Another week down! This past
week, I tried to be spontaneous with my media consumption; therefore, I read a
collection of poetry in one sitting, powered through a graphic novel in less
than an hour, and chose movies to watch on a whim. In addition, I started watching Big Little Lies, the HBO
miniseries. I’m only done with episode
one, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I can’t wait to continue.
Here’s what I read and watched last week.
Books
Winter’s Bone by Daniel
Woodrell: B+. For fans of the 2010 Jennifer Lawrence film,
you will most definitely enjoy the source material, since the two go
hand-in-hand. I enjoyed Woodrell’s
descriptions of the rural area, and I appreciated Ree’s character arc (she’s
easily one of the best female leads in a book that I’ve read recently). Like the movie, I was a little disappointed
with the conclusion, which feels too easy.
The Talking Horse and the Sad
Girl and the Village under the Sea by Mark Haddon: C-. Meh.
Wilson by Daniel Clowes: B+.
I saw the trailer for the movie adaptation before Table 19 started. I wasn’t aware that Daniel Clowes (who
created the graphic novel Ghost World)
also did this episodic tale of an aging curmudgeon. This was a quick read, but I was surprised
that despite the alternating artistic styles and that each page contained a
different episode, it told a coherent story.
Movies
Table 19: D. This is the kind of movie where all
the jokes fall flat, the plot doesn't develop to its full term, and you begin
to wonder what attracted a cast like this to the material. This is a rare movie
going experience where I was the only person in the theater for half of the
film. Inexplicably, someone walked in halfway through the movie. After the
movie ended and I began to walk to my car, I saw the woman who came in halfway
on her phone, no doubt telling loved ones about a bad judgment call she made
today. I felt so guilty that I wasted an
hour and a half of my life that I drove to the local zoo and walked around for
a little bit, enjoying the beautiful day.
(I may do a full-length review on this, because it's really sitting wrong with me.)
The Meddler: B. I missed this one in theaters last
year, and I’m glad I found time to catch up with it. Susan Sarandon plays the overbearing mother
character so well that I almost immediately forgot about her spotty accent she
was trying to pull off.
Before I Fall: C. Ever wonder how Groundhog’s Day would work if you replace the characters with
bitchy teenagers? This is about as good (and bad) as the premise sounds. On the bright side, I'm really looking forward to the book, because *surely* it has to be better.
I’m going to a book convention in Tennessee this weekend (I’m leaving
on Thursday), so I won’t have that much time to read or watch anything. In addition to working on Big Little Lies,
here is what I have planned.
Books
The Girls by Emma Cline: I
figured I’d give this audiobook a chance.
If not, I may listen to…
The Receptionist by Janet
Groth: As the cover suggests, this is biography about a woman who makes a
career as a receptionist at The New York
Times.
Movies
All about Eve: I’ve seen this
Bette Davis/Anne Baxter classic about ten times. TCM is showing this in theaters on Wednesday
night, so I’ll definitely try and make time for it.
Blazing Saddles: I’m
embarrassed that I haven’t watched this yet.
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