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Two Christmas movies and two books
Dec. 29th, 2008 08:11 pmDVD 79: Brazil
I've got this theory that most people's favorite movies are first seen within a few years of each other. There's a time when their opinions are solidifying, and a few films seen in that period will stick with them as favorites. Brazil is one of those for me, and unlike some other titles at the top of my favorites list I doubt it would be if I'd seen it later in life. Watching it now I see all sorts of problems, especially in terms of continuity and pacing. That said, I still love this movie and its surreal satire of bureaucracy, and it remains one of my favorites despite its flaws.
DVD 80: How The Grinch Stole Christmas
There is a lot to love about this classic, and I've been watching it longer than I can remember so it's hard to say anything new, so I'll just say that it isn't Christmas without watching The Grinch at least once.
Book 17: Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
A while back I complained about a movie having nothing but "miserable people getting more miserable because of their own mistakes". This book runs the risk of having the same problem, but instead the author gets you so invested in the characters that you really feel for them when things go wrong. There are no heroes here - the title could apply to almost any of the characters - but reading it you want there to be so you can cheer for someone. Instead people just dig themselves deeper into their holes, most of them never seeing any other option as a woman in Japan's male-dominated society.
Book 18: Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Using economic principles to look at non-economic issues makes for some interesting results. What could have been a very dry read instead provided consistently interesting and unexpected links.
I've got this theory that most people's favorite movies are first seen within a few years of each other. There's a time when their opinions are solidifying, and a few films seen in that period will stick with them as favorites. Brazil is one of those for me, and unlike some other titles at the top of my favorites list I doubt it would be if I'd seen it later in life. Watching it now I see all sorts of problems, especially in terms of continuity and pacing. That said, I still love this movie and its surreal satire of bureaucracy, and it remains one of my favorites despite its flaws.
DVD 80: How The Grinch Stole Christmas
There is a lot to love about this classic, and I've been watching it longer than I can remember so it's hard to say anything new, so I'll just say that it isn't Christmas without watching The Grinch at least once.
Book 17: Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
A while back I complained about a movie having nothing but "miserable people getting more miserable because of their own mistakes". This book runs the risk of having the same problem, but instead the author gets you so invested in the characters that you really feel for them when things go wrong. There are no heroes here - the title could apply to almost any of the characters - but reading it you want there to be so you can cheer for someone. Instead people just dig themselves deeper into their holes, most of them never seeing any other option as a woman in Japan's male-dominated society.
Book 18: Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Using economic principles to look at non-economic issues makes for some interesting results. What could have been a very dry read instead provided consistently interesting and unexpected links.
