Read, Watch, Listen..... February in Review

What I Was Reading in February

Expletive Deleted a good look at bad language by Ruth Wajnryb
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
1421 The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies

Books completed in February

Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Zen and the Art of Knitting by Bernadette Murphy
The Resilient Self by Steven J. Wolin, M.D., and Sybil Wolin, Ph.D

Two of these completed titles were for book groups. Frank McCourt's book was an easy read and it really flowed. Much of that reading was done in the bathtub... (Oh. Was that too much information?) Another book group meets next week and I haven't even STARTED that title... I am enjoying the two I am actually reading more for "pleasure".... Ella Minnow Pea (a reread) and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance... I've recently had new motivation to pick up the book. More on those when I complete.

What I Was Watching in February

On TV
Project Runway
Grey's Anatomy
The Bachelor in Paris
Dancing with the Stars
Related

It is time to bid goodbye to The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars and soon to Project Runway... as it is season finale time. Sigh. I was shocked by the fact that Stacy K was "kicked out" of the competition before Jerry Rice. I know, I know... I voted for him once. But it was a "pity vote" he really didn't wow me like Drew and Stacey. Frankly, I am glad Drew won. He and Cheryl were my favorites. On The Bachelor.... well, it was so obvious that it had to be Sarah by the end that it was almost a bit anticlimactic. However, I did think his final speech to her as he presented her the ring on a string... was "not so hot." It was ridiculous that he actually did the "but" in there... I guess it proves that there is some "reality" to this stuff and no one is "on" all the time. Project Runway.....has one final week. From the look of things Santino has it in the bag. I usually love Chloe's stuff and this time, not so much. Daniel's line wasn't wowing Tim and that seems to be saying something. I guess next week will tell.

Related is a WB sisters drama that I 've actually taken a liking to... I think a big part of that was Jennifer Esposito who I saw in Crash. Then there is the second sister who reminds me of Kate Winslet in an odd way.... I really don't have a favorite sister, but enjoy the chemistry between all of them. It's almost like the relationship between Sarah Jessica Parker and crew on Sex in the City, only not R rated and they are family. I am not here to recruit.. or defend my crazy viewing habits. I am here mostly to confess....


On DVD (owned and rented)
Libeled Lady
Singing in the Rain
Woman of the Year
Casino Royale (1968)
L'Auberge Espagnole
Just Like Heaven
Crash (2005)
Me and You and Everyone We Know
The Man Who Would be King
Junebug
Cinderella Man
Corpse Bride
Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
In Her Shoes
North Country
Playing by Heart
Strictly Ballroom

Theatre
Walk the Line

Normally February is my catch-up month for watching all the Oscar nominated films I can get my hands on... This year I watched a few but I am afraid I'll be going into the Oscars with little invested. I usually like to have a few to root for, you know? Well, I did love Walk the Line and as far as biopics go this one captured my heart much more than Ray or De-Lovely. I didn't expect to like it so well. Reese Witherspoon was terrific.

Corpse Bride and Wallace and Gromit were a couple of animated films which were nominated. Both of these come from a tradition of film I really like. I thought Corpse Bride was okay but nothing compared to Nightmare Before Christmas. And Wallace and Gromit was very entertaining. I loved all the little puns, and the nonstop creativity of Nick Parks always amazes me.

Pride and Prejudice is a film that I was very eager AND very reluctant to see. The 1996 BBC A&E miniseries version starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle has long been a favorite film of mine and I was not sure what I would think of this one. I needed have worried. This 2005 Pride and Prejudice was a delight. It may not replace my love of the 1996 version but it ranks highly and proves that the story is really the key factor anyway. Yay... Jane Austen. Well done.

I'll admit I only watched Cinderella Man and North Country because they had Oscar nominations. North Country is a lot like Norma Rae (I've heard.. I haven't seen the Sally Field film) but I would compare it to Erin Brockovich, only it wasn't quite as good. Cinderella Man was a decent film but it didn't overwhelm me or say anything particularly profound. I was mostly excited when I later watched Woman of the Year, a Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn film, and a character kept talking about his fight with Braddock. I always feel a little special kick when I pick up on an allusion I missed time and again in the past.

Woman of the Year wasn't the only classic film I watched this month. I also watched Libeled Lady staring another favorite pair... William Powell and Myrna Loy. This wasn't one of the famous Thin Man films but a delight nonetheless. It reminded me a bit of Guys and Dolls, but that may just be me. Singing in the Rain is a film I was convinced I'd seen and seen again... However, I now realize it was one of those films that I'd seen bits and pieces of. The entire movie is smashing. One of my favorites. You just have to love Debbie Reynolds. Casino Royale was part of my Bond journey and I will say it's not quite the same thing. I already blogged briefly on this... I am anxious to see what the new Casino Royale will be like. The Man Who Would Be King seemed a natural choice since I'm on my Michael Caine kick too. I am not sure I loved this film but I did enjoy it. It had grand sets and exciting scenes and good dialogue especially between Sean Connery and Michael Caine. I wasn't familiar with the Rudyard Kipling story but I liked the way they included him in the movie.

Just Like Heaven is another Reese Witherspoon film and in this one she's paired with Mark Ruffalo. I have never been a fan of "ghost stories" or "angel stories" but I guess as far as they go this film was decent. After all, Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) makes an appearance and his role left me with a smile.

Two movies that left me a bit confused as to how I felt about them were the ones that were centered around "family." Junebug was a fairly realistic, somewhat dismal story about a newlywed couple who go to North Carolina to close an art deal and visit the husband's family in the process. What makes the movie anything at all is the performance by Amy Adams as she portrays pregnant Ashley, a neurotic girl who one can't help buy love. The movie raises good questions and provides a basis of discussion but it's not one I'd like to watch again. In Her Shoes, based on a book by Jennifer Weiner, is more of a light hearted film but it's definitely about the relationships between sisters and within dysfunctional families. I can't say I loved this film either, but the parts set in Florida when Cameron Diaz crashes her estranged grandmother's (Shirley McClaine) world are wonderful. Toni Colette plays the other sister who remains in Philadelphia struggling with her own identity. Two mouth watering moments in her life... her shoes (actually her closet which showcased her shoes!) and her boyfriend's knack for describing food. It was downright orgasmic for the food lover in me.

L'Auberge Espagnole is my foreign film of the month! I looked forward to this film because I knew that Audrey Tautou was in it. Unfortunately for me, it was no Amelie. The film was entertaining and for me it was fun to watch because it was set in Barcelona, a city for which I have fond memories... Of course none, to compare to those of the young man in this story as he studies Spanish in order to improve his chances in a career in economics. He learns far more than that in his apartment and essentially finds himself.

Another family movie was Playing By Heart... a film that taught me to love Angelina Jolie. I've seen this film time and again and I'm pretty sure that the first time through I didn't realize they were all related. There were clues... "anger ball" and all those pets... This time around I realized I didn't LOVE it as much as I thought I did... usually a good sign is when you actually want to fast forward parts of it.

I also rewatched a dance movie from my past--Strictly Ballroom. This is an early Baz Luhrman and though it's not THAT great it does still make me smile. I have said before that the film seems to be a cross between Dirty Dancing and that skating movie, The Cutting Edge. It has its moments.

What I Was Listening to in February

Did I say, less movie obsessed? Yeah. I still focused on film and TV this February. Sorry, Bruce. It's breaking my heart too... but each day seems to get used up one at a time and it never seems that bad until an ENTIRE MONTH has gone by and we've just not spent any time together... I do turn the radio on to 90.7 (the local NPR station) but it's not the same... I know... I know.