Movies, Music, Books 2010
Avatar
I was so not interested in this. At all. But I told Alex that if he saw it and thought I HAD to see it, that I'd go. On his dime, of course. So on New Year's Day we went with Chris and Larry (after finding out that all the IMAX shows were sold out for two straight days, and after not being able to find any decent seats at the screening we originally bought tickets for, and after killing lots of time trying to decide if those three at the bar were going to end up having a threesome, and after killing another hour in a Borders that was going out of business - 30% off everything!)...and the story I just told about our experience was probably better written than Avatar was. BUT. I still kind of loved it. And, in fact, will be seeing it again in IMAX on Saturday, I think. Whoops.
Jennifer's Body
I thought this was fun and silly, though I probably won't ever watch it again. Alex, however, thought it was stupid and said he probably would have turned it off after the first twenty minutes if he'd been watching alone.
Paranormal Activity
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK. I was completely terrified by this and, happily, so was Alex. (I say happily not because I like to see him suffer, but because I'm usually the one being scared, while he's generally nonplussed about the whole thing.) There were some moments of standing in the kitchen and watching from around the corner, which has only ever happened once before (oh, The Descent, how I love your freaky and claustrophobic ass). There was also lots of frantic texting to Chris and Larry. "OMG [SPOILER HERE]." "SHE JUST [SPOILER HERE] WHAT THE FUCK." Totally scary but also kind of awesome. I want to watch it again. And I wish the DVD had come with a commentary, 'cause I'd listen to the shit out of that.
A Single Man
Alex was going to see The Road after we watched Paranormal Activity, and since there was NO WAY I was staying home alone after that, I tagged along and saw this. I thought the performances were fantastic, but the direction was much too...much. Tom Ford was way way too pleased with himself during the majority of it, although it certainly looked pretty.
Youth In Revolt
I was not even a little bit in the mood for this, but it was free. There's a long story about why I wasn't in the mood, but it's petty and immature, so it's not important. Also, I have apparently gone from Over Michael Cera to Actively Want To Punch Michael Cera in the face over the course of about a week, although I think it began in earnest this summer when people kept comparing Jesse Eisenberg in Adventureland to Cera. I got much too invested in defending Eisenberg on Snarkfest and took those comparisons way too personally. But I think that was the beginning of the end of Michael Cera for me.
OT: Our Town
This is a documentary about a high school in Compton putting on their first play in over 20 years (Our Town, in case you weren't paying close enough attention). It was pretty wonderful and I hope the school's drama program has continued.
Crazy Heart
You know, there's been a lot of conversation about Jeff Bridges' performance in this film, and conversation about his various nominations (including the inevitable Oscar nod) as more of a Thanks For Some Great Years, Denzel-in-Training-Day or Newman-in-Color-of-Money-style career acknowledgment. I could not possibly disagree more. Bridges in this film completely inhabits Bad Blake, making him into someone that you are fascinated with, repelled by, worried about, uncomfortable with, and totally willing to be charmed by, all at the same time. The music is brilliant, the supporting performances are brilliant, and it is, overall, a completely engrossing experience. I loved it, needless to say.
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Yeah yeah, shut up. I was home sick today with a nasty stomach thing. I'd blame the dehydration for my enjoyment of this movie, but I'm not sure that's totally what it was. That Miley girl is pretty charming, I have to admit. And I do like her voice and a fair amount of the music and oh who am I kidding? It was a perfect staying-home-sick movie.
Derby Girl (Whip It) - Shauna Cross
I read this on New Year's Day. I started it in line to get into Avatar, read some more while we were waiting for the movie to start, and then finished it when we got home. I liked it a lot and thought it was really funny and entertaining. It makes me want to watch the movie again.
Every Secret Thing - Laura Lippman
Laura is a good buddy of my father's who writes a PI series and some standalone mysteries. I've never gotten around to reading her, so when we were in the Borders before Avatar, I called my dad to see which one I should start with. His answer? "Uh, find the one from the year I got sick." .... So I ended up having to look through her section (on the very bottom shelf, of course), opening books and looking at the copyright pages, because he couldn't remember the title. Helpful! Lucky for me, I remember the year he was sick (2003, because I had just graduated from college, and he helped me move out of my 2nd floor apartment with, likely, his heart failing), and found the right book. And oh my GOD did this book eat my brain. It's all I wanted to do. All weekend. (How I managed to watch five movies - the above, plus Miracle - and read two books, plus watch two-thirds of the first season of The Big Bang Theory - in three days is a mystery. But an awesome one.) It was totally engrossing and I felt like it was right on the brink of everything coming together for the majority of the book and I just could.not.stop.reading. An awesome experience, and it's definitely time for more Lippman.
The Liar's Club - Mary Karr
I sort of had this on the list last year, but I didn't finish it until Tuesday, so it really fits here. I really liked this, even though there were some really difficult parts to read. Karr's writing style is a lot of fun and really engaging. Lit, her third memoir just came out, but I need to track down Cherry first, and it has been impossible to find. Must I go to the library? MUST I?
To The Power of Three - Laura Lippman
Another Lippman mystery to EAT MY BRAIN. I didn't heart the ending of this one as much as I did the last one, but it was still totally obsess-able and I finished it in about two days. Her third standalone is waiting for me to start tomorrow when it's time for the work commute, and I can't wait.
*What The Dead Know - Laura Lippman
The last Laura standalone - I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself. I LOVED this one. It didn't eat my brain quite the same way, but I think that's because I was having to read it on the bus and stuff in the morning, so I wasn't able to concentrate the same way. Definitely the best of the three, I think.
*Someone Like You - Sarah Dessen
I've been listening to some of you talk about how awesome Sarah Dessen is for years, but just didn't really know where to start. Then I saw "How To Deal" at Borders for $1.99 (plus 40% off!) and managed to look past the very weird Mandy Moore cover. Turns out, "How To Deal" is two books - Someone Like You and That Summer, which I haven't gotten to yet. But I LOVED Someone Like You, and I almost didn't realize how much I loved it until I got to the last few pages and just...lost it. Man. Those girls got under my skin, and Dessen can really write. I'm looking forward to That Summer. What are you other Dessen favorites?
Crazy Heart - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack