Inspired by this post over at the Yarnstorm blog (one of my very favorites), I decided to post a little list of all the movies and books I consumed this summer. When I phrase it this way, I picture myself as a large cookie monster type eating books and dvds ..."Nam, nam, me want stories!!!".
:ahem: Sorry about that. Proceding with the list....
Books:
* "Parnassus on Wheels" and "The Haunted Bookshop" both by Christopher Morley
(These were actually a little slow to be honest, but in a nice old-fashioned way, and the illustrations were lovely)
* "Everyday Matters" by Danny Gregory
(I really liked this, I found his journaling style really intriguing. It's a pity I can't seem to get my hands on his other books)
* "Love in a Cold Climate" by Nancy Mitford
(I will always have a fondness for eccentric British families. I still haven't seen the film version of it, but I really want to.)
* "The Private World of Tasha Tudor"
(She was a really fascinating and creative woman. It was a complete coincidence that I read this book a few days before she passed away.)
* "The Summer of the Great-Grandmother" by Madeleine L'Engle
(I've loved L'Engle's writing since childhood. Her memoirs are lovely too, although I prefer "A Circle of Quiet".)
* "It Ends With Revelations" by Dodie Smith
(I love "I Capture the Castle"; it is probably my favorite book. Smith's other books are difficult to find, but I'm lucky that we have a pretty good library system here.)
* "Embroideries" by Marjane Satrapi
(I liked her Persepolis books much better. This was a quick and amusing read, but it didn't have the depth of her other books.)
* "The Book of Lost Things" by John Connolly
(Having just seen Pan's Labyrinth, I realize that this book reminds me a lot of that film. The huntress who created half-human half- animal creatures was terrifying. However, there's a lot of humor in the book as well.)
* "Rose Cottage" by Mary Stewart
(Her books are very relaxing British mysteries. Nothing too exciting, but nothing too depressing either.)
* "Extemely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
(This was great. I really want to read "Everything is Illuminated" now too)
* "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield
(Very bestseller-y. It was good travel reading because it definitely kept me engrossed in the story)
* "Mariana" by Monica Dickens
(This is a Persephone book, which I love. I really like that they reprint mostly forgotten women writers, and their dove-gray books with vintage prints on the inside covers are really lovely.)
* "The Little Locksmith" by Katharine Butler Hathaway
(I loved this book. After I finished it, I promptly went out and bought a vintage copy at the used book store. Hathaway had difficulty in her life from a young age but she remains so cheerful and creative that this book was not an unhappy one at all.)
* "The Harvester" by Gene Stratton Porter
* "Chocolate and Zucchini" by Clotilde Dusolier
(I haven't made any of her recipes yet, although I would like to try her Pain D'epice recipe and see if it lives up to my childhood favorite (We call it Peperkoek in Flanders). The book is a spin-off from her blog.)
Films:
* "Juno"
(So overrated. Competely and totally overrated. Sean particularly loathed the hamburger phone.Although no matter how terrible the film Michael Cera will always be George Michael Bluth (from Arrested Development), and therefore will always be wonderful in my eyes)
* "American Pimp"
(You may wonder why my boyfriend owns a documentary on pimping, and I'm afraid I can't offer a good answer. I found it both really upsetting and rather hilarious. I'm sorry, a man who grows his fingernails long so as to better peel his money will always be laughable to me.)
* "The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford"
(I wasn't expecting to like this, but I did. Parts of it were filmed beautifully, and Brad Pitt is surprisingly a much better actor than I thought.)
* "Fargo"
(Frances McDormand as Margie was one of the favorite things I've seen on screen in a while. I aspire to her calm intelligence and friendliness in the face of William Macy and Steve Buscemi)
* "Seven Samurai"
(This is one of Sean's favorite movies, and I can see why. It was excellent.)
* "Argent de Poche" or "Small Change"
(I loved it. I want to see it again, actually. More films should be made about French schoolchildren in the 60s.)
* "Paris Je T'aime"
(I was really looking forward to this, probably too much. I really liked it, but I didn't Loooooove it like I thought I would. My favorite scenes were the mimes, Oscar Wilde's grave, and the American tourist at the very end. The scene with the guy selling hair products to Asian hair salons just confused me.)
* "Mirrormask"
(Dave McKean AND Neil Gaiman.)
* "Team America"
(What can I say? We're big fans of South Park in this house. I was converted. I think South Park is better than this movie, though.)
* "Wall-E"
(This was wonderful. You really don't have to be a kid to benefit from this film.)
* "Waitress"
(I'm sorry, I really hated this movie. Which is a pity, because I really wanted to like it. Keri Russell is cute, and I liked the part where she would fantasize about baking pies with specific themes, but everything else about this movie sucked.)
* "Hancock"
(Oh dear. Perhaps the least said on this, the better)
* "Penelope"
(Ok, so this wasn't a brilliant film. But the clothes and the scenery more than made up for it. I did think Christina Ricci looked cuter with the pig nose though.)
* "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight"
(Both excellent. Heath Ledger was brilliant in the second film, and it was particularly touching considering his untimely death. I thought Maggie Gyllenhaal was a definite improvement over Katie Holmes)
* "The Maltese Falcon"
(I love old movies. Watching one on the big screen is always a treat, but it also ensures that Sean will speak in his "Fast talking, high pants" style for a while afterward. (reference to Family Guy))
* "Borat"
(I'm going to be a dissenter here and say that I didn't really enjoy this film too much. To be honest, it made me a bit uncomfortable because I usually felt badly for the people Sascha Baron Cohen tricked. Except for the Rodeo guy. And the fraternity brothers driving across country. For some reason, mocking them didn't bother me. A bit hypocritical...)
* "Annie Hall"
(Maybe it's a bit of a cliche to love this movie, but I don't care. I love this movie. We got to see it in the movie theater too, which was fun. I love the scene where Annie and Alfie are trying to cook lobster.)
* "Juliet of the Spirits"
(Visually opulent, but super confusing. Fellini at his most explosive.)
* "Match Point"
(I really liked this movie. I'm so glad it ended how it did.)
* "Lawrence of Arabia"
(See an earlier post.)
* "Pan's Labyrinth"
(ditto)
