The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (Book Review)

"I may how found a solution to the Wife Problem."

Review: Wow, did I love this book and did I need this book as well! That's probably why I read it in just 5 days time! This year has been pretty slow for me in the reading department so I figured I would try something a little out of what I've been reading lately. I think I made an excellent choice. I felt about this book the way I felt after I read The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. I just felt good. Sometimes we need that feel good book the way we need that feel good movie.

I just wanted to stay in the frame of mind that this book gave me for ever and ever. It's how I feel at the end of Sleepless in Seattle or Notting Hill. Two movies that were mentioned in this book by the way. It's essentially how I feel sometimes when it comes to "dating" and why go through the hassle of it. 

There's this guy named Don, who I swear is me if I were a nerdy guy. He analyzes everything and his social skills are seriously lacking. Except, again this is like me to a T, he counteracted that by being the class clown in school! That's totally what I did. Instead of allowing others to pick on me I made myself funny to others before they could do it to me. Anyway, this book, is the guide to my life, and probably to the life of others because he decides to devise a questionnaire in order to find the perfect life partner. Why didn't I think of that? Oh, I know, because it would never work! But Don thinks he's created a questionnaire that will quickly eliminate unsuitable women as well as those who may not be 100% truthful in their answers. 

He has all of two friends, a married couple, Gene and Claudia. The husband sleeps around on his wife but "it's okay" because they are in an open relationship. I don't have to tell you what happens there! Anyway, Gene, (as a joke I guess?) sends Rosie to Don, who thinks she is meeting with him as a possible candidate to be his wife. Of course, Don has tried out his questions on several other women and social meeting settings, all of which have failed. Except for Rosie who fails the worst out of all the applicants. But, there is just something about her that makes Don start breaking rules and creating reasons for needing to be around her and near her. Thus romance and happiness and love follows.

Unlike most romantic love stories though, this one isn't as clear cut and simple as you might expect, which is why I love it. It's not all that mushy yet it does have a feeling of romance and reality that I can appreciate. It's been optioned by Sony Pictures (I think) so I hope to catch it as a movie very soon.

Summary: THE ART OF LOVE IS NEVER A SCIENCE

MEET DON TILLMAN, a brilliant yet socially challenged professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. And so, in the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs the Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers.

Rosie Jarman is all these things. She also is strangely beguiling, fiery, and intelligent. And while Don quickly disqualifies her as a candidate for the Wife Project, as a DNA expert Don is particularly suited to help Rosie on her own quest: identifying her biological father. When an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate on the Father Project, Don is forced to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.

Arrestingly endearing and entirely unconventional, Graeme Simsion’s distinctive debut will resonate with anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of great challenges. The Rosie Project is a rare find: a book that restores our optimism in the power of human connection.

The Rosie Project

by Graeme Simsion

292 pages

Simon & Schuster, 2013

Fiction

Read in 5 days

Rating: ★★★★★

Amazon | BN

To learn more about Graeme Simsion visit his website here.

The Way We Were & The Goodbye Girl

Both movies bring forth such pleasure, and pain, and happiness all at once, then one at a time, till by the end I'm either laughing, crying, or both. The markings of a great movie. I have a long list of movies that some would put under the category of "romantic" but I choose to simply label them as my favorites. And what luck I have that TCM has been showing both of these movies several times already this year? Especially this 31 days of Oscar month.

The Way We Were (1973) - starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford

No matter how many times I put myself through the torture of watching this movie it's like an addiction, I have to watch it till the end. Then I have a good cry, get pissed off either with myself or to anyone within the distance of my voice about how HORRID the ending is, vowing I will never watch it again. I cross my heart and everything! Then, the damn movie comes on again and I find myself drawn to it! Why? I think because I relate on SO MANY eerily creepy levels with Katie (played by Barbra Streisand). She is a naive girl who wants to change the world.

This movie is taking place around the 40's and 50's, when McCarthy was running rampant through Hollywood, scaring everyone from actors to writers, fearing they could be blacklisted. This movie was the first of its kind to truly going into the McCarthy "Communism" Era, and even they skirted around it as much as possible. A lot of the really controversial stuff was cut. Anyway, so here's Katie, this loud mouth, soap box girl, who's desperately and hopelessly in love with Hubbell (played by Robert Redford). His character I hate. But if you put that personality in a female (I'm gay so work with me a bit here) it's the EXACT kind I find myself attracted to and wanting just like Katie. We both want what we know we shouldn't have cause it will only end in heartache and despair but we just don't care and we claw and we fight and we argue and we do it anyway!

Katie Morosky Gardner: I don't have the right style for you do I?
Hubbell Gardner: No you don't have the right style.
Katie Morosky Gardner: I'll change.
Hubbell Gardner: No, don't change. You're your own girl, you have your own style.
Katie Morosky Gardner: But then I won't have you. Why can't I have you?
Hubbell Gardner: Because you push too hard, every damn minute. There's no time to ever relax and enjoy living. Every things too serious to be so serious.
Katie Morosky Gardner: If I push too hard it's because I want things to be better, I want us to be better, I want you to be better. Sure I make waves you have I mean you have to. And I'll keep making them till your everything you should be and will be. You'll never find anyone as good for you as I am, to believe in you as much as I do or to love you as much.
Hubbell Gardner: I know that.
Katie Morosky Gardner: Well then why?
Hubbell Gardner: Do you think if I come back its going to be okay by magic? What's going to change? What's going to be different? We'll both be wrong, we'll both lose.
Katie Morosky Gardner: Couldn't we both win?

It's romance. It's fighting. It's that awkward first sexual encounter. It's devotion. It's marriage. It's too soon. It's too late. It's everything you could ever want in a movie that will push you and pull you and take you on a roller coaster of emotions like you've never been on before. The only downfall? **SPOILER ALERT** There is no happy ending to be found here, and that's what I hate. It's an ending that, as I understand it, was not uncommon during that time period. Girl gets pregnant. Man can't/won't stick around for the child's sake. They break up amicably. The End. WHAT?! That's it? And years later they "bump into each other" on a crowded New York Street where she brushes his damn hair aside, he briefly (and I do mean briefly) asks about the daughter he saw just once when she was born, then admits he wasn't strong enough to just move on like she did (getting married and all) so he can't ever see her again. Do I feel sorry for him? NO! **END SPOILER ALERT**

What a frustrating movie! I hate it! I really do! Then that damn song! Same as the title. I'm sure you've heard it? I hear it and it's like, how can you NOT cry? Especially after knowing how it all turns out in the end? I hate it! I really do! But damn it if you won't find me watching it the next time it's on!

And just briefly, my theory on why Barbra was nominated in 3 major awards for leading actress but didn't win any of them? At that time they probably felt there was nothing "empowering" about giving an award for a role of a woman who had a husband who left her just seconds after their baby was born. Why was Robert Redford not nominated at all? Well, let's not award the guy who separated from, then left, his wife after she had their baby. So it stands to reason why a movie like this was only recognized for the title track, "The Way We Were." And I believe, if not for that song it probably wouldn't have been acknowledged at all.



The Goodbye Girl (1977) - starring Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason

Such a great movie with great lines throughout. I love a movie that has such intelligent, witty, and sarcastic lines. They are delivered so quickly and masterfully you have to keep up with not only Elliot (Richard Dreyfuss) and Paula (Marsha Mason) but "The Kid" Lucy as well. All three are bad mouthed individuals who say what most of us merely think in our heads whenever we found ourselves in an awkward or uncomfortable situation. They say what we WISH we had the guts to say at the right moment and at the right time.

I love that kind of movie. It adds an air of fantasy as well as romance. I watch it and I think, "I could see myself totally saying that someday." And for that time it takes for the movie to come to an end, I believe it wholeheartedly.

In a nutshell it's about this very neurotic woman who, after being jilted twice by actors, that she is destined to be the girl men eventually love and leave. While she is is having this battle with herself she has a daughter whose lines are much too mature for someone her age, but we all know that old saying, "kids say the darndest things." Lucy is no exception. Elliot fits in because he's been sublet the apartment that Paula's recently departed ex once lived in with her and her daughter. He leaves her a horrible Dear John (or in her case Jane?) letter and doesn't even warn her about this new guy, an actor no less, who now has the rights to the apartment.

So, in a compromise that I'm sure probably doesn't happen in today's day and age, the two adults compromise and Elliot decides to allow Paula and her daughter to remain living in the apartment with him. Comedy and romance and stubborn fighting ensues. It's another roller coaster, only this time with a fairly happy, yet also realistic ending. It has that "and they lived happily ever after" feeling to it. But hidden deep within the subtext I found myself asking, "or do they?" And surprisingly, I'm okay with that kind of ending.

And if you're looking for an interesting Oscar fact (since it IS Oscar month and all), Richard Dreyfuss was considered the youngest receipient for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the age of 30, until 2003, when Adrien Brody won for The Pianist. He was 29 at the time. Just a few months younger than Dreyfuss. If you're anything like me, you remember those classic award show moments, and Adrien Brody winning sticks out in my mind, not because of his age, but because Halle Berry gave him the award and the kiss he planted on her was like WOAH!

Lastly, the title song for The Goodbye Girl isn't all that bad either...

Top Ten Romances in Books

 

For more info on Top Ten Tuesday & the future schedule go here!

I don't read much romance novels, although lately with all the YA books I've been reading they are riddled with an obvious coupling about to happen or a love triangle. In any case, I have gone back in my memory banks and picked the few romances I remember. While these might not ever be considered "the best" romances of all time found in books, especially since I've yet to read most classic novels filled with the most memorable romances of all times. But notice I said "yet" because I do intend to read the Bronte's and Jane Eyre, etc.

In the meantime, here is my less than adequate list that doesn't cover 10 but it's the best I could do...

• Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley (Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling)
  Their obvious love story, to me, is the subtlest and romantic of all time in the children's/YA genre today. Very real and relatable.


• C. Thomas Flood & Judy (Bloodsucking Fiends Trilogy by Christopher Moore)
  If you've never had the pleasure of reading a novel by Christopher Moore, or have only had the pleasure of reading his iconic Lamb, I suggest you pick this set of books up ASAP. While it's not the love story of the century, it is one that can easily last as long. In short, it's the love of a newly made vampire and a human.


• Scarlet O'Hara & Rhett Butler (Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell)
  If not for this inevitable love affair I feel the book would have felt as long as it actually is. They are both perfectly suited for each other and I like to imagine they end up together and separate several times in their tumultuous relationship.


• Katniss & Peeta (Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)
  I know many feel she ended up with the wrong guy but I feel they were meant to be together since they know each others lives so well.  I rooted for them to be together in the end from the very beginning.

The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller (Book Review)

The Bridges of Madison County
by Robert James Waller

174 pages
Warner Books Inc., 1992
fiction
Finished in 1 day
Another Review...

My Rating: ★★★★ 

Amazon.com / BN.com

"On the morning of August 8, 1965, Robert Kincaid locked the door to his small two-room apartment on the third floor of a rambling house in Bellingham, Washington."

My Review: For a book that is only 174 pages in length it sure did pack a lot of emotion! I've read novels that are over 400 pages simply because that is how much space the author needed to convey what Robert James Waller was able to do in simple sentences. I was instantly placed into the shoes and life of this photographer and farm wife. And while this truly is a love story to end all love stories I did not find it corny or as uncomfortable as I've been apt to find those I've read. I place it in a category such that Gone With the Wind has only been able to fill. My only issue with the story is the fact that the farm wife is a wife! I think it's overlooked because she is unhappy and her life doesn't truly begin until she meets this photographer who is just passing through. Does this promote adultery? Perhaps. But I suppose back then that wasn't the point? The point was the passion that the reader was looking for, that Francesca and Robert were desperately looking for, and all parties involved found it in abundance, on a little farm, near a cleverly hidden bridge, in Madison County.

I have not seen the movie nor do I think I ever will. Not because I don't love Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, because I do appreciate their great body of work. But because I feel some works of literature should remain as such and nothing more.

The only thing I would have appreciated and feel would have helped move this story along faster was if there were more photographs. Otherwise, if you are looking for a feel good book that will make you laugh, cry, and feel such passion that you haven't felt in a long time, this is the book for you. I guarantee all you'll need is a couple of hours in your busy day to finish it. Enjoy!

Summary: The legendary love story, the bestselling hardcover novel of all time, and the major motion picture starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. This is the story of Robert Kincaid, the photographer and free spirit searching for the covered bridges of Madison County, and Francesca Johnson, the farm wife waiting for fulfillment of a girlhood dream. It shows readers what it is to love and be loved so intensely that life is never the same again.

A timeless, universally appealing story of love and loss. In just four days, two people find one another and commit themselves to each other for a lifetime even though they remain apart.

To learn more about Robert James Waller please visit his wiki page.

My Overstuffed Bookshelf Challenge

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (Book Review)

Under the Never Sky

by Veronica Rossi

374 Pages
HarperCollins, 1/3/2012
Young Adult
Finished in 5 days
Another Review…

My Rating: ★★★★

Amazon.com / BN.com

 

"They called the world beyond the walls of the Pod "the Death Shop."

My Review: Although this has a bit of a love story towards the tail end of the book it isn't overwhelming at all. It took me longer than usual (five days) to finish this book but only because my entire life cannot be devoted to reading books. I wish it could be!

Back to the story, it's written from the third person but the point-of-view goes back and forth between the main characters. Aria, the Dweller girl, who starts out a scared, weak and naive girl, but who quickly finds herself becoming a strong and independent woman in the end. Then there's Peregrine, Perry, the Savage and worlds away in attitude and personality from Aria.

They live on the same planet but two different worlds. Aria has lived underground all her life with the rest of society which went down there to stay away from the 'aether sky' which appears to be destroying the planet in more ways than one. It is this sky that Aria dubs the 'never sky' because it never does what you need or expect it to do. In any event, their paths cross, more than once, and although they seem to hate each other, they quickly realize they need each other to get what they want.

Of course you can easily guess they end up falling each other. And as most tragic love stories go, they really shouldn't be together.

Aria is seeking her mother as well as answers to questions that keep piling up along the journey. Perry is searching for his nephew as well as retribution for the guilt he's held inside for as long as he's been alive. Together they will get some answers and as the reader I was glued to wanting to take the journey with them every step of the way. I'll probably add Through the Ever Night as a February read now.

Synopsis: Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty.

To learn more about Veronica Rossi please visit her official website.

My Overstuffed Bookshelf Challenge, 52 Books in 52 Weeks & A to Z Challenge

Bringing Up Baby (1938) (Movie Review)

 



Director: Howard Hawks

Screenwriter(s): Dudley Nichols & Hagar Wilde

Producer: Cliff Reid & Howard Hawks

Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures

In Theaters: February 18th, 1938

Run Time: 102 minutes

Starring: Katharine Hepburn & Cary Grant

Genre(s): comedy/romance

Storyline: Mild mannered zoology professor Dr. David Huxley is excited by the news that an intercostal clavicle bone has been found to complete his brontosaurus skeleton, a project four years in the construction. He is equally excited about his imminent marriage to his assistant, the officious Alice Swallow, who is interested in him more for his work than for him as a person. David needs the $1 million endowment of wealthy dowager Mrs. Carleton Random to complete the project. Her lawyer, Alexander Peabody, will make the decision on her behalf, so David needs to get in his favor. However, whenever David tries to make a good impression on Peabody, the same young woman always seems to do something to make him look bad. She is the flighty heiress Susan Vance. The more David wants Susan to go away, the more Susan seems not to want or be able to. But David eventually learns that Alexander Peabody is her good friend…

Movie Trailer:


My Review: I remember the first time I watched Bringing Up Baby. I was lucky enough to have a mother who brought home VHS tapes of countless classic movies, and not just starring Katharine Hepburn. For me, when it came to my understanding of comedy, it came from actors like Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn before I even discovered Lucille Ball. But being able to see a movie like this on the big screen just can’t compare. If you ever get a chance to see a classic on the big screen I cannot stress enough how much you should jump at the opportunity to see whatever it is.

These two have done a few others movies together but this one is my favorite. It truly showcases Katharine’s sense of humor, something many, including herself, have said she never truly had. In fact it was Cary who showed her the art of timing. And boy did she master it beautifully. Unlike other duos of their day (Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland or Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers) they didn’t have singing or dancing that made them flow together so well. It was their fantastic acting ability and it didn’t hurt that they both have larger than life personalities on the screen. It’s hard to notice anyone or anything else other than them when they are on the screen but do try because the ensemble cast in this movie just helps in so many ways to move this comedy along.

My Rating: ★★★★

Step Up Revolution (2012) (Movie Review)

Director: Scott Speer

Screenwriter(s): Jenny Mayer

Producer: Jon M. Chu

Distributor: Summit Entertainment

In Theaters: July 27^th, 2012

Run Time: 99 minutes

Starring: Kathryn McCormick, Ryan Guzman, & Cleopatra Coleman

Genre(s): drama/music/romance

Storyline: The Mob sets the dancing against the vibrant backdrop of Miami. Emily arrives in Miami with aspirations of becoming a professional dancer and soon falls in love with Sean, a young man who leads a dance crew in elaborate, cutting-edge flash mobs, called “The Mob”. When a wealthy business man threatens to develop The Mob’s historic neighborhood and displace thousands-of people, Emily must work together with Sean and The Mob to turn their performance art into protest art, and risk losing their dreams to fight for a greater cause. (From IMBD.com)

Movie Trailer:


My Review: What can I say about a movie that has managed to completely dissapoint me on many levels? Let me start by my choice of movie posters you see above. I chose that poster specifically because 1. I can’t stand the one with the “love interest” as the main picture and 2. It’s a fabrication of the truth in order to get those of us who love Moose and the last 2 Step Up movies HE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN IN to go see this one. Well, SPOILER ALERT, if you’re planning on seeing this movie in hopes of seeing more Moose moves, I suggest you buy Step Up 2 & 3 because he’s in this movie for all of about 3 minutes. I actually think it’s less than that, but I’m rounding up here. He’s in the very tail end of the movie and gets very little camera time. While I love Moose and was very upset he wasn’t in the movie at all I was even more upset that neither was MSA or the Pirates. With the exception of 2 representatives from each crew, this needed all the help it could get!

What differed so much for me was also the lack of a competition mixed into the story. At least with the last two movies (I refuse to acknowledge the first Step Up movie) there was a true purpose and goal. This movie, while it did not lack in dialogue (more talking than dancing for sure) did not connect with me whatsoever. I did not feel their desire to make statements with their dancing, something I felt they did more of with their opening dance routine than when they decided (towards the end) to make statements through dance.

The routines were interesting and definitely showcased a lot of other dances that we wouldn’t normally consider cool and that worked. But being there was only 5 dances in this movie and each one was at most 5 minutes long that still left about 75 minutes of dialogue. Are you cringing yet? I sure was sitting in the movie theater. Now, I’ve been told there were the same amount of dances in the other two movies I happened to love. I have not verified if this is true. But if it is, I’d argue the element that was missing then was bringing back the old familiar faces. Cause as far as I’m concerned there was nothing memorable about The Mob. If you were to ask me to name let alone describe any of the dancers from this new crew, all I got for you is the smokin’ hot DJ, the graffiti dude, and Twitch (not his name in the movie I know). The latter also doesn’t count because he’s from Step Up 3-D, an original from The Pirates crew.

The love interest was even more corny than the first movie and her ambition to join that ballet company was a joke that shouldn’t even have been a story line since it falls flat in the end. The only mention we get of that whole unnecessary ordeal is when she, in passing, tells someone (probably her father or love interest) that she didn’t make it into the dance company. What?! After you made me suffer through Mia Michaels character acting like she’s all that and a bag of chips you left it like that? The least you could have done was had her among the crowd when Emily (I think that was her characters name) danced that dumb number with her love interest at the end of the movie. What was the point? it was an odd place and time especially since she wasn’t there to see it, love it, and open up a spot for her. That would have made the movie score a “C+” with me at least!

If they dare to do a 5th Step Up movie, I will need MSA and The Pirates to be in it and for more than just a few minutes before I’d even consider going to see it.

My Rating: C-

Singin' in the Rain (1952) (Movie Review)

Title: Singin’ in the Rain

Director: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen

Screenwriter(s): Betty Comden & Adolph Green

Producer: Arthur Freed

Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

In Theaters: March 27^th, 1952

Run Time: 103 minutes

Color: Technicolor

Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, & Debbie Reynalds

Genre(s): musical/romance

Storyline: In 1927, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are a famous on-screen romantic pair. Lina, however, mistakes the on-screen romance for real love. Don has worked hard to get where he is today, with his former partner Cosmo. When Don and Lina’s latest film is transformed into a musical, Don has the perfect voice for the songs. But Lina - well, even with the best efforts of a diction coach, they still decide to dub over her voice. Kathy Selden is brought in, an aspiring actress, and while she is working on the movie, Don falls in love with her. Will Kathy continue to “aspire”, or will she get the break she deserves?


Movie Trailer:


My Review: The experience of going to see a movie like this in the movie theater, especially when it’s sold out, can never compare to watching it on DVD at home. It sold out in two theaters actually. The movie is definitely larger than life and one of the first movies directed by Gene Kelly himself. I learned from Robert Osborn before the movie started that Kelly actually never wanted to be in front of the camera, he wanted to be to musicals what Hitchcock was to suspense and thrillers. He wanted to be the guy who “tried that first.” The staple for how future dance and music was choreographed and filmed for the big screen.

Unfortunately for him the audience loved him when he performed. Gene Kelly, you could say, took over, where Fred Astaire left off. I think one of the main differences between the two dancers was that Gene danced alone more than with a partner and Astaire was the opposite. Kelly like big numbers full of color and scenery while Astaire had you on the edge of your seat by just his dancing alone.

As the movie goes, not one member of the cast went to waste. From the up and coming Debbie Reynolds to the exhausting Donald O’Connor this movie was packed with comedy, romance, singing, and of course, dancing. Gene Kelly could do it all and as Jean Hagen famously says in the movie, in a voice few can mimic just right, “I can’t stand him!”

Here is the most memorable song and dance routine performed by Gene Kelly, along with 2 of my favorite songs from the movie as well.

Singin’ in the Rain - Gene Kelly


Good Mornin’ - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds & Donald O’Connor


Moses Supposes - Gene Kelly & Donald O’Connor


My Rating: A+

Born Yesterday (Movie Review)

Title: Born Yesterday

Director: George Cukor

Screenwriter(s): Albert Mannheimer & Garson Kanin

Producer: S. Sylvan Simon

Distributor: Columbia Pictures

In Theaters: December 26th, 1950

Run Time: 103 minutes

Color: Black & White

Starring: Judy Holliday, Broderick Crawford, & William Holden

Genre(s): comedy/drama/romance

Storyline: Uncouth, loud-mouth junkyard tycoon Harry Brock descends upon Washington D.C. to buy himself a congressman or two, bringing with him his mistress, ex-showgirl Billie Dawn. Brock hires newspaperman Paul Verrall to see if he can soften her rough edges and make her more presentable in capital society. But Harry gets more than he bargained for as Billie absorbs Verall's lessons in U.S. history and not only comes to the realization that Harry is nothing but a two-bit, corrupt crook, but in the process also falls in love with her handsome tutor. Written by Paul Penna

Movie Trailer:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upJ5pZdyZlM]

My Review: Yet another stellar evening at the movies with Ms. Hedda Lettuce and her comedy pre-show.

If you've never seen this version perhaps you are familiar with the remake? Melanie Griffith reprises Judy Holliday's role although not as brilliantly. I've seen this original several dozen times but never until now did I notice just how much of the movie revolves around politics. Not the politics of today but how corruption first started out on a small scale. Your average, run of the mill gangster, thinks he can do what he wants and get anyone he wants to do his bidding because he has money at his disposal. So while Harry is busy pushing around his cousin, his lawyer, and a congressman, his fiance Billy is learning how to be cooth from Paul (William Holden).

All she has to do is learn how to speak good, but instead of teaching her the basics Paul pushes her mind to the limit. A light bulb finally goes off in Billy's head and she sees Harry for who he really is, a bad man! She calls him out on his operation and brings him down to size in a scene that could only be expressed with such intensity by Ms. Holliday herself. You'll find yourself laughing, smiling, and you might even shed a tear for the shear joy this feel good movie will bring you from beginning to very happy ending.

My Rating: A

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Book Review)

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)
by Marissa Meyer

387 pages

Macmillan Publishers, January 2012

young adult/romance/science fiction/dystopian
Read in 4 days

Another Review...

My Rating: ★★★★1/2

Amazon.com | BN.com

My Review: Very few people don’t know the story of Cinderella. If you’re like me, you’ve seen several movie versions of the movie growing up as well. Not only that, but being a fairytale, it’s easy to see aspects of this story in other, more modern tales. The classic (and oft times tragic) story of girl who likes boy but due to some societal or financial reason she does not feel worthy of his affection. Similar to that of Romeo & Juliet, only not as tragic because in Cinderella it’s one of those “and they lived happily ever after” kind of endings. This book is the story of Cinderella but told in the future and in Beijing, China. I think that location would never have entered my mind for a Cinderella remake but I must say, for the larger story she’s looking to tell in the continuation of this series, it works.

If you like the fairytale and are not open for huge change from that idea this book will not interest you. Otherwise, read on, because there is something for everyone in this story. Cinder is a cyborg (meaning certain parts of her anatomy and internal organs are robotic) and as such is looked down upon by some people, including, of course, her wicked step-mother Adri, and her two step-sisters. I was happy to see that one of the step-sisters actually befriends Cinder and they get along rather well until tragedy hits. I’ll try not to give any spoilers but let’s just say there is SO much more to this story that some stupid ball and fairy godmother. There are no pumpkins (unless you count the orange car she finds in the junkyard) or midnight bells to listen for. There is a greater danger in this story than losing ones slipper too. Try losing ones mechanical foot!

One criticism I had with the book was the humor. I found it VERY dry, but I suspect that is because the culture where it takes place is different from what I’m used to here. If that is the case then I get two thumbs up to the writer for being so thorough in her research on this book that she was able to perfectly capture the way the Chinese communicate to each other in dialogue.

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

To learn more about Marissa Meyer please visit her site.

Casablanca (1942) (Movie Review)

Title: Casablanca

Director: Michael Curtiz

Screenwriters: Julius J. & Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch, Casey Robinson

Producer: Hal B. Wallis

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Production Company: Warner Bros.

In Theaters: November 26th, 1942

Run Time: 102 minutes

Color: Black and White

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Claude Rains

Genre(s): drama/romance/war

Storyline: In World War II Casablanca, Rick Blaine, exiled American and former freedom fighter, runs the most popular nightspot in town. The cynical lone wolf Blaine comes into the possession of two valuable letters of transit. When Nazi Major Strasser arrives in Casablanca, the sycophantic police Captain Renault does what he can to please him, including detaining Czech underground leader Victor Laszlo. Much to Rick’s surprise, Lazslo arrives with Ilsa, Rick’s one time love. Rick is very bitter towards Ilsa, who ran out on him in Paris, but when he learns she had good reason to, they plan to run off together again using the letters of transit. Well, that was their original plan…. Written by Gary Jackson

Movie Trailer:



My Review: I have seen this movie dozens of times. But none of those times moved me to near tears and utter joy than when I got to watch this movie on the big screen. The best part was of course the movie but the added bonus was the special introduction from none other than Robert Osbourne. If you’ve EVER watched a movie on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) then you know exactly who that is. He is the be all and end all of interesting facts about all “older” movies. But back to Casablanca! If you’ve never seen this movie and saw it for the first time on the big screen just how amazed were you? And if you missed it, I highly recommend seeing it, even if it’s on your 1080p HDTV. On any size screen it will do the trick. If you’re not moved to watch more black & white movies, at the very least, more Humphrey Bogart movies (I recommend Key Largo!) then I throw up my hands in disbelief!

This movie has more “money-maker” lines than ANY movie I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen plenty! Some catchy phrases that I’m sure you’ve heard used in other movies or sitcoms would be:

“Here’s lookin’ at you kid.”
“Play it again Sam.”
“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.”
“Kiss me…kiss me as if it were the last time.”
“Round up the usual suspects.”
“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

And one of my MANY favorites: “Who are you really, and what were you before? What did you do and what did you think?”

This movie appeals to both men and women. The men get the satisfaction of war, a “hot woman” (for that time period of course), and a leading man who was respected by men and helplessly fawned over by women. It’s obvious why women love this movie as well. It’s the quintessential romance movie. There is a real sense of love and loss from the main characters but also from the co-stars as well. I’d be so bold to say Humphrey Bogart’s portrayal of Rick is the smoothest, coolest, and yet right amount of weakness I’ve ever seen in a character. You don’t see acting like THIS anymore. Every character, every line (spoken and unspoken) were necessary and delivered with such dedication I’m amazed it did not sweep EVERY award it was nominated for. Best of all, although this movie takes place during WWII, a time when people were truly afraid for their lives and would do just about anything to escape to “the free world” (America), this movie is filled with a necessary humor. The balance of war, patriotism, romance, history and humor is amazingly executed.

The best part about watching this movie in the movie theater were those around me. We laughed together, we clapped together. Lines I heard dozens of times before came alive when I was in the company of strangers who felt the same way I did, in awe of this masterpiece. There were many moments of clapping before the movie started and when the movie finished, but the most memorable for us all would be when Rick was talking to Major Strasser:

Heinze: Can you imagine us in London?
Rick: When you get there, ask me.
Renault: Diplomatist.
Strasser: Well, how about New York?
Rick: Well, there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn’t advise you to try to invade.

My Rating: A+

Will you…Run And Tell That?

The Bishop's Wife (1948) (Movie Review)

The Bishop’s Wife (109 minutes, B&W)

directed by Henry Koster

Robert Nathan (novel), Writer

Samuel Goldwyn, Producer

RKO Radio Pictures, Distributor

February 16th, 1948 (in theaters)

comedy/drama/fantasy/romance

My Rating:

Starring

Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven, Monty Woolley, Elsa Lanchester

Storyline: (IMDb.com) An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham, has been working for months on the plans for an elaborate new cathedral which he hopes will be paid for primarily by a wealthy, stubborn widow. He is losing sight of his family and of why he became a churchman in the first place. Enter Dudley, an angel sent to help him. Dudley does help everyone he meets, but not necessarily in the way they would have preferred. With the exception of Henry, everyone loves him, but Henry begins to believe that Dudley is there to replace him, both at work and in his family’s affections, as Christmas approaches.


Movie Trailer:
 

My Review: From the moment I started this movie I was hooked. I’ve always been an admirer of Cary Grant’s work. If you’ve seen any of his movies, his comedies are my favorite. And although this movie does have some laughs and humor, it’s underlying theme that miracles can and do actually happen, is present from beginning to end. To me, this will easily become a timeless classic. How I’ve never seen this movie before is beyond me.

I am not familiar with Loretta Young’s work but when Monty Woolley appeared on the screen I gasped and smiled simultaneously! His portrayal of Mr. Whiteside, alongside Bette Davis, in The Man Who Came to Dinner is a riot on so many levels! But I’m straying off topic.

The other surprise “star” in this movie was Elsa Lanchester. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in a starring role but she is a presence in any movie that demands to be recognized, and do I ever! This is one of the smallest roles I’ve seen her play but her eyes are what make her scenes all the more important to the movie.

Movies from the 1940’s were about more than what we over use today in movies. Back then you HAD to be a good actor! And every person in this cast was great. Now onto the movie itself!

David Niven who plays the Bishop seems to be battling his own “demons” if you will when an angel comes to him. The Bishop thinks he’s there to help him secure his precious cathedral he’s been working on, but when he feels everything is NOT going his way he quickly tries to “pray away” this angel. Little does he realize it’s his wife that brought the angel there and it is only she who can send him on.

The most memorable scene for me in this movie would have to be when Cary Grant, who as you may have guessed, plays the angel, is telling little Debby (the daughter of the bishop and his wife) a story. I’ve never heard a bible story told quite like that before and I was hanging on his every word the entire time he told it. I won’t spoil it for you by telling you which story he tells the little girl. Just watch the movie and witness the miracles that unfold in all the lives the angel touches.