11.25.2005
Pride and Prejudice (film review)
Due to forces beyond our control (ie. Vermont and the fucking snow) we stayed in Boston for Thanksgiving. After a great meal, we went to see Pride and Prejudice, verson Kiera Knightly. I have the following points to make:
1. the film seems more historically acurate than other Austen adaptations. You remember Gwyneth Paltrow (and even Emma Thompson) looking, well, laundry detergent commercial fresh throughout those films. In P&P, the women are a little oily, a little less good looking, and the ball scenes are crowded and stuffy.
2. I read a review (New Yorker?) that accused the film of Brontifying Austen. God, it's true. When Darcy, open-shirted, strides across the meadow to claim Elizabeth, the film crosses Bronte and ends up in Harlequein Romance territory.
3. The end of the film drags on.
4. When carefully enunciating, Kiera Knightly looks horsey.
Still, recovering English majors will enjoy the film, and it was a nice end to a lovely Thanksgiving. This year, I'm thankful for literary adaptations.
1. the film seems more historically acurate than other Austen adaptations. You remember Gwyneth Paltrow (and even Emma Thompson) looking, well, laundry detergent commercial fresh throughout those films. In P&P, the women are a little oily, a little less good looking, and the ball scenes are crowded and stuffy.
2. I read a review (New Yorker?) that accused the film of Brontifying Austen. God, it's true. When Darcy, open-shirted, strides across the meadow to claim Elizabeth, the film crosses Bronte and ends up in Harlequein Romance territory.
3. The end of the film drags on.
4. When carefully enunciating, Kiera Knightly looks horsey.
Still, recovering English majors will enjoy the film, and it was a nice end to a lovely Thanksgiving. This year, I'm thankful for literary adaptations.
11.23.2005
Julia and Julia
We're deep enough into the age of blogs that a few of the early, best examples have been turned into books. I have mixed feelings about this notion , because shouldn't blogs be there to exist, rather than to lead to publishing contracts? Anyway, I gave up and read Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. In the midst of a turning-thirty-with-nothing-to-show crisis (sigh.), Powell decides to cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This task requires leaving squeamishness and American cuisine behind (see the duck deboning and brain cooking episodes). What makes the book a good read is the author's cheeky good humor. Not only did I admire her, I wanted to go to her house for dinner.
The Reemergence of the Pale
Really, it's been a crazy fall. Not so interesting to any readers out there, but true. Lately, however, I've been making time for my public library and that has lead to a reading glut. Some of it has been pretty decent. To that end, let the book report renaissance begin.
