Reading Watching, Listening..... July 07 in Review

What I Was Reading in July

Good Poems by Garrison Keillor
From Reader to Writer by Sarah Ellis
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
The Giver by Lois Lowry

Am still plugging away at my library copy of Good Poems. Love it. I reread The Giver for my RRVWP workshop and enjoyed it once again. It was really cool to look at the manuscripts of the book the next week at the Kerlan collection and read the editor's views on the early drafts of the book. The Sarah Ellis book is a reread too, but it related to the concept of Authors as Mentors.

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros was our RRVWP book club pick and this one, while mildly interesting to me, is dragging, dragging. I actually set it down after our meeting (though I still intend to finish it--you can read more about the book here). In its stead, I picked up the 5th Harry Potter and took my time reading that one. Now I am faced with the tough choice of completeing Caramelo first or moving on the the 6th Harry Potter.

What I Was Watching in July

On TV
Don't Forget the Lyrics
Live Earth concerts

TV series on DVD
Moonlighting
Alias-Season Five

I am by no means hooked on these Lyrics programs. I just managed to watch it a few times. It's very fulfilling to actually discover --I-- know all the lyrics to some of the songs... however, I've never known the lyrics on the songs that finally stump the contestants.

Live Earth concerts were interesting. Watched clips. Loved Sting. His voice was sounding a bit rough. However, he's definitely one hot aging rocker. Yum. Bon Jovi, on the other hand, was the BEST sounding of the performers. I didn't really enjoy Madonna's performance or Billy Corgan's. However the online clips of Jack Johnson seemed exactly as I expected. He, too, is wonderful. Roger Waters was pretty good too. Gotta love the flying pig. In general I have no real opinion on the concerts or their environmental efforts but I did enjoy seeing some big name musical performances.

Emma and I have been working our way through Season Five of Alias since she's not seen all the episodes yet. We're about half done. It's as delicious as ever. I also own the first two seasons of Moonlighting. I am discovering while I feel like I remember it well, I actually haven't seen all the episodes. It's amazing to discover this show is already 20 years old.

films on TV
Serendipity
Sweet Home Alabama

Both of these films are ones I've seen before. Still, I managed to be sucked into them enough that it seemed too much work to reach for the remote. I love John Cusack. That's really all that matters about the Serendipity film. And Sweet Home Alabama is pure Reese Witherspoon fun.
On DVD
Children of Men
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Monster House
Little Children
Miss Potter
The Painted Veil
Dukes of Hazzard
Sweet Charity
Nights of Cabiria

In the Theatre
Live Free, Die Hard

Children of Men was pretty disturbing, but didn't really have all that much of a plot. Typical futuristic film, but more of a frantic nonstop chase scene than anything. It had potential to expand, explain, offer more background into their world, but the film failed in that regard. I think the highlight of the film was Michael Caine's performance.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was a delight. I saw half of it on TV and had to rent it from the library to finish it off. This one is heart warming and as a staple in the classic film canon, it's a must see.

Monster House was not great. I am amazed it was nominated for an award. It seemed too scary for kids and not interesting in the Tim Burton film kind of way. Don't bother with this one.

Little Children was disturbing in an entirely different way than Children of Men. This oscar nominated film, based on a Tom Perrota novel, stars one of my favorite actresses--Kate Winslet. It was a depressing glimpse into marriage. However, I really liked the way it all wound up. Actually, I think this one warrants a rent.

From Bridget Jones to Beatrix Potter, Renee Zellweger takes on another Beloved Brit. In this case, I wasn't familiar enough with the real Beatrix Potter to know if she did it justice. All I can say is that I enjoyed it. I tend to like films about famous authors. Finding Neverland about the life of J.M. Barrie was wonderful too. Ewan McGregor's performance as one of the Warne publisher brothers was convincing enough that I completely forgot that he was an actor I love.

The Painted Veil was decent but nothing too exciting. Edward Norton's had better movies, certainly. As I watched this I was thankful for air conditioning. So thankful. Naomi Watt's portrayal as Norton's wife worked, but I felt the film could somehow have done just a wee bit more. I guess I haven't read the book to even know the rough material they were working with.

The Dukes of Hazzard? Seriously. It's just about as good as the show was back in the day. Somehow I feel that John Schneider and Tom Wopat weren't adequately represented by the choices they made in this film. Jessica Simpson worked out just fine as Daisy, however. Why not?

Sweet Charity and Nights of Cabiria were films I watched in tandem since the former is based on the latter. a 1957 Fellini film. Sweet Charity is a musical and Nights of Cabiria is not. They each had their charm. I am not sure I am totally in love with either of them, but I am glad I watched them. Nights of Cabiria is a lot less sugar coated and the main character is a bit more "brash." I felt Shirley McClaine's Charity was meant to be more "fun loving and endearing" than Cabiria. I think of the two films the more substantial one and the film that resonates more deeply would have to be the Fellini one. However, the very nature of a musical strips some of the weight from Sweet Charity before it even begins.

I went to see Live Free, Die Hard at the theatre with Emma. Her choice. It was my first Die Hard film. I actually liked it better than I thought I would. Much of the action was highly improbable, as it is in most action films, I guess. But I will say Bruce Willis seems to improve with age.

What I Was Listening to in July

a random sampling from my MP3 player
here are my posted shuffles

July 9

You're in My Heart by Rod Stewart
Paradise City by Guns and Roses
Happy by Martin Sexton
Dream Vacation by Gear Daddies
Bang a Gong by T. Rex

July 21

Effect and Cause by The White Stripes
She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals
Against the Wind by Bob Seger
The Things You Do To Me by Martin Sexton
Watching the Detectives by Elvis Costello