Pride and Prejudice

I did not like this book written by Jane Austen. Mr. Bingley is a wealthy young gentleman, who rents a country estate near the Bennets. He is accompanied by his sisters and his good friend, Mr Darcy. Bingley starts to court 22-year-old Jane, but suddenly leaves, causing her to feel confused and upset. Mr. Darcy is attracted to 20-year-old Elizabeth, but some of his actions cause her to be suspicious of him. Later on he writes a letter to her explaining his behavior and it causes her to reconsider having a relationship with him.

The book was published in 1813 and about 20 million copies have been sold. Charlotte Brontë thought the novel was a disappointment. A 2005 film version was made starring Keira Knightley.

Gran Torino (2008)

This is a solid movie. Korean War vet Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is a retired old man mourning the loss of his wife. He is grumpy and annoyed by the racial diversity in his Highland Park, Michigan neighborhood and the frequent visits from the 27-year-old Catholic priest. A Hmong family lives next door and after their son (Bee Vang) tries to steal Walt’s 1972 Ford Gran Torino, they demand that he work for the man to pay him back. A local gang is harassing the Asian family and Walt tries to stop them.

I was expecting the story to be about racing. Ahney Her (born in 1992) is beautiful. The film features a predominantly Hmong cast, as well as Eastwood's younger son, Scott Eastwood, playing "Trey". Eastwood's oldest son, Kyle Eastwood, provided the score. The gun Eastwood uses in the film is the M1 Garand, a semi-automatic rifle.

Very Bad Things (1998)

This is a pitiable movie. Before getting married, Kyle (Jon Favreau) goes on a road trip with a group of his buddies for a bachelor party in Las Vegas. Michael (Jeremy Piven) is in the bedroom with a prostitute and accidentally kills her. The group of friends decides not to call the police and instead hide her body in the desert. After arriving back home, Adam (Daniel Stern) becomes paranoid and it causes a fight amongst the men, leading to more problems and threatening to disrupt the wedding plans.

The stripper was played by Taiwanese porn star Kobe Tai.

The Land

This is an okay book written by Mildred Taylor. Ever since running away at the age of 14, Paul Logan has had one dream: to be the owner of a plot of land. While growing up, Paul loved and feared his white father, but adored the land he grew up on. After a rash of youthful rebellion, he leaves his family behind and vows to succeed on his own. However, for a black man in 1880s Mississippi this is a difficult task and especially so if you are of a mixed race and aren’t trusted by blacks or whites. He eventually becomes the grandfather of Cassie Logan.

This is a prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. I thought the most fascinating aspect of the story was that the main character was trying to save up enough money to buy some land so he would have an asset that could generate future income. This is a good example of the American Dream, that through hard work you can move out of poverty and succeed. I was also thinking about how the main character was of mixed ethnicity, and depending on whether he married a black woman or a white woman, it would determine the racial makeup of his descendants. Any person could marry someone from another race and if their children stayed in that race, traces of the original ethnicity would basically be gone after a few generations. Also it’s possible for a line of black men to have a European Y-chromosome, if one of their ancestors was white, or the opposite could happen.

The Long Secret

This is an okay book written by Louise Fitzhugh. Harriet the Spy becomes interested when an unidentified person starts leaving notes that seem to be based on bible verses, all over the quiet beach town of Water Mill. She’s determined to find out who is writing the notes. She drags her timid friend Beth Ellen along into some odd and embarrassing situations and keeps track of any information she discovers in her notebook. This is the sequel to Harriet the Spy.

A Gathering of Days

I did not like this book written by Joan Blos. 13-year-old Catherine Cabot Hall started writing in her diary on October 17, 1830, the same day her dad brought it home to her from Boston as a gift. Catherine’s mother died 4 years earlier and so now she is in charge of taking care of the household on their New Hampshire farm. When she receives a disturbing note from a stranger, it creates a conflict with her best friend Cassie. The novel won the Newbery Medal.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

This is an okay movie. Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) is a young man in Endora, Iowa, who lives with his mentally retarded 17-year-old brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio), his severely obese mother, and two sisters. He works at a local grocery store and worries that he will never leave the small town. He meets a young woman named Becky (Juliette Lewis), who is living with her grandmother in a movable trailer. Gilbert worries that his responsibilities at home will prevent him from pursuing a relationship with her, but she learns to accept him and his family.

DiCaprio was already a good actor by age 19, and performed very well in his role. He met some teens with similar disabilities to prepare for the part. It is based on the 1991 novel by Peter Hedges and was filmed in Manor, Texas.

The River Between Us

This is an okay book written by Richard Peck. A steamboat whistle splits the air one evening, and with it, all is changed for fifteen-year-old Tilly Pruitt and her family. They’ve been living in a muddy little Mississippi River town in Illinois, fearing the approach of the Civil War. Her twin brother Noah has been marching and drilling with the other boys in town, preparing to be soldiers for either the South or the North. The boat from New Orleans docks and two young women walk out. When Tilly’s mother invites them both to stay, everything changes for the family. The author was born on the same day as my grandfather.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

This is a noteworthy movie. In a small town, where the houses and cars all seem alike, and the neighbors like to gossip, an Avon lady named Peg (Dianne Wiest) decides to visit the castle on the hill to sell her products. Inside she meets a strange man named Edward (Johnny Depp). He was created by a skilled inventor, but the scientist died before he could give Edward proper hands. She decides to take Edward to stay with her family. He is naïve and doesn’t say much, but soon finds release with his masterful skill of cutting hedges.

The majority of filming took place in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. This was the fourth film directed by Tim Burton to include film scores performed by Danny Elfman; both of them consider this their favorite project. Depp watched several Charlie Chaplin films to get ideas on expressing emotions without words. This was the last live action film role for Vincent Price, who played the inventor; he was a lifelong smoker and died of lung cancer two years after the film was released.

2012 (2009)

This is a noteworthy movie. In 2009, Indian physicists discover that neutrinos from a massive solar flare are causing the temperature of the Earth's core, and thus the oceans, to increase rapidly. In 2010 the US President (Danny Glover) warns the other members at the G8 summit of the finding. In 2012 writer Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is vacationing with his two children in Yellowstone, when he discovers that something is wrong. As multiple natural disasters strike, he tries to get his family to safety.

The film is much better than The Day After Tomorrow. The Mayans are hardly mentioned and the story is basically about another deluge similar to the one in the Book of Genesis (chapters 6-9). The film also reminded me of Titanic, especially because only the very wealthy were expected to be saved. Solar Cycle 24 will reach its peak of maximal sunspot activity around 2012. The Mayans did not consider the year 2012 (converted from their dating system) to be the end of the world, only the end of a cycle.

Alien (1979)

This is a solid movie. In the year 2122, seven scientists are traveling in space when they discover a transmission from a desolate planet and decide to investigate. Three of the men set out to explore the landscape and they find some insect like aliens. When one of the explorers is attacked, the other two bring him back to the spaceship to receive medical care. A life form bursts out of his body and starts to terrorize the crew. Now they must try to quarantine the monster and get back to Earth before all of the crew is killed off.

The film won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2002 for historical preservation. There have been three sequels and two prequel films made. The name of the spaceship was derived from the title of Joseph Conrad's 1904 novel Nostromo. A 7-foot, 2-inches tall Nigerian student named Bolaji Badejo wore the costume for the alien. Sigourney Weaver was relatively unknown until this film and it was her first major role.

Heat Lightning

This is an okay book written by John Sandford. Investigator Virgil Flowers is in bed with his second ex-wife one summer night when he receives a startling phone call from his boss Lucas Davenport. A dead body has turned up at a veterans’ memorial with two bullets to the head and a lemon stuffed in its mouth, supposedly a Vietnamese tradition. Flowers suspects that the shooter has a hit list of potential victims. This is the second book in the Virgil Flowers series.

All About My Mother (1999)

This is an imperfect-but-creditable Spanish movie. Manuela (Cecilia Roth) is a single mother who has raised her only son from infancy and nearly into adulthood. One night after watching a play together he is struck by a car and killed. She feels guilty that she lied to her son about his father being dead and the real reason she left him was because he became a transvestite and is now called Lola. She befriends a former nun (Penelope Cruz) who is pregnant, but is dying from the AIDS virus she received from Lola.

The movie won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The ideas about organ donations originated in Almodóvar's earlier film The Flower of My Secret (1995). A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by Tennessee Williams. In 1951 a film adaptation was made starring Marlon Brando. The accident scene is based on the 1977 film Opening Night. All About Eve is a 1950 film starring Bette Davis.

Dead Watch

I liked this book written by John Sandford. Controversial former senator Lincoln Bowe is missing. His wife believes that his disappearance is linked to his speech criticizing the current governor of Virginia for his activities with the Watchmen, a Neo-Nazi citizen-activist group. Now she fears for her own life and takes flight. At the request of the White House, Jake Winter, an experienced political operative, takes on the investigation. But the clues he discovers could lead to a scandal that will upset those in power in the federal government.

A Simple Plan (1998)

This is an okay movie. Three men are walking through the snowy Minnesota woods on New Years Eve and discover a crashed plane. Inside they find the dead pilot and a duffel bag containing $4.4 million. They decide not to tell the police and to hide the money until spring to find out if anyone is looking for it. Their greed becomes really strong and they start to turn against each other. At the same time they must try to hide the evidence to avoid be suspected of any crimes.

It is based on the 1993 novel by Scott Smith. The film's revenue was about the same as its budget.

A Christmas Carol (2009)

This is an imperfect-but-creditable movie. Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carey) is a wealthy, but stingy businessman who feels contempt for everyone around him. When his business partner dies, he takes the coins off the dead man’s eyes to pay for the burial. On Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his late partner who tells him that if he does not change, he will have a tortuous afterlife, and alerts him that three other ghosts will be appearing, to remind him of how he has led his life and where it could end up.

The film seems to have been made mainly to take advantage of the 3-D effects. It is based on the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens. The film was produced through the process of performance capture. Disney had previously released Mickey's Christmas Carol in 1983 and Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992. This was Jim Carrey’s first role in a Disney film. The poster image of Scrooge clinging to the candle extinguisher is similar to the poster for the 1943 film Münchhausen, which shows Albers clinging to a cannonball.

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

This is a solid movie based on a true story. Reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is assigned an interview with Gus Lacey, a strange, middle-aged man who claims to have participated in an experimental military division that studied whether paranormal activities could help to win wars. When Wilton’s wife has an affair, he heads to Kuwait hoping to prove to her that he can do something great. By coincidence he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a member of the same military unit, who has been assigned on a secret mission in Iraq.

It is interesting when you combine hippies with the military. It is definitely an unusual film. The First Earth Battalion was the name of an idea proposed by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Channon, to implement New Age ideas principles into the military. There have been two major battles in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2004 and 2006, and both involved the military and not private security forces. Lyn Cassady is based on Guy Savelli. General Hopgood is based on Major General Albert Stubblebine III. Larry Hooper (Spacey) is a fictional character.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

I did not like this book written by Kate DiCamillo. Once upon a time there was a rabbit, made out of china, named Edward Tulane. He was the doll of a young girl named Abilene. Although the rabbit could not move by himself, he could think. While on an ocean cruise he is thrown overboard by a mischievous boy and is discovered by a fisherman. He continues to be transported to different places and families, and eventually winds up in a toy store.

I found the basic idea of the story, about a toy’s journey throughout the country, to be interesting. A film version is expected to be released in 2010. The one hundred years old doll in the toy shop is likely based off the main character in the 1929 novel Hitty, Her First Hundred Years. The ocean liner the Tulane family travels on is the Queen Mary.

The Road to Memphis

I liked this book written by Mildred D. Taylor. In 1941, Cassie Logan is 17-years-old and still in school. She is thinking about attending college and likes to read about the law. She is starting to realize that some young men are attracted to her. When her friend Moe beats up three white tormentors, the police search the countryside for him. Cassie, her brother Stacy, and several of their friends, decide to smuggle him into a different state to avoid being caught. On the road trip they experience mechanical failures and racism. This is the 3rd novel about the Logan family.

The Hanged Man’s Song

This is an okay book written by John Sandford. Kidd’s friend, Bobby the super hacker, has been murdered. When Kidd goes to Bobby’s house to investigate, he finds the battered body, but the souped up laptop is missing. The murderer is still at large and now has access to secret information about a large group of people. Kidd must dodge the FBI and other hackers as he tries to get the data back. This is the 4th novel in the Kidd series. The Hanged Man is the twelfth trump card in most Tarot decks; its symbolism reflects the crucifixion.

Three Kings (1999)

This is an okay movie. At the end of the Gulf War, an army major and three of his soldiers come across a rolled up treasure map to Saddam Hussein's stashes of confiscated gold. Under the guise of an official mission to return the wealth to Kuwait, they drive off in search of the hoard. In one Iraqi village they discover that guards are protecting a hidden bunker where the treasure is being held. When Hussein’s soldiers show up, the Americans try to rescue some Iraqi prisoners.

The film has an unusual style for the military genre. Overall it is a pretty good movie, but I just didn’t enjoy the tone and some of the bizarre scenes. It is sad that President Bush encouraged the Iraqi Shias to rebel against Hussein and then he didn’t provide support for them and the job had be finished 12 years later with the second war. The title is a parody of the Christian song "We Three Kings." The movie was filmed in the deserts of Arizona, California, and Mexico, with many of the extras played by real Iraqi refugees.

In America (2002)

This is a solid Irish movie based on a true story. After the accidental death of their 2-year-old son, a young Irish family moves to America to start their new life. With very little cash and the uncertainty of finding jobs, Johnny (Paddy Considine) and Sarah (Samantha Morton) settle into a rundown New York high-rise, relying on ingenuity and their close-knit family to maintain an upbeat outlook. On Halloween, the girls are allowed to go to their neighbors in search of candy. They meet a reclusive African man (Djimon Hounsou) who is dying of AIDS and develop an unlikely friendship.

The film is dedicated to director Jim Sheridan's brother Frankie, who died at the age of ten. The story was written by Jim and two of his daugthers.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (2009)

This is a pitiable movie. Two teenaged friends are talking together outside when a car pulls up to them and tosses out a flyer advertising a traveling magic show. Darren (Chris Massoglia) is fascinated by spiders and steals a brightly colored one that is poisonous and it bites his friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson) causing him to go into a coma. To save his life, Darren agrees to become a vampire and unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions.

It is based on the book series The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan. Some of the filming was done in New Orleans City Park. John Marshall High School in Los Angeles and Lusher Charter School in New Orleans were also used. Cormac Limbs was turned into a female character named Corma in the movie. Darren's love interest in the novels is Debbie Hemlock. Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor who appeared in Letters from Iwo Jima and The Last Samurai.