Quick Hits – February 2017

February was a busy month in the entertainment department for me.  With my staycation week, I was able to fit in a few more things than normal.  I chose to write reviews on the two movies I actually saw in the theater and the two books I liked the best of the ones I read this month.

Warning:  Although I tried not to delve into plots too deeply, there are potential spoilers in the reviews below.  Read at your own risk.

Movie:  A Dog’s Purpose (2016)

This movie relies on emotional ups and downs to make you feel like you have seen something profound, but really there was not much there.  The basic story is a dog who has been reincarnated multiple times trying to figure out what his “purpose” is.  Each death brings tears, and each life brings renewed joy.  I admit I cried during several of these transitions.  What comes between each transition are fairly normal snapshots of people’s and dogs’ lives.  The dog has an impact on the wellbeing of the people around him, but this is not exactly a new concept.  There is little connecting plot throughout the film other than the dog’s inner voice which occasionally spouts platitudes like “learn to just be”, and a rather forced plot twist to connect one of the earlier lives with one of the later lives.  This movie expertly manipulates your heartstrings, but the overall story is just not worth the time.

Book:  The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee (2016)

This book was fantastic.  I see it come up in the best books of the year lists all the time, and I have to agree it is worth the read.  Lilliet Berne is a famous soprano with a mysterious past.  She is approached by a novelist who is working with a composer on a new opera.  They want her to originate the title role, which would be a sought-after milestone in her career.  The only problem is the opera’s storyline is eerily similar to her own life story which she has carefully guarded except for a small group of loved ones.  She sets out to confront each of the four people who know it, telling us her story along the way.  Hers is a story of survival, including all the gritty details that come from that type of background.  I admired her, though maybe not necessarily liked her always.  The book is extremely long and written in extensive detail, but the end result is so beautiful I did not mind.  Her story was interesting on its own, but Alexander Chee colored it with operatic and French history which really cemented the narrative in its time.  It reminds me of older novels which are kept for the art in their words as much as the stories they actually tell.  Strangely it has also left me with a weird desire to see an opera and learn French, but still I would recommend this to literature enthusiasts.  It is a time commitment though to enjoy it as it deserves.

Movie:  La La Land (2017)

Everything about this movie attracted me to it.  Ryan Gosling, check.  Emma Stone, check.  Singing, check.  Dancing, check.  Romance, check.  Rave reviews, check.  How could I not go see it in the theater as soon as possible?  It is definitely one of the best movies that I have seen recently.  It reminds me of the old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies, which I adore.  And yet the singing and dancing format does not seem dated or overly cheesy in this film.  Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone were perfectly cast, talented enough to pull off the roles but not so powerful in the singing/acting department to seem inauthentic in the slight awkwardness of the whole film.  The storyline is maybe a bit predictable as romantic comedies naturally are, but this is why I like them.  (Spoiler alert) I personally like the somewhat sad ending to the whole film.  Sometimes life does not always work the way we expect or want.  We have to make the best choices for ourselves and let the other pieces line up as they may.  It is enough to appreciate what was possible, even if it is not what ended up being in the end.  Overall, this was a lighthearted and fun movie.  I thought it was well done, and I really want to go see it again.

Book:  The Gentleman by Forrest Leo (2016)

This was refreshingly different than anything I have read in a while.  It is written in an old narrative style, complete with chapter titles that are a summary of the chapter content.  The Gentleman tells that story of a poet who accidently sells his wife to the devil, and his adventures trying to rescue her.  It is an absolutely ridiculous story, but it was so much fun.  It is written as the poet’s own factual narrative of the story, full of his own arrogantly bizarre observations about the events and other characters.  However, the narrative was edited for publication by the poet’s cousin who inserts his own footnotes with more humorous commentary on the story and the poet.  I laughed out loud through the whole thing.  Forrest Leo has a very well written book with an easy and humorous tale.  Its very nature made it a hard story to predict, something I am finding rare in today’s novels.  Do not take it too seriously, but have fun.  It is definitely worth a read.

Overflow:

Book:  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (2003) – Maybe. If you are 

     reading the whole series, you probably need this one too.  It is poorly written though.

Movie:  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) – Yes

Book:  The Muse by Jessie Burton (2016) – Yes

TV Series:  Supernatural:  Season 11 (2015-2016) – Yes. Amara is a much better nemesis than

     the last couple seasons.  Plus they have a couple really good monster of the week episodes

     this season.

Book:  The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (2016) – Yes.  It is easy to read and entertaining, 

     but a bit on the predictable side at least where it matters.

Movie:  Think Like a Man Too (2014) – Yes.

TV Series:  Enlightened:  Season 2 (2013) – Maybe.  Season 1 was better.  This one gets a bit

     more bogged down in the take down Abaddon storyline and focuses less on Amy’s personal 

     journey.

See you next week!