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backdated due to moving insanity! it was a manga month, i have to say: a coworker lent me most of his collection and i plowed through it, happy for some light, brainless reading as i tried desperately to pack up everything on time.
Books:
* Tales of Wonder by Huston Smith - a brilliant theologist and professor, somewhat along the lines of Joseph Campbell. his life was full and mystical and wonderful... but the bio only touches briefly on that magic, leaving you feeling a little hollow by the end.
* Vampire Knight 1-6 by Matsuri Hino - my first pre-move guilty pleasure. a coworker insisted i try them and i hate to say it, but i love this series. it's angsty and goth, but unbelievably cute and sweet at the same time. it's a weakness, what can i say.
* King of Thorn 1 by Iwahara Yuji - another manga, this one not very great. interesting concept but little to catch my attention otherwise.
* Godchild 1-6 by Kaori Yuki - a dark Victorian thriller. it took a while to get into them, but i did enjoy the series and the (somewhat inconsistent) characters.
* Cain Saga 1 by Kaori Yuki - I can't, however, say I enjoyed the prequel series. the drawing style put me off completely.
* Prey by Rachel Vincent - the latest in the series, a fun romp but it's all starting to feel like it's been done before. with any luck, the next volume will deviate from the mold...
New Movies:
* Shrek the Third (2007) - funnier than the first two! it's all about Eric Idle and John Cleese...
* Silk Stockings (1957) - a Fred Astaire movie; rather silly, with bumbling Soviet agents and a strict, militant woman transformed by a pair of silk stockings... funny but disturbing.
* The Notorious Bettie Page (2005) - provocative yet innocent, it manages to make Bettie seem as if she had no idea what was going on the whole time.
* Ratatouille (2007) - i was pleasantly surprised by this one; a fun and inspirational little movie, superbly animated.
* Up (2009) - fantastic. one of the best kids movies i've seen in a long time. i'll be buying this one when it comes out on DVD: it's got a touching love story, more than a healthy dose of reality, and a wacky, zany cast of characters. i laughed the whole way through, except when i cried.
Music:
* Dar Williams - a compelling voice and catchy lyrics, despite the Christian tendency that comes through sometimes.
Other:
* Imagine: the Peace Ballad of John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Montreal) - well-designed, one gigantic piece of concept art in a strictly classical (museum) setting. the Japanese wishing trees, the piano (soundless, unfortunately), the installation art on their anti-war efforts and the all-white chess boards were the highlights. unfortunately, the setting left a bit to be desired: accessibility vs the message?
* Cirque du Soleil: OVO - i've waited years to see a Cirque show... it's just unfortunate that it ended up being this one. a beautiful show, don't get me wrong, but the bug theme rubbed me the wrong way and took something away from it, in my personal opinion. the acts, costumes and effects were spectacular, but i would have much preferred a show like Alegria or some other strictly theater performance piece. that said, the Chinese tumblers and the trampoline/wall grasshoppers were definitely the show-stoppers.
Books:
* Tales of Wonder by Huston Smith - a brilliant theologist and professor, somewhat along the lines of Joseph Campbell. his life was full and mystical and wonderful... but the bio only touches briefly on that magic, leaving you feeling a little hollow by the end.
* Vampire Knight 1-6 by Matsuri Hino - my first pre-move guilty pleasure. a coworker insisted i try them and i hate to say it, but i love this series. it's angsty and goth, but unbelievably cute and sweet at the same time. it's a weakness, what can i say.
* King of Thorn 1 by Iwahara Yuji - another manga, this one not very great. interesting concept but little to catch my attention otherwise.
* Godchild 1-6 by Kaori Yuki - a dark Victorian thriller. it took a while to get into them, but i did enjoy the series and the (somewhat inconsistent) characters.
* Cain Saga 1 by Kaori Yuki - I can't, however, say I enjoyed the prequel series. the drawing style put me off completely.
* Prey by Rachel Vincent - the latest in the series, a fun romp but it's all starting to feel like it's been done before. with any luck, the next volume will deviate from the mold...
New Movies:
* Shrek the Third (2007) - funnier than the first two! it's all about Eric Idle and John Cleese...
* Silk Stockings (1957) - a Fred Astaire movie; rather silly, with bumbling Soviet agents and a strict, militant woman transformed by a pair of silk stockings... funny but disturbing.
* The Notorious Bettie Page (2005) - provocative yet innocent, it manages to make Bettie seem as if she had no idea what was going on the whole time.
* Ratatouille (2007) - i was pleasantly surprised by this one; a fun and inspirational little movie, superbly animated.
* Up (2009) - fantastic. one of the best kids movies i've seen in a long time. i'll be buying this one when it comes out on DVD: it's got a touching love story, more than a healthy dose of reality, and a wacky, zany cast of characters. i laughed the whole way through, except when i cried.
Music:
* Dar Williams - a compelling voice and catchy lyrics, despite the Christian tendency that comes through sometimes.
Other:
* Imagine: the Peace Ballad of John Lennon and Yoko Ono (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Montreal) - well-designed, one gigantic piece of concept art in a strictly classical (museum) setting. the Japanese wishing trees, the piano (soundless, unfortunately), the installation art on their anti-war efforts and the all-white chess boards were the highlights. unfortunately, the setting left a bit to be desired: accessibility vs the message?
* Cirque du Soleil: OVO - i've waited years to see a Cirque show... it's just unfortunate that it ended up being this one. a beautiful show, don't get me wrong, but the bug theme rubbed me the wrong way and took something away from it, in my personal opinion. the acts, costumes and effects were spectacular, but i would have much preferred a show like Alegria or some other strictly theater performance piece. that said, the Chinese tumblers and the trampoline/wall grasshoppers were definitely the show-stoppers.
