All Consuming : Wendy

A story about "Clueless"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:59:57 GMT

A cute film, especially since I’d just finished reading Jane Austen’s “Emma” earlier in the week. My roommate was amazed when I started telling him exactly what was going to happen with all of the characters – it was easy to match them up with their literary counterparts, and know how it was all going to end. Lots of fun!

This was GREAT! (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 03:43:02 GMT

Night at the Museum

by Shawn Levy

My son and I went to see this together, and we both LOVED it! I’m a museum geek anyway, so any movie set in a museum (especially natural history) is likely to be of interest. I mostly just wanted to see the T-Rex running around, and was pleased when this movie turned out to be really funny. The whole audience was laughing out loud again and again. Oh yeah, it’s fluff, but good, genuinely funny fluff. I’m really glad we went to see this.

Ray (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 03:40:01 GMT

Ray (Full Screen Edition)

by Taylor Hackford

This was an amazing film. I nearly didn’t bother to watch it. To be honest, I wasn’t really interested, and I only got it from Netflix because I thought my roommate wanted to see it. Turns out he’d already seen it, and I almost just sent it back, unwatched (usually, celebrity biographies just aren’t my thing), but then decided, “what the heck” and put it in last night.

What a powerful film! I’m so glad I did decide to watch it. It was really interesting to see all that he went through (and all that he put others through). I found the flashback scenes with his mother (and his brother, OMG) to be very moving – I was in tears more than once. And his triumph at the end – I cried and cried, but it was a really good, cathartic kind of crying. Wow. What an amazing man, an amazing life. Oh, and the music was great, too. I’d forgotten just how many totally kick-ass songs that man wrote. Definitely worth watching.

Mixed Feelings (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 17:52:35 GMT

Indigo

by Stephen Simon

I didn’t really like this movie much, which is a shame, because it could have been much better. I don’t have any issues with the content – I do believe that there is far more around us than we can see. However, I felt this movie did a poor job of presenting it – it was a bit “airy-fairy” even for me (mostly, perhaps, because of the poor acting and dialogue). It seems that people who are already familiar with this sort of thing won’t really learn anything, and people who aren’t . . . well, this might not be the best introduction to the subject. If you’re interested in something which deals with consciousness and perception, I’d recommend “Way of the Peaceful Warrior,” instead of this film. Yeah, they’re not doing exactly the same thing, but WPW is a far superior film.

#10 - Gift from the Sea (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 08:16:19 GMT

Gift from the Sea: 50th Anniversary Edition

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

This is a beautiful, beautiful book. It was passed along to me by my grandmother (as she often does with books she’s read), and I began reading it at a time when I was going through some rough emotional stuff, and I found Lindbergh’s gentle “voice” to be a great comfort. She talks about life and relationships by using the analogy of shells on a beach, and flows seamlessly from one topic to the next. Her insights are mindful and profound (a word I’m not sure I’ve used in a book review before), and the thing that most amazes me about this book is that it was written more than 50 years ago, and yet is still entirely relevant – personally, socially and politically. This is a beautiful book which I urge everyone to read. Originally, I’d intended to bookcross this copy, but I’ve changed my mind. This gift from my grandmother is going into my personal collection, as I know someday it will be a blessing for me to go back and re-read these inspiring words. 10/10

A story about "The Wizard of Oz: Celebrating the Hundredth Anniversary"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:47:29 GMT

The Wizard of Oz: Celebrating the Hundredth Anniversary

by L. Frank Baum

My copy of this book was signed by the illustrator – and he even drew a sketch of the Cowardly Lion for me! (My mom got this for me when I was a child, as it was a favorite book).

Meh (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 07:31:57 GMT

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Widescreen Edition)

by Doug Liman

I wanted to enjoy this, but honestly, I thought it was boring. Not a good thing for an “action” film. yawn

I’ll agree with the comment below, though, that “YOU DO NOT REALIZE” was the funniest moment in the film. I laughed out loud at that one. But the rest of it? I actually got bored and turned it off last night. Then, this evening, I ended up watching the rest of it, just because. I can’t recommend it, though. 5/10

#9 - Red as Blood (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 07:26:58 GMT

Red as Blood

by Tanith Lee

I’ve had this book on my shelf for a few years now (it’s the first I’ve completed for my To-Be-Read Challenge), and it’s also the first work I’ve read by Tanith Lee. It’s a book of nine short stories in which Lee takes traditional fairy tales and twists them into new, mostly darker, tales.

By the end, I’ll say that I did enjoy it, although the first couple of stories were dull. Her prose is interesting – very descriptive and full of powerful imagery – but sometimes I felt that prose was wasted on stories which really didn’t go much of anywhere interesting. There was one (the Sleeping Beauty retelling) which left me wondering just what the heck happened, and there was one story whose original I didn’t recognize. (At first, I thought it might have been Aladdin, but on second thought, no).

Those are the negatives. On the plus side, a few of the stories were excellent. My favorites were the Little Red Riding-Hood story (Wolfland), and a science-fiction-y Beauty and the Beast (Beauty). In “Beauty” especially, I found myself engaged with the characters, and hoping for the outcome I wanted. (With many of the earlier stories, I simply didn’t care how they turned out). So, this book has some wonderful moments, although the whole thing isn’t to a consistent standard, IMO. Still, it’s a small volume, and the stories that weren’t great were also not very long. So, I’ll give this 7/10.

#8 - Un cuento de peces, más o menos (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 05:35:10 GMT

UN Cuento De Peces, Mas O Menos/a More or Less Fish Story

by David Wylie

Written entirely in Spanish, a cute counting book, numbers one through ten, which follows the adventures of the six fish caught by the child in the story as she finds interesting places in her home to keep them. 7/10

#7 - Con Mi Hermano/With My Brother (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 05:31:10 GMT

Con Mi Hermano / With My Brother

by Eileen Roe

This is a sweet book for children, written in both English and Spanish. We read it in Spanish (although we did peek from time to time at the English, just to make sure). 10/10

#4 - El libro de los modales: ¿Qué es lo correcto, Teo? (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:39:27 GMT

El Libro De Los Modales/the Manners Book (Easy Reading Picture Books)

by June Behrens

This is a children’s book on manners, written solely in Spanish. We read it as a bedtime book, and were able to make it through with a few trips to the Spanish/English dictionary. The concepts of manners are very elementary, but it was still a nice reminder for my son, plus good practice reading Spanish. 8/10

#6 - Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:29:46 GMT

My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia : La vida de Celia Cruz (Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature. Winner (Awards))

by monica Brown

This is a gorgeous book for children – colorful, fun illustrations, and text in both Spanish and English which tells the life story of Cuban singer Celia Cruz. I read it in Spanish (although I was glad to have the English there, so I could figure out the stuff I didn’t understand; I’m still a very beginning Spanish student). I checked it out from the library, and intend to read it a few more times before returning it. 10/10

#5 - The Missing Cat (Adventures with Nicolas) in Spanish

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:25:47 GMT

La gata perdida / The Missing Cat (Las Aventuras De Nicolas / Adventures With Nicholas)

by Chris L. Demarest

I read this aloud to my son today, although we’ve also listened to the audio CD which came with the book. It’s a cute story, and the book text is written in both Spanish and English, so it’s a great way for him (and me!) to learn some vocabulary and grammar. There are also songs at the end, as well as a small picture dictionary of words used in the story. It’s helping both of us in our quest to learn to speak Spanish. 9/10

#3 - Rikki Tikki Tavi

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:22:05 GMT

Rikki Tikki Tavi: .

by Rudyard Kipling

Another re-read; another book read aloud to me by my son. Still a great story. I wrote a review last year which can be found here:

http://allconsuming.net/entry/view/27848

Girl With a Pearl Earring

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:53:31 GMT

Girl With a Pearl Earring

by Peter Webber

I read this book a few years ago, and loved it. They did a great job, IMO, with the film adaptation. It was very pretty (see the review by Steve Young; I agree entirely with his comments), and recreated the feel of the book – and of the time period – admirably. Plus, Colin Firth with long hair? sigh

#2 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:49:39 GMT

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

by Dr. Seuss

A re-read. My son read this one aloud to me yesterday. I’m planning to have him do a lot of that this year. Still a great book, even after dozens of readings.

#1 - White Teeth

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:36:10 GMT

White Teeth: A Novel

by Zadie Smith

My first book of 2007! It was nearly the final book of 2006, but I didn’t quite get through it in time. :)

Just a quick warning that there are SPOILERS ahead, so if you haven’t read this book and don’t want to know some of the things that happen, you might want to skip this review. :)

I’ve just now had a look at the previous comments others have made, and I’m glad I didn’t read them before now (in other words, until after I’d finished the book). Which is funny, in a way, because I agree COMPLETELY! I felt exactly the same way about the ending, and it’s gratifying to discover that I’m not the only one who felt that way. However, I’m afraid that if I’d read those comments beforehand, I might not have enjoyed this book as much as I did, and I did enjoy it. It was a very interesting read, and I’d hate to have missed out on that just because the ending is anti-climactic, to say the least.

I really enjoyed her prose. It was interesting, and fresh, but not too heavy on slang. I thought her style fit very well with the subject matter – a blending (or clash, in many cases) of cultures. I loved the way she wove each individual thread into the book, and even how she brought them all together again at the end. It just would have been nice if she’d then done something a bit more spectacular with all her previous good work. (I’m put in mind of Stephen King, and not in a good way). I will admit, though, that I was glad she didn’t do some of the things I was afraid she would do (namely, killing characters that I would have been sad to see die).

I especially loved Irie, and found her speech on the bus to be marvelous (and relevant). I’d guessed Archie’s secret (I’m fairly certain we’re supposed to have guessed), but I was surprised (and pleasantly so) when the focus of this secret turned up when he did. There were some other lines that really struck me – one in particular about how we always believe ourselves to be worth loving, and the comment that perhaps this isn’t really a reasonable thing. That perhaps people who don’t return our love aren’t “damaged” as we like to believe they are. An interesting thought. There were many others in this book, too. (Although most of them have been lost from my memory, since it took me several weeks to read this book, what with the intervention of the holidays). I found it relevant and thought-provoking. One of my favorite things is that I managed to be annoyed (even disgusted) with the behavior of most (all?) of the characters at one point or another, and yet, I still managed to like them, in spite of their bad behavior.

On the whole, a meaty, well-written book. I will read others by this author. Hopefully she’ll have learned her lesson, and her new works actually have a proper denouement. 8/10

#128 - Skara Brae (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 05:45:29 GMT

Skara Brae: The Story of a Prehistoric Village

by Olivier Dunrea

A nicely illustrated children’s book about this stone-age village in Scotland’s Orkney Islands. I was fortunate enough to visit Skara Brae in 1996, and it was interesting to read this book with my son, when we were studying the village at part of our history curriculum. 8/10

The Titanic (w/Catherine Zeta-Jones) (rated 1 star)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 07:28:14 GMT

The Titanic

This was bad bad bad. The worst “Titanic” film I’ve seen, and that’s saying something, since “SOS Titanic” also really sucked. But this one was worse. It had potential. Well, of course it did. This is a great backdrop for a drama, and there’s no need to go beyond historical events and real people. Except that whomever wrote this script did a horrible job with characterizations. They took all the worst rumors about people and ran with them, turning the historical figures into caricatures, rather than characters: Captain Smith running around shouting at people; Ismay sneaking furtively onto the lifeboat with a crowd of people struggling to get on behind him. At the start, I was pleased to see them bring in one of the more interesting stories that I’d not seen included in a film before: Alice Cleaver and the Allison family. Unfortunately, they managed to turn this story into a farce as well. Alice was overly pathetic (why was she screaming in the lifeboat? I wanted to scream from the stupdity of it), but even worse, they turned the Allisons into complete idiots. Halfway through, I found myself feeling GLAD that the bitchy and hysterical Mrs. Allison and bratty little Lorraine were going to die when the ship sank. Not really the way to frame a tragedy. Oh, and what the heck was Tim Curry thinking when he agreed to play the psycho-rapist steward? There are so many other things I could mention, but if I were to put down everything I dislked, it would take me longer than it took to watch this stupid film. Bad bad bad. Even if you are a big “Titanic” fan, skip this one. It sucked. 2/10

Unsinkable Molly Brown (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 06:38:40 GMT

The Unsinkable Molly Brown

by Charles Walters

Cute, although I can’t say that I loved it. They played fast and loose with history, although that’s forgiveable under the circumstances, to create a musical-worthy story. The real trouble was that I didn’t really enjoy the music, nor Reynolds’ performance. Even so, I suppose I am glad that I watched it. 6/10

S.O.S. Titanic (rated 1 star)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Wendy) — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 08:02:48 GMT

S.O.S. Titanic

by William Hale (II)

Bad, bad, bad. Even if you’re a huge fan of this subject (which I am), this film is only barely worth watching. The casting was awful, as was the acting and dialogue. 2/10