Media Consumed: May 2011

Books Read
The Millennials   by   Thom & Jess Rainer
Arguing With Idiots   by    Glenn Beck
And Then There Were None   by   Agatha Christie
Unthinking   by   Harry Beckwith
The Reading Promise   by   Alice Ozma

May was somewhat as a slow month as I only finished reading five books. However, if you notice there were no collections of comic strips, graphic novels, TPB, or plays. Just five regular books.  The Millennials was an interesting book about what the largest generation of Americans ever (three times the size of the baby boomers) thinks about life. I find myself in the divide between Generation X and the Millennials. The year I was born is considered part of Generation X, but I share more values and have more similar cultural experiences with the Millennials. But, that's always been the case with me, I never quite fit in exactly wherever I'm at. Anyway, the book is a must read for anyone who works with people between the age of 10-30.

I like Glenn Beck. I think he's really crazy on some things, but the direction of crazy he goes in isn't towards destruction. The direction of crazy he points towards sometimes is one of preparation and defense. Anyway, I like reading what he writes because even when there's something I don't agree with, it's presented in an entertaining manner. I think Arguing With Idiots is the best of his books that I've read.

I read And Then There Were None because it's the novel that the play Christie wrote is based upon. I've got to say, I like the play better. Christie is a great writer, but her mysteries are often so complex and have a twist that's never even hinted at so even Sherlock Holmes wouldn't even know how to solve them. The novel is a great book, though. It's probably the best mystery I've ever read.

Unthinking is a business book, but it's more of a philosophy of life book. It's filled with short stories and anecdotes that are quite interesting.

The Reading Promise is a memoir that's both a tribute to the author's father and to books and reading. Alice Ozma's father read to her every night for about nine years. It began as a bet and continued right up until the night her dad dropped her off at college. It's a great book for anyone who loves reading or wants to encourage others to read. It's also a great story about the relationship between this daughter and her father. I teared up a few times while reading it because it recalled memories of my own dad.

Movies Watched
This Island Earth
Murder By Death
Thor (2 times)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The Tomb of Ligeia

May was a slow month of movie watching, too.  This Island Earth is a classic 1950s sci-fi movie that's actually much better than I thought it would be. It holds up rather well after nearly 60 years.

Murder By Death is a comedy that has parodies of famous detectives that are all brought together at a mysterious house for a weekend. It's a movie I watched in preparation of directing Ten Little Indians. The movie is an oft-overlooked gem that starts Peter Falk as well as Truman Capote in a smaller role.

I went to the cinema twice with friends and family to see Thor. A lot of critics raved about the film when it came out, but have now been lampooning it since it arrived on DVD. I don't understand that. The movie is a good movie with the same positives and flaws that it had in the theatres.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the movie that should have been the third part of the original Pirates trilogy.

I watched The Tomb of Ligeia at the Hi Pointe movie theatre as part of the Vincentennial. The movie was one of longest Roger Corman movies ever made. It's also one that had one of his biggest budgets. Plus, it has Vincent Price and Price made any movie better than it was.