Book Reviews and Movies Too

I've had a lot of time this winter to read and watch movies, something I rarely get time for during other seasons. Here are a few of my favorites, and some I did not like so much.

Books

A Thousand Splendid Suns
Written by the same author as "The Kite Runner" this book doesn't even come close to being as good. I bought this book for my sister for Christmas and started reading it (ha, ha June). It seems that Khaled Hosseini has a great handle on what it is like to be a young boy in Afganistan during the Taliban regime change (The Kite Runner), but had a rough time with writing from a girl's perspective in this book. I didn't finish it, mostly because I had to wrap it up and send it, but also because it was going no where for me.

Molokai
We'll written, interesting story, based on a leprosy colony that really existed in Hawaii. It was easy to get engrossed in the character's emotion, the scenery was great, and the sunsets incredible. Great winter book- I think I actually got a little bit of a tan.

From Baghdad with Love
Here is where I get a little critical- just because you have a great story line about two juxtaposed characters (a cute cuddly puppy and a tough marine in the midst of battle) doesn't mean you have the right to be a crappy writer. This guy actually like, uses like, like this. In many parts of the book. Very annoying. I am having a hard time finishing this one.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Incredible. Written in the voice of an autistic savant 11 year old, this book has great illustrations, is hilarious, and heart-rending. Mark Haddon worked with autistic kids for years before writing this fictional novel, disguised as a mystery.

Movies

Clerks
Someone (likely one of my male co-workers) told me I had to see this because it was a classic. I turned it off after 20 minutes. Ugh. Horrible acting. I don't care how many great lines came out of it.

Ma Vie En Rose
Belgium movie about a seven year old boy who wants to be a girl. Very touching and sad as his family deals with offended neighbors, his surprise dress up sessions, and even the loss of his father's job because of his "different" behavior.

The Big Lebowski
I just saw this for the second time. I know this is a classic Kohen Bros film, but I have two points:

1. There is no point. The cowboy narrator talks "The Dude" up like he is a hero, but I'm not impressed. He doesn't restore justice (the bad guy keeps the money), he doesn't get the girl, and he doesn't seem to transcend to anything deeper or more meaningful. Maybe THAT is the point. That there is none.
2. I don't care how wonderful Kohen Bros characters are. I can't stand Walter (John Goodman). Maybe the last scene where he is actually sorry, but other than that, he is a loud-mouthed idiot the entire movie
   
   

Countryman

My man and I got together for Jamaica night and watched this old movie from the early 1980's. It was awesome. Talk about a real hero, Countryman showers food on his community members (in the form of fresh caught fish), he can run for miles in minutes, put the voodoo sleep trance on untrusting rich guys, AND he saves the girl and her boyfriend.

To tell you the truth, I kind of have a crush on Countryman (much to the amusement of my own boyfriend).

All I got to say is "Love, Daddy".