Pop culture

Movies and books and music, oh my. Let's get right into it.




So, two movies this week. We saw The Town, with Ben Affleck, on Tuesday (cause hello, cheap Tuesdays and all). I thought it was great! I mean not exactly an original concept or anything, but really enjoyable, and well directed by the Benster. It's basically a movie about bank robbers - four of them actually, a group of friends who've been in the robbery business for years. During their latest robbery of a bank, they take the female manager hostage, and although they leave her unharmed, is sets off a chain of events that ultimately leads to their downfall. Definitely recommended.




Last night, some friends and I went to see the latest Harry Potter movie. Y'all know i love Harry Potter. Must have read the books a thousand times, totally in love with Ron Weasley. So it kind of feels like revisiting old friends. Obviously, i loved the movie, as did my friends, but if you're not into Harry, a) there's something wrong with you, and b) don't see the movie. If you ARE into Harry, i have no doubt you'll love it too. It's the best one yet, and sticks to the events in the book like glue. I'm already trying to convince people to come see it with me again. GAH. LOVE. Honestly, i laughed, i cried, i cheered...(yeah. don't judge me. we all have our thing.) Anyway, at least I'm not like those fans who actually dress up as one of the characters when they go see the movie. Cause. They're out there folks. (Turnsie did try to convince me to bring a wand made out of a chopstick. I politely declined.)





Book-wise, there's been hits and misses. I've read so much that I'm going to filter it down to the best ones, although there's one meh book i want to mention - The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake. So many people raved about this book, and it was on all the bestseller lists...so naturally, i picked it up with great anticipation but it was just so MEH! I mean i was bored, if I'm going to be honest. Plus, i didn't like any of the characters enough to really invest in them. Set during WWII, it's told from the perspective of different females involved in the story. Some live in a small town in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who are to some degree in denial about the war and America's potential involvement, and one in London, a radio broadcaster determined to give a voice to those living through it all in Europe. My other gripe is that i felt like the writer was trying too hard to write this poignant, moving war story, and that put me off. Others may enjoy this one, but I've read some excellent books set in this time period and this just didn't live up to my expectations at all.





On the flip side, there are three stand outs from the last few weeks. The first is a book of essays by the wonderful Joan Didion called Slouching Towards Bethlehem. It's a collection from the 60s, and mainly centres around her experiences in California during that time. Essay anthologies can always be hit and miss - but if they're a hit, i really enjoy them. I loved how this collection really felt like it came from a specific time and place, yet still felt relevant in some it's themes. And the writing itself, typical of Didion, is just good, solid writing. She tells it like it is, flaws and all, and she doesn't dress up her words. Things are what they are. Its hard to make one piece of writing both an essay and a personal memoir, but she always does it so easily. This probably isn't for everyone, but i really enjoyed it.





Next up is a book called The City and The City, by China Mieville. Holy crap, i have been RAVING about this book to everyone i know, and begging them to read it. I absolutely loved it, for it's originality and quirkiness and for the way he makes something so fantastical so absolutely real. I actually do not even know how to tell you what this book is about without making it sound totally bizarre, which it is, but in such a good way. It's set somewhere unnamed in Europe, and the premise is this - two cities coexist in the same physical location. The citizens of each city are required by law, custom and history to see and exist only in their own city, and not in the other, despite the fact that both cities, as i mentioned, exist in the exact same physical location. If a citizen of one city DOES "see" or interact with a citizen from the other city, whether by accident or not, they are in Breach, and that's bad news. When a young woman is found murdered in one of the cities, the Detective on the case becomes embroiled in something bigger that crosses borders and boundaries. The thing about this book is that it all sounds a bit out there, but the details are so well-realised that i really believed every word. I was so sucked into this one, and i just thought it was so original, so stop reading this and go read that instead. 100 out of 100 stars.





Last but not least is a non-fiction book called Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer. Foer is a great author of fiction books also, but I'm sure he would consider this book his most important work. As the title suggests, it's about food - in particular, eating animals. As I've gotten older, I've become more picky about the kind of meat i eat, not just because i believe if we're going to eat animals, we should be respectful of the fact they were a living thing before they ended up on our plates, but also because what goes into those animals also ends up in our bodies - ergo, the healthier the animal, the better it is for us. Foer himself is a vegetarian, but he doesn't kid himself (and i don't kid myself) that most people want to stop eating meat. And converting you to vegetarianism is not the point of this book - if it were, i wouldn't have read it. The whole thing is about eating meat responsibly - understanding where the animals we are eating came from, how they were killed, and most importantly how they were treated before that. A large portion of the book focuses on factory farming - so there are some pretty confronting issues discussed. But he gives you every perspective he can, and in the end, it's up to you.




If you don't know what factory farming is, this is his description - "it is a system of industrialised and intensive agriculture in which animals - often housed by the tens or hundreds of thousands - are genetically engineered, restricted in mobility, and fed unnatural diets (which almost always include drugs...)". Around 50 billion land animals are factory farmed every year around the world, and in America, 99% of all land animals eaten, or used for things like milk and eggs, come from factory farms. Personally, i'm very passionate about this particular issue - but I've found that people can get funny about it. They don't want to feel like they're doing something wrong by eating meat, and i totally get that. I just think that it's something that deserves more awareness, and perhaps we as consumers need to be more responsible about what we're buying and eating, where we can afford to be. Anyway, I'll stop ranting at you now, but if you've ever picked up a free range chicken, you've done it because you know its better for both the chicken and for you - which means i think you'll really like this book.





Two other small things - firstly, i am loving the Glee Christmas album, even though it makes Jo want to kill himself. I love Christmas, and I'm totally putting up the tree this week if i have time. And that means, those carols will be pumping. Secondly, how awesome is the new season of the Rachel Zoe Project people??? I know you all agree.




I'm off - gotta get an early night. Tomorrow I'm helping Maria make mini pies and quiches to freeze for the kitchen tea next week (*wants to cry*). But i will do it with a smile. (as if. i'll be whinging the whole day.)