February New Movie Month 2022

It’s become a tradition that we spend most of February watching new-to-us movie month. We kicked off this month with a short list of about 100 movies that we wanted to watch. Due to the long running time of a few movies (Godfather extended editions and LOTR with the kids), we have a slightly lower-than-usual number for the month, but we did watch some good ones. Here’s what we watched:

The French Dispatch - Classic quirky Wes Anderson with amazing design and characters. I loved the story about the student protest the best.

House of Gucci - Oh This was so good! Lady Gaga was amazing. The fashion, the betrayals, the over-the-top personalities. I could not get enough!

The Godfather - I’ve never actually seen it and J convinced me to watch this month. Much better than I thought it was going to be. I enjoyed it. Tom is the best character!

Bad Boys for Life - Terrible, but made partially better with cocktails.

The Godfather Part II - I didn’t think it could get more serious than the first one, but it did. I loved seeing the parallels between Michael and Vito.

tick, tick… BOOM! - Andrew Garfield is amazing in this one! He clearly did his homework to play Jonathan Larson in this adaptation of Larson’s musical and life.

The King’s Man - There was a weird tone to this movie, but we enjoyed it overall.

The Godfather Part III - I actually really enjoyed this part of the trilogy.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour (2012) - Completely missed this one. Tim Minchin is really the star of this production.

Fistful of Vengeance - A “sequel” to the television shoe Wu Assassins… Not great, but a couple of good scenes.

Black Friday - Terrible horror movie, but I loved it.

Parker - Turns out we’ve actually seen this, but neither one of us could remember anything about the movie.

The Royal Wedding - Terrible. This was not funny at all.

The Orange Years - This is my childhood in documentary form! Perfect capper for our month of movies.

Next Up on the TBR pile:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Pages: 239

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

Northanger Abbey, originally published posthumously in 1818, is the story of seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland, one of ten children of a country clergyman, whose wild imagination and excessive fondness for Gothic novels (especially Ann Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho) has skewed her worldview and interactions with others to great comic effect. 

Fundamentally a parody of the Gothic fiction that was so popular in Austen's formative years, Northanger Abbey is a uniquely significant work, in that it shows Austen's departure from those conventions and tropes -- featuring three dimensional heroines, who were not perfect people, but flawed, rounded characters who behaved naturally and not just as the novel's plot demanded. 

Part of my 2022 reaching plan is to reread all six of the completed Jane Austen novels. This time, I am going to read them in the order that Austen wrote them. So up first is Northanger Abbey. Instead of making a new review, I am just copying my review from my last reading of this volume in 2012. Here’s what I wrote:

“Northanger Abbey is fast becoming my second favorite Austen (after Persuasion, of course).  I love Catherine Morland.  She may be young and naive, but she grows.  She becomes a woman right in front of the reader.  I love the progression more than anything.  I see an early version of Emma in Catherine.  She's not as well defined as a character, but the idea of character so wrong in her worldview comes through.  This volume doesn't have the recognizable quotes that Pride and Prejudice does, but it does have some good discussions between Tilney and Catherine about life and literature.  And the novel doesn't have the extensive social commentary so prominent in P&P and Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park.  But that's okay.  This is more of a nice story of a girl growing into a woman and falling in love.”

BBC Miniseries :

I love this movie.  I love the leads, Felicity Jones and JJ Fields.  I love the Abbey.  I love Bath.  I even love Isabella Thorpe, that snake.  (Carey Mulligan is equal parts likable and killable...)  Every part was perfectly cast.  I don't even mind the dramatization of Catherine's gothic stories.  It fits with her character even if Jane Austen didn't write them in there.  In fact, this is fast becoming my third favorite movie adaptation of Austen (after P&P BBC version and Persuasion new BBC version).

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February New Movie Month 2021 Part 2

It’s become a tradition that we spend most of February watching new-to-us movie month. We kicked off this month with a short list of 100 movies that we wanted to watch. Here’s what we’ve watched the second half of the month:

Lost Transmissions - Very good, but very serious movie depicting mental illness.

Mazes and Monsters - This was terrible but J made me watch it to understand the first “Dungeons and Dragons” movie.

Freaky - A delightfully fun horror movie! We loved it so much.

The Dig - An understated, but beautiful movie about a very famous (now, not then) archaeological dig.

Monster Hunter - Haha! This was terrible, but at least we got a bit of Tony Jaa artfully leaping.

Hotel Artemis - Not great. I was hoping for better gun play a la John Wick, but we didn’t really get any.

Buffaloed - Really enjoyed this one. Zoey Deutch is a delight!

Beyond the Mat - Been on our list for years. Interesting look at wrestling.

The Search for General Tso - Interesting documentary, but not the best.

Cosmic Sin - Terrible, confusing movie. We hoped it would be fun space adventure, but nope.

Next Up on the TBR pile:

February New Movie Month 2021

It’s become a tradition that we spend most of February watching new-to-us movie month. We kicked off this month with a short list of 100 movies that we wanted to watch. Here’s what we’ve watched so far:

A Tuba to Cuba - Fascinating documentary about New Orleans jazz and Cuba, history and connections. Perfect fit for our jazz study this February.

Akira - J convince me to watch it. I’m not a huge Anime fan, but I do know that this is essential viewing. Definitely a good movie.

The Commuter - Totally forgettable Liam Neeson movie full of plot holes.

Bang Bang Baby - What a strangely wonderful movie. The ending really threw me, but totally makes sense in retrospect.

Rush - Yet another car racing movie that I didn’t know I needed to watch, but really really enjoyed.

The Boy Band Con - Another fascinating documentary that got a lot darker than I thought it would.

Freaks of Nature - A super fun B horror movie. I really enjoyed this one for the entertainment value. Especially loved Patton Oswalt’s cameo.

Terminal - An Alice in Wonderland inspired thriller. We had fun deciding who each character was supposed to be. I think Simon Pegg’s character was supposed to be Lewis Carroll himself.

Fantasy Island - Pretty forgettable horror movie full of plot holes.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Not the biggest fan of Quentin Tarantino, but this one was really good. I loved the ending.

Willy’s Wonderland - That was so fucking weird. But I do appreciate Nic Cage’s nonsense.

Next Up on the TBR pile:

January Movie Month Update #3

A few years back, we used to celebrate the new year by watching a month of movies. We decided to resurrect the idea for 2019. I went through a huge list of movies and made a slightly shorter list for us to pull from every night. There’s a little bit of everything on the list. Let’s see what we watched:

#20 Plan 9 from Outer Space — I always forget just how bad this movie is! We watched with RiffTrax.

#21 Looper — Decent scifi movie, but don’t think about the ending too much.

#22 Chappie — Another decent scifi movie. Wasn’t a fan of the main actors, but liked it overall.

#23 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel — Very cute little feel-good kind of movie. We decided to continue our Dev Patel string of movies… May need to watch the sequel.

#24 Bicentennial Man — One of those movies that J couldn’t believe that I had never seen. Interesting adaptation of an Asimov story, although I can see how people didn’t love it.

#25 The Fate of the Furious — Don’t care about Vin Diesel. I just watched this for Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Seriously, all I cared about!

And with that, January movie month has concluded. With a few events and some early nights, I’m excited that we ended up watching 25 movies throughout the movie. Now to play catch-up on a few shows.

Next up in the TBR Pile:

January Movie Month Update #2

A few years back, we used to celebrate the new year by watching a month of movies. We decided to resurrect the idea for 2019. I went through a huge list of movies and made a slightly shorter list for us to pull from every night. There’s a little bit of everything on the list. Let’s see what we watched:

#10 The Station Agent — Very intriguing character study-like movie. Enjoyed this one.

#11 Central Intelligence — Mildly entertaining, but not amazing.

#12 High Sierra — So so good. I haven’t watched this one in years. Definitely lived up to my memories of it!

#13 How to Lose Friends and Alienate People — J recommended this one. Wasn’t amazing, but I don’t think it deserves a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. That is way too harsh!

#14 A Band Called Death — Fascinating documentary. I learned so much!

#15 Somm: Into the Bottle — I liked this one much better than the first Somm. More information, less reality tv.

#16 Jackie Brown — Somehow I’ve never seen it. Very entertaining.

#17 The Petrified Forest — Continuing with Bogart. Really love this one.

#18 The Man Who Knew Infinity — Really good biography film.

#19 Zero Days — Fascinating, yet depressing documentary about Stuxnet.

Next up in the TBR Pile:

January Movie Month Update #1

A few years back, we used to celebrate the new year by watching a month of movies. We decided to resurrect the idea for 2019. I went through a huge list of movies and made a slightly shorter list for us to pull from every night. There’s a little bit of everything on the list. Let’s see what we watched:

#1 Snowpiercer — Been on our list for a long time. Very intense. Good, but intense.

#2 True Grit (1969) — J had me watch the newer version last year and I loved it. The original is also really good. Although every once in a while a scene was played very strangely, but I have to remember it was made in 1969.

#3 The House with a Clock in Its Walls — For a family adventure movie (slightly spooky), I loved this one. I need to read the book!

#4 Ocean’s Eight — Eh. Not great. Not terrible. Just okay.

#5 Isle of Dogs — Gorgeous looking. A lovely nod to Kurosawa. Typical Wes Anderson weirdness.

#6 Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) — Very atmospheric. Definitely stripped out many of the extraneous scenes from the book. Now I want to watch the documentary about the making of…

#7 Kung Pow: Enter the Fist — J’s stupid movie choice. So dumb. And yet I laughed a lot.

#8 Venom — Better than I thought it was going to be. I loved the little bits of banter between Eddie and Venom.

#9 Quartermass II — Really enjoyed the first one. This one was also interesting.

Next up in the TBR Pile:

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

 Title: The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

Author: David Grann

Publisher: Doubleday 2005

Genre: Nonfiction - History; Travel

Pages: 339

Rating: 4/5 stars Movie: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (Nonfiction); Popsugar (Set in the wilderness)

In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.” In this masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett’s quest for “Z” and his own journey into the deadly jungle, as he unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century.

Been meaning to pick this one up for awhile now. It did not disappoint in terms of the subject matter and story. I was captivated by the story of Fawcett and his pursuit of the Lost City of Z. I was fascinated by the concept of exploration in the 1900s and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Fawcett and party. My issues with the book came from the writing style. Grann does not excel at smooth transitions between the history and the current situations. I have been spoiled by Erik Larson's wonderful narrations. Grann doesn't quite stand up to that example, but I did very enjoy the book.

Movie:

Full disclosure: I did not have high hopes for this movie. I assumed they would change so much of the story that it would unrecognizable. Thankfully they stuck fairly close to the real history. A few things were change here and there, but understandable in terms of movie making. And then we get to the last 20 minutes of the movie where everything that happens is speculation and outright fiction. I would have loved to see Fawcett and his son (they cut out Jack's friend Rimmel) bond and share a conversation or two (like the one around the fire after being captured), and then have them walk over a hill and fade to black. That would have been a great ending, full of the ambiguiity of the real story. Instead with get a whole sequence in the jungle with a tribe. Not what I wanted. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

New Movie January #18-31

#18 Warcraft: The Beginning (2016) "As an Orc horde invades the planet Azeroth using a magic portal, a few human heroes and dissenting Orcs must attempt to stop the true evil behind this war." -- For a fantasy movie based on a game, this was pretty good. Don't think about it too much, just enjoy kind of movie.

#19 The Last Unicorn (1982) "A brave unicorn and a magician fight an evil king who is obsessed with attempting to capture the world's unicorns." -- J was amazed that I had never seen this movie, so we watched. Not as trippy as Wizards or The Point, but definitely weird. Not really a fan...

#20 Lego Scooby-Doo!: Haunted Hollywood (2016) "The Scooby gang try to rescue an old movie studio, which is not only threatened by developers, but a series of movie monsters too." -- Arthur's pick from last week. For a silly Lego movie, this was pretty good. And we even get character voiced by Elvira. Added bonus points for not being super annoying.

New Movie January #11-18

#11 The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box (2013) "Seventeen-year-old Mariah Mundi's life is turned upside down when his parents vanish and his younger brother is kidnapped. Following a trail of clues to the darkly majestic Prince Regent Hotel, Mariah discovers a hidden realm of child-stealing monsters, deadly secrets and a long-lost artifact that grants limitless wealth - but also devastating supernatural power." -- I loved this family friendly action adventure story. It was just the fun movie I needed the other night. Apparently the movie is based on a book. I'll have to check it out.

#12 Burying the Ex (2014) "A guy's regrets over moving in with his girlfriend are compounded when she dies and comes back as a zombie." -- Such a fun little twist on the zombie trope. This was a ton of fun. Definite must-watch movie.

#13 St. Vincent (2014) "A young boy whose parents have just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic war veteran who lives next door." -- Been on my list for awhile now. Glad I finally got around to watching this one. Bill Murray is great at playing the asshole.

#14 A Royal Night Out "On V.E. Day in 1945, as peace extends across Europe, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret are allowed out to join the celebrations. It is a night full of excitement, danger and the first flutters of romance." -- A silly little movie for overnight feedings. This was a fun movie. Plus the costumes are amazing!

#15 Interstellar (2014) "A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival." -- I enjoyed most of this movie. The look and sound are amazing. Very 2001-esque. I liked the premise of the movie. What I didn't like was the conclusion that someone love transcended all the obstacles. A little hooey for my tastes.

#16 Jason Bourne (2016) "The CIA's most dangerous former operative is drawn out of hiding to uncover more explosive truths about his past." -- We felt like we had to finish the series, but I must say that I was disappointed in this movie. Acting was so-so, plot was predictable, and worst of all, the shaky cam continued.

#17 Invaders from Mars (1953) "A young boy learns that space aliens are taking over the minds of earthlings." -- Part of our 100 best science fiction films. Properly cheesy scifi. J and I had a lot of laughs from the unintentional comedy. Definite must-see for scifi fans even if the film doesn't have the same impact as in the 1950s.

Books to Movies

Since it's New (to Me) Movie January, I've been thinking a lot about movies. Specifically I've been thinking about all the books that I've enjoyed that I would love to see come alive on the big screen. So today's let's talk books to movies. Let's start with those that have already been made into movies, there are a few standouts to me.

Stardust and Coraline from Neil Gaiman -- I though both of these movies were great adaptations of Gaiman's work. The visuals in Stardust are great. And the Other Mother from Coraline is terrifying even in animated form.

Pride and Prejudice from Jane Austen (obviously!) -- The BBC version is the definitive, although I do enjoy the Keira Knightley version on occasion. Jennifer Ehle is Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is perfection is itself.

All the Harry Potter Movies from J.K. Rowling -- I know they had to cut a lot out of the storyline to fit into the movies, but I still really enjoyed all of these movies. My favorite is the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Outlander series from Diana Gabaldon -- I know it's not a movie, but a tv series was the right way to go with these books. The story is just too extensive. So far, I've loving the series and can't wait until it returns. But I better get reading so I can get ahead of the storyline.

The Prestige from Christopher Priest -- Christopher Nolan really captured the feel of this book. Oh so good.

On to those that I'm looking forward to seeing sometime in 2017.

The Handmaid's Tale from Margaret Atwood -- This book gutted me. I can't wait to see what they do to bring it to the big screen.

The Circle from Dave Eggers -- I actually haven't read this book yet, but it's on my short list.

Murder on the Orient Express from Agatha Christie -- A new adaptation of this classic story. This time directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. I love a classic mystery.

Annihilation from Jeff VanderMeer -- OMG! This trilogy was so weird, but oh so right. I am concerned that the movie won't do the weirdness of the book justice, but I guess will just have to wait and see.

Ready Player One from Ernest Cline -- For all the video game lovers out there. I'm so interested to see what they do with this book...

And finally I turn to those books that I would love to see turned into movies. Did you know that there are actually people that set up odds for which books will become movies in the coming year? I think this kind of speculation is fascinating!  As to my own thoughts, I would love to see the following books turned into movies:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Cinder (all of The Lunar Chronicles series) by Marissa Meyer

Saga series by Brian K Vaughan

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (series) by Lauren Willig

New Movie January #1-10

#1 The Spirit of Christmas (2015) "A woman falls in love with a man who is somewhat unavailable." -- While the premise is a bit ridiculous (he's a ghost, but not a ghost!), I really did enjoy this one. The romance was cute and the setting of the inn was gorgeous.

#2 Back to Christmas (Correcting Christmas) (2014) "A woman travels back one year in time to the Christmas before her broken engagement and tries to repair what went went wrong. She discovers that this is a challenging undertaking." -- Hmmm... the characters were pretty boring and I just want to punch the boyfriend every time he was on screen. Definitely not my favorite of the season.

#3 Christmas Belle (2013) "With her California hometown in the rear-view mirror, Belle heads north on business to facilitate the estate sale of a mansion. While the job is a dream, the client, Hunter Lowell, is not. But, as the two spend more time together, his icy demeanor begins to melt. Although their relationship is budding, Belle's long-time suitor, Tony, arrives, sending mixed signals to Hunter while adding chaos to the holiday season." -- Haylie Duff isn't my favorite actress (it always seems forced), I did enjoy the romance between the two leads. And I really really really want to live on that estate.

#4 A Christmas Kiss II (2014) "At a Christmastime event, Jenna shares an impromptu, unforgettable kiss with the dashing billionaire, Cooper Montgomery. Unaware of his intentions and fearful of getting hurt in another relationship, Jenna vows to resist his charms, but begins to realize his affection is real as the two spend more time together." -- Amazingly, I think I enjoyed this sequel more than the first one. Much cuter and the characters weren't as head-smackingly stupid.

#5 Holiday Engagement (2011) "Afraid to tell her family she's been dumped, Hillary hires an actor to play her fiancé during a 4-day Thanksgiving weekend at her parents' house." -- Not a very exciting one. I watched it but really can't say that it was good or bad. It just was.

#6 Begin Again (2013) "A chance encounter between a disgraced music-business executive and a young singer-songwriter new to Manhattan turns into a promising collaboration between the two talents." -- Been in my Netflix queue for awhile... An understated film, but I really enjoyed it.

#7 Carnival of Souls (1962) "After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival." -- My mother's been begging me to see this for years now. Such a weird movie... Interesting, but weird.

#8 The Last Five Years (2014) "A struggling actress and her novelist lover each illustrate the struggle and deconstruction of their love affair." -- A bit of a mixed bag. I loved Anna Kendrick in this one and the singing was quite lovely. I could not stand the male lead. Something about him made me just want to punch him the entire movie even when the character was being sweet and sincere. So good and bad I guess...

#9 Man Up (2015) "A single woman takes the place of a stranger's blind date, which leads to her finding the perfect boyfriend." -- A refreshing take on the romantic comedy. I adore Simon Pegg and his character is a lot of fun in this movie.

#10 Daddy's Home (2015) "Brad Whitaker is a radio host trying to get his stepchildren to love him and call him Dad. But his plans turn upside down when their biological father, Dusty Mayron, returns." -- Movie night with the twins! This was laugh out loud funny. Loved it!

High Rise by J.G. Ballard

Last book of 2016!

Title: High Rise

Author: J.G. Ballard

Publisher: 1975

Genre: Science Fiction?

Pages: 208

Rating: 4/5 stars  Movie: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Book to Movie

When a class war erupts inside a luxurious apartment block, modern elevators become violent battlegrounds and cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on “enemy” floors. In this visionary tale, human society slips into violent reverse as once-peaceful residents, driven by primal urges, re-create a world ruled by the laws of the jungle.

Wow! I am still reeling from this slim volume. Ballard packs a seriously intensive punch in this story. At first everything thing in the high rise seems about right. But quickly things break down and then things get crazy. I was not expecting the intensity or pace of this one. Reminded me of a more adult version of Lord of the Flies. Ballard raises some very interesting questions about the nature of humanity and constructs of society. I would not recommend this book to everyone, but I very much enjoyed the journey.

Movie:

The movie definitely changed some aspects of the books, but kept the spirit of the story. I think the changes made sense when it came to adapting a very strange book to the screen. The movie created a bit more plot to move along the storyline and character development. You get a little less introspection and narration, but make up for it with more screen time for some of the other characters. My favorite parts of the movie were the set dressing and overall look and the editing. The super imposing structure of the high rise is carried through to the interior sets. Very eye catching! I especially loved Laing's apartment juxtaposed with Wilder and Helen's apartment. Finally, the editing was fantastic. The movie starts with traditional-length scenes and slowly devolves into almost a montage-like pace. As the society in the high rise devolves we get more and more sharp cuts and fragments of scenes. Definitely an interesting movie! I can't believe that it only got two stars on Netflix.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Title: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Author: Cheryl Strayed

Publisher: Vintage Books 2013

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 342

Rating:  3/5 stars  Movie: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Oprah's Book Club; Book to Movie; 52 Books - W46

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

I wasn't initially jumping to read this book. I have memories of hating Eat, Pray, Love and thought this was going to be in the same vein. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I don't think I'm the right person to love this book. I finished the book and had a neutral reaction. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. I just wasn't that into Cheryl's journey or even her. I just kept thinking "okay fine, you lost your mom and lost your way. But where were the great insights during your journey?" So not bad, but not good.

Movie: 

I liked the movie a little more than I liked the book. I felt that the Cheryl in the movie was a bit more relatable. But the big plus of the movie is the visuals of the settings. Such gorgeous cinematography. Just for that, I had to add a start from my rating for the book.

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

Title: Childhood's End

Author: Arthur C. Clarke

Publisher: 1953

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 240

Rating: 4/5 stars   TV Miniseries: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: NPR SciFi/Fan (perpetual); Popsugar - Science Fiction; Book to Movie

Without warning, giant silver ships from deep space appear in the skies above every major city on Earth. Manned by the Overlords, in fifty years, they eliminate ignorance, disease, and poverty. Then this golden age ends--and then the age of Mankind begins....

My first Arthur C. Clarke book! And I think I did pick a good one. I love how we are throw right into the action and forced to figure out the situation along with most of mankind. From there we get three distinct books showing three different ages after the appearance of the Overlords. I loved reading about the progress of humanity and the implications of having no war, no starvation, etc. Clarke poses some interesting questions as to the fate of mankind. And then we learn more about the true intentions of the Overlords. I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say that I was very intrigued by the last third of the book.

TV Miniseries:

I had to wait until J finished reading the book, but we finally got around to watching the Syfy miniseries. And it was bad y'all... So very bad. The first episode was decent although the timeline was accelerated. Annoying, but not really bad. The second and third episodes went completely off the rails. The show focused on Ricky's invented dead wife for far too long. The tone became very confusing. I think we were to fear the Overlords and read into them a sinister intent which was so not what I read in the book. Milo was given an unnecessary girlfriend that resulted in a very disturbing scene right at the end. After finishing, I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth. Did not enjoy...

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Title: The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)

Author: James Dashner

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 361

Rating: 3/5 stars  Movie: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NPR YA, 100 YA); Book to Movie

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive.

I didn't have super high expectations for this sequel, but I was still disappointed. There's too much misdirection and confusion. I didn't feel that the characters grew at all. We just get nonstop action for 361 pages. Overall, I just wasn't interested in the book...

Title: The Scorch Trials: The Graphic Novel Prelude

Author: James Dashner

Publisher: kaBoom 2015

Genre: YA Fantasy, Comic

Pages: 96

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Randomly saw this on the shelf and grabbed it. The volume contains a few different short comics about people and events before The Scorch Trials. I loved the story centering on the creation of WICKED and the big players. Plus we get some interesting insight into Brenda and Jorge. I actually liked this volume more than The Scorch Trials.

Movie:

J and I finally watched the movie last night and basically picked it apart the entire time. I'm so not impressed with the movie. They changed a ton of major events and added some characters. I was so confused the entire time. And the victims of the Flare? Atrocious! The filmmakers went all Resident Evil with them when I saw them more like Reavers from Firefly... As J said, "by tomorrow, I will have forgotten the entire movie." Yep, my thoughts exactly...

The Maze Runner

• #0.5 The Kill Order
• #0.6 The Fever Code
• #1 The Maze Runner
• #2 The Scorch Trials
• #2.5 Thomas’s First Memory of the Flare
• #3 The Death Cure
• #3.5 The Maze Runner Files

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Title: The 5th Wave (Fifth Wave #1)

Author: Rick Yancey

Publisher: Putnam 2013

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 457

Rating: 4/5 stars  Movie: 4/5

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - 365 Days of YA; Popsugar - Movie This Year; Book to Movie

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

So I grabbed this off the library's Lucky Day shelf on a whim. It hadn't been on my TBR shortlist. And yet, I'm glad I picked it up. I was assuming this was going to be a wimpy alien invasions story heavy on the melodrama and sap. Amazingly, it wasn't. I found myself intrigued by Yancey's world building and characters. I thought Cassie would be our only narrator, but thankfully we get to hear from a few other characters. I got so sucked into the story that I finished this in two days. I don't know what got into me, but I only surfaced once I read the last page. And then I was disappointed by the ending until I figured out that this is a trilogy. Guess who just reserved the second novel from the library...

Movie:

Overall, a decent adaptation of the novel. Of course there were changes, but those changes didn't fundamentally alter the story or characters for me. The pace was okay. Lots of the slower moments and conversations were cut for time and pacing. I get it. It's a Hollywood movie. I would have liked to see more character development especially from Ben and Ringer. But I get it. I did like Chloe Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan. Good casting there. The actor who played Ben wasn't quite what I had in mind, but oh well. The twins enjoyed the movie. So I guess it was a win for movie night.

Ffith Wave:

• #1 The 5th Wave
• #2 The Infinite Sea
• #3 The Last Star

In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

Title: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Author: Nathaniel Philbrick

Publisher: Viking 2000

Genre: Nonfiction – History

Pages: 301

Rating: 5/5 stars Movie: 3/5

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction; Popsugar - National Book Award Winner; Book to Movie

In 1820, the whaleship Essex was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale, leaving the desperate crew to drift for more than ninety days in three tiny boats. Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents and vivid details about the Nantucket whaling tradition to reveal the chilling facts of this infamous maritime disaster.

After reading two of his books, I have to say that Philbrick is my second favorite history author. He doesn't quite beat Eric Larson's wonderful storytelling, but he sure produces some great books. How I have never heard of the whaleship Essex is just crazy! It may have something to do with the fact that I hated Moby Dick and the Essex's story is the inspiration for that book. Thankfully, the real history is a fascinating look at whaling, early 19th century life, and survival. I couldn't put this book down and finished in 2 days. Definitely a must-read. I really should look up Philbrick's other books...

Movie:

Of course Hollywood always has to sensationalize the story. I was not very excited about this movie. It felt like the movie took the real story and crossed it with Moby Dick. The whale continues to pursue the crew even after the ship sinks. Definitely not part of the original story. Plus they made some changes as to the personalities and decisions made by Chase and Pollard. Overall, a disappointing movie.

Fantastic Planets, Forbidden Zones, and Lost Continents by Douglas Brode

Title: Fantastic Planets, Forbidden Zones, and Lost Continents: The 100 Greatest Science Fiction Films

Author: Douglas Brode

Publisher: University of Texas Press 2015

Genre: Nonfiction - Movies

Pages: 411

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NonAd); Nonfiction; 52 Books - W24

Whether you judge by box office receipts, industry awards, or critical accolades, science fiction films are the most popular movies now being produced and distributed around the world. Nor is this phenomenon new. Sci-fi filmmakers and audiences have been exploring fantastic planets, forbidden zones, and lost continents ever since George Méliès’ 1902 film A Trip to the Moon. In this highly entertaining and knowledgeable book, film historian and pop culture expert Douglas Brode picks the one hundred greatest sci-fi films of all time.

Picked this up from the new books shelf at the library. While J and I debated some of the choices on the Top 100 list, it was a very entertaining read. In reality, we've got into a few debates owing to our fairly extensive scifi movie experience. I loved all the tidbits about how the movie got made, influences, and trivia. Very enjoyable read for the past few days. Plus we've made a list of those movies we've somehow not seen before.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Title: I, Robot

Author: Isaac Asimov

Publisher: Gnome Press 150

Genre: Science Fiction, Short Stories

Pages: 253

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NPR Scifi/Fan); Read My Own Damn Books; Book to Movie

The three laws of Robotics: 1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm 2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.

Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asmiov's trademark.

My first Asimov! J has been trying to get me to read his works for years now. I've always been too scared. I dove in this short story collection and really enjoyed it. My favorite story has to be "Catch that Rabbit."  I love the storyline but more that that, I really enjoyed the commentary on human psychology. Overall, this short story collection has some intriguing commentary on humanity highlighted through the use of robots. Looking again at the publication information, I was so surprised to find this kind of work being produced in the late 1940s. Very fascinating! With this volume under my belt, I may be ready to tackle the Foundation series...

Movie:

So, this movie isn't really based on any of the short stories in the collection. There are hints here and there. And of course the inclusion of the three laws of robotics. But the plot and characters are definitely something else entirely. I wasn't a huge fan of the movie when it was released and I still am not a huge fan after reading the book and rewatching the movie. I just wasn't that excited about the plotline or characters.