Category Archives: books

It was a pretty unspectacular weekend for the box office. But it is August, so I guess that’s to be expected.

1. Tropic Thunder ($16.1 million)
2. The House Bunny ($15.1 million)
3. Death Race ($12.3 million)
4. The Dark Knight ($10.3 million)
5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars ($5.7 million)
6. Pineapple Express ($5.6 million)
7. Mirrors ($4.9 million)
8. The Longshots ($4.3 million)
9. Mamma Mia! ($4.3 million)
10. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ($4.1 million)

I only caught one movie this week: Bottle Shock (3½ stars). There’s nothing here that’s going to blow you out of the water, but it’s a charming flick with good acting and a heartwarming ending that you know is coming but that’s done in such a way that you love it anyway. I must admit, though, I did want to pull Alan Rickman aside and explain the difference between a French ‘r’ and the pseudo-Italian ‘r’ he was using every time he had to speak French, but that’s a nitpick that will go unnoticed by most of the population, I’m sure.

I spent a lot of my free time this week (of which there wasn’t much) devouring Watchmen. It’s a compelling read, and I’ll go ahead and throw my hat in with everyone else who highly recommends it. Also, the trailer makes a lot more sense (and looks exponentially more amazing) now.

In lieu of more mini movie reviews, I’ll leave you with this (surprisingly accurate, at least for me) quiz I came across. While initially disappointed that my personality’s corresponding font is so boring, I decided it was actually fitting enough, being a screenwriter and all (though technically I write in Final Draft’s version of Courier).

You Are Courier New

You have a deep appreciation for tradition and history. You don’t eschew modernity, but you do have a deep reverence for the past. You are very literate. It’s likely you enjoy writing and reading. Some people may feel you’re a bit cold, but you just have high standards for who you hang out with.

I somehow managed to peg the top three this week, as Tropic Thunder finally dethroned The Dark Knight.

1. Tropic Thunder ($26 million)
2. The Dark Knight ($16.8 million)
3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars ($15.5 million)
4. Mirrors ($11.1 million)
5. Pineapple Express ($10 million)
6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ($8.6 million)
7. Mamma Mia! ($6.5 million)
8. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 ($5.9 million)
9. Step Brothers ($5 million)
10. Vicky Cristina Barcelona ($3.7 million)

What I Watched:

• Barton Fink (3 stars): I was entertained. John Goodman was great, as always, and John Turturro delivered as well, but I wasn’t really sure what the point was other than the movie industry sucks.
• Wilde (3½ stars): A fairly standard biopic with excellent performances and a compelling story. It was interesting to hear the film makers talking about DVDs and Web sites as new media in the special features. Things have come quite a long way in 10 years.
• Step Brothers (2½ stars): I was forced to see this because of a deal I made with my sister a few weeks ago, and I was pleased that it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was dreading. That being said, it wasn’t all that great either. I chuckled throughout it, and I daresay I even laughed quite a bit during a few scenes, but I was hardly in stitches. That being said, there are worse (and better) ways to spend a couple of hours.
• Tropic Thunder (4 stars): I’ve been looking forward to this movie, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s gruesome, hilarious, and it even borders on touching at times. Ben Stiller is finally funny again, Robert Downey Jr. is a riot, and Jay Baruchel steals the scene whenever he gets the opportunity.

I know I said I’d be seeing Bottle Shock this weekend, but fear not; I’m actually seeing it Monday with the family instead.

What I Read:
I’ve finally finished the three books I’ve been reading for the past [insert embarrassingly long timeframe here]. Last up was Neil Gaiman‘s Neverwhere. It didn’t seem quite as polished as Stardust, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. The end was perfect. I’m also tempted to pull out a handful of my old troll dolls and station them on my desk at work as a tribute that no one will get except me.

Up next, upon recommendation from both Matt and Jon, along with seemingly the rest of the world, is Alan Moore’s graphic novel, Watchmen. This is my first time reading a graphic novel, so it should be an interesting journey.

The Dark Knight, despite nearly everyone’s predictions, reigns again.

1. The Dark Knight ($26 million)
2. Pineapple Express ($22.4 million)
3. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ($16.1 million)
4. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 ($10.8 million)
5. Step Brothers ($8.9 million)
6. Mamma Mia! ($8.1 million)
7. Journey to the Center of the Earth ($4.9 million)
8. Hancock ($3.3 million)
9. Swing Vote ($3.1 million)
10. WALL-E ($3 million)

It was a slow movie week for me, but here’s What I Watched:

• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2½ stars): After crying our eyes out during the first installment, my sisters and I were hoping for a similar tug on the heartstrings. Sadly, the sequel didn’t deliver, and nary a tear was shed. It was still decent enough, but it seemed as if the writer had trouble tying the myriad threads of the story together. As it was, it was pretty much like watching four separate movies intercut with one another. That being said, the performances were pretty solid for the most part.
• Pineapple Express (2½ stars): I’ve been having trouble pinpointing exactly what went wrong here, I can I can’t seem to put my finger on it. The movie seemed to move at a snail’s pace. There were some story elements that could have been cut that might have led to a tighter, funnier film. However, Seth Rogen’s performance was typically enjoyable, and James Franco was wonderful.
• Pride and Prejudice [BBC mini-series] (3 stars): I actually enjoyed this version of Jane Austen’s novel more than the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley, mostly because it followed the book nearly to the page, or at least to my recollection of it. It was also nice to see a different side of Colin Firth.

There were a few reasons my movie-watching was lower than usual this week: 1) I am tired of scanning and thus avoided it a bit more than usual this past week, plus I started in on Season 1 of The X-Files; 2) I left my three Netflix DVDs at work over the weekend; 3) I spent most of the weekend working feverishly on Mute to get it ready to send out to my alpha readers (it went out in the wee hours of Sunday morning); and 4) I’ve been trying to finish up the three books I’ve been reading. Which takes us to…

What I’ve Been Reading:

I’m happy to report I finally finished Tom Robbins’ Jitterbug Perfume last week, and just before writing this post I finished up a collection of Oscar Wilde’s major works that included The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Salomé, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

I don’t want to do a full review of either book here, but suffice to say, both are certainly worth picking up. Jitterbug Perfume is a wonderful study in how to turn a phrase. My only major complaint is that the story would have moved along more quickly had the major players not had to stop to have sex so often. Beyond that, I was charmed almost against my will at times by the story of Alobar and his adventures.

As for Oscar Wilde, he is a master at saying one thing and meaning another. He is possibly the most out-of-context-quoted author I’ve ever come across. And something tells me the notion would make him chuckle. I think I’ve already made clear my love for Dorian Gray, but it’s worth noting that The Ballad of Reading Gaol is one of the most potent and heart-wrenching poems I’ve ever read. For as much as Oscar Wilde is known for his wit, it’s evident through his writing (both comic and otherwise) that there was a sincerity and sensitivity in his manner that has the capacity to make your heart swell or break. I am now and forever an ardent fan.