Octavia Butler is one of the first (if not the first) African American Science Fiction writers. I am an avid reader, and enjoy most books I read. I ranked this novel high because of the inventiveness of the story, the emotional story line, and the well developed characters. I could hardly put this novel down.
Initially set in 1976, Dana is an African American woman married to a white man. On her 26th birthday, as she and her husband are moving into their new house. She starts to feel dizzy and nauseous and somehow ends up in a forest. She sees a young white boy drowning in a river. She rushes to his aid and performs CPR. When he comes to, she looks up to see his father staring down at her with a shotgun. As suddenly as she goes to the woods, she comes home. In other ‘travels’ she discovers that the boy is her ancestor, and is a Southern slave owner in the 1800’s. She learns about slavery by being thrown into it.
The story portrays the struggles slaves faced, as well as the ‘grooming’ slaveholders went through growing up in the South. Octavia Butler is a brilliant writer! She gives a unique perspective to slavery, by giving a modern voice to the past. I couldn’t put this book down.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Imagine That (Rating: 1.5 Crow’s Feet)
The only redeeming part of this movie is the young actress, Yara Shahidi, who plays Olivia, Eddie Murphy’s daughter. She steals every scene she is in.
This movie has a predictable story line. A work-aholic divorced stock broker is forced to take care of his daughter for a week. He discovers that his daughter’s imaginary friends can predict business trends. So, he uses this knowledge to make better investments for his clients. When the daughter goes back to her mother’s house, the stock broker goes crazy and tries to steal his daughter’s blanket in order to contact her imaginary friends. He ends up discovering that he should rely on his own knowledge to make his business decisions.
I do not recommend this movie. Eddie Murphy is a one trick pony…or should I say one trick Donkey? He should stick to voicing cartoon animals.
This movie has a predictable story line. A work-aholic divorced stock broker is forced to take care of his daughter for a week. He discovers that his daughter’s imaginary friends can predict business trends. So, he uses this knowledge to make better investments for his clients. When the daughter goes back to her mother’s house, the stock broker goes crazy and tries to steal his daughter’s blanket in order to contact her imaginary friends. He ends up discovering that he should rely on his own knowledge to make his business decisions.
I do not recommend this movie. Eddie Murphy is a one trick pony…or should I say one trick Donkey? He should stick to voicing cartoon animals.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My Life In Ruins (Rating: 3.5 Crow’s Feet)
Today I watched this movie staring Nia Vardalos who also starred in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding.’ This time she plays Georgia, an American tour guide in Greece who has lost her ‘Kaffee,’ or her ‘passion for life.’ Everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong with her tour and she gets frustrated with the guests on the tour that would rather have ice cream than appreciate the ancient ruins of Greece. When she’s least expecting it she falls for the Greek bus driver who she never noticed before.
This is a very sweet movie, and there are several funny parts in the movie. It didn’t receive accolades from critics, but I liked it because it was simple. Also, the scenery is beautiful…I mean, what can be more beautiful than Greece? This woman has planned her life out, and yet nothing is going according to plan. I guess the moral of the story is, “You can’t plan for life.”
This is a very sweet movie, and there are several funny parts in the movie. It didn’t receive accolades from critics, but I liked it because it was simple. Also, the scenery is beautiful…I mean, what can be more beautiful than Greece? This woman has planned her life out, and yet nothing is going according to plan. I guess the moral of the story is, “You can’t plan for life.”
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Women (Rating: 3.5 Crow’s Feet)
“I’m the man I want to marry!” This line expresses a lot of my own frustrations with finding a partner. Annette Benning who plays Sylvia is a successful publisher with unsuccessful past relationships. She was married once to a man who told her to fly with wings that soar, but that he couldn’t keep up with a woman who can soar higher than him. Sometimes, I feel this way.
Over my lifetime, I’ve heard many women say, “I’m waiting to travel to until I get married.” “I’m saving this for when I get proposed to.” Or even, “I don’t want to buy because I’ll register for it when I get engaged.” These comments are not professed as frequently as when I was in my early 20’s, but now at age 28 most of those women are already married. I have always been of a different mind-set. I try what I want, when I want. I buy what I like and don’t think about saving special items for a wedding. At this point in my life, I don’t I figure that I like myself, and I like my life; whomever decides to enter my life had better be able to fit into it. Don’t get me wrong, I know that relationships take compromising. However, I don’t want to sacrifice who I am for someone. Perhaps this is part of my problem with meeting men;)
This movie is about a group of successful women who find out that their friend is being cheated on. Meg Ryan plays May, the woman who has been cheated on. She ends up going to a retreat to find herself. She puts together a collage to determine who she wants to be.
Although this movie received negative reviews from most critics, I enjoyed it. It’s obviously not a ‘thinker’ but it shows some strong women that have some difficult things going on in their lives. It also shows the relationships between women. I wasn’t expecting much from this film, and was pleasantly surprised. I respond to these women because they seem like real friends. Friendship is something I value and truly try to practice. I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
Over my lifetime, I’ve heard many women say, “I’m waiting to travel to
This movie is about a group of successful women who find out that their friend is being cheated on. Meg Ryan plays May, the woman who has been cheated on. She ends up going to a retreat to find herself. She puts together a collage to determine who she wants to be.
Although this movie received negative reviews from most critics, I enjoyed it. It’s obviously not a ‘thinker’ but it shows some strong women that have some difficult things going on in their lives. It also shows the relationships between women. I wasn’t expecting much from this film, and was pleasantly surprised. I respond to these women because they seem like real friends. Friendship is something I value and truly try to practice. I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Rating: 4 Crow’s Feet)
This original movie was written by the main actress, Nia Vardalos who plays Tula a Greek young woman in a large Greek family. Tula longs to try new things and eventually her father agrees to let her go to college. Once in college she discovers a class on computers for the travel industry. Her father decides she can go to work at her aunt’s travel agency. During this surge of independence, the once dowdy Tula discovers makeup and starts to dress in more fashionable clothes. One day a nice guy, Ian (played by John Corbett) stops in and they develop a relationship. Her parents are very against her dating a non-Greek like Ian.
When Ian proposes, her father agrees on the condition that he converts to Greek Othodox. Eventually after many hilarious situations, the two marry. As a wedding gift, Tula’s parents buy them a house right next door to their own.
This movie was released in 2002 and only cost $5million to make; with worldwide revenues of $368.7million. It received great reviews, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
A great friend, Beth, gave me this movie in a large gift basket full of items to use during my recovery. It is such a warm, loving story that I waited several days before watching it. I tend to get choked up easily, and crying is painful when you are recovering from tonsil surgery. I love this movie, and enjoy watching it over and over again. It is simple and endearing . I rated it highly because it is such an original story…and also because I love her dad’s obsession with Windex as a cure for everything. My mom has her own cure for everything; Benadryl (although antihistamines are bit more reliable for curing than Windex:)
When Ian proposes, her father agrees on the condition that he converts to Greek Othodox. Eventually after many hilarious situations, the two marry. As a wedding gift, Tula’s parents buy them a house right next door to their own.
This movie was released in 2002 and only cost $5million to make; with worldwide revenues of $368.7million. It received great reviews, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
A great friend, Beth, gave me this movie in a large gift basket full of items to use during my recovery. It is such a warm, loving story that I waited several days before watching it. I tend to get choked up easily, and crying is painful when you are recovering from tonsil surgery. I love this movie, and enjoy watching it over and over again. It is simple and endearing . I rated it highly because it is such an original story…and also because I love her dad’s obsession with Windex as a cure for everything. My mom has her own cure for everything; Benadryl (although antihistamines are bit more reliable for curing than Windex:)
The Painted Veil (Rating: 4 Crow’s Feet)
This moving adaptation of the novel (of the same name) by W. Somerset Maugham, stars Naomi Watts in the main role of Kitty and Edward Norton as her husband Walter Fane. Kitty is a bored socialite who meets Walter at a party in London. At the urging of her domineering mother they soon marry and after a honeymoon in Venice, move to Shanghai where Walter will study infectious diseases.
Walter becomes engaged in his work while Kitty sits at home bored. She soon finds comfort in the arms of Charles Townsend, a married British Councilman. Walter discovers the affair and in order to punish her threatens to divorce her, or demands that she accompany him to a remote, cholera infected village. She begs to be allowed to divorce him quietly, in order to avoid scandal towards her. He agrees on one condition, that Charles agrees to divorce his wife and marry Kitty. Of course Charles denies her and she decides to accompany her husband rather than have scandal attached to her name.
The take a hard 2 week trip across the countryside and arrive at the village where Kitty learns that it would have been faster and easier to take a river trip. She also learns that there is an inoculation for cholera that would give them more safety from the disease. It seams that Walter is punishing her for her affair.
Walter begins to make a real impact on the town and shuts down many wells and water access. Although this frustrates the town, it will help to contain the cholera outbreak. Without talking to Walter, Kitty begins volunteering at the orphanage. One day he discovers her, and it seems to rekindle his affection for her. As his success increases, their marriage improves and Kitty discovers she is pregnant. Even though they don’t know if the baby is Walter’s or her lover’s, Walter declares, “it doesn’t matter, now.”
When Walter goes to a refuge camp, he becomes ill with cholera. Kitty rushes to his side to take care of him. Unfortunately, he dies and is immediately buried. The film ends with Kitty walking the streets of London holding her son’s hand.
This is not a movie to watch while recovering from tonsil surgery. Crying is painful, and there were multiple points in this movie where I felt sad and helpless. Cholera is a horrible disease that causes a person to loose all liquids in their body. The disease is relatively quick, and painful. The movie did a great job of illustrating the Cholera epidemic in China.
The cinematography is gorgeous! The director found a remote village in mainland China. This village was relatively unchanged since the early 1900’s making it a great representation of the village Kitty and Walter visit. The Chinese government permitted the filming as long as a Chinese production company had license to edit. The main objection of the Chinese production company was to the portrayal of the uprisings and of the cholera victims. Only 38 seconds had to be edited out.
Walter becomes engaged in his work while Kitty sits at home bored. She soon finds comfort in the arms of Charles Townsend, a married British Councilman. Walter discovers the affair and in order to punish her threatens to divorce her, or demands that she accompany him to a remote, cholera infected village. She begs to be allowed to divorce him quietly, in order to avoid scandal towards her. He agrees on one condition, that Charles agrees to divorce his wife and marry Kitty. Of course Charles denies her and she decides to accompany her husband rather than have scandal attached to her name.
The take a hard 2 week trip across the countryside and arrive at the village where Kitty learns that it would have been faster and easier to take a river trip. She also learns that there is an inoculation for cholera that would give them more safety from the disease. It seams that Walter is punishing her for her affair.
Walter begins to make a real impact on the town and shuts down many wells and water access. Although this frustrates the town, it will help to contain the cholera outbreak. Without talking to Walter, Kitty begins volunteering at the orphanage. One day he discovers her, and it seems to rekindle his affection for her. As his success increases, their marriage improves and Kitty discovers she is pregnant. Even though they don’t know if the baby is Walter’s or her lover’s, Walter declares, “it doesn’t matter, now.”
When Walter goes to a refuge camp, he becomes ill with cholera. Kitty rushes to his side to take care of him. Unfortunately, he dies and is immediately buried. The film ends with Kitty walking the streets of London holding her son’s hand.
This is not a movie to watch while recovering from tonsil surgery. Crying is painful, and there were multiple points in this movie where I felt sad and helpless. Cholera is a horrible disease that causes a person to loose all liquids in their body. The disease is relatively quick, and painful. The movie did a great job of illustrating the Cholera epidemic in China.
The cinematography is gorgeous! The director found a remote village in mainland China. This village was relatively unchanged since the early 1900’s making it a great representation of the village Kitty and Walter visit. The Chinese government permitted the filming as long as a Chinese production company had license to edit. The main objection of the Chinese production company was to the portrayal of the uprisings and of the cholera victims. Only 38 seconds had to be edited out.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Funny Girl (Rating: 4 Crow’s Feet)
I will admit that I never understood the die-hard fans of Barbara Streisand. It’s not that I didn’t like her; I just didn’t understand the hype. Now that I’ve seen Funny Girl, it is crystal clear why she has the fan base she deserves. She is funny, sweet and an incredible performer.
Most people already know this movie, but for those of you who have not seen it, I will give a quick synopsis. Barbara Streisand plays Fanny Brice who was the star of the Ziegfeld Follies from 1910 well into the 1930’s. It begins as she gets her first roll in a vaudeville show. She ends up stealing the show. After the show she meets Nick Arstein, (played by Omar Sharif) an entrepreneur and gambler. As Fanny’s career builds, she continues to run into Arstein. Eventually they marry and have a baby girl. Arstein’s investments begin to fail, leading to his resentment towards Fannie’s success. He makes an illegal investment and is sent to prison for 18 months. The end shows Arstein and Fanny parting right before she goes on stage.
There were several challenges between the original director and the producer, Ray Stark. So, he hired Bob Fosse to direct. The producer had many ideas for the lead of Fannie. Several women were considered for the role; Carol Burnett, Anne Bancroft, and others. Fosse chose Barbara Streisand for the stage role and the film role. The stage production commenced while the development of the film continued.
The film got great publicity when the song ‘People’ hit #5 on the Billboard Pop Charts. Prior to the films release in 1968, Streisand announced that she would play the role as herself since she felt that she and the character were so much alike.
Streisand earned an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for this role, and the film was nominated for many other awards including Best Picture, Best Music, etc.
I recommend this movie as a must see. This film shaped Streisand’s career and helped her become the celebrated actress she is today.
Most people already know this movie, but for those of you who have not seen it, I will give a quick synopsis. Barbara Streisand plays Fanny Brice who was the star of the Ziegfeld Follies from 1910 well into the 1930’s. It begins as she gets her first roll in a vaudeville show. She ends up stealing the show. After the show she meets Nick Arstein, (played by Omar Sharif) an entrepreneur and gambler. As Fanny’s career builds, she continues to run into Arstein. Eventually they marry and have a baby girl. Arstein’s investments begin to fail, leading to his resentment towards Fannie’s success. He makes an illegal investment and is sent to prison for 18 months. The end shows Arstein and Fanny parting right before she goes on stage.
There were several challenges between the original director and the producer, Ray Stark. So, he hired Bob Fosse to direct. The producer had many ideas for the lead of Fannie. Several women were considered for the role; Carol Burnett, Anne Bancroft, and others. Fosse chose Barbara Streisand for the stage role and the film role. The stage production commenced while the development of the film continued.
The film got great publicity when the song ‘People’ hit #5 on the Billboard Pop Charts. Prior to the films release in 1968, Streisand announced that she would play the role as herself since she felt that she and the character were so much alike.
Streisand earned an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for this role, and the film was nominated for many other awards including Best Picture, Best Music, etc.
I recommend this movie as a must see. This film shaped Streisand’s career and helped her become the celebrated actress she is today.
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