Movie and Book Wrap-up, Fall 2016

[EXCERPTED FROM THE ELIZA GORDON FALL 2016 NEWSLETTER]

 

Every year, people ask me, the displaced Yankee, if Canada celebrates Thanksgiving. YUP, except they do it on a Monday -- still super weird for me and this is my 15th Thanksgiving here. But we cook on the Sunday so we can relax and chill and eat leftovers on Monday. We need a day of rest after all that good eating!

 

IN FACT: "The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October.

"The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World.

That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!"*

(*Excerpted from http://www.kidzworld.com/article/2614-canadian-thanksgiving)

The more you know ... ;)

 

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WELCOME, BABY RIALTO!
 

This sweet baby sea otter was found alone and in a rough surf off the coast of Washington State — on Rialto Beach in the Olympic National Park — on August 1, necessitating an urgent rescue. Thanks to the quick thinking of a National Park Service ranger (who then contacted the Washington Sea Otter Stranding Network), this little sweetie was brought to the Seattle Aquarium for care. Estimated to have been only around seven to eight weeks old at the time he was saved, aquarium vets found him to be in serious condition: underweight, malnourished, and battling pneumonia.

But thanks to the awesome twenty-four-hour care of the folks at the Seattle Aquarium, this little fella, named Rialto (after the beach where he was found!) has made an awesome recovery. He’s now well on his way to being a big, strapping boy and the pneumonia has completely cleared.

Best of all? HE’S HERE IN VANCOUVER, BC, AT THE THE VANCOUVER AQUARIUM -- and he is absolutely thriving! I am so stoked — we *love* the Vancouver Aquarium and donate regularly to their Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. Just absolutely terrific news that this baby has joined our resident otters (Elfin, Tanu, and Katmai) and has been welcomed by the people of British Columbia. He's not in the public viewing areas YET, but you can bet when he is, I'll be there to blow him kisses.

Frozen clam treats for everyone!

For more information, check out the article from the Seattle Times.

You seriously have to go to the Vancouver Aquarium's Facebook page and see the video of Rialto sleeping (this screenshot is from his adorable nap). It will make your day, I promise!

 

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OH, I'VE BEEN READING SO MUCH ...

When I’m writing, I tend to read books in the genre I’m working on as it keeps my imagination on its toes. For me, reading isn’t just about enjoying someone else’s work; it’s truly about learning my craft and studying what other writers are doing so I can (I hope!) be a better writer myself.

The following are young adult titles I’ve devoured since we last spoke (summaries extracted from Goodreads). (Warning: This list is long, so scroll down if you just want to read the movie reviews or news of what's coming from Eliza Gordon!)
 

THE YOUNG ELITES, Marie Lu: I read a fair amount of YA fantasy this summer, mostly because it’s fun and I’ve always got my own projects stewing in the background that will be informed by reading heavily in the genre. Friends have extolled the virtues of Marie Lu’s books to me for a while, so I finally picked this one up. I was fresh off reading another series that I loved (Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire and Thorns), so maybe my impression of Lu’s book was a little skewed—it didn’t feel enough different from what I’d just read to really excite me. But that’s totally my bias and does not have anything to do with the skill of the writer or the quality of the book, which, for the record, is excellent. You don’t get to be an international bestselling author without writing books readers love! This was a solid 4/5 read for me—check it out for yourself.

Summary: Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

The great thing about this one? Both books #2 and #3 are now out!

THIS SAVAGE SONG, V. E. Schwab: Really liked this one—I read it in a single day! Schwab is awesome—I have two more of her books sitting right here waiting their turn at bat.

Summary: There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

HEARTS & OTHER BODY PARTS, Ira Bloom: This book doesn’t come out until spring 2017 but you will definitely be hearing more from me about it leading up to publication. SO MUCH FUN, and so unique. Unlike anything I’ve ever read, which I don’t say very often (and lately, only about my hero, Andrew Smith (Grasshopper Jungle)).

Summary: Sisters Esme, Katy, and Ronnie are smart, talented, and gorgeous, and better yet ... all three are witches. They have high school wired until the arrival of two new students. The first is Norman, who is almost eight feet tall and appears to be constructed of bolts and mismatched body parts. Despite his intimidating looks, Esme finds herself strangely—almost romantically—drawn to both his oversized brain and oversized heart.

The second new arrival is Zack, an impossibly handsome late transfer from the UK who has the girls at school instantly mesmerized. Soon even sensible Esme has forgotten Norman, and all three sisters are in a flat-out hex war to win Zack. But while the magic is flying, only Norman seems to notice that students who wander off alone with Zack end up with crushed bones and memory loss. Or worse, missing entirely.

Hearts & Other Body Parts is a wickedly addictive novel about love, monsters, and loyalty. And oh yeah, a Japanese corpse-eating demon cat.

ATTACHMENTS, Rainbow Rowell: This was a four-star read for me. A little slow, and the epistolary style can be confusing if you’re not paying attention, but the ending was TOTALLY satisfying. Definitely recommend.

Summary: “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you ... ”

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It’s company policy.) But they can’t quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O’Neill can’t believe this is his job now—reading other people’s e-mail. When he applied to be “internet security officer,” he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers—not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth’s and Jennifer’s messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can’t help being entertained—and captivated—by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say ...?

MOSQUITOLAND, David Arnold: Another one of my favorite reads this year. I actually started this book a few months ago and put it down because David Arnold’s talent is very intimidating. I know—I’m a weenie! But I restarted and finished the book in a cozy day of ignoring the world. Highly recommend—and while you’re at the library/bookstore, do yourself a favor and pick up Arnold’s latest, Kids of Appetite. That’s next on my TBR (to be read) list!

Summary: After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the “wastelands” of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland.

So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travelers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane.

Told in an unforgettable, kaleidoscopic voice, “Mosquitoland” is a modern American odyssey, as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

LIKE A RIVER GLORIOUS, Rae Carson: I have been SO excited for this book to come out, and naturally, when I saw a bookstore in another city near mine had it on their shelves a few days before its scheduled Tuesday release, I zoomed my trusty minivan over there and made it my own. While I tried to pace myself when I sat down to read it, I failed and inhaled. Mmm, yummy book.

The first installment in the series, Walk on Earth a Stranger, was a favorite read of mine last year. I’ve recommended it a few times to friends who didn’t love it as much because they felt it was a slow read—and the first book does feel like a big set-up for the sequel—but I was super impressed by the author’s skill with research and character development. I really cared about these people, and the level of detail Carson provided to give readers a truly authentic feel for what life was like moving across America during this time in history was first-rate. Writing a compelling story about the Oregon Trail/California Gold Rush that we haven’t seen before is the real feat here, and Carson totally pulled it off. I love this series so far and am looking forward to the third book! (Also, her Girl of Fire and Thorns series is one of my favorite YA fantasy series ever. Check it out.)

Summary: After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn’t given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he’ll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.

The second epic historical fantasy in the Gold Seer trilogy by Rae Carson, the acclaimed author of The Girl of Fire and Thorns

EVERY HIDDEN THING, Kenneth Oppel: I’m a big fan of Canadian writer Kenneth Oppel—his Victor Frankenstein duology is among my favorite YA reads. This is his newest release, touted as Indiana Jones meets Romeo and Juliet. Sold! Again, another example of stellar research and tight character building. Keep in mind, though—this book is solidly a young adult novel, due to sexual content, and not for middle grade readers, unlike some of Oppel’s other popular books.

Summary: Somewhere in the Badlands, embedded deep in centuries-buried rock and sand, lies the skeleton of a massive dinosaur, larger than anything the late nineteenth-century world has ever seen. Some legends call it the Black Beauty, with its bones as black as ebony, but to seventeen-year-old Samuel Bolt, it’s the “rex,” the king dinosaur that could put him and his struggling, temperamental archaeologist father in the history books (and conveniently make his father forget he’s been kicked out of school), if they can just quarry it out.

But Samuel and his father aren’t the only ones after the rex. For Rachel Cartland this find could be her ticket to a different life, one where her loves of science and adventure aren’t just relegated to books and sitting rooms. And if she can’t prove herself on this expedition with her professor father, the only adventures she may have to look forward to are marriage or spinsterhood.

As their paths cross and the rivalry between their fathers becomes more intense, Samuel and Rachel are pushed closer together. Their flourishing romance is one that will never be allowed. And with both eyeing the same prize, it’s a romance that seems destined for failure. As their attraction deepens, danger looms on the other side of the hills, causing everyone’s secrets to come to light and forcing Samuel and Rachel to make a decision. Can they join forces to find their quarry, and with it a new life together, or will old enmities and prejudices keep them from both the rex and each other?

THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES, Mindy McGinnis: Wow, this was an edgy read with graphic sexual content, mature themes, violence, and coarse language—if you’re offended by such things, this book might not be right for you. However, I really liked it, maybe because the main character, Alex Craft, was such a damaged badass or maybe because I did my last 18 months of high school in a small town similar to the one in the book (I was the outsider city girl)—and I know how gossipy and tightly knit these communities can be. McGinnis nailed the almost incestuous atmosphere that comes from a small population, where everyone knows your business, where your dad probably dated your best friend’s mom at some point, where getting drunk in the woods is a common reality passed from generation to generation. Sometimes I struggle with books in which the story is told from a lot of different perspectives but McGinnis was adept enough with characterization that I soon heard the voices of the individual players distinct from one another. This is a tough skill to master, so kudos to the writer. I don’t want to spoil anything but the main character’s change from beginning to end was satisfying, unexpected, and ultimately heartbreaking.

Summary: Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.
 
And a few “grownup” books too!

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE?, Maria Semple: A number of my friends have bugged me for a while to read this—so I finally did, and what a hoot! Definitely enjoyed the style Semple used wherein the narrative was relayed through a series of emails, letters, and other correspondence. And the overlying mystery—where is Bernadette?—was great fun. These characters will stick with you for a while. Recommend strongly.

Summary: Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she’s a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she’s a disgrace; to design mavens, she’s a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.

Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette’s intensifying allergy to Seattle—and people in general—has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.

To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence—creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter’s role in an absurd world.

LEAVE ME, Gayle Forman: When I read the summary for this at the bookstore, I knew I had to have it. I have three kids at home, so life is busy all the time—I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit to that occasional fantasy that finds me on a plane en route to a single woman’s life in the rolling hills of Scotland where I’d be free of carpool, beagle crap, and playdates. In Gayle Forman’s first novel for adults (she has a successful career as a young adult author as well), she gives us harried mom-of-twins-and-overall-superhuman Maribeth Klein who, after a heart attack and a family who just doesn’t get it, boards a train and doesn’t look back. Forman is skilled at dissecting the human condition and feeding it to us in nice bite-sized morsels, and the subplots and secondary characters are brilliantly drawn.

My only complaint: While I found myself angry at Maribeth’s family for not taking better care of her after a catastrophic medical event, and while I totally understood why she did what she did, the main character’s attempts to make her financial situation relatable to the common woman didn’t work for me, i.e., she’s lived in the same NYC rent-controlled loft for 20 years because she and her husband couldn’t afford anything else secondary to the exorbitant fees they pay for their twins’ private school. And yet, when she leaves, she can walk to the bank and withdraw $25,000 in cash for her “new life.” Meanwhile, those of us who live in the real world know that if we wanted to leave our families, we’d end up in a Motel 6 that offers a AAA discount two exits down and then we’d have to head home the next day, probably with bed bugs. ;)

Summary: For every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, for every woman who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention—meet Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who’s so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn’t even realize she’s had a heart attack.

Afterward, surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: She packs a bag and leaves. But, as is so often the case, once we get to where we’re going, we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is finally able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from those she loves and from herself.

With big-hearted characters who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing our fears. Gayle Forman, a dazzling observer of human nature, has written an irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head-on.

SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME!

 

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And when I'm not reading ...
I'm at the movies!

Now that the weather’s changing and the lawn furniture has been tucked away for another year, it’s time to watch some MOVIES! (And read books. But I don’t need to tell you that.) As I’ve gone on and on about before, I love movies. And I always make time to get lost in some cinematic bliss as a way to unplug and let my brain enjoy someone else’s reality for a while. Also: movie popcorn is straight-up awesome.

STAR TREK BEYOND, because Husband worked on it! I’m not a Trekkie myself (I’m more a Star Wars enthusiast), but once you let go a little and immerse yourself in the tech talk of the Star Trek environment (and forget that Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) is also Eomer from Lord of the Rings!), the dialogue is funny and the characters are likable. You can’t go wrong with Simon Pegg (who cowrote and stars in the film), and like I said, Husband spent a lot of grueling summer days working on those sets so of course we had to see it. It was fun—recommend!



JASON BOURNE: Meh. I love Jason Bourne. But this one didn’t bring us anything new, and in fact, the first 10-15 minutes felt like we were watching an acting workshop. I’m going to venture a guess that Julia Stiles wasn’t pleased about what they did to her character because she totally called this in. I like Stiles—she’s terrific in earlier Bourne installments as well as Ten Things I Hate About You and Silver Linings Playbook (one of my all-time favorite films), but this performance was lackluster at best. If you’re a Bourne fan, you’ll watch this anyway but if not, you’re not missing much—well, except maybe a hunky Matt Damon without his shirt. That was not hard to look at. Love you, Matty!

BEN-HUR: Ouch. I wanted to love this one because of the casting choices—Jack Huston and Toby Kebbell are two actors who are going to explode in the next few years (and is it horrible that I was lusting after the delicious Rodrigo Santoro as Jesus? I’m such a heathen. Fans of Love Actually will recognize Santoro as the hot dude Laura Linney’s character never seals the deal with because of her needy brother—MOST frustrating storyline EVER!!!). Unfortunately, this flick just didn’t have the oomph it needed to make a box office splash. It felt more like a TV movie; the script felt disjointed and the way the film was sold in the trailers (two brothers settling an old fight with one another in a chariot race to the death) … yeah, that’s not what the story is about, really, and the whole thing felt disingenuous. Seems I’m not the only one who thought that; of its $100M production budget, the film has only grossed $26M in ticket sales. Yikes. (If you want a Ben-Hur fix, watch the 1959 original.) The ONE REDEMPTION OF THIS FILM: the fantastic score by Marco Beltrami. If you’re a score junkie like I am, check this one out.

BRIDGET JONES’S BABY: I LAUGHED SO MUCH! I seriously was not expecting much from the resurrection of this series, especially after what I’d heard about the latest Bridget Jones book from Helen Fielding (I didn’t read it, guys—no Mark Darcy? WHAT?). I enjoyed the first Bridget Jones film but didn’t fall for the sequels, so I went to the theatre with pretty low expectations. (And my darling Husband was one of only two guys in the whole theatre, so thanks, GareBear! What a guy …) This film picks up ten years later with a still-goofy Bridget who has matured *a little* but she's still that silly thing we love from her earlier days. Colin Firth is back as the stuffy but stunning Mr. Darcy; the love triangle is completed by McDreamy himself, Patrick Dempsey. It's a fun way to spend two hours with some hilarious, over-the-top moments--exactly what we love about these rom-coms! And I don't care what the paparazzi says: Renee Zellweger has never looked better or more herself. Totally recommend!

 
FREE STATE OF JONES: Wow. Wow. I love that Matthew McConaughey is doing so many important films where he brings to light more than his six-pack. This is definitely one of them. Helmed by director Gary Ross (who we haven’t seen since 2012’s Hunger Games), this film was equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking, especially because it’s based on a true story—we were still talking about it the next day. This entry deserves the official summary:

Set during the Civil War, Free State of Jones tells the story of defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight, and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy. Banding together with other small farmers and local slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones. Knight continued his struggle into Reconstruction, distinguishing him as a compelling, if controversial, figure of defiance long beyond the War.

If I were a teacher, I would make Free State of Jones part of my curriculum. This film serves as a beautiful testament to the human spirit when righteousness stands up to unfathomable hatred, even in the face of severe retribution. For those of us who naively thought life was improved for Black Americans in the 1800s after the Thirteenth Amendment was passed? Wrong x infinity. Wholeheartedly recommend.

THE NICE GUYS: Probably my favorite film of the year so far—and it hasn’t gotten NEARLY the attention it deserves. With a summary like this—A mismatched pair of private eyes investigate the apparent suicide of a porn star in 1970s Los Angeles—how can you go wrong? The on-screen chemistry with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe is undeniable, and writer-director Shane Black’s dialogue and comedy had us laughing consistently throughout the film. Angourie Rice, the fabulous young actress who plays Gosling’s daughter, nearly steals the show from her older, more seasoned counterparts. This film was so much fun that I asked for it on DVD for my birthday and have since watched it again to pick up the stuff I missed the first time around. Super loved it. (P.S. Don’t watch with the littles in the room … fair warning.)

HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR: I was a fan of the first Snow White and the Huntsman film (it also has a terrific score by James Newton Howard), and as much as I love the actors in this installment (Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt, Charlize Theron, and yes, yummy Chris Hemsworth (Thor)) … this film just did not come together for me. Blunt and Theron are sisters set against one another pretty early on, but the ongoing vengeance theme got lost in the mire of too much going on. Less is more—which is why the first film worked. One bad guy vs. Snow White. Here we have two bad guys who are also at war with one another, and two good guys who are also in love with one another but are also fighting that love, and it was just overly complicated. Have a watch yourself and see what you think. Personally, I wouldn’t watch it again, but it’s never a waste of time to watch Chastain and Hemsworth smooch on screen. ;)

MAGNIFICENT 7: While I’m not a huge fan of westerns, I do like Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke, and Antoine Fuqua is a terrific filmmaker—so I went for it. The storyline is pretty much what you'd expect it to be: bad guy terrorizes small town, bounty hunter comes to help and recruits a motley crew of gun-slinging, whiskey-swilling, tabacky-chewing assassins to defend the terrorized folks, big battle with lots of guns ensues. Fun times! The story didn’t spend too much energy on backstories for the main characters—just little peeks here and there—so it was hard to get attached to any one of them singularly, but come on, we always want good to defeat evil (and Peter Sarsgaard is SO good at evil in this one!). Denzel is his usual calm, cool, collected badass self (check him out in The Equalizer if you haven’t already, another Fuqua film), and who among us isn’t a sucker for that Chris Pratt side-smile? It was a fun night at the movies so check this out when it comes to DVD or OnDemand.

WARCRAFT: Husband worked on this one too but we were disappointed by the result. The story was all over the place—too many storylines intersecting one another and the casting choices were, to be frank, bizarre. The main male lead (Travis Fimmel) is the dude from the hit TV show Vikings (which is on my list to catch up on!), and he wasn’t bad, but the story where he and Paula Patton’s half-human/half-orc fall in love basically 40 seconds after meeting? Yeah. That fell flat. The CG characters weren’t the best I’ve seen, despite the fact that this was a HUGE project with a massive $160M budget (some estimates say it was even higher than that). The gossip around the movie people is that Blizzard Entertainment basically had a chokehold over this film—which sucks, because Blizzard makes video games and does not specialize in filmmaking, two very separate art forms. Also, director Duncan Jones is David Bowie’s son, and so I hate to bash this film because, let's be honest, he's had a shit year with his dad passing away. With that said (apologies to Mr. Duncan), I’d skip this one, unless you’re a hardcore fan of the video game.

OH! And as an added bonus, we went to see my #1 Muse and Boyfriend, Mark Strong, in a cinecast of the Arthur Miller play, A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, as performed by the National Theatre at the Young Vic in London.

It's a really cool program wherein the National Theatre records the live stage performance and then offers the play to cinemas around the world. I have been looking forward to seeing this for MONTHS, and my darling Mr. Strong did NOT disappoint!

What are YOUR favorite films? Anything you can recommend? Anything you're looking forward to this fall/winter (ROGUE ONE, ahem)?