Catcher In The Blog

Ah at last, Catcher In The Rye is finished. I felt myself trudging through it at the end but that is not to say it was an enjoyable read. I really liked the character Holden Caulfield and his little catch phrases of 'that killed me...' and 'he is such a phony.' However over the course of two night he got himself into so much trouble and had a real little adventure that it really was hard to keep up. I felt myself re-reading over his and his old teacher's little coffee meeting, I mean was the paedophilia moment necessary when you are so close to the end? It turned out that Holden was actually quite sick which we got the foreshadowing of this happening, again quite close to the end, so maybe he was 'flunking' school and smoking like a chimney because of his illness, whether this be mental or physical we never find out. A good classic to get your teeth into, I would definitely recommend.

Next on the reading list is either To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee or some very heavy Virginia Woolf? I need to give this one some thought...
Film this afternoon is not such a great classic of 'The Ugly Truth' what do you think? Worth a watch?

Kung Fu Kitty

'Life can knock you down. But you can choose whether to get back up again.'

Re-makes are hot this summer! The A Team and The Karate Kid. Big box office hits however I cannot speak for The A Team as I have not seen it and neither would I want to, but The Karate Kid well that's an extremely mixed bag in itself!

I am a huge fan of Kung Fu movies, 'House of Flying Daggers' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' are all classics in this particular genre. However this is certainly not a classic re-make. Although Jackie Chan is a hero, Jaden Smith didn't shine through this acclaimed role. It is very hard to come out from behind a big shadow and Will Smith has cast a very big one and I know Jaden Smith is still very young, however he did not blow me away. He did not come across strong and sophisticated but instead arrogant and un-grateful. The film itself was un-desirably long and considering it is about karate that really was not the main feature. The first proper fight between Chan and some young boys came far too late in the film and although the stunts were sublime, I have to ask was it worth the wait? The character of Dre Parker did show incredible strength and courage during the tournament; although I do believe the scriptwriter did have Rocky playing on in the background during that scene (comparisons galore!). A watchable film, my next conquest is to hunt down the original, I have a feeling it is miles better.

Shaken Not Stirred

I have re-discovered James Bond. Years ago I used to love watching these old action movies but recently I have realised, just like a white shirt, that they never go out of fashion. My favourite Bond is Pierce Brosnan but maybe that is a generation thing? Everybody claims that Sean Connery is the greatest Bond; unfortunately I have yet to watch a single film with him as Bond. Does anyone recommend any good ones?

Even with Brosnan as Bond the chat up lines are as cheesy as ever and why would anyone want that to change? The stunts are explosive and dynamic although a little un-realistic but hey its James Bond.

Who's complaining?

Whilst thinking of action films, I couldn't help but wonder has the genre become too samey? Do action films ever stun us anymore? How many times can one gasp at the same explosion or kung fu move? James Bond is a classic character although superheros seem to be taking the hearts of British audiences at the moment. Does the future belong to capes and iron suits or do we still hold a place for our favourite martini drinking, womaniser, MI6 agent?

Results From The Polls:

From our recent polls we have our readers voting that the front cover of a book does not put you off from reading it and that the most anticipated summer movie is a tie between Toy Story 3D and the Karate Kid.

Have a nice Sunday evening folks and stay tuned!

Deception Is A Tool Only A Few Can Use Well

I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying action thrillers at the moment. I think since Bourne I have been gripped. A few weeks ago I watched (above) 'The Recruit' and what a film that was. The tag line being 'Nothing Is What It Seems' and this film does not disappoint in the deception area. Al Pacino is as always such a powerful speaker/actor. Even in an action movie he can still deliver a speech worthy of a little gold man. His best performance I have always found has been my favourite film 'Scent of a Woman' however those who love a good rom-com must check out 'Frankie and Benny' too.

Getting off topic for just a moment ( a classic characteristic of Holden in the current book I am reading; Cather In The Rye). I have just finished watching 'Vantage Point.' I have never heard of this film before and saw it in the library this afternoon. A stellar cast and a plot writer Barry Levy should be proud of. Dennis Quaid never fails to disappoint me and I have to say him and Forest Whitaker are the stars of this film. I was worried it could become quite tedious as the same three minutes is replayed through eight different peoples perspectives, however the director Pete Travis, has done it in such a way that one never gets bored. Each person's story is left on a cliffhanger until the very end where all the loose ends are tied up. I thought I knew exactly what had happened but with another twist the whole film was blown out of proportion. Such a highly gripping movie, one I would definitely recommend if you wish to be on the edge of your seat.

Do You Think Everyone Is Who They Say They Are?

Wise words from a fictional character; Evelyn Salt, from the new thriller SALT. What a woman and what a movie! Although quite a graphic and perhaps un-necessary beginning the film itself is unstoppable. If you blink you miss an important detail or a fabulous stunt! I thoroughly enjoyed it, the female Bourne saga begins...

Catcher In The Rye still amazes me, the writing is absolutely mind-blowing. The similarities between modern day life and now are startling, how someone from half a century ago can recognise what life will be like in 50 years is a pure talent surely. Just as Orwell predicted life will be run by CCTV in 1984 he wasn't far off. For those who still haven't invested in a copy or even read it, shame on you! Adolescence is a tricky stage in life and Salinger depicts it so well in as few as 194 pages it really is worth your time. I fear for the character Holden, his intensity holds too much for him to handle and I worry that at such a young age the saying 'the good die young' may come into play very shortly.

'Always live as if you are at the bottom, even if you are on top!'

Can Men and Women Just Be Friends?

This is the question that runs through Nora Ephron's classic 'When Harry Met Sally.' What a film! I have watched this film for the first time tonight and who knew that Ephron has answered the singular most important question all in 90 minutes. Can men and women just be friends? The answer is no. Of course they can't, how can they when sex is the issue. Harry and Sally try this friendship and for 12 years on and off they become exceptionally very good friends however as with all chick flicks, the happy ending is that inevitably the two of them end up together. Take 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' another film where Jeff Bridges doesn't want sex to ruin the relationship he has with Barbra Streisand. But of course it does! Sexual attraction between the two tears them apart and then brings them back together. Men and women are two different kinds of species where being 'just friends' is simply not an option. People try it and some are successful however how would you feel if your really into a guy who has a best friend who is a girl. Would you not be wary? Sceptical? And if you were the best friend would you not question her every move? Worry if she's good enough for him? Men and women are not made to be friends they are made to be partners. It is simple yet complex. It is a question yet to be answered, a mystery yet to be solved. Will it ever work and more importantly will we ever know?

'When Harry Met Sally' is a great film and there are some great funny scenes (the classic orgasim Meg Ryan gives in the coffee shop is hiliarious). Nora Ephron is one of my favourite comedians and directors as we all know 'Julia and Julia' is what has inspired me to start this blog.

I read this quote quite sometime ago and it has stuck with me ever since and I regret never writing down you wrote it. 'Stuck between the hope and the doubt you get so close to clarity, making you question everything.'
How very true!

A Dead Comedy

Right, so I am so excited to go and see Knight and Day last night that I was literally jumping up and down in my seat whilst the adverts were playing. A good start, I enjoy action movies anyway and this one certainly did not disappoint in that area. However I am not a fan of Diaz anyway (The Holiday is an exception) her ditsy characters just generally put me off her. Cruise on the other hand plays the famous action hero and his comedian streak shines through, I would say a good performance from him although nothing too different from his MI days.
The story is sublime and the A list cast, an excellent set of names, it is such a shame the end product wasn't up to scratch. I felt Diaz's character was trying to be all too many things at once. She fixes up old cars (surely this the kind of kooky trait many writers should stay away from unless it is a main feature!) when the two of them are on a tropical island we now learn Diaz is martial arts trained, (why did she not use these skills earlier!?) I felt this film was being too much, an action romantic comedy. To make a film a success one needs to focus on a certain genre and lightly intersperse others into rather than cram it all into a 90 minute film.
Although I am ripping into this film, I did enjoy it and not at one point did I ask the fearful question of 'when will this end?' I felt it could have been so much more and what let me down the most was the end. What a disaster, never have I seen such an un-realistic, trying to be quirky ending in all my life. What happened did they run out of creative talent in the last five minutes? It was all very rushed and to be honest extremely; I dread using the word; stupid!

I have not forgotten to post about the book I am currently ploughing my way through 'Catcher In The Rye.' I have not be reading for the past week as I have been concentrating on revising for my theory test! Now that is done and dusted I am back on track and can tell you that this is quickly becoming one of my favourite books already. A quirky novel written in 1951 with scenarios which are still true in today's youth. Definitely one classic to read! Watch this space...

A Modern Romance?

It is Thursday evening. What is it that modern people do on a Thursday night do?
Pub-check.
Read a book-check.
Socialise-check.
After being kicked out of the television room I am resorting to watching Leap Year on my comptuter!
An average chick flick I picked up from the library, about a woman so desperate to get married to her partner of four years who is now in Ireland on a conference, takes it upon herself to travel over there to propose herself on Leap Year where it is an Irish tradition. Is this the perception society now has of women? That we are so desperate to get married that we will risk our lives to have a ring on that finger? What happened to good old fashioned love and lust and patience and surprise? Are women now percieved as those from the fiftes, where success and a career is nothing compared to a wonderful husband and a goodlooking family? I am not a femenist but are women really so short sighted?

If I had been dating a man for four years and our anniversary came and went without a single diamond then I would not go half way across the world to propose. It would occur to me that maybe he is not the marrying kind and that it is possible he doesnt want to marry me? Or however, and this may be hard to admit after spending so much time and effort over one man but is it possible that he simply isn't 'the one.' If after four years a man still had no intention on marrying me, what exactly is he waiting for? Me to change? Him to change? Him to make the most of his final single weeks or months or years? Then after all this debating over one man, you have to ask yourself is he worth it? Love is complicated but only because we question it, second guess it, disect every last detail. And that is because society has made us this way. How we should question everything a man says or does, how we should question ourselves and the movements we take to finding true love. True love is not to be questioned or found as it will find you. The love we have today is complicated, but the real love. The love that is true between two people is simple. It's either there or it isn't.

Oranges Are Sour!

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit is regretfully incredibly boring!
I will not bore you with the details but it is definately not one I would recommend. Am moving on to 'Catcher In The Rye.' Anybody read it?
Will let you know how I get on, nothing really else to report on. Am looking forward to watching 'Knight and Day' and 'SALT' when they come out during august! Any recommendations for family movie night tonight?