Monday, September 21, 2009

August 2009: Media Consumed

Books Read
Schooled     Anisha Lakhani
Extreme Animals  Nicola Davies
*Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?     Neil Gaiman, et al
The Boy Who Dared    Susan Campbell Bartoletti
One in a Hundred Million     Marion Urichich
*Superman & Wonderwoman: Whom Gods Destroy     Chris Claremont, et al
+#12 Angry Men     Sherman Sergel
+Night Must Fall     Emlyn Williams
+
Lil' Abner
     Norman Panama & Melvin Frank
+Flowers for Algernon     David Rogers
+The Rainmaker     Richard Nash

* Denotes a graphic novel or TPB.
+ Denotes a play.
# Denotes a previously read work.

Of the books I read in August, there's only two I wish to mention. The first is Schooled. The novel has gotten some mixed criticism, but it's really not too bad of a debut novel. It's about an Ivy League graduate who enters the teaching profession and becomes sucked into the world of private tutoring. It's not a book that everyone will enjoy, but if you have an interest in education or teaching, I think you would enjoy it. The other book is the play Flowers for Algernon. It's based on the novel of the same name. I read a short story version of the novel when I was in 8th grade and it remains my favorite short story of all time. The play is an incredible drama and the best play I've read in the past five years. I highly recommend it and if you ever get a chance to be in or see the show, then do it.

Movies Viewed for the First Time
Green Lantern: First Flight
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
District 9
The Last Mimzy
Judge Dredd


In August, I got to see both the worst and best film of 2009 that I've seen so far.  The worst is G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. My brother treated me to this film. He had been eager to see the movie. Even he said it was BAD. Terrible dialogue.  Awful special effects. They take G.I.Joe from being an American special ops force and turn it into a global initiative.  In fact, the only thing worth seeing in this movie was the 2 minute cameo from Brendan Fraser.  The best movie so far in 2009 is District 9. It's fresh and original and has just the right mix of drama and action, with a good dose of sci-fi mixed in. Highly recommended.

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