It's a good thing I don't have a boss for my blog. I am once again leaving for a trip and ignoring the blog for a weekend. This week's picks will have to last you until the second weekend in April. I'm sure you all will get through just fine without me, though.
Film: 21
While I do go to the movies often, it's really quite rare that I go to a movie opening weekend. I'm not against it; my schedule just doesn't often work out. Yesterday, however, I went to see 21. I have to say, it's a fun film. If you're looking for something to do on a lazy afternoon or for a date night, I whole-heartedly endorse Robert Luketic's little film. The story is rather predictable but Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne look like they're having fun. After you've seen 21, I recommend that you try and catch the History Channel documentary, Breaking Vegas. The doc is the true story of the MIT students who counted cards in Vegas.
Book: Josie and Jack
This 2005 novel by Kelly Braffet is marketed as a modern-day Hansel and Gretel story. I would call it a retelling of Flowers in the Attic but grittier. Josie and Jack are siblings who may or may not be more intimate than is acceptable. They are raised by an abusive and brilliant physicist father who leaves them alone during the week. They are home-schooled and spend most of their time either drunk or high. When things go badly at home, they run away to New York City. There Jack uses sex to get them a place to live but things only go from bad to worse. This isn't a novel for the feint-of-heart but it's a really well-written story. It was a recommendation from Powell's books, I believe, and I'm glad I read it, even if I had to watch a happy HGTV home-improvement show after finishing it.
Television: Top Gear
BBC is once again appearing in my blog. On Matt's recommendation, I have started watching Top Gear. At first I was hesitant because I don't care about cars. But I am a convert. The show isn't really about cars so much as it is about the three very funny hosts (plus, Richard is a total hottie). I've only been watching a couple of weeks now, but my favorite episode is definitely where they race across part of Africa in beaten-down, deconstructed cars. I laughed the whole time! This show is indeed about cars, but it is also about three guys having a lot of fun going as fast as possible. You all should definitely check it out.
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6 comments:
TOP GEAR YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!
You are so right about the "its not just about cars thing" the show is more of a science info-tainment show driven by the personalites doing the talking and doing as much as the thing being discussed, and in that way its similar to shows like Mythbusters. Richard Hammond is great and if you can, check out the show where he comes back from his near fatal rocket car accident. James May, who is a classical pianist by trade, is hilariously bad at everything, and Clarkson is just wonderfully obnoxious...making him my hero.
The Africa special is the highlight of this season so far. Last season they went to the US, and the trip was much more traumatic (people in Alabama threw rocks at them).
One warning though, this show is addictive and will change how you relate to cars. I now daydream of doing powerslides in our old Cavalier, and also I find my self critiquing the low-end torque of our new Buick when driving it as if I were on camera. I also find myself searching for really impractical European cars that are no longer sold in the US anymore on Ebay. It is now my life's dream to own a Citroen.
It's kind of ironic that you mentioned Breaking Vegas this week. I was flipping through the cheesy magazines on the plane ride yesterday and I actually read an article about it. They had interviewed the guy who wrote the book the movie is based on (atleast I think that is who it was). I thought it sounded like a really interesting movie. What a coincidence :)
BTW if anyone watches Top Gear and saw the Africa Special, Hammond did have his little yellow Opal named Oliver shipped to England.
Breaking Vegas does sound really interesting. I saw the History Channel doc on that story, and I think Sportscenter did something about the true story as well. Too bad math frightens me.
The movie makes a big deal about it being simple math. I'm not sure how simple it is, though. It looked pretty hard to me.
I love that Oliver was saved!!!!
I bought Chris the book on the MIT kids years ago; interesting to see how it translates to film.
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