This Week (In My Opinion): Week of July 19th

JON AND KATE PLUS BORED SENSELESS

Maybe it's just me, but if I have to hear one more thing about this couple, my brain is going to explode. I don't care. I don't care that they're divorcing, I don't care that Jon is dating young girls, I don't care that Kate is distraught. The one thing vaguely important in my opinion is the kids' wellbeing, and it seems like having their parents stop giving exclusive interviews to People Magazine is in their best interests. I'm a fan of reality tv generally, but this whole freakshow has played itself out.


BON IVER

It took me awhile to get the memo on Bon Iver. I'd heard them a few times...maybe it was just too high-pitched at times for me, and then that vocoder song turned me off, and maybe I was just too absorbed in Fleet Foxes the first time I heard them to get behind any other indie/folk/soft type stuff, but a persistent friend shared this one with me, and I finally got the picture. That line "I'm in love with your arm/I'm in love with your cheek" just kills me.


SIMS 3

I have, as any Sim fan who has now acquired and or befriended someone who has acquired the Sims 3, been playing a possibly unhealthy amount lately. But it really is better than the past Sims games. A LOT has been improved upon, and you can tinker with just about every aspect of a Sims life. My personal favorite features are the improvements upon aging (as in, you actually age now) and childbirth (as in, your child does, too). In all I was pretty impressed, and if I had a nice running computer of my own, it would be well worth the fifty bucks. Luckily, the boyfriend doesn't seem to mind my playing it without fail each time I'm over.


JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT

Now, I have not yet seen 500 Days (of Summer), though I am looking forward to it. But every review I've read (and they've mostly been fairly positive) sites Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the reason the movie works. And I can believe that. It's hard to forget how endearing he was in something like 10 Things I Hate About You and his dramatic turns have been equally as successful. In general, I think he's way overlooked as an actor. Maybe he's not quite charming or handsome enough in the eye of most Hollywood execs, but I'll take a little less charming for a lot more acting chops any day of the week. I'm just glad to see a good actor getting some attention, and I hope that movie is good after all so I don't have to subsequently redact all these statements.

Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds: Behind the Scenes of The Proposal from Betty White

BETTY WHITE

First she was on that killer scene of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List where she hob-knobbed with Kathy and her mother. Then there was that reporter who claimed Michael Jackson was going to be buried in the same cemetary as her, and he then had to be informed that Betty was not, in fact, dead. Then I saw this video...and it slayed me. Betty White is easily the funniest old lady I can think of, and this video almost convinced my manly boyfriend to see a chick flick: no small feat.


CATS THAT LOOK LIKE HITLER

This cat is Panda. She's MY cat. And she looks like Hitler. Which makes her a Kitler. I thought for years that she would suffer this tragic (but um...still adorable) fate alone, until I discovered there were other Kitler owners out there, on Cats That Look Like Hitler. There are some top rated Kitlers that do, in fact, look more like the fascist leader than my Panda, but for me she is unmatched in cuteness. For a good laugh, read the I Love Kitlers and I Hate Kitlers links on the site to see some of their hate mail and love mail they've received over the years. Some excellent selections. New Kitlers added frequently!

A little highbrow, but I love it

marriedtothesea.com

Book Review: The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

It's an understatement to suggest this book is a novel, since it blends realism with fantasy as seamlessly as it incorporates history, autobiography, eroticism and poetry into the disconnected (but never disjointed) stories it tells.

Reading this book, it may begin to feel that the stories aren't necessarily blended together, that their themes or only partially congruent. But as each element is brought together, it forms something far beyond a story, almost like an experience. It implies the author's intention was not to tell a story so much as use the act of storytelling to bring the reader along a path of stones to a certain mental destination.

If that all sounds a bit heady, it's because it is. Kundera never waters down the story to make it easy to read, or even necessarily universally interesting. I can guarantee that there are many people in the world who would not be able to stand this book, simply because it isn't necessarily and orderly, neat read.

But for those who are already a fan of Kundera, or who are interested in literature as a means of informing thought or mood, rather than simply telling a story, it's an excellent read.

This review was reposted and expanded from my review at Good Reads. Oh, you love reviewing books, too? Join! We can be friends!

Book Review: His Illegal Self by Peter Carey

I had the exact opposite problem with this book that I did with the last book I read. The problem with this book is that the story is good. It's interesting, if a bit cliche, but it takes some turns that intrigued. The problem is the writer is not a terribly good writer.

I know it's in vogue not to use quotation marks, but if you're virtually incapable of distinguishing between your characters' voices, it's probably necessary. It's not that the character's were unbelievable, but they ...more I had the exact opposite problem with this book that I did with the last book I read. The problem with this book is that the story is good. It's interesting, if a bit cliche, but it takes some turns that intrigued. The problem is the writer is not a terribly good writer.

I know it's in vogue not to use quotation marks, but if you're virtually incapable of distinguishing between your characters' voices, it's probably necessary. It's not that the character's were unbelievable, but they seemed to all think in the exact same way, and use the exact same words and logical processes, regardless of age, gender, life experience, etc. And the problem is, ages and genders and experiences presented HUGE differences in the context of the story. This should have been made a bit more clear.

The story itself is interesting, and might have benefited from a bit more historical context, but in all shows promise that this particular writer can create an interesting world for his characters to inhabit. I just wish that the quality of writing were more enjoyable, that I actually wanted to spend time with the book, rather than feeling I had to suffer some mediocre prose to find out the ending to a story that genuinely had me hooked. Not to mention the bitter aftertaste of a truly unsatisfying ending.

This review was reposted and expanded from my review at Good Reads. Oh, you love reviewing books, too? Join! We can be friends!

Book Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

I cannot figure out whether to fault Murakami for what I did not like about this book, or the translator. In any event, I think this book's biggest faults comes from might be lost in translation. At least, I'm giving Murakami the benefit of the doubt on that one.

It's not that I totally disliked the book. I liked much of it, and I think it had a well suited ending, despite the fact that majority of the story arc seemed a little stagnant getting there. Murakami obviously does a beautiful job of describing things, particularly setting.

In fact, it's the fact that he is so good at description that messes up the book a bit. While the descriptions of places and weather and people around are so vibrant, the characterization of those moving within these settings falls completely flat. I can think of few protagonists more utterly boring, lifeless and uninteresting than Watanabe. And given that many proport this book to be a loose autobiography, I'd like to imagine Murakami would pay himself more respect than creating such a bland protagonist.

Other characters seem more like caricatures than actual people. Midori, for instance, doesn't seem like a real female. Her actions seem driven from a listless place where men seem to THINK women's motives come from, and not from any real place. The one exception is Reiko, whose characterization is clear and fascinating.

If only Murakami had taken the time to make the rest of the characters as interesting as Reiko, and to bring life to the plot with as much ease as he did with Reiko's story arc, this could have been one of my favorite books. Instead, I found myself sort of non-plussed.

This is not to say I wouldn't ever recommend the book. For many people, beautiful prose and solid setting are enough to look over some flaws in character and plot, and those elements really were of the highest quality. I found myself dying to step onto the page and into the mountains of Kyoto. But for me, it just wasn't enough to make a full story, and I suppose thats why I was a bit disappointed.

Expansion: Re-reading this review a few months after finishing the book, I will say that some of the beautiful imagery did stay with me a very long time, and that this book was less forgettable than most of the books I read. Perhaps I was a bit harsh in judging it, though I'd like to believe that my initial reactions were pretty sensible. It does make me curious to see if some of Murakami's more acclaimed books are well known simply because in those cases, he was able to rectify the problems I had with this particular book. It does make me wonder what else he might have in store.

This review was reposted and expanded from my review at Good Reads. Oh, you love reviewing books, too? Join! We can be friends!

What Else Is There? by Röyksopp

I recently discovered this music video via a friend, and I believe it's really haunting but beautiful. The song is "What Else Is There?" by the Norwegian duo Röyksopp from their second album The Understanding released in 2005. I love that for this song Röyksopp uses Karin Dreijer Andersson from The Knife, another band I'm quite fond of, because the combination of her voice with their sound really takes both bands to a different musical level for this song.


What Else Is There? by Röyksopp
Directed by Martin De Thurah
Featuring Karin Dreijer Andersson from The Knife

For more information on Röyksopp, go to their website.

Haiku Poll #2: How does reality tv make you feel...?

Here are the results for Haiku Poll #2:

How does Reality TV make you feel, in haiku format?

WINNER:



Too cool for TV
A modern-day Kerouac
I don't wash myself

I'm glad to hear you're all so literary, but I was hoping to hear your opinions on Rock of Love Charm School with Ricki Lake, myself.


Please vote on our next poll!

HAIKU POLL #3:

How does global warming make you feel, in haiku format?

- This is why I'm hot/This is why, this is why, this/is why I'm hot, dog.
- I think it's a farce/The planet can just suck it/Also, AIDS is fake
- What a travesty/Europe has us beat, we suck/SUVs aren't cool
- Always recycle/And use a trendy tote bag/Doing my part, right?

Vote now!

A Public Apology

I have done my attempt at becoming a famous blogger a terrible injustice by virtually abandoning my blog in a fit of busy-ness. This is no way to start an empire, or at least no way to capitalize on a forum I'd like to use to discuss various aspects of our changing culture.

That said, here in writing:

This is my solemn vow to begin normal, routine updates once more.