February 50/50 Stats

Books read:

• The Dancing Girls of Lahore: Selling Love and Saving Dreams in Pakistan’s Pleasure District by Louise Brown. Well, it was interesting, and I found the history of Heera Mandi to be fascinating, but I’m not sure I *liked* the book because the story was so depressing. I’d certainly recommend it, and I might even buy it, but it’s not going to become a go-to read when I need to be cheered up.

Movies Watched:

• “Agneepath” Oh my. Very long, very bloody, and very revenge-y (and I know it was a long, bloody revenge movie going in). Not at all what I expected to see Karan Johar’s name attached to as a producer. In short: everyone dies, and Hrithik doesn’t dance enough.
• “The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella” It was cute. Annette Crosbie stole the show as the Fairy Godmother. The costumes were quite good, although I wish the women hadn’t been stuck in sherbet tones.
• “Bachna Ae Haseeno” Raj deserved everything he got, and I’m kind of sad the movie managed to manipulate me to the point where the happy ending was satisfying. Cute, but nothing remarkable.
• “Anonymous” So much is wrong with this movie, both historically and the mechanics of how the story was told. A talented cast , and absolutely stunning technical work could not make up for fatal weaknesses elsewhere. The costumes were AMAZING, just stunning (that Oscar nomination was truly deserved), and the film was shot incredibly well. Beautiful, but extremely flawed. And also boring.
• “My Neighbor Totoro” Whyon earth did it take me so long to watch this? It was adorable. The interactions between the sisters were wonderful and realistic, and their relationship with their father was touching. Cat Bus was a little freaky, but Totoro was delightful.

Grand Totals:

• Books: 4/50
• Movies: 9/50

January 50/50 Stats

Books:

• The Mark of the Golden Dragon: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Jewel of the East, Vexation of the West, and Pearl of the South China Sea by L.A. Meyer. I really enjoyed this one, more so than several of the recent Bloody Jack titles. I don’t know how much longer the series can really be spun out though.
• Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber. Eh, liked the idea better than the execution. It wasn’t BAD by any means (I’ve read far worse), but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was good.
• American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen Abbott. I enjoyed it, but I wish the author had written the book in a more linear fashion, instead of jumping between three different time periods. The story being told is so fascinating that I was willing to overlook stylistic irritations.

Movies:

• “Don 2″ So very silly, and utterly enjoyable. Everyone involved clearly had fun. I cannot wait to see the inevitable next installment of the franchise.
• “Hugo” Loved it! It was an amazing adaptation of the book. The 3D wasn’t at all gimmicky, and the critics who think it’s too sophisticated for kids can get stuffed. I would have absolutely loved this when I was 10.
• “Soundtrack” Much better than I was expecting it to be, but by no means exceptional. Mostly I watched it as a way to try out an app that I think I’ll be using a lot.
• “Marigold” It was pretty bad (again, I’ve seen far worse), but there were a few redeeming moments. Clearly the filmmakers really like and enjoy Bollywood films, and wanted to share that love with a wider audience, but it just didn’t work.

Grand Totals:

• Books: 3/50
• Movies: 4/50

50/50 Challenge

Some online friends bossed me into joining the 50/50 Challenge. All you have to do is read 50 books (easy!) and watch 50 movies (um, less easy!) by the end of 2012.

Since I handily read two or even three times that many books in a given year, I’ve decided to only count the books I read at work towards my goal. Watching 50 movies is going to be a much harder goal to reach, but I’ll do my best. I foresee many, many movie days with Cathy in my future…which is more than fine with me!

I’ll try and post a list of what I’ve read and watched at the end of each month so keep tabs on where I stand. And so that you can all be impressed (or appalled) by what I consume.

Wish me luck!

Happy New Year!

Fa La La La La! La La La La!

A Very Calvin and Hobbes Christmas

Russell Hoban

Russell Hoban, ‘Frances’ Author, Dies at 86

I loved the Frances books when I was younger–I still love them today, in fact. Frances is a kindred spirit; I identified wholeheartedly with her feelings about food and bed and younger siblings. I wasn’t as good at making up songs for every situation, but I appreciated her talent.

I had no idea that Russell Hoban had a second authorial career publishing books for adults. Several of them look quite interesting, most especially Riddley Walker. I will have to track it down after the holidays.