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reading, watching, etc...
Mar. 28th, 2018 03:28 pmIt's nice that the offspring are of an age where we are all reading the same level of books, more or less. Makes the book budget for a little farther.
Reading:
Artemis (Andy Weir). The Martian was kind of a niche format - the first-person science-lecture-as-we-go style worked well because one could assume that Mark Watney was just talking to himself to maintain his sanity. It doesn't work as well in Artemis because there are a ton of other characters for our hero to interact with. Still, once you get into the flow of the story, it's less noticeable. Also, the relationship between Jazz and her father was nicely written, and the scene where her father is demonstrating his drop-down prayer rug invention so he is always facing Mecca exactly, even from the moon, was kind of sweet.
Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) The book that completely undercuts our household saying of "there's no bonus points for being more right". So of course if appealed to the teenager and the pre-teen boy. The 80s nostalgia was fun, and there were a couple of twists that would come as no surprise to anybody who's has an online persona, but mostly I found it far too contrived. Things just work out way too conveniently.
Bonfire (Krysten Ritter) Yes, the same Krysten Ritter of Jessica Jones. Beach reading. Quick and entertaining, the way the book is set up is not so much a whodunnit, as a 'what-exactly-did-they-do?' Typical small-town-with-a-secret plot, where the villains are obvious from the start, though what exactly they are covering up is not.
Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro) So I bought this one because iBooks had it on as a promotional special. It's a first-person reminiscence of a clone raised to be an organ donor, about growing up with her two friends in an isolated residential school, and then reuniting with them later on towards the end of their lives. I didn't want to like this book. It was rough to start with, the characters annoying, but damn did the style sucker me in and leave me sobbing in my bathtub by the end.
Watching:
I spent more time at soccer practices, music and swimming lessons this winter, so if it's not on Netflix or some other on-demand platform, I probably won't get around to watching it.
Star Trek:Discovery Loved it for so many reasons. Also, the most satisfying part for me was that it was a complete story arc, not the Voyager-esque episodes with everything neatly tied up before next week with no lasting consequences. Looking forward to season 2.
What Happened to Monday/Seven Sisters (depending from which country you stream your Netflix, movie). In a not so distant future, where overpopulation and famine have forced governments to undertake a drastic "One Child Policy," seven identical sisters live a hide-and-seek existence pursued by the Child Allocation Bureau Of note, the sisters are adults, all played by Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), Glen Close is incredibly creepy, and who would have pictured Willem Dafoe as the grandfatherly type? The plot is dystopian sci-fi meets action movie. Enjoyed it, even if it did get a little gory at the end.
Thor:Ragnarok Basically, Marvel meets Farscape, no? Thor and Jon Crichton would get on famously.
Tallulah (Netflix. movie) I'm just going to link you to the summary on Wikipedia for this one. There's nothing unusual about the plot, however the execution of it was excellent. Mind you, I've never seen Allison Janney or Ellen Page give a bad performance, regardless of the script. Also, the film doesn't shy away from pointing out that maybe some women shouldn't have children and that's okay too. Bonus: short appearances by Uzo Aduba and Zachary Quinto.
A Wrinkle in Time Gorgeous, slightly updated but still faithful to the book with an emphasis on acknowledging that oneself is worthy and is loved. Nice to watch a children's movie that isn't overtly trying to sell a franchise or product tie-in. Go see it in theaters. Support this film!
Jessica Jones Season 2 is a rarely mentioned Day 2 After Trauma. This was not an easy season to watch, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I read an review somewhere that I can no longer find, complaining that while the theme of the season was anger, it was also about how violent that anger was. I'd counter that it was refreshing to have it acknowledged that women's anger is just as violent as men's anger, though often seen as far less acceptable. This season centers on how one uses that anger and what choices they make. Fingers crossed for season 3.
The Good Place I'm blaming tumblr gifsets on this one. Just started it but it's weird enough that it appeals to me.
er...that seems like a long list, but it pretty much covers like that last six months.
Reading:
Artemis (Andy Weir). The Martian was kind of a niche format - the first-person science-lecture-as-we-go style worked well because one could assume that Mark Watney was just talking to himself to maintain his sanity. It doesn't work as well in Artemis because there are a ton of other characters for our hero to interact with. Still, once you get into the flow of the story, it's less noticeable. Also, the relationship between Jazz and her father was nicely written, and the scene where her father is demonstrating his drop-down prayer rug invention so he is always facing Mecca exactly, even from the moon, was kind of sweet.
Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) The book that completely undercuts our household saying of "there's no bonus points for being more right". So of course if appealed to the teenager and the pre-teen boy. The 80s nostalgia was fun, and there were a couple of twists that would come as no surprise to anybody who's has an online persona, but mostly I found it far too contrived. Things just work out way too conveniently.
Bonfire (Krysten Ritter) Yes, the same Krysten Ritter of Jessica Jones. Beach reading. Quick and entertaining, the way the book is set up is not so much a whodunnit, as a 'what-exactly-did-they-do?' Typical small-town-with-a-secret plot, where the villains are obvious from the start, though what exactly they are covering up is not.
Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro) So I bought this one because iBooks had it on as a promotional special. It's a first-person reminiscence of a clone raised to be an organ donor, about growing up with her two friends in an isolated residential school, and then reuniting with them later on towards the end of their lives. I didn't want to like this book. It was rough to start with, the characters annoying, but damn did the style sucker me in and leave me sobbing in my bathtub by the end.
Watching:
I spent more time at soccer practices, music and swimming lessons this winter, so if it's not on Netflix or some other on-demand platform, I probably won't get around to watching it.
Star Trek:Discovery Loved it for so many reasons. Also, the most satisfying part for me was that it was a complete story arc, not the Voyager-esque episodes with everything neatly tied up before next week with no lasting consequences. Looking forward to season 2.
What Happened to Monday/Seven Sisters (depending from which country you stream your Netflix, movie). In a not so distant future, where overpopulation and famine have forced governments to undertake a drastic "One Child Policy," seven identical sisters live a hide-and-seek existence pursued by the Child Allocation Bureau Of note, the sisters are adults, all played by Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), Glen Close is incredibly creepy, and who would have pictured Willem Dafoe as the grandfatherly type? The plot is dystopian sci-fi meets action movie. Enjoyed it, even if it did get a little gory at the end.
Thor:Ragnarok Basically, Marvel meets Farscape, no? Thor and Jon Crichton would get on famously.
Tallulah (Netflix. movie) I'm just going to link you to the summary on Wikipedia for this one. There's nothing unusual about the plot, however the execution of it was excellent. Mind you, I've never seen Allison Janney or Ellen Page give a bad performance, regardless of the script. Also, the film doesn't shy away from pointing out that maybe some women shouldn't have children and that's okay too. Bonus: short appearances by Uzo Aduba and Zachary Quinto.
A Wrinkle in Time Gorgeous, slightly updated but still faithful to the book with an emphasis on acknowledging that oneself is worthy and is loved. Nice to watch a children's movie that isn't overtly trying to sell a franchise or product tie-in. Go see it in theaters. Support this film!
Jessica Jones Season 2 is a rarely mentioned Day 2 After Trauma. This was not an easy season to watch, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I read an review somewhere that I can no longer find, complaining that while the theme of the season was anger, it was also about how violent that anger was. I'd counter that it was refreshing to have it acknowledged that women's anger is just as violent as men's anger, though often seen as far less acceptable. This season centers on how one uses that anger and what choices they make. Fingers crossed for season 3.
The Good Place I'm blaming tumblr gifsets on this one. Just started it but it's weird enough that it appeals to me.
er...that seems like a long list, but it pretty much covers like that last six months.
