Emma - book

I had seen the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, because I love her. I liked the movie so much that I was afraid that the book would be disappointing - it wasn't. It seems the movie was pretty true to the original story. Of course it was a couple of years ago that I saw the movie, but I liked remembering scenes from the movie as I read the book. I liked that all the sides of the heroine were revealed, even the feelings that she herself wasn't sure of. I'd never forgotten the scene from the movie where she was rude to Miss Bates and how Mr. Knighley scolded her for it. That and the misconceptions she had regarding who was interested in whom, and who was not, made her very human.

Boston Legal

Good episode. Clarence wasn't too annoying. Glad Claire is gone, I wasn't buying the two of them together. I didn't like John Laroquette's character at first, but he lightened up as the episode went on. Awesome surprise at the end!!!

Heroes

Ok is Peter dead or not? I guess not since he's in promos for the show. And I would like to know how the Bennetts can afford such a nice house with HRG working at a copy store? My favorite part was the end where the guy from Claire's new school was hovering outside her bedroom window. I didn't think he saw her fix her broken leg, but he did see her putting her hand in the flame of the Bunsen burner & not get burned. I never liked Nathan & I certainly don't now. Especially with that beard. He's hard to hear when he talks already, so that doesn't help matters. Was that Peter he saw in the mirror at the bar? There's something about Molly that I think is creepy, but maybe it's just me!

MMRBQ

Decided to go catch this show just the day before. Glad I did! Got phenomenal seats considering it was 24 hours before the show. 12th row from the pit! And padded seats & backs! I never sat up that close before - who knew? It was $25 more than the non-premium seats, but well worth it just for the padding. The only drawback was, that it may have been too close for optimum sound. At times the vocals were drowned out & any little glitch in the equipment was heard, whereas people much farther back didn't notice. I must give props to the weather. It was AWESOME!

So, the lineup:
Noosphere: Don't know who they are. Must be a local band, but they were playing prior to the show's actual start time, so we didn't even attempt to be there that early.

Seether: Well somebody had set the gps to avoid toll roads & instead of going the way I knew, I listened to the blasted thing, causing us to drive through the city, adding another half hour to the trip! grrrrrrrrrrrrr And the line at the will call window was moving sooooo slowly! I do prefer my Seether with a touch of Amy Lee, and I would've liked to see them. Darn show for starting on time. What is that about? But apparently they had to be on the West Coast to record or something so wanted to play first or something like that. We did get to catch the last few songs of their set, so that worked out ok. Remedy was last & that was good.

Silvertide: Local band. I think I'd heard of them before, but didn't really know their music. i guess they were ok, but I was anxious to hear the other bands, so listened to them impatiently.

Collective Soul: AMAZING! I was looking forward to them but was still pleasantly surprised. A great performance! 'Nough Said!

Three Days Grace: Good set. I like this band & they were pretty much just what I expected.

Breaking Benjamin: There seemed to be a crackling coming through the speakers and at first I thought that maybe being so close to the front, that my eardrums had been blown out, but soon other people around me remarked about it as well. Once it was confirmed I seemed to notice it even more. It persisted through a few songs & then there was some nasty feedback & that got our attention! Shortly after that the band acknowledged "technical difficulties" which they had not previously been aware of. Sadly this ruined the set for me. I really thought that someone on their crew would've caught onto this sooner & corrected it or something. Although, like I said, people sitting farther back didn't even notice, so perhaps it was our location that heightened it. Still though, with all the expensive equipment, not to mention what our tickets cost, I really expected better. I am glad though, that not everyone was bothered by it.

Live: Finished out the show with a very good set. Everyone in the crowd around me seemed to really enjoy them. Ed's voice is amazing & he gave a most energetic performance. They came back for an encore, including Lightning Crashes, which I knew they couldn't leave out.


Fireworks, Ferry, Long Drive Home - the end!

Persuasion - book

Another Jane Austen book out of the way. I've said before that I find it easier to watch a movie version first, which makes the book much easier to follow, but in this case I hadn't seen this one. If there was a newer version with a Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant or Colin Firth in it, I'd have it, but I guess I'll have to order the older British version. Perhaps the story wouldn't be overshadowed by recognizable actors.

Anyway, about the book, a good Jane Austen story. Just what I had expected and I was not disappointed. Sometimes I have trouble keeping all the characters straight, but this one didn't have so many that it would've been a chore to remember who they all were. Even though it was pretty easy to see where the story was going, I completely enjoyed the getting there. I thought this story seemed more real than some of the others. The heroine had an unlikeable sister, rather than one who just acted inappropriately. Or in addition to, depending how you look at it. And also her father was no gem either. That made her Anne a character who you could really root for. And nothing has shocked me more in a Jane Austen story, than when Louisa fell & was actually really hurt! I know that some of her other characters had gotten ill, but an injury like that, and involving Captain Wentworth as it did, really surprised me!

All in all, I definitely enjoyed this one and will most likely reread it in the future. I'll probably order it on dvd & read it again after I've watched it.

Northanger Abbey - book

This one went quick! It was the only Jane Austen story that I didn't know. It was typical of an Austen novel even though there was a little touch of suspense. I really expected this part of the story to be developed more, but it wasn't. Since I'm not a fan of suspense stories, that was fine with me. I was fully expecting a happy ending love story & that's what I got. I had read in the introduction to this particular edition, that everything came to a sudden conclusion, almost as if she was in a hurry to wrap it up. I found that to be the case, but I think that all that lead up to the end result is the story, not the ending itself. Plus at that point, not having read this one before, even knowing there'd be a happy ending for the heroine, I couldn't wait to find out how it would happen.

Mansfield Park (1999)

I find it better for me to see a movie version of a story before I read the book. The other way around is often disappointing. I maybe have seen this movie before, but am currently on a quest to refamiliarize myself with characters from Jane Austen stories, prior to the theatrical release of The Jane Austen Book Club, or the DVD release (date unknown) of Becoming Jane. Also we don't have a copy of this book in our home library, so it would likely be the last Jane I'd be able to read.

In any case, I liked the story, and much of the movie, but was a little bothered by the way action was stopped at least twice & a question was posed, such as "or did they?", or something to that effect. That was odd. Other than that, I found the story a little too modernized, and parts of the story, while explored, were not fully explained. I'm not sure if I will add this one to my DVD collection. I'll probably wait to see the other version first and see which I prefer. Although I probably should put the book on my "must read" list.

Brother Odd - book

I've been attempting to read this book all summer. I finally finished it after 4 starts & restarts. I guess it didn't hold my interest in the beginning. I vowed to finish it over Labor Day weekend and I did. There was absolutely NOTHING on tv that weekend. Shows were all had trouble putting it down. Like I said, the beginning was lots of background on the characters who I found it tedious to keep straight. As it turns out, that wasn't really necessary, the important characters were kept straight by their names & actions.

I really liked the first book in this series, Odd Thomas. I found the much anticipated sequel somewhat disappointing. I'll put Brother Odd in between the other two. I liked the storyline and settting, but I think I was expecting much more of a showdown at the end. Not that I wanted mass bloodshed or anything, but after all that buildup I thought there could've been more bat swinging! I really didn't wish for anymore death though, just a bigger fight perhaps.

It was quite obvious that the ending included a set-up for another in the Odd Thomas series.
But, am I the only person who didn't get that Boo was a ghost until it was pointed out at the very end? It's The Sixth Sense all over again!

Looking Forward to Fall Television Season

It's time to begin anticipation of the new television season! The networks are beginning to rerun some of the shows we haven't seen all summer, to get us ready. This was quite evident last night when an episode of Boston Legal was shown just after Grey's Anatomy. Grey's was rerun all summer, and I sort of watched most of them, so as to keep up with the story lines. With shows like Boston Legal, CSI, etc., you can easily pick up where you left off, but on something like Grey's where each epsiode's story is important to the next, I need to watch in order as well as be reminded what was happening. Not that the storylines on a show like Grey's are in any way important, but hey, it's entertainment, right?



And then there are shows like LOST, where I probably should rewatch the entire last season before the new one begins. That show is hard to keep up with from week to week! Especially when a story line is put on the back burner for a while and then brought back later. It seriously takes me a while to get back up to speed, lol! Last season was especially difficult with the split seasons of LOST and Heroes. I think I read they aren't going to do that again. Thank Goodness! But I guess I have plenty of time until LOST is back on.

Edit: Just sort of watched this week's episode of Grey's, for reasons stated above, only to realize that they are shown very much out of order! What's the point then?

Just Friends

The few movies that I've seen Ryan Reynolds in have been goofy sort of movies, and this one was no exception. Don't get me wrong, I loved Van Wilder, watched it many times, but this one just kept crossing the line into too much goofiness for me! I'm always amazed at how great the fat makeup can work, like in Shallow Hal, so that was one reason I watched this. And after watching the depressing Jude, a comedy seemed like a welcome change. I watched the movie all the way through, it wasn't terrible, by any means. If it weren't for Ryan Reynolds good looks, I probably would have turned it off.

Overall, I thought it was ok. If you like this sort of movie, then you would probably enjoy it.

Jude

Another movie I didn't see all the way through, but had seen before. I watched it mainly for the cast. I'm a Doctor Who fan, and wanted to see Christopher Eccleston. Imagine my surprise to find a scene that not only featured him but David Tennant as well! Anyway, back to the movie - the story was almost shocking by today's standards. It is no longer acceptable to fall in love with a cousin, let alone have children with one! Jude and Sue had such a connection though, that it was hard to believe they weren't soulmates. More likely though, they were just two intelligent people who were living before their time. It was more of a problem that they weren't husband and wife, than the fact that they were cousins.

What happens when Jude's young son takes it upon himself to alleviate the problem of the family being too large, is unforgettable! There were some shocking scenes in this movie, no doubt about that! It was even more shocking the way they were placed in what at first appeared to be merely a period love story. Christopher Eccleston & Kate Winslet were enough to make this film special, but the twists in the story took it one step further.

What Women Want

I only saw part of this movie this weekend, but I've seen it at least twice before this and I found it very entertaining. It's a movie, that if I come across it changing channels, I can't turn it off. Nothing specific to say about it, just and enjoyable movie.

Becoming Jane

I actually saw this in the theater! I guess that's obvious, given that it's just been released & limited at that. It was pretty much what I expected, so I wasn't disappointed. I've seen a lot of discussion on movie sites where people are complaining that it wasn't really biographical, but I had researched it beforehand & realized that while it was based on truth, the actual facts were embellished to make the story, much like Shakespeare in Love. If I wanted to see a biography, I'd check the listings for the Biography channel. I went to see this film with the notion that it was more of a story by Jane Austen than about her. The difference I expected was that there would be more Jane in the main character than in say Lizzie Bennet. It was like a lost Jane Austen Novel, the main difference being that there was no happy ending.

Since it was all i expected, I was not disappointed. I love the period costumes & sets, and most of all I am fascinated by the social decorum that was expected. I also was quite shocked to see make out scenes, as you don't find that in Jane Austen novels! I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, and I now doubt that they actually occurred. I'm not sure if any of Jane's primary characters would have done such a thing. Of course you always had the rebellious ones, like Lydia Bennett, and she probably would've made out with Wickham, but I don't believe even Marianne Dashwood would have done that.

There is also controversy over whether and American should've been cast as a famous British author, but this doesn't bother me. Gwyneth Paltrow does it, Renee Zellweger can pull it off, so why not? We have Hugh Laurie on House. I would imagine that even a British actress would have had to study to get the dialect of the period to sound accurate. I thought that Anne Hathaway was fine in the role. More than fine actually, i found her quite convincing. James McAvoy was outstanding, in my opinion. From the moment he came onscreen I knew that she would have a hard time resisting him!

I would recommend this movie to anyone who can't get enough Jane Austen, and is not expecting a purely factual story, as I'm sure that wouldn't be very interesting. I will buy the DVD as soon as it is released and probably watch it again and again!

The Last Kiss

I thought this was a pretty good movie. I would've preferred someone other than Zach Braff as the leading man though. It was hard to believe that he would've attracted the attention of a beautiful young college student. I don't think you could've had a drop dead gorgeous guy in that part either. I just didn't get the attraction on her part. And he certainly stood out like a sort thumb at the party she took him to, and in the halls of the dorms. I suppose that was intentional, to emphasize the fact that he was older.

It was a good study of relationships, and I was happy to see it wasn't always the men in the relationships that were the jerks! Although few relationships are perfect, I also wouldn't want to think that so many are as flawed as those examined in the movie. However just because I don't want to think it, doesn't mean that's not the way it is.

Sense & Sensibility

Another Jane Austen story. And one I had seen a few times before, as well as having read the book. Like Pride & Prejudice, many of the characters from the book were not in the movie. But there were too many extraneous characters in the book, making it hard to keep track of them all. I liked this story very much. The costumes & scenery were great, but I wasn't thrilled with the casting. Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay & it was wonderful, but I just couldn't buy her as playing a girl who was supposed to be 19 years old. She looked great for someone in her mid-30's, but let's fact it, was not believable as a teenager! Kate Winslet was much closer to the age of the character she played, but still seemed too old to be playing a 16 year old. If you can look past that, they played the parts well.

I liked Hugh Grant's portrayal of Edward Ferrars, but the movie version of his character was made to seem much less involved with Lucy Steele, whereby allowing him to be more likable than he probably should have been. All in all, a classic Jane Austen happy ending romance, and I can never get enough of them!

Valmont

I watched this when there was absolutely nothing else to watch on a Saturday afternoon, when it was too hot to be outside. I saw Colin Firth was in it and that was enough for me. Annette Bening is very good, but I don't usually put on a movie just to see her. Since I've been on a Jane Austen kick, I thought this would be a similar type movie & it was, but set in France. The main difference being that the characters in this movie were having sex, whereas in the Jane Austen stories, the proper characters aren't unless married. That was pretty much the theme of the movie, sex & fidelity, or the lack thereof!

This was a pretty good story. The actress who played the 15 year old girl, Fairuza Balk, was amazing! Colin Firth can be believable as the Lothario as in this movie, and also as the nice guy as in the Bridget Jones movies. There was something so familiar about Henry Thomas, who played Danceny. I checked him out & saw that he played Elliot in ET, but I know I've seen him in something much more recently. But I didn't see anything else listed for him on imdb that I had seen. Of course, after the movie ended, I realized that this is another one that I know I'd seen before, but years ago. I never seem to realize this when I start watching. Although I used to watch whatever movie looked good, even though it had already started. With online guides & dvrs, that's not a problem anymore, so I'm getting to see the whole movie, start to finish!

American Dreamz

I chose this movie to watch b/c it was new to HBO. When I saw that Hugh Grant was in it & that it had something to do with singing, I figured it was the movie with Drew Barrymore in it. It wasn't. That one is called Music & Lyrics & too new for cable I would imagine. I was pretty far into it before I realized that Drew was not going to show up, but I continued watching it anyway. I didn't really know anything about Mandy Moore and I'm really an American Idol fan, so I wasn't too crazy about this movie. If it weren't for Hugh Grant I probably wouldn't have finished it. Since I wasn't that into it, I spent the whole time web surfing, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. I'd say I wouldn't have minded seeing this if there wasn't anything else on to watch, but after seeing Little Miss Sunshine, this was kind of disappointing.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

I'd been seeing so many commercials for the upcoming Becoming Jane, that I had to watch a movie based on one of her books. Sense & Sensibility wouldn't work in the dvd player for some reason, so Pride & Prejudice it was. This is one of the very rare movies that I actually saw in a theater. I knew I'd want to watch it again & again so I bought it when it came out on dvd. I typically love anything Keira Knightley is in and this was no exception. I read the book between seeing the movie the first time & getting it on dvd. From what I've seen the movie versions pare down the characters, even combining two or more into one person. This is probably a good thing, because as much as I enjoy the books, it can be difficult to keep track of the many characters.

Pride & Prejudice is one of Jane Austen's happy ending romance stories. I really found myself rooting for Lizzie & Jane. Also for Mr. Bingley and even for Mr. Darcy. While I found parts of the story to be timeless, other things couldn't be more different today. Everytime I watch a movie from this period, I wonder what social class my family would've found itself in. In a time when we are raising our daughters to get educated & establish careers so they can be independent & self sufficent, it amazes me that there was a time where who you married might determine the course of your life. And even with all the guidlines as to whom can marry whom, Jane's heroines usually seem to pull off marrying well. Often extremely well!


And with the settings for socializing, the balls, chance meetings in town, and the brief visits, you hardly got to know someone before deciding if you could marry them. It's so easy to get caught up in the ways of the time that you almost hold your breath when Lizzie speaks her mind. How very different the Bennet daughters turned out to be, which I believe is exactly what Jane Austen wanted us to see. That, and also how the behavior of a family member could affect the rest of the family. I'm sure Jane never imagined just how different life would be today.

This movie will make my list of all time favorites.

Little Miss Sunshine

I had heard good things about this movie, but really didn't know what to expect. I was afraid it may be slapstick, from trailers I'd seen & the fact that Steve Carell was in it, but it really wasn't. It kinda reminded me of National Lampoon's Vacation and who didn't like that movie! Anytime you have a dysfunctional family driving state to state with the body of a dead relative, you just know there's going to be fun! Even the parts that were far fetched didn't turn me off. And there was Toni Collette who I'd only just discovered a week earlier in In Her Shoes. Steve Carell is talented & it was nice to see him in such a great ensemble cast. I'd recommend this as a must see movie.

Shakespeare in Love

I have seen this movie many times and never tire of it! I hadn't planned to watch it, but I turned the tv on and there it was. I just couldn't change the channel! This has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. I love anything about Elizabethan England. Joseph Fiennes is so full of energy. Gwyneth Paltrow is lovely as always. And I was happy for the few scenes that featured Ben Affleck & Colin Firth. And even Judi Dench as the queen - perfect! To imagine Shakespeare so young & full of life is a nice change from that famous portrait of him. How awesome to take some rather uninteresting historical facts & weave them into such a great story!

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

I liked this more than I expected I would. I do like Luke Wilson, but he wasn't as adorable as he's been in some other movies. Whenever I see Uma Thurman, I think Quentin Tarantino, but she was suited for this role. It was nice to see a movie that mixed a little comedy, some action, a bit of sci-fi, and even a bit of a love story, but not too much of any one genre. I found this movie entertaining.

The Devil Wears Prada

This was probably one of the better movies I've watched this month. I'm the only member of this household who would watch an Anne Hathaway, cinderella type movie, but this one was good. It kept my full attention for the entire movie and that says a lot. Meryl Streep really made the movie and i especially enjoyed Stanley Tucci. I wasn't sure what happened to the Andrea/Nate relationship at the end though. It seemed like they were working things out but he moved to Boston. Oh well, I didn't care that much if they got back together.

You, Me and Dupree

I'm not a fan of silly movies, so I wasn't sure if I should watch this one. But I think Kate Hudson is amazing and I have a soft spot for the Wilsons. Not terribly original, but we need comedies. I thought Michael Douglas played his part well, as he's played that role similarly in other movies. The Dupree character was a little over the top for my taste, but I suppose that's what made this a comedy.

Great Expectations

I decided to watch this movie to see Gwyneth Paltrow, as I usually like the movies that she's in. I think I was supposed to read this book in high school, but couldn't get into it - oops! Watching the movie, I couldn't decide if I was sympathetic to Ethan Hawke's Finn. Despite my insistence that I can't stand happy endings, I'm afraid that I'm always rooting for true love. And also for the underdog. The part where Robert DeNiro's character showed up in New York got my attention after I had started to lose interest. It wasn't until near the end when Finn ran into Estella & her child visiting her aunt's house that I realized that I had seen this movie before! I actually had thought some parts seemed a bit familiar, but I wouldn't have watched it again if I had realized that I'd already seen it.

In Her Shoes

This was one of the first movies I chose to watch this month. I chose it b/c Cameron Diaz was in it & I like her. She was ok in the movie. Shirley MacLaine was good. I thought the movie was pretty good. This was the first time I took notice to Toni Colette who I enjoyed.