May 2008 Books and Movies

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Not quite as good as the first one, but still, really enjoyable. They've upped the ante with the CGI and the New Zealand landscape is breathtaking. Throw in a good looking cast and some very impressive battle scenes and you have an enjoyable 2.5 hours.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Beautiful Italian cinematography, great cast and some very funny moments are the good points. Bad writing, choppy plot transitions and far too much emphasis on how terrible it is for a late 30s woman to be *shocked gasp* single were the bad points. It was really 50/50 for me, I spent just as much time liking the film as I did not liking the film.

Snow Cake

Quite literally, one of the most beautiful films I have seen in a long time. Dealing with a quite rare topic, adult autism, Snow Cake is very very special. Sigourney Weaver gives one of the most amazing performances I've seen and Carrie Ann Moss and Alan Rickman are wonderful with just the right amount of pathos. It was funny, in a poignant way and made me cry buckets towards the end. It's a joint venture between the U.K. and Canada and shot in Wawa, which in itself made for some stellar cinematography. I can't recommend it enough, really worth seeing.

Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
Ross King

Again, took me a while to get through it, but another great read from Ross King. I love the way he incorporates conjecture to make the drier bones of history come alive. I finshed this book with a burning desire to see the Sistine Chapel in person, it's on my list!

Dan in Real Life

Quite enjoyable, much like Little Miss Sunshine, a dark comedy. Made me laugh out loud and brought tears to my eyes. Love Juliette Binoche, although I think it's really interesting that North American movies are the only ones where you see someone speaking English with an accent. In foreign language films, people hardly ever have an accent, I don't think they would even be hired if they didn't speak near flawless French, Italian, German etc. But all things foreign translate into better North American box office returns, I suppose. Steve Carell was excellent, he really has wonderful poignant comedic timing. The family dynamic was fantastic, loved Dianne Wiest as the mother. The house was just as much a part of story as the characters and the music tied it all together. The plot plodded somewhat in the middle, but overall, a good film.

Remember Me?
Sophie Kinsella

Love Sophie Kinsella, but she's gone back to using a Becky Bloomwood character, klutzy and constantly inappropriate in every situation. I'm not a fan of her characters that I get frustrated with while I'm reading. Her best character to date is Samantha, from the Undomestic Goddess. I liked Lexi too, even more when she she wised up to the fact that her "perfect" life was a crock. Still a fan of Kinsella's tight writing style, although this one was not quite as funny. That being said, I couldn't put it down and was finished in 2 days.