Green Oasis

The ignorant reproduce more than the thoughtful thereby turning evolution on its head and leading to an entire population of idiots. Such is the premise of Idiocracy. While I doubt this could ever be truly fulfilled, I suspect that is partially true: ignorance and superstition can perpetuate themselves through our family history.

This is my favorite Batman movie. I enjoy thought provocation, and this movie delivers. I could ponder on its complex ethical and existential themes for a pleasantly long time. Heath Ledger deserves a lot of praise for his turn as the Joker. And remember, Superman sucks.

X-Men: The Last Stand

This is a fun, visually interesting movie. Not being a hardcore X-Men fan, it felt kind of like starting in the middle of a soap opera. Even though I knew most of the characters, I didn’t really care as much as I felt I was expected to.

Georgia Rule

I didn’t expect much from this film featuring Lindsay Lohan among others. This might be the secret to enjoying what turns out to be a reasonably human look at sex, love, and truth. I might reconsider my low esteem for Lindsay. Bonus: “the Mormons” have a central—if comical—part.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

The obvious thing to say is the narrator’s voice is unique: an autistic teenager tells of his investigation which starts with a dog’s murder and ends in family secrets. While probably not truly authentic, that voice provided a window into what it might be like to be autistic.

Wall-E

In the first Pixar film to choke me up with emotion, Wall-E is more lovable than R2-D2. I couldn’t help but connect with him and his bumbling, sincere naïveté.

The Dharma Bums

With breathless, stream-of-consciousness enthusiasm that isn’t in style anymore, Keroac writes a love poem to people, mountains, and Bodhisattvas. It makes me want to hop a freight train and leave the world behind (for just a while).

I often think to myself that I should write a review of a book or movie. I almost never get around to it because it seems like too big of a hassle. Still, I’d like to record what I’ve read or watched because the truth is that sometimes I forget. From here on, I’m going to try an experiment to see if it motivates me. So to start things off here are a few reviews:

Love Actually

This movie is a charming and honest (and charming for its honesty) look at love and all its bittersweet agonies.

2010

Much chattier than Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece (comparisons are unavoidable), this movie was still an enjoyable show. Plus, you get to find out what the monoliths are all about.

Bluebeard

This is my first Vonnegut book. I allowed the hype surrounding Vonnegut raise my expectations a little too high. The book is an interesting examination of the human condition and the search for meaning despite inescapable mediocrity.

Ahhh, now that wasn’t so hard.