About Time

About Time was recommended to me by a colleague months ago and I can believe it took me so long to watch it (purchased the dvd at an internet discount) Not only I love Rachel MacAdams but I also like this director. The usuals are here, a quirky sister with problems, slightly original but loving family. Odd group of friends etc. I liked the fact that the male lead looks like a real person (instead of a jeunne premier) and had great chemistry with Rachel MacAdams.

This one is more of a slice of life of an ordinary man who is a good man with a kind heart (my favorite type of person) And this maybe the only time travel film I actually enjoyed. Our hero can travel through the past years of his life at will. There are some consequences of course but generally this device is used more to the effect of appreciation of life and love and family. The difference was that the film had a slightly lighter tone of visuals at the Cornwall scenes and I usually don't like it but loved it here.

Tears were flowing halfway through and by the end I needed a tissue (which was ruined as the credits roll).

A good film to end the year with and definitely a keeper. 

Invisible Monsters

Invisible Monsters was probably not the right choice for me to start to this novelist. It was not bad but I didn't find anything interesting in it. Which is kind off odd since the characters in the novel are:

- a beautiful woman who has a truly deformed face (the lower half all gone, no jaw, teeth etc. with a gaping would at the throat where sometimes her tounge sticks out)

- a cop whose duty used to be to catch gay men who are after some action in public parks

- a model wannabe who has a lot of family money but a bit big boned (best friend of the beautiful woman above)

- a man who is slowly turning into a women (everything but the vagina is completed)

They all are somehow connected and these connections are revealed to us with twist after twist and it sort of kept me going but not enough to seek other novels by Mr.Palahniuk.  

First Daughter

Photo credit: http://thecia.com.au

First Daughter Why did I even watched this? I think because I kind of like Forest Whitaker's visuals and his cute editing. I don't really care for Katie Holmes but then again I don't really hate her either. She is just Joey in everything I see her in. I don't mind and I don't seek her out but do not refuse when she is on my screen. Anyway this film is made for a fan of Ms. Holmes. All those close up shots etc. were on her and she looks very pretty, cute and lovable. Otherwise this film didn't offer anything remarkable on the romance front, anything interesting storywise or any curiousity regarding the characters. Only if you are fan of Holmes otherwise you won't lose anything by staying away.

The Barrens

Photo credit: http://media.oregonlive.com/

The Barrens was on Digidvd and since I like horror films and I like Stephen Moyer (it took me ages to choose between Bill and Eric) I gave it a try. I'm glad that I did.

First off this is not a found footage film thank God. There was a proper camera and nice visuals too. The story was interesting and kept us guessing (my mother decided to watch it with me and horror is definitely not her favorite genre) till the end. And I definitely didn't see the twist coming. Mr.Moyer looks and acts good and the rest of the small cast did a fine job. Although the child actor was not one I liked (which is quite a feat since I tend toward liking them). 

Whisper of the Heart

Whisper of the Heart is the only dvd I was able to finish this week (I actually fell asleep in the middle of it but started to watch right after I woke up in the morning). It is probably the only Studio Ghibli film I do not have in my collection (excluding of course the latests of Hayao Miyazaki which I already recorded and plan to watch next week inşaallah). And of course any film of Goro Miyazaki since I didn't like what he did with the Earthsea adaptation (Planning to read the books again in their original language this time)

So it is not a wonder that I loved this film. There is some whimsy in it but mostly it is a coming of ageish story of a girl who falls in love. I loved Shizuku and her daily adventures. There is something about high school romance that appeals to me. The way everything seems like it is the end of the world at the time. Looking back I sympathise with that feeling.

Also I'm singing Country Roads since Saturday morning :)

A Kiss At Midnight

A Kiss at Midnight gave me the impression that I have read it before. I was not quite sure so I kept going and finished it. I'm still wondering whether this is a re read. That means I have found it generic. 

Carrion Comfort

Carrion Comfort is one I chose because of the genre (horror) and the length. It is such a long book that I thought it would carry me to next year. I didn't count on it being an exciting one that made me eager to listen at every opportunity. I was really into it and didn't think it suffered from editing problems. I mention this because this novel is notorious since the writer, Dan Simmons refused to let it edited. After finishing it, I have to agree with him. It was at some places predictable but never boring. And the readers were really good. Recommended if you are into the genre.

The Shining Girls

The Shining Girls is one of those novels recommended highly on line and I purchased it second hand at amazon. I liked it. It has an ambitious plot. A serial killer who has found a way to time travel and kills women who he thinks "shine". Meets them as little girls, sometimes gives them a token and then years later meets them again and kills them viciously. One girl however survives his attack and decides to catch him. Kirby is our heroine who is smart and determined. The serial killer, Harper is a disgusting human being and we have Dan an ex crime reporter who got burned out and switched to sports. Kirby worked hard, looked for clues and finally nailed the bastard.

The story is told in a non linear way that suits the time travel angle. Time travel is not one of my favorite plot devices and this one was not a novel I craved to read. But whenever I picked it up I forgot the world around me and was completely into the story. 

Devil's Due

Photo credit: http://www.sinefesto.com

Devil's Due was one of the films I have watched on weekend but forgot to add. It was not really that good. The story is told via an amateur camera and cctv at the house. This kind of thing doesn't really work anymore for me. Anyway I have watched it to the end since I like both of the lead actors but it was neither scary nor suspenseful. 

Why Not As Many Films/TV Shows This Month? Some Musings

First off I suffered from toothache and my root canal renewal is still ongoing. I even had to take antibiotics and despite the fact that I have taken the final pill this morning with the dentist appointment tomorrow evening I still have a trace of an ache (nowhere near the real ache but it still is there)

Anyway also I have started to spend more time with my mother in the evenings. I'd walk from the first stop of the work shuttle to home via a looong route (all the while listening to audible) and reach home at about 19:30 and we watch this game show called super puzzle (it is a word quizz similar to scrabble) and then I feel really tired and fall asleep (I think twice without even saying the night prayers) listening to the audible. No films, no dramas etc.

I hope I'll break this cycle and return to my beloved film viewing soon. In fact I'll try a studio Ghibli film tonight (not one of Miyazaki's, one that I have never watched before). It is my birthday after all.

Birthdays are strange as one gets older. Now they don't matter as much. I'm hoping that there will not be cake (there had been cake in all of my birthdays - sometimes more than once, which is good I guess) this time. But there is an amber of excitement too. I have finished a year. A sense of needless accomplishment. It feels good, not in the way of the yesteryears but in a different way. Thank God.

A Time to Kill

Photo credit http://cdn.mos.totalfilm.com

A Time to Kill is one of those film I knew was not very good but I liked anyway. But this viewing was a total turnoff all around. Maybe the intention is good but it is just so blatant in everything that despite the tears (well I cry at everything) I was unhappy with this third viewing. The only thing that is good in the film is the cast and that is the reason I finished it. 

Serendipity

Photo credit: http://www.boxofficeprophets.com


Serendipity was not a film I wanted to watch bad. First off I don't like John Cusack and seriously don't get his appeal (here I need to say that I'm able to change my mind from time to time - cases in point Christian Bale and Scarlett Johanson- but with this guy I never did) and I don't like Kate Beckinsale. She is pretty and she made a great Emma but she is not an actress based on whom I'd choose a film to watch.

But I love a rom com and since it was on TV I felt I could enjoy it on some level. I didn't. In my opinion this is how one should not film a rom com. Yes rom com leads always act silly and nonsensical but there is a method to the madness. Not in the case of these two. It just didn't make sense on any level. I actually fell asleep towards the end.

Strange Weather in Tokyo

Strange Weather in Tokyo was suggested to me by amazon. This is one of those times I was glad that they did. Normally any English translation of a Japanese novel gives me a lot of pleasure but this time I seriously fell in love with it. This is a love story a May December romance that progresses slowly but surely and I was in tears at the end. I need to find more novels of Hiromi Kawakami.  

The Girl With All The Gifts

The Girl With All The Gifts was lauded by a book web site that I frequent and spoiler phobe that I'm, I never checked the plot etc. That was a mistake on my part. This book is one of those killer virus turning people into hungry predator hunting their -former- kind, a handful of humans trying to survive etc. It was so not my thing. The girl with all the gifts of the title is a hybrid that carries the virus but not as affected as the others. It is probably a good novel but I'm simply not interested in this genre and it took me a longer time to finish it than it usually would (note to self, at least check whether the book is a killer virus kind of book or not before buying it).

The Terminal

Picture credit: http://pointofview.bluehighways.com

The Terminal was not a film I had been keen on viewing. Despite the fact(s) that I love Tom Hanks (such an excellent actor), I love Steven Spielberg (despite his misplaced whimsies from time to time) and I love airports and flying.

Anyway at a time when I was suffering from severe toothache (root canal renewal and I can't take painkillers and didn't think of alcohol) I saw this one at Dvdigi and gave it a try. It is not surprise that I loved it. This is best viewed as one of those fairy tale films where one does not need to get stuck up with the facts. I love the cast (Diego Luna was a welcome surprise) and the airport (JFK) that still had more bookstores than it now has. Tears flowed (though I'm not sure whether those were due to the film or the toothache) and a good time was had despite the odds. 

Phantom

Phantom waited until I had free points in my credit card. And it turned out to be one of the best of Harry Hole books. Poor Harry is put to lots of emotional and physical difficulties.

SPOILER

And the novel end with Harry being shot by Oleg, the son of the love of his life with whom he can now release all the hopes of being together in the future since not only Oleg is the killer but also Harry tried to arrest him. A mother is not going to forgive or forget that. Children usually trumps husbands. As Harry lies at a junkie den with three bullets inside him (one in the head) I felt terribly sorry for the guy. And this one had excellent twists (one I saw coming and the other I didn't see).

Of course I know Harry is going to live (the poor guy has a finger cut off, has a large, nasty scar on his face and now is on the brink of death, this is on top of  being an alcoholic, causing a colleagues death due to drunk driving, having a girl friend getting killed by a serial killer, having the love of his life almost get killed by another serial killer - this is when he lost his finger- and falling on and off the vagon various times (at least once in each book including this one).

I'll wait a bit until reading the one after this (Policeman) but I still like Harry and was saved from dropping him by this good book. 

Exodus: Gods and Kings

Exodus: Gods and Kings is the rare film that gets me to theater. Christian Bale and Ridley Scott are two names I like in cinema and I'm not anti Joel Edgerton either. However the main reason is that I like (and believe in) the story of Moses and Aaron and how they saved the Jewish people from Pharoah's cruelties.

However, as Noah, this one was dissapointing in the fact that religious aspects were kind of dimmed by choice. In this day and age where cinema can better show God's miracles, the directors are after making action or pschological thrillers. And this one is the former. There are the miracles of course (it is hard to avoid them in the story) but they are kind of explained by scientific terms and there is even a suggestion that the God's messages were Moses' hallucinations (after hitting his head on the way to the mountain).

I'm a religious person but of the live and let live kind and I don't mind the interpretations or the choices of the director but I wanted to watch a bona fide religious miracle film where Moses and Aaron beats Pharoah with God's miracles and the Red Sea opening up and swallowing the bad guys. Well the Red Sea here has receded as a tide and then risen again. But I was hoping more like the animations in The Prince of Egypt where the sea is divided into two etc. And also I wanted to see Moses' staff eating the magicians tricks up and his hand becoming all white and luminous. Anyway I didn't fall asleep or anything and the acting was fine but all in all I was not satisfied. It just was not a good film you know. Not like, say, Gladiator where one roots for Maximus and gets caught up in the story. I think Moses and Aaron deserved better.

Fever Pitch

Fever Pitch  I like Farrely Brothers' films except Dumb and Dumber and Say It Ain't So. There is Something About Mary is probably my all time favorite comedy and I kind of enjoy Heartbreak Kid and usually don't change the channel when it is on. But Fever Pitch has a different place. For some reason I like it a lot as a rom com and a nice fan film. As the years pass, it is now clear to me that I'm not a fan. I'm fickle and prone to get sick of things quickly (in Turkish we call this Monkey Apetite).
This one gave me an idea of how someone can be a dedicated sports team fan and be rational at all the rest of other parts of his life. Also this film is kind of special since it is about Red Sox and they became champions after decades during the filming of it. Good coincidence. 

Fangirl

Fangirl is another novel written by Rainbow Rowell I have picked up without hesitation after Eleanor and Park. It was good but not as good as E&P (which truly won my heart)

This one is about, yep a fangirl and her twin sister going off to colleage. Of course there is more to it than that, our heroine is a fanfiction writer (for a series of books similar to Harry Potter) who has a large following. Ms. Powell even put slash in it. I was amused but since I do not read fanfiction (there are so many books to read and so little time) it sort of didn't move me as much as E&P did. This doesn't mean that I didn't drop everything else just to read it further (I did).

Recommended if you like YA literature.

Before Midnight

Before Midnight  Now isn't it a wonder? I'm of the same age as the two lead characters of this triology. I was swooned by the romance in Before Sunrise, loved everything about Before Sunset and now there is Before Midnight. Not as good as the other two but still very enjoyable and relevant to the age bracket. This one ended up being a keeper still I think I like Before Sunset the best, Before Sunrise the second and Before Midnight the third. Jesse and Celine's problems, expectancies and worries and happiness are familiar. And it is good that they still keep the romance going despite everything else. 

The Troop

The Troop is among some of the books I picked up at JFK this fall (and the photo is soo bad) Anyway I like horror genre and thought to give this one a try since Uncle Steve gives it a thumbs up. Well it was OK I suppose. A very very lite Lord of the Flies (now that one is a fabulous novel) a bit some of those pandemic novels. It ended up being a decent read but not one I couldn't leave. 

Don Jon

Don Jon Yes another Joseph Gordon-Lewitt film. The trailers for this one I have seen in when in SF and it seemed like a fun film. And it is a fun film. Spoilers.

Ok first off you need to think that JGL is a hot guy. This is a bit of a strech since he is treated like Brad Pitt Leonardo Di Caprio or something in the film. His friends call him Don Jon in reference to Don Giovanni I suppose. Anyway he is a constant gym goer, goes to church on Sundays (Catholic) and dates fast and hard with beautiful women. But his true love is porn and he doesn't give it up even when dating Scarlett Johansonn. Ok Scar Jo and Christian Bale are two actors that have turned me around. I used to dislike them a lot for no reason but now I liked both of them a lot. Scarlett here plays a girl we usually see everywhere. Her character is very close to what is termed in Turkish social media as a "Turkish Girl". She is hot, likes to make up and dress trendy. She loves to take on men as projects going toward marriage. Well Scarlett hooked Jon and he follows willingly. Some of the Scarlett effects are good such as starting night class. But she is really not interested in him as a person but he seems more of a project. Anyway he meets Julienne Moore in night class and despite not finding her attractive or being drawn to her or anything, she talks to him, makes conversation and seems like cool older lady. And in the end (a happy ending) he is dumped by Scarlett for his addiction to porn and saved by Julienne who teaches him that there are better things that two people can do.

All in all I liked the film. It is written and directed by JGL which explains why Jon has to be depicted as such  hottie.  

Night Moves

Photo credit: The Guardian

Night Moves was a pleasant surprise since I saw the trailer on another dvd one night ago and was curious about it and lo and behold, there it was on Dvdigi. Environmental activism is a subject that is slowly being used in films (I have also seen and like The East) but sadly not in any of the great ones that I have seen.

Now I love Dakota Fanning. She has great talent and is superb in everything I have seen her in including this one. And I kind of like Jesse Eisenberg. Peter Skarsgaard is ok too. All in all I have had no trouble with the performances. However the film itself didn't leave me in suspense or anything similar. It was dark and slow. There was not much of a story, SPOILER   three environmental activists blow out a dam and an unlucky camper got killed. One of the activitists cracked and told others about it and when the other's involvement is exposed, he is fired from his job and felt so bad about the whole thing that he kills her (the third one stays away the whole time) and then has to leave everything and everyone behind anyway.

The two things I liked about this film were the performances and the name. 

Flags of Our Fathers

Flags of Our Fathers is one of Clint's that I was not really that eager to view. That is not because of the reviews since I really like Mr.Eastwood both on and off screen directing and script writing. But war is definitely not my thing. However, having read Winter of the World made me want to check out how Clint filmed the war in Pasific. The story is surrounded by the war in Iwo Jima and how three soldiers were recruited to contribute to the war effort by riding high on public feelings of one photo (the one on the dvd) and live advertising for war bonds. We see things through the son of one of them who tells the story of this advertising campaign and its effects on the participants. Interpersed with memories of the war.

I liked it as I like all Eastwood films but this one will not have a special place in my heart. Not becauce of war but I didn't like the structure and it was disjointed. And the actors were fine but not really impressive. Clint works best with naturally talented actors (Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Hillary Swank, himself, Gene Hackman) and he is not really and actors' director (although everyone likes working with him) focused on the performance.

All in all this is not really recommended unless you are into the genre/time period etc. 

Winter of the World

Photo credit: Goodreads

Winter of the World  I had taken a screen capture from my audible but it got left in my other phone so the visual is taken from good reads. This was not as good as the Fall of Giants where more time was spent with the characters but it was a decent read with lots of action and what these two novels did for me was to not to get repulsed by the war genre anymore. I was also very affected in the Pearl Harbour scenes having been there and can imagine the location and destruction very well. I was really sad for the Von Ulrich family but applauded their resilience and strength of character.

All in all this ended up being a decent follow up and I can safely recommend the audiobook. John Lee was very good (although not as good as in Fall of Giants).