I can't explain.

You guys, I really want to see this movie. I can't articulate my reasons beyond "Amanda Seyfried looks gorgeous," and "I like that Snow Patrol song in the trailer." I swear this has nothing to do with Channing Tatum (who is permanently cross-eyed). It just looks so perfectly star-crossed and angst-filled. Maybe my subconscious is telling me I need a good cry? Am I that overtired? Did I eat something weird for dinner last night?

What is happening to me?

Short cuts.

Avatar: Beautiful pictures (Pandora at night in 3D? Yes, please). Cheesy dialogue ("I see you"). Unoriginal script occasionally bordering on the ridiculous (your Home-Tree is sitting on my Unobtainium!). About forty-five minutes too long (let's bond with another jungle creature). Glad I saw it, but I never need to see it again.

Dollhouse: That last episode sucked. I mean, magic spinal fluid? That was the whole point of Caroline? Not to mention, they successfully assassinated Boyd's character ("you're my family") faster than the Battlestar writers killed Tory's, which I didn't think possible. If you're going to make him the Surprise Villian, he needs to have an actual motivation. A big, unfortunate mess. That said, I'm still optimistic they can salvage what's left for the finale.

Song for you.

Changing My Mind

After finishing Zadie Smith's Changing My Mind this past Saturday, I can resolutely proclaim her my Favorite Living Writer. She rocks. She's smart, discerning, funny, careful in her choices but not afraid to dish out just desserts. I love her the most, and so I leave you with some of her (superior) words.

On Netherland:

" . . . to read this novel it to feel a powerful, somewhat dispiriting sense of recognition. It is perfectly done - in a sense, that's the problem. It's so precisely the image of what we have been taught to value in fiction that it throws that image into a kind of existential crisis . . ."

To Julianne Moore.

Thanks for being the best thing about A Single Man (a movie I quite liked; Tom Ford's elegant colors, paired with the classical score, resulted in a delicious gourmet meal for two of the five senses). Colin Firth's performance proved a lovely, aching depiction of composed desperation, but you gave us a life story in fifteen minutes, from Charlotte's staggered steps to her forced, hearty laugh (if only you had brushed the hair out of your eyes). How do you feel about the the ending? I'm caught between romantic and contrived.

Let's discuss; I'll bring the gin.

Welcome back.

Check the sidebar for the January playlist. It's a little dated (Flo Rida?); you can expect a fresher take in February. Still, highlights include: "One Week of Danger," "Kids," and "Heart's a Mess."

I'm halfway through Changing My Mind and The House of the Spirits, hopefully I can finish both over the next week or two. My list then consists of Let the Great World Spin, The Vagrants, Serena, and The Best American Short Stories 2009.

Finally, expect Life is a Beach to continue. I've been having a blast writing about Kristin, and company; I hope you've been enjoying my attempts at humor and sociological insight. Cabo awaits!