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

What I Was Reading in July
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
13 Ways of Looking at a Novel by Jane Smiley
Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Soldier in the Rain by William Goldman

Truth time... I have The Wind in the Willows and Soldier in the Rain in the reading lineup... I am EAGER to read them, really... but all these other books keep getting in the way. And I watched entirely to many movies this month to even it all out. Not the End of the World is promising. It's a collection of short stories and I have read one. I liked it. I am looking forward to finishing it soon. Zen I was reading with a friend but we've both gotten a bit sidetracked and I'm hoping soon we can focus on that one again. 13 Ways I've been reading for MONTHS. It's a thick one and I am afraid I didn't even pick it up in July. Sigh.


Books completed in July
Grass for His Pillow episode 1 by Lian Hearn
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Pippi Goes on Board by Astrid Lindgren
Pippi in the South Seas by Astrid Lindren
The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio by Terry Ryan
Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich
Bukowski Come on In! New Poems by Charles Bukowski

I read The Devil in the White City for book club and for more on that check out that post on the RRVWP blog. I loved it and that was a total surprise for me.

The rest of the month was spent reading The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio. I should learn that I can't read two nonfiction pieces in a row. It was slow as sludge. I kept trying to read but between babysitting or episodes of Alias or movies everything else seemed more appealing. Does that mean I didn't like the book? I don't think so. It just wasn't good timing after all. I am hoping to see the film soon. I am curious how this will be portrayed. The book is about a mother who surpasses the odds everytime by winning jingle contests and saving her family from the poor house since her alcoholic husband struggled to provide for both his ten kids and his habit. The memoir was lovingly told by Terry Ryan, one of her children and I did enjoy some of the stories and this glimpse into a long gone past but I will also admit one thing. I wasn't all that much of a fan of her jingles. I found them silly. There I've said it. But others disagreed and it was her passion so I guess I'm just a bitch.

Next I went through a bit of a Pippi Longstocking craze after reading most of the first book to the kids I was babysitting a week ago. I am not sure I've ever read the other two books. And I felt a bit like I did when I first read Stuart Little and realized all the layers of humor that E.B. White wove into that book that far exceeded the chuckle factor of most children. There were terrific lines particularly in Pippi Longstocking and Pippi in the South Seas. I found those to be the books I prefered. She is outlandish, unconventional, strong, loving, creative, generous, and is a girl with a mind of her own.

Twelve Sharp is the most recent Stephanie Plum and I'll have to wait another year for the 13th book. Sigh. As usual Stephanie has us on our toes and this time it's all about Ranger, as a man posing to be him wreaks havoc in Jersey. More than ever there is a tug of war for Stephanie between the dreamy Joe Morelli (seriously a no-brainer... go for Joe!!!) and the sexy, irresistible Ranger.... but he's just dessert and Joe's the whole shebang. Still I can understand the struggle... should one go for the full meal when the dessert is still so desirable? Fortunately for Stephanie she has a lot more on her plate in this book.

After Pippi Longstocking and Stephanie Plum it only makes sense that I read some Bukowski poetry and shake up my pretty, little sugar coated world. This 2006 book of newly published poems are meant to complement the documentary I watched on him this month or vice versa. Typically when I read one book of poems by one author I rarely love every one and again this is the case... in a way it's like a treasure hunt for me.... looking for the gems that I will extract and keep for life. I've found a few I've liked quite a bit. One made me think of Shelly of Second Impression's rant about "the announcer" ... I guess we've all struggled with that some.


What I Was Watching in July
On TV
Project Runway Season 3
Grey's Anatomy Season 1
The Office reruns

TV Programs Rented
Alias Season 1 & 2
Facts of Life Seasons 1 & 2
The Best of the Electric Company

Project Runway is the highlight of the week... I just love this show. Still too soon to have a favorite. But Angela has got to go. I have already talked about the Facts of Life and I've had my fill there is no need to run out and get the next 6 seasons. The two seasons I watched were the very ones that fulfilled my trip down memory lane. Next I got to watch an episode of The Electric Company and I was amazed by what I saw. All I REALLY remembered of the show was someone yelling "Hey, you guys!" in the opening credits... a giant gorilla and a silent spiderman. I watched the first disc of the set and got a taste of this crazy show. First off, the yelling woman was Rita Moreno who also introduced the episodes on the disc. Next I was amazed to learn that Bill Cosby and Morgan Freeman were regulars on the show. Filled with 70s lingo and groovy special effects this program was meant to reach reluctant readers who'd graduated from Sesame Street and were now a bit older.... 4-7 year olds.

Alias... I can't get enough. I am still watching Season 2 and it's official. This superhero wants to be a spy.

On DVD (owned and rented)

Children's
Nanny McPhee
Madagascar
Chicken Little
Yours, Mine and Ours (2005)
Flipper's New Adventure (1964)
Because of Winn Dixie


One might think that I watched all these because of my babysitting stint earlier this month. That would actually be incorrect. I only watched Flipper's New Adventure and Because of Winn Dixie for that reason. Both were well done. That Flipper is some actor. Nanny McPhee was pretty cute and I actually liked Yours, Mine, and Ours well enough. I thouht it was a lot like Cheaper by the Dozen in some ways. (remake-wise)


New Releases
The Producers (2005)
The Weather Man
Shopgirl
Last Holiday
Everything is Illuminated
Failure to Launch
Tristan and Isolde
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Thumbsucker
Transamerica
Nine Lives
She's The Man

This was a fairly disappointing lot of films. Weather Man gets the stinker award in my book. The Producers (2005) was a total let down after months of anticipation (I really liked the original)... this version is based on the musical version of the show and perhaps realizing that might have made a difference. I just didn't feel that Matthew Broderick did that great of a job and I found all the different songs and scenes unsettling. Everything is Illuminated didn't light up my life. I found that it left out an entire strand of the book (the MOST INTERESTING of the strands) and for the most part the movie fell flat. It could have been better but it would have been longer... Hmmmmm...

I thought Shopgirl was okay... nothing special... not terrible. Certainly not an uplifting film. Thumbsucker was so-so. Keanu Reeves plays this hippie dentist who tries to cure this lost high school boy who still sucks his thumb but it's the realization that he's got ADHD that seems to change things. Once he has something to blame his condition on and he gets on medication he's an entirely new kid until someone on the opposing debate team points out that the drug he takes is just three molecules away from cocaine. I questioned that remark. Aren't a lot of things three molecules away from other things? Actually I am talking out of my butt here, but it seems like that was a shattering thing to say to the kid... so he ditches the drug and the debate team and tries the nex thing. Yeah, I didn't really like this one as much as I thought I might. Nine Lives is just what it sounds like... 9 short stories or glimpses into the lives of 9 women. It was okay. She's the Man was typical Amanda Bynes fluff attempting to do a sort of modern day 12th Night. I watched that one at PRACS. Tristan and Isolde was typical love story in medieval times... no biggie. My little sister said it was better than Romeo and Juliet... I disagree.

Transamerica was pretty good. I laughed and I cried. I was disturbed in a few places but mostly I thought it was a pretty decent film and Felicity Huffman did a great job. A few others that I found to be better than I expected were Last Holiday. I don't necessarily "love" films with Queen Latifah but I seem to find myself watching them anyway. This one had a lot of delicious food in it... as her character dreamed of being a world class chef one day and when she believes she's dying she goes on vacation and sees her idol... a chef aptly played by Gerard Depardieu. This one made my mouth water. Failure to Launch was somewhat corny; it had a How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days feel to it. It was not the movie of the year by any means but it had a great cast and Zooey Deschanel stole the movie for me. She was so darn funny. I really like her. Then surprise, surprise Deschanel shows up again in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and it turns out I really liked this film. It, too, had a great cast which inspired me to want to reread the book.

Documentaries
Mad Hot Ballroom
Bukowski: Born Into This
For dance film lovers Mad Hot Ballroom might be fun to watch. It was a bit like that documentary on spelling bees... Spellbound. It was fun to see how excited some kids can get about ballroom dance and competition and it would be interesting to find out years from now if any of that actually made a life impact on the youngsters featured in the film.

Bukowski: Born into This was a great introduction into the life of Bukowski for me. Sure, I'd seen Barfly but after watching this documentary I got the feeling that there was a LOT more to this man. I've never read any of his novels and only a fraction of his poetry. But I know he was a hard drinking man who "didn't have time for metaphor" and some of his poems were wonderful. This was one time I actually watched all the extras on the DVD and saw home movie footage, interviews with his wife after his death, and extended interview footage with Sean Penn and Bono who were big fans. It was cool to hear Bono read some of Bukowski's poems and talk about them. It's easy to see they really meant something to him and that he had thought about them a lot. Here's a link to some of the poems in the film.

Bond Films
Live and Let Die
The Man with the Golden Gun

I still prefer Sean Connery as Bond but I am determined to believe that Roger Moore is the the man. I will say that of all of the Bond films so far Live and Let Die is my least favorite. I liked Solitaire played by Jane Seymour quite a bit but the setting and the story were just not for me.

Then the recurrence of JW Pepper, the tobacco chewing loudmouth Louisiana cop in The Man With the Golden Gun was not my favorite element of that one. I didn't like this sort of Boss Hog character who was sullying my classy Bond films with the Dukes of Hazzard Good Ol' Boys feel. But I am sure that's just me. I found Bond's secret agent partner in this mission, Goodnight to be totally useless and annoying in the way her big butt hits the activation button on the Solar Plex and how she manages to get caught by the bad guys basically handing them the solar plex in the first place. I thought the bad guy's girl was much more interesting.... Next on the list... The Spy Who Loved Me (see already, Austin Powers is making much more sense!)

Woody Allen Films
Manhattan
Radio Days

I don't always love Woody Allen films. These two were terrific. "Behind his black rimmed glasses was the coiled sexual power of a jungle cat..." Manhattan was smart and funny and beautiful. I loved Diane Keaton's performance most of all. Her fast talking snobbish dismissiveness was hilarious. The movie is quick-witted and one I MUST see again to fully appreciate.

Radio days reminded me a lot of A Christmas Story... maybe it was the era... the radio... the narrative voice over.... Not sure. It was a funny story about Woody's childhood days, his quirky family and his love of the old radio programs. One of my favorite lines is when his mom tells him he needs an education.... "That's different. Our lives are ruined already; you still have a chance."


Classics
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941)
The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000)
The Bishop's Wife
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
The African Queen

I enjoyed every one of these films immensely. I thought the wife in The Bishop's Wife was terrific. She was so genuine and though I don't often enjoy "ghost or angel" type films Cary Grant was charming.

The polar opposite could be found in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton lash out at each other in a drunken parlor "game" which brings two other unsuspecting guests down with them. This movie, based on an Edward Albee play strove to keep the language of the original play intact and therefore is the film responsible for bringing about the rating system and it was determined that this 1966 film must be labeled "for adults only." Bitter, caustic, and sad, this film is still one I liked. I thought both actors did a smash up job.

The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer is another Cary Grant film and it also features Myrna Loy as an uptight single woman who works as a judge and who serves as the guardian for her younger sister played by Shirley Temple. It was cute. Cary Grant has always seemed a little wooden... but he's growing on me.

A film I've owned for years but never got around to watching is The African Queen. I thought both Kate Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart do a wonderful job and nearly every scene is memorable and a thrill to watch. I love the chemistry between them and Rosie's (Hepburn) spirit was admirable. I love the gentleman that Charlie (Bogart) turns out to be.

Finally, The Man who Came to Dinner wins the award as the most surprisingly delightful film of the month. I LOVED this movie. The original screen version has Monty Woolley playing Sheridan Whiteside and Bette Davis as his secretary and it was filmed in 1941 based on a popular play written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart parodying their friend and others in the vicious circle. The 2000 film is a recording of a stage production which I didn't expect to like but it was great. Between each act, Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson offered commentary and introduced some of the interviews and documentary extras on the history of the play. Watching the two versions together made for an extraordinary viewing experience. There is simply too much to say about it that it deserves its own post and maybe I need to write that. It was filled with my favorite brand of humor.. quick witted caustic barbs and delightful absurdities. This is a must-see if you like classic film.


Thin Man Films
Shadow of the Thin Man
The Thin Man Goes Home
Song of the Thin Man

This month I rounded out my viewing of the Thin Man movies collection. I love, love, love these films. Based on characters who appear in Daschiell Hammet's book The Thin Man, William Powell and Myrna Loy bring Nick and Nora Charles to life. In The Shadow of the Thin Man, their son Nicky walks and talks and my favorite part of the that film was his interactions with his father... though I liked the resolution of that one which was true to Nick Charles style... gather all the suspects and talk it out... someone will reveal their guilt... the tension was so great at one point Nora says, "Nicky, I can't stand it. Was it me?" In The Thin Man Goes Home, Nick and Nora head to Nick's hometown to visit his parents. Nora strives to make Nick's father see all the reasons he should be proud of his son and when Nick solves a case it seems to do the trick. Notable elements... Nick gives up drinking and Nora is not so thrilled. Finally The Song of the Thin Man involves a bunch of musicians who speak in terrific slang and one almost needs a translator for us and for the Charles family though Nora catches on quickly. The ending wraps up quicker than most on this one and I am almost ready to start again with the first film. These are a delight.

In Theatres
The Lake House
The Devil Wears Prada

I used to see tons of movies in the theatre but rising costs and an abundance of rentals have kept me out of theatres for months. This summer in an effor to "redeem the days" I've stepped out of the hot Dakota air into the air conditioned sanctity of the theatre for a couple matinees. I am not sure either of these films will rank among my favorites. I liked them each well enough. The Lake House featured Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves and was a mental game of trying to sort our the logic of their warped time line... It was a bit like Kate and Leopold only there was only 2 years separating them. Bizarre. The Devil Wears Prada made me very aware that my personal appearance is minimal at best... more likely shockingly bad by comparison with the presentation these women put forth every day. These really were renters.



What I Was Listening to in July

A bit of everything....
Neko Case
Eric Burdon and The Animals
Patti Smith
Red Hot Chili Peppers

.... and a random sampling from my MP3 player shuffles for July

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July 4

Bad, Bad, Whiskey

by Amos Milburn

She thinks I Still Care

by Merle Haggard

Come Away With Me

by Norah Jones

When I'm Sixty-Four

by The Beatles

Brandy

by Looking Glass

I think the "When I'm Sixty-Four" was the most special song of the set... because Paul McCartney actually did just turn 64. That makes me smile. Brandy has long been a favorite of mine... it's a happy song and it reminds me of pep band where I played trumpet.. what else?
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July 20

Warchild

by The Cranberries

Never

by Heart

I Drink Orange Juice

by Erin Sitton

Tears of Rage

by Joan Baez

La Vie En Rose

by Louis Armstrong

I love all of these... I had just purchased a Heart Greatest Hits album and rediscovered the band... I was amazed at how many of their songs I remembered and loved. Erin Sitton is a singer my sister in Ohio introduced me to. And the "Warchild" lyrics are powerful... to hear Delores sing it in her haunting voice... Gulp.

Who will save the war child baby?
Who controls the key?
The web we weave is thick and sordid,
Fine by me.

At times of war we're all the losers,
There's no victory.
We shoot to kill and kill your lover,
Fine by me.

War child, victim of political pride.
Plant the seed, territorial greed.
Mind the war child,
We should mind the war child.

I spent last winter in New York,
And came upon a man.
He was sleeping on the streets and homeless,
He said, "I fought in Vietnam."

Beneath his shirt he wore the mark,
He bore the mark with pride.
A two inch deep incision carved,
Into his side.

War child, victim of political pride.
Plant the seed, territorial greed.
Mind the war child,
We should mind the war child.

Who's the loser now? Who's the loser now?
We're all the losers now. We're all the losers now.

War child. [X2]

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July 28

Turn on Your Love Light

by Bobby "Blue" Bland

Why Don't You Get a Job

by The Offspring

Annie's Song

by John Denver

I Know it's Over

by The Smiths

How Deep is Your Love

by The Bee Gees

"Turn on Your Love Lights" I knew first by the Righteous Brothers on an old LP of my mom's. I truly love every song on that album and I was delighted to discover I hand another recording of this fun song. Long ago some friends and I taught ourselves a hustle dance routine from the foreign film I Like it Like That using "Night Fever" as our song. "How Deep is Your Love" brings back a hilarious memory of my friends Sarah and Michelle doing the slo-mo straight faced version of this. Gosh it cracks me up, even now.