Media Update

Books

*Towelhead (Alicia Erian)-- Basically, this is a modern day Lolita. Although at times heartbreaking and touching, overall, it seems primarily exploitative. I only read the book because the Six Feet Under guy was making a movie out of the book...but after reading the book, I don't want to see the movie.

*And the Band Played On (Randy Shilts)-- This is the book I wanted to read this summer...but I was unaware of its existence. It's an excellent and gripping account of the beginning of the AIDS epidemic and the blunders that cost tens of thousands of lives.

*A Great and Terrible Beauty (Libba Bray)-- Parts of this book are very well-written...but overall, it lacks cohesion...and is just kind of weird.

*Fables Volume 1: Legends in Exile (Bill Willingham and Lan Medina)-- A fairy tale themed, whoodunit comic. Pretty pictures.

Movies

*Into the Wild-- I really enjoyed about 3/4 of this. The last quarter, not so much...but I won't go into details. At one point, Chris writes something along the lines of "Happiness must be shared to be real." I think that's a lot of the point of this movie-- people give life meaning. In isolation, our lives are empty.

*Flash of Genius-- This was okay. It's a biopic so I can't really complain about plot, but I do wonder whether the end result was worth the cost in his life.

*Nick & Norah's Ultimate Playlist-- I saw this during a sneak preview about a month before the movie came out. Thus, I had not read any reviews which all seem to warn about the vomit gum. Therefore, I was not forewarned. But...you can be. Once the friend goes into the subway bathroom, leave the theater for 5 minutes or so. Go get popcorn, visit the restroom, check out the promo posters. Whatever. Trust me. You don't want to see that scene. However, that little storyline aside, Nick & Norah's Ultimate Playlist is a sweet, fun romantic comedy. C'mon, it's got Michael Cera. What's not to love? (Besides the vomit gum.)

*Death at a Funeral--My mom wanted to rent this British comedy. It's pretty funny. Like Pineapple Express, I think that large quantities of drugs were used in the making of this movie.

TV

*Brothers & Sisters-- Did I miss the part where Justin & Rebecca confirmed that they are not siblings? I hope so!

Are there any decent new shows??