July 2009: Media Consumed

Books Read
Common Sense Glenn Beck
Common Sense Thomas Paine
Wrapped-Up Foxtrot Bill Amend
Thinking Like a Director Michael Bloom
#Red Son Mark Millar, et al
*+12 Angry Men Sherman Sergel

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

Out of the works I read in July, the two I highly recommend are Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the graphic novel Red Son. Paine's work should be required reading of all high school students that are juniors or older. The language, though a bit more flowery than what is casually used today, is actually fairly easy to follow and understand and the logic of the text is flawless. Also, many of the ideas are just as relevant today as they were over 200 years ago.

Red Son is an Elseworlds story that has Superman landing in the Soviet Union instead of the United States. I was a bit disappointed by the end, but the overall story, how it is imagined, and how it ties real history into the history of DC is brilliant. It's probably the best Elseworlds story ever written.

Movies Viewed for the First Time
12 Angry Men (1997 Cable Version)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Beowulf & Grendel
Reefer Madness: The Musical
Orphan
Superbad

The only movies I found that I really enjoyed from July were Behind the Mask and Reefer Madness: The Musical. Behind the Mask is a deconstruction of the horror genre that instead of being a full out parody is actually a homage to the genre that ends up adding a new dimension to it. It's filmed as a documentary about a real life serial killer (ala Mike Myers) named Leslie Vernon who has allowed a film career to document his life as her prepares to make the transition into the big time. There are a lot of funny bits in the film, but the heart of the movie are in the personal moments and conversations with Leslie and the director of the film.

Reefer Madness: The Musical is a parody of a 1930s film about the dangers of marijuana.I have yet to see the original movie, but the musical is hilarious plus it has Kristen Bell in a starring role.