Movie Review: The Quiet American

I got this through Netflix. An interesting little film about a journalist in early 1950s Vietnam, before the French pullout. Michael Caine stars as the journalist Thomas Fowler stationed in Saigon, living with his Vietnamese mistress Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen). Fowler's comfortable life is disrupted when an American aid worker, Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser), arrives and begins to compete for Phuong's attentions. Pyle is idealistic and energetic, committed to defeating the communists in Vietnam and hoping to offer Phuong the marriage that Fowler cannot. This love triangle goes through a number of tense battles and then ends predictably in tears. Meanwhile, the war in Vietnam continues, and it appears that the French efforts against the communists are being supplanted by those of enterprising locals. But is unclear who is funding these new players...

Overall, I found the movie a bit odd but still thought provoking. The love story and the war sequences are not well-integrated, but it was interesting to see a film about the Vietnam conflict before large-scale American involvement. The book by Graham Greene upon which the movie was based was published in 1955, before all of that occurred. But given that this movie was released in 2002, my watching of it was colored by what I knew was going to happen in Vietnam during the 1960s.

Movie Review: Up

I saw this the past weekend. It's probably the best movie from 2009 I've seen so far. It also continues the Pixar streak: they haven't made a bad movie yet. This is an amazing achievement, and I keep thinking a clunker is coming, but somehow it doesn't. A Bug's Life was probably the weakest Pixar, and that's really saying something. Especially given the standard being set by other children's cartoons out there.

I was a bit skeptical of the premise for this film: man goes on a trip to South America by turning his house into an airship. Boyscout kid tags along. Sounds a bit wierd, right? But instead of being some crazy technicolor adventure, the movie turned out to be about aging, death, divorce, and finding joy in one's life, however one can. It was pretty heavy for a children's movie, which was evidenced by the confused questions some kids were whispering to their parents at the showing I attended. But despite that, all the kids I saw after the movie seemed happy and excited by the experience. I left the theater feeling the same way.

Best movie title spoof ever

The Phaeton and the Furious: Derbyshire Drift.

Movie Review: Star Trek

I wasn't super eager to see this one, but Mike was. So I went to see it last weekend. I watched Next Generation a lot for a couple years in grade school, but then I switched to police procedural shows and never looked back. Therefore, I just wasn't that interested in this movie. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.

What also made me skeptical about this movie was its director, JJ Abrams. I used to be a faithful watcher of his TV drama Alias, but that show had a drop off that began in Season 2 and ended in a spectacular crash and burn in Season 5. Really, it was embarrassing. Mike assured me that since Abrams was working within the confines of a 2 hour movie, there was no way it could get that out of hand. I was still hesitant. But you know what? Abrams did keep things under control. The movie plot was pretty simple (even though it involved time travel) and well-paced. I was afraid when that ball of "red matter" was revealed (longtime Alias fans will remember that annoying red ball of water stuff that was involved in many stupid plots), but that turned out not to be a problem.

Plus, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are great. I liked that Quinto's Spock seemed just a bit different from Leonard Nimoy's Spock. That makes sense, because they've had different life experiences. Sometimes time travel can get messy, with the main characters either worrying too much about changing events or thinking that they can't change anything because it's already done. This movie did neither. The characters accept that some things will change and make a new future. The result is fluid and freeing.

Matlab.....

Slowest program ever. Argh!!!

Book Review: Rattle His Bones

Rattle His Bones by Carola Dunn

My review

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a very simple mystery, but I enjoyed it. It is set in the British Natural History Museum, and carefully explores the relationships between the different curators and museum staff. I found this interesting, because it touches upon rivalries between related scholarly fields and the big egos common in academia. Really, the book could quite easily have been set in a university department and had a similar flavor (though there wouldn't be an excuse for jewel theft!).

Book Review: Battle for the Cowl

Batman: Battle for the Cowl by Tony Daniel

My review

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
First thoughts: I'm reading this in floppy form as it's released. Currently I have read issues 1 and 2 out of three. I have also been following the tie-ins (Gotham Gazette, issues in Batman, Detective Comics, etc.). The action is moving right along, which is nice. I guess that's what happens when the main series is only three issues long.

Update: I finished the third (last) issue. I found it confusing that there was apparently some action that happened between issues 2 and 3 that was missing. That stuff probably happens in a tie-in that I missed (damn you, DC, for your large event cross-overs!). But besides that, this was a sensible ending to a simple story. I don't mean that as a criticism, but rather as praise. It was nice to read a straightforward "comics event," instead of the time-jump-around-y stuff that Bendis always writes. I am looking forward to what's in store for the new Bat books coming this summmer.

Movie Review: Wolverine

This was okay, but not as good as it could have been. The relationship between Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Sabertooth (Liev Schreiber) was interesting, and some of the other mutants on Wolverine's government special ops team (like Dominic Monaghan) were decent. Otherwise, we get a sequence of sometimes standard and sometimes super weird action and character moments. (What was up with the fat man boxing bit? Or the naked Wolverine running through the woods bit?) Gambit and Emma Frost don't add much, sadly. A bit of a waste.

Baby Hat and Booties

I made these for my advisor, who is due to have a boy in a couple weeks. She's always wanted to learn how to knit, so I knew she would appreciate these. The patterns I used are here for the hat and here for the booties (ravelry links). Both were well written. My only issue was that the hat pattern wasn't clear on the gauge, but that doesn't seem to matter so much for baby hats. I didn't do the fold-down cuffs or the eyelets for the booties. I hope they stay on his feet!

Book Review: Styx and Stones

Styx And Stones by Carola Dunn

My review

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
This installment of the Daisy Dalrymple series was much better than the last. Although the setup was a bit wierd (Daisy's brother-in-law asks her to help find who has been sending him letters accusing him of adultery), the whole story flowed much better than in the previous book, Dead in the Water. This book concentrates a lot of Daisy's relationship with Alec's daughter, Belinda, and those scenes add depth to both characters.

Overall, I think these books are just a little too short. If they were about fifty pages longer the mysteries would not have to be so simple (and wrapped up so quickly) and we would have more time to follow the Daisy/Alec relationship (although Dunn does a decent job of highlighting it already).

Book Review: Dead in the Water

Dead In The Water by Carola Dunn

My review

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
I had read the earlier installments of this series several years ago, and I had always meant to read more. I finally got around to it, but this book was not really worth it. The mystery is not well constructed, and the ending is rushed (both figuratively and literally--for some reason we get a wierd foot-chase scene that was really out of place). What I found most distasteful was Daisy's attitude. She kept thinking unkind thoughts about the other characters, and then only sort of regretting her meanness. I didn't remember Daisy being so unlikeable before. Since these books are short, I will give them another chance. But they better bounce back quickly.

One note for me, since I've also been reading Robin Paige's Victorian Mysteries: these books take place only 30 years after Paige's, but here finger-printing and other methods of modern forensics are used regularly. In Paige's series the police look upon these methods with a lot of skepticism. The turnaround from distrust to acceptance of these techniques is interesting.

Movie Review: State of Play

I saw this on Saturday. Mike, being a big fan of journalism movies (All the President's Men, Good Night and Good Luck, His Girl Friday, Zodiac) wanted to check it out. I definitely enjoyed it (Russel Crowe, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck, and Rachel McAdams give great performances), but there was something lacking in the plotting. Mike described it as about 80% of the quality of Michael Clayton, and I would agree with that. It's not quite as amped up as Clayton, so you're not waiting for some one's car to blow up the entire time. Nor are the plot twists quite so twisty, and the ending just sort of putters out. The constant whining over the death of print newspapers is also a bit much, making the movie feel a little grumpy. Also, how in the world are we supposed to believe that Russel Crowe and Ben Affleck are close enough in age to have gone to college together? In real life about 8 years separate them, and Affleck has a perpetual twenty-something look to him. Overall, a tasty snack but not a full meal.

Book Review: Death at Rottingdean

Death at Rottingdean by Robin Paige

My review

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Not a super-complicated mystery (I think of this series as similar to "The Closer" TV show: if something or someone pops up for no discernible reason, that means it's a clue to the killer). Nevertheless, there were several interesting passages detailing the birth of automatic handguns. This builds upon the authors' previous examinations of modern technology (including motor cars and forensic techniques) as it developed at the end of the Victorian Era. This aspect remains one of the most unique parts of this mystery series.

Also, the use of quotations from totally random sources abates somewhat relative to previous entries in this series. However, it doesn't go fully away.

Movie Review: Hellboy II

I finally got to see this on DVD. I remember thinking that Hellboy I was a decent movie, but not great. This one is a step up from that. It's much more fantasy-driven, dealing with a war between elves and humans. As such, del Toro (who both wrote and directed the movie) has created a visually interesting world full of mystical creatures. There is much less action occurring in the real world (the streets and subway tunnels of NYC) and way more in fantasy locales (the Troll Market, the elves' throne room). The major issue is that the characterisations are a little flat. Hellboy himself remains interesting (the movie deals a bit with his constant struggle to fit in with humans) but his comrades aren't. At one point a main character has to decide whether to save Hellboy's life, and her struggle did not seem nearly as emotional as it ought to have been.

Movie Review: Watchmen

Although I avidly read comics, I have never gotten into Alan Moore. I have read a couple things by him (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Killing Joke), but I have never managed to get through his iconic stuff: Watchmen, V for Vendetta, etc. So bear that in mind.

I found this movie interesting, but too long for what it was. There were some beautiful, eye catching sequences (particularly the opening credits), but these were also very drawn out. I wasn't that interested in the characters, so I wasn't willing to wade through so much flashback and slow unraveling of the mystery. Really, the opening credits were the best part of the movie, which raised expectations, only to fail to meet them.

Book Review: Death at Devil's Bridge

Death at Devil's Bridge by Robin Paige

My review

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
What I found most interesting about this book was the setting: a motor car exhibition in the late 1890s. This allows the authors to talk a lot about the early development of the motor car, including some fascinating details about the relative benefits and costs of steam, electric, and gasoline powered cars. Given that we're trying to wean ourselves off of oil today, it was neat to hear some of the reasoning behind choosing gasoline engines in the first place.

The mystery itself ends a bit oddly, with an abrupt, less-than-pat conclusion. I was surprised by this, but it did make a refreshing change from the usual happy ending. The authors also spend some time developing tension in the Kate/Sir Charles relationship, which I am sure will continue in the rest of the series.

Book Review: Death at Daisy's Folly

Death at Daisy's Folly by Robin Paige

My review

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
This mystery series has not been "knock my socks off" good, but it has been enjoyable. Each book is short, but not too short (270-290 pages). If they were any shorter, the mysteries would feel rushed. If they were any longer, they would lose their light feel by dwelling too much on the mystery or characterization. I am especially pleased at the way the relationship between the two protagonists, Kate and Charles, has developed. Both characters are described as independent and intelligent. Given that, it's refreshing that they approach their relationship with honesty and open communication. There are few drawn-out misunderstandings between them. If something is wrong, they talk it out quickly. Most mysteries with romantically involved leads do not follow this pattern.

Book Review: Death at Gallows Green

Death at Gallows Green by Robin Paige

My review

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
I just finished this up this morning. I read the first installment in this series several years ago, and I remembered liking it. Thus, when I saw this in a local mystery book store, I decided to give it a try. It was a pleasant, quick read. The mystery isn't super-difficult to solve, but that is appropriate for a book of this length. The characterization of the two lead sleuths, Kate and Sir Charles, was good. I look forward to future developments in their relationship. My one major annoyance was the quotations printed at the beginning of each chapter. Although they were somewhat relevant to the content of the chapters, they came from such diverse sources that it seemed as if they were drawn at random from Bartlett's. This was distracting, in that I was always wondering why these sources were chosen. The one exception was quotations from Beatrix Potter's books, since Potter appears as a friend of Kate's.

I did see from the inside cover that one of the authors (Robin Paige is the pen name of a husband and wife writing team) has written a series of Beatrix Potter mysteries. I want to try those, since Potter is an interesting figure, and she was well-written in this book.

Best Picture Round-Up 2008

I know this is super late, but I did see all the Best Picture nominees before the Oscar ceremony. My thoughts, in brief:

Milk
Sean Penn gives a beautiful performance, as does Josh Brolin. The pacing was a little off (particularly during the portions dealing with the second boyfriend), but the ending was very powerful.

Frost/Nixon
A very simple, yet compelling film. The performances are tight. Ron Howard's direction is controlled and appropriate. I wouldn't expect any less from the director of Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and Cinderella Man.

Slumdog Millionaire
A beautiful movie, though the game show framing mechanism is both creative and a little forced.

The Reader
My favorite of the 2008 Best Picture nominees. This film shows how personal pride leads one woman to destroy hundreds of lives. It's examination of German guilt for the Holocaust, both for individuals and the nation as a whole, is both fascinating and sobering.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Interesting, but way too long for what it was. I was surprised that the movie was framed by Hurricane Katrina. I suppose they felt they had to deal with that, given that the film is very much about New Orleans.

Craft Circle

I participated recently in a craft circle, where I sent out crafts to five people, and got five crafts in return. Here's what I sent:

A crochet rabbit amigurumi:



Crochet cupcake pincushions:


Crochet flower pins:

Badges from my badge-maker:



Crochet bird pins: