Strangers on a Train by Alfred Hitchcock

This psychological thriller begins with a seemingly chance meeting, between two men, on a train. Guy Haines is a professional tennis player with aspirations of pursuing a career in politics. Bruno Anthony is a ne'er-do-well with an Oedipus complex from a wealthy, privileged family. Bruno approaches Guy, drawn by his status as a pro athlete. "I certainly admire people who do things," Bruno enthuses.

In the midst of a steady stream of chatter, Bruno reveals that he has a problem he wants to get rid of: his father. Apparently the patriarch has tired of Bruno living off the family fortune without contributing to society. Bruno wants him dead. Furthermore, he's read about Guy in the gossip columns and knows he wants a divorce from his difficult wife, Miriam, so he can marry the woman he loves. Bruno has an interesting theory about how to pull off the perfect murder. If two men were to commit each other's murders, Guy killing Bruno's father and Bruno killing Guy's wife, no one would suspect the perpetrators. After all, neither of them had a motive to go after his victim.

Guy is repulsed by the idea. Yet there are several moments, which highlight why this is such a great psychological movie, when the viewer suspects he'll give into temptation.

The two men part. Guy seems to dismiss Bruno as a relatively harmless lunatic, and they go their separate ways. Nevertheless, Bruno is intent on putting his plan into motion. The result is a series of events that close in around Guy, threatening to destroy his future and his relationship with the woman he loves.

I can't believe I waited this long to see this movie -- it may be my favorite of the Hitchcock films I've seen so far. It is cleverly plotted and well paced, with strong acting and several satisfyingly insane characters. My sidekick, MovieBuff25, was rather partial to Bruno as a sociopathic mama's boy. And the cinematography is wonderful. In keeping with classic film noir style, most of the scenes are dimly lit, and there's an interesting interplay between light and darkness throughout the movie. An example is an unforgettable scene when Bruno follows some unsuspecting victims through a tunnel at an amusement park. We see only their shadows on the dimly lit wall of the tunnel, and Bruno's shadow seems to gradually gain on theirs, eventually swallowing it up.

There are too many other memorable shots to count. For example, I loved the moment when a murder is committed, after the victim's glasses have fallen to the ground, and we see the heinous crime dimly reflected in the lenses of the glasses. We barely glimpse the crime, yet that image is more memorable for me than most of the bloody, graphic acts of violence I've seen onscreen.

The suspense continues to intensify, climaxing in an intense scene on a runaway carousel. The continuing game of "cat and mouse," as well as the complex interplay between the characters, kept me guessing until the end.

Movie Confessions Blogathon: Quirky Bibliophile's Responses

 The Movie Confessions Blogathon is hosted by Nostra at My Film Views.

Which classic movie don’t you like/can’t enjoy and why?

One that comes to mind is Apocalypse Now. I've always heard how brilliant it is, and the idea of retelling Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness as a Vietnam War film is intriguing. But I didn't like the movie. I saw it over 20 years ago, so I don't remember it well -- I'm not even sure why I disliked it.

I just recall that the themes I remembered vividly from Heart of Darkness didn't quite come through for me. And when we heard "This Is the End" by the Doors blasting over a war-torn landscape, I felt like I was being bludgeoned over the head with a cinematic message. The movie was dealing with serious, disturbing subjects, and this struck me as style over substance.

Given that I didn't remember the movie well, for while, I thought I'd give it a second viewing. Then I heard they'd actually butchered a cow in front of the camera, so ... nope.

Which ten classic movies haven’t you seen yet? Wow ... there are many classics I haven't seen yet. Here are some:

1. The Bicycle Thief
2. Ben-Hur
3. All About Eve
4. Dr. Strangelove
5. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
6. On the Waterfront
7. Strangers on a Train
8. Singin' in the Rain
9. A Clockwork Orange
10. The Seventh Seal (and most other Bergman films, I'm sorry to say. :-))

Have you ever sneaked into another movie at the cinema?

Hmmm ... I don't think so. Although it sounds like the kind of thing my brother and I would've done when we were kids.

From which big director have you never seen any movie (and why)?

Michael Haneke -- after hearing the premise of Funny Games, I've been a little afraid of this director. Did he make Funny Games to convey a serious message or does he just enjoy shocking and disgusting viewers? Of course, I've always been put off by what I've heard about Lars von Trier, and I did watch Breaking the Waves.

Which movie do you love, but is generally hated?

Darn ... I can't think of one. Though I will admit to having a weakness for sappy "chick flicks" like Terms of Endearment, Beaches, and Steel Magnolias.

Have you ever been “one of those annoying people” at the cinema?

Hmmm ... I don't think so. However I do have trouble sitting still; I'm like a hyperactive kid, so occasionally I accidentally kick the back of someone's seat.

I recently went to see The Woman in Black with some friends. The friend sitting next to me would occasionally let out a ear-splitting scream. It was hilarious. I think I enjoyed it more than the movie, actually.

Did you ever watch a movie, which you knew in advance would be bad, just because of a specific actor/actress was in it? Which one and why?

When I was in high school and college, my best friend and I had a major crush on the actor Richard Gere. This led to my seeing several pretty bad movies including American Gigolo and Breathless (not the French New Wave film).

Did you ever not watch a specific movie because it had subtitles?

No, I love subtitles, and I'm surprised at how many people dislike them. I worked at a movie theater during college. Patrons would sometimes come out in a huff, after seeing subtitles on the screen, and want their money back. Excuse me, but didn't you know you were buying a ticket for a foreign film?

Are there any movies in your collection that you have had for more than five years and never watched?

I don't think so.

Which are the worst movies in your collection and why do you still own them?

Well, strictly speaking, I don't have a personal movie collection -- my husband and I consider all our movies community property. :-) As a result, we have some DVDs which I consider dreadful, but my hubby won't let me dump them at the Salvation Army. These include American Pie and Land of the Lost. For the record, my husband and all three of my kids really like Land of the Lost. Go figure.

Do you have any confessions about your movie watching setup at home?

We have a huge wide screen T.V., which seems like an indulgence in a family that can't afford a working dishwasher. :-) But we love it. My daughter MovieBuff25 has a T.V. in her room for watching movies; she got a region-free DVD player for Christmas one year to expand her access to obscure foreign films.

Our DVD cabinet is overflowing and spilling all over the floor. We need to give some of them away, but we can't all agree on which movies are expendable.

Any other confessions you want to make?

I sometimes watch the same movies over and over. My brother and I once watched The Princess Bride about five times in the same day -- I'm not sure why. I've probably seen The Princess Bride about 20 times altogether -- if pressed, I might be able to quote the whole script. :-P

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? Question About Characters in Books and Film, & New Book Trailer

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




Books I Read & Reviewed This Week:

Harbor by John Ajvide Lindqvist -- I enjoyed this novel, by the author of Let the Right One In -- which was adapted into the movies Let the Right One In and Let Me In -- and Handling the Undead, though I was disappointed by the ending.

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk -- My daughter, MovieBuff25, recommended that I read this YA mystery, and I really liked it, particularly since I quickly connected with the main character. He was one of those characters I kind of miss when the novel is over.

New Book Trailer:

I really like this trailer for The Siren of Paris by David Leroy -- you can also read my review of The Siren of Paris and this article, by the author, on the emotional impact of researching a novel on World War II, which I found particularly interesting.

Reading Now:

from a review by Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness:

The book starts out with children’s book illustrator Irina McGovern, a middle-aged woman living in London with her boyfriend Lawrence.  Each year Lawrence and Irina have a birthday dinner with an acquaintance, Ramsey Acton.  One significant birthday Lawrence cannot go and Irina has dinner with Ramsey alone.  At the end of the first chapter, after their dinner, Irina is presented with a choice: given into her strange desire to kiss Ramsey or leave and go back to her secure life with Lawrence.

The subsequent chapters alternate perspective — one showing what would happen with the kiss and one showing what would happen without.  Each set of chapters covers the same period of time, so you can see how Irina’s life might have turned out in two different ways. That’s pretty cool by itself, but what makes it even better is that that Shriver continually makes parallels between the two lives. 

I started this novel, by the author of We Need to Talk About Kevin, and I'm not sure whether I want to continue. The premise interests me, especially with the parallel threads of the protagonist's life. I am also impressed by the author's skill and style. However, I'm just not connecting with the characters for some reason. So I may send this back to the library and choose something else.

Which is more important to you in a novel or movie? Are you more drawn to well crafted writing and lyrical prose? Polished scriptwriting, brilliant acting, and outstanding film-making? Or do you fall in love with a film or book because you connect with the characters?

With me it's definitely a combination of both factors, and it varies from one book or movie to another. But I definitely have a weakness for character driven stories, and I want to empathize with a character and -- in some way -- enjoy his company. For example, my daughter MovieBuff25 and I recently watched the critically acclaimed movie Shame.

A fellow blogger -- I think it was Alex -- talked about sharing this film with his father, who responded (loosely paraphrasing): "I didn't like it, but I appreciated the hell out of it." That sort of reflects how I felt. The acting was phenomenal, the directing and cinematography were terrific -- sometimes a single wordless frame spoke volumes. It was a tremendous movie. Yet neither my daughter or I really liked it. As movie buffs, I suppose we appreciated it. But we didn't really like it.

Why? Mainly because we didn't really connect with -- or like -- any of the characters. I pitied them, I empathized with them at times, and they were unquestionably real. Powerful, painfully real. But I couldn't really "root for" them. I'm not entirely sure why -- it may have been partly because I knew so little of their back story.

Maybe this is not a problem for really serious movie buffs, who are immersed in the film-making. ;-) Or maybe it is. No matter how seasoned a reader/film watcher/reviewer, in my opinion, one's reaction to a book or movie is always deeply personal.

What are your thoughts?

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

Will Halpin is smart, articulate and hearing impaired -- he's also a heavy guy who doesn't quite fit in -- either in deaf culture or in the hearing world. Because his profound hearing loss was relatively late in onset, his language skills are quite high, and he doesn't feel a complete connection to deaf culture. On the other hand, he isn't quite accepted in the hearing world either.

Will has decided to leave the deaf school where he's always been educated and attend a mainstream high school, despite the inadequate accommodations offered there. This proves to be a struggle, but he is quickly befriended by Devon Smiley, another smart, nerdy outsider. Amid enduring insanity on the school bus, having casserole thrown at him by a bully, and being ignored by the prettiest girl in school, Will becomes intrigued by a local mystery, the legendary ghost of a man trapped and crushed in a coal mine.

Then a tragedy strikes, and Will and Devon find themselves trying to unravel a mystery. They're on the trail of a killer who may be linked to a political scandal surrounding a local citizen or might simply be a fellow student.

My daughter and fellow blogger, MovieBuff25, recommended this young adult novel to me, and I pretty much read it in one sitting. It offered virtually everything I like in YA novels, a smart, quirky protagonist with a distinctive voice, genuine adolescent struggles, humor, and a strong, well-told story. The murder mystery was icing on the cake. I really connected with the protagonist and was sorry when the book ended. The fact that this novel touched on the plight of men who spent their lives working in the coal mines also enriched the story.

I highly recommend this for readers age 13 and up.

Read More Reviews: Reading Junky's Reading Roost; The Book Nest; Alison's Book Marks; Bookish Blather; One Librarian's Book Reviews

Rating: 4.5

5- Cherished Favorite	4 - Keep in My Library	3 - Good Read	2 - Meh	1 - Definitely Not For Me

Harbor by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Domaro, an isolated little island in a Swedish archipelago, is home to a handful of local families -- the descendants of fishermen -- and an ever-returning group of summer folk. On the shores of Domaro, a young boy and girl begin to fall in love as they contemplate the enormity of the sea, which has been gradually reclaiming its islands -- bit by bit -- since the Ice Age.

Years later, on a winter afternoon, Anders and Cecilia take their six-year-old daughter Maja across the ice to visit the lighthouse in the middle of the frozen channel. While the couple explores the lighthouse, Maja disappears -- seemingly into thin air -- leaving not even a footprint in the snow. 

Two years later, Anders returns to the island, shattered and dependent on alcohol to get through the day. He reconnects with his grandmother, Anna-Greta, a native of Domaro, and her lover Simon. Odd things begin to happen in the house Anders once shared with his wife and daughter, and he senses Maja's presence. Then other strange things begin to happen, and some of them are reminiscent of ugly secrets from Anders's adolescence.

Anna-Greta and the other inhabitants of the island are hiding secrets of their own, including a dark secret that's centuries old. As more and more strange, tragic things take place, she must share these secrets with Simon and Anders so they can survive and Anders can try to find Maja and bring her back.

This novel seized my interest from the first few pages. First and foremost, Lindqvist is a master at exploring human psychology. Everything -- from the tender, budding feelings of a 13-year-old boy falling in love for the first time to the raw, crippling grief of a bereaved father -- felt vibrantly real. Lindqvist is also brilliant at creating fear and guilt, including guilt triggered by the ambivalence some parents feel toward their own children. This is largely what drew me in, eager to be part of the characters' lives, and what made this story work on a visceral level.

I was intrigued by the cast of quirky characters. This included a widowed young mother who survived through trading with World War II soldiers and occasional bootlegging, a professional magician, and a lighthouse keeper with an endless thirst for solitude who studies the Bible and greets visitors with the word of God -- because nothing drives people away as quickly as preaching at them.

I especially enjoyed the relationship between octogenarians Anna-Greta and Simon. It's rare -- at least in our culture -- to read about an intimate romance between two older people. I found this believable, interesting, and refreshing.

Lindqvist also captivated me with his elegant use of language and lovely imagery and the way he uses language and imagery to create an eerie mood. 

     The trees felled by the storm lay there like long-necked, thirsty dinosaurs, stretching out all the way to the water's edge ...

... the fallen fir trees were still there, dark, gloomy tree trunks lying across the rocks, with the odd branch sticking up out of the water here and there like the arms of skeletons pleading for help, ignored and rejected by one and all.

     The moon had begun to tire and shrink, balancing helplessly on the branches of the few firs still standing. Veils of cloud drifted past, and as Anders drew closer Kattholmen was bathed in a light with no luminosity, like aged aluminum. He rounded the northern point where a concrete buoy marked a shipping lane that was no longer used, and continued along the rocky shore on the eastern side of the island. (p. 448)

The only thing that disappointed me was the ending. Most of the novel moved rather slowly, with great attention to detail. I appreciated this, because it allowed time to develop the various threads of the story. But after all that, I expected a richly satisfying conclusion. However, the novel ended abruptly. The supernatural threads of the story were never completely woven together, and I was pushed quickly out of this world, without time to gain closure with the characters with whom I'd lived for 500 pages. Perhaps the author intended to leave us with a sense of mystery and unanswered questions? I don't know, but it didn't work for me.

Overall, this was an absorbing novel, and in some ways it was even richer than the author's previous books: Let the Right One In and Handling the Undead. The thing Lindqvist does best, seamlessly blending psychological and supernatural horror, is what really shines here. This created characters and scenes that will be hard for me to forget.

Read More Review of this Novel: Mad Bibliophile; Book Banter; Killin' Time Reading;

Rating: 4

5- Cherished Favorite	4 - Keep in My Library	3 - Good Read	2 - Meh	1 - Definitely Not For Me

It's Monday What Are You Reading? Round-Up of My Books & Movies in the Past 3 Weeks

It's been a while since I posted one of these updates -- as always, our lives have been eventful. Several weeks ago, a storm blew through the area, causing some casualties and leaving many people without electricity. We were very fortunate -- we were safe and didn't experience any property damage. However, we were without power for almost four days. This is a minor hardship, of course, in the grand scheme of things, and it's possible to look at a break from electrical power as an adventure. But with temperatures hovering around 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit, and with a $1000 meat share from a local farm sitting in the freezer, we were lacking in the proper pioneer spirit.

On the positive side, since lack of internet service gave me an unplanned hiatus from work, I did get some reading done that week. Most of it by candlelight. Dare I confess that once I caught my hair on fire? Yes, really.



Books Read in the Past Few Weeks: The titles of my favorites are in red.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell -- As I mentioned before, I finished this novel, several weeks ago, while I was out of town for my dad's wedding. I loved it and was excited about reviewing it, but I never got around to it.

My first reaction to the premise of this novel was skeptical -- Jesuits in space? Really? But I quickly got hooked and didn't want to put it down.

In a futuristic world, a young astronomer makes contact with an alien race. They are unable to communicate, but he picks up mysterious, beautiful music. Soon the Jesuits put together a mission to make first contact. The team that lands on this foreign planet includes four Jesuit priests -- including a linguist and a pilot -- plus an astronomer, a physician, her engineer husband, and a computer expert who was once a child prostitute. They combine their skills to survive in an unknown environment, build relationships with the natives, and discover and learn all they can. Despite their high intelligence and good intentions, their lack of knowledge of local cultures leads to a fatal mistake.

Two threads of narrative run through this story. In the first, Emilio Sandoz, one of the Jesuit priests who participated in the mission, has been returned to earth. He appears to be the sole survivor, and despite having been a moral, intelligent, and compassionate priest, he seems to have sunk into cruelty and depravity. No, this isn't a scenario lifted from The Heart of Darkness. There is much more to Emilio's story than meets the eye. The other thread begins in the past, moving forward and revealing what really happened on the ill fated mission.

The story is quite character-driven, rich in clever dialogue and intricate relationships. We become intimately involved with each of the characters. This leads into the real theme of the story: the role of faith -- and the search for God -- in people's lives. Just to be clear, this isn't a "religious book," per se. It is more philosophical. It shows a mixed group of atheists, agnostics, and believers and how they grapple with love, tragedy, the need to connect with other beings, and other challenges that make up our existence. It explores what happens when a person discovers what he believes to be a true connection with God then, when the worst happens, feels betrayed and abandoned. It also raises difficult and thought-provoking ethical questions, particularly about treatment of children in society.

Since I read this novel, I've been wanting to discuss it with somebody. But I haven't found anyone who has read it. Has anyone read The Sparrow? Is anyone interested in blogging about it together?

The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith -- I have read all the books in this series about a Botswanan detective, proprietor of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency -- they are like comfort food for me.

In this novel, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi head to a safari camp to find a guide who was left a large sum of money by a former guest. Mma Makutsi’s fiancé, Phuti Radiphuti, suffers a debilitating accident, and when his aunt moves in to take care of him, she pushes Mma Makutsi away. And a local priest and his wife each approach Mma Ramotswe with suspicions of infidelity.

Save Me by Lisa Scottoline -- This is both a mystery/thriller and a novel about motherhood. Rose's eight-year-old daughter, Melly, has an unusual birthmark on her face which has made her the target of bullying throughout her years in school. In order to keep an eye on the situation, Rose volunteers as a lunch mom. As she tries to intervene with Amanda and her friends, who have been bullying Melly, an explosion ignites the cafeteria.

Melly is hiding in the bathroom in an effort to escape her tormentors. To rescue her, Rose must literally walk through fire. Meanwhile, Amanda is standing right in front of her calling for help. Can she turn her back on Amanda to go straight to Melly's aid?

As she's coping with the fallout from that heart-wrenching decision, Rose discovers that the explosion may have been more than a tragic freak accident. Circumstances prod her to turn amateur sleuth, and in the process, she has to face some demons from her past.

While this isn't among my favorites, I do enjoy mysteries, and I found this to be a page-turner. I think it will appeal to both mystery aficionados and readers of women's fiction.



Movies I've Watched: 

Treacle Jr. -- Sarah (MovieBuff25) wrote, in her review of this movie: "No one does slice-of-life drama and acerbic humor like the Brits, and the curiously named Treacle Jr. showcases this, as well as some damned good acting from the cast, particularly Aidan Gillen (Queer As Folk, Game Of Thrones) as Aidan."

This quirky British movie focuses on Tom, a depressed, confused man who silently abandons his wife and baby. After he is attacked by a gang of thugs in a park, he seeks medical help. At the clinic Aidan, a gregarious and somewhat simple young man, meets Tom and latches onto his laconic new acquaintance with a stream of cheery, incessant chatter.

Aidan has had a painful life, and he survives on odd jobs and is dominated by his beautiful but cruel girlfriend, Linda. However, he always seems joyful, and he tries to see the best in others. He has also found something he loves. So while Tom is definitely the more "adult" of the two, in some ways, Aidan is more grounded. The two men form a friendship of sorts and help each other survive in difficult circumstances.

This is definitely not a plot-driven movie; it is more of a character study. I loved the natural quality of the film. I felt I was watching real people going through the plodding, confused and often awkward rhythms of life. And while we didn't get much of the characters' back story -- many of the most important parts of the story are left unsaid -- somehow it is enough to draw us in and make us care about them. According to MovieBuff25: "Treacle Jr. intrigues and challenges, doing what British films do best."

Tangled -- I've watched this several times with my eight-year-old daughter. This was my third viewing of the movie but the first time I've actually paid attention. Parents may "get" what I'm saying here. :-) This animated movie has lovely graphics, and it puts an entertaining new spin on Rapunzel with an energetic, spunky heroine.




 

 

Drive -- This movie has been widely discussed in the blogiverse, and I'm not sure I have anything to add. The protagonist (Ryan Gosling), simply called "Driver," is a mechanic and stunt driver. He also moonlights as the guy who drives the getaway car after a heist. There are plenty of interesting shots of Driver traversing the streets of the city, car chases, and some graphic violence.

However, this isn't an action movie. The core of the movie is Driver's love for his neighbor, Irene, and her young son. Irene finds herself unintentionally linked to the underworld, and Driver steps in to protect them.

Throughout the movie, we hardly learn anything about Driver, yet he is one of the most unforgettable film characters I've ever seen. Alex Winthrow at And So it Begins ... stated it beautifully in his review. He wrote: "He moves slowly, speaks purposefully, and always appears to be three moves ahead.  He’s a calculating bruiser of a man.  The kind of guy who says very little, but is constantly speaking volumes."

Driver's romance with Irene is understated. Few words are ever said, and there is no physical intimacy. Yet it manages to be more powerful than most other movie romances I've seen. And it goes without saying that, as a love story, it knocks Twilight on its ass. 

One of the creators of this film said the challenge was -- loosely paraphrased -- "to create something as close to a silent film as possible." I wouldn't have expected to enjoy this spare, understated style of storytelling as much as I did. Usually I prefer a more overt approach: more back story, more character development, and more dialogue. Yet there was something perfect about this movie, as if to add any more would have diminished it somehow.

A Dangerous Method -- (link to my review here) As a history and psychology buff, this film was right up my alley. It explores the famously intellectually productive and difficult relationship between psychotherapy pioneers Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. It offers plenty of interesting historical details along with terrific acting from the three leads: Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, and Kiera Knightley. The presentation of psychological ideas was intriguing though extremely sketchy. 

This movie also introduced me to Sabina Spielrein, whom I'd never heard of. She was a patient and disciple of Jung and an important psychoanalytic thinker in her own right. She developed ideas which are often credited to Freud and others. She may also have been Jung's lover, and this movie took that premise and ran with it.

A survivor of what we now call child abuse, Sabina came to Jung's clinic, at the age of 18, to be treated for "hysteria." I did a bit of research after watching the movie. According to one writer, many of the symptoms of her "neurosis" would now be recognized as normal responses to severe, prolonged trauma.

Curiously, Sabina has been ignored by psychologists and historians. She was an early pioneer of child psychology and -- interestingly -- an advocate of breastfeeding. She did research on children’s speech, as part of her work on child development, and she discussed the importance of suckling at the mother’s breast.

The Conspirator -- This was an interesting account of some of the events following the U.S. Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln. It focuses on Mary Surratt, owner of a boarding house frequented by John Wilkes Booth. This movie is largely a courtroom drama, and while I thought some of the dialogue was overblown for effect -- why can't film makers present a powerful story and trust viewers to pay attention and "get it" without noisy pontificating? -- it was interesting and powerful. It also shows just how far the United States government would go to execute an innocent person.

The Conspirator might be a great springboard for discussion for homeschooling or unschooling families. (*wink*)

This movie also showcases an impressive cast, including James McAvoy as Mary Surratt's lawyer, Tom Wilkinson, and Kevin Kline. Stephen Root also gave a great performance in a small role as a tavern owner who was his "own best customer."

The Changeling -- George C. Scott starred in this well-paced ghost story with a clever, interesting twist.






  

Season 4 of The Big Bang Theory 

Some Favorite Quotes:

Sheldon: I am aware of the way humans usually reproduce, which is messy, unsanitary and -- based on living next to you for three years -- involves loud and unnecessary appeals to a deity.
Penny: Oh, God.
Sheldon: Yes, exactly.

Sheldon: She was girl who was my friend, and now she is a girl who is not my friend.
Penny: That has to be the worst country music song ever.

Raj: Ooh, Leonard is going all alpha nerd on Sheldon's ass!



Amy (to Penny): Thanks to you, I just made a rhesus monkey cry like a disgraced TV evangelist.

Howard: I'm saying believe in magic, you muggle!

Penny: Give my friend his stuff back.
Tod Zarnecki: I don't know what you're talking about.
Penny: Well then good news! Today's the day a girl's finally going to touch you in your little special place. *Kicks him in the groin*

Sheldon: Why hast thou forsaken me, O deity whose existence I doubt?


Reading Now:

The Harbor by John Ajvide Lindqvist

I was excited to stumble upon this new novel by the author of Let the Right One In, which was adapted into the Swedish film Let the Right One In and the American remake Let Me In, and Handling the Undead. This man is a spectacular author. He writes beautifully, with such skillful character development that even though we know horrible things will happen to these characters, we can't help being drawn into the story and caring about them, and we can't look away. He reminds me a bit of Stephen King at his best. More later on this novel.


Still On My Bedside Table: 

Blackout by Connie Willis

from Goodreads: Oxford in 2060 is a chaotic place, with scores of time-traveling historians being sent into the past. Michael Davies is prepping to go to Pearl Harbor. Merope Ward is coping with a bunch of bratty 1940 evacuees and trying to talk her thesis adviser into letting her go to VE-Day. Polly Churchill’s next assignment will be as a shopgirl in the middle of London’s Blitz. But now the time-travel lab is suddenly canceling assignments and switching around everyone’s schedules. And when Michael, Merope, and Polly finally get to World War II, things just get worse. For there they face air raids, blackouts, and dive-bombing Stukas—to say nothing of a growing feeling that not only their assignments but the war and history itself are spiraling out of control. Because suddenly the once-reliable mechanisms of time travel are showing significant glitches, and our heroes are beginning to question their most firmly held belief: that no historian can possibly change the past.

Have you read any of the books or seen any of the movies on this list? If so, what did you think? 

If we particularly enjoyed some of the same books or films, what would you recommend I read or watch next?

A Dangerous Method (Which My Daughter Has Dubbed "The Kinky Cure")

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and their famously conflicted relationship, has intrigued me since I studied psychology in college. I'm also fascinated by Jungian psychology. I've been looking forward to this movie and to seeing what David Cronenberg would do with this subject.

Michael Fassbender is Swiss psychotherapist Carl Jung. He brings the understated intensity we saw in Hunger and Shame to this role. He portrays a man who is repressed in many ways, yet a subtle reaction or shift in expression speaks volumes. Viggo Mortensen is Sigmund Freud, Austrian physician and father of psychoanalysis: the "talking cure." With his ubiquitous cigars and holding forth on his psychosexual theory of development, he could easily have been a caricature, yet he plays the role in an understated way, and the character earns our respect.

Kiera Knightley portrays Sabina Spielrein, Jung's first patient and an influential psychotherapist in her own right. When she first comes onscreen, being treated for "hysteria," her behavior is veering out of control and she is racked with agonizing fear and guilt. Her odd jerky body movements -- according to cursory research I did after the movie -- were accurate, based on clinical descriptions of Sabina's behavior at that time.

Jung treats Sabina with Freud's innovative "talking cure," and he contacts the famous doctor to consult about the case. Thus begins their famous collaboration, with Jung becoming Freud's "undisputed crown prince," meant to carry on his mentor's ideas and work after his death. Having learned that Sabina hopes to become a doctor, and realizing she is exceptionally bright and insightful, Jung mentors Sabina in her own career as a psychotherapist.

They also become lovers, although Jung loves his wife and is conflicted over taking a mistress. In contrast to Jung's description of his conjugal relations as "habit" and "always tender," Sabina likes it rough. Thus we get an image of Kiera Knightley, in a corset, ecstatically being flogged. And I thought people were joking when they said this movie contained BDSM. As an aside, while I was watching this scene, two thoughts drifted into my mind. First, I wondered whether these naughty bits were believed to fit the facts, or if they were included to attract a wider audience. By "wider audience," I mean aside from nerds like me who actually like listening to Freud and Jung spar over psychological theories. My second thought was, "I wonder which hurts more, being flogged or having to wear a corset?"

Overall, I thought this was an excellent movie, and to the best of my knowledge, most of it fit the facts. Many of Freud's and Jung's most famous ideas are lightly touched upon -- including the psychosexual theory of development, synchronicity, and the anima/animus. It gave viewers a peek at some of the bizarre psychiatric "treatments" practiced at the time.

It also offered glimpses of Freud and Jung's relationship and the issues that ultimately tore them apart. A Dangerous Method focused less on their famous friendship and more on their connection to Sabina. The movie portrayed this as a triangle among the three, which was a bit of a stretch, but it was intriguing. Furthermore it is known that Jung and Sabina shared some kind of intense romantic connection. Whether they were sexually involved is a matter of debate, but it makes sense. Kinky sex? Flogging? That's a bit of a leap, but given what is known about Sabina, it's not completely implausible. And people would be sorely disappointed if they sat through a Cronenberg film without seeing anything more controversial than competing psychological theories, now wouldn't they?

I definitely think this movie will appeal most strongly to people who are already interested in, and a bit knowledgeable about, the subject matter. However it is well worth watching for the writing, direction, and acting alone. I was thoroughly impressed by all three of the leads, especially Fassbender.

Finally, I can't think about Sigmund Freud without remembering Joey's famous onstage "Ode to Penis Envy" in Friends. Classic stuff! For the record, I believe Freud was a genius, but a notion like penis envy is begging to be mocked. So I leave you with this:

I Served The King of England -- Novel and Film

Set in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in the period surrounding World War II, this satirical novel follows Ditie from a teenager to an aging man. He begins his career working as a busboy and peddling hot dogs at the train station. He often filches money from his train station customers, and he becomes obsessed with money and everything it can buy. Watching the wealthy patrons in the restaurant where he buses tables, he comes to believe that wealth can buy respect, companionship and a place in society. After saving his tips for some memorable visits to a brothel, he concludes that it can also buy love.

Ditie works his way up and eventually waits tables in several elegant hotels. He is drawn to Zdenek, the head waiter in one of these restaurants, a fun-loving man who recklessly strews money wherever he goes. Another head waiter, Skrivanek, becomes his mentor. Skrivanek, who once waited on the king of England, has an uncanny ability to tell, just by looking at a customer, where he's from and what he will order. When asked how he knows these things, he simply responds "I served the king of England." In that restaurant, Ditie serves the emperor of Ethiopia. Later, when asked how he knew things ("How did you know Germany would end up at war with Russia after all?"), he'd reply "I served the emperor of Ethiopia."

Ditie's thirst for material success continues to grow. After the Nazis invade Czechoslovakia, he meets a young German woman named Lise, a passionate follower of Hitler. They decide to get married. After some digging into Ditie's family history, to reveal that he has Aryan roots, Ditie submits to medical tests to prove that his sperm is "first-class and worthy of inseminating an Aryan vagina with dignity." While he's offering a sperm sample, fellow Czechs are being lined up and shot by Nazi soldiers. This reflects the tone and style of the whole novel -- ridiculous, darkly funny things are tangled with moments that are purely tragic.

After Ditie and Lise marry, they set to work conceiving an Aryan child for the new Germany. They make their fortune as war profiteers, and after the war, Ditie eventually realizes his dream of being wealthy and owning a hotel. However when Communists seize control of the country, private property is confiscated. After a sentence in a hilariously relaxed minimum security prison, Ditie ends his life humbly working on rural roads.

I Served the King of England is written in a straightforward narrative style, without dialogue. At moments I thought the prose was beautiful, and at other times it felt tedious. The plot and characters, which ranged from quirky to insanely bizarre, held my interest from beginning to end. There is little sentiment in this novel. For example, while there are a few tender moments with Lise, Ditie never seems to connect with his wife or his developmentally disabled son. He talks about them in a detached way. And he is somewhat disconnected from the horrendous events he lives through, focused on his own life and his quest for wealth.

Later in the story, Ditie realizes the absurdity of his quest for wealth and prestige and enters an introspective stage of his life. As an old man, working on rural roads, he is finally sought out by local villagers for who he is, not what he has -- they enjoy his knowledge and unusual outlook on life. I found his change in perspective interesting. For example, he remembers his old friend Zdenek, the head waiter who drew people to him by strewing his money. Now he remembers a different story: Zdenek was loved for his kindness and generosity, not for his material worth. Readers see the same story from a different angle, which gives us a sense of his metamorphosis.

On the other hand, at the end of his life, Ditie remains self absorbed and his awareness of the events he's survived, the Nazi occupation and the rise of Communism in Eastern Europe, seems shallow. I completely understand why Publisher's Weekly wrote "Ditie's moral transformation is not entirely persuasive." Maybe this is intentional, reflecting Hrabal's gift for edgy satire. People's obliviousness to what is happening around them is an important theme here. For instance, in an absurd scene that stands out in my mind, a knife fight among gypsies suddenly breaks out in the hotel where Ditie is working. At a nearby table, a patron happily reads a book while he is splattered with blood and body parts are strewn around.

I Served the King of England is well-crafted, disturbing, darkly funny, and unique. Though I didn't fall in love with it, I recommend it to other readers. The author has a unique approach, blending Ditie's memories, which change shape over time, with fun, racy hilarious scenes, and horrific moments which seem to strike abruptly.

Although I usually prefer to read a novel before seeing the film adaptation, in this case, I'm glad I saw the movie first. The film's vivid imagery stayed with me throughout the book, and helped guide me through the narrative.



The movie, by Czech director Jiri Menzel, followed most of the novel closely, though it omitted or radically changed some important parts. It was true to Ditie's character and the colorful, odd, darkly comic quality of the movie. The cinematography was lovely, making the film visually striking.. And if you happen to like images of food and naked or scantily clad women, you will be richly rewarded. :-P

The movie also didn't lose Hrabal's satirical edge. I agree with Roger Ebert:

Menzel doesn't pound home his points. He skips gracefully through them, like his hero. He takes the velvet-glove approach. Here is a film with a hatred of Nazis and a crafty condemnation of communist bureaucracy and cronyism.

The movie actually offers a stronger indictment of the Czech communist government than the book, as Ditie's treatment by them is much less benign in the film.

I liked both the novel and the movie adaptation of I Serve the King of England, but I enjoyed the movie more. The movie's imagery more than compensated for the interesting details in the story that were left out of the film.

This movie is rated R for nudity and general naughtiness.  

Read More Book Reviews: Novel Insights, Book Snob

Rating: 4

5- Cherished Favorite	4 - Keep in My Library	3 - Good Read	2 - Meh	1 - Definitely Not For Me

Minding Ben by Victoria Brown

Sixteen-year-old Grace leaves her native village in Trinidad to fulfill her dream of starting a new life in New York City. With a mix of sadness and euphoria, Grace boards a plane, leaving her devoted mother, who relies on prayers, scriptures, and -- if all else fails -- a slight sense of martyrdom, her sick, disabled father, and her younger sister Helen.

Grace plans to stay with a cousin until she finds work in New York. Things do not go as planned, and when her first position as a nanny ends, she finds herself sharing a space in in an unsafe, dilapidated apartment building in Brooklyn with Sylvia, who is also from the West Indies. Their Orthodox Jewish landlord, Jacob, seems benign on the surface, but his failure to provide safe living conditions in his properties crosses the line into cruelty. Grace helps Sylvia care for her three children, in this cramped, chaotic household, while she looks for a position as a nanny, one of the few professions available to an immigrant without a green card.

This leads her to the Bruckners, an upper middle class Manhattan couple, and their four-year-old son Ben. Grace feels uneasy with Miriam and Sol Bruckner and realizes she's being underpaid. However she's frantic to escape from Sylvia's house, and positions aren't easy to come by. She find herself in an increasingly exploitative situation, held hostage by the Bruckners' promise to sponsor her for citizenship.

While minding Ben, Grace copes with the demands of his parents, including being available at all hours, fixing Sol's coffee "just the way he likes it," and photographing pregnant Miriam in the nude. She's also tangled in a heartbreaking injustice being done to Sylvia's children, who are especially vulnerable in a world where impoverished immigrants are often trampled upon. She's torn between her present world, which holds her hopes for the future, and the needs of her family in Trinidad. Sadly, she cannot return to Trinidad to help her sick father without risking being unable to return to America. Grace is also helping her spunky friend Kathy cope with heartbreak, connecting with her gay friend Dave, who's creating a spectacular indoor garden as he mourns the loss of his lover, and experiencing her own sexual awakening.

I was quickly hooked by Grace's story. I was especially captivated by the way the author captured the culturally diverse worlds of Brooklyn and Manhattan, a complex tangle of myriad ethnic groups. I saw posh Manhattan apartments, ethnic markets, and dilapidated apartment buildings. I heard the cadence of West Indian speech, got a peek inside a charismatic church, and listened to West Indian nannies gossip in the park as they watch their charges. All of this is seen through Grace's mind, which is intelligent, compassionate, and sometimes naive. The author's eye for detail, gift with character development, and ear for dialogue really made this shine.

I also loved the eloquent way Grace contrasted her two homes:

Back on the island, and only on very early January and February mornings, Helen and I would exhale the gentlest puffs of air through our mouths and see fragile white clouds. It was just a fraction of a second before the tropical heat consumed the cool air. Now, my own breath shrouded me as I decided to walk in the opposite direction on Eastern Parkway, deeper into Crown Heights, where the Hasidim went.

Difficult social issues -- including poverty, explosive tensions among ethnic groups, problems faced by immigrants, and homophobia -- run through the fabric of this story, but they're woven in with a light hand. This novel also spotlights prejudices and blind spots in people from all cultures and socioeconomic groups. Sometimes it's chilling, but often it's revealed in a gentle, funny way:

When I'd first started working for Mora and I told my mother they were Jewish, she hadn't understood. She'd kept asking again and again if they were real Jews. She couldn't define what exactly she meant by "real Jews," but I think she, we really, had sort of understood Jews to be people in the Bible, not a family of six living in a four-bedroom colonial with an aboveground pool in Highland Park, New Jersey. She had been full of questions about what they wore -- not robes and sandals -- and what they ate -- not manna and dates. I had told her that the Speisers looked like regular white people, except they didn't eat meat with milk or cheese, and they went to service on Saturdays. My mother had asked, almost afraid to hear the answer, if they really and truly did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Lord and Savior and no man went to the Father but through him. Nope, I had told her. They didn't believe a word of it. Mora told me the best they made of Christ was that he was a rogue Jew with a God complex.

I found this book heartbreaking and absolutely infuriating and, at the same time, entertaining and funny. I think it will be a hit with many readers, especially those who gravitate toward character-driven novels, coming of age stories, and multicultural perspectives in fiction. It definitely captivated me, making me sorry to lose Grace's company when I'd closed the book for the last time.

Read Another Review at Raging Bibliomania.

Rating: 4

5- Cherished Favorite	4 - Keep in My Library	3 - Good Read	2 - Meh	1 - Definitely Not For Me

Admit One: My Life in Film by Emmett James

Along with the standard ice cream and popcorn came extraordinary bags of sweets. They were a dentist's worst nightmare, like props from the Land of the Giants, only available in such large sizes thanks to the Odeon cinema chain, all perfectly displayed in front of us. In your day-to-day life you could live happily on a normal pack of Opal Fruits, Maltesers, or a Mars Bar, but in the cinema you needed a wheelbarrow to cart away the king size, jumbo, Henry VIII, fat-bastard packs, sold for gluttonous consumption. The Odeon cinema lobby was like walking into Willy Wonka's factory on a weekly basis. And fuck the golden tickets -- we had tatty, yellow paper tickets given to us by Stubby Knows upon our arrival to hastily grant us entry.

From early childhood, Emmett James has been enchanted by the cinema. Growing up in Croydon, England, he savored family trips to the theater, and he eventually moved to America and become a television and movie actor. In his eloquent and often hysterically funny memoir, he begins each chapter with a movie title and description that offers a clue to the facet of his life explored in that chapter. In a very real sense, movies are the milestones by which he navigates his memories.

James's account of his childhood and adolescence, though laced with sad moments, made me laugh out loud. As an adult, his acting career went awry after he over-zealously tried to land a role in a superhero film. Then he moved to Hollywood, where he had a slippery uphill struggle to success. His adventures included learning to properly crash Oscar Award parties, being lured into lending his talents to a VERY bad rip-off of the Rocky movies, and being led briefly into a life of soft-core porn.

Later, he lands a role in Titanic. I was fascinated by his account of working with James Cameron on this movie. As a director, Cameron had an amazing passion for his project, an incredible memory, and mind-boggling attention to detail. Emmett James's account of his time spent in Mexico, during the filming of this movie, was intriguing, quirky, and at moments, heart wrenching.

It was difficult to believe that the wealth of the American nation was propped up along its border by such poor, needy people. We drove upon row upon row of shantytowns. Wooden shacks these citizens called home, twisting and tumbling as if it was a city made of precariously placed cards under the blistering sun. Doors to their homes were left ajar as if there was nothing worth stealing, filled only with the dignity of their inhabitants.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. James has a delightful writing style and a knack for storytelling, and his life story took me places I've never been, including a working class English neighborhood and a high-budget movie set. There were several moments when the line between reality and fantasy seemed blurred and I wondered whether an event he described was real or imaginary. But that is why we write memoirs instead of autobiographies -- they offer more artistic license. This is a terrific read, especially for memoir lovers and movie buffs.

Many thanks to Lisa Roe, Online Publicist for sending me a copy of this book to review.

Read More Reviews: Reading Frenzy; Urban Bachelorette; Gramma's Reads  

Rating: 4.5

5- Cherished Favorite	4 - Keep in My Library	3 - Good Read	2 - Meh	1 - Definitely Not For Me

25 Movie Facts About Me

This is a pared down version of "100 Film Facts About Me," which is making its way around the blogoverse. Though I'm about a generation older than most of the film bloggers I read, I'm a novice film buff and new to the movie blogging community. ;-) I have thoroughly enjoyed this meme, which I read on many great blogs, including Brittani at Rambling Film, Andy at Film Emporium, Cinematic Paradox,  southern vision, A World of Gods and Monsters, And So It Begins, Cinematic Corner, Being Norma Jeane, Eternity of Dream, "...let's be splendid about this...", and An Online Universe. I'm also inspired by MovieBuff25's post on this blog. Let's roll ...

1. I was never a serious movie buff until recently; I was always more of a bookworm. I credit my daughter for encouraging me to explore movies in more depth and introducing me to a variety of classic, indie and art house films I never would have seen on my own. There are a few movies I don't thank her for introducing me to. ;-) But for the most part, it's been an amazing experience.

2. The first movie I remember seeing was Sleeping Beauty.

3. I am famously wimpy when it comes to graphically violent movies. I should point out that I was raised in an era before VHS/DVD movies and cable T.V., and my mom restricted my brother and me to movies that were rated G. Thanks to the persistent efforts of my husband and daughter, I've become a lot more open to cinematic violence and twisted black humor. A turning point, for me, was resisting the urge to run out of the room during "the gimp" scene in Pulp Fiction.

4. Despite my history of wimpiness about film violence, Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds are among my favorite movies.

5. We randomly quote movies in my house. A lot.

6. My first "dirty" movie -- when I was 14 -- was Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. When I say "dirty," I mean that we got a brief glimpse of Romeo's bare butt. Our class went to the theater to see this movie. That glorious glimpse of his gorgeous naked posterior was a hot topic of conversation among all the ninth grade girls for days. Sad but true. Those were different times. ;-)

7. The first movie I remember really loving, as a teen, was Ordinary People. I don't recall whether it was a great movie, but I was going through a tough time and appreciated its depiction of adolescent depression and family dysfunction. I got that quiet, comforting message I'd often gotten from good literature: "You are not alone."

8. I have always disliked action movies. Why sit through all that violence for a mediocre plot and dialogue with crappy acting? When my husband and I met, it was his favorite genre, and he somehow persuaded me to watch some action/"shoot 'em up" flicks. The only one I actually liked was The Terminator. What's not to like? -- an imaginative premise and a smart kick-ass female heroine. I did see a Charles Bronson movie in college. The only thing I can say is that I was probably drunk. Apparently, I wasn't drunk enough -- I walked out halfway through the movie.

9. It took time for some of my favorite movies to grow on me. For example, I didn't really "get" American Beauty and Magnolia the first time I saw them.

10. Memory, and how it guides or misleads us in our lives, is a topic that has always fascinated me. One of my all-time favorite movies is The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Unsurprisingly, Memento is another of my favorites.

11. Another of my favorite movies is Fargo. I think the Coens are brilliant. I put off seeing Fargo for years because I'd heard about the wood chipper incident.

12. I think Brokeback Mountain is a magnificent movie, but I found it so heartbreaking I will never watch it again. I had a similar reaction to The Mission in college. The hardest part of Brokeback Mountain, for me, was watching the metamorphosis of Heath Ledger's character. It's a powerful story about how a life circumscribed by fear and prejudice can warp someone's personality beyond recognition.

13. By the same token, I loved In the Bedroom, especially Tom Wilkinson's performance. However, I'll never watch it again. The sense of grief and loss in that movie is just too raw.

14. The most disturbing movie I've seen, to date, is probably Simon Rumley's Red, White & Blue. I kept screaming and swearing during that movie ("Oh, Jesus! Jesus Christ! What the fuck! No!") It wasn't so much the graphic murder and torture scenes, though that was hard to take. It was the brutal parts where most of the violence was left to the imagination. Opening that door in my imagination, plus the knowledge that -- sooner or later -- this movie maker was going to pull all the stops was very disturbing.

15. The most disturbing single scene in a movie -- for me -- was probably the "curb stomp" in American History X. I still feel physically sick thinking about it. That's also a big part of what makes the premise of the movie so compelling. After someone opens up that kind of pure visceral, remorseless hate inside himself, how does he ever become fully human again?

16. Another movie I found disturbing -- many years ago -- was Dead Man Walking. When Sean Penn's character was onscreen, and I looked into his eyes, I found it chilling, especially since I'd met a few people with sociopathic personalities. I actually had to pause the movie and leave the room several times, just to get a breather.

17. As a self-professed movie wimp, I don't watch many horror movies. Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is one of the few I really like.

18. I especially dislike movies about exorcisms. If one is the slightest bit open to the possibility of hell and demons, it's too unnerving. If one isn't even remotely open to that possibility, the premise is just gratuitously stupid. However, when my youngest has tantrums, I sometimes quip that it's like a cross between The Miracle Worker and The Exorcist. 'Cuz it is.

19. I did watch one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. I was a sophomore in college, and there were controlled substances involved. 'Nuff said about that.

20. I'll watch anything with Ralph Fiennes or Philip Seymour Hoffman. Ralph Fiennes can convey more with a subtle shift of expression than most actors could manage during an entire monologue.

21. I never had much interest in the male actors who were celebrity crushes for many women of my generation. I never liked Tom Cruise except in his role as the misogynistic motivational speaker in Magnolia. I never cared for Brad Pitt until I saw him in Burn After Reading, Fight Club, and Inglorious Basterds. I loved Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, when he was a skinny kid playing the mentally retarded younger brother. When Titanic came out, all the hype killed his appeal for me. It took me a long time to warm up to him again after that.

22. Even now, over 20 years later, I can never see Johnny Depp without envisioning Edward Scissorhands.

23. I recently watched my first Terrence Malick movie -- there may be hope for me as a film buff yet. It was Days of Heaven. It is gorgeous -- virtually every frame is a work of art.

24. About a year ago, I watched my first film by Ingmar Bergman; Wild Strawberries. Now I want to watch everything he ever made. There is so much power, in that movie, in the moments of silence and the things that are left unsaid.

25. One of my favorite funny movie lines is in Little Miss Sunshine, when Dwayne's uncle tells him not to miss out on the "prime suffering years" of adolescence.

100 Movie Facts About Me: Part I

This was inspired by Brittani at Rambling Film, Andy at Film Emporium, and other bloggers who did something similar. 

1. The last movie I watched was Romantics Anonymous. Cute, pleasant romantic comedy, though not particularly funny or memorable. It was nice to see a male romantic lead who wasn't a typical hottie.

2. My favorite movie of all time is The Fall by Tarsem Singh. It is emotional, visually beautiful, with a great child performance by Catinca Untaru. Incidentally, the British actor who played "Charles Darwin" in this also played in another one of my favorite movies, The Living & the Dead
 

3. The most intense film I have ever seen is Simon Rumley's 2006 Gothic drama The Living and the Dead, a bizarre look into insanity and dysfunctional, often cruel relationships. Haters can say what they wish, I loved it. Atmospheric, surrealistic and emotionally draining.

4. I want to see the Human Centipede movies, particularly The Human Centipede II, but my mother won't let me, despite the fact that I am eighteen years old and unlikely to sew unsuspecting victims mouth to arse any time soon. Anyone who thinks that is unfair, please post. Anyone who doesn't, stay out of it *wink*.

5. The first R-rated film I saw was Witness with Harrison Ford. I was about eleven or so, and I had to leave the room for the throat-slitting scene. One of my first R-rated movies was Double Jeopardy, and my parents made sure I didn't see the sex scene between the Ashley Judd character and her husband.

6.  My favorite TV show is Firefly, which is also my best science fiction series. I you haven't seen it, you must -- it is funny, well-written, well-developed, and tragically cancelled after one season. My uncle was happy to be introduced to this show; unfortunately, he found Rumley's The Living and the Dead harder to digest. If you read this, Uncle Mike, all is forgiven.

7. My favorite "bad" movie is the 1995 schlocky horror film Dead Alive (AKA Brain-Dead,) which, I am ashamed to admit, I found MUCH easier to sit through than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, also directed by Peter Jackson. The special effects are gruesome but cheesy and the acting is appropriately campy, but the characters (including a liberated Mama's Boy and an ass-kicking Kung-Fu priest) and dialogue are entertaining, and the film never takes itself seriously. My mother hated this film. In fact, she said it was quite possibly the "worst film" she had ever seen. Hmmm.... There's no accounting for taste.

 

8. Taxi Driver is a movie I didn't think I'd like but I turned out to really enjoy. At first I thought it would be a glorified revenge movie, but it turned out to be a good character study of a guy who's a few cards of a full deck. Not evil, not glorified, just flawed. And it let's face it, most of his victims, (other than the strung-out black guy holding up the convenience store, kind of deserved it. Who's going to stand up for some sleazebag who pimps out a 12-year-old girl, or any of his low-life cohorts? 

9. One movie I truly judge people for liking is Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, or, as I like to call it, The Disaster that is Transformers II. You have to realize I, my family, and some homeschool acquaintances went on the very first day it was out, before any of the professional reviews came out, and I was bombarded with 2 and a half hours of robots smashing against one another, one horny, obnoxious little robot, and Megan Fox's perfectly physiqued ass. Well guess what? Megan Fox's ass can't act, and neither can Megan Fox. And if you want to watch a dog-sized robot take advantage of Megan Fox's leg, go ahead. That's just not for me.

 

10. My favorite film about Asperger's (an Autism-like condition, which I have) is Nic Balthazar's Ben X, based on his play, "Nothing Was All He Said." It is realistic, for the most part, but marred by a ridiculous and over-simplified twist ending. Still, Greg Timmermans is great as the titular Ben, and the first 3/4ths of the movie are both gritty and eye-opening. I also liked Mary and Max, although I frankly found the animation a little disturbing. 

11. One of the most unique films I've ever seen is Mark Hanlon's Buddy Boy, starring Queer As Folk's Aidan Gillen and Emmanuelle Seigner, young wife of the cradle-robbing (in more ways than one) director Roman Polanski. It is a surrealistic, grimy picture about a horny, stammering Roman Catholic and all the weird people he encounters, including a beautiful woman who could be the canvas onto which he projects all his issues, or possibly The Devil. Shades of camp and multiple interpretations highlight this bizarre indie, and although the acting, outside of Aidan Gillen, isn't very good, it's still worth watching.

12. In case I haven't yet made any enemies, this will be the deal-breaker -- I found Inception to be massively over-rated, over-directed, and underdeveloped. I'm sorry, guys, but it simply isn't up to par with Memento, Nolan's early amnesiac thriller. And before you say "Oh, but it's so original," the anime film Paprika, from which Nolan took inspiration, did the Inception premise first, and better.  

13. I am ashamed to admit that I have never seen any of George A. Romero's zombie movies, but I have seen my share of films concerning the walking dead. My favorite is Edgar Wright's satiric take on the genre, Shaun of the Dead, which I have watched too many times to count and still find funny. My father consistently likes to bring up at social gatherings how, when I first saw Shaun of the Dead (I was about twelve) I cried. The reason? The unexpected deaths of Shaun's friends and family members, namely *SPOILER* Ed, Shaun's dimbulb pot-dealing buddy. When my brother heard this, he stared at me in a mix of mockery and bewilderment, and said "Ed? You cried over Ed?" Needless to say, it was embarrassing.

 

14. My favorite Paranormal-slash-Haunted House movie is Alejandro Amenábar's Gothic thriller The Others, closely followed by an obvious pick, The Sixth Sense. Although I appreciate M. Night Shyamalan's ability to create fear in a completely ordinary environment, The Others had a special muchness I loved. I still get chills at certain parts of it. Plus, I did not see that twist coming.

15. My favorite serial killer movie, is -- surprise surprise -- not The Silence of the Lambs, but Tony, a British indie directed by Gerard Johnson starring virtual unknown Peter Ferdinando as Tony, the titular serial killer living in the buttcrack of London and killing out of compulsion. I liked it because the movies about England that Americans watch are usually elaborate costume dramas based on classical literature that are pretty to look at, whereas Tony gives us a candid, day-in-the-life look into the rear end of the U.K., presenting us with a setting I see the like of living in the American South, and because Tony is a character who provokes mixed feelings of strangeness, disgust, and even pity, which further complicates the matter. He is a creature of habit, and I almost rooted for him to get away with his crimes, inciting the weirdest feeling of guilt in me. 

16. My third favorite Brit thriller (after Rumley's The Living and the Dead and Johnson's Tony) is Dead Man's Shoes, directed by the great Shane Meadows, an intelligent revenge tale starring Paddy Constantine as a man released from the army who seeks revenge on the people who tormented his retarded younger brother. Paddy Constantine kicks ass, and Toby Kebbell, who plays his slow-witted brother, is good too. The fact that Paddy Constantine talks openly about having Asperger's Syndrome just makes him that much better.

17. The grossest, most visceral movie I have ever seen is Audition, directed by the infamous Takashi Mike and also infamous for its prolonged final scene of violence and torture. I hated that bitch Asami from the moment she killed the cute beagle to the moment *SPOILER* her victim's son (who couldn't act) kicked her down the stairs. I can handle violence and torture, but -- Man -- when she kills the dog, all bets are off.

18. Another deal-breaking confession about me: I liked the remake of the Land of the Lost TV show, starring Will Ferrell and Danny McBride. I know. I'm terrible. I cannot explain why I liked it, except to say that I laughed, and I found the sex-crazed Neanderthal Chaka's exploits some what amusing. And Will Ferrell may not be a great actor, but he can be funny at what he does. Why, you may ask, did you enjoy a movie where a crucial source of humor was Chaka fondling Holly (Anna Friel)'s breasts, while the android Megan Fox leg-humper in T2 can not be tolerated? All I can say is this: some great mysteries of this universe cannot be explained.

Is that... is that hair gel? 

19. Another one of my guilty pleasures is There's Something About Mary, directed by the often politically incorrect Farrelly Brothers. Although I don't respect Ben Stiller much as an actor, you must admit he fits comfortably into the role of Ted, a dorky but good-hearted guy who gets a date with the most beautiful girl in school after sticking up for her retarded brother, only to be hindered in a penis-incapacitating accident. And no, I don't think the movie is "offensive to the mentally retarded." Plus, one of my favorite character actors, Richard Jenkins, has a funny cameo as an inattentive psychiatrist.

20.. The latest TV series I am watching for the first time is The Big Bang Theory, and although I think Friends is better (and funnier), I find The Big Bang Theory to be a smart and witty sitcom. Although many people find Sheldon, a theoretical physicist and fellow Aspergian, to be the most compelling character, I would find him impossible to live with in real life. I prefer not to hang about with people who treat me as if I have Downs Syndrome. I like to think I'm a reasonably intelligent human being. (Hell, doesn't everybody?) Bazinga!

21. My second favorite science fiction series is Doctor Who, preferably starring David Tennant, who both I and my mother think has some physically appealing qualities. Okay, I think he has some physically appealing qualities. My mother thinks he's mighty fine. Plus, he's an excellent comedic actor with a full range of expressions. My favorite character in the new series -- besides the Doctor, of course -- is Rory Williams, the endlessly devoted husband of Who companion Amy Pond. You just can't help but love him. I'm seriously going to cry if anything happens to him in the next season. He's been through enough already *sniff*. Stephen Moffat, do you want to make a nearly grown woman cry?

22. My favorite Skinhead-themed movie is American History X. Edward Norton is a fantastic actor, although I hear he is a pain in the ass to work with (in fact, director Tony Kaye is quoted as saying that Norton "raped" the film American History X.) Kaye's and Norton's on-set relationship was venomous, leading Kaye to try to remove his name from the credits of his own film. Nevertheless, the result was extraordinary. It might interest you to know that Stephen Graham's performance in the similarly themed This Is England was equal in intensity to that of Edward Norton.

23. The worst TV pilot I have ever seen, besides the abominable first episode of Highlander which I only saw a few minutes of (if anyone defends the show by saying '"Duncan is gorgeous" one more time, they're begging to be bitch-slapped), is Alcatraz. Yeah, it has some things going for it -- it had a decent premise and attracted the producer of Lost -- but let's face it, it's so ridiculous it's not even funny. Its only real merit is that it's easy to laugh at. Okay, let me elaborate, my Dad is a cop, and NO law enforcement officer acts like they do in the show. When a mad shooter is on the roof sniping people and the gorgeous female officer is told that they want him alive, what does she do? The tough yet pretty broad approaches the shooter, puts down her gun (you have to realize that he's still armed) and tries to coax him down. She's a cop, not a fucking therapist! I'm not one of those cop show purists (that's my dad, again) but this is just frickin' ridiculous.

24. A movie I really want to see is God Bless America, directed by Bobcat Goldtwait. You'd be the first to know that vigilante movies are not my genre of choice, but the trailer really caught my interest, and the controversy surrounding the film just makes me want to see it even more (you know me). I love the expression on Joel Murray's face in the promo when the guy tries to take photographs of his killing spree in the theater. And who hasn't thought about running over Westboro Baptist Church members with a car?

25. My favorite movie with hardcore sex scenes is not the hard-to-digest-but-nevertheless-critically-acclaimed Shame, but Weekend, a gay British  drama. It's not porn, but you'd be forgiven for thinking so when the sex gets graphic. Although it's implausible that two men would forge a deep bond over the span of two days, the acting is fine and the characters, complex human beings with complex human motivations, had intelligent conversations and brought a realism to the movie that a lot of films lack. This is not a movie that most straight men could watch -- the no-holds-barred man love is sure to get the average guy squirming, whether he's homophobic or not. 

26. Marley & Me is a movie that always makes me cry, no matter how many times I watch it. I am a major dog lover and enthusiast, and Marley is so lovable that I'm practically inconsolable by the end. My brother thinks I'm the biggest pussy ever. What you need to know is that I am not a pussy; he is a *stone.* Do you know how you get tears out of a stone? It's very hard. Punch it in the face, maybe.

27. An evil, bloodsucking bitch who shall not be named (I'm talking to you, Adesa) :-P got me to watch Hachiko: A Dog's Story one warm afternoon, reducing me to a puddle of tears by the end. After the movie was over, I lay in her hammock and sobbed my eyes out. Again, it's my thing about dogs. Whenever they're hurt, or scared, or (God forbid) dead, I cry. Figures I can handle just about anything happening to an onscreen human, whether is be drowning, burning, or slashing. Just don't hurt the doggie!

28. My guilty pleasure TV show is, hint-hint, not Grey's Anatomy, not Jersey Shore, but the vamp-soap True Blood. I have so many reasons not to like it: the ridiculously stereotypical portrayal of Christians, the pseudo-glorification of rape themes, the camp, the occasionally corny dialogue, and a heroine who keeps hooking up with Bill despite his generally ugly personality (he's not right for you, girl!) Nevertheless, I'm addicted. That's it. It's addictive. I have no other excuse. And I'd take it over the Twilight crap any day. 

29. There are many films I have no interest in watching, but the Twilight franchise is one of the first and foremost. The first book was one of the longest 500-or-so pages of my life. The characters are about as entertaining as rubbing sandpaper over your anal sphincter. They are boring, flat, and stale as year-old Coke. Why does Bella like Edward? He is dull, creepy, and pallid. Why does Edward like Bella? She is, quite simply, the most ill-begotten heroine in the history of literature. But no, Edward cannot "solve the rubiks cube that is Bella" (honest to God.) Stephanie Meyer's mind must be a void that produces only dingy and ill-conceived ideas.

30. My first horror movie was the 80's camp fest The Lost Boys, starring Kiefer Sutherland and the late Corey Haim. The dialogue is ludicrous and the acting is sub-par, but it features the funniest Grandpa and the coolest Husky in the history of film, and God-damn it, it's funny! Basically the same fun as Dead Alive, with less gore and no domineering mother zombies. And the vampires don't sparkle. Respect.

31. Now that I have displayed my embarrassing enjoyment of camp and needless gore, let me present to you my favorite of all vampire films: Tomas Alfredson's emotionally compelling masterpiece Let the Right One In, a film about two children who find each other, against all odds, and form a bond that could either end in love or disaster. The vampire is not a monstrous killer or the sparkling subject of the masturbatory fantasies of teenaged girls. It presents a half-life as it could really be lived. Don't be a afraid of the captions. Subtitles won't bite you... Eli might.

32. My most over-rated comedy movie is *winces, waiting to be shot* Raising Arizona, directed by the usually great Coen brothers. This movie is about as far from  Fargo as Kentucky Fried Chicken is from the Hilton. I must have laughed twice. Now I know why this movie made my Nonna hate Nicholas Cage, who is, frankly, almost as annoying as Brendan Fraser. Some of the scenes in this are bad beyond belief.

33. My favorite Coen movie is the pretty typical pick: Fargo, the Midwest-set black comedy starring Frances McDormand as the wonderfully unique pregnant law enforcement officer Marge Gunderson. Loved the humor, loved the drama, loved the relationship between Marge and her postage stamp-painting husband Norm -- so natural, so true to life. I'm not sure if Frances McDormand should have won the 1996 Academy Awards though; Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves gave her a run for her money.

34. The most overlooked Coen movie is Burn After Reading, which was criticized by professional critics and viewers alike. I thought it was hilarious. Very different role for Frances McDormand, with Brad Pitt delivering a hammy yet lovable performance as the dim-witted blackmailer Chad Feldheimer. I thought you might be worried... about the security... of your shit. And like most Coen films, there's a meaning behind the insanity. On another but not totally unrelated note, don't Joel and Ethan Coen give off the impression of being a little different? I'm guessing high-functioning Autism, or Asperger's.

35. My favorite movie starring a Who actor (Doctor Who, everybody) is Jude, the 1996 Michael Winterbottom film based on the classic novel Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, starring Christopher Eccleston (9th Doctor) and Kate Winslet. I generally don't like dramas based on classic literature, because I think they are boring, but something about this movie really grabbed my interest. Just get ready for a shocker of an ending. Although Jude the Obscure was later made into a relatively well-received movie, it was trashed by critics of the time and Thomas Hardy's career never recovered. He never wrote a novel again. Interestingly, David Tennant (10th Doctor) also has a small part in this film as a drunk man in a bar residing in Jude's hometown.

 36. One of the most underrated child performances of all time is that of William Eadie in Lynne Ramsay's Ratcatcher. Eadie, who was a first-time actor and, according to Ramsay herself, was not a typical Hollywood "cutie," impressed in his first and only role, playing impoverished Scottish youth James, who lives in squalid surroundings -- the garbage men are on strike and his apartment tenement is rank with trash and filth -- and his friend drowns in the canal, a death for which he feels responsible. The movie itself is ugly and bleak and doesn't rank number #1 on my to-watch-again list, but William Eadie portrays emotion with finesse surprising for a child of his age.

37.  A recent film I liked, that an acquaintance recommended to me, was the 1992 Irish children's film Into the West, which I had never heard of until my counselor Marcella brought it up. She said she had found it very moving and even cried at one point. Just for the record, I did not cry. It was, however, a surprisingly down-to-earth family movie, with a well-balanced portrayal of the alcoholic father, played by Gabriel Byrne, and good performances by the two boys. One part bothered me: the scene in which the motherless heroes break into a movie theater, stallion in tow, and steal popcorn, giving copious amounts to the horse. I could not take this with a grain of salt -- it would all be well and good if these young vagabonds were taking from the bourgeois and giving to... well, themselves, but the people who ran the theater suffered from financial troubles too and how were they supposed to run their little business when there was horse spit in the popcorn? What is wrong with me? Why can't I see the big picture?

38. The most annoying character in recent cinema is Sir (Albert Finney) in Peter Yates' The Dresser, a whining, theatrical drama queen waited on hand over fist by his gay servant Norman (Tom Courteney). God. What a pain in the whose-its whatsits. If I were Norman, I'd slip something a little extra into his morning tea and send him into a sleep he would never wake up from. A completely arrogant, narcissistic ass utterly convinced of his own importance in the period of the earth-shaking World War II. The final scene adds insult to injury. Ah well. At least Norman has a sense of humor about it. The picture below basically sums it up.

39. Choosing a most evil character is hard, considering the competition, but I'm going to have to go with Gabriel Engel in the powerful German serial killer thriller Antibodies. I don't believe in quote-unquote "pure, unadulterated evil," but Engel, a repugnant and remorseless child killer-slash-rapist, would make me question that belief in a instant. A completely revolting man. To see him is to hate him. Antibodies is similar in some ways to The Silence of the Lambs, and is definitely worth watching even while it tends toward the melodramatic.

 

40. One recent underrated and misunderstood horror film is The Bleeding House, which starts out as a torture movie but becomes something more. People who criticize it for sub-par character development and stupid actions are missing the point; what the movie is really about is human evil trumping supernatural evil. Nick represents the Devil, Gloria (or Blackbird) represents the evil people commit. It's a lot to think about. After all, maybe that's all the Devil is: humans thinking and wondering and behaving badly.

41. My favorite movie in my pre-teen years was Rain Man. I know, I'm a nerd, I wonder sometimes why it couldn't have been Just My Luck or A Cinderella Story or Hannah Montana: The Movie. A note to the haters: the film was made by Barry Levinson in 1988, when autism was not highly researched, and higher-functioning forms of autism (i.e. Asperger's) were not yet in the DSM (although Hans Asperger had brought AS to the table years before that.) Rain Man was good for the time it was made, and Dustin Hoffman worked with the tools he had. It is not a bad movie, just outdated. And Tom Cruise is not as bad an actor as you may think.

42. My favorite male actor is Ralph Fiennes, and my favorite film in which he plays (well, there's two really... between this and The Constant Gardener it's a close race) is Cronenberg's Spider, a compelling study of a paranoid schizophrenic with unresolved mommy issues. Ralph Fiennes plays this troubled character impeccably, and the movie doesn't explore the nature of his madness with elaborate camera tricks and dream sequences as much as a careful shift in perspective, making the final twist all but impossible to figure out.

43. To this day, one of the strangest  movies I have ever seen (I haven't seen any David Lynch -- I know, shame on me) is Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1989 horror/art house film Santa Sangre, or Holy Blood. Some of the scenes in that movie really had me shaking my head in bewilderment. And it really had some good qualities. Pity the acting wasn't better.

44. My coolest fantasy creature, excluding vampires, zombies, and talking animals, is the Lolemar, the obstinate, monkey-like critter from Avatar. Even though it is only shown for about ten seconds, its uniqueness and (dare I say it) cuteness stands out in my mind. Oh, and by the way, I like Avatar. Indie purists (AKA mainstream=bad) can just get over it.

45. My favorite horror-comedy (besides Shaun of the Dead) is An American Werewolf in London, directed by John Landis in 1982 with funny writing, genuine scares, and fantastic make-up. More impressively, Landis wrote the script for the movie when he was nineteen years of age. Don't listen to Ebert on this one. Roger Ebert panned this even though he gave thumbs up to the pedestrian celebration of bumbling idiocy Paul Blart: Mall Cop. What is wrong with him?! Don't get me wrong, he's a great critic, but he occasionally completely misses the mark. Next favorite: Zombieland.

46.  The Shining is a movie that makes me laugh even though it shouldn't. Before you hate on me, it's not that it isn't a scary movie, it is, and it's not that it's a bad movie, it isn't. In fact, it's very good -- one of the best horrors of the 80's. But Jack Nicholson has kind of a black comedy quality to him; subtlety isn't his trademark. And his performance as the dramatically unhinged Jack Torrence cracks me up every time. Give me the bat, Wendy. Give me... the bat. Wendy? Darling? Light, of my life. I'm not gonna hurt ya. You didn't let me finish my sentence. I said, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just going to bash your brains in. Gonna bash them right the fuck in! Ha-ha. The movie is scary and it is a classic, but Nicholson's Torrence sends me into a fit of giggles. His response to his son seeing a TV program on cannibalism is hysterical.

47. For a few years, my favorite book was The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Her prose is so beautiful and lyrical that it finds light in a dark subject, and the end is breathtakingly beautiful. That said, the film version by special effects enthusiast Peter Jackson is an unfit adaptation. I did not dislike it as much as Roger Ebert did ("The Lovely Bones is a deplorable film with this message: If you're a 14-year-old girl who has been brutally raped and murdered by a serial killer, you have a lot to look forward to" -- Ebert.) I know it's hard to fit a 300+ page book into two hours or less. but Peter Jackson took out the very essence of the book and tried to compensate by making it visually beautiful. Saoirse Ronan has a lot of potential as an actress, and Stanley Tucci gives one of the creepiest psychopath performances in film history and does a better job than we ever could have hoped for, but something is missing. The fact that Susie's heaven looks like a perpetual display of Windows screensavers might have something to do with it.

48. While reading the book The Butcher Boy, I thought it might be impossible to adapt to screen. Patrick McCabe's writing is so fluid, so stream of consciousness (like Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, I am told, but how would I know, a brilliant reader of classical literature I am not.) It may surprise you to know that the film version by Neil Jordan, the director of The Crying Game and Interview With A Vampire, is as good an adaptation as you can hope for, with an adept performance by Eamonn Owens as psychotic youth Francie Brady. Francie's character is one of the most complex in literature, and Eamonn Owens plays him brilliantly, instilling him with the deluded bravado and murderous rage portrayed in the book. A must watch.

49. "Made With Real Cheese." "All-Natural Flavors." "Absolutely won't give you the runs!" Everyone who's familiar with consumer culture knows that little fibs keep the public buying the products, and we are generally none the worse for it. But no advertisement campaign is crueler or more sadistic than that of the "whimsical" Belgian film Ma Vie En Rose, which is proclaimed, on the front of the box, to be "this season's A Wonderful Life." Yeah, well, Boohockey. I am here to tell you that is the biggest load of bullshit you will hear in your life. In this movie, the "uplifting" story of a young transgendered boy, you will see a seven-year-old child being bullied, alienated by his family, and attempting suicide by putting himself in a freezer. Yes, a freezer. Finally, he has nothing to hold onto but fantasies of inclusion and acceptance. Seeing Georges du Fresne (who is a very capable child actor)'s Ludovic suffer unjustly will tie your heart into a million knots and stomp into your soul until it looks like a smudge of dog poo on the bottom of your shoe. Watch this "inspirational" picture and want to kill yourself.

50.  It has probably become woefully apparent to you that I am more interested in the U.K than in my hometown, in which, although I will not divulge the location for safety reasons, time stands still, nothing happens, and middle-aged men in John Deere caps spit tobacco outside Wal-Mart. I can tell you all kind of delightful middle-class-in-the-South stories, but instead I will present my concluding chapter of part one of my blog-project, (drumroll, gents) the most underrated British movie: Treacle Jr. Tragically, this slice-of-life drama received only a 5.4 on Imdb, and it is not yet available on Region 1 DVD (although you can get it on Amazon for a multi-region player, as I did, or download it on itunes, if you enjoy watching it on a tiny, unsubstantial screen.) Aidan Gillen, who is one of my favorite actors, plays a sweet but clueless Londoner with a birth defect and Tom Fisher (who I had never heard of before now, but does a good job all the same) plays a man leaving his family who runs into Aidan, quite by accident, and spends a much of the film trying to get away from him before finally trying to help him improve his life. Anyway, it's sad, sweet, and unpredictable, and the performances are strong all around. You know what? Watch it on the tiny screen. It's worth it.

Please leave comments, and prepare yourselves... for the next chapter of my blog post, 100 movie facts about me. Hmmm ... I bet you're not looking forward to it as much as The Dark Knight Rises. Think about that for a moment as I leave in an indignant huff.