Reviews . . . Reader's Digest-style

So I keep meaning to write reviews for everything I either watched or read over the winter break. While I would like to devote entire posts to each of the movies/books, I don't think it will ever happen because I'll keep putting it off until there are even more.

Ergo, you're all getting the abridged version.

Let us begin.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is a lighthearted tale of the apocalypse gone wrong. It all begins when the Antichrist is accidentally dropped of with the wrong family and proceeds through many interesting, often humorous, turns before a poignant end. I had no previous experience of Pratchett and am only familiar with Gaiman because of Stardust (I've only seen the film . . . book is on the list!).

This book was good--easy reading and quite funny at times--but it didn't quite live up to the hype; this book was recommended to me as "hilarious" by a friend here in Memphis. Hilarious? No, though I did laugh out loud (literally) at one or two points. Humorous and entertaining? Yes--but I won't be rereading it or seeking out works by these two authors any time soon.

In my opinion, the beauty of Cameron's Avatar is almost beyond words. If you haven't seen it yet, go. Perhaps the best way to briefly summarize this movie is to call it "Pocahontas in space," though the similarity is relatively superficial. I haven't read too much about what other people have been saying about this movie, but from what I gather the main focus has been on the visual effects, which--while impressive--weren't the clincher for me.

Yes, the plot is a little lacking. Yes, some of the characters may be a little flat. However, the message is a good one and there are plenty of wonderful lines in the dialogue to make up for the insubstantial, sliiightly trite plot.

Of course, I'm going to love anything that combines a strong message on indigenous rights with science fiction/outer space. I may be biased in reviewing this movie, but it is my current favorite at the box office and the first film I have bothered to see three times in theatres since Return of the King. Go watch this movie--if you haven't already--and let me know your impressions.

City of Thieves by David Benioff was billed on the back cover as humorous. Considering it was a story about two prisoners trapped in Nazi besieged Leningrad during World War II, I had my doubts, but gave it a shot. It was entertaining at points, but I never found it funny. I enjoyed it, yes, but more as an accurate representation of the horrors war inflicts on a civilian population (a side you see less often than the patriotic heroics on the battlefield).

City of Thieves isn't long, but covers a wide array of situations--often disturbing--that hold you enthralled. The story is based upon the experiences of his grandfather, though it seems to have been highly fictionalized--if most of these events really happened, that old man deserves a medal.

For me, this book was perhaps the most interesting when juxtaposed with another I read a few years back, A Woman in Berlin. While City of Thieves chronicles the horrible things the Nazis put the Russians through during the siege, A Woman in Berlin was the published diary of a female journalist who lived through the Russian occupation of Berlin. It was interesting--and disheartening--to see the overlap in how occupiers treat the occupied. A dark comment on the human condition (though either book is worth your time).

(500) Days of Summer is to rent/own as Avatar is to theatre. I love this movie, and considering the preponderance of my readers are girls, this is probably the movie that most of you would enjoy the most of everything I've discussed, as well.

It's a love story but not, all the fun trappings of the traditional romantic comedy without the cliché and predictable plot--and with an interesting twist/moral to boot. It's indie, so it can be a little unusual at times, but never so far out there you can't enjoy it. Characters are fun, plot is believable, dialogue is funny . . . this movie is amazing. Ben introduced it to me while I was home over the break and within a week I had purchased my own copy and subjected 3 other people to this film. (So do yourself a favor and watch it before I force you.) Additionally, the soundtrack is amazing.

Anyway, I think that's it. I could be missing a couple, but those are the biggies.

Went to my "French Connection" class yesterday and am pretty excited. All the people in the class seem fun and I like the professor. He's supposed to email us the itinerary sometime this weekend, so I'll get it up soon for you to feel jealous. As a francophile, I am beyond excited to finally have Paris penciled in for the near future.