Books and Movies

Kevin and I are pretty much addicted to Netflix - and it’s not just for the movies. Actually, we watch much more television on DVD than we do movies. There are some series that we have never watched when they were broadcast - and so we’re usually a season or two behind the rest of the world. Here are some of our favorites:

There are some series that I will watch for one particular star, or maybe two cast members. Others, it’s because I like the premise. Then there are the shows that seem to have that special something - it’s all there: unique premise, brilliant writing, and an ensemble cast with great chemistry. Monk is one of those shows. We’ve liked it since the beginning, but the last couple of seasons have been the best, in my opinion. Kevin and I both like the character Natalie (Monk’s assistant) better than his first assistant, Sharona. But it’s not just Monk and Natalie. It’s the socially oblivious Lt. Disher. It’s the exasperated way Captain Stottlemeyer tolerates Disher. It’s Monk’s hilarious therapy sessions with Dr. Kroger. I am sad about the passing of Stanley Kamel, and I was worried about who they would find to replace him. My dad, who is watching the current season on USA, says that Hector Elizondo is up to the job. I’m glad.

Another USA series, another one we’ve only seen on DVD. I loved Dule Hill as Charlie on West Wing, but he has found his niche as a comedic actor in Psych. Again, it’s about chemistry. Sean and Gus are the epitome of best friends. Corbin Bernsen is brilliant as Sean’s dad - and Lassiter and O’Hara are the perfect foils to Sean’s antics. Love, love, love this show.

Yes, we’re behind the rest of you, so if you know who the final Cylon is, please keep it to yourself!

Think Northern Exposure meets… I don’t know what. A little Sliders, a little Stargate. It’s quirky. Quirky is good.

Numb3rs is math + mysteries. Plus, it has Rob Morrow, who has aged extremely well. Ahem. And, I love the scenes between Don and Charlie and their dad, played by the ever-fabulous Judd Hirsch.

I have some great BBC series you should check out, too, but that will have to wait for another post.

What series should we Netflix next?

When 12-year-old Mauro is left to fend for himself when his parents go “on vacation” during the military regime in 1970s Brazil, a classic coming-of-age story unfolds. Director Cao Hamburger’s beautiful and touching story embraces the excitement of the era as the culturally diverse community of Sao Paulo unites to watch Pele lead his country in winning the Wolrd Cup of soccer. Filled with warmth, love, heroism, nostalgia, and humor, The Year… is sure to become a family favorite.

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation is a wonderful film. The young man who plays Mauro is extremely talented, and made the film a delight to watch.

When Mauro’s parents drop him off at his grandfather’s apartment to stay while they flee Brazil’s military regime, they don’t know one important fact. In the minutes since they talked to Motel on the telephone at his barber shop and told him they were leaving Mauro with him, Motel has died. Because Mauro’s father and father-in-law don’t get along, they say their goodbyes on the sidewalk, fully believing that Motel is waiting in his apartment upstairs. He isn’t. He is laying dead and awaiting burial.

Mauro’s parents have told him that they are going on “vacation” and would return in time for the World Cup. In reality, his father is a communist and is fleeing the police.

Motel’s neighbor, Shlomo, finds Mauro sleeping on Motel’s doorstep and takes him in. He doesn’t want to deal with the boy, but his rabbi tells him that if God has chosen him for this purpose, he must take on the challenge.

With the rest of Brazil, Mauro cheers for Pele and the Brazilians in the World Cup, all the while waiting for his parents to return for him.

One thing I’ve noticed about foreign films is that they seem to rely much more on scenes that are heavy on visuals and character behavior, and much less on dialogue and constant action, than American films do. It takes some getting used to, but once I settled in to the slower pace, I really enjoyed this film. The unlikely friendship between Shlomo and the boy Mauro is touching, and the acting is very well done.

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation is in Portugese with English subtitles.

From the makers of Notting Hill and Love Actually comes the charming and irresistibly funny romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe. When Will (Ryan Reynolds) decides to tell his daughter (Abigail Breslin) the story of how he met her mother, he discovers that a second look at the past might also give him a second chance at the future. Co-starring Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz and Isla Fisher, it’s the heartwarming story that makes you realize it’s definitely never too late to go back…and maybe find a happy ending.

Definitely, Maybe is a charming romantic comedy that leaves you guessing until the last minute. And although the chemistry between the main character and his three possible loves is real, it’s the love between father and daughter that makes this movie so wonderful.

Ryan Reynolds is sweet as the newly single father trying to make sense of things for his little girl. Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher, and Elizabeth Banks do their parts justice, but if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself rooting for a certain one to be the one. And then I thought I was wrong. But I wasn’t. And I won’t say anymore than that, or else I’ll give something away.

Of course, Abigail Breslin steals the movie.

Keep in mind that this film is rated PG-13 - and it definitely deserves that rating for some pretty frank sexual dialogue.

The boys brought home my Dad’s copies of Lord of the Rings parts 1, 2, and 3 this week, and watched all three of them. I’m pretty sure they’ve watched the battle at Helm’s Deep - their favorite part - about fifteen times.

When they watched the end of The Return of the King, I was in the room, working on my laptop. Or, I should say, trying to work on my laptop. Pretty soon, I was engrossed in the film, and as soon as Sam tells Frodo that he would’ve married Rosie, I start crying. I’ve just got myself under control, when the scene where Frodo wakes up in bed and Gandalf walks in comes on. Their laughter of pure joy - and the look shared between Sam and Frodo - have me in tears again. Again, I get myself under control, but then Aragorn is crowned - and he sees Arwyn - and I’m just lost. I pretty much blubber right through the end - Sam and Frodo’s goodbye, and Sam coming home. “I’m back.” Sob.

Does that happen to anyone else? It’s not like that was the first time I’ve seen it - I’ve watched all of those films several times, and there are certain scenes in each one that hit me that way every. single. time.

It got me thinking about other movies that make me cry - and can make me cry all over again every time I watch them. Here are the other titles I came up with:

It’s a Wonderful Life Duh.

White Christmas The final scene, when all the soldier stand up in the dining room and start singing, “We’ll follow the old man wherever he wants to go…”

Mr. Holland’s Opus When he gets to hear his symphony for the first time.

Gladiator When he dies, and sees his wife and son waiting for him in the wheat fields.

What about you? Any movies that make you cry - no matter how many times you see them?

I’ve spent most of my reading time this week in Iran, during the oppressive Islamic regime. For my second foray into the world of graphic novels (the first was Maus), I chose Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood:

…and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return:

These two graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi comprise her memoir of growing up in the oppressive Islamic regime in Iran. Her parents were progressive thinkers, and allowed Marjane many freedoms in her home, but in public, their lives had to be very different in order to avoid arrest and persecution by the Islamic fundamentalists.

The first volume tells of Marjane’s childhood, as the Shah’s regime is overturned and the Islamic regime takes over. It ends when Marjane is sent to live in Vienna at age 14. The second volume tells of her in Vienna and her return to Iran.

These books weren’t quite as good as Maus, in my opinion, but they were still very well done, and I learned a ton, since I knew next to nothing about Iran.

At the end of last year’s school year, I was thinking ahead to the coming year’s history studies. We have been working our way through Story of the World II: The Middle Ages (and still are, since there’s too much information to cover in nine months). I wanted to coordinate some of my personal reading with what we were studying. I asked Carol at Magistramater for a book suggestion on the Middle Ages. She recommended Kristin Lavransdatter.

Kristin Lavransdatter is a saga in three parts (The Wreath, The Wife, and The Cross) by Sigrid Undset. At the beginning of her story, Kristin is a young girl of noble birth in 14th century Norway. She is beloved by her respected and highly religious father, and enjoys the carefree life of a daughter of wealth.

When Kristin becomes of marriageable age, her father betroths her to Simon Andresson, an honorable young man and the son of a neighboring landowner. During her betrothal, Kristin falls in love with the handsome but reckless Erlend Nikulausson. Erlend has been living in sin with another man’s wife, and has two children with her. Erlend seduces Kristin, and Kristin uses her influence over her father and his grief over the death of another daughter to coerce him to approve her betrothal to Erlend. Kristin gets her own way, and her willfulness will haunt her for the rest of her life.

Carol was right - these books give a descriptive and complete picture of what life was like during the 14th century. While reading Kristin’s story, I learned so much about the religious customs of the day, about the way government and legal matters were handled, about the day to day life of a woman on an estate, about how children were raised, about how the plague devastated complete towns.

I also learned that human nature is the same, no matter what the century. Marriage is difficult and requires much self-sacrifice. Raising children is a continual letting-go process that some parents handle with grace and others struggle to get through. God is gracious to forgive, but the consequences of our sin can reverberate down through generations. Forgiveness is required of us for our own good. Sacrificial love is only possible with God’s grace.

Kristin Lavransdatter is a long work, but it is more than worth the time spent reading it. I read the Penguin Classics versions that were translated by Tina Nunnally, and the prose is beautiful and vivid. These characters will stay with me for a long time.

Two more days, and we’re off to the Oregon Coast! I’m not sure who is more excited - Kevin, or the kids. I’m excited, too, but I haven’t quite reached their level yet. I’m too worried that I’m going to forget something important. Whenever I’m preparing for something - concert at church, start of a new school year, packing for a trip - I start having one of three dreams. Either it’s opening night (I was a theater major) and I don’t know my lines - or often, even what play we’re performing, or I’m back in high school and I can’t remember my locker combination or my class schedule, or I’m back in college and it’s time for an exam and I haven’t even read the text. Am I the only one that has these dreams? Tell me I’m not crazy.

This may be the last post for a while. We’re going to a hotel that has wireless, but my wireless card isn’t the best, and who knows if I’ll have time to blog. If I don’t find time, I’ll have lots to tell you when we get back.

Wanna know what books I’m packing? All those ARCs and publisher’s copies I posted about a couple days ago, plus two more: Stealing Athena by Karen Essex, and This Charming Man by Marian Keyes. Hopefully, I’ll have some time to read on vacation.

Here are a few links for your weekend surfing:

~ There’s no way around it, this guy is a complete and utter idiot.

~ Remember Improv Everywhere, the group who staged the freeze-in in Central Station? They also staged a musical in a Food Court. Hat tip: Just a (Reading) Fool.

~ This video is inspiring and really cool. Hat tip: Mental Multivitamin.

What are your favourite first sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially because of its first sentence? Or a book, perhaps that you didn’t like but still remember simply because of the first line?

Here are the first few that popped into my head:

“My mother didn’t try to stab my father until I was six, but she must have shown signs of oddness before that.”
~ Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, and Other Things I’ve Learned by Alan Alda

“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”
~ I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

“It was a pleasure to burn.”
~ Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

“If your teacher has to die, August isn’t a bad time of year for it.”
~ The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck

“There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”
~ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

Traveler One at My Literary Travels has nominated me for this blog award. Pretty cool, huh? Here are the guidelines:

Once an award is received, the rules are as follows:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

Here are my nominees:

~ Chris at Book-a-Rama. Great book reviews and I always find links of interest in her Friday Bookish Buzz posts.

~ Caribousmom. I’ve found some great book recommendations here and the comments section is always hopping.

~ Devourer of Books. Reviews, guest posts, book giveaways - lots of great info.

~ Framed and Booked. Another place to find some fabulous reading recommendations. I love to keep up with her progress on all her various challenges, too.

~ Becky at In the Pages. Bookish buzz from a children’s librarian.

~ Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. Not just book talk, but lots of good stuff about movies, TV, etc.

~ Stephanie at Confessions of a Book-a-holic. Another place that I’ve found a like-minded reader, with lots of book likes and loves in common. Plus, the header on her blog is gorgeous.

My first Sunday Salon post! I actually haven’t had a lot of time to read this weekend, because the kids had a Tae Kwon Do tournament yesterday, and I have three freelance articles due tomorrow, and I’ve procrastinated, so…

If I do find a couple minutes to read today, I’ll be spending them reading The Bookman’s Promise, which is the third book in John Dunning’s Cliff “Bookman” Janeway mysteries. I enjoyed the first two very much.

I also was the recipient of much book bounty yesterday - one ARC, one publisher’s copy, one ARC I won in Literary Feline’s giveaway, and three books I ordered.

The ARC:

Guernica by Dave Boling

The ARC I won:

Waiting to Surface by Emily Listfield

The publisher’s copy:

Inglorious by Joanna Kavenna

The books I ordered:

Nathan Coulter by Wendell Berry

Half-Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir by Jennette Fulda

Flyte (Septimus Heap, Bk. 2) by Angie Sage (to read aloud to my kids)

I also reviewed Kristin Lavransdatter III: The Cross by Sigrid Undset on my other blog, Mommy Brain.