Ruth's Media Inventory: January 2010

For the new year, I've decided to keep track of all the books and movies ("entertainment," if you will) I read/watch and post a list each month. I've kept track pretty faithfully so far, even though I haven't posted yet and it's...ah...March?

Anyway, here's what I read and saw in January (in chronological order, I might add):

Movies:

Ordet - Doesn't really count, because we watched it on December 31st, 2009. But it's a wonderful film (currently in my top 5 in rating great, monumental important films) and I want to say that I started my year out watching it.

The Hustler - I learned more about how to play pool in this film than I will ever need or wish to know. But I also got to watch Paul Newman for 134 min, so, y'know, you cut your losses.

Love Story - I always wondered what Harvard was like in the 70s. Now I know - cold and lifeless.

Drag Me to Hell - Our first horror film of the semester! Scaried the heebie jeebies out of me and nearly persuaded me to never come back, even if I am only "auditing" the class.

Pan's Labyrinth - Such a beautiful film in so many ways.

Mrs. Miniver - Eh. Glad I saw it.

Goodbye, Mr. Chips - with Peter O'Toole. Favorite part of this was the song "Where did my Childhood Go?" I didn't cry much of the rest of the film, but this part had me in tears.

20,000 Leagues under the Sea - I was in the mood. And that "Whale of a Tale" song is catchy!

Inkheart - I hate to say it, but the book was better. And the book wasn't even that good. Oh, but Paul Bettany was spot-on as Dustfinger. The spitting image of the picture I had in my head (which was a little bizarre, come to think of it). But wow. Just, wow.

The Unknown - Good film. I was impressed by the quality of this oldie.

Chinaman - Sweet. Simple.

Kidnapped - Ah, Alan. I never could resist a rogue. Oh, and can I just say here that the Disney commercial before all of these films is possibly the best thing ever made?

Stardust - Funny and fairy-tale like. I liked it.

Three Colors: Blue - I liked the characters, but was missing dialogue after a while.

Himalaya - Surprisingly informative if you want to know more about life as an ancient wandering tribe. Very nice scenery; LOTR-esque, if you know what I mean.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - I get it, but I still hate it.

Brigham City - Good until the end - how lame.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - I loved this film. Paul Bettany was wonderful as usual, and Russell Crowe just might be my favorite actor for a while. The guy can act, y'know?

Pride and Prejudice - #1 in my Romance Movies Christmas Present (Thanks Mary Alma!). It doesn't matter how many times I watch it - Mr. Collins at the Netherfield Ball always cracks me up.

Three Colors: White - I absolutely loved this one. It was by FAR my favorite of the trilogy.

The Place Promised in our Early Days - Animated Asian film. Thought-provoking, but also rather weird.

Freaks - There's no other way of saying it. This film was freaky.

Mad Love - Peter Lorre, you are not the man you were. In 20,000 Leagues, that is. Don't watch this one alone.

Dear Frankie - I want to say that I "heart" this film.

Nights of Cabiria - Emotionally exhausting, but worth watching. There aren't too many decent films about Italian prostitutes out looking for love to begin with, so at least it was fresh.

A Knight's Tale - I admit I enjoyed it (Paul Bettany again? For the third time in one month?! Squeal!!!), but it was rather impertinent and vexing at times.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - The first five minutes of this film more than made up for any flaws that it might have contained in the remainder of its duration.

Victoria and Albert - #2 in my Romance Movies Christmas Present! I know what you're thinking - stuffy British miniseries about arranged marriages and affairs of state. But it's actually really good. Just don't let your mom walk in during THAT ONE SCENE.

An Affair to Remember - I'm a fan of Cary Grant and of Deborah Kerr, so I can't imagine why it was that I wanted to throttle both of them after watching this film.

Three Colors: Red - Overrated... Better than Blue, but a let down after the magnificent White.

Cat People - Underrated!

The Seventh Victim - Weird. Not very scary, not very funny, not very memorable. Not very anything, actually.

Modern Times - I wrote a paper about this film! Go see it! (The film, that is, not the paper)

Sansho the Bailiff - One of those long important Asian films that I hope to brag about seeing one day to someone who has not.

Duck Soup - I wrote a paper about this film too! Oh, and in case you were wondering, Chico is my favorite Marx brother.

Stranded: I've come from a Plane in the Mountains - One of the most heartwrenching, emotionally devastating films I've ever seen, right up there with Sophie Scholl: The Final Days. It's not for the faint of heart or stomach, or for those short on time.

The Long Hot Summer - Aw, it's Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. They're soooo cuuuuute!!! (even if the movie is kind of, um, dumb)

Emma - #3 in my R. M. C. P.! I was very excited this time to learn that the same actor (Mark Strong) who plays Mr. Knightley plays the evil Septimus in Stardust. And you'll never guess who Harriet Smith plays... but you'll have to wait until my February post to find out, as Emma was the last movie I watched in January.

Books:

Unwind - I don't like to use this word, but there's really no better way to say it. This book is RIVETING. So well-crafted in terms of creativity, suspense, and sequence. A ton of thanks to Joseph and Kirsti for getting it for me for Christmas!

Darkness Creeping - A collection of short weird stories by the author of Unwind, Neal Shusterman. It was easy and fun to read.

Everlost - Yet another Shusterman book. A bit slower and more laborious than Unwind. I enjoyed it, but not as much.

Catching Fire - I really loved The Hunger Games, and thought the sequel was interesting and exciting, but not quite as brilliant in the overall package as its predecessor. Still, I admire her creativity and hope she keeps writing.

The Orchard Keeper - the first book for my Cormac McCarthy class! It's difficult to get into, but the detail and the insights are really astounding.

Child of God - Another Cormac McCarthy, and a messed up book, as my teacher would (and did) say. But at least there's no danger of getting bogged down by details or descriptions! I'm a super slow reader, and it only took me two or three days to finish.

Everwild - Interesting, but again somehow lacking in comparison to the compelling motivation and disturbing intimacy of Unwind.

Sideshow - A collection of short original stories about circus freaks that helped me clear my head. Yes, I know it sounds weird.

And that's my January inventory! February to come soon! Meanwhile, classes are going well and I hope to write more regularly with updates now that we have faster Internet at home and my computer seems to have recovered from the various viruses that have been plaguing it of late.