Inglourious Basterds

4.5 out of 5

Inglourious Basterds was much better than I expected. It started out as one of those 'Well, I suppose there's nothing better to see' occasions and surprised me by making me laugh quite a bit.

I've been a Tarantino fan for over a decade, but I suspected obvious pitfalls in this movie from the trailer. Brad Pitt looked like he was overdoing a campy impression of a funnier George Clooney character and the subject matter seemed like an opportunity for Tarantino to exploit violence. Turns out, it was pretty damned funny in the dark humor department.

Brad Pitt seemed playfully engulfed in his character with an accent and idioms that made me wonder what it would be like to have known my grandparents and great grandparents so long ago. There were also a lot of close ups on his face that showed imperfections and age (I have little tolerance for him as a heartthrob). Turns out, the film didn't even follow the Inglourious Basterds for the majority of the movie. It seemed much more centered around this German henchman (played by a really good German actor, Christoph Waltz) and the Jewish girl that got away from him.

There was much less over the top, graphic bloodshed than I expected; after seeing Kill Bill I wasn't in a big hurry to find out what new and inventive ways Tarantino could squirt blood on a camera lens.

And although I know it's one of his signatures to have long, drawn out, intense conversations that are supposed to build suspense, they can go a bit long for me. Some people feel the drama in them, but lengthy, complicated, quick paced dialog can lose my interest and my mind starts to wander (like in Deathproof); I only felt myself drift once. More than the writing, the physical acting and situations had the theatre silent with anticipation.

One of the most interesting notions was whether the film would follow history or take a fantasy turn most of the world would have preferred. A big part of the attraction in Inglourious Basterds is the sense that anything can happen at any time. The film also had a few trademark stylized moments in it with stark red Nazi flags and cigarette girls that were a nice juxtaposition to the brown hues of typical WWII films.

Breathers: A Zombie's Lament

4 out of 5


This book is the first time in my zombie exploration that I have considered the affliction of the undead from the zombie's point of view.

Imagine that you have woken up in a broken body with no hope of biological regeneration. You are still you; same thoughts, same memories, same drive, hopes, fears... Everyone else knows before you do exactly what you are. Where do you go?

In this story, zombies are an abused underclass in society; mutilated by teenage pranksters, restricted from public gatherings, verbally assaulted. The main character tries to campaign against the zombie population's lack of basic civil rights, which seems just in theory. In reality, who wants their dead husband at the dinner table smelling like road kill found in a Tupperware container in the back of the fridge, sneezing out brain matter onto people's plates?

It was pushing my 'aww, poor zombie' button for more than 150 pages, before it went true-zombie.

I swear it's almost worse to read the descriptions of decay and brutality, than it is to watch it. At least while on screen, you have the option of blinking or looking away. With my horror-movie-hardened stomach, I was surprised at my gagging reaction during the slow and deliberate nature of reading.

Whoever referred to this book as a comedy is mistaken, in my opinion. 'Lament' is the most accurate description I can conjure, so the title is a better description than the back cover blurbs. Sad followed by sad is the theme in this seemingly real investigation of waking up dead.

And through the ups and downs of the characters, I'm reminded of the old adage; save one bullet.

One Day as a Lion

4 out of 5



I'm finding Zack de la Rocha's new project very enjoyable, in an old slipper kind of way. If you like Rage Against the Machine and long for music similar in cadence and bass line, this hits the spot. I'm not sure that Zack can be involved with a band and not have it be Rage redundant. That's just fine with me though. I'm not looking for anything new from him and I'm liking what I hear. Not every Tool needs to turn A Perfect Circle.

If there is one disappointment it is that it's more of a mini album. Five songs. Five whole songs.

While the album's signature song Wild International is good,



I find myself hitting the repeat button for If You Fear Dying.


You have to listen to it more than 10 seconds, though, to get past the similar bass riff. I promise, they are two different songs. :)

Julie and Julia

4 out of 5

I didn't go into this movie with very high expectations. I really enjoy Meryl Streep and Julia Child, and I have to say I was not anticipating a merger of the two. I can't quite put my finger on the reason for that reaction. It's almost as though I didn't want the magic of Hollywood and mass-marketing to sully these two icons with a forced imitation.

Thankfully, the movie was raised a level by mature writing and much more comedy than I had expected.

POSITIVES:

• Stanley Tucci got all of the best lines.
• Portrayal of the dirtier side of Julia Child.
• SNL clip of a Julia Child imitation of the ilk I remember as a child.
• Brought up a new inspiration to read Julia's books.
• Meryl's black and white Julia Child's TV appearances did Julia justice.
• Sweet love story for both the Julie and Julia characters.
• Renewed my interest in blogging. Go figure!
• VERY humorous.

NEGATIVES:

• Not a lot of tolerance on my part for a Julia Child imitation.
• Amy Adam's terrible haircut robbed her of her signature cuteness.
• The overt theme of struggle, perseverance, and 'what you believe is your reality' is a turn off for me. Outside of Boo in Monsters, the feel-good music brings out the cynic in me.

Summary - very enjoyable :)

My Booky Wook by Russell Brand

Meh

I feel a bit uncomfortable commenting on a book I did not read, but that in itself is the reason for this post. I had this book on loan from the library for three weeks and how far did I get? 26 pages. That's right; I made it through the second chapter.

I rarely ever give up on a book, but every time I cracked it open, I fell asleep. Sometimes mid page. I feel bad for my reaction, but I could not seem to bring myself to care. Russell is funny in every other aspect I have seen, but the novice writing and theme of the first few chapters (further slowed by the cultural descriptions at the bottom of every other page) gave me the sense that I had better things to do with my time than tread water with this book. So, for maybe the third time in my life, I took my bookmark out and moved along.

I don't care for unfinished business though, so to placate myself, I've decided to amend my 'to be read' list with a 'to be continued' list. Haha. How's that for OCD behavior? So worried I will forget an unfinished task, I am comforted by lists.

I suppose my reaction and diversion from my usual box-checking nature says enough about my opinion of the literary Brand. In review:

Russell Brand stand-up ------ Disturbing and funny
Russell Brand acting --------- Creepy and funny
Russell Brand the author ---- Snooze-fest

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

3.5 out of 5

Reading it for the second time since high school, it didn't seem like the same book. I remember thinking it humorous and strange. I couldn't relate to this poor girl's breakdown. This time I was aware of the author's story and the semi-autobiographical nature of the book.

The writing was poetic and encompassing. I understand why Sylvia Plath is credited with helping begin the 'confessional poetry' genre. The sardonic humor in the first half of the book actually made me giggle out loud, but the second half took a much darker turn and was a bit hard to read.

Her description of planning suicide was like watching a junkie ready themselves for a fix. The right place, the right conditions; I don't think she emoted over anything in the book as much as that mediation.

If it was my tale to tell, it would have been hard to look back at that feeling. It was a bit sickening just to read the recount of someone else. So, the author's suicide after writing this novel makes me think it wasn't the distant reflection the book leads you to believe.

Sylvia Path wrote this book under a pseudonym and a few months after it was published, she committed suicide. She put her head in the oven. That takes balls. It's just my humble opinion, but if you were to do something fast and rash, there wouldn't be time to ponder and change your mind. Jumping from a height, using a gun, hanging; even if you changed your mind, there probably isn't much you can do about it. So laying there with your head in an oven sounds like a serious commitment to me.

How sad.

It was still a good read if only for the imagery and flow of the writing. Makes me think of that Imogen Heap song Let Go because she says 'because there's beauty in the breakdown.'