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.)

Stuff i watch. (Seriously. That's all this blog post is about.)

Right. So Jo and I have decided that since we pay good money for foxtel, we're damn well going to watch it. This may or may not mean we've spent an (un)healthy amount of time vegetating on the couch lately. I'll never tell.




We've made good use of our IQ button. We've gone ahead and taped about a billion movies and series linked many a bad reality TV show, and my ice-cream and jatz intake has tripled and I've turned into a fat lard, and now i really do feel like I'm getting what i paid for, and it is good.




What are the highlights, you ask? Let's review:



Movies

Changeling. You know, the one where Angelina Jolie plays a single mother back in the 20s who's kid gets kidnapped. Joy of joys, they find said kid, only it is not, in fact, said kid. See folks, police back then were totally corrupt. To return to the publics good graces, they go ahead and return any old kid back to Ang, hoping she simply won't notice. Good thinking guys. Angelina spends the next 90 minutes either in or on the verge of tears, desperately pleading for the police to please believe that this is "NOT MY SON!" Since she won't let up, they decide to chuck her in a mental institution, as you do. I won't spoil the ending for you, and jokes aside, i thought old Ang played the role very well. I'll give it a B.




Precious. Hands down the most depressing movie ever made. Ever, for reals. There's not even a particularly happy ending. It's just ALL BAD. First of all, she has an abusive mother. This woman's a real kick. Emotional torture is the nicest way to put it, and lets throw some violence in for good measure. Second of all, her father's been raping her since she was three. What a guy. She goes ahead and has his baby, who's born with down syndrome. Before walking out on them, Daddy impregnates her again, which means she has to drop out of school. But Precious wants to learn. A former teacher enrols her in a community college course, and for the first time, she's learning to read and write, even making friends. Then Mommy finds out. Says Precious better go ahead and give that up right about yesterday, and start lining up for welfare instead. Cause Lord knows Mommy could use the money. Baby number two is born, Precious is forced to move out and live in halfway house and guess what? Turns out Daddy had AIDS. And so does Precious. And if that ain't enough, the poor girl is utterly obese. This movie really disturbed me, and that doesn't happen much. Watch it to remember why your life isn't really that bad. B-



My Life in Ruins. TERRIBLE. It's got that actress from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which was Oscar-worthy compared to this crap. She plays a tour guide working in Greece who, through her group of misfit tourists, learns all about life and love and BLAH BLAH BALH. C-, and the only thing that saved it from a D was the Greek scenery.



The Taking of Pelham 123. Now this got panned when it came out, but i rather enjoyed it. I think it's because i love Denzel Washington. No really. I love him, even if he is fat in this film. A train gets hijacked in NYC, and Denzel's the unlucky guy on duty at the Rail Control Centre who ends up talking to the main bad dude, played by John Travolta who frankly, has seen better days. Anyway, Denzel's the only guy John wants to deal with after that, and from there, well, it's the usual action-y type stuff. People get shot, secrets come out, ransom is paid, train nearly derails...yadda yadda yadda and they live happily ever after. I liked it. A solid B.



The Hangover. We've seen it of course, but who can resist second and third viewings. It's movie magic. Naked chinese ninjas, tigers in the bathroom, vegas hooker weddings and a monologue about wolf packs. What more, i ask, could you want? My favourite line? "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except Herpes. That shit'll come back with you." Amen. A+



TV

America's Next Top Model, Season I've Lost Count. I love these gals. The bitchiness does not fail to amuse me, and nor do the meltdowns and the tears and the fights and i especially love it when they have a makeover and have to chop all their hair off, suckers. That's whatcha get if you wanna be a model. Also, can Tyra Banks love herself any more if she tried? I really hope that one day she marries herself and lives happily ever after. The narcissism alone is worth watching for. A!!




Glee. My love for you will never die. When you have long breaks because of stupid things like the Commonwealth Games, (which by the way, nobody gives a rats about because a) of course Australia's going to win everything when our competition is England and New Zealand and b) the Commonwealth is practically dead), I want to cry. I need you, Glee, because you make bad songs like Jump popular again. Plus, you make musical theatre cool, which means there's still hope that I, too, can be cool. My dying wish is that you get Julie Andrews on. Then my life will be complete. Triple A+, and if you don't agree, you obviously need to apply for a new brain.




Relocation Relocation. Look, i like the Lifestyle channel. It doesn't make me a dork, so don't say it does. Even Jo watches this show with me, because hello, who can resist the cuteness that is Phil Spencer and Kirsty Allsop. It's all so British, and the scenery is always nice, and i like to see idiot couples make fools of themselves and faff about instead of making a decision. Faff is a English word, BTW, taught to me by this lady whose blog also gets an A+. She's pretty funny when she's not wasting time at work or being a total smartass. Oh wait, that's always. *sniggers* OK, so a definite A for Relocation Relocation. Moving on to....



Ace of Cakes. You guys, i don't even know why we watch this. It's about a bunch of people who work in a cake shop in Baltimore. BUT ITS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT! Firstly, they make really cool cakes - not boring ones. Everything they make is totally original, as per the client's orders, which sometimes makes for some random shit. Secondly, the guy that runs the place is called Duff. And that's just plain funny. Thirdly, now that they've gotten more famous, they do cakes for lots of movie premieres and stuff - like, they made Hogwarts Castle for the Harry Potter premiere. I mean. That's just awesome. Right? RIGHT? B +.



The Real Housewives of NYC. OMG. These ladies are rich, and have awesome fights. That's all you need to know. Trash TV at it's guilty best and i am totally addicted. A for the excess.



So, I'm off to watch more TV, and y'all can thank me later for the suggestions.