Being bossy is a gift as much as it is a curse. It is a gift because it comes with this sense of entitlement, like I am meant to straighten everybody out so without much thought I just go ahead and boss those who so obviously need it. It is a curse because, at least in my case, the people I am trying to boss around rarely listen to me. When I turned 40 I became aware of this tendency in myself and have been trying very hard to temper it, with mixed results.
Now that I am done with my disclaimer I am going to share some great movies and books I have recently watched or read. I will not be issuing a test or demands for a book report, as much as I would like to because I firmly believe that because I like these things, everybody should. These are just recommendations for those evenings when you want to rent a movie but have no idea what to get, or you're going on vacation and need a good book.
MOVIES
Just Like Heaven Reece Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo This is a romantic comedy which is a genre I have been rather disappointed with in the last few years. They've become so formulaic (How often do you get to use that word?) and yet, being the eternal optimist I am, I keep watching them, hoping someone will come up with something original. This one is very close to being the original one I've been looking for but not quite. It is refreshingly sweet and despite a questionable premise, they manage to pull it off. The story is about a man who rents an apartment in SanFransisco only to find it is haunted by a young woman who is not happy about the water stains he's leaving on her table. He calls in a number of "experts" to get rid of this ghost with no success and finally decides to find out what this woman's story is. In the process he and the ghost become friends with predictable results that are complicated by the fact she's ethereal.
In Her Shoes Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, Shirley MacLaine
I'm not sure what to classify this as, it's not really a romantic comedy, it's not really a drama and I would say due to the absence of any car chases or explosions, it's definitely not an action movie. I will just call it a chick flick. Alicia recommended it to me and I have to say I was skeptical mainly because I find Cameron Diaz to be extremely annoying. Happily, she was not in this movie and actually had a more challenging role than I've seen her tackle yet so I was pleasantly surprised.
The story revolves around two sisters, one extremely responsible, one not so much. Their mother died when they were young, an event which is still affecting both their lives even though they don't know it. After a major falling out, the irresponsible sister discovers a grandmother neither of them knew was still alive and goes to Florida to live with her. The younger sister is played by Diaz and is really unlikable through most of the movie. The older sister is likable but annoying because she's so emotionally cold. What I like about this movie is that the characters are given a chance to redeem themselves, I hate movies where everyone is doomed to be unhappy, I just don't think that's all that realistic.
Serenity Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk
This is a sci-fi flick written by the guy who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan but I really liked this movie. It's a good story and I loved the language they use, old but new at the same time. Watch it and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Serenity is a space ship crewed by misfits who are borderline pirates but with good intentions. The story begins when the ship's doctor rescues his sister, a psychic, from the government and brings her on the ship. Naturally, the government wants her back because as everyone knows in the future psychics are commonly brainwashed and used as weapons. This girl is not only a weapon, she knows something the government doesn't want the rest of the universe to know making getting her back imperative so they send an assassin after her and the crew of the Serenity. Of course the girl doesn't even know she knows a secret because she is so messed up she barely knows who she is but little bits of the secret sneak out of her at inopportune moments and are usually followed by her wreaking havoc on whatever place she happens to be in. It's great fun and the secret is brilliant in the way it brings so many elements of the story together.
Empire Falls Paul Newman, Ed Harris, Joanne Woodward
This was an HBO mini-series, I think, I could be making that mini-series thing up but it did definitely air on HBO. Anyway, it's set in a small town in Maine and Paul Newman proves that even at 81 years old he's still got it. I loved his character, it was the best role in the movie, mini-series or whatever it is. Ed Harris is good too. It's a story about a small town in Maine that is whose inhabitants are controlled in one way or another by the matriarch of the town's oldest and wealthiest family. Ed Harris is the main character who runs a diner and is going through a divorce and trying to find himself all at the same time. He seems to be some sort of indentured slave to the matriarch and he loses his spine whenever he's around her. As with anyone who is not living the life they where meant to eventually the universe decides to smack you in the head until you change for the better and that's what happens to this character with interesting results.
That's it for movies. I have read one or two good books lately also.
BOOKS
The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman
I took this to Keystone when Duffy and I went for three days and finished it in two. It's part mystery, part romance and part ghost story. I loved it. It opens at a writer's retreat somewhere in New England. The main character is a woman who has come to this retreat to write a novel that is based on events that occurred at the estate the retreat is located on many years earlier. The events involved a spirit medium who is brought there by the lady of the manor who wants to contact the three children she lost the year before in a diphtheria epidemic. The story alternates between the present and the past. There are very predictable aspects to this story but I found it very engrossing despite these small flaws.
The Lighthouse P.D. James I love this author. She writes such complete characters and the setting of her books always becomes a character itself. The other thing I like about her writing is the story line is never predictable. This book is set on an island off the coast of England where a murder has taken place. (Yes, it's another mystery and contrary to what some people may think, mysteries are literature and count as reading.) The island is a haven for government officials who need a break from body guards, the press and life in general. When a murder occurs on the island the author has set up a typical scenario with a contained environment which limits the number of suspects. Thankfully she foregoes the drawing room climax in favor of giving the main investigator a case of SARS which means his underlings are going to have to solve the murder which they do rather satisfyingly. I was sorry to finish this book because I had fallen in love with the island and I knew I was going to miss some of the characters. I love it when I a book does that to me!
