Windmills of the Gods, Sopranos Season 1

I have started and oldie but a goodie: Sidney Sheldon's The Windmills of the Gods and it is just as good as I remembered it.

I'm a bit lazy on putting the films I have watched here and probably because I watch the ones my sister has so I have no way of taking a pic of them but I have watched

Titanic It has been years since I last saw this one but I liked it even better now. Great film and why don't they make films like this anymore? (It is official, I'm middle aged) And I do have the dvd of this but the photo I took was so awful that I decided not to put it in here.

Werewolf Boy  very good melo and a fantasy type story told in a realistic way. I have shed tears but they were all good tears.

Miracle in Cell no 7 This one on the other hand ended up being a crying fest. I probably shed a jug of tears during the viewing. There is this adorable little girl who also acts well and has wonderful mimics. And the film is one those that try to squeeze out as many tears as it can out of you and is not even shy about it. I was crying yes but at the same time also resenting it a bit due to its shameless manipulation.

911 (aka Bandage) Now this is not really a good film but the lead pair worked very well. And that is just about all you need at a romantic movie no?

Now Sopranos, wow, this show is really good and it was probably a mistake to watch four episodes last night but no regrets. I think I even saw them in my dream (no wonder).

Grbavica

Grbavica this film directed by Jamila Zbanic is not one I'd have chosen. It was loaned to me by a colleague. I'm glad I watched it though since it was a touching story, beautifully filmed (with lots of close up shots) and told and brought out tears in the end. 

The White Queen - end, Protect The Boss - End, The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove

The White Queen was an easy book to read and I like how Ms.Gregory mixed up fact and fiction.

Protect the Boss was a fun ride but kind of lagged towards the end. Anyway Kim Jae Joong, great looking man.

I have started The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove written by Lauren Kate. Got this from the bargain bin and was not really expecting a decent read. Just something to keep my mind occupied and at ease while I go through fasting. This one surprised me since I felt it to be sincere so far and anyway I'm having a better time than I had expected to have.

The White Queen and lots of films and a few dramas

I'm watching more stuff but writing less about them. Ok here is what remained with me in the past weeks.

As books I'm still reading The White Queen by Philippa Gregory- it has been a while now-. While it is not as good as The Other Boleyn Girl, it is not completely bad either. I think I'll like the TV series more in this case though.

Films:

The Master Liked it a lot. Liked the visuals better than the plot.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons Loved it to bits. Laughed and cried and enjoyed the viewing. Loving Stephen Chow just as much as I did before Kung fu Hustle and CJ17.

New World Great film. A now familiar story done to perfection with a dream cast (who gave excellent peformances) and brilliant visuals which seem to be designed for my pleasure. Still under the spell of it.

Resident Evil: Retrobution I actually fell asleep during.

Don't Click well I may have fallen asleep if I was not at the theater.

Couples I have seen the same thing done better.

GI Jane I liked it back then and I still like it now.

Dramas

Rewatched

Brilliant Legacy and it was just as good in this second viewing. Lee Seung gi is very good and Han Hye Joo is adorable.

When a Man Loves well this was more of a fast forward watch. And it is a stupid drama. Song Seung Hun is  great looking though.

Currently watching

Protect the Boss enjoying it a lot. It is light but the characters make sense. Kim Jae Joong, georgeous man.

Quake - End, Kıskanmak, Aşk Tesadüfleri Sever, Berlin File

Quake ended up being one of the best Laymon books ever. Great read.
Now I have started Kıskanmak by Nahid Sırrı Örik

And so far so good. Apparently this guy Mr.Nahid Sırrı Örik was gay and out of the closet and at the time it was so frowned upon by everyone (1930s and early 40s)  that he was kind of put aside by the literary community at the time. Now that he is "in" because one of the his novels is adopted to a film by a well known Turkish director (Zeki Demirkubuz) and this is how I get to know this. So far I have only read a few chapters but I'm loving it. The protagonist is a spinster who is very jealous of his brother and his brother's wife (she is living with them in a small Black Sea town). She is not a good person but she is smart and reading her thoughts are very entertaining and sometimes a bit sad because she thinks everyone is trying to make her miserable on purpose. Jelaousy is one of the emotions God has spared me from (the other is revenge) so I find it especially interesting to read about it (and now I remember the protagonist of Kardeşimin Hikayesi, the old guy who cannot feel anything and tries to understand the emotions by reading related fiction!!!!! Brrr). Anyway this is a good purchase and I'll seek more of his novels.

As for the films I have been very luck thank God.
First Aşk Tesadüfleri Sever (lit.translation Love Loves Coincidences) by Ömer Faruk Sorak

I have rejected this as it seemed so precious at the time of release. And I don't like either lead. But now I'm a total convert. The two main characters felt like my friends and I have shed so many tears that I was dehydrated the day after. Great melodrama, great romance and kudos to the actors because it is probably the only time I felt sympathy for these two.

Next The Berlin File by Ryu Seung Wan (supplied by my sister)

Great action, great script (aaahhh S.Korea I love it that you have managed to insert melo in this Le Carré style spy thriller) and highly recommended if you like the genre.

Kardeşimin Hikayesi - end, Quake, Chloe

I have finished Kardeşimin Hikayesi (My Brother's Story) earlier than I thought. And not just because the font was larger than normal. It is one of those books that you can't in honesty call a good one but somehow entertains you.

I have started

And it is classic Laymon right from the start. We have a stalker physco neighbour (who killed his mom right after the earthquake), a dad trying to reach his family, woman under rubbles, teen daughter stuck in the car with three other teens and driver's ed teacher who is trying to reach his own daughter at the other end of the city (LA) So I'm currently entertained.

Last night I have watched Chloe, which is directed by Atom Egoyan whose films I like. And this one was also very good. I like the actors, the fact that we have lots of close ups to their faces, clean tidy cinematography, an interesting story well told. This was a good purchase.

Beni Hep Sev- End, Kardeşimin Hikayesi, Masquarade, See You After School, Seven Days, Sideways, The Wish List, Final Analysis (sans the first 20 minutes), Painted Skin II

This weekend was so so good with lots of films but books first.

Beni Hep Sev (lit.translation Always Love Me) ended predictably. Again I regret having purchased all three books at once and like this girl's fashion blog much better.
And I have started

Kardeşimin Hikayesi (lit.translation My Brother's Story) a novel I'd never have purchased if not for the current book drought I'm having. And it is not an average lame-o book too.

Masquarade This one I have watched from my sister downloads and I liked it so much so that I may actually purchase it. Great performances, great story and I must have shed a bucketful of tears during.

See You After School is another one of my sister's downloads and it was fun while watching with her. It is not something I'd have purchased but had a great time viewing it.

Seven Days was an intense suspense whodunnit and it was engaging and entertaining. I especially liked the (relatively) happy ending. Another one of my sister's downloads (thanks to her I get to watch all of these)

Sideways was a Digiturk watch and I liked it even better this second viewing. You know when you are on a similar wavelength with a director and it feels so good. Sideways is that film for me and I don't even like wine that much.

The Wish List is a TV rom com that I watched at Digiturk and it was nothing special.


Painted Skin II 

I was not expecting to like this one but I loved it. It was better than the first one and the love story was very touching. I shed tears and had a good viewing.

Final Analysis another Digiturk film and I remember watching this in theatre (and don't know why I chose to see it since I don't really care for any of the three leads) maybe this time I stuck on it for nostalgic purposes but I watched it until the end, which is saying something.