Crafts:
Leftover from the holidays, three more cross-stitched jewels. All patterns found on etsy. Glorious, glorious etsy! This first one is for my friend who has "had it up to here".
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| Ho, ho, no. |
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| Like the Muppets, but not. |
And since Arrested Development is always the gift that keeps on giving, I gave this to another friend who I knew would understand.
Movies:
I actually went to several movies in January. I started out strong on the first day of the year seeing Whiplash. It's hard to put into words how amazing this movie is. It's a very focused and driven piece, accentuated by great acting and a stellar beat. I've loved J.K. Simmons for a long time and even though he's playing a character that I'd not like to meet, he is still amazing and I want him to win all the awards. This also has a great soundtrack and you'll be very tempted to buy some jazz after seeing it. See it if you can...it's a really awesome guy flick that chicks can also enjoy.
The Gambler was ok. It was no Departed, which is what they were advertising it to be-ish. It was also no John Wick (out on DVD yesterday if you missed it). I like Marky Mark, I mean, Mark Wahlberg, so I wasn't disappointed. It was just something that I probably would've liked more sitting on my own couch in my own place.
The Imitation Game was quite good. I've since been told, by sciencey people who know things that I never will, that it wasn't as factual as people are believing it to be. You know what? I'm ok with that. It was a good story, even if parts are made up. Unless I'm seeing a documentary, I'm willing to let my brain believe what it's being given on the screen. So, I enjoyed it...I get that it's not 100% true and that's cool. What's even cooler is that it was Benedict Cumberbatch for a couple of hours. And while yes, there's truth stretching, it's also not completely wrong what Keira Knightly's character said at the end about what Alan Turing did...on some level, he did make computers a tangible thing for some people and when you think about all the tech we surround ourselves with today, that's amazing.
Inherent Vice is not for everyone. I really enjoyed it, but I went in understanding that (a) Paul Thomas Anderson still had The Master stink on him (yes, I know people liked it, but I did not...it seemed not like a PTA movie at all to me...which was sad) and (b) it's a Pynchon novel. The people sitting behind me on a double date did not have that information. They were stunned and confused and had no idea what to make of it. So, if you think maybe you want to see it, be prepared...it's gonna get strange, but if you're open for it, you'll like it.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb was a cute movie that made me have too many feels. I don't know what my deal was, but wow, I was clearly in need of a good cry...and the lighthearted family movie did it. I loved seeing all the things in the British Museum come to life though...it made me feel like I was walking around there all over again. It was truly sad to realize that was the last new movie I'll see Robin Williams and Mickey Rooney in...such great actors and they're just gone. There were a couple of things thrown in there for my generation that the grandparents and grandkids in the audience didn't get, but me and the lady two rows down thought they were hysterical. Definitely watch it if you like the other ones...it's a good wrap up of Ben Stiller's character development.
The last movie I saw was Cake. Sometimes, in all the Brangelina-related dramas, I forget that Jennifer Aniston is actually a good actress. She's been in a couple of little indie movies that I've really enjoyed and this one, while quite the downer, is really good as well. Her character's super dark sense of humor and over the top sarcasm are excellent coping strategies and she does them well. See this if you can. It's got a lot of sadness to it, but there's a teeny, tiny glimmer of hope at the end that makes you leave thinking it might be ok.
Books:
I didn't read too much in January...clearly I was busy going to see movies. I read: Bagthorpes Liberated by Helen Cresswell, The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane by Alex Irvine, Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs that Defined the 1980s by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein, The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I by Stephen Alford, and Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid by Wendy Williams.
I loved, loved, LOVED the Bagthorpe series when I was younger. They're difficult to get hold of now, but Helen Cresswell created an extremely eccentric and competitive English family. The grandmother is conniving and unrepentant; her husband is selectively deaf in that he only hears what he wants to hear; her son, the head of the family is a cantankerous writer who is forever fighting and plotting and failing to get what he wants; his wife is benevolent but often loses her temper; their children consider themselves highly evolved and accomplished...except for Jack, who is by al counts quite ordinary...and his dog, who is called Absolute Zero; the ethereal aunt who can't bear anything untoward; her adoring husband who enjoys driving like a maniac; their precocious little girl Daisy who is a fire-starter (literally); and the housekeeper, who thinks they're all insane. I went looking online around the end of December and found out that there were another 4 books beyond what I owned. EXCITEMENT! I got this one from the library and immediately fell back into their world. Bagthorpes Liberated picks up where Bagthorpes Haunted leaves off. They're returning from their trip to find that a vagrant has taken up residence in their home...and they forgot to tell the milkman they were away. Hijinks ensue...pretty much for the entire book. I love this family! It was nice to revisit them...now I need to find copies of the other three books I've missed.
The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane is pretty much a brain dump of the plot lines of season one of Sleepy Hollow. It went very quickly for me since I'd seen season one and already knew everything that happened. There are some cool little additions to the text, but this is one you can skip unless you're a diehard fan of the show.
Mad World? Pretty much written specifically for me. Small interviews with amazing bands from the 80s. I think I'm going to have to own the book...it was a great read! It's always cool to get the inside story on your favorite bands and song...that's part of why Behind the Music was such a great series. I hope they write another one...there are still a lot of 80s bands that need recapping and in the words of Depeche Mode, I just can't get enough!
The Watchers sounded promising. It's about the spy network during the reign of Elizabeth I. Unfortunately, it didn't translate into anything terribly exciting in book form. It was interesting, but kind of dull at the same time. I learned more about plots to kill Elizabeth, but I wasn't shocked by anything I read...no spy named was a surprise. I don't know...maybe I expected more Bond than factual reporting. It's always good to learn more history though, so my time wasn't wasted.
I waited a long time to read Kraken...and given my obsession with Clash of the Titans, that should come as a shock to you all. Again, kind of a disappointment. Many years ago, I read The Search for the Giant Squid and loved the way it was written, including mythology and pop culture along with fact. This book was just fact really. I liked the chats the author had with the field experts...they seemed to be interesting...and the history parts were interesting, but again, despite my interest, I felt it to be a bit dull. No spark. I think this one can be skipped.
Up next, more reading, more crafts, more movies, and THE OSCARS! Happy February!
