The Killing Doll

The Killing Doll was one of the safe novels I keep aside. They are safe because I have a good idea that I'll like them. Ruth Rendell is one of my favorite crime writers (except, for some reason her Wexford novels) and I was not wrong to pick that one up right after A Gesture Life. It is not nice to finish a great novel and then barge on one that makes you cringe in a bad way. Safe novels are for such times. After reading it (once again Ms. Rendell is so good on giving us glimps to the psyches of disturbed people and for further satisfaction, everyone got their just desserts - well except the sister of one of the killers, that girl was wrong to shut the door on her bro) now I feel ready to embark on an adventure of risking to start a book that I may not like. 

Winter's Tale

Photo credit to : http://collider.com/

Winter's Tale is one of those puzzling films. It has a good story, decent cast with likable actors, good soundtrack, very good special effects etc. But somehow they all combine to an average film. Some films just have bad juju I suppose.



I cried but only because I'm a softie. 

A Gesture Life

A Gesture Life is a novel I picked up at a second hand bookstore in Washington D.C. And probably just because it was there since despite the fact that I respected Native Speaker, I didn't particularly like it. And I'm so happy that I have this writer another chance. Loved this one to bits. The story is told from the view of our main character and it is constructed as to allow us peel layer after layer till we reach  SPOILER (as happy and ending as we were ever going to get). Highly recommended with not only an interesting story but also a delightful prose. 

Miss Granny

Photo credit: https://nekosdrama.files.wordpress.com


Miss Granny is a film I was eager to watch but there was not a dvd. So when my Sister offered me to loan it from her "files" I decided to give it a go.

And I loved it. This is one of the best examples of a regular S.Korean comedy which made me fall for this country's cinema.

Our heroine is an old woman who had to suffer a lot to raise his son on her own. Now he is a professor and he has two children and our Granny lives with them happily making her daughter in law uncomfortable (what's this with mother in laws? Really) She has her half time job at a senior's café, a very good friend (who is in love with her) from her childhood days and generally all is well. And her daughter in law develops a heart condition due to stress and since her source of stress is our granny, she is about to be placed at a senior's home. This is a tough blow in this society and very similar to my own. While she was feeling sorry for herself, she decides to have her passport photo taken and by a miracle turns into a 20 year old. This is hillarious right from the start since her looks are 20 years old but her hairstyle and dress is for her 70 year old self. It takes her some time to adapt but she does and even manages to make her dream of becoming a professional singer true and also develops a mutual crush on a hot guy. But does she feel happy not having her son as her son and having her grandson as her friends. She still hangs out with her old friend and he is the first one she confides in.

I laughed, I cried and generally had a ball with this one. 

Machete

Machete was chosen because I was hoping that at least it would be fun but this ended up being a false hope as far as I'm concerned. This film gave nothing to me. And now Roberto Rodrigues officially spent all his credit he has on me due to El Mariachi (which was a good film). 

The Young Victoria

The Young Victoria was another film I have purchased on the whim (since I don't really like Emily Blunt though she is a decent actor) due to it being a costume drama - and I have a weakness for these. Therefore imagine my surprise when I actually liked it very very much.

It is a slice of life film of a monarch who has to deal with stuff but also it is a love story. The director Jean Marc Valleé chose to tell the story in snap shot scenes that give us clues on the progress. Snap Victoria is bullied by her mother's lover, snap Victoria eats at a feast with the King and familiarises herself with Melbourne, snap she meets Albert, snap Albert pines for her in Germany etc. Another thing I didn't see comings was how much I actually cried during. For some reason I started at the wedding proposal scenes (kudos to both actors) and continued on after that. I'm very happy that this one turned out to be an unexpected keeper. I still don't care for Emily Blunt though.

Kundo

Kundo was a film I was curious about since it seemed like a good action film with a revenge plot (now I love those) And I like Ha Jung Woo ever since The Chaser (that was a good film). Anyway as you have probably guessed I didn't like it as much. It was OK nothing bad but nowhere near as good, say War of the Arrows. However being the superficial viewer, I ended up being very happy with the viewing since Kang Dong Won was so beautiful to look at. The man looked good from every angle and I wish I was able to screen cap from TV since none of the screen caps on line does his good looks justice. However he was the villain so I didn't fall in love just gave my eyes a what we call in my country "an eye bath". 

Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom is one of the unwatched dvds on the shelf rescued by the project - heh. Now I like Wes Anderson a lot and have realised that I have watched all his filmography (some more than once) except for Fantastic Mr.Fox (which is an animated film). This one is similar to his other films and if you already like him, you'll love it. However this may not be the ideal film to start. For that I'll recommend my favorite The Grand Budapest Hotel (which just maybe a masterpiece).

This one is a more intimate story with director's distictive and easily recognisable style and as usual a great cast doing great. I liked the soundtrack too.

Tehanu (and end of The Earthsea Quartet)

Tehanu is the last book of the Earthsea Quartet and I love it. Actually so much so that instead of continuing on the viewing project, I actually sat down and finished it last night. (The Project tends to stall when I watch a film I don't like that much).

SPOILERS GALORE!

In Tehanu our heroine is once again Tenar (from the Tombs of Atuan). I love this character with her flaws, insecurities and the way she faces the facts of life head on. In this one she has to deal with the death of a dear friend and teacher, evil done to innocents, curses and spells and Ged who has completely lost his magical powers. Not to mention a son who is not like her at all!!! At least she has a daughter who is intelligent and sensitive. And there is Ged who is still the love of her life even without magic (actually it works to her advantage). And her neighbour and close friend who is generous and helpful.

Tehanu is the name of the girl she has saved from a sadistic family who actually tried to burn her. She has lost one eye, one hand (which only about 10% of it works) and has scary scars on her face. But of course Tehanu is more than she seems and it is no surprise that in the end she is a child of the dragons with powerful magic who calls her mate to destroy the villains (the mate burns them all right there and then)


The Earthsea Quartet is a keeper not only because I love the prose (which is of the tidy type that appeals to me) but because of the world building done with as little detail as possible, great characters one involuntarily invests in and being a book that made me choose to read rather than do anything else.  

Earthsea Quartet - The Farthest Shore

The Farthest Shore is the third book in the Earthsea Quartet. This time our hero is accompanied by a yound prince called Arren in his dangerous adventures (and these are the parts I remember in that atrocious adaptation) to the, yes, the farthest shore of our AU, Selidor.

I liked it a lot though not as much as the other two. Arren is a good hero but he didn't interest me as much as the others. This time Ged meets a might adversary but we observe the consequences of the actions of this villain, rather than the villain himself which we see for just two pages worth. Also a good part of the novel is how a king is made.  I liked the water people segment and of course the dragons (who doesn't love dragons) but all in all I'm glad this one is finished and I'm currently reading the last book (which is so far so very good). 

The Client

Photo credit: http://www.projections-movies.com/


The Client is a film I remember liking when I first saw it in theater. It was not as good as I remembered it but nevertheless I enjoyed the viewing. Susan Sarandon is an actress I love and I like Brad Renfro too. This time I didn't forget to appreciate Tommy Lee Jones either. Some tears were shed yet again. 

Labor Day

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

Labor Day was a film at Digidvd and I love Kate Winslet and don't mind Josh Brolin so I gave it a go. It was not a film I particularly liked and want to watch again but I enjoyed the experience. It was romantic and highly unlikely in real life. The cast was good and some tears were shed by me but in the end it was mediocre and not very interesting. 

Uncertainty

Uncertainty is a film I chose simply because I like Joseph Gordon - Levitt. This time it was not a very good one. It is one of those films made on a "what if" premise (similar to Sliding Doors, a better film in my humble opinion). A couple on USA Independance Day has to decide whether to visit the girl's parents' family barbeque party in Brooklyn or stay in Manhattan to hang out on their own starting with dim sum and maybe letter dropping by to a friend's party. We get to watch what happens alternately for each choice.

I actually fell asleep at the last quarter of it and finish it a day later. JGL was really cute and that is all I'll about this one. 

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants It was a mistake to sleep watch* the film adaptation. The book, as usual, turned out to be much better. It is true that I chose it because I was out of the options with my colleagues audible account (now I have added two novels of my choice to that, thank God) but to my surprise I enjoyed the novel and the reading very much. It is one of those strange stories where a veterinarian student leaves his final exams after the shock of the unexpected death of his parents (in a car crash) and finding out that whatever they owned upto now will be taken away by the bank. So while wandering aimlessly he illegally jumps on a train which turns out to be circus train (this 1930s USA). The story is told from the point of view of the lead character Jacob as 93 year old old man and his younger self alternately. He falls for a married woman, makes unlikely friends and dangerous enemies in the circus.

The film was not good (to be generous) but the novel is worth checking out.

*Sleep watching is done on a plane while you dose off and wake up and keep watching. 

His Secret Life (Il Fate Ignoranti)

Il Fate Ignoranti (Literal Translation is Ignorant Fairies) is the second film of Ferzan Özpetek (who must be a big deal since his name is larger than the film's name on the dvd). After Fastern Your Seatbelts I was cautiously optimistic and was not dissapointed. Far from it, I loved the film despite its obvious failings. There is something in this director's films that appeals to my sentiment. Yes they are melodramatic, yes there is a certain banality (unintentional) and yes the film visual print quality was not good (I blame the dvd since the other film I watched was very good) and there was a certain misplaced Almodovar resemblence (but very softly) however I laughed and cried and really liked the two main characters. One is a widow whose husband of 15 years dies at a car crash (similar to Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black) and the other is the said husband's lover of 7 years. The lover is played by an actor called Stefano Accorsi and I liked him very much. After the woman finds about this she and he became close in their grief and later end up as good friends. Not only him but she befriends his oddball group of gay men and straight women who are interesting and quirky in their own way.


I purchased one other film from him and now I'm thinking of getting two more (after watching the trailers on the dvd)

Final Destination 2

Final Destination 2 is one I purchased on a whim since it was really cheap. I remember liking the first one but not going crazy over it. This one just didn't suit me. At all. In fact I had to rewatch the end 3 times because I kept falling asleep. I wouldn't necessarily call it a bad horror film but it just was not for me. 

The Earthsea Quartet - The Tombs of Atuan

The Tombs of Atuan is the second book in the Earthsea quartet. It is a wonder that nothing at all remained with me from the previous reading. Now I'm enthralled and force myself to leave the novel(s) and continue with the viewing project.

This time our hero is not Ged but a young girl named Tenar who is taken from her family at the age of 5 believed to be the reencarnation of a priestess of an ancient religion. It is only toward the end she meets Ged who sets her free but breaks her heart by not staying with her.

I love the prose and the characters. The thing I like best in fiction is the good guys. And Ged is a great good guy. Forged by the fires of vanity, pride and ignorance he battles with demons and comes out wounded but victorious. I love it that the novels' serious tone so far and that the heroine is such a likable person who doesn't shy away from her own demons.

Anyway highly recommended. 

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer Just as I was starting my viewing project, the films I have already ordered arrived one after another. So I started with Snowpiercer. Bong Joon Ho is a director whose filmography I have watched and not only liked but sometimes am in awe of (Memories of Murder, Mother). This one I was eager to watch but waited hopelessly for the dvd price to go down and when it did, I grabbed it.

Mr. Bong did it again. He made a brilliant film. Great science fiction story of the only survivors on earth constantly travelling around the earth on a self sustained train invented by an evil genius. This is what remained of the humanity and it is sadly not very different than how we live now. There are poor people at the back and the rich ones at the front with the rich ones using the poor ones as they see fit. Of course they plan a revolt and their objective is to reach to the very front of the train and take the machine thus control the train.

The film's subject matter is bleak but there are lots of visual and thematic breaks of humour (which is particular to S.Korean films I have seen) scattered throughout. This is not an action film but the action scenes were really good. It was nice to see the cast doing great too.

All in all a complete winner and highly recommended.  

The Raid 2 (And A Viewing Project)

The Raid 2 And it was worth the wait. I saw The Raid in NYC with a small but appreciative audience (and I think that watching martial art action films are better with an appreciative audience). There was much to like in The Raid. A new type of martial art, great art direction and almost non stop fights where one gets her/his fill and feels good since everything else is good too.

This one is a sequel and actually did everything right as far as I'm concerned. There were lots of fights, some gun action, car action, drama and all of them were directed with a sure hand, good heart and a good eye for aesthetics. I would have loved to have screen caps.

Our hero Rama has to go undercover this time. He is put into prison to get close to the only son of a mafia don in order to smoke out the corrupted cops. The son is an asshole but a handsome one (he reminded me of old time Turkish cinema jeunne premier Ediz Hun).

Spoilers.


Later on he is proven to be a complete physco. Killing his father (and only because he won't let him do as he wants), his partner and the corrupt policeman. He is of coursed killed by Rama.

Anyway the fights were all good. They even brought back the long haired dude from the first film (his character died in that one if I remember correctly but I didn't mind since he is a great on screen fighter). Some scenes reminded me of Park Chan Wook's films especially Old Boy (I suspect the director Gareth Evans likes him) with the hammer scenes but the inspiration is used in a different context and it felt like inspiration not plagiarizing.

My favorite scene was the one in the kitchen. It went for a long time and I found myself really into it whimpering from time to time. Kudos and congratulations.



Viewing Project: Ok I have realised that I'm a lot into books (hahahahahaha) and have been neglecting watching films as often. This is usually no problem but there is a large amount (large amount at least for me) of unwatched films that I have purchased over the years. So I have decided to pick one from each end on the shelf and watch them every night. Since I bought them, something in them must have appealed to me no? Anyway The Raid 2 was the first and let's see how this will go. 

The Earthsea Quarter - A Wizard of Earthsea

The Earthsea Quartet 
About 14 years ago one of my managers gave me the Turkish translations of these (after seeing me read The Lord of the Rings) and I read them but they didn't register. I don't think it was the translation, I just was not ready for these at that time. Later came that horrible film directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro. I remember that the novelist Ursula Le Guin voiced her dislike of the adaptation.

And when I saw the above book at the bookstore (at the time I thought I has some free points left), it felt like the right thing to give them another try.

A Wizard of Earthsea aaaannnnd I was completely into it right away. I loved the prose, uncluttered and economic. The story and the hero. These ones deserve a better adaptation to film (only so that more people would be interested). Ged is a hero to my own heart. Struggling and losing to vanity, pride and inferiority complex but finding that he is wrong, wins agains all of those and more in the end. I liked the Earthsea AU and was completely into it so much so that I have actually stopped doing anything else and read on (how I love when it happens).

Unless something drastic will happen during the other novels, I plan on reading more of this writer.

300: Rise of an Empire

Photo credit: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/

300: Rise of An Empire was everywhere when I was in Thailand but for some reason I never wanted to watch it (despite loving Eva Green). It was on Dvdigi and I decided to give it a go. It was not extra impressive apart from Eva Green that it. That women is so beautiful... 

What If

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

What If turned out to be a pleasant viewing of a romance between friends sort. Lots of first world issues. Not much to actually write about but nice enough. I like Daniel Radcliffe despite not finding him attractive. 

The Secret

The Secret is the first novel (well as far as I can recall that is) I have read from Julie Garwood. It turned out to be pleasant read. Objectification of Scotts men. Fish out of water adventures of an English woman in Scotsland. Demure romantic scenes. Heroine smart, strong and resourceful but still adorably quirky (in comparison with the times of course). Friendship among women. Lairds and kilts and Highlands etc. 

Kurtlar Sofrası

Kurtlar Sofrası daha ortaokul yıllarında çok severek okuduğum bir romandı. Evet ben bu kitap için biraz gençtim ama çok sevmiştim ve birden fazla kez okumuştum o zamanlar. Nedense yakın zamanda içimde tekrar okuma hissi uyandı ve yeni bir kopyasını satın aldım. Kitabın neredeyse %70'i filan başımın üzerinden uçup gitmiş o zamanlar. Şimdi daha bir içime sindire sindire, daha bir keyif alarak ve içine girerek okudum. Eski dil çok güzel geldi.

Aslında bu kitap içinde yazdığı konular dışında (Menderes iktidarı ve bilumum yolsuzluklar, aydın geçinenler, baskılar, sanatçılar vs.) yıllar geçse de bazı şeylerin hep aynı kaldığını düşündüm. İnsanın hırsları, korkuları ve zayıflıkları çağlara göre değişmiyor. Hiç bir şey öğrenmiyor muyuz geçmişten?

Bir de bu baskıda olması hoş görülebilecek olandan fazla yazım hatası vardı. Hiç dikkat etmezler mi, kim kontrol ettiyse gayet özensiz bir iş yapmış. Neyse bu kitabın kütüphanemde anlı şanlı bir yeri olacak.

Bir de bende Kartallar Yüksek Uçar dizisini izlemek arzusu hasıl oldu. Aynı yazarın senaryosunu yazdığı çok güzel bir diziydi o. Acaba yıllara nasıl dayanmış görmek isterim. 

Good Omens

Good Omens was a delightful surprise. The colleague who has very kindly allowed me to share and use his audible app has purchased this one. And I loved it to bits. It has made me laugh and Martin Jarvis was such a good reader that I'm thinking of getting a Dickens classic just to hear him read again.

This book is about the coming of the Armageddon. There is a demon, an angel, a witch, two witchhunters, four horsemen of the apocalypse, nuns, soldiers, a medium and four kids during one summer. It was simply hillarious and I highly recommend.

I'm wary of collobarations normally, despite the fact the I remember liking The Talisman. But then again I have read Peter Straub and didn't like his novels at all (and I LOVE Stephen King's books). This one is another duo. One I love (Neil Gaiman) and one I don't know anything about, Terry Prachett. Maybe I should give Terry Pratchett a try. Hopefully it'll be better than Mr.Straub.

As for Neil Gaiman, I would never even have hear of him if not for James MacAvoy. Yeah I had this crush on him last year and naturally wanted to watch everything he was in. Exploring I have come across that he has read something called Neverwhere with a bunch of people and it was on Audible. So I asked my colleague to purchase it for me and when I went to pay for my book I have found out that he has mistakenly downloaded a Neverwhere that has been read by the author. Well since I had paid for it I decided to hear it. And I liked it so much so that when my collague who has also liked the man (or his popularity) but found a different novel would suit him better, purchased American Gods I started to listen to it right away. And now I'm a fan of Mr.Gaiman and everything of his I have read, I liked. Now the person to thank for is Mr.MacAvoy I suppose :) And thank God for this sort of thought process and happy coincidences. 

Fasten Your Seatbelts (Allaciate le Cinture)

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


Fasten Your Seatbelts is the first Ferzan Özpetek film I have seen. This Turkish director who lives and makes films in Italy is very popular here but since I have never really liked Italian films (yeah yeah Il Postino was ok but nothing I wanted to see again and I still have not finished La Dolce Vita) and Italian language seems to scrape my ears. And I have a tendency to dislike the popular literature and film, I can not explain why since I love pop music, want to watch popular TV shows etc. Anyway once again I was so wrong (yeah I didn't read Harry Potter until after the fourth book is relased!!!) This film really moved me not only with its visual pleasantness (yeah many close up shots and that clean cinematography) its storytelling, we cut in at a crucial point to a love story and fast forward to 13 years and at the end of the film we turn back at the crucial point and continue for some time. I loved this.

The actors were all very good but I sensed that Mr.Ozpetek was directing them well. There was a certain artificial quality of the cast that would normally be a turn off but not here.

And you'd think this is a romantic love story but no, it is more of a slice of life a woman and people around her who love her in different ways. It was really a treat and I have shed many many tears.

Now this happy viewer will continue to seek more films of this director (and he has done a lot of films- yay). 

Grace of Monaco

Photo credit: deadline.com

Grace of Monaco is one those slice of life films that tells the fictional biography of the story of how Grace Kelly was offered the lead role in Marnie and then how and why she refused. And how she helped to solve a political crisis with France at the time.

It simply was not a good film. First off I love Grace Kelly she is my favorite classic film actress. And I like Nicole Kidman. She is great in the right role. This was not it. The performance was not bad but everytime she is on screen (which is A LOT) she was Nicole Kidman. Not Grace, not even close. She wore the clothes, the make up, the hair fantastically. She looked very pretty but she was not Grace.

Anyway the film had loads and loads of close up shots and I do like looking at Kidman's face. One interesting note was that Maria Callas was played by beautiful Paz Vega and despite her best efforts she was not Callas either. This made me appreciate Cate Blanchett's performance as Katherine Hepburn. Soon after I forgot that the was Cate Blanchett.

Not recommended. 

The Wind Rises

Photo credit: http://athenacinema.com/


The Wind Rises is the latest Hayao Miyazaki film that I have been wanting to watch for some reason didn't. And the moment I saw it was going to be on TV I recorded it and watched it during New Year's Vacation. And it is no surprise that I loved it. Shed tears over it, felt great happiness in watching all the visuals and liked the characters.

As I have found out from wikipedia, the film is a fictional biography of Jiro Horikoshi, a plane designer/engineer who was not able to fly because his eyes needed thick glasses from childhood. I don't know about the real life guy but this one was very sympathetic and human. He is ordered to design a fighter plane (he worked at Mitsubishi) to be used in World War II and he did it. His "zero"s made an impact at war. He also mentions at some stage that none of them returned from the war. He is not into war per se but he is not enough anti war to refuse the assignment. Also he really wants to make planes.

The worst thing in the film for me, and the most human, is how his fiancé (they got married but with an old ceremony, I don't think it was ever registered). The lady has tuberculosis and she had to go to a retreat to get better. But she couldn't stay away from Jiro and she runs away to be with him. Now logic would dictate that he sent her back. But he doesn't they got married with an ancient ceremony (that scene was so so good) and after that she lives with him while he works on his plane trying to meet the deadline. At one scene he comes home late and his wife makes him draw his drawing desk nearer to where she lays down and he holds her hand while he works with his other hand. And he wants to smoke so he asks his wife's permission to release her hand, but she refuses to let go. And he knows smoking while in the same room with a tuberculosis patient is not good since he mentions it. But his wife says she doesn't care. And the stupid man lights up a cigarette. Ok I'm a smoker (maybe 5 a day or something)  but even I was shocked at this. Then I gave it a thought. Here I'm, smoking while knowing that it is very bad for me. This is what I meant by being a human thing to do. They just don't care at that moment.

It is never clear what happens to her but she decides to return to the clinic/retreat suddenly leaving letters to everyone. I thought it was like a pedigree cat. They do ran away from home when they are terminal.

Anyway, back to the film. It grabbed me from the get go and ended being that type of film I didn't want to end. I fully recommend.