Ananas

I finished Les Miz, Hitchhiker's Guide and Silent Bob Speaks yesterday. Les Miz is quite possibly the most fantastic book I've ever read. Its balance of political commentary, romance and action has everything the fiction loving political science major in me wants. I'd recommend this to anyone with patience (it's about 1450 pages, and of course translated into 19th century English) and a love for politics. The barricade scenes are about the best thing I've ever read in a book. Hitchiker's Guide is another good one. Although it's pretty short (you could probably read through it in an hour or two) there's plenty of good stuff to be had, as the writer's wit shines through the entire time. Not so much recommended to the hardcore science fiction crowd, but definitely to fans of comedy. Silent Bob Speaks is a decent read, but there's nothing new for hardcore fans of Kevin Smith. It consists of all his previously internet published writings for various magazines, along with one article that was never published (and with good reason). Smith is an incredibly witty man, but I think it comes through much more clearly in his movies than in his published works. Only recommended to the more devout followers. I'm looking to pick up "Cosette", the reportedly blasphemous sequel to "Les Miz" that features previously killed off characters and a plot that contradicts Hugo's entire conclusion to the novel. Why am I trying to do that? Simple, I have nothing better to do.

There was a book thread back in the late stages of last year, but I didn't feel like bumping an 8 month old topic was necessary. So, in the vein of "What Film(s) Did You Watch Today", what books are you reading, or have read recently? Feel free to include your thoughts on these books. In the last week or so I've read "Harry Potter And the Half Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling and "The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green" by Joshua Braff. I'm currently working on finishing "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo, "Silent Bob Speaks" by Kevin Smith, and "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. I've posted my thoughts on "Half Blood Prince" already in its corresponding thread, and I think it's the second best of the Harry Potter series so far. Although it gets a little silly in the middle with all of the romantic melodrama, this is all part of the characters' maturation, and is to be expected in a novel involving 16 year olds. The twist at the end sets up for a book 7 that should not only be the darkest in the series, but if done properly it should also be the best. "The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green" is written by Joshua Braff, who is the brother of "Garden State" and "Scrubs" star Zach Braff. It's an original, uncliched novel which reads almost like a Jewish "Catcher In the Rye". The story revolves around Jacob, a young boy (the story is told in 3 parts, and his age varies between 10, 13 and 15) who lives under the almost authoritarian rule of his father Abram, and is pulled towards rebellion by his older brother Asher. It's an interesting coming of age story that avoids the literary pitfalls of other likeminded works, and I'd highly recommend it to fans of dark comedy. Your turn.

Wow, they really refuse to do anything remotely new, eh? Disturbed are a guilty pleasure for me, but all the other bands you mentioned actually honed their sound over subsequent albums. This is the same song Disturbed have been playing since Stupify, except with a decent guitar solo in the middle.

Mr. And Mrs. Smith - 7/10 When "Mr. And Mrs. Smith" was released on June 10th, a majority of the publicity surrounding the film focused on the alleged affair between its two co-stars, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, which is rumoured to have led to the dissolution of Pitt's marriage to "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston. Now a smaller amount of publicity was also awarded to director Doug Liman's odd on-set behavior, but on a whole, it was made into a box office success less on merit than being buzzworthy due to the off-screen behavior of its cast and crew. The important question is, could this film have been a success without taking the tabloid publicity root? The fortunate answer to that question is a resounding yes. "Mr. And Mrs. Smith" is directed by Doug Liman and stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as married spies who happened to keep their real careers hidden from their spouses. Most of this information I covered in the first paragraph, but I felt the fact that a particular film stars two of Hollywood's hottest actors and is directed by possibly the industry's most consistant director bears mentioning twice. John and Jane Smith are a horribly dull married couple of 5 to 6 years whose lives are suddenly threatened when they are both identified during jobs, Things are further complicated when it is revealed that they had in fact identified each other as competing spies, and each is given 48 hours to kill the other. Will John or Jane emerge victorious, and for that matter, can either of them go through with killing their loved one? This film is a rarity, in that it works in both concept and execution. Rumours were abound during shooting that Liman had pushed the film millions of dollars over budget and weeks behind schedule, but to me, every cent seems to be reflected on screen. A great looking cast as well as great looking action sequences are not all this film has; Liman's visual style is one of the most noticeable in the business, and his rye, almost hyperactive sense of presentation fits an action-rom-com perfectly. Without his ability to present the film in an impartial and emotionally ambiguous manner, the second half may have been a nosedive that would have taken the movie with it. As it is, this film is never boring, and that can't be said for many movies, even some good ones. This isn't on par with some of Liman's ealier works, but it's another worthy entry into the career of one of the most intriguing filmmakers in the world. Thumbs up.

All good points, and they may turn out to be right, but I thought I'd counter them to foster some discussion.

Have the books ever elluded to whether the portraits on the wall have all the memories and attributes of their subjects? If so, Harry may find himself on the Hogwarts grounds next year, if only to consult with his fallen headmaster.

I thought it was much better than OOTP, and I'm a fan of that book as well. This film is going to be an interesting one to transfer to the big screen, and I think that if given to one of the Hollywood elite, it could be an absolute classic. Dumbledore's dying was probably the right thing to do (setting up for an absolutely kick ass dark final book), but doesn't it basically guarantee Harry has to survive the final book? Now I'm sure Rowling's had movie and book execs begging her to keep him alive through these seven just in case she opted to write more novels or let the whole "Expanded Universe" thing happen, but the prophecy, as it was presented in book 5, almost gave the impression that Harry would have to sacrifice himself to kill Voldemort. Now it just seems that one will kill the other, and it seems ludicrous for anyone but Harry to win. On top of that, I don't see how you can possibly kill Dumbledore and then Harry the next year, seeing they're essentially the past, present (both Dumbledore) and on top of that, future of the wizarding world.

Not really thrilled about John C. McGinley STILL not getting a nomination, but 4 nominations for Scrubs > *. Maybe this will convince the idiots at NBC to put the show back on the schedule, because it's one of the rare NBC shows drawing Emmy nominations this point, and one of two sitcoms to get anything for the network. Hopefully it'll be a ratings draw once it gets back because of the industry kudos.

Jays got screwed today. They lost by 2, the exact value of a homerun that should not have been awarded.

For Canadians, the show runs weekly on Action. I thought it was a decent show, but what McG moved on to ("The O.C.") was better.

Maybe because it's on a US Network and targeted towards an American audience? If someone is a big enough name they will win. It's for the fans to vote on. Phelps>Thorpe ←

The Who, Hendrix and Skynard.

If these awards are going to be so U.S.-centred, then why not exclusively bill it as an American sports award show? At least it would save Prinz and Ronaldinho losing to lesser American players, as well as the annoyance at noticing that every nominee in the Olympic categories are American. Oh, and Ian Thorpe > Michael Phelps.

Man, I feel sorry for Miguel Batista. He came in with the team up 6-5 in the ninth. First at bat is a routine groundball to Hillenbrand, who throws the ball into the stands, advancing the runner to second. Then, Soriano singles to score the tieing run on a play that a shortstop with better range could have probably had. Batista gets a pop-up for the first out. In the next at bat Soriano attempts to steal second, and gets third when Zaun's throw goes into the outfield, and eventually the batter draws a walk, to make it runners on first and third with one out. The next play is a routine groundball to Adams, who goes to throw home and throws the ball about 7 feet wide, to end the game. In the end, Batista gets both a loss and a blown save without allowing a single earned run. Absolutely a calamity or errors for the Jays in the ninth today. And on top of that, Halladay got hurt.

Baseball was removed because Western Europeans suck at it. It's bullshit when you consider how many 2-3 country sports there are already in the Olympics. There hasn't been a lack of competition in International baseball competitions for decades now.

Deltron 3030 is better than anything Del did with the Hieroglyphics, if that counts.

How many lives did Martha Stewart ruin when she helped bankrupt a biotechnology company selling off all of her shares and sending the stock into a tailspin? Five months. Lil' Kim tells a fib to the police? A year and a day. Not exactly a "Where's Waldo" of veiled hypocrisy, is it?

Coach Carter - 7/10 This is such a good sports movie, although perhaps it'd be better considered an "anti-Sports movie". The emphasis is on the societal conditions faced by the students, and how a strong willed coach helped them overcome these conditions, and Samuel L Jackson's performance makes it work in spades. This is a must see. Thumbs up. Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows - 8/10 The best sports documentary ever.

I was just remembering how amazing the moment in "Once More With Feeling" where Buffy reveals she had been in heaven was. Add to that the first 15 minutes or so of "The Body". That was fucking awesome; the lack of a soundtrack gave it a raw feel.