Something Borrowed: I liked it. It wasn't as good as the book, but it was still entertaining. And I hate to say it, but I like John Krasinski now. He was the one character that I loved, though that doesn't surprise me, as in the movie his character is a mashup of my two favs from the book. But I won't bore you with that.
Harry Potter: 7 Part 2 or whatever it's called. I'm glad that the series is finally over, but seriously, the movie sucked. It was incredibly anti-climatic. Even the gimmick 3D glasses couldn't make up for it.
Sarah's Key: I saw this at what my kid brother likes to call the "edgy movie theatre." I don't think Shirlington qualifies as edgy, but to each his own I guess. This was the first movie of two that I would see during the annual GJWHF held each August before I head back to school. I hadn't seen previews for this movie until the week before it came out. I was excited that they were making it into a movie. I had read the book and remember liking it, but I really couldn't remember what happened in the story. The movie was good. It wasn't anything earth shattering, but it was a nice change of pace from the movies I had seen around the same time. And any movie where French is the dominant language spoken is always a good decision. After watching French movies I always wonder why I didn't keep up with my French classes. It's such a beautiful language, even if I can't get the freaking accent down. But back to the movie...I find Aidan Quinn attractive. Enough said.
Midnight in Paris: LOVE LOVE LOVE! This was such a great movie. I may or may not have been the youngest person in the audience, but don't let that make you shy away from this movie. Owen Wilson was back to his hilarious self. The guy that always plays Tony Blair played a role that wasn't Tony Blair. It was great to see many of the places that I visited when I went to Paris. And although Owen Wilson was fantastic, I think the guy that played Hemingway stole the show. I honestly can't say anything bad about this movie. You need to see this the first chance that you get. By far the best movie I saw this summer.
Now to books: Book Club didn't go as planned. Me and the bros just couldn't take the ball-breaking that is Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask. I only made it through about one-third of the book before giving up. And we consulted the trusty 1001 Books to Read Before You Die to find out that it wasn't even in the book! So I had to go back through and revise the book list - at least for myself. I ended up reading the following:
Slaughterhouse Five: This was my second Vonnegut, and it was pretty entertaining. The thing I love most about Vonnegut's novels are that they are short and they are funny.
The Plague: This was pretty much an early 20th century version of Outbreak/The Hot Zone. It was really interesting, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. This is my second Camus novel that I've read (The Stranger), and I have enjoyed them both. I guess I should check out more of his work. And it doesn't hurt that the artwork on the books is fantastic.
Far From the Madding Crowd: Poor Gabriel Oak. The poor guy has to deal with such douches while he tries to win his woman's heart. The guy just wants to be a simple farmer. He wants his dirty woman, and he wants to tend to his sheep. Instead, he has to deal with a creeper old man, and a British, 19th Century version of a Bachelorette contestant (thanks, Steve, for that great comparison). Of course I loved this book. This is my fifth Thomas Hardy, and I have loved everyone that I've read. He just does such a great job of describing the human condition and all of the experiences and emotions that that may entail. And spoiler: this one doesn't end in the tragic, downward spiral that is characteristic of Hardy novels.
In the Pond: This was the first book I've read that deals with Chinese culture. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. This book had very similar tones to 1984.
And finally...Brothers Karamozov: Talk about ball-breaking. Talk about a masterpiece. How is it that I could be so into something that is simultaneously killing me softly? I wasn't sure that I was going to finish it by the time that I left for school, but thanks to a few power outages, I was able to pull it off. Russian literature really makes you step back and think about people and relationships. And there is something just so enticing about snow and fur hats.
And there you have it. The movies I saw in the theatre proper this summer and the debrief of the Christensen Summer Book Club. I could say that I am going to continue writing reviews of movies and books as I see them, but I don't want to set myself up for another failure. I will say, however, that the book I am currently reading is fantastic. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's is a great read. I'm only one chapter in, but I can already tell that I'm going to love it.
Shirlington is the edgy movie theater. I stand by that comment.
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