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Movies, Animation, and Books
1. Oppenheimer
Me: So did you enjoy Oppenheimer?
Mother: I loved it.
Me: Oh?
Mother: Thoroughly loved every minute of it. And Cillian Murphy is in almost every scene and absolutely brilliant, and Robert Downy Jr, almost unrecognizable in his role. It's amazing. Every bit of it.
Me: And Mean Girlfriend?
Mother: She loved it too. I guess I can see why some people might not like it? It's very character centric, and Oppenheimer was leftist -
Me: Except Mean Girlfriend isn't liberal and loved it?
Mother: True. And there's lots of characters and dialogue, but that doesn't bother me, I could follow it with no issues. There's a nude scene and sex scenes, but it all works.
Me: So, I'm going to have to figure out a way to see this movie in movie theaters, aren't I?
Mother: Well, it depends on how long you want to wait for it? I'd suggest seeing it. Also I think you'd love it. It's very character centric, and into science, and the about what happened in Los Alamos - it's your type of movie.
Me: Yup, it's right up my alley. I love movies like that. So not really a biopic?
Mother: Not at all. A real cinema buff film.
Sigh. Wales doesn't want to see it. Nor do I think she can sit still for three hours. Movie buddy just wants to see Marvel and DC films. Wales and I don't have the same tastes in movies and television shows. She likes stuff like White Lotus (which I find unwatchable), and hates shows like Bridgerton, The Diplomat, Star Trek, Peaky Blinders, Farscape, etc. Wales is kind of mainstream, and I'm really not. I'm about as far from mainstream America as you can get in some respects.
So, taking myself to it sometime within the next few weeks. I'm going to wait a little while - then purchase tickets for seats in one of the Imax 70mm theaters in NYC. It was filmed in 70 mm Imax. Might as well see it in that version - if I can.
Before you ask? No interest in Barbie. I'll catch that on streaming or on demand sometime next year. It's been over-advertised and over-hyped. I'm waiting for a review of it from someone whose taste is similar to mine.
2. Watched Dragon Prince: The Mystery of Aravaos and The Legend of Vox Machina. I like Vox Machina better - it has more interesting characters and is well more adult (it's written for 16+) while the other one is a teen show. Both are rather good, similar animation styles, high fantasy (elves, magic, dwarves, dragons), and decent vocal actors.
I'm further along in Dragon Prince - now on the 3rd Season. While just five episodes into the first season of Vox Machina. Neither holds a candle to Arcane (in both animation, story, characterization, and musical score - but that's gold standard). However, thematically they are better - and there's less irritation regarding who developed them.
I like anime. My dream job would be to write and draw my own animated film or comic, but alas, I'm not good enough. So sticking with the day job.
3. Still flirting with horror novels on Amazon and Good Reads. Smart Bitches rec'd two that are possibilities, and won the Stokers. One of which was also rec'd by anne1962 on Twitter.
The Devil Takes You Home - a novel by Gabino-Iglesias and features a Hispanic hero.
"Buried in debt due to his young daughter’s illness, his marriage at the brink, Mario reluctantly takes a job as a hitman, surprising himself with his proclivity for violence. After tragedy destroys the life he knew, Mario agrees to one final job: hijack a cartel’s cash shipment before it reaches Mexico. Along with an old friend and a cartel-insider named Juanca, Mario sets off on the near-suicidal mission, which will leave him with either a cool $200,000 or a bullet in the skull. But the path to reward or ruin is never as straight as it seems. As the three complicated men travel through the endless landscape of Texas, across the border and back, their hidden motivations are laid bare alongside nightmarish encounters that defy explanation. One thing is certain: even if Mario makes it out alive, he won’t return the same."
But it's pricey at $14.99 on Kindle. I could potentially borrow it from the Brooklyn Library however - on ebook. I might try that when I finish the one's I'm currently reading.
The other one, also $14.99 is tempting me as an audiobook (since I have a credit)
Spite House by Johnny Compton. I listened to the audio sample and that narrator is good. (The other one's isn't, this one's is.)
Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he's desperate for money—it's not easy to find steady, safe work when you can't provide references, you can't stay in one place for long, and you're paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.
When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.
The job calls to Eric, not just because there's a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it'll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running.
This has an African-American hero, another rarity in the horror novel field.
What am I reading?
A Daring Pursuit - a historical romance between an architect and an exotic animal rescuer that takes place during the Napolean War. (He served in it and came back, but it is still going on). Both are wealthy in their own right. They grew up together. Lived next door. Their families are feuding, but it appears to be a friendly feud. While he was away, she got seduced by some Lord who she thought was going to offer for her hand - but just wanted to get into her pants (so to speak). He, Lord Howe, took her virginity and instead of marrying her, told her no one could know, married someone else, and now is blackmailing her - and the romantic lead, Tristan, thinks she's having an affair with the asshole because he found her in the guy's carriage, and she didn't bother to explain why (to pay him to stay silent about taking her virginity.) It's a historical romance novel - the plot's aren't supposed to make sense.
My difficulty with it? The whole thing about virginity. (She should just tell Tristan the truth. But no, her pride stands in the way - also what would be the fun in that?) Although the author did kind of salvage it - when she had the hero inform the heroine that a man really can't tell one way or the other. Not everyone bleeds. It's not overly obvious. And from his perspective not that important. Outside of maybe wanting to ensure that the baby is yours, and not whomever got there first so to speak.
I got to respect the writer for putting that in - even if it may be a modern take on the issue.
The other one? Dance with a Fae Prince by Elise Kosova on Kindle Unlimited. It's better than expected. Actually, it's better written than the other one is. It's Cinderella meets Beauty and the Beast, by way of Tam Lin. The Cinderella part thankfully lasts less than 20-30 pages if that. The writer isn't that interested in it - and just needs it to set up the main plot.
The heroine warned to stay away from the woods, keep to her wing of the house, and not venture out after dark for her own protection. Rules that sound perfectly logical and yes, you should follow them, but of course she won't. Also they are taken out of Beauty and the Beast.
Except the beast in this case is a Fae Prince in hiding. It's helping me flesh out ideas for my own fantasy novel - basically what to do and what not to do. As are the two animated films.
I keep meeting a lot of folks who don't read. And didn't read in school.
Me: Favorite color is purple.
Co-worker: Did you read the Color Purple?
ME: Read the book in high school, was a favorite, saw the movie later.
Co-worker: Wow. I didn't read it until more recently. But then I didn't read much of anything in high school.
Me: I read anything I get my hands on. It was rec'd to me, and I loved it.
(Then I started rec'ing books, which I shouldn't have done. Oh well.)
I don't understand people who don't read. Even when I'm in reading slumps, I find a way to read - that's when I started listening to audio books. Podcasts? The appeal is lost on me. Audio books - I can get behind.
Me: So did you enjoy Oppenheimer?
Mother: I loved it.
Me: Oh?
Mother: Thoroughly loved every minute of it. And Cillian Murphy is in almost every scene and absolutely brilliant, and Robert Downy Jr, almost unrecognizable in his role. It's amazing. Every bit of it.
Me: And Mean Girlfriend?
Mother: She loved it too. I guess I can see why some people might not like it? It's very character centric, and Oppenheimer was leftist -
Me: Except Mean Girlfriend isn't liberal and loved it?
Mother: True. And there's lots of characters and dialogue, but that doesn't bother me, I could follow it with no issues. There's a nude scene and sex scenes, but it all works.
Me: So, I'm going to have to figure out a way to see this movie in movie theaters, aren't I?
Mother: Well, it depends on how long you want to wait for it? I'd suggest seeing it. Also I think you'd love it. It's very character centric, and into science, and the about what happened in Los Alamos - it's your type of movie.
Me: Yup, it's right up my alley. I love movies like that. So not really a biopic?
Mother: Not at all. A real cinema buff film.
Sigh. Wales doesn't want to see it. Nor do I think she can sit still for three hours. Movie buddy just wants to see Marvel and DC films. Wales and I don't have the same tastes in movies and television shows. She likes stuff like White Lotus (which I find unwatchable), and hates shows like Bridgerton, The Diplomat, Star Trek, Peaky Blinders, Farscape, etc. Wales is kind of mainstream, and I'm really not. I'm about as far from mainstream America as you can get in some respects.
So, taking myself to it sometime within the next few weeks. I'm going to wait a little while - then purchase tickets for seats in one of the Imax 70mm theaters in NYC. It was filmed in 70 mm Imax. Might as well see it in that version - if I can.
Before you ask? No interest in Barbie. I'll catch that on streaming or on demand sometime next year. It's been over-advertised and over-hyped. I'm waiting for a review of it from someone whose taste is similar to mine.
2. Watched Dragon Prince: The Mystery of Aravaos and The Legend of Vox Machina. I like Vox Machina better - it has more interesting characters and is well more adult (it's written for 16+) while the other one is a teen show. Both are rather good, similar animation styles, high fantasy (elves, magic, dwarves, dragons), and decent vocal actors.
I'm further along in Dragon Prince - now on the 3rd Season. While just five episodes into the first season of Vox Machina. Neither holds a candle to Arcane (in both animation, story, characterization, and musical score - but that's gold standard). However, thematically they are better - and there's less irritation regarding who developed them.
I like anime. My dream job would be to write and draw my own animated film or comic, but alas, I'm not good enough. So sticking with the day job.
3. Still flirting with horror novels on Amazon and Good Reads. Smart Bitches rec'd two that are possibilities, and won the Stokers. One of which was also rec'd by anne1962 on Twitter.
The Devil Takes You Home - a novel by Gabino-Iglesias and features a Hispanic hero.
"Buried in debt due to his young daughter’s illness, his marriage at the brink, Mario reluctantly takes a job as a hitman, surprising himself with his proclivity for violence. After tragedy destroys the life he knew, Mario agrees to one final job: hijack a cartel’s cash shipment before it reaches Mexico. Along with an old friend and a cartel-insider named Juanca, Mario sets off on the near-suicidal mission, which will leave him with either a cool $200,000 or a bullet in the skull. But the path to reward or ruin is never as straight as it seems. As the three complicated men travel through the endless landscape of Texas, across the border and back, their hidden motivations are laid bare alongside nightmarish encounters that defy explanation. One thing is certain: even if Mario makes it out alive, he won’t return the same."
But it's pricey at $14.99 on Kindle. I could potentially borrow it from the Brooklyn Library however - on ebook. I might try that when I finish the one's I'm currently reading.
The other one, also $14.99 is tempting me as an audiobook (since I have a credit)
Spite House by Johnny Compton. I listened to the audio sample and that narrator is good. (The other one's isn't, this one's is.)
Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he's desperate for money—it's not easy to find steady, safe work when you can't provide references, you can't stay in one place for long, and you're paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.
When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.
The job calls to Eric, not just because there's a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it'll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running.
This has an African-American hero, another rarity in the horror novel field.
What am I reading?
A Daring Pursuit - a historical romance between an architect and an exotic animal rescuer that takes place during the Napolean War. (He served in it and came back, but it is still going on). Both are wealthy in their own right. They grew up together. Lived next door. Their families are feuding, but it appears to be a friendly feud. While he was away, she got seduced by some Lord who she thought was going to offer for her hand - but just wanted to get into her pants (so to speak). He, Lord Howe, took her virginity and instead of marrying her, told her no one could know, married someone else, and now is blackmailing her - and the romantic lead, Tristan, thinks she's having an affair with the asshole because he found her in the guy's carriage, and she didn't bother to explain why (to pay him to stay silent about taking her virginity.) It's a historical romance novel - the plot's aren't supposed to make sense.
My difficulty with it? The whole thing about virginity. (She should just tell Tristan the truth. But no, her pride stands in the way - also what would be the fun in that?) Although the author did kind of salvage it - when she had the hero inform the heroine that a man really can't tell one way or the other. Not everyone bleeds. It's not overly obvious. And from his perspective not that important. Outside of maybe wanting to ensure that the baby is yours, and not whomever got there first so to speak.
I got to respect the writer for putting that in - even if it may be a modern take on the issue.
The other one? Dance with a Fae Prince by Elise Kosova on Kindle Unlimited. It's better than expected. Actually, it's better written than the other one is. It's Cinderella meets Beauty and the Beast, by way of Tam Lin. The Cinderella part thankfully lasts less than 20-30 pages if that. The writer isn't that interested in it - and just needs it to set up the main plot.
The heroine warned to stay away from the woods, keep to her wing of the house, and not venture out after dark for her own protection. Rules that sound perfectly logical and yes, you should follow them, but of course she won't. Also they are taken out of Beauty and the Beast.
Except the beast in this case is a Fae Prince in hiding. It's helping me flesh out ideas for my own fantasy novel - basically what to do and what not to do. As are the two animated films.
I keep meeting a lot of folks who don't read. And didn't read in school.
Me: Favorite color is purple.
Co-worker: Did you read the Color Purple?
ME: Read the book in high school, was a favorite, saw the movie later.
Co-worker: Wow. I didn't read it until more recently. But then I didn't read much of anything in high school.
Me: I read anything I get my hands on. It was rec'd to me, and I loved it.
(Then I started rec'ing books, which I shouldn't have done. Oh well.)
I don't understand people who don't read. Even when I'm in reading slumps, I find a way to read - that's when I started listening to audio books. Podcasts? The appeal is lost on me. Audio books - I can get behind.
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Last one, I think, had been Gone with the Wind. She was forty.
Also, my parents were into reading - and read to me constantly as a child. I fell in love with books through them. They were artistically inclined as well. Actually my whole family enjoys reading, and is well-read. And there are several "non-traditionally" published writers within it. So, I think you are right about that as well. Children often mimic or take on the parents pursuits.
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Like you, I love to read and have since I was a kid, but then I fell out of it sometime in law school - between studying and trying to still be involved in fandom, I stopped reading actual books. I got back into it this year and I've been really enjoying it. I wonder if how people are introduced to reading plays a part. If it is treating like a chore or something they *have* to do, they have a mind block against it, even in other formats like audiobooks, and if it is introduced more naturally, they may come to really love it.
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My mother read everything - romance novels, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, classics. My father read mysteries, historical fiction, non-fiction, thrillers, Ian Fleming, Robert Louis Stevenson, pretty much everything. Also my father had at one time trained people on how to facilitate book discussions for Great Books Foundation. And my mother brought Junior Great Books into my school, and lead a Discussion Group during recess with various students.
So, for me - my parents got across books were an entry way to stories. And I loved stories. So I read books off the grid. I read comic books. I've never cared if they won awards or were considered literary. I did however stop doing book discussion groups - because I don't like having to read book or being assigned one any longer. I have to read too many contracts and legal documents for work - for pleasure, I go with whatever hits my mood. I don't even read reviews any longer. I rarely agree with the reviewers on Good Reads or Amazon or the professional reviewers.
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Frankly, Marvel movies aren't that great these days, and Superman: Legacy isn't until 2025. Let's expand our horizons!
(Besides, I wanna see you.)
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Trying to figure out how to see it in 70mm for Oppenheimer - it was shot in 70mm. So thinking about getting tickets to see it in Manhattan at some point. But it will have to be in August. Hair appointment next weekend. I've considered Sunday, but I think it may be sold out for the next couple of weeks.
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I want 70mm (definitely - that's how Nolan filmed it in 70mm Imax). And I'll be available around the weekend of August 5. (Next weekend is out due to hair appointment).
Somebody who shares my taste in movies!
I'm willing to do Barbieheimer - but Oppenheimer first. That's the one I really want to see. Mother has convinced me to drag my sorry ass to a movie theater to see it. But I want a nice, comfortable movie theater with a huge screen, and good sound. Since we both have to travel to it anyhow.
Now it's just a matter of figuring out which one and what seats, and reserving seats. Also date and time.
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8/5 might still be too early! I'll keep an eye on availability.
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8? We only need 2 tickets, right?
Good news? It'll be out for a while, and it will make back its $100 M budget fairly easily.
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Also, what is R's language? If its any of the Asian or Middle Eastern - that's a completely different language than English. They aren't comparable - so I think it would be really hard to learn it. Particularly if it is their third language?
I know a lot of folks who have English as their third language - and it's really hard if your first two are Russian and Polish. Or Arabic and Spanish.
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R's first language was Maguindanaon, they're quite fluent in English and Tagalog, they also speak some Malaysian Bahasa and have at least some words in Arabic and Tamil. So, yeah, none of the others are of any use for English, except perhaps for a bit of English and Spanish influence in colloquial Tagalog.
The typical things that, for me, give R. away as a non-native speaker are: (a) word order in sentences, (b) occasional mispronunciation, the bane of those of us who learn much vocabulary from reading, (c) mass nouns (equipments, furnitures).
It's interesting to see people here tense as she approaches then relax when she starts speaking, our guess is that they worry her English is about to be worse than it turns out to be.
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It's not like someone who is German or French learning English - English has some similarity to both the Germanic and Latin languages.
Also there so many languages in Asia. I feel for R.
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Whereas, say, indeed, I can use things like my basic French to make a good stab at some Spanish words, etc. (Similarly, R. can use knowledge of Maguindanaon to help with Bahasa.) English is certainly the challenging one among them. (Tagalog's also easier to pronounce.) Thank goodness R.'s kids have English as their first language, partly because it's the best common choice among the several of their relatives.