Here's what I plan on reading and watching this week (10/30 - 11/5)

Happy Halloween!

I feel like every week I start with the best of intentions, and then slowly regress.  I was going to read and watch a bunch of horror content, but I cleverly watched several new movies (none of which fall in the horror genre), and rewatched one classic horror film.  My reading selections this past week all fell on the horror spectrum, though—so there’s that at least. 

Books

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs and Cassandra Jean:  C+.  I am glad I decided to continue reading this series with the graphic novels, because I feel like the story flows better and the visuals are better expressed than through intermittent black and white photos.  I didn’t like this as much as the original:  the exposition was clunky and contrite; the plot moves at a glacial pace; the conclusion should have ended about 5-10 pages before it did. 

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier:  B.  I’ve always meant to read a Daphne du Maurier story, and her novella The Birds is as good of a start as any.  It’s technically the source material of the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, but Hitchcock decided to base the film in the U.S. instead of Great Britain and changed every character to fit the standard Hitchcockian tropes.  In short, the film is an in-name-only adaptation that uses the same premise but deviates everywhere else.  They’re both great on their own; while I give a better grade to the film, the novella creates a slow-building phobia driven atmosphere, and never lets up until the heart wrenching conclusion.  I’m a big fan!

Psycho by Robert Bloch:  B+.  This is the book Alfred Hitchcock didn’t want you to read.  A 1959 release, right after Hitchcock secured the rights to have it adapted, he instructed his assistant to buy as many copies of the book as possible; he didn’t want the audience to know the film’s twists beforehand.  In contrast to Daphne du Maurier’s The Birds, Hitchcock faithfully adapted the source material.  There is a name change with one of the main characters, and Norman Bates is an overweight alcoholic in the book but is played by frail Anthony Perkins in the film.  Other than that, the film plays out exactly like the book does (except the book is even more violent than the classic horror film).  I do take points off for the way Robert Bloch tackles alcoholism and its relation to the plot twist at the end that everyone knows about, but otherwise it’s a tightly wound thriller that is worth your time—especially at this time of the year!

Movies

The Birds:  A-.  I decided to rewatch the film before reading the novella, and I’m glad I did:  the creepy factor is high in this film, and the special effects work even 53 years later.   

Hacksaw Ridge:  D+.  Oh, Mel Gibson!  I have a complicated relationship with Braveheart (which I mostly dislike, but I keep giving it multiple opportunities to impress me), and I like what he attempted to show through The Passion of the Christ even when it was hard to sit through.  Hacksaw Ridge is the kind of movie which has two halves, neither of which are very good—but both containing aspects that leave me unable to hate it.  I’m finishing up a full review for this film.

The Space Between Us:  D.  Dear Lord, I don’t think I’ve seen a movie as silly as this in a long time.  It is the most contrite fish outta water film you’ll run across.  If not for the charming screen presence of Asa Butterfield—who gamely plays the first person born on Mars like it’s a captivating story—I would have failed it. 

Christine:  A-.  This is the 2016 film chronicling the last weeks of reporter Christine Chubbuck, not the adaptation of the cheesy Stephen King novel which had a killer car as the villain; please don’t confuse these!  The only reason Christine Chubbuck is known these days is because of her on-air suicide, so it’s not a spoiler to reveal that the film dramatizes her descent into depression which triggers this result.  Rebecca Hall is revelatory as the title character.  I’m also fond of the screenplay, which had to work on a few factual pieces we are aware of and then create a two-hour drama with suggested content.  It’s a haunting drama that I won’t soon forget!

Certain Women:  B-.  It’s very rare that I’ll see something that I overall liked but I vehemently discourage anyone from seeking it out, but Certain Women qualifies.  The film, directed by Kelly Reichardt, is intentionally paced unlike the conventional Hollywood drama, and doesn’t have a plot as much as it is the camera acting as a fly on the wall as it drops in on the lives of three women in different stages of life.  This is something that can be called “boring” by less patient moviegoers.  The acting is appropriate for what the film is selling, but I’m unable to find a standout amongst the women.  Overall, I enjoyed the experience for what it was, and nothing more.

The St. Louis International Film Festival starts this weekend, so my reading and watching plans will have to adjust accordingly to how busy I’m going to be over the next two weeks. 

Books

Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra.  I’ve never heard of a book written as a standardized test, so I’m intrigued. 

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven, et. al.  Does anyone remember this series in the late 90s and early 00s?  It was one of those gag gifts that you’d get for the holidays and then never read.  If I recall correctly when I’d flip through them in bookstores, they were sometimes clever.  I may regret requesting five of these at my local library.

I’m not sure if I’ll have time to read anything else.  I’ve been to so many author events over the past few weeks; if I do have time, I’ll read something from one of those authors.

Movies

I would like to catch a classic horror film in honor of the holiday this evening, but let's be real; I'll probably end up on the couch watch reruns of Chopped.

Moonlight.  This is getting serious Oscar buzz, and I’m glad to be able to see it, because the plot alone makes it one of my most anticipated. 

The rest of these are SLIFF movies that I’ll watch on Friday and Saturday:

Cold Moon.

Enclosure. 

Manchester by the Sea.

I don’t know much about the first two, but I’m really excited to see how they play.  Manchester by the Sea, another film with heavy Oscar buzz, it highly anticipated.  

Here's what I plan on reading and watching this week (10/23 - 10/29)

Next Monday is Halloween already?!

I’m not doing very well reading and watching scary things.  My media consumption included a thriller starring Ben Affleck (where his acting was the scariest thing about it), a documentary about the Duke lacrosse scandal, and a young adult book where the main character’s brother battles leukemia.  Okay, I take it back:  these things are scary—but it’s not the gory horror that I should be taking in.

Here’s what read and watched last week.

Books

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher:  B-.  Or, TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY, as the book cover is stylized.  I’m seeing Jay Asher with a friend this week, so I thought it was appropriate to read this beforehand.  It’s also my sister’s favorite book, so it’s good to see what she enjoys reading.  This book was fine.  I’m not sure what beyond the premise of the plot rubbed me the wrong way enough to only give this a B-.

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pies by Jordan Sonnenblick:  C+.  This is the aforementioned leukemia drama written long before John Green made cancer trendy for young adult readers.  It’s a cutesy, innocuous debut novel that is written exactly like a debut novel—full of plot tropes and shoddy writing. 

The Emotionary by Eden Sher and Julia Wertz:  B.  Reviewed here.  I’m still baffled by The Fart Party.

I’m running short on time so I’m just going to list the movies I watched last week.

Movies

Love and Friendship:  B. 

American Honey:  B. 

The Accountant:  C.

Fantastic Lies:  B.

In honor of Halloween, the books and movies I plan on committing to are more of the horror variety.

Books

Psycho by Robert Bloch.  Psycho is one of my all-time favorite films, and while I was aware of its source material, I never got around to read it.  I found this on audiobook, so it should be quick.

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier.  Again with the Alfred Hitchcock source material, apparently.

Assorted short stories by Edgar Allan Poe.  This feels appropriate for the season.

Movies

The Birds (a rewatch).  I plan on watching this after reading the novella.

Hacksaw Ridge. I got an invitation to see this early.

I’m not sure what else I’ll watch—but I hope it falls in the horror genre.

"The Emotionary" book review

relatability + embarrassment

embarrbility

n. a feeling of something being similar in regards to a series of events which triggers self-consciousness and awkwardness; secondhand embarrassment.

I didn’t know what to expect from Eden Sher’s book, The Emotionary.  I was alerted of its existence not even three weeks ago, and the concept intrigued me:  Eden Sher—an actress on the show The Middle, which is a guilty pleasure of mine—decided to create a book of fictional words based on emotions she has, with the book formatted as a dictionary with graphic interpretations throughout.  I was in a Barnes and Noble this afternoon killing time between movies, and I found this book with the intention of flipping through it before requesting it at my local library.  The joke was on me:  within minutes, I found my way to the in-store Starbucks, purchased an iced chai latte, and sat down at one of the few remaining tables and devoured the book within an hour.

I really liked it!  Eden’s emotions aren’t unusual to me—and often times it was a painfully relatable experience.  Perhaps it’s just that I’m also very neurotic.  Like Eden, I could be driving when suddenly my daydreams make me remember the time I was in kindergarten and I got in trouble for knocking over another kid’s block castle (in my defense, the infrastructure of that castle was poorly executed and would have been knocked down if anyone had sneezed on it).  I feel like I’m getting off-topic…

Another plus for this book is Julia Wertz’s illustrations.  I promise that this isn’t a backhanded compliment:  I enjoyed how minimalistic the art design was for these comic demonstrations, because they didn’t detract from Sher’s words.  Wertz does a lot with…WAIT A MINUTE!  I just looked up Julia Wertz on Goodreads and apparently she has several volumes of a series called The Fart Party.  This is the strangest Goodreads discovery I’ve come across!

There’s no way I’m going to be able to refocus on this review.  I think I’ll just make up another word and grade this.

distract + internet

disternet

n.  The feeling when you’re trying to do something productive—i.e. write a book review—and get sidetracked when you find out that one of the cowriters of the book in question also wrote a bunch of books about a family that is known for farting, which leads you to an online black hole.

Rating:  B.

Here's what I plan on reading and watching this week (10/16 - 10/22)

I went into this week thinking it was going to be very iffy.  I thought I’d be lucky to read one book and get through two movies.  Instead, I got through three books—past my Goodreads goal of 70!—and saw six films.  After such a productive week, I’m going to try and keep the momentum going, but I may crap out by Wednesday.

Let's hope not!

Anyway, here is what I read and watched last week.

Books

The Assistants by Camille Perri – B-.  Reviewed here.  Very silly, yet enjoyable.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman – C+.  Enjoyable, yet episodic.  I read this because the film adaptation was playing at a local theater.  This is one of those rare cases of me liking the film more than the book.  I also had the same issue with the movie—sensitive material being played for comedy.  I’ll be a little less vague below.

George by Alex Gino – B.  Adorable middle grade book which should absolutely be available for kids to read.  I suppose my only quibble is that the prose could have been better constructed (or edited).

Movies

Keeping Up with the Joneses - C-. I got invited for an advanced screening of this film, due out on Friday.  I liked it better when it was called Date Night. I feel like this is the most derivative movie I’ve seen in years.  In an unrelated note, I know "keeping up with the Joneses" is a fairly standard idiom, but I never cared for the spelling of Joneses; it just looks misspelled.  

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone – B. I watched the Harry Potter movies before reading the book (DO NOT DO THIS) so this is my first time watching the films since reading them.  This one was a pretty good adaptation.  

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - C+.  Chamber of Secrets is my least favorite book (too zany, not enough Hermione, lame conclusion), so it’s not surprising that I’m not too fond of this in comparison to the others.

13th – A.  An absolute punch to the gut.

Denial – B+.  To be fair, it’s a standard procedural film, but I was enthralled by the story and the acting of the full cast.  Also:  Rachel Weisz!!!

A Man Called Ove - B-.  I liked it slightly more than the book. I'm still not a fan of the suicide attempts being played for laughs, though. Other than that, it’s a hilariously heartfelt film that ends about as you’d expect it to.

And here’s what I plan on reading and watching this week.

Books

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.  This is evidently my sister’s favorite book, so I feel a familial obligation to get through this.  Also, I’m going to an author event for Jay Asher at the end of the month, so I can get my sister’s copy signed.  I’m liking it so far, which is slightly surprising because when my sister told me the plot of the book about eight years ago, I was mortified.

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick.  I went to (yet another) author event last week and got this personalized by him.  I wasn’t even thinking of this book, but hearing him talk about why he wrote it, I knew I had to pick it up.  It’s a very short book (written in double spaced Arial font for some reason), so I’ll probably finish reading it before I finish writing the end of this sentence.

Rose Madder by Stephen King.  I just started this on audiobook.  It’s widely considered one of the worst Stephen King books—even by the author himself, who has all but disowned it.  Even so, it has a fairly large fan following due to its subject matter (domestic abuse). 

Movies

American Honey – I heard about this after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.  Its length (two hours and 40 minutes) gives me pause, but by all accounts it’s quite good.

The Accountant – This may or may not happen, depending on my schedule.

Captain Fantastic – Another film that may or may not happen.  I’m looking forward to it, and it’s at my local bargain theater ($2 on Tuesdays!).

"The Assistants" book review

Tina is a thirtysomething who works as the executive assistant for Robert Barlow, one of the richest men of the world (number 35 on the Forbes billionaires list).  Robert is the CEO of Titan Corp, a media corporation responsible for nearly all of the media we consume.  Despite working for a billionaire as his personal assistant, Tina only makes around $40,000—which still leaves her with student loan debt.  One day, a misunderstanding leads her to accumulate enough money to pay off her Sallie Mae account.  Tina is nervous that Robert will find out and not only fire her but press charges.  Things start to unravel from there…

That is the plot synopsis for The Assistants, the debut novel of Camille Perri.  It’s a funny novel with many aha moments that will speak to those (like me) who work in administrative offices in a support role.  That said, it’s not exactly rooted in reality:  the wheels start spinning out at a chaotic pace; the deception (and cover-up) builds with more assistants jumping on board to pay off their student loan debt via grand larceny; and the book’s conclusion contains so much fantasy that it makes the entirety of The Hobbit feel like a sobering documentary in comparison.   

And yet, I liked it.  I wish I could say that the characters are four dimensional people who are unlike anything I’ve read before, but they’re not…except for the main character, who is introduced as naïve and ultimately turns into a straightforward, no-nonsense person (although I could have lived without the obligatory romance subplot).  And it’s not like the book is a revelation for millennials by any stretch of the imagination.  Ultimately, what won me over, was the funny and frivolous tone:  it never took itself too serious, even with a built-in social commentary.  I’m having trouble stating in certain terms why this silly book was enjoyable, but it was.

Rating:  B-

"The Girl on the Train" movie review

I read The Girl on the Train a year and a half ago, shortly after its release.  While I admit I went into the book cautious because it was being compared—somewhat dismissively—to Gone Girl, I was pleased that the book wasn’t entirely derivative.  Sure, the structure is familiar (although while Gone Girl only had two POVs, Paula Hawkin’s book one-upped it with three), but for me the story for The Girl on the Train was more solid, and didn’t unravel after the second half like Gillian Flynn’s book.  Still, The Girl on the Train wasn’t without its blemishes:  Paula Hawkins was clearly a debut author, and multiple characters felt clunky and was inserted too obviously as red herrings. 

Even before Paula Hawkin’s book hit the shelves in January 2015, Hollywood already picked up the movie rights.  I was excited about the casting of Emily Blunt, but went in with low expectations; even though the book didn’t read like a Gillian Flynn copycat, it was clear that Hollywood was going to make Gone Girl-lite.

My verdict?  I’m not very invested in this film, so I’m just going to make a list of things I thought about while watching the film.

• While Emily Blunt is clearly doing an excellent job showcasing her talent, I’m still frustrated at how Hollywood depicts alcoholism.  We’re led to believe that Rachel drinks a bottle of vodka everyday while traveling to and from New York, but outside of looking a little disheveled, she still looks like she would fit in as a model in a Cosmo magazine.

• Speaking of New York, I’m unsure why Hollywood felt it necessary to update the setting from the UK to America.  This isn’t exactly a new concept—hell, at this point I’m surprised when Hollywood doesn’t update the setting—but it still irks me that executives have set in their mind that unless a film is set during a war, or is a fantasy epic featuring wizards or hobbits (although you know if J.K. Rowling wasn’t so adamant about it, Hollywood would have had Hogwarts in America), the setting has to be in America, because Americans won’t accept things that aren’t homogeneous. 

• I understand why the actresses playing Megan and Anna need to look alike (because of a plot point in the second act), but an older couple sitting behind me was clearly confused and kept asking each other which character was which.  This is probably a plot point that could have been changed when adapting to the screen from the page.

• I complained that some characters in the book felt pointless and only served the purpose of being an obvious red herring, but the movie contains even more characters that are poorly written and just disappear about halfway through the movie. 

• The movie, like the book, ultimately turns into a whodunit.  I confess that I guessed wrong while reading the book.  Even if I hadn’t read the book before catching the film, I feel like I would have noticed the glaring red flags that follow this character from his or her introduction. 

I’m so ambivalent towards this film.  Ultimately, I didn’t care for it…but it doesn’t rise to the level required for me to actively dislike it.  I quite enjoyed Emily Blunt’s performance—but other than that, it’s a paint-by-numbers film that wouldn’t be out of place premiering on the Lifetime Network.

Rating:  C-

Here's what I plan on reading and watching this week (10/9 - 10/15)

Without further ado, here is what I read and watched.

Books

Home is Burning by Dan Marshall:  D.  Review here.  I'm still not over that bitter aftertaste.

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer:  C+.  Not exactly the most articulate celebrity memoir out there, but it was fine.  I listened to it on audiobook, so it was almost like listening to Amy Schumer's stand-up routine for seven hours.

Heartburn by Nora Ephron:  B-.  I'm a fan of the late Nora Ephron's humor--especially in When Harry Met Sally..., which is one of my favorite romantic comedies--so I thought it was fine.  Again, listened to it on audiobook, and Meryl Streep was the reader.  Did you know this book was adapted into a movie starring Meryl Streep in the 80s?  I'll have to check it out.

Movies

Operation Avalanche: B+. The first half was definitely better, but the stylistic choices never tire on me, and the conclusion made me feel legitimate uneasy.

The Girl on the Train: C-. On the bright side, it was just like the book. On the flip side, the book was the kind of frivolous junk you can read in one sitting. Blunt works her ass off and I loved her for it; I just wish the rest of the movie gave the same effort.

Amanda Knox: B+. Maybe I'm rating so generously because of how interesting the subject matter is, and because I'm trash for Netflix documentaries.

And here's what I'm planning to read and watch this week:

Books

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven.  I was a reluctant fan of All the Bright Places:  I admit its limitations, but it still turned me to mush (see also:  John Green).  I'm not sure how the "World's Fattest Teen" plot will work out, but I'm hoping Niven tackles it with tact.

I'm not sure what else I'll read.  It's going to be one of these:

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison.  I got this at Goodwill for a dollar, so what's the worst that can happen?  Never mind, I read the first 30 pages and threw it into my pile of things I'm going to donate the next time I go to Half Price Books.  This is the kind of thing that I'd call sophomoric 15 years ago.

Rose Madder by Stephen King.  Gotta get into that Halloween spirit!

The Assistants by Camille Perri.  This book has been on my radar for months now, but I still haven't started it yet.

Movies

13th.  I love me some documentaries!

I have no idea what else I'll watch.  This is a crap-shoot of a week for me.

"Home is Burning" book review

I really wanted to like this book. 

Dan Marshall’s ALS memoir has the emotional impact you’d expect, but it was ultimately sabotaged by the author’s attempt to convey his message in a crude fashion.  I’m not a conservative person when it comes to foul language, but there is a line between using foul language as a coping mechanism and being offensive, and I believe the author crosses that line a few times. 

Further, I’m not the kind of person who throws out the word misogyny with reckless abandon—but the women in Home is Burning are rarely ever presented in a positive light:  Dan’s mother (who is suffering from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but is treated like the family gnat who wants attention); Dan’s little sister (who betrays the family by getting married and pregnant while the Marshall family is dealing with terminal illnesses); Dan’s long distance girlfriend (who interrupts Dan’s depressing stories to convey annoyance about things in her life, which Dan deems insignificant in comparison).  The only woman who comes out of this memoir without being openly resented is the household’s nanny, an illiterate elder foreign lady who is inserted as comic relief (she hates the family’s cats and openly talks about wanting to murder the cats). 

Even if the book didn’t have the unfortunate characterizations, my praise for it would be measured, as the middle portion is so repetitive that it dragged.  Combine the repetition with the aforementioned casual misogyny, Home is Burning wasn’t exactly a page turner.  It’s a shame. 

Grade:  D.

Here's what I plan on reading and watching this week (10/2 - 10/8)

Good afternoon!

Without further ado, here is what I ended up reading and watching last week.

Books

Fight Club 2 by Chuck Palahniuk, et. al:  F.  I reviewed it here.  In short, it was a terrible waste of time.

This Book is Gay by James Dawson:  B.  I’m glad this book exists because it contains valuable information for LGBT* youth, but it’s not exactly a breakthrough:  the information is readily available elsewhere, without the author’s silly (at times) commentary.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie:  B+.  I reviewed it here.  It was a lovely, fast read (I finished in about three hours).

Movies

Deepwater Horizon:  C+.  I wasn’t expecting to catch this in theaters, but I got a last minute invitation to see an advanced screening.  I may review this further, but it was high in action but develops into the standard action movie tropes. 

Storks:  B-.  Cute, but forgettable. 

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children:  C.  I’ll definitely review this shortly.  It’s your typical Tim Burton movie in terms of wacky production designs and costume design.  Other than that, however, the film felt hollow.  The last half of the movie didn’t exactly do the source material any favors.

The Fundamentals of Caring:  B-.  I really wish I wasn’t so wishy-washy on all of these movies this week.

And here’s what I plan on reading and watching this week.

Books

Home is Burning by Dan Marshall.  I’m 75% of the way through this.  I will most definitely have a review for this shortly.  So far it’s a very polarizing read.

Heartburn by Norah Ephron.  The audiobook is read by Meryl Streep.  Sign me up!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  Another audiobook.  I’m going to a book signing on Friday and Marissa is going to be one of the featured authors.

Movies

Operation Avalanche.  I got an invitation to see an advanced screening for tomorrow night, otherwise I hadn’t heard of it.  Found footage movies are hit or miss for me, so we’ll have to see how good this is.

The Girl on the Train.  Despite only kinda liking the book, I’m really anticipating this. 

I’ll try to catch up on some documentaries on Netflix and/or Hulu, too.