SarahMania

The Daytrippers

2010-01-06T21:35:00.001+01:00

Ah, good value for money in the 99c iTunes movie rentals for once! The real upside in these movies is that in addition to being cheap, they also get me to exercise longer -- 90 minutes today.

The Daytrippers was a 90s indie thing with the kind of typical pointless scenes & characters and Parker Posey - and a scene where the Twin Towers dominated which is always weird for me. I liked it - a solid B. Definitely not the kind of film my husband would enjoy, which is the primary criteria I have for movies & TV at the gym.

La Collection Brukenthal - Musée Jaquemart André

2010-01-06T13:05:00.000+01:00

I went today to the Collection Brukenthal (Brugel, Memlin, Van Eyck) exhibit in its last days, as the Musée Jaquemart André which I had never visited before. The museum itself had a few architectural things which were interesting, but I'd have been disappointed if I'd made the regular museum the center of the outing. The Brukenthal collection was great, and the free iPhone audioguide was fabulous! I learned a lot about Flemish painting & there were some really impressive paintings on exhibit.

Lovely & Amazing

2010-01-05T21:39:00.001+01:00

Lovely & Amazing was a good 99c iTunes rental, a solid B, even B+, chick flick, good actors, amusing.

Rome - Season 1

2010-01-03T15:20:00.001+01:00

We live without a TV, but do have DVDs & a screen, and sometimes during the week we have the time to watch something short, so we watch an episode of a TV series. We've done Law & Order (early seasons), Hercule Poirot, 24 (first season) and last year started to watch Rome. We finished the last episode of the first season on Jan 3rd. We both really liked this series - exceptionally well done - great acting, beautiful filming, good story and VERY IMPORTANT for E, it's historically accurate. I think we'll move to another series before trying season 2, but I'm looking forward to the next season as well.

Fauves et Expressionistes Allemands - Musee Marmottan

2010-01-02T18:00:00.002+01:00

We went to see German Fauves & Expressionists at the Musée Marmottan which was an interesting exhibit & a fun return to the location where E & I had our first date! The exhibit was great, some really interesting paintings & a nice intimate location.

Books Read in 2009

2010-01-01T18:14:00.008+01:00

Books Read 2009

Five Skies, Ron Carlson (audiobook)
I Thought My Father Was God, edited by Paul Auster (audiobook)
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (audiobook)
Underworld, Don DeLillo
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (audiobook)
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Schaffer (audiobook)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi (audiobook)
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
Broken Open, Elizabeth Lesser (audiobook)
Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami
Ce que le jour doit à la nuit, Yasmina Khadra
Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Compulsion, Johnathan Kellerman
Olive Kitteridge, Elisabeth Strout
Get a Life, Nadine Gordimer
Time Will Darken It, WIlliam Maxwell
L'ile des sourciers, Anthony Horowitz
Travels in the Scriptorium, Paul Auster
A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
The Witches of Eastwick, John Updike
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, F Scott Fitzgerald
It's Not About the Bike, Lance Armstrong
Motivational Interviewing in Health Care, Stephen Rollnick
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, John Le Carré
The Logic of Life, Tim Hartford
The Year of the Hare, Arto Paasilinna
The Worst Thing a Suburban Girl Could Imagine, Melissa Bank
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
Chess Story, Stefan Zwieg
The Secret Lives of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery
Dancer : A Novel, Colum McCann
The Road Home, Rose Tremain
The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
The Man of My Dreams, Curtis Sittenfeld
Back When We Were Grown Ups, Anne Tyler
I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora Ephron
Eight Stories, Dylan Thomas
The Invisible Man, HG Wells
Practical Photography, John Freeman
Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
Rabbit at Rest, John Updike
You Remind Me of Me, Dan Chaon
The Other Hand, Chris Cleave
Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
Good Calorie, Bad Calorie, Gary Taubes
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, John Le Carré
White Tiger, Aravind Adiga
Confessions of a Fallen Angel, Ronan O'Brien
A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
If This is a Man, Primo Levi
The Truce, Primo Levi
The Secret Lives of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
The Sorrows of an American, Siri Hadsfeldt
The Gathering, Annie Enright
Everything is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer

2010 Reading Goals

Read more classics
Read in French about 20% of the time
Read non-fiction about 20% of the time
Do the A-Z author challenge
Read more by Munro, Roth, Updike

Night of the Iguana, John Huston

2010-01-01T17:59:00.002+01:00

We watched Night of the Iguana by John Huston, and loved it! Raw emotion that Tennessee Williams can always be counted on to deliver, and some amazing acting by Burton, Gardner & others, along with really masterful direction & subtlety. A real gem, A+.

Wedding Daze

2009-12-31T18:07:00.002+01:00

Wedding Daze was a 99c rental on iTunes. I rarely feel ripped off after watching a 99c movie, but this one was close. Lousy, lousy, lousy. Only upside is that it made workout time pass.

Five Skies, Ron Carlson

2009-12-31T18:01:00.001+01:00

I was somewhat disappointed by Five Skies, as I sometimes am when a really excellent short story writer turns his hand to longer formats. Carlson's story isn't constructed to have the same interest all the way through, so what would have made a very good novella becomes just a so-so novel.

The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

2009-12-28T18:05:00.001+01:00

The Lovely Bones is one of those books that does better in audiobook format than I think it would do on paper. The mystery aspect keeps the listener's attention and there are several clever & creative aspects from the beginning that draw you in (that the principal character is talking from after her death is the main one).

Like other Sebold I have read, the structure doesn't hold up well, and the book turns sappy & predictable for the last half.

I Thought My Father Was God, edited by Paul Auster

2009-12-27T18:04:00.002+01:00

I Thought My Father Was God was a relatively forgettable book. I found the stories quite uneven and Auster's voice sometimes grated on my nerves. I got the feeling that the pool of entries wasn't always deep enough - that he was searching for barely acceptable behavior based on the organization of the chapters. I wonder if the audiobook format undermined the book, but since they are individual stories, I kind of doubt it.

Underworld, Don Delillo

2009-12-24T18:06:00.002+01:00

Underworld was called the runner up to the best novel of the century by the New York Times. I must say that I don't agree. I recently read a quote (also in the Times) that sums up this book pretty well : "Books can be long, books can be boring, but they shouldn't be both".

There were passages that were very well done, and at times I felt I was watching contemporary culture descriptions similar to those in the Rabbit series by Updike. Overall however, a few good descriptions & insights to modern times doesn't make up for characters that are forgettable or flat, nor for a lack of storyline.

I will give Delillo another try - I have Falling Man on my shelves, but this book wasn't convincing.

La Double vie de Véronique, Krzysztof Kieslowski

2009-12-21T09:55:00.000+01:00

The haunting music, strange story line and mysterious atmosphere work to create strong emotions in La Double vie de Véronique by Kieslowski. I saw Blue when I was a teenager and don't remember much, but our recent DVD cataloging exercise showed me how many films we have by this director, and many of them look really interesting, so I suspect we'll slowly work our way through them.

I give this movie a B.

Transsiberian, Brad Anderson

2009-12-18T09:57:00.007+01:00

Another 99c rental on iTunes, I found Transsiberian a moderately entertaining movie. I suspect had I put more attention into it I wouldn't have cared much for it, but as I was doing other things while watching it, it worked fine. Woody Harrelson seemed less arrogant and better able to stay in a small role than I'd ever seen him. I found the actress good and I'd be interested to see more movies by Anderson.

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

2009-12-18T09:46:00.007+01:00

Like everyone, I know the story from countless movies and adaptations, but I had never read the original. When Audible put this up for free I thought I'd try it, in part because I've found myself appreciating the classics more and more -- no matter what I thought of them in high school. I didn't have a good memory of Dickens, but this story was better than almost all modern adaptations, and I found the writing (well, listening) very enjoyable. Will put Dickens on that very long to-read-again-someday list...

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Schaffer

2009-12-16T09:41:00.002+01:00

This was a great choice for an audiobook, and the multiple narrators saying who they were and who was writing to whom was really helpful, especially as I tend to dip in and out of audiobooks in 15 minute increments.

The structure of using letters to tell this story was fun & the story itself held my interest. Characters were uneven in the development and credibility, and I wonder if Juliette came across as more sympathetic in print than her reader in the book conveyed by her tone. I didn't think the book was a masterpiece, but it was very enjoyable as a story & the audio format worked really well for once.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Steig Larsson

2009-12-12T09:37:00.002+01:00

To be honest, crime mystery bestsellers are not really my genre, so this review should be read in that context. I also had just finished a real masterpiece (East of Eden, John Steinbeck) and Larsson's writing had a hard time standing up to that standard.

The writing was the weak point of this story, although there are moments when the writing is unobtrusive and there is the occasional clever turn of phrase, the heavy and direct style sometimes became annoying.

The best point of this book was the characters -- clearly Larsson has given them a lot of thought, and humanity. While all are a bit exaggerated, the main characters are developed individuals. The central character is almost certainly a largely autobiographical character of the author, but he has a few flashes of insight into this person that keep things from getting too dull. The small interactions & references to his daughter & first wife are an example of this.

The story itself was pretty much a standard crime mystery, with a bit of corporate and personal greed/vendetta woven in for a second storyline. I don't think the second storyline worked that well, in particular after the deroulement of the main story had ended. The second story wasn't interesting enough or charged with enough drama to warrant an additional 100 pages, but the book was such a fast read that getting through it wasnt a problem.

I'd give a B- and will probably go ahead and read the rest of the series -- but mainly because they're already on my bookshelf & my husband is reading them at the same time.

Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi

2009-12-11T09:35:00.003+01:00

I listened to this over about 2 weeks - found some of the description of the Tehran ambiance through the revolution until the author's immigration to be a very good point of view of understanding what that was like to live through, in particular for an educated woman. Some of the sections of the book were a bit self-indulgent and stories that seemed to have no purpose. The author comes off as very full of herself and her intellect in multiple sections, yet never communicated any real brilliance to me.

As an audio recording it was well done - good narrator, decent pace (pace of the book in parts is quite slow however).

It made me want to listen to other memoirs in audiobook - the format seems well adapted to this kind of material. I wouldn't seek out more work by Nafisi, but she did give some reading ideas for the future.

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

2009-12-10T09:30:00.003+01:00

I picked up this book thinking I was going to struggle through it -- I had not enjoyed reading Of Mice & Men & The Pearl in high school, and I doubted I'd like this too much. Was I ever wrong.

I found the writing style amazing, the story and characters sharp and clever and completely timeless, the pace quick and interesting. I'd easily put it as the best book I've read this year, and into my "best books ever" pile as well.

Truly a pleasure to read, and gave me more courage to go back to other classics & of course to read more Steinbeck too.

Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder

2009-12-05T09:27:00.002+01:00

I liked that this book gave a good overview of philosophy, and found the explanations of most of the philosophy easy to digest & simple, but the structure of the book was so gimmicky that for me it didn't work well, and in particular after 2/3 I just wanted it to be over. I finished it out of stubbornness - I rarely leave books unfinished, but this one tempted me to.

Rarely have I read a book that I didn't enjoy reading that I got so much out of. As a novel for me it doesn't work at all, as far as the writing style goes I wasn't very impressed (and found it quite uneven) but for just the philosophy angle & cleverness of a new approach, I'm more forgiving.

Broken Open, Elizabeth Lesser

2009-12-01T14:58:00.000+01:00

I listened to Broken Open over the past week or so. I don't even remember buying it, but it was a good find for this time in my life. I don't know if there was any particular part that stuck out for me, but the overall message that we have a lot to learn from the tough times in life was an important thing for me to hear right now. I didn't care much for the author's tone and I thought her stories were weak and self-indulgent next to some of the stories of other people (or things she could have included) but I still got something out of the book. I wouldn't recommend the book or the audiorecording unless it was to someone else going through challenging times, however.

Kafka On the Shore, Huraki Murakami

2009-11-27T18:58:00.001+01:00

I finished reading Kafka on the Shore today. I'm sad it's over, I enjoyed reading this book a lot. I like magical realism and when a tidy narrative takes twists and turns into the impossible. The writing, characters & story were all great. I really loved the parallel construction of the two stories alternating back and forth -- thought it really worked well, and I'm not always a big fan of these kinds of structures.

I suspect the book got such a favorable reception from me because it struck me as both deep and also very much a fantasy of escapism and the impossible - things that resonate with me a lot these days. I'm also struck at having sandwiched the May 25th period with Wind Up Bird Chronicle and this late November period with Kafka on the Shore, bringing a decidedly Murakami flavor to a rather pedestrian life experience...

Grading it an A-, as I did feel there was something holding it back from being a masterpiece. Murakami said in interviews you need to read it a few times to work out some riddles -- that will have to wait for me...

Teotihuacan at Quai Branly

2009-11-27T18:30:00.000+01:00

Today I went to see Teotihuacan at the Musée du Quai Branly (here's a link in English). It was my first time visiting this art museum (focused on the far flung regions of the world) so I also went through part of the main collections (sticking with Americas since I'd already spent 2 hours on that).

It was enjoyable - a part of history I don't know at all, so I learned a good deal. I'm always astonished though, when I look at the development of the populations in the Americas at how far behind on most technology they were for so long (writing, sciences, etc). The art too seems so primitive, even if some of it is lovely.

Renoir au XXe siecle - Grand Palais

2009-11-26T21:44:00.000+01:00

Today I went to see Renoir au XXe siècle, at the Grand Palais.

I enjoyed it, but wasn't knocked out, which was pretty much what I suspected because he's never been one of my favorites.

I did enjoy the focus on a specific part of his career (the end) and some of the artists he influenced being hung alongside him (Picasso, Matisse, Bonnard).

The audioguide was well done for once, but I need to remember that leaving at 16h30 to go to an expo is not such a good time, as it was quite crowded with the last wave of guided tours... earlier must be better.

Get Well Soon

2009-11-24T22:27:00.000+01:00

Get Well Soon was a forgettable movie that would have been better off staying forgotten. Plot was stupid, almost non-existent, not amusing, not funny, not well-acted. Really nothing redeeming except helped me through an hour on the elliptical machine (and was only 99c on iTunes).

Le vent nous emportera (The Wind Will Carry Us)

2009-11-21T11:33:00.002+01:00

In the process of organizing our DVDs I sometimes come across things that look like they'd be good, and Le vent nous emportera was one of them. The movie didn't live up to the box, however. Screaming with awards won & with a poetic, beautiful photo on the front we thought we were about to discover a new favorite director, but that was not to be.

We both found the movie beautifully filmed, and it while the documentary-style filming & lack of score was interesting, the story, frankly, was not. We liked the off-screen-ness of several of the surrounding characters, but E fell asleep several times watching it, and neither of us enjoyed it very much.

Ce que le jour doit à la nuit, Yasmina Khadra

2009-11-19T11:23:00.000+01:00

A family friend had loved Ce que le jour doit à la nuit, and recommended it to me and so I decided to go ahead and try it in French. As is always the case when I read in French, it's frustrating to read so slowly and for it to require so much effort, so it is easy to get distracted, easy to put the book down and pick up something else, and not easy to finish. I finally picked up the book again and pushed myself through it, and was glad I did. When I had longer stretches of time to read it was very enjoyable, which is an important lesson in terms of future reading in French - it's hard for me to do it in small 20 minute slices since each time it's hard to fall back into it (unlike in English).

The book was nice & interesting. Well written, good descriptions, and I really liked the lack of melodrama that accompanied the major plot twists. Not yet out in English, by the way.

People Will Talk by Joseph Mankiewicz

2009-11-13T11:05:00.007+01:00

My mom & I watched People Will Talk after going to dinner at L'Ourcine. It was a good Cary Grant movie with a racy-for-the-epoch plot & was quite a good movie. I give it a B. I'll probably see it again, as my husband had left it in a pile of things he wanted us to see together (I thought it was the pile of stuff he'd already seen...)

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

2009-11-08T16:48:00.000+01:00

Never Let Me Go was a very well structured story, and Ishiguro's signature controlled emotions and careful construction. The sci-fi futuristic aspect not my cup of tea, but the writing was beautiful.

The Time Traveller's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger

2009-11-06T16:43:00.000+01:00

The Time Traveler's Wife was a very original story, fast moving, interesting concept. The book probably could have been successful with a 100 pages less (it got a bit repetitive) but I enjoyed it. Ending not as strong as the beginnning, but with a highly original concept thats not surprising.

Compulsion, Johnathan Kellerman

2009-11-05T16:39:00.000+01:00

Compulsion, by Johnathan Kellerman is not my genre of books, but I needed something light and page-turning. It fit the bill, but I hesitate for the second star. Luckily it was a VERY quick read but really left me feeling empty afterwards. Makes me wonder why people read books like this when there are so many really good books out there...

Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout

2009-11-04T16:36:00.001+01:00

I read Olive Kitteridge in the days before the hospital & just after the surgery. Series of linked stories that I really liked.

Loved the linked stories in this book, they were far less gimmicky than I usually find that structure to be. The writing was subtle and insightful without being obtrusive or in-your-face intellectual. It's been a long time since I've read a story where you had so much abivalence for the main character - you don't exactly like her, but you do appreciate her - very well done.

Le Dôme - fish brasserie

2009-11-02T20:17:00.000+01:00

After the theatre we went to a fish restaurant that was VERY good. Le Dôme is in the Montparnasse area, and everything we ate was really top quality.

I had mussels with a cream sauce (with a dash of curry & fleur d'oranger), E started with oysters. Then we both had a fabulous lobster salad. Main dishes of lotte and sole meunière were excellent. Desset of millefeuille which they are famous for was amazing, and we are fans of millefeuille at Boulangerie Monge (and we'd had it for brunch!) but this blew it away. A few bites of caramel & chocolate Berthillion ice creams didn't hurt either....

Yum. Instantly became a place I'll put into regular rotation, even if it's a bit spendy...

Abraham - Michel Jonasz

2009-11-02T20:07:00.000+01:00

We went to see a French one man show, Abraham, by singer Michel Jonasz.

It was a sad, touching one act play, which was really very well played and the text was very good. I wasnt crazy about the songs but I am never a big fan of musical theatre.

La Bohème, Paris Opera

2009-11-01T16:39:00.000+01:00

We went to see our first opera of the season, La Bohème (actually it was supposed to be the second, but the first was rescheduled due to a strike...).

I was not crazy about the music - probably not helped by the fact that the singer playing Mimi wasn't the greatest, and I found the orchestra too loud vs the vocals, but I actually think the music just isn't as good as the other operas I've been to. Being a novice to opera maybe that's unfair, but it was my gut feeling.

The sets were beautiful, and in particular act 2 was amazing - probably 80 people onstage.

After the opera, we went to eat dinner at Bofinger, a classic French brasserie, which was quite good. A really nice evening!

Montparnasse 25

2009-10-30T16:19:00.001+01:00

We went to Montparnasse 25 for dinner. It was sad, because the Starwood management has just converted the hotel to a Sheraton & decided to close this Michelin-starred restaurant that we love. The chef, Christian Moine & the waitstaff that my husband knows from years of dining there were all still in shock from the announcement (even though they've been under threat of the axe for 2 years).

Food was very good, as usual, and I imagine we'll make it back a few times in the next months, but it will probably be going downhill fast since the best of the serving & kitchen staff will go for greener pastures as soon an they are able.

Get a Life, Nadine Gordimer

2009-10-28T16:29:00.000+01:00

I had never read anything by Nobel-prize winning Nadine Gordimer, but I found Get a Life at a used bookshop & picked it up. Interesting character study, but the story seemed flat and poorly developed to me. Grade : B-

Mona Lisa Smile

2009-10-26T23:07:00.000+01:00

I watched Mona Lisa Smile as a 99c rental from iTunes on the train today. As is often the case w 99c movies, I feel I got a good deal. It was at least 3$ worth of entertainment. I enjoyed seeing a chick flick that kept me occupied for 2 hours. Grade : B

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

2009-10-25T23:03:00.000+01:00

A and I went to see this (while E worked). In 3D. The 3D effects were, as is often the case, pretty uneven, but the story was entertaining for this genre of film - although less funny for adults than many kids movies are. I'd grade it a B-.

The Healing of America - T.R. Reid

2009-10-25T23:01:00.000+01:00

I've long looked for a good rapid overview of multiple health systems -- this book completely fits the bill, and hopefully will even make a big enough impact to make serious changes to the US healthcare system. A quick and easy read, it was also interesting & written by a reporter who understood his subject but simplified things for easy access for anyone.

Time Will Darken It - William Maxwell

2009-10-24T22:57:00.000+02:00

This book was loaned to me by my mom, who loved it and had post it flags & underlining all over it. Despite that being extremely annoying, the book was beautifully written, and really made me wonder why Maxwell is not better known. Reading more of his work is high on my priority list now.

Les Bouddas de Shandong, Musée Cernuchi

2009-10-21T14:38:00.000+02:00

My sister & I went to the Cernuchi museum, a small Asian arts museum which is near my office. There was a special exhibit on these buddhas, which were a fun cultural stop in the day.

Once Upon A Time in the West, Sergio Leone

2009-10-18T19:39:00.000+02:00

My husband really wanted to watch Once Upon a Time in the West, by Sergio Leone last night. He was in the mood for something very boyish, and he loves this film. It wasn't my first choice, but I agreed because he was so enthusiastic about it. I did appreciate seeing it again - Sergio Leone at the top of his Spaghetti Western game, for sure, plus that beautiful cinematography (and some mighty cute men).

Ile des sourciers, Anthony Horowitz

2009-10-17T20:12:00.000+02:00

This book is kind of embarrasing to put on my 'read' list because it's young adult fiction, and not even very good young adult fiction.

But I read it because my stepson (9) recommended it and I figured if he could read it, I could read it in French. I have largely stopped reading in French, but this went easily and even gives me the courage to try something adult in French... well, we'll see about that.

I thought the book was not so good - like a rip-off, not-very-interesting version of Harry Potter, but A told me that in fact this was written well before Harry Potter so in fact the rip-off is the other way (although HP is much more interesting).

Tchao Pantin

2009-10-17T09:46:00.001+02:00

We watched Tchao Pantin, a 1983 French film about a young drug dealer & his neighborhood gas station attendant who is befriends him. Great acting, interesting filming, but the story lacked spark. One of those French character films.

Borsalino - dir. Jacques Deray

2009-10-11T17:46:00.001+02:00

Last night we watched Borsalino, which is a 1970s gangster movie which was mildly amusing. The clichés of mobsters were in full effect, but Alain Delon was his usual suave self. The movie apparently was a sequel to a pretty good movie -- but as is often the case, the sequel didn't live up to the original.

For a Few Dollars More - Sergio Leone

2009-10-10T15:38:00.000+02:00

We watched another Western last night. Actually I slept for a good portion of it, but I still liked it. It was the second Sergio Leone spaghetti western. Excellent acting, great cinematography, score was awesome. Story was not the best.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery

2009-10-09T09:50:00.001+02:00

I should know better --- I've rarely liked books that are 'reading group favorites' and that's where this one was shelved in 3 bookstores

I read it because it was the book selected by the Paris Goodreads book club, and I really need social contact.

I didnt care much for the translation, and although I enjoyed the first 50 pages, I thought the story got worse and worse as it went on.

2 movies not worth the 99c rental in iTunes

2009-10-09T09:47:00.000+02:00

Embarrassing -- both were intended for the gym, but weren't even worth my time as I have better things to watch even at the gym...

Material Girls with Hilary Duff & her sister.... stupid stupid stupid

Van Wilder with some young cute teenage bad actor... stupid too, and vulgar... but funny a few times

Dancer, by Colum McCann

2009-10-09T09:44:00.000+02:00

Read this through most of the IVF proceedings. Finished it the day of retrieval.

I liked it, it was an insteresting mix between biography and novel. Characters were great, writing was really smooth.

I'm BACK!

2009-10-09T09:43:00.000+02:00

I stopped updating here for several months, but have decided to come back to it effective now (and I'll fill in from beginning of October).

I liked keeping track of things.

I might do the simple versions without links and pictures to keep time down.

Oncle Vania - by Tchechov

2009-03-21T17:35:00.000+01:00

Goodbye Girl

2009-03-17T17:35:00.001+01:00

The Magnificent Seven

2009-03-14T21:18:00.000+01:00

Gran Torino

2009-03-08T21:17:00.000+01:00

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - John Le Carré

2009-03-08T21:16:00.001+01:00

I've loved you so long - movie

2009-03-01T21:10:00.000+01:00

White Tiger

2009-03-01T21:01:00.000+01:00

Gods & Monsters

2009-02-25T21:12:00.001+01:00

A whole new mind

2009-02-25T21:12:00.000+01:00

La Horse

2009-01-04T15:40:00.000+01:00

E had the idea that this short 1970 film, La Horse, would be a good family film for us to watch w A. I'm not sure a film about an errant grandson who gets his family wrapped up in a heroin deal (and his sister gang raped) is really family material, but the movie was interesting, and Jean Gabin was terrific. E was at least able to warn A (and me) of the violent scenes. Although I'm still having nightmares of the poor cattle hit by the car over and over to injure them. Don't think steak is on the menu for the upcoming days...

Jeff Koons at the Chateau de Versailles

2009-01-03T15:00:00.000+01:00

I had the idea that seeing Jeff Koons at the Chateau de Versailles would be a fun thing to do w A, since it's hard to imagine art that's more accessible to an 8 year old than Koons (giant balloon sculptures and Disney characters). We didn't manage to get there in December before it was supposed to end, but it actually got extended and we booked tickets in the final days and went to see it Saturday night.

It's a shame to visit Versailles at night, because the best part of it is the gardens, and the magnificent over-the-top Gallerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) is impressive during the day because it reflects the gardens over and over. It's also not so fun in the cold, since you don't feel like lingering in the garden if you do go out there (there was a Koons installation in the gardens that we froze to see, then were unimpressed by).

The Koons works were as expected - the NYTimes summed it nicely as an "American Invasion", but the contrast of modern and classic made it much more interesting (A described it as "Old and Original"). A enjoyed it (more than he would probably enjoy a classical art show). Still, hanging beach toys on fences or from the ceiling does not make things "art" to me, and I generally think he's trying too card to be clever (or commercial). As I've felt the last several times I've seen big names in contemporary art, I can wait a while before giving this genre another go...

A liked Puppy best of all, and I thought the Disney-esque flowers were clever in the overdone Versailles bedroom with the flowery wallpaper. The contrast of the lobster raft and the fuscia drawing room was original.

24 heures dans la vie d'une femme - theatre

2009-01-02T23:29:00.002+01:00

We saw 24 heures dans la vie d'une femme tonight (English title must be 24 hours in the life of a woman) by Stefan Zweig. It was a surprise for me, E called me late in the day to propose going to a play. I usually try to read the plays before we see them so I can follow along effectively, but this wasn't possible. It was pretty hard to follow, as the text used a lot of passe simple and imparfait du subjonctif, neither of which are conjugasions used in everyday French. What's more, it's actually a short story converted into a one-act (hour and a half) play, with huge long monologues, so I had to be very carefully focused to capture everything.

The text was really amazing, the acting was good but not great. The theatre seats were benches with no back support and my back aches from sitting at close attention for so long. But it was a really nice surprise for the evening, and makes me want to move Stefan Zweig up on the reading list.

2009-01-02T12:15:00.003+01:00

It was a movie fest yesterday - we stayed at the theatre and hit a second movie, this time Burn After Reading, which has just arrived in France. It was good, great actors, amusing story. Not one of the Coen brothers best, but not terrible, and certainly a fun couple of hours.

Two Lovers - movie

2009-01-01T12:07:00.001+01:00

We went to see Two Lovers today. E has been keeping up with current releases he's wanted to catch (a good thing because I haven't been paying attention). As usual, he made a good choice. Two Lovers was well-acted and interesting, a "true" love story, not at all mushy, and not a Hollywood happy ending. My American girl would have loved a good chick flick ending, but this movie was more French feeling, more real, than that. Joaquin Phoenix was excellent and very convincing.

Emil Nolde

2009-01-01T11:36:00.000+01:00

We went to see Emil Nolde at the Grand Palais this morning. Nolde was a German expressionist painter who was contemporary to many, and frankly in general interesting but not better than the more famous artists of his day.

There were a few really great paintings, but most were just okay. His watercolors, especially near the end of his life when he was not allowed by the Nazis to paint, were quite interesting.

It's been a while since I've made it to any museums in Paris, so I was glad to start 2009 off on this footing!

2008 Books Read List

2008-12-31T23:40:00.000+01:00

I'm updating the sidebar to have 2009 books read, so here is the copy and paste of 2008

A Mercy, Toni Morrison
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
The Almost Moon, Alice Sebold
Therapy, David Lodge
The Story of Edgar Sawtell, David Wroblewski
La Place, Annie Ernaux
STALLED (started reading) : The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
Half Assed, Jennette Fulda
Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut
l'Occupation, Annie Ernaux
The Fourth Bear, Jasper Fforde
The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
Matilda, Roald Dahl
Under the Volcano, Malcom Lowry
Getting Things Done, David Allen
A Death in the Family, James Agee
In the Country of Last Things, Paul Auster
A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, Julian Barnes
Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee
Six Sick Hipsters, Rayo Casablanca
The Autograph Man, Zadie Smith
Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Alternatives to Sex, Stephen McCauley
Empire Falls, Richard Russo
Suite Française, Irène Némirovsky
No Country For Old Men, Cormac McCarthy
Rabbit is Rich, John Updike
The Kite Runner, Khalad Hosseini
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides

Almost Famous - movie

2008-12-28T11:36:00.000+01:00

I should have tried to sleep, but instead I played with the video on demand on my flight and found Almost Famous, a movie I'd missed in the theatres and that I knew I'd never buy on DVD. It was an enjoyable film, the best of the 3 I saw on planes that day... granted, 20-odd hours into my trip, I wasn't very picky...

The Wedding Date - movie

2008-12-28T11:31:00.000+01:00

I watched The Wedding Date with Debra Messing & the very adorable Dermot Mulroney on the flight back to Paris. There were a couple of really sexy scenes with Mulroney that pretty much made the movie worthwhile, although I can admit it is classic chick flick trash. Since I rarely watch this kind of movie I have no problem enjoying it when I do!

Ghost Town - movie

2008-12-28T11:20:00.001+01:00

I watched Ghost Town on a flight from Denver to Newark. It was not a great movie and I would have been disappointed had I made any effort whatsoever to choose it - be it with my time or my money, but since it was in front of my face and I was eating lunch on the plane I at least didn't feel ripped off. Greg Kinnear is pretty annoying and has basically not changed since he started acting.

It's hard to believe this got a 7.3 rating on imdb... it really was not a good movie.

Doubt - movie

2008-12-24T11:58:00.000+01:00

I went to see Doubt with my mom and her wonderful friend Hildegard. I'm really glad we went, it was a great movie with amazing acting, and I fear I would have missed it had my mom not been in the know...

Slumdog Millionaire

2008-12-21T11:53:00.000+01:00

I went to see Slumdog Millionaire with a big chunk of my family and I loved it. Very creative, amusing, touching story, told in a great and modern way. Makes me want to see much more of Danny Boyle's pictures I've missed.

Denver Museum of Contemporary Art - Damien Hirst

2008-12-20T13:22:00.000+01:00

Damien Hirst is a man not afraid of death or coming back in another life as a member of the animal kingdom, since he seems to love putting animals in some type of decimated form into his art. (Those are real butterflies stuck into the paint, and of course he's famous for putting all kinds of beasts into formaldahyde and then on display).

The new but small Denver MCA had a very small (4 works) show of a few pieces of Hirst that I saw with Pam & her girls. I think the guide/guard said it best when he said "he's a very successful artist if you judge by his prices, and the collectors must know something". He indeed is the master of marketing, is very provocative, and has become filthy rich. Still, is it really good art?

The MCA has a great upstairs area for kids, a big playspace full of FatBoy bean bags. It was more fun (and less urban hip - well, Denver hip which of course means jeans) with kids piling them up and jumping on them...

Bottle Shock

2008-12-17T23:46:00.000+01:00

I watched Bottle Shock on my way to the US, mainly because although my airline had a new video-on-demand system, there was NOTHING I wanted to see. So after looking through the titles twice, I finally settled on this. It was incredibly mediocre.

There Will Be Blood - movie

2008-12-10T11:47:00.000+01:00

We watched There Will Be Blood thinking it was a Coen Brothers movie (it's not) and I was prepared for way too much violence but it was a different - and better - film than I expected.

It was deep and dark and heavy, but human and real. A very good movie.

la Vie Devant Soi - theatre

2008-12-07T12:51:00.000+01:00

We went to see La Vie Devant Soi, which won several awards at the Molieres this year. It was really good, and to top it off we had a great time exploring the Indian groceries and restaurants afterwards on our way home.

36 quai des orfevres

2008-11-22T19:32:00.003+01:00

We watched 36 quai des orfevres last night. It worked for about 30 minutes w A when he got too scared and asked to go watch Spongebob Squarepants. It's definitely not a kid movie. It was a good police movie, though, quic-paced and well-acted. Not a masterpiece, but makes you remember that Gerard Depardieu has his career because he can be really good (although he's often not).

MR 73

2008-11-19T19:41:00.000+01:00

E came home from a trip having watched a TV miniseries done here in France that he really liked. Apparently it was some hours-long complex police drama, and he really wanted to see more by the directors.

This film, MR 73, is the first of those (the other being 36 quai des orfevres). It was a dark but interesting and well-paced film, with great acting. We both really liked it.

The Almost Moon - Alice Sebold

2008-11-15T14:34:00.005+01:00

I picked up The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold last weekend in London and I kept it around for reading instead of Cat's Cradle that I had traveled with, because Cat's Cradle didn't grab me, and the first sentence of Almost Moon did ("When all is said an done, killing my mother came easily").

It was no literary masterpiece, and the central characters lack anything positive to make you really care about them. The story was actually well-told despite that, and the suspense well built (even if you didn't really care about the outcome). I felt parts were expecting people to be idiots. The big reveal that the father had been in a mental institution was so obvious I couldn't fathom who wouldn't have already figured it out based on the highly manipulative way it was presented - so it makes the main character look like a dope.

The next book will be an award winner, I don't want more disappointments...

Elizabeth - DVD

2008-11-11T14:47:00.000+01:00

I watched Elizabeth, a 1998 movie that I had somehow missed at the theater when in London as it seemed the best choice of the films available, and the least likely to be something my husband would regret.

Cate Blanchett was phenomenal, the rest of the cast pales next to her.

A well-made movie that was enjoyable.

Mark Rothko at the Tate Modern

2008-11-11T13:03:00.001+01:00

We saw Mark Rothko at the Tate Modern - the main driver of me wanting to schedule a return visit to London this Fall, in fact. The gray series of paintings were really great, but otherwise there was not much I had not already seen, since the Seagram paintings are on permanent display at the Tate and I've been many times. E didn't appreciate it much, but he was a good sport about coming.

British Museum

2008-11-10T13:13:00.001+01:00

We went to the British Museum, where E could easily have spent all day. It was enjoyable, in particular the cataloging room which has these incredible display cases. Some of which were taken over by Damien Hirst's brightly painted skulls, Cornucopia.

Francis Bacon at Tate Britain

2008-11-09T13:09:00.000+01:00

We went to see Francis Bacon at the Tate Britain, an exhibit I probably would have skipped had it not been for E, and I'm very glad we went. I didn't know Bacon's work very well, but enjoyed it and the intensity of emotion he communicates.

Therapy, by David Lodge

2008-11-07T22:53:00.003+01:00

I could not say I loved this book, in fact, at times I really struggled to get through it, but in the end travel boredom won out and I did keep plodding along. The book was a suggestion from my husband who must have read it at a point in his life where therapy seemed a good answer.

I found the main character not very sympathetic, and a lot of the plot devices over-worked.

I'm looking forward to picking up award winners again - and plotting my final Rabbit book for not too long from now...

No Country for Old Men

2008-11-01T12:45:00.002+01:00

We were set to watch a lot of Coen brothers this weekend (except we both disliked O Brother and turned it off after 40 minutes) but we did watch all of No Country for Old Men.

I'd read the book early this year and it was probably the only reason I thought the violence was tolerable - because I knew it was coming and knew the story.

I think the movie was well-done and well-acted, and like the book it was rather subtle and psychological.

Tommy Lee Jones was awesome, as was Javier Barden.

The Story of Edgar Sawtell - David Wroblewski

2008-10-27T12:44:00.001+01:00

My mom has been recommending this book to me for ages - largely because the author is a friend of hers. I knew she loved the book and thought it was terrific, but as I didn't pick it up right away I had no idea her friend would wow the publishing world and be a runaway bestseller in his first attempt at bat, sitting high on the NY Times bestseller list, gaining lots of great reviews as a great summer read, and even making Oprah's book club.

I really enjoyed David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtell, and I enjoyed even more having the time to read it. It's a big book, and therefore not practical for schleping on travel and in my purse for zipping about town, but I took it with me on a 3 day weekend and read it in the train to and fro, along with lovely chunks of the day with a cup of tea...

I'm a dog person, and maybe you have to be to really like this book. But the characters are great, the story keeps moving, and the writing style is clean and punchy. Definitely a good read.

Dogtown & Z Boys

2008-10-26T18:59:00.002+01:00

There are very few movies that aren't worth 99c and Dogtown and Z Boys, while outside of my usual choices, was one of those value deals where the 99c rental on iTunes seemed like a great bargain after watching this amusing documentary that introduced me to a snapshot of time and pop culture in an amusing way.

There is nothing magic about the movie making, but the subject was interesting even to the uninitiated, and the fact that it's a grown up Z Boy making the movie made it kind of sentimental and touching.

Tartuffe - theatre

2008-10-21T12:56:00.000+02:00

We went to see Moliere's Tartuffe at the Theatre de l'Odeon tonight. It was really good, and the theater was a real gem, old and ornate, great seats, and very enjoyable. It helps that I've already seen and read this play, but the production was good and the evening emotional and wonderful.

Entre les murs

2008-10-12T10:32:00.003+02:00

Yesterday we went to see the Cannes palme d'or winner, "entre les murs' (title in English will be "the class")

It's based on a book written by a teacher about the kids in his class, and played by real people, almost a documentary but it's loosely scripted and incorporates a "dramatic event". The kids are his real students not professional actors, with lots of improvising. It was not a GREAT film but it was good, and gave me a glimpse into the French school system and in particular the disadvantaged youth. Most of the situation could have applied to any country's immigrant neighborhoods.

I enjoyed the movie, and it was the first time we went w A to see a 'grown up' film. He was very cute during the movie, clearly in shock in seeing kids in school treating a teacher so differently than how he lives school in his small experience in a well-to-do neighborhood.

Deconstrucing Harry

2008-10-08T10:46:00.000+02:00

We watched Deconstructing Harry this week. It was excellent, one of the best of the Woody Allen films starring Woody Allen in both of our views. We laughed out loud multiple times, and just found the whole film original and great.

I really needed a laugh and I got one.

Donnie Brasco

2008-10-04T07:17:00.000+02:00

I watched Donnie Brasco on my iPhone, in smallish bits, as breaks from working too much over the weekend.

I'd actually never heard of this mob flick with Al Pacino & a really adorable Johnny Depp, I must have been sleeping when it hit theatres in 1997, but I was awake when it rented for 99c on iTunes.

I liked the movie, although having recently done most of the Sopranos season and then having seen Gommorah, it was definitely in the Sopranos vein.

An entertaining film - not great, and it hasn't stayed with me very well in the days since, but it gave me the break I needed...

Le Cercle Rouge

2008-09-23T22:12:00.003+02:00

We watched the French thriller/police movie Le Cercle Rouge in two parts.

The actors were terrific, all of them, but in particular Yves Montand and of course Alain Delon is always easy on the eyes.

I liked the movie. Suspenseful, not violent, great characters.

La Place - Annie Ernaux

2008-09-18T16:28:00.002+02:00

The small, compact and bare bones books of Annie Ernaux are powerful things. You get deep inside the emotions of a person without it being a fancy or dramatic affair.

La Place tells the story of her relationship with her father, and it's deeply personal and real.

Makes you want to read more (and in French!)

Amsterdam - Ian McEwan

2008-09-09T09:56:00.000+02:00

I've been stuck on Salaman Rushdie's Satanic Vesres for several weeks now - the book was harder than I was prepared for, and when the story slowed down I just stopped reading for a while. I've tried forcing myself a few times but didn't really feel it, the reading bug didn't catch, and so I decided to start something else.

Ian McEwan's Amsterdam was a good choice - a fast read, good story, well told and quick action. It's the first of his novels I've read, and from what I've gathered not his best. I didn't love it but it was enjoyable, and if nothing else I'm grateful it moved me out of stuck on reading.

Gomorrah

2008-09-07T20:57:00.004+02:00

We went to see Gomorra this evening. Sad, touching, brutal and frightening. As is often the case, the Cannes jury didn't pick an easy film as the best picture this year.

I'm glad I recently did Sopranos marathons, because I was better able to tolerate the violence, and because it made that NJ mafia look warm and fuzzy.

In Gomorrah the director did a great job of developing empathy for several characters, in particular the two young punks who have more testosterone than brains, the couture foreman, and the older money man. The best was probably the young Tito, although waste management situation was also pretty incredible.

Hard movie, but very good.

Three Days of the Condor

2008-09-06T13:05:00.000+02:00

We watched Three Days of the Condor last night, which was a real mid-70's period movie featuring paranoia of the government trying to do everything possible to protect Middle Eastern oil interests. Could easily be remade for today, that issue is just as pertinent (although maybe we're a bit less affected by the post-Watergate era).

Redford was excellent and I've never seen anything before with a young Faye Dunaway. We liked the movie, although I wouldn't put it on a "best" list...

Didier

2008-09-05T11:58:00.000+02:00

Our choices for family movies are getting broader as A gets older, but Didier was more in the kid-stuff genre anyway. It was amusing and an original idea (dog gets transformed into a man) but the pace was slow at times and unless one is a huge football (soccer) fan there were some sequences that were grating on my nerves.

Still, a fun little film, and the acting of Chabat and Bacri was good.

The Sopranos

2008-09-04T14:50:00.004+02:00

E and I started watching the Sopranos together in February, after his surgery. While E really like Season 1, he liked the second one much less and decided he didn't want to continue. I've made slow progress through the episodes on evenings when I'm by myself since then, and have just finished the series.

I'm sad it's over, it was original and I really enjoyed watching it.

Fargo

2008-08-31T17:02:00.003+02:00

I loved Fargo when I first saw it in the theatre years ago, I loved it when I bought it on VHS (was one of about 3 films that I owned instead of renting) and I loved watching it last night w E, who had never seen it.

The clearly Midwestern tone, the hilarious Minnesota accents, the dark, sick humor and the fabulous acting.

The movie was just as good this time as my memory, even if the element of surprise was missing, and I enjoyed sharing it w E. Made us both want to watch more Coen brothers movies in the future.

It also reminded me of the snowglobe I got with the Fargo VHS tape years ago -- it came with a crazily original and sick snowglobe that had both white for snow and red for blood and featured the woodchopper scene.

L'Enfant Sauvage

2008-08-31T09:52:00.000+02:00

We watched the 1970 François Truffaut movie L'Enfant Sauvage as a family the other night.

Apparently it's based on a real story, one that most French people have heard about (A had learned of it in school, and he's only 8). The child actor was really good, as was Truffaut himself, and the film was enjoyable although not a masterpiece either for the story/script nor for the cinematography. It didn't have the originality and daring of some other Truffaut films, but it was a good movie and it's nice to start being able to see films together that aren't action movies or real kid stuff.