September 2010 Media Inventory

A LOT has happened this month, which you may or may not be able to tell from the following media inventory: I watched 17 movies, saw 4 plays, and read 0 books (I KNOW!!!!) - however, I did get over half way through Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles before the library made me return it (and pay a ten cent fine for not returning it yesterday, grumble), plus I've been reading Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, excerpts from the Iliad, the Republic, the Aeneid, etc. And I have "The Help" sitting on my shelf, but alas, it will probably have to be returned to the library before I get a chance to open it. And don't even get me started on "The Book Thief," which I want to read, like, SO. BAD.

But anyway. Here we go.


Movies:


The Apple Dumpling Gang: SUCH a fun movie! It felt just like one of our Opening Night plays with a wild western theme and a healthy dose of Don Knotts. Just classic, awesome, funny stuff. And a cute love story too.

Becoming Jane: Less good than it should have been, but better than I was expecting. Why are all the famous women writer fictional biopics so SAAAAAAD?!?!?

Frequency: This was a really intense film, very well acted and written. Sure, maybe it didn't all make sense, but I loved the whole concept. And the scene where he booby-traps the bad guy with his shoes and the juice and the wiring . . . AWESOME.

A Serious Man: Once I got the whole "David/Job/weirdness" metaphor, I liked this film. It gives you a lot to think about and inserts some of that wonderful dry Coen humor as well. But I SO did not like the ending.

My Best Friend's Wedding: I can't for the life of me remember why I watched this film. Or even really what happened. But I didn't like it. That I remember.

The Strongest Man in the World: Okay. But nowhere near as good as "The Apple Dumpling Gang."

Mulan: SUCH a good film. The songs have been running through my head all month. The story, the characters, the music, the drama.... sooo good.

Treasure Island: THE GOOD VERSION. No. Wait. THE BEST VERSION. THE VERSION THAT MAKES YOU FORGET ALL OTHER PREVIOUS VERSIONS. What version is this, you ask? The one with the oh-so-cute Christian Bale (I like him SO much better as a young actor for some reason), Charlton Heston (he's a good villain and a good hero! Who knew?), Christopher Lee (IS. BLIND PEW.), and a bunch of other scurvy characters (and a really appealing cast of good guys as well, I might add - Captain Smollett and Hunter particularly caught my eye....rrrrrrrrrrrr)

Bride and Prejudice: I liked the first half of it, but then everyone and all the songs and the too-familiar story and exaggerated accents kept getting on my nerves and I was SOOOO glad when it was finally over.

Scoop: Funnier than I expected. And shorter. And abrupt-er. But seriously, worth seeing. Once, anyway. Definitely.

Sixteen Candles: Oh, you know. It was... what you'd expect from a teen movie made in the 80s. A lot of fluff and kinda fun, but a stomachache afterwards.

Ping-Pong: SUCH a cool film. And had me totally fascinated with the sport - nay, the ART! - of ping-pong by the time it was done. Not to mention the totally adorable scenes of the little boys, the teenagers bonding, Ping-Pong "Nirvana," and the part when smug Chinese guy gets p'owned!

The World's Greatest Athlete: I think I got this one confused with "The Strongest Man in the World." Anyway, both of them were pretty cheesy and far-fetched. At least this one had a tiger that did some cool stuff.

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again: Not even half as good as the first Apple Dumpling Gang. But Tim Conway and Don Knotts are still pretty funny actors.

Empire of the Sun: I was really touched. This is a very poignant, heartfelt film about an experience that you don't hear enough about - that of a English boy who is separated from his parents in China during the Japanese occupation. Once again, Christian Bale gives a very endearing performance - he's just so vulnerable and desperate. And I was really intrigued by John Malkovich's character - gonna have to give in to the quiet urge I've been getting ever since my experience watching him in "The Glass Menagerie" to see more of his stuff.

Knight and Day: I know I've already seen this film once this year, but you can forget anything negative I said about it back then, because this time, it was AMAZING. Probably the best film in the history of ever. I wanted to hug every one of the actors and cheer at the screen during every scene (well, after a certain scene, anyway...). In case you're wondering, yep, I'm totally biased. This film is AWE-SOME. "Sometimes, things happen for a reason..."

The Handsome Suit: A hilarious Japanese comedy, and probably the next best film ever made since the world began. Could my reasons have to do with the line of thinking that was going on in my review of Knight and Day, you ask? Yes. Why yes. They could.

Theater:


Tuesdays with Morrie: I had previously seen and liked both of the main actors in the play, and I really enjoyed their performances in this. I felt the play was short, simple, thoughtful, and sweet. It didn't try to do too much and it gave me some encouraging things to think about regarding the purpose of life, relationships, and time. I even got my parents to go on a date to see it too!

Boeing-Boeing: A Mask Club, so....not really a play.... but still probably one of the best theatrical things I've seen all year. So. Funny. Wow.

The Taming of the Shrew: There were a lot of things going on, and a lot of props, and a lot of women (seriously, only one guy in the whole cast to play the part of Petruchio), and a lot of distractions (including the seriously angelic little boys who were volunteered from the audience to stand for what seemed like an eternity onstage hitting a gong and making other simple sound effects - I was amazed by how well-behaved they were). I guess the play itself was really good, but to be honest, it all went by so fast, I couldn't tell. Not that the play was short, either. They just spoke their lines fast and moved really quick from one scene to the next.

Alcestis: I LOVED this - it was the first time I'd ever gone to one of the University of Utah's Greek play reenactments here at BYU (apparently, they do one every semester) and I've been wanting to go FOREVER. Well, it was worth it. Not only did I get to experience the full excitement of Greek drama (they wore MASKS! They sang their lines! There was a chorus! The men wore actual togas that showed their upper arms and thighs and how gross and hairy they were!) but all the male parts were played by men and all the female parts by women. Sooooo refreshing. Oh, and a special shout-out to the young girl who played the daughter. She looked timid and quiet at first, but she sure knew how to belt out those lines where it counted.