April- May Reads

Mr. has been keeping up the blog this month so a special shout out to him.  I have been slacking.

Here are some April-May reads:

The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey

Non-Fiction

Catherine Baily shares her real-life account of how she discovered one aristocratic family's secrets.

I thought there would be more to this story, it was a bit heavy in the WWI history, and I have to say I felt guilty reading some of the private correspondence that was included as it seemed a bit personal.

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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

Non-Fiction

Book challenge: NY Times Best Seller.

Berendt depicts his time in Savannah with a colorful cast of characters and a famous murder trial.

I went into this book expecting it to be dark but turns out it was pretty funny and a great read which I highly recommend.

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Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck

Fiction- Historical

Book challenge: Main character mentally ill.

Anna, a psychiatric nurse, becomes involved in the lives of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald while Zelda is under her care. 

I am not sure how true to life some of this book is but I felt sorry for Zelda and her train wreck of a marriage and I also thought that Robuck did a good job with Anna's story, separate from the Fitzgeralds.

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1022 Evergreen Place by Debbie Macomber

Fiction 

Book Challenge: Scavenger Hunt

A romance in Cedar Cove blossoms around a shared duplex and newly found WWII letters.

This was typical Debbie: light and easy reading.

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Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

Fiction

Book challenge: Banned book

Lady Chatterley embarks on a taboo love affair with her husband's grounds-keeper.

Parts of this book were bad, parts of it were good, I got tired of reading about coal mines because who cares? and I could see why it was banned for being risque.

The Movie Trailer Post

I’m a sucker for movie trailers.  Most of the time I like them more than the actual movies.  Mrs. knows that I will watch trailers for almost any new movie coming out (usually while she sleeps on the couch) despite the fact that we see very few actual movies.  Just yesterday I watched the trailers for Godzilla (surprising it looks entertaining if you’re into the whole big budget action flick – I might not be the target audience), Maleficent (I’m not a huge Angelina Jolie fan, but I liked this trailer and it looks pretty good if you’re into the whole fantasy adventure thing – I probably will still never see it), and Interstellar (looks intriguing if Gravity wasn’t enough to satisfy your need for space movies – although it might be trying a bit too hard on the emotional front).

In the last year some of my favorite trailers were for Her (a man in love with his computer/phone – or the story of everyone on earth right now), Gravity (if only because it gave me a panic attack), and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (a movie with Casey Affleck that I had never heard of, but discovering new movies is why I watch trailers.)

The key to a great movie trailer comes down to three things:

1) No voiceovers

You know, like “In a world . . . “, or anything that attempts to explain what you’re seeing, “Bob thought he had a normal life . . . “  It’s just totally unnecessary.  A good trailer shows me a sneak peak at the movie; it doesn’t explain the movie to me with a disembodied deep voice.

2) Keeping some mystery alive

Don’t give the whole plot away in the trailer.  This probably seems obvious, but so many (often bad) movies have all of the jokes and/or action in the trailer.  Ok, so that guys dies and that’s the killer and wow a cameo by Tom Cruise!  I prefer a trailer that ends with me thinking, “What is that all about?” and causes me to add it to the list of movies I want to (but never will) see.   Pique my interest; don’t show me a 3-minute version of the movie.

3) The music

Probably the most important part.  I’m only watching for a few minutes and you’re trying to intrigue me to see the movie – for God’s sake make the music count!  I would love to have a job where I could just pick music out for trailers.

Anyway, all of this was an excuse to do two things – share my favorite movie trailers and discuss the new teaser trailer for Wish I Was Here, the new Zach Braff film coming out later this year.

First, the recently released teaser trailer (about half as long as the eventual full-length trailer) for Wish I Was Here hits all of my points above perfectly.  No voiceover?  Check.  Mystery?  Yep, not sure what it's really all about.  Good music?  Absolutely.  The teaser trailer (which can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3280645401/) is 99 seconds of fun.  You had me at Zach Braff and Kate Hudson.  Not to mention a Donald Faison appearance (Scrubs reunion!)  And some Mandy Patinkin in a hospital bed for good measure.  And of course the perfect use of “Simple Song” by The Shins.  Is it possibly a bit melodramatic?  Sure.  Could the movie suck?  Yes, maybe.  But the trailer has me interested, gives me little to no indication of what the movie is about, and looks a bit weird.  Yes, please.  And plus I love Garden State, so this will probably be right up my alley (and probably the opposite for Mrs.)

Ok, so now for the main attraction, a short list of my favorite movie trailers:

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2897281305/

Ok, so right off the bat this brazenly violates rule #1 (the exception to prove the rule?), but if you can get past this what you have is a wonderful trailer.  It’s about Jessie James and I guess his assassination (the title gives away more than the trailer there), but man did I want to know more.  The movie was good (could have been great with an editor or two) but the trailer has Brad Pitt holding snakes, Casey Affleck pointing a gun, the beautiful use of “What Must Be Done” by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis from the movie soundtrack (I love this music and it was well placed in the film as well), people robbing trains, snow, fire, and a candle being blown out.  That’s how you do a trailer.

The Social Network

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4152690201/

First, they made a movie about a website and it was awesome.  How did that happen?  As far as keeping mystery alive in a trailer – it’s a film about a website, so umm . . . yeah . . . what?  The first minute of the trailer is literally images from Facebook (not scenes from the movie) set to a children’s choir singing Radiohead’s "Creep", which could be the greatest moment in movie trailer history.  And then . . . boom!  College parties, JT talking about a billion dollars (that’s Justin Timberlake kids, try to keep up), people throwing things, a guy walking around in a robe, more JT (this time in a club), and people setting fires in garbage cans.  I scoffed at the idea of a Facebook movie when I first heard of it, and knew I had to see it after viewing this trailer.

The Thin Red Line

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1266944281/

The Tree of Life

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi612735001/

I’ll lump these two together since they are both Terrence Malick films and the man knows how to make a movie trailer (well he probably didn’t do it, but just go with it).

It almost seems like this is another violation of rule #1, but the voiceovers (specifically in The Tree of Life trailer) are part of the films.  That’s just how Mr. Malick rolls, gang.  He loves a good voiceover.

The Thin Red Line is obviously a war movie, but the trailer was incredibly intriguing and foreboding, and by the time the music starts up about halfway through, I was hooked.  It gets me every time, and for some reason I enjoy the rundown of the famous cast.

The Tree of Life trailer takes rule #2 to a new level because not only did I not know what it was about after seeing the trailer, I didn’t know what it was about after seeing the movie.  But I also love the music in this one.  And the movie just looked like it would be creative.  Malick’s trailers are perfect for saps like me.

Magnolia

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4237558041/

Ok, I know, I know . . . another one that violates rule #1.  Let’s just move on quickly before I boot this off the list because of this egregious violation.  I am not reconsidering the rule.

It might lose points for the voiceover, but it gains points for keeping the mystery alive.  The trailer even specifically points out that it will all make sense in the end and that’s good, because it certainly doesn’t make any sense during the trailer.  But what you do have is lots of characters, an Aimee Mann song, Tom Cruise’s finest acting moment, a game show host, a police officer, a frog, and a movie I really wanted to see.

Inglourious Basterds

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1860895257/

Quentin Tarantino films usually come with a great trailer.  Although maybe it’s just my excitement for a new Tarantino film that leads to my opinion.  The trailers for both of the Kill Bill films were awesome, but this is the one that truly got me hyped to see the film.  Brad Pitt’s third appearance on this list, movie theaters, bombs, plenty of Tarantino violence and explosions, fires (another recurring theme on this list), and an intriguing take on a WWII film.  It all added up to a movie I needed to see.  It started off slow and slowly built up the pace, and while not a rule this is always a good way to impress me with a trailer.

I'm sure there are several trailers I love that I'm just not recalling right now, and I've tried to show restraint by only including a handful.  If this blog is still around in a decade maybe I'll have a few more to add at that time.

A very . . . interesting Mad Men

Ok, so that was weird, huh?

Don and Megan and Amy from Delaware engaging in some post-party fun, Ginsberg trying to procreate with Peggy before presenting her with his nipple in a gift box, Lou drawing cartoons, secret meetings in the computer room, a very pregnant Stephanie looking for Don's help, Harry showing up at Megan's party and then grabbing a drink with Don . . . it just kept going and going.

I don't have much to say about the episode because frankly, I don't know where this is going.  Only two episodes left before the Season 7 one year break and I'm not sure if they'll give us a traditional type of finale.  A lot of things to be resolved.

Don seems like he might have positioned himself as essential in landing the Philip Morris account, but it could just as easily backfire, right?  He broke the rules by going off script with a client (I assume since he wasn't even supposed to be there) and Cutler and Lou still don't have warm feelings for him.  Maybe like Harry suggested he'll end up in California (either with SC&P or on his own.)

The Don-Megan relationship seems all but over.  I thought that before and it's been resurrected several times, but the three-way just seemed like Megan's desperate attempt to save a marriage that is over.  Don was more interested in saving his job back in New York.

The Betty-Henry relationship doesn't seem that much better while we're discussing failing marriages.  I'm curious where Betty will end up by the end of the series.

My personal favorite line of the episode was when Don and Harry were at the bar and Harry mentioned that he was going to come up with a plan to make Don important.  But then Harry started rambling on about how it would be difficult and would take some major thinking.  In fact maybe Don would have to come up with the plan.  Classic Harry, classic.

No Roger, Pete, Joan, Bert, Ted or Dawn this week.  They missed all of the strange activities.  But I'm sure they'll be more to come.

This week's Mad Men post

So I guess Don didn't have a plan.

Unless the plan was to come in, have things not go his way, overreact, and then get bombed on Roger's vodka.  If that was the plan, then it went perfectly.

But . . . at least the episode ended with Don seemingly getting his crap together, thanks to Freddy Rumsen.  Freddy Rumsen!  Seriously, the guy that wet his pants is now giving motivational speeches to the guy who gave the Carousel speech.  Now Don needs to use Freddy's example to clean up his act.

A few other random thoughts:

The best part of the episode was Don staring down Peggy when she assigns him the task of writing tag lines.  Seriously, I think he was trying to kill her with his eyes.  I told you that man can say it all through a facial expression.  Give Jon Hamm an Emmy already.

The big news was of course SC&P getting a computer.  Although with no e-mail, Twitter, Facebook or blogs in 1969, I'm not sure what they're going to use it for.

That diabolical Lou.  Pitting Draper and Olson against each other.  Hoping they'll bring about each other's downfall.  He's like a master criminal that one.

So I get that everyone hates Don or something, but what is Bert Cooper's problem?  The old man is only where he is because of Don.  You think he'd be a bit more professional.

Did anyone else assume that Roger would end up living at the commune with his daughter?

Peggy as Don's boss.  Priceless.  Way to go writers.

Mrs. pointed out to me that the moon landing takes place in July of 1969, so it's likely that happens around the end of Season 7, Part I.  In three episodes to be exact.

There were several shots of Lane's Mets banner that Don found and hung up.  The Mets were an expansion team in MLB in 1962 that was always at the bottom of the standings, and then in 1969 the team dubbed the "Miracle Mets" went on to surprise everyone and win the World Series.  Is that symbolic of Don's rise from the bottom to win?

I've been enjoying this season and Mrs. and I were noting that the episodes have been filled with a sense of dread as to what might happen.  First you had Don walking down the hall to meet with the partners in the previous episode, unsure of his fate.  And then in this episode after Don got drunk, you kept waiting for someone to discover him and that be the end of the Draper comeback.  That suspense is what makes the show great.

Another Mad Men Blog

At the risk of this becoming an all Mad Men blog . . . . 

He may have messed up his surprise trip to see Megan with the ill-timed confession that he came at the bequest of her agent.  And because of that he may be on the verge of a second divorce (or maybe this is just another speed bump.)  But Don Draper is back!  And by that I mean he’s going to be back at SC&P, hopefully showing Lou how it's done.  But before I say anything more about the impending Draper return, a few thoughts on some of the other characters:

Betty – just the worst.  It was a sandwich Betty.  He didn't trade away Gene.  Now relax and smoke your lunch.

Megan – I’ll never understand why people (read:  internet commenters) hate Megan.  I've always liked her character and I feel bad for her in her attempts to deal with the human mess that is Don Draper.  I know people keep discussing the Sharon Tate parallels, but hopefully that is just misdirection by Matthew Weiner and company because there is no need to kill her off.

Peggy – are we supposed to assume that Peggy is still mad at Don for the whole Ted leaving for California thing?  Isn’t that really more on Ted?  And shouldn't she be excited at the possibility of going back to work for Don, someone who respects her and her work, and not Lou, who only respects his sweaters?  Still, Peggy’s “I can’t say that we missed you” diss to Don was pretty good (if cold).  Too bad Don didn’t send her some flowers.

Joan – I honestly can’t remember why Joan is mad at Don, but it’s fun to see Joan fired up.  Maybe she’s just defending her turf a bit now that she’s in accounts and doesn’t trust that Don won’t ruin what she has going.

Bert – so he doesn’t like how the agency is viewed on the outside.  Of course that doesn’t mean he’ll get off his "don’t wear your shoes in my office" ass and actually do anything to improve the firm, does it?  Keep cashing those checks Bert.

Cutler – I love when he verbally spars with Roger.  That is all.

Roger – so he left Don out to dry a bit by not telling anyone at the office about agreeing to let him come back.  But I do love that Roger stuck up for Don and got all feisty with the other partners.  Of course based on the strict stipulations that Don was given, I don’t take it that Roger was victorious in the meeting we didn’t see.  But still glad he had his old friend's back.  

I assume that the other partners were surprised that Don accepted the offer (oh, to have seen their faces), but to get back to Don . . . 

I loved how uncomfortable he was throughout the scenes back in the office.  First he was nervously glancing at his watch before finally going to the office, then when he arrives he's suddenly a visitor at best and a stranger at worst.  He has to sit around in the creative room all day making small talk and being verbally assaulted, looking like he thinks he made a mistake by coming in at all.  And then the walk down the hall to the meeting with the partners was full of suspense, and of course he'd have to scoff at and turn down the offer in typical Draper fashion, but wait . . . no . . . he accepts with no questions!  What?!  Does Don have a plan to unseat Lou and regain power?  Is he just this desperate not to have to go to California to live with his beautiful wife . . . while still maintaining partner status . . . and still being paid to do nothing?  Either way, I really like how this episode set up some drama for the last four episodes before the final season break. 

Mad Men highlights

Just a list of my favorite moments from last night's Mad Men (all quotes are paraphrased):

Don turning off his alarm, falling back to sleep for another five hours, sitting around doing almost nothing all day, but still making sure to shower and dress in his suit for the five minutes that Dawn comes over to give him the office news.  Followed of course by him promptly loosening the tie the minute she leaves.

Ginsberg's line about Peggy's Valentine's Day plans (this is a family blog so you'll just have to watch the episode)

Stan's line to Peggy when she thinks someone sent her flowers - "It's hard to believe your cat had the money."

Ted at the end of the conference call with the partners - "They never mentioned which of Peggy's clients we lost."  Hahaha . . . obviously Peggy's message wasn't clear to Ted (which makes sense since he didn't have anything to do with the flowers.)

Dawn and Shirley calling each other the opposite names, obviously because they are constantly being mistaken for each other by the other SC&P staff.

Sally saying that Don should "tell the truth" in his letter to her school about her being late.  Such a loaded comment - although Don does eventually open up a bit to his daughter.  Shouldn't he know by now not to lie to Sally?

Don pretending that he plans to dine and ditch at the diner with Sally.  Yes, he's kidding, but a nice little moment for the two of them.

And finally, Don's reaction at the end to Sally telling him she loved him.  The perfect end to Don's Valentine's Day.  And there aren't many actors as good as Jon Hamm at portraying emotion with just his facial expressions.

March-April Reads

Like Mr., I haven't really been into the book reviews since they feel like homework and a chore so I am stealing his idea to combine a bunch of book reviews into one.  I can't stop cold turkey.  I am going to try to keep this to one sentence summary, one sentence review but we will see what happens.

If anyone is dying for my previous kind of reviews, please let me know.

An Inconvenient Woman by Dominick Dunne

Fiction- Mystery

Involved in a love affair with the rich and powerful and married Jules, Flo has a little too much information that she shouldn't and some people are not too keen on her sharing it.

The text was a bit dated but otherwise it kept me interested and had a few good twists.
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Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Fiction- Young Adult

Book challenge: Gold, silver, or bronze in the title.

A retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale, orphaned Sophie goes to live with her rich godfather who at first seems all kindness but soon turns sinister.

This was a less than challenging read and a little contrived but I enjoyed it.

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A Separate Country by Robert Hicks

Fiction- Historical

Told from three different view points, this is story of Civil War general John Hood and his wife Anna in post-Civil War New Orleans.

I did not like this book as I couldn't really (and still cannot) figure out what the point of it was.
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Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Fiction - Sort of a Mystery

Kate Baron attempts to piece together the events in the life of her 15 year old daughter, Amelia, before her death in order to prove that she didn't commit suicide.

This had me hooked from page one (and also glad I am not in high school anymore) so I definitely recommend if you like more mystery type books.
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At the Heart's Command by Patricia McLinn

Romance

Challenge: Trilogy

Second in the A Place Called Home trilogy, widow Ellyn's life is turned upside-down when her childhood friend Grif appears without warning.

Like the first book in this trilogy, I thought the whole Susland family curse was forced and I found the emotionally wounded leading man annoying but this was a better told story than the first book.