If I hadn’t been sitting in the movie theater, I probably would have wandered off and found something else to do. But I wasn’t annoyed or disgruntled while sitting in the movie theater, so this wasn’t a bad movie, just one where I was simultaneously bored and interested. It did contain good acting all around and the subject matter (famous chamber music quartet) was one I’d never given much thought to at all.
Where watched: Laurelhurst Theater
Cost: $3.00
Let us pause in our collective texting, emailing, tweeting, Facebooking, what-have-you-ing, and take a moment to appreciate the letter. I am a fan of all forms of communication, though I am a more enthusiastic fan of some forms than others. It won’t surprise many of my acquaintances to learn that I’m the greatest fan of the letter.
Because I was able to overlook the age difference between the two leads, this was an amazing movie. Both Cooper and Lawrence nimbly portrayed people who aren’t quite walking the normal line of “sane” in our society. It was a fun, funny and dramatic film which hit all the right notes at all the right times and I’m so glad I went to see it.
83 books were read this year, although, as with the movie awards, that isn’t entirely true as I know I read at least one book (Ahem, the Art of Fielding Ahem, best book I read this year) twice. 83 books is a pretty good number. Not too many, not too few. You can read all of these reviews by clicking on the “Books” tag, or you can become my friend on Goodreads and find them that way.
It would be incorrect to say I watched 108 movies in 2012. Because I watched TV series too, and they are marked down on the same list as movies. Also, I saw a few movies more than once (ahem Magic Mike, ahem Moonrise Kingdom) and my list doesn’t account for that, either. I have 108 entries on my “movies watched” list for 2012 and that uniquely qualifies me to give out awards. So, without further ado, here are the 2012 Patricia Movie Awards. You don’t like the awards I gave? Well, that’s what the comments section is for.
If you want to read my individual reviews of each movie, you can use the search function, or scroll through the “three sentence movies” tag.
(In chronological order of viewing)
Five books! Only five books!
Read
Othello
Shakespeare
For once the “modern analysis” at the end of the book gave me a very interesting insight into the play. As usual, I enjoyed the performance much more than reading.
The Fault in our Stars
John Green
Matt and I read aloud
John Green makes for good read aloud.
Liar & Spy
Rebecca Stead
Read for Mock Printz
I enjoyed this book, the last I read for the Mock Printz Workshop, but I think it’s not a YA book. In fact, the library agrees with me, shelving it in the Juvenile section. The prose was lively, the characters interesting. I even put aside things so I could finish the book, which is always a good sign. Also, two boy characters. Always a good thing for the boy readers.
Memoirs of Hadrian
Marguerite Yourcenar
Read for Kenton Book Group
I did not like this, Sam I Am, I did not like Hade-re-an. The first person perspective made me feel as if I was trapped on an endless phone call with someone who never let me interrupt his soliloquy and ask clarifying questions. There was a lot of surface and not much detail. When I read historical fiction, I like to learn about the historic period in question. Hadrian’s endless blathering meant that I got a glimpse into things I might find interesting, but there was never any follow up on those things. The book club member who chose the book began by apologizing for choosing it, because, though it is his desert island book, it is not a “book-club” kind of book, not being very linear.
Days of Blood and Starlight
Laini Taylor
Ah, the tricky “middle book” in a series of three where one must build plot, maintain characters, and juggle what happened in the book before this one with what will happen in the book after this one. Taylor does a good job on all fronts. We, who don’t have a clear memory to every plot point are looped back in with grace and there is inner struggle between the two ill-fated lovers. Even friends manage to make the transition to the second book. All in all, it was a pretty gripping read. I’m a bit impatient for the third in the series.
I’m a great fan of Gus Van Sant, but I’ve noticed that his “blockbuster” style movies tend to wander a bit in the middle and this one was no different, giving me time to contemplate a variety of things.* But even with that meandering, I enjoyed this film: the plot, the acting, the Van Sant trickery of it not really being about the purported topic, but instead being about relationships. There were a lot of authentic looking locals too, which is important, in my book.
*such as: