Media Inventory for February 2010!

Here's what I watched and read in February:

Movies:

For Love of the Game: Not bad at all, although I will never like Kevin Costner in anything as much as I did in "Dances with Wolves."

The Day the Earth Stood Still: The Keanu Reaves version. Before you shoot me, I hasten to add that I've seen the old version twice and yes, it is infinitely better.

Ugetsu Monogatari: I don't know why I liked this movie. It's very long, depressing, un-scary, and grossly imbalanced in its view of men and women. Maybe I just like impressing people by saying the title.

'Round Midnight: Sigh. The first of TOO MANY Jazz films that I forced myself to see because of the pledge I made to see every International Cinema film this semester. Why did this have to be the first semester they decided to show a Jazz film every week in February? Why? Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that all Jazz films are too long, pointless, and depressing.

The Lady Vanishes: An early Hitchcock, very fun!

Katyn: A wonderful but terribly depressing film, though I must say, it was refreshing (and a bit shocking) to experience such a blunt, truthful approach to a horrible event in history.

Munyurangabo: One of the very few African films I've seen. It was interesting to see the scenery and lifestyles, but it was hard for me to become invested in the story or the acting. I found myself checking my watch and yawning a lot.

Jane Eyre: #4 in my Romance Movies Collection! And guess who plays Jane Eyre? That's right, Harriet Smith (from the Kate Beckinsale Emma)! She does a surprisingly good job at it, too, and of course we all loved Ciaran Hinds as Mr. Rochester. Who wouldn't, right?

My Dear Enemy: Cute Asian (I think Korean?) film. Good for a date or Valentine's Day activity, but it can be a little slow, so make sure you're prepared. I actually had to leave in the middle to go the bathroom. But I'm still saying I saw it. And now I feel guilty.

The Thing from Another World: I've now seen this movie three times at BYU, all in different official venues, and I've come to the conclusion that it's a delightful little horror/action/sci-fi/romantic/comic film.

The Host: The weirdest combination of comedy and horror. Also featuring one of the weirdest monsters you've ever seen.

Sullivan's Travels: I enjoyed this Preston Sturges film. It's sort of Capra-esque, if you know what I mean.

Paris Blues: It was nice seeing Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward together again. Other than that, yawn.

Andrei Rublev: Fantastic Tarkovsky film. I enjoyed the WHOLE thing. No, seriously.

Waltz with Bashir: It wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be, but it's not bad either.

Lorna Doone: #5 in my Romantic films collection. Sarah and Hannah watched this with me, and I think we can all agree that Lorna should have married Carver. I mean, really.

Quantum of Solace: Daniel Craig was the first James Bond I ever saw, and I gotta say, he's my favorite.

Miracle at Morgan's Creek: Another Preston Sturges film. It was okaaaaaay (meaning I wasn't a fan).

Night of the Hunter: This the first time I've seen Robert Mitchum play a villain, and he is absolutely AMAZING.

Casino Royale (2006): This was the first James Bond film I ever saw, and so far, my favorite Bond film ever. Can I just reiterate again how awesome Daniel Craig is?

The Scarlet Pimpernel I, II, and III: #6 of the Romantic films. I was wary going into this, what with the dark subject matter and the less well-known cast, but it turned out to be pretty good. If you're in the mood for, y'know, guillotines and conspiracies and kidnappings and all that. I still think Ian McKellen makes a better Chauvelin, though.

The Way Home: A very quiet, gentle film. Don't watch it when you're sleepy!

The Blind Sunflowers: A tragic Spanish film. Not as good as Pan's Labyrinth, but worth seeing.

The Five Obstructions: It wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be, and it was rather long, but it was a pretty interesting film all in all. I had trouble staying awake part of the time - but I'm going to blame that on stress and school rather than the movie.

Peeping Tom: A surprisingly decent horror film. I was greatly impressed by the lead performances (a young Aunt Norris in the female lead!)

Carnival of Souls: "Weird" and "creepy" were the first words to come to mind, but this film actually isn't bad. The acting (except for that of the lead character) and dialogue can be amateurish, and sometimes I felt the plot lagged, but when it hit, it hit hard.

The Class: A thoroughly interesting and engaging film. Highly, highly recommended.

The Great Dictator: I thought it was funnier than Modern Times, but I liked Modern Times more. Hmm - why is that?

Dingo: Way too long. As is every jazz film that I've seen.

Northanger Abbey: Silly and superficial, while simultaneously sweet and soothing.

Theater:

Tartuffe (BYU): Fantastic! I was excited to see how BYU built on the literary framework of the play with acting, costuming, set design (there were a lot of fun things with shadows and balconies), music and choreography. The actor playing Tartuffe gave the best performance that I've seen at BYU in a while.

A Thousand Cranes (BYU): It felt a bit amateurish, and at times slightly dull and preachy, but was still mildly enjoyable.

Books:

Blood Meridian: This book took me FOREVER to read, but whaddya expect from the book that some say is McCarthy's most profound work? Very difficult (not for the faint of heart, shall we say?) but rewarding and thought-provoking read. I'm writing my conference paper on Judge Holden, and I'm stoked.

No Country for Old Men: I tried to read this book a couple of years ago and found it too inaccessible. Now I wonder why on Earth I had any problem getting through it. A book with a lot of depth, which unfortunately can get glossed over because it reads so smoothly and quickly compared to other McCarthy books (cough/Blood Meridian/cough).

The Road: Of the three books I read this month (all of which were for my McCarthy class - busy much?), I found myself identifying most with this one. I can't even think of anything to criticize about it, I'm still so overwhelmed by the powerful and intimate emotional experiences I had reading it. Again, it's not for the faint of heart, but I think it will more than amply reward anyone who is willing to give it a chance.

And that's it for February! I promise I'll try to stay on top of the changes of the months for the rest of the year :)