"Chasing our dreams around from place to place"

Stuck On Repeat
"Thinking About You" -- Calvin Harris feat. Ayah Marar
"The Beat Don't Stop" -- Alphabeat
"Money" -- Lady
"Kemosabe" -- Everything Everything
"So Intense" -- Lisa Fischer
"Big Wide Wonderful World" -- Chris Isaak


Cinema
Flight - Despite its TV-movie ending, this is a very fun, enjoyable film. There is no question that Denzel has swagger to spare (just ask the two black women sitting behind me at the screening I attended), not to mention he can rock a pair of aviators like nobody's business. Just thinking about this movie puts a smile on my face - I can't believe it's been nearly a full month since I saw it. On a more serious note, Denzel portrays alcoholism in a very real and honest way; his emotions are a roller coaster that carry this movie so much further than it would have gone with any other actor in the lead. The supporting cast does a good job matching the tone Denzel sets, especially Don Cheadle, John Goodman, and Kelly Reilly (who will, to me, forever be "the British girl from L'Auberge Espagnole"). The soundtrack is a bit bombastic and on-the-nose, but for the most part I was able to just sit back and let this movie take me on a great ride.

Wreck-It Ralph - This was another fun film, though the true highlight of the screening I attended was the astute comment on The Hobbit trailer by the little boy sitting next to me: "I've already seen that movie." Right with you, kid. Meanwhile, Wreck-It Ralph is filled with lots of great references that even I, the non-gamer, was able to catch, fantastic voice work, and some nice existential themes. Sarah Silverman as Vanellope was a tad annoying, but her character's story arc was quite clever and cool. At least Alan Tyduk's terrific voice work as King Candy was a nice counterpoint to Silverman's screech. This is yet another one of those kids' movies that I feel is really meant for my generation. If kids today don't know the Toys R Us theme song, I don't know how they would get all the 80s references packed into Ralph's world.

The Thieves - This was billed as the Korean Ocean's Eleven, and one of my friends and I have a thing for Korean and South American action movies, so this seemed kind of perfect for us. The only way The Thieves is like Ocean's is that a super-team is pulled together to rob a casino, otherwise it is way more gritty and has many more layers of subversion. Having multiple teams that don't quite trust each other, but must work together, is a fresh twist on the genre and leads in some unexpected directions. Additionally, there are no clear "good" or "bad" guys to root for. The acting was all quite good, and the twists and turns kept things interesting, making for a solid heist movie.

Skyfall (x2) - AHHHHHHHH! Bond! As I wrote in my journal, "Exclamation points for days." Slightly obsessed, as you may have noticed. Midnight IMAX showing in a snowstorm after Sandy that ended up with my not getting home until 4:15am. Dedication, baby. And oh so worth it. My one liner on Skyfall is that Casino Royale is a better Bond Movie, but Skyfall is a better film. Let's start at the beginning, where the car chase is fantastic, but that opening title sequence animation makes me so very, very sad. Way too literal and reliant on weird cut-outs of Daniel Craig. I love Daniel Craig, but that was the wrong way to use him. And so much death! Major Bond fail, even though Adele's song worked much better than I expected it to. In fact, throughout the film, the music cues are truly excellent. The camera work is high-caliber. The quips and nods to the past are just right (especially for the girl who has read nearly every Bond book out there and knows the character's history pretty darn well by now). I was so glad that I hadn't read much about the plot before seeing the film, because there were a lot of great surprises, and even the title didn't seem so silly when everything was said and done. Ralph Fiennes is a very pleasant addition to the cast. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but he showed his mettle and proved his worth by the end. Ben Wishaw is a fun take on Q and has the right chemistry with Bond. In fact, the chemistry was gangbusters all over the place in this film; kudos to the casting director. Meanwhile, Craig continues to do the Bond name proud; he plays the character's vulnerabilities beautifully - definitely close to the way in which Fleming wrote him. So far I have only seen the film twice. If I somehow find the time in my schedule to see it five times (which I would happily do), I will beat my previous initial run viewing record of four, set with both Star Trek and Ghost Protocol. Stay tuned for updates on that!

The Doors: Live at The Bowl '68 - The best moment of this film was when the picture went out at the theatre. Seriously. Just listening to Jim Morrison's voice backed by the rest of the band at the top of their game was heaven. Since this was filmed in 1968 with five cameras, the picture quality wasn't so hot. Plus, Jim's performance was pretty subdued because apparently he had taken acid before going on stage. Jim Morrison as a performer and a person continues to amaze me (e.g. this The Future of Music clip that recently came to my attention via Twitter); it would have been incredible to see him perform live during his heyday, which is why I took the opportunity to see this concert film on the big screen. (For those of you just catching up, I went through my requisite Doors obsession phase back in college, meaning I have read multiple Jim Morrison biographies and own books of his poetry - which is awesome, naturally.)

Silver Linings Playbook - This movie is very good and you should go see it. Yes, it is sort of a clichéd romantic comedy, but it is also about football! And dancing! And there is lots of yelling and shouting! It's awesome; just trust me. The acting is top-notch on all fronts and the characters are satisfyingly complex. I am not sure how to describe what is so wonderful and engaging about this movie, other than to say that as soon as it was over, I wanted to watch it again.

A Late Quartet - Christopher Walken can do no wrong. Just as he is the rock for the string quartet at the center of the film, he is the rock of the film's cast. The other four main actors take their cues from him, and we are all better for it. The acting in this film is so skillful that the heavy reliance on characters' reactions, rather than the actions to which they are reacting, actually works. I was completely drawn into this film by the dynamic character development and the tensions that ebb and flow within the relationships of the five main characters. This movie isn't so much about music as it is about the lives of musicians and the challenges brought about by a life centered on an art-form at its highest level. Late Quartet is also a great New York film - there is even a scene at my beloved Frick Collection - that captures the life within one of the city's many subcultures.

This Must Be The Place - Like A Late Quartet, the high quality performances in This Must Be The Place allow the film to get away with a large number of reaction shots. Sean Penn is kind of amazing, even if the film is kind of bonkers. Though to be fair, goth-rock Nazi hunting as a story line works a lot better than one would expect. For me, the downfall of this film is that Penn's character delivers. His. Lines. So. Slowwwwly. It makes the film seem to drag, when there is no other reason for it to do so. However, the film did manage to keep my interest simply because I was curious to see which direction it would take from scene to scene. Also, as one might suspect from the title, this film features a great assortment of "This Must Be The Place" covers (though none of them beat this one).

Rust & Bone - I wasn't planning to see this film until I realized that the male lead was the guy (Matthias Schoenaerts) from Bullhead. That was a fantastic film driven by his performance, so I figured I might as well give this one a go. Rust & Bone doesn't become powerful until it nears its end, at which point this man, who was previously self-absorbed and untethered, must fight for his son's life. That scene, and the one that follows in the hospital, are incredibly emotionally brutal and powerful. The rest of the film is good enough, but those climactic scenes are everything. I can't wait to see what Schoenaerts does next.

Pitch Perfect - I love the fact that this movie is sort of all over the place, knows it, and doesn't seem to care. I also love that the leads watch The Breakfast Club on a dorm date, because I totally did that my freshman year of college! (By the way, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" is the best song in Pitch Perfect.) The male lead is so adorably dorky; I automatically went "awwwwww" every time I saw him. As the cherry on top of this mess of filmic confection, John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks are pricelessly filthy as the a capella competition commentators (clearly a thing). While this movie would be best viewed in the living room of my summer house while hanging out with my mom and my best friend, I needed to see something pretty mindless the night I saw Pitch Perfect, and it *perfectly* fit the bill. Sometimes we all need a little cinematic junk food.


Book Shelf
The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe
I was inspired to read this book (which has been on the reading list in my head for quite some time) after taking the Space Program history/fun-fact class at the Brainery way back in August. (I've had a lot going on and it's taking a while for books to surface in my queue, what can I say?) While the class finally prompted me to actually purchase and read this book, the more personal reason that I wanted to read it was that my grandfather used to be a civilian with the Air Force (an illness disqualified him from flying, which is what he really wanted to do). Over the years, he has told me so many cool stories of working with the guys who broke the sound barrier, being around when the atomic bomb was tested (he had very high security clearances - totally badass. It has recently occurred to me that this isn't quite normal grandpa stuff), and working with the space program in its early days. My grandfather is a fellow voracious reader, and I was surprised to learn that he had never read Wolfe's seminal work. However, this is likely due to the fact that he apparently lived a lot of what is chronicled in this volume. I talked to my grandfather as I was finishing up The Right Stuff, and he started telling me first-hand stories about several of the events that Wolfe covers. For example, my grandfather gave the final approval on the first Mercury Capsule in which they sent up the chimpanzee, and he briefed Gus Grissom on how to land his capsule, which Grissom totally botched. This book is highly enjoyable and informative on its own, bolstered by the combined swagger of Wolfe and the test pilots and astronauts featured. However, I am most grateful for its bringing me closer to my grandfather, who continues to make me proud and amaze me.

One Shot, Lee Child
I read so many good books because they are turned into movies (I need to prep, damnit!), and this is no exception. All I knew about the Jack Reacher franchise prior to reading One Shot is that the title character is a massive, tall (6'5") guy, and Tom Cruise is not. However, having read the book, I can understand why he was cast and why Lee Child endorsed the choice. There is no other actor out there with the batshit crazy intensity needed to properly portray the psyche of Reacher in this book, and I would assume the other books too. I will get back to you on that, because I intend to read the sixteen other Reacher novels that are out there (my mass market du jour used to be Grisham, but he's slowed down a bit, so I need to fill the void). This is a tight little thriller that flaunts its frivolousness, but packs in plenty of good twists and turns around a very moral center. It's a page-turner for sure, and I can't wait to see it brought to life on the big screen next month.

Zero Minus Ten, Raymond Benson
Here we are at the last round of nouveau Bond books. Benson is a breath of fresh air after all those horrible John Gardner monstrosities. While Benson is not quite at the level of Faulks or Deaver, he can still nail Fleming's Bond formula and tick all the boxes. Opening sequence: check. Hot sex scenes: check. History of a specific region: check. Gambling: check. "Bond. James Bond" and "Shaken. Not stirred": check. This story provided both an entertaining and informative history of Hong Kong and a necessarily lengthy description of the rules of Mahjong. Like Deaver's Carte Blanche, Zero Minus Ten reads like a Bond movie - one in which Daniel Craig would be right at home.

The Facts of Death, Raymond Benson
I breathed a sigh of relief when I found that Benson's first Bond novel was not a fluke (he wrote six in total). Here, again, he works the classic formula for satisfying results. This time the action centers around Greece and Cyprus, with the accompanying relevant history neatly laid out. There are also the requisite nifty gadgets from Q branch, including an extremely tricked out Jaguar. As a bonus, there is a nice little sojourn to Texas, which brings the always welcome Felix Leiter into the story. Proper globe trotting and such. Solid stuff.

Reached, Ally Condie
Matched was awesome; I picked it up on a whim at Heathrow way back in 2010 because the cover was extremely well designed and caught my eye. The story was engaging and the elements of Condie's dystopian Society were thought provoking. Crossed wasn't quite as compelling since it largely took place outside of the Society and the pacing was completely off throughout. However, the way Crossed ended left me hoping for great things out of Reached. I am sorry to report that this book did not deliver in any way. It obliquely references many things that occurred in Crossed - not good considering that Crossed came out a full year ago, which is of course when I read it. Additionally, telling the story from three different first-person points of view creates a confusing and repetitive narrative; it takes a long time for not very much to happen. The story here would have been better served by an omniscient narrator. Lastly, there is simply nothing at stake here. The Society has fallen but the Rising is pretty much the same thing? Both of these entities have deteriorated so much that nothing remains for our heroes to fight against or for. Yes, Ky's life is put at risk, but the way in which the scramble for a cure is presented makes him seem more like a pawn for the Rising than a character whose survival is worth rooting for. In the end, it seems that little has changed or that power has shifted in any way. Our protagonists were always strong, independent thinkers. They change very little over the course of the trilogy and the micro focus on them prevents the reader from seeing the macro picture or the greater consequences of their actions.

High Time To Kill, Raymond Benson
In this volume, Benson sweeps us off to the Himalayas. I am very anti-Asia when it comes to travel, but this book made Nepal appealing even to me. Benson clearly knows how to work the escapist side of the Bond franchise for all it's worth. It's a good feeling to be able to look forward to joining James on his adventures once again.



Post title from: The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern