July 2010 Media Inventory

My second-favorite month of the year, gone! Good thing my favorite season is on its way.

Movies:

Mean Girls: Funny, silly, predictable. Good but not great. Except Rachel McAdams, who happens to be my current "favorite actress" - you might want to add that to your trivia list for the next time we play the Ruth game.

Suits on the Loose: Eh.

America's Sweethearts: I have sort of ambivalent feelings for every single one of the four stars in this movie, which probably explains why I can't think of a better word to describe my feelings for this movie than... ambivalent. Well, that was anti-climactic.

Millions: I'd seen it before, but it was worth seeing again. How can anyone not like cute little boys with English accents?

Little Manhattan: Or slightly older boys who narrate movies and ride on scooters and cry over unrequited love, for that matter?

The Karate Kid: The NEW version! I haven't seen the old version, but this one is fun. And far-fetched. And freakin' long.

Stick It: Not particularly daring or innovative for a gymnastics-themed movie, but I enjoyed it anyway, probably because I went through a brief 'gymnastics' phase this month.

Notting Hill: I really don't like Julia Roberts that much, but wow - she is sure in a LOT of movies, isn't she? This movie is long and tiring and cutesy and predictable, and I have no interest in seeing it again.

Ghost: My favorite movie of July! From all the parodies, I was expecting it to be cheesy and over the top, but either I was mistaken or I must be more vulnerable/gullible than I thought, because I was really touched. Sweet love story, fascinating and compelling drama. It's exciting, scary, romantic, truthful, satisfying on a gut level. Gorgeous music (by my longtime Pandora favorite composer Maurice Jarre). I didn't exactly cry, but I was definitely energized/impressed/thrilled by the experience. And also by the extraordinarily talented and dashing Patrick Swayze, whose name just made my top ten of favorite male actors (Who's #1? I'll never tell).

Escape from the Forbidden Matrix: Boy, Adventures in Odyssey really loves this storyline, huh? Kids play computer game, meet creepy old man and evil bad guy, learn that computers suck your life away to feed evil bad guy, and make a near escape. They've got a movie, a radio episode, and - get this - a computer game with the exact same plot!

Shadow of a Doubt: I really enjoyed watching this. It brought back memories of my childhood. Plus it has a lot of funny jokes and references that I just never really picked up on as a kid.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: Fun summer movie. I wanted to go to the ocean after seeing it and yell pirate-y things and jump off a cliff and go sailing. But I guess I'll settle for swimming laps at the rec center for now.

Lost in Austen: I have mixed feelings. It was fun towards the beginning, but then I started getting upset and Janeite-ish: How dare Pride and Prejudice be used and abused in such a fashion! After moaning and groaning through the first hour, I had to convince myself to become detached somewhat from the characters, and so was able to endure it without enjoying it. Anyone up for seeing the real P&P again with me and restoring order and peace?

Eclipse: Oops, never mind, I'll just distract myself with an overdose of exaggerated romance and jealousy! Wow, that Riley is sure cuter than I pictured him in the bo--whups, never mind, he's dead.

Fantastic Mr. Fox: Watched this outside after playing volleyball for a ward activity, and I really liked it - very quirky, creative, amusing.

Flight to the Finish: Another Odyssey movie. Yeah for the memories! Best part? When Whit gets tangled in a tree branch trying to save the kids.

The Knight Travellers: I didn't technically watch all of this, since it is almost older than I am, and the tape is starting to disintegrate. However, I immensely enjoyed the parts that I saw. Don't you picture the Blackgaards looking like Dr. Faustus? Perhaps they're cousins?

A Fine Feathered Frenzy: Always a favorite. And this is the first time where I actually figured out some of what Dylan is shouting in echoes in Miss Harcourt's home. And I LOVE the part where Miss Harcourt, Whit, and Dylan all talk at once. Classic!

Cheats: The moral of this movie? Don't cheat. Or if you do, make a big movie about it so that we'll laugh and forgive you.

Everything is Illuminated: A bit crazy, but worth watching. I was sort of perplexed after seeing it until I looked it up on the web, which helpfully clarified everything to the extent that I wondered why I bothered seeing the film in the first place.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: How strange it is to think that I remember this movie coming out and thinking that I would probably never see it since I hadn't seen any of the previous Indiana Jones. Turns out it's pretty easy (and fun) to get on the IJ bandwagon. No better time to do it than now when all the movies are free at the library, right?

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Just like with the books, I was bored of this about 3/4 of the way through. The sets were pretty interesting to look at, though. And the kids were adorable - Sunny bugs me to no end in the books, but I loved her (with subtitles!) in the movie.

Memento: This movie is MESSED UP. But see it anyway, if you're brave and bold and curious. You will probably learn a thing or two.

Miss Congeniality: Better than I expected. For the moment, I like Sandra Bullock better than Julia Roberts.

Clueless: Has a disturbing amount of profanity which I didn't notice at all in my first viewing, but other than that, this is the best Emma remake ever.

In America: I cringed and covered my eyes during the E.T. doll scene. That's more than most movies have made me do, so there must be something to this one.

Ramona and Beezus: I was prepared to enjoy it even if it wasn't exactly my idea of the characters, but it turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable AND non-faithful!

The Outsiders: A sad movie, but not nearly as sad as it would have been if I hadn't seen it with Sarah. If you're going to watch a movie full of cute, testosterone-pumped boys with 60s hairstyles getting in fights and hopping trains and saving kids and killing each other, see it with Sarah, that's my advice. Oh, and heads-up on that abrupt ending...

The Mirror has Two Faces: I really enjoyed seeing Lauren Bacall as an older actress. The rest of the movie? Eh. Not worth it.

Books:

The Autobiography of Henry VIII, with notes by his fool Will Somers: I read this 900+ pages book in about a month, which gives me hope for finishing other long books, so long as they are as engrossing and detailed as this one!

How I Became a Famous Novelist: Hilarious book. Snarky, hip, self-deprecating, enjoyable.

The Pleasure of My Company: Very sweet, thoughtful, interesting book. Reminded me somewhat of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime."

Tintin: (various) We've recently been on a Tintin-kick in the family, so I got in on the fun. If you've never read a Tintin, trust me, you're missing out!