Ahhh the glow and flash of a TV late at night or the crisp sound of a page being turned or the excitement of getting out and seeing a story played out on a huge theatre screen! What fun!
Have you tried any new TV shows this season? Read any new books lately? Or seen any current movies? Like them? Hate them?
Every so often I take a moment to look back and review a few new shows or books I've enjoyed...or simply just made it through.
Here are my most current thoughts:
Anyone who knows me knows I love movies! I love going to movies and the experience of deciding what to see, getting popcorn or smuggling in drug store candy or the occasional slurpee in my bag! I love buying and owning movies, too, and have quite a large collection of DVDs to chose from.
I also enjoy Television. I have not actually had cable TV for about eight years now, yet I always find ways to watch new and old show that I enjoy. (I may write a post someday to share about my TV procurement ways.)
And, of course, one of my favourite means of entertainment will always be found in the written word. I love books! I love how books smell (whether old and musty, or like a school library and soda crackers, or crisp and new with a certain gluey-chemical smell!), I love the feel of books in my hand and I love discovering new and interesting books from random second-hand stores or big chains alike. Nothing is better than getting comfy on a couch and curling up to read for a while or, for me, reading for that hour or so before going to sleep. If a story is engaging enough I may even read deep into the night without realizing it!
So here is my latest review of what entertaining mediums have been floating around my word in the last while. Enjoy and agree or disagree.
- The New Girl - Cute, funny, awkward - Zooey Deschanel stars in this quirky comedy based on a recently broken-up gal moving in with three guys. You get to see the differences in how girls and guys live, what they do for fun, how they respect, or don't respect, privacy and boundaries and how friends/roommates become a smaller version of family. Deschanel is one of my favourite actresses at the moment and in this series she's "TV ugly/awkward" and constantly making me laugh.
- Pan Am - I'm not too sure about this show just yet. I'm more intrigued by the fashion and world travel than by the so-so acting out of 1950's semi-spy drama.
- TerraNova - This should be my kind of show and yet I'm only partially hooked. It's like Jurassic Park meets a family soap opera with the drill sergant guy right out of Avatar! The special effects are quite decent and movie-like, but the family/teenage drama is kind of getting boring. I'm longing to have some of the "Lost"-like mysteries unveiled a little further.
- Grimm - What would you do if you just found out you are one of the last decedents of the Brothers Grimm and fated to battle the gruesome and ugly supernatural creatures that threaten your fellow humans? This show can't decide if it's a comedy, cop-drama, thriller or mystery...and so far I like it!
- Downton Abbey - A British mini-series like no other. Gorgeous cinematography, excellent characters, top notch acting and episodes that will keep you hungry for more. The series follows an upper-crust gentry family and the fate of their lineage with three daughters and no male heir to carry on the name and their fortunes. The era is WW1 and I found it immensely interesting to find out more about the time period of my great-grandparents.
- The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins - A very dark young reader series about a possible future where the government keeps control of the population by requiring them to hold a yearly lottery where two children from each district battle to the death on camera broadcast to the entire country. One girl is determined to survive to keep her family alive and becomes the face of a revolution against those in power. I enjoyed the read and look forward to the film versions coming out starting in 2012 but I would never recommend these books to actual young readers, much too dark.
- There's a Seal in my Sleeping Bag by Lyn Hancock - I've been working away at this book for a few months and keep coming back to it. Married couple ecologists and ornithologists from Vancouver Island chronicle their early years of marriage where they studied, caught, tagged, observed and raised bald eagles, seals, and many other west coast wildlife and sea birds. The book is written matter-of-factly, without mush embellishment and humour but the exciting and funny circumstances they find themselves in make up for the basic writing style.
- The Three Musketeers (in 3D) - Eh...great fighting scenes and sword play, poor acting and a smattering of difference accents that ruined the effect for me. It tried to be a little Steampunk for the sake of being popular but the film was totally wreaked by the use of Milla Jovovich! ANYONE else should have played her part! * * 2 stars out of 5
- The Help - Apparently the book was not great but I chose to see the film anyway. I really liked the premise - a Southern white young woman looking to get ahead in a future career in journalism decided to write a book from the point of view of the black housekeepers and cooks. There is humour and yet outrage a the treatment of fellow humans in our recent past. * * * * 4/5 stars
- Horrible Bosses - Funny, crude, outrageous - * * 2/5 stars
- Friends with Benefits - Funny, fluffy girly movie - * * * 3/5 stars
- Larry Crowne - Very fun, touching, inspiring, cute! * * * * 4/5 stars
- Harry Potter (final) - Concluded this long series, tied loose ends, left me satisfied. * * * * * 5/5 stars
- Transformers: The Dark of the Moon - Much better than the 2nd instalment, fun, lots of action, less silliness - * * * * 4/5 stars
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Interesting, great costumes, lame written-for-film present-day storyline - * * 2/3 stars
- The Change-Up - Crude, funny, crude, cute male leads, crude - * 1/5 stars
- Captain America - Lots of action, interesting storyline from WW2, not the best comic movie, too much of a set up for the upcoming Avengers - * * 2/5 stars
- X-Men: First Class - Great X-Men film, loved the story of how these characters began, great acting and leads, fun movie - * * * * 4/5 stars
- Thor - Action, mix of comic and mythology, too much of a set up for the upcoming Avengers - * * 2/5 stars
- Bridesmaids - I just may have seen this several times, funny, silly, girly, a little gross in parts, awesome song at the wedding! - * * * 3/5 stars
- Source Code - Action, mystery, intrigue, touching (as much as an action movie can be) - * * * * 4/5 stars
- Bad Teacher - Silly, crude, a little shocking, funny in parts - * * 2/5 stars
- Hanna - One of the BEST action movies I've seen in a very long time! A young girl is raised by her 'father' in the snowy north, constantly trained in combat and survival skills until the day comes when he must leave and she must take on an enemy she has never met. Her skills help her figure out her clouded past and secure her freedom in the future. Excellent film!! - * * * * * 5/5 stars
- The King's Speech - On the brink of WW1 a nervous and new king must reassure his country with the help of a controversial speech therapist. I wasn't sure if I would like this film and how they would take on the topic of a speech impediment, but it was handled tastefully and inspiringly. - * * * * * 5/5 stars (some strong language!)
Phewph!! That's my list of reviews for now. I have many more I could share with you soon. I'll have to make a regular routine of updating so they won't all come out in a tumble!
Keep checking my blog and comment anytime. I'd love to see who reads and who lurks.
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