Some More Movies and a Book

So...I've seen a few more movies since I last checked in, including films #20? Maleficent, #21? Despicable Me, #22? Despicable Me 2, #23? The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, and book #4 The Specialist: The Costa Rica Job. I have opinions to share for all of these but am lacking in the time to write them down at the moment.

I promise to get on that as soon as I can.

I hope before the end of the month.

Of July.

Maybe.

(Reminder to self: also need to review The Grand Budapest Hotel, Divergent, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, About Time, JCVD, The Fifth Estate, Iron Man 2, White House Down, and Austenland.)

Doctor Sleep and Friends Books 1 & 2/50 and Movies 9 to ?/50

I've been neglecting this site...AND I'VE BEEN READING BOOKS! Okay. Not a large number of books. But I finally got around to finishing two of the four I started back in January.

Book #1: The Design Method
I will write a proper review of this book to post to goodreads.com (in accordance with the agreement I made with the kind lady who messaged me and offered me a free copy in exchange for reviewing it). I will link to it here once it is finished.

Book #2: Doctor Sleep
The sequel to The Shining. If you haven't read The Shining, read that one first. And watching the Stanley Kubrick film doesn't count. He took some serious liberties with the book. Both the original book and the film are worthwhile for your time. And Doctor Sleep ain't too shabby either.

Movies #9-?
I have to admit that I've lost track of all the movies I have seen since last posting about Monsters University. There have been numerous. Not enough to complete the film portion of the 50/50 challenge. But a decent amount. A few that I can recall off the top of my head: Anchorman 2 (although I wish I hadn't), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (mmm....abs), Thor: The Dark World (I'm rooting from Loki from now on), Man of Steel (or did I post that one already?), Frozen (only 3000 times with my nieces since the end of March), Upside Down (aka, 107 minutes of my life that I'll never have back), and Olympus Has Fallen (because why not, Gerard Butler?). So that brings me to at least 16. I'm sure there are more though. I'll post them as they come to me.

So there's the update. Hope it was worth it. Olympus Has Fallen definitely wasn't.

Fifty-Fifty 2013...

42/50 Films :: 08/50 Books

List as of 20 December 2013...

• F1. Les Misérables (2012)
• F2. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
• F3. Argo (2012)
• F4. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
• F5. Striking Distance (1993)
• F6. Men in Black 3 (2012)
• F7. Flight (2012)
• B1.* 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• F8. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
• F9. Lincoln (2012)
• F10. People Like Us (2012)

Dan Brown's Inferno a.k.a. The DaVinci Code 4

Instead of reading any more Dan Brown books, I'm just going to complete the following "Mad Lib" with my sister. Feel free to play along.

UNTITLED DAN BROWN BOOK MAD LIB

1) a number ______
2) month that has at least 28 days __________________
3) adverb that denotes stress ____________________
4) pick a European city...any European city _______________________
5) title given to a respected educator or professional _________________
6) first name ______________________________
7) pretentious last name (bonus points if synonym for "Brown") _________________________________________________________
8) prestigious museum or institute located in city chosen for #4 _________________________________________________________
9) famous work of an artistic or religious nature _____________________
10) any old secret organization or cult you feel like picking on this week _________________________________________________________

Four Movies and a Book (2012) Films 71-74 and Book 15/50

Because I hate leaving things unfinished...here are the extremely abridged reviews for the remaining films and book that I watched/read in 2012.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
I love Denis Leary. Even if he isn't allowed to swear up a blue streak.

A Shocker on Shock Street Book 14/50

First of all, a disclaimer: I've been neglectful in my reading for this challenge, and as such, am forced to take drastic measures to catch up. Since I need to read a book a day for the rest of the year, I have opted to take my sister's recommendation to read Goosebumps. So be warned. The next few weeks may find you reading some whacked out reviews of young adult books that I somehow managed to miss back in the day. This will either become the inspiration for me to go out and get a PhD in Teen Lit or lead to me shaking uncontrollably while sitting in a padded room. Either way, this should be interesting to play out. No?

Only time will tell. On to Goosebumps #35: A Shocker on Shock Street...and may God have mercy on our souls.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Book 13/50

I'm glad I read this before seeing the movie (and I still have yet to see it). Granted, this is pure speculation, but I don't think this book would be as entertaining/suspenseful had it followed the film. If I had known (for certain) who the mole was going into this, this book would probably not have held my interest for long.

So if you haven't seen the film, check this one out. I won't spoil anything on this one. Just know that most of the "action" takes place in flashbacks, which unfortunately takes much of the suspense out of those sequences. But there are some great characters being portrayed here: George Smiley, Jim Prideaux, and Karla.

I'll definitely check out the other George Smiley books...particularly the others from the Karla trilogy. As well as the Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy movie (and the BBC miniseries with Alec Guinness if I can track it down).

The Psychopath Test Book 12/50

A few weeks ago, my sister's fiancé posted this video about Lord of the Flies, in which he discusses sociopaths/psychopaths as one of the vocabulary terms connected to Golding's novel. In this video, he recommends Jon Ronson's The Psychopath Test to individuals interested in learning more. "It's a really entertaining read; it's not very long...and you should totally check it out. It's very much worth reading." I was instantly sold.

For the record, he was 100% accurate in his description of the book. So thank you very much, Tim Calvin, for both recommending and lending to me this book.

And I couldn't put it down. Ronson is a master of anecdotal humor. His chapters are informative and entertaining, providing readers with insight into society's fascination with psychiatry and mental illness.

Fifty Shades of Grey Book 11/50

I don't know what you're all talking about...this book is tame.

Just kidding! For the record, I'm nowhere near being done with it yet.

So I've decided to run this review a bit differently than my past ones. Instead of waiting until I've completed reading the book, I'm going to review it in stages. As I start this post, I am currently on page 70. I should also probably warn you that this book is far from tame, and as such, my review of it may also be less than conservative.

Consider yourself warned.

Now on to the journey that is Fifty Shades of Grey...

The Book Thief Book 10/50

If you haven't read The Book Thief, you should. The characters are drawn brilliantly. The style is refreshing. The story is addictive. The narrator is unique. There is little about this book that I didn't appreciate (the font for the pagination was a bit hard to read, but that's getting picky).

As with movies I enjoy, books I love are equally as difficult to review. I do not want to spoil the experience of reading this one for anyone.

But I will tell you that I pretty much cried non-stop for the last 50 or so pages of this book. I recommend you have a box of tissues ready.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Book 9/50

These books are long yet addictive. And I am now done with the Millennium series. At least, with the texts. The movies are an entirely separate challenge.

The final installment leaves off exactly where the second ended. So if you've not read the first two books, this review will be a bit of a spoiler for you. Consider that your one and only warning. But that's just for the first two books. I'll play nice and try to keep the exciting details of this book to a minimum.

On to the book...

The Girl Who Played with Fire Book 8/50

Although slightly longer than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this book was a much faster read. And while there certainly could have been some major edits to this installment of the series, I enjoyed reading this book.

One of the things I found most interesting about reading this book was how I imagined the characters differently throughout the story. Having seen both film versions of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (something I had not done prior to reading the first book), I found myself picturing Mikael Blomkvist as Daniel Craig at some times (in truth, the majority of the book) and as Michael Nyqvist at others (mainly when Blomkvist did something lame, like punch a fist into the air in celebration). Lisbeth Salander, on the other hand, was imagined as more of an amalgam of Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara. Go figure.

But you probably want to hear about the story.

The Magicians Book 7/50

"It was about damn time something happened."

-Lev Grossman, page 297

This book is 402 pages long, and even though that line appears on page 297, nothing remotely exciting happens until page 338. Seriously.

I'll just warn you now...I'm going spoil the living daylights out of this book. If you haven't read the book, I do not encourage you to try. However, if that warning isn't enough to convince you to not read this book, then you should probably stop reading this review right now.

Onward to the spoilers.

Modelland Book 6/50

Dear Random House,
Please do not publish any subsequent installments of Ms. Banks' proposed Modelland series. We get it. Tyra's gotten bored with being Oprah and now wants to be J.K. Rowling.
xoxo,
Jen

Dear Amber,
It was extremely thoughtful of you to send me a copy of Modelland for Christmas. It gave me a hearty laugh when I opened the package way back in December. Unfortunately, I read it.
Still your friend,
Jen

Case Histories Book 5/50

Why look! I've read another book. And it's a mystery. And there's apparently a TV series based on it staring Jason Isaacs as the lead. Oh, happy day!

If you haven't read this book and enjoy mysteries, you should consider this as your next read. It's a bit different from your standard mystery novel (you know the type...murder occurs, brilliant investigator gets drawn in, all loose ends are tied up by the final page). There are certainly murders. I'm not so sure the term "brilliant" is the first to come to mind with Atkinson's protagonist, but he is not unintelligent either. And it doesn't wrap everything up for you with a neat, pretty bow at the end...which is oddly refreshing and sincere. But it has its moments where you might find yourself thinking What are the odds of that happening? or That's a bit over-the-top, Kate. Yet the mere fact that Atkinson manages a decent job of juggling three major murder plots needs to be applauded.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Book 4/50

If you can make it through the first 300 pages or so, this book is smooth sailing up to the end. Or for the next 215 pages, at least.

The first half of this book is devoted purely to introducing all of the players, along with the three major plot points: Reporter Mikael Blomkvist vs. the Swedish Mafia, the Titular Character vs. the World, and this Teeny-Tiny Cold-Case Murder vs. the Other Two Plot Points. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for setting the stage by giving us backstory and character motivation. But I think those 300 pages could have been condensed to, oh say, 100 or so.

Once you get past the months and months is takes Blomkvist to learn the Vangar family tree (starting with Adam and Eve and their third cousins, Gottfried and Henrik) to the point where the cold-case actually manages a breakthrough, the book flies. Unfortunately, you have to survive some severely graphic rape scenes and the least threatening prison experience to get there.

Mockingjay Book 3/50

I am not pleased. I was with Collins up until Chapter 25 began, but then...no. Wrong. Incorrect ending. I feel like I've just watched the end of the Mrs. Peacock Clue ending, and the title cards are supposed to come up and tell us, "But this is how it really happened..."

Besides the fact that the ending feels entirely rushed and unbelievable, it's terribly unsatisfying when considering the journey we have taken with Katniss from the moment her sister's name is called in the first book. What possessed Collins to write this ending? Was she attacked by tracker jackers?

For a moment, I thought we were going to see the return of the amazing Katniss Everdeen. I had come to grips with the fact that I'd suffered through the second in the series for hope of a superior third installment. How fooled I was.

Catching Fire Book 2/50

So. Okay...these are fast reads.

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Warning:
Contains spoilers for The Hunger Games

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There's really no getting around that. To talk about this book is to give away key plot points from the previous one, so if you haven't read The Hunger Games yet...stop reading this and get on with it already. Sheesh.

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So...Catching Fire. Or The Hunger Games: All-Star Arena, as I prefer to call it. Once again we meet up with everyone's favorite teen-lit love triangle that doesn't involve vampires or werewolves. But while I was clearly on Team Jacob with the Twilight series, I am torn having to choose between Gale and Peeta. They're essentially the same character...just with a different number of legs.

The Hunger Games Book 1/50

I will definitely be adding its sequel Catching Fire to my "to-read" list now. And the film was already on my radar for viewing after seeing the trailer. Don't be too surprised to find me comparing the film and book in March.

So...The Hunger Games.

I couldn't help but compare the it to Twilight at times. With the whole Peeta-Katniss-Gale love triangle aspect, it was difficult to not make the connection. While I did find Collins' protagonist to be far more likable than Bella Swan, the relationship between Katniss and Peeta bares an uncanny similarity to the uncomfortable nature that is Meyer's abusively unhealthy teen pairing. But I suppose this whole "star-crossed lover" genre really all started with Pyramus and Thisbe. Thanks, Ovid.

And as for the parallels drawn between the Hunger Games and reality television, scenes from Series 7: The Contenders (2001) kept popping into my head. And although I've not read Battle Royale, it's clear that this book is not presenting any groundbreaking new material for the commentary on America's questionable love affair with our society's version of the gladiator games. Will it keep thousands from watching the next season of Survivor? Probably not.