"The First Sip of the Day Was Invariably the Best"

Stuck On Repeat

"Closer Than This" -- St. Lucia
"Let's Go" -- Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo
"Fine By Me" -- Andy Grammer
"Stick Around" -- Mayer Hawthorne
"Finally Falling" -- Mayer Hawthorne

Cinema

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen - This is a very sweet film - a romcom/drom for the thinking person. Ewan McGregor (making delightful use of his native Scottish accent) and Emily Blunt are fun to watch together, and Kristin Scott Thomas can only be described as a "hoot." While the subplot of Yemenis against the fishing and dam scheme seemed like an afterthought and created a distracting disconnect whenever it was revisited, the rest of the story was quite nice and did a good job of capturing a simulacrum of actual human emotion. Like the salmon of its title, this movie tries to swim against the conventional romcom/drom current, and, in part, it succeeds.

The Snowtown Murders - Super graphic and depressing with no artistic merit. I am not one to shy away from disturbing, violent films (The Killer Inside Me, the film of which Snowtown most reminded me, was even one of my best of 2010), but usually there is some level of art involved that draws me in to the story and keeps me glued to the screen even when things get really messed up. That was not the case at all with Snowtown; if I were the type to walk out of films, I would have walked out of this one. The screening I went to had an audience evenly split between genders and young and old - nobody seemed to be impressed or "enjoying" the film in any capacity. This was one film during which I didn't mind murmurs from my fellow cinema-goers because they let me know I wasn't alone in being mystified by the intent of this film.

In Darkness - A very powerful film that speaks to the amazing strength of the human spirit. Yes, similar Holocaust stories have been told before, but such stories should never stop being told. Each new generation needs films like this to keep reminding us how awful the Holocaust was so that it won't be repeated. While that may be cliched, I feel it is true. We must never forget that time in history, the people who did unbelievable things to survive, those who found the good in themselves and committed selfless acts, and of course those who sacrificed themselves or did not survive for other reasons. A well made film serves to bring all of these things into focus and speak to our strongest and most intrinsic emotions.

The Forgiveness of Blood - Powerhouse acting from two Albanian teens. This movie is worth seeing simply for Sindi Lecej's performance as Rudina. Of course, it also offers a fascinating glimpse into Albanian culture, which is rooted in seemingly medieval traditions. The generational friction creates a compelling story as the film transports you to the stark rural landscape of a whole other world.

Friends With Kids - This is Jennifer Westfeldt's best film yet - frank, earnest, and entertaining. It is shockingly honest, for the most part, devolving into tropes and cliches as the film nears its end. Jon Hamm is sadly not featured as much as I had hoped, but Adam Scott proves a good foil for Westfeldt's shrill character, unlike Chris Messina in Ira & Abby, who was far too similar to her. This film is *so* New York and does a good job of addressing many of the issues encountered when raising kids in the city. This film was much better and more serious than I was expecting it to be, and that was a very pleasant surprise indeed.

Act of Valor - While Act of Valor lacks merit as a film (some times it feels more like a video game), it is one heck of a reminder that the US Military is pretty damn badass. The incredible attention to detail during tactical operations is a wonder to behold. I felt like I was able to glean business tips for how to work better in my day job from this film just by watching the SEALs interact with each other and their commanding officers while planning and executing missions  - this is communication done right (because if it's not, somebody's gonna die). The personal sacrifice was more affecting than I expected - this films puts a face to the concept of "taking a bullet" for someone and really brought home the heaviness of what that means. Knowing that the SEALs who star in the film also had input on the action made everything seem just a bit more real and believable. Another reminder that we have a lot of people to thank for the country in which we live today.

Bullhead - I found this film quite haunting, and while it stayed in my mind for several days after I saw it, I can't quite articulate why I found it so captivating. It is a quiet film that has a careful economy with words; it takes its time in letting the audience study and get to know the protagonist, allowing the viewers to look into his soul through his hard yet vulnerable eyes in order to glean an understanding of his pain and his damaged psyche. The lead performance is what this film is all about, and it is those eyes full of hurt that keep drawing me back.

21 Jump Street - So much fun - a thoroughly entertaining buddy comedy that never slows down. I easily went see this film at the cinema again and was just as entertained the second time around. Channing Tatum even appears to do some actual acting in this one and displays more than one emotion over the course of the film. He seems at his best in movies that don't expect him to take anything, including himself, too seriously (see also: Fighting). I love movies that go meta from time to time, and this one does that all over the place, hitting the target perfectly each time.

The Kid with a Bike - The kid of the title is what makes this movie worth watching and kept me riveted to the screen. This child gives such a heartbreaking performance that ricochets between tenderness and rage at the flip of a switch. So many big, heavy moments for one little kid to shoulder, the most powerful being when I realized that the reason he was willing to commit a violent crime was because he thought that getting money would please and help his estranged father. His resolutely blind love for this man who does not want him is rather heartbreaking. However, the lack of explanation for Cecile de France's hairdresser adopting the boy creates a void in the emotional texture of the film, diminishing the touching selflessness of her act.

Free Men -After watching In Darkness and reading Defiance, this film seemed rather light-weight. While this is another story of unlikely allies (in this case Algerian Muslims) helping Jews during WW II that I am glad to see get told (especially since it is a French film), the film doesn't give the story the gravity that it deserves. Tahar Rahim and Michael Lonsdale are both quite charismatic, though in completely different ways - Rahim's charisma comes from without, while Lonsdale's is glimpsed through his cunning eyes. Despite these fine performances, the film lacks the punch and weight I was expecting, and the ending seems especially weak compared to the rest of the story.

The Deep Blue Sea - A lovely post-War British film with excellent acting and editing. Like many good films based on plays, this one focuses on the people and their emotions and doesn't clutter the film with anything superfluous. One other outstanding element of this film is its thoughtful use of a powerhouse soundtrack to punctuate and underscore the roiling emotions on display.


Netflix Queue
Case Histories
Leatherheads
Downton Abbey - Season 1

Book Shelf

An Object of Beauty, Steve Martin
One of the most lovely and elegant books I have read in quite some time. I literally wanted to start reading it again as soon as I had finished it. There are so many wonderful bits of dialog and turns of phrase, and as a bonus there is a bit of Vermeer action as well. I discovered a couple of new artists and paintings to further explore, since the book includes reproductions of many of the works mentioned in the text. Oddly, this book did not make me wish I was part of the art world; it kept me at arms length, on the far side of a fog of nostalgia, which was fine by me. In fact, this book almost seems like the recounting of a dream or a soliloquy for lost youth and innocence. Its simplicity is deceptive, with many layers that lie hidden, waiting to be discovered. I found myself rereading passages on many occasions simply because they possessed a beauty and sincerity not often found in real life.

Q, Evan Mandery
I had high hopes for this book, but sadly it fell very short of them. First of all, the writing style is of the "aren't I so clever" variety, which irks me to no end. You are an author. I have purchased your book and am reading it. You don't need to throw your smugness in my face. With existentialism, fate, and time travel as the main themes, I should have loved this book, but it was all too ridiculous from the very beginning. I am not sure if the protagonist is Jewish, but it seem like he should be (though much more Shteyngart or Roth than Woody Allen): whiny, not satisfied with life, and striving for the unobtainable in the most annoying way possible. Reading this book was like listening to an old Jewish woman complain about how nothing is ever good enough or right. It's life: suck it up and get on with it without wasting my time. Further raising my ire was the author's habit of repackaging common, obvious observations on politics, education, and philosophy as novel thoughts. And don't get me started on the random chapters that wee "excerpts" from the protagonist's own writings. A disappointing miss, or perhaps mess, all around.

Defiance, Nechama Tec
It has been quite a while since I saw the film that was based on this book, so my reading wasn't too colored by the Hollywood version of the story. The book was a lot more academic than I expected, though perhaps the Oxford University Press imprint should have tipped me off. However, it was nice to read a non-fiction book that clearly presented the facts as it knew them to be without attempting to make them sexy or glamorize them. This book is simply a straight forward account of how one group was able to make it through a war despite many trials and tribulations. Like In Darkness, it is a good reminder of what the human spirit and body are capable of when life is at stake.

Case Histories, Kate Atkinson
I can't tell if it was a good idea to watch the mini-series based on Kate Atkinson's first three Jackson Brodie novels before I read the books. Knowing the outcome of a mystery when reading it from the beginning is a bit disorientating (as the Brits would say), but I do love being able to picture Jason Isaac's version of Brodie traipsing around my mind. No matter the medium, Case Histories is a very entertaining tale with fabulously written characters and lovely British scenery. Highly recommended.

Role of Honor, John Gardner
I am going to run out of things to say about these Bond books pretty quickly. They don't have the flair or the timeless, effortless cool of Fleming's novels, and seem more like they should be films than books. However, I am still determined to read every last one of them, so here we go again. This book is good for a few laughs because it was written in 1984 and computers play a central roll in the story. This means people are actively comparing microprocessors with room-size mainframes. Having a pile of equipment in the boot of your Bentley isn't quite as sexy as whipping a tablet or smartphone out of your pocket.

Nobody Lives Forever, John Gardner
Finally, a nouveau book worthy of the James Bond name! This one includes proper jetsetting, plenty of double crosses, and banter worthy of Fleming. It is everything a proper Bond book should be, and thus was quite fun to read.

One Good Turn, Kate Atkinson
I loved this book even more that Case Histories, perhaps because I seem to have quite a bit in common with this incarnation of Jackson Brodie, at least in some areas of my life. Atkinson's writing is extremely engaging, and once again the characters are so well developed and full of life (perhaps ironically so for a murder mystery). This book somehow contains more sly wit than its predecessor, and it takes the reader on a satisfying journey on several levels.


Post title from: Carte Blanche, by Jeffery Deaver