to watch as soon as possible are The Descendants and Weeekend. The Descendants is great - a moving character study and familial drama, Weekend is great because, like Ewan McGregor's Beginners, reminds us that romantic drama doesn't have to be a vacuous waste of time.

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    1. Dan, thank you so much for such an interesting, thoughtful comment. I'll probably take your recommendation, especially on Weekend. (I may need to add Beginners to the list, too.)

      I've never liked Tom Cruise, except in two roles. Mostly, I find him annoying (and I felt that way long before he started proselytizing about psychiatrists and what-not). But Eyes Wide Shut does sound intriguing.

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  3. Ooh, what a great collection of books and films! The Virgin Suicides is a lovely book.

    Eyes Wide Shut has been one of my favorites recently. Thanks for sharing :)

    Best,
    Danielle
    http://thereaderscommute.blogspot.com

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  4. Boogie Nights and Submarine are absolutely brilliant! I'm thinking of trying to get through The Hobbit before it comes out!

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    1. I read The Hobbit a zillion years ago -- I might re-read it before it comes out. If I remember correctly, it's a really fun book. Thanks for the film recommendations!

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  5. I love The Virgin Suicides. I can't wait to hear what you think. The movie adaptation is brilliant too!

    I only half watched Submarine: this one time I went to a concert and the venue had a wall full of TV screens behind the stage where they were playing the movie. The effect was actually pretty cool, but of course I was following the band more closely. I do want to watch it properly one day!

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    1. I'm glad you love The Virgin Suicides ... both book and film. It makes me even more excited about it.

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  6. I've seen good things about Daniel Isn't Talking. And if it makes you feel any better, I can guarantee that my ds would leave me at the mercy of the zombies without a second thought so you're one up on me if yours is only still considering it. ;-)

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    1. You've posted about your ds a few times, and I suspect we have the same son. :-) I think mine just lets me think he's only "considering" it to soften the blow. ;-)

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  7. Thanks for the link! I'd recommend any film on that list, but I didn't like Submarine. It does have a great cast though. ;)

    And don't feel bad about your watchlist. My Netflix queue is just under 500! :)

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    1. I'm hearing mixed reviews about Submarine, which makes me even more curious. :-)

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  8. My husband and I *just* started watching The Walking Dead tonight. I'm slightly horrified and still can't stop watching it. I agree that it is definitely different. As for a Zombie apocalypse, December 21st is rapidly approaching. Who knows what is going to happen?!? ;)

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    1. Be forewarned ... The Walking Dead gets increasingly grim and twisted as it goes along! :-) The 21st ... is that the end of the Mayan calendar thing? I'll definitely be on the lookout for zombies.

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  9. I just scrolled through some of your old posts to find a new book :) I sent We Need to Talk About Kevin to my kindle, looks great!

    I just finished World War Z, which is going to be a movie next year (looks great but COMPLETELY different from the book). If you want to continue your education in the zombie apocalypse, this one's a must!! I loved it because it read like The Hot Zone or The Great Influenza (all-time fave); it's a series of interviews with people from all walks of life, all over the globe, discussing how they faced the epidemic and how it affected their lives. Fascinating stuff.

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    1. I do want to read World War Z -- my son read it and says it's very good. Thanks!

      I hope you like We Need to Talk About Kevin. It's very grim but thought-provoking.

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  10. Out of those mentioned, Boogie Nights is definetly the highlight, it's probably one of the best movies of the 90's and for me the best film by Anderson.

    Eyes Wide Shut is excellent, it's long and kinda bizarre but it's a fantastic movie and both Cruise and Kidman are really good in it.

    The Descendants on the other hand..I was really bored with this one and I'm a huge Clooney fan.

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    1. Thanks! I watched Eyes Wide Shut last night, and I think Boogie Nights will be one of the next ones I hit.

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  11. I wrote long comment for this post yesterday through my mobile-phone but the comment couldn't be uploaded :(

    I didn't know Walking Dead is originally a comic book, I thought it was something new. I haven't watched tho ;)

    From the list of your movies, I have only seen Submarine and didn't like it. I like the director but not the movie.

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    1. I'm sorry about your comment -- it drives me crazy when that happens. Submarine seems to be a divisive movie -- half the people I've talked to think it's terrific, and half can't stand it. :-)

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  12. Weekend is great, The Descendants is written how people actually talk (which I think is rare), The Usual Suspects is puzzlingly brilliant, Boogie Nights is… Boogie Nights (a grand compliment) and Babel is one of the finest films I’ve ever seen. Enjoy!

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    1. I vaguely remembered someone saying Babel was a brilliant, life-changing film, and for some reason I thought it was you. But I wasn't sure. Have you reviewed it somewhere? if so, I'd love to read your thoughts ... but only after I see the movie myself. :-)

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