pontalba

I must say that I found the second and third books to be superior to the first. To begin with Lisbeth [book not in front of me for correct spelling, sorry] is in the next ones FAR more, and that alone makes for more interesting copy. So, hang in there, a great deal of what is in the first is set up for her later on.

The Crying Game

We watched Staten Island, New York last night. Vincent D'Onofrio, Ethan Hawke and Seymour Casel. Although a few parts were "look away" for me, gory wise, the film was terrific. It was unusual in it's layering, looking at the same event from different eyes and angles. The way it came together in the end was most satisfying. I'd highly recommend it.

I ordered mine through Abe Books, from a UK store, finally found one quite reasonable.

Sunshine Cleaning. Much better than I expected. Acting was good, the portrayals were excellent.

I loved to too, I've watched it a couple of times actually. The song, You're Just Too Good To Be True...is used well, fits like a glove there.

I've read GWTW so many times I've lost count, started when I was about 12 or 13 I think. Age perspective is a funny thing though. At that age, it was a vastly different book to the last time I reread it...last year I think. I've got too many books I'm putting off reading to list. Not that I'm consciously putting them off, I just buy more at a Library Sale, or see them reviewed on a book forum, , and pile more on top of the stack. Pale Fire by Nabokov is one I've procrastinated although I've started it a couple of times and put it aside. The Count of Monte Cristo, War and Peace, A Dance to the Music of Time [series], Casanova's History of My Life [12 volumes]. /sigh/ It's a long list.

Amazon, Amazon Marketplace, The Book Rack [a U.S. second hand book store franchise], Library Sales, even garage sales occasionally. Even *gasp* the occasional Books-A-Million, or Borders store.

We watched The Handmaid's Tale last night, and while it's been a while since I read the book, I think the film was true at least to the heart of the book. They left out chunks of course, but I'd have to reread to be absolutely sure about how much. Anyhow I enjoyed it pretty well, found it disturbing all over again. Maybe the worst aspect to me was that women would actually participate in such crimes against other women en masse like that. Just appalling.

I have the third one, in paperback, U.K. cover. I wanted my set to match. Imagine my irritation when I received The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest, yes in trade paperback, but a whole inch and a half taller, and an inch wider than the first two.

That truly stinks. Thanks for the info.

I used to get headaches, I called them hormonal migraines, with the ebb and flow of my cycle. That's long past now thankfully, but I still get the odd headache, mostly triggered by my head getting cold. So, I wear hats, practically 24/7 in the winter. Fortunately, here in the Southern U.S., we don't have long frigid winters, usually. One mammoth monster of a headache I had was helped by of all things soaking my feet in as hot as I could stand it water. My Aunt said it was an old time remedy, and it did ease the pain to bearable status. Book Fiend, please check with your doctor about that herbal remedy! Even when something is "natural", it can have side effects, or could be dangerous when taken with a medicine the doctor prescribes. You could be accidentally doubling your intake of an ingredient.

This isn't really a film...but a tv series. I enjoyed the Inspector Morse programs more than the original books, at least the 2 or 3 I've read. I credit the late John Thaw, he was Morse personified.

I don't know, soon I hope, I'd like to see it again as well. In the meantime, here is a wiki article that mentions that the sequel is being written now, and will begin post production on March 21, 2010.

Your cover picture is certainly very close to my inner picture of Lisbeth Salander, I wonder it it'll be available Stateside.

I added a few books to my 2009 list that had been moved, ok? If it messed anything up, please move or delete.

Ahhh, thanks for the clarification peacefield. I can only imagine how funny that doc is.

Is that anything like the book tapes with Trek bloopers? Those are pretty funny too.

OH and I watched Changeling with Angelina Jolie.....sad of course, but riveting. So well done, and the actors all superior to say the least.

Oh Drat. I loved the book, and the BBC version from 1981 was true to the book as I recall. Oh well, it's a moot point as I'm in the U.S., so the question of watching it won't come up for a while I suppose.

:mrgreen:Thanks Kylie, I didn't sit down to write a review really, just comment on a couple of posts, but got carried away. As Ben mentioned, it's plot can carry it, and the acting is fantastic. I had several Laugh out Loud moments, the dialog was rich with a dry wit, and some ribald as well, but there was no vulgarity. You know another thing I liked about it was the portrayal of London herself, nothing pristine as some films depict, after all that time frame was a pretty gritty and dirty time.....but the film doesn't just show that, it shows the richness and the depth of the colors. The huge chains they used to move things around on the river and the ship builders scene was worth it's weight in gold. I'll shut up now. Well, almost....Vlad, I love the wiki list, I have seen a number of those actors play Holmes, and I love the Brett version as well, and always considered it perfect. Those scripts didn't allow for the physicality...most of the time. It was still only hinted at, it's a shame, Brett could have carried it off well I think. A great actor.

In the beginning of the film, Holmes is crawling about on the floor, and using the apartment wall for target practice as he is developing a silencer.....he is very obviously spaced out on something, and knowing Holmes addiction it's not a difficult guess. Watson speaks of finding a case to occupy Holmes mind. All of that is typical of the original stories. I am a Holmes die-hard fan, I've read them all. Mostly when I was a kid, but have followed Holmes closely. I highly recommend the film. To me it fleshed out Sherlock Holmes, the eccentric brain of a man. It gave him the flesh and bone I always suspected was there, hoped was there. I wasn't always a fan of this film. We only went to see it last night, completely on a whim. My original thought when the advertisements came out a while back was something like.....yeech, a Holmes that sweats?? Ewwwww! I was sooooo wrong. Yes, Holmes sweats. He boxes [from the original stories!], and is into all manner of physical activity that was necessary for someone that accomplished what Holmes managed. Robert Downey, Jr. gave a wonderful, physical, just twitchy enough performance to capture me. Jude Law was excellent as Watson, the way Watson should have been, would have to have been to have for Holmes to have kept him around all those years, depending on him, as he obviously did.

State of Play with Russell Crowe and Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman. Both total opposites, both most enjoyable.

Be sure you have all five of the Ripley books at hand for quick access. I read them all in a row, and while there are a few sections in two of them that are slow moving and not up to the rest, in general, they are all dynamite. There are two Tom Ripley films as well. The first of course with Matt Damon that Kell mentioned, and while it was mostly true to the book, some was added, especially towards the end. However. The second one Ripley's Game with the ever delicious John Malkovich is excellent! Malkovich captures the slight evolving of Ripley that Highsmith wrote into the character, and was absolutely on target.

I wouldn't peel a baking potato in any case. If the skin is scrubbed well, it's quite edible and tastes pretty good. I don't quite understand why anyone would take the skin off of one of those. She calls them Idaho potatoes, but that's a brand name. My mother and Aunt always called them Irish potatoes. For the red potatoes, I cut them into quarters [or so] boil them, and remove the skins and mash.