July 2008 Books and Movies

Deal Breakers: When to Work on a Relationship and When to Walk Away
Dr. Bethany Marshall

Good topic, not dealt with very well. The doctors speaks of 5 personality types (Scriptwriter, Little Boy Lost, Man in Charge, Man Without Fault, Invisible Man), how to recognize them, when to work on a relationship with them, and when to walk away. It seemed to blame the man exclusively, with only one tiny paragraph stating that if you found the book didn't resonate, to re-read it with yourself in one of the roles. Blanket statement much? There were some good ideas there, but deeply submerged in a ton of gobbledygook. I'd give it a pass.

Sybil
Flora Schreiber

Excellent read and very hard to put down. Even with the controversy surrounding the validity of the MPD claim, this book shines as an example of overcoming a demonic childhood. The details of abuse were horrific, but the ending was very uplifting. A great read for anyone interested in psychology or an interesting story.

Born Into Brothels

Amazing documentary! The kids are heartbreakingly beautiful set amist a horrendous backdrop of crime, poverty and prostitution. It was really nice to see the updates at the end, even though not all of the children got out of the brothel. It's too bad that so many people have negative things to say about the filmmaker. I think she has worked tirelessly to help in anyway she can, without judgment or superiority. An excellent film.

The Stepford Wives

This updated version of the 1975 movie was good, but more of a black comedy than a horror flick. I decided to read the book first, so I wouldn't picture the movie while reading the book. They changed a lot of things, some good, some bad, but I'll need to see the original movie before I can make a true comparison. I enjoyed it for what it was, and thought the casting was very apropo.

The Stepford Wives
Ira Levin

Creepy! But what do you expect from the man who wrote Rosemary's Baby? This is an excellently written novel, a deceptively easy read, that packs a literary punch firmly within the time frame in which it was written. A searing commentary on a typical male reaction to the Women's Lib movement in the 1970's, a twisted concept (perfect women robots replacing the freshly killed real wives) and thrilling to the end.


State and Main

Really good movie! Love David Mamet as a playwright, so was pretty sure it would be good with him as director and screenwriter. There were a few weak links, ever since SATC, Sarah Jessica Parker just seems to channel Carrie in everything she does. This movie was filmed in the middle of SATC madness, so I understand why she had a little trouble losing Carrie. I am also not a big Alec Baldwin fan. But I loved so many others in the film, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Stiles, Rebecca Pidgeon, just to name a few. This movie was definitely over looked in 2000 and well worth seeing.