The Entertainer, Volume 14

Title: Never Let Me Go

Notable Actors: Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightly, Andrew Garfield, a Weasley (which I correctly predicted as such based upon the fact that he is British and has red hair)

Why?: Because I read the book and loved it.

Thoughts: Creepy little story. But ultimately so sad. An excellent representation of the book, if you've read it and are worried about that. Actually, seeing the movie made me kind of like the book more - it was easier to picture everyone, and the plot was closely matched enough that it wasn't troublesome. And also, you guys, I'm kind of in love with Andrew Garfield now. Lots of people were surprised that he didn't get an Oscar nomination for his performance in The Social Network, but now, I'm more surprised that he didn't get any recognition for this - he was heartbreaking. And he used his real accent, so that gives him a bonus point in my book ;-).

Title: Big Love: The Complete Fourth Season

Notable Actors: Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin

Why?: Because I watched the first three seasons, and I'm not about to break up with it now.

Thoughts: Wow...I was exceedingly annoyed with so, so much about this season. Ana. Margene and Ben (and I usually love Margene). JJ. And that stupid Senate plot. I'll keep watching, because I can't really call things bad until I see where the writers are going, but my expectations for the fifth and final season are not high. Oh, and the new opening sequence sucks. I miss The Beach Boys. (This all being said, the first three seasons are great; I'd highly recommend them.)

Title: The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for Late Night

Author: Bill Carter

Why?: Because TV fascinates me. And because I want to read Carter's book about the Conan/Leno battle, and this one had some valuable background information. And also, because I was twelve years old when this all went down and didn't have the internet to keep me informed.

Thoughts: I love TV gossip. Love. This whole Charlie Sheen thing is like crack to me, and not just the crazy, but also the whole feud and how it's affecting the show. And this is the same thing, minus a good bit of the crazy. The book was well-paced, with a ton of detail without seeming tedious. I can't wait to start the one about Conan. Despite the fact that there's a monstrous stack of books in my living room, waiting to be read, I went out and bought it yesterday and there is a very good chance that it's going to be my airplane book for this weekend :-).


Title: It's Kind Of A Funny Story

Notable Actors: Zach Galifianakis, Keir Gilchrist, Lauren Graham (who doesn't do that much but I love her so she's getting mentioned.)

Why?: Because I saw the trailer last year and wanted to see it, and it came out last week and I timed it correctly in returning a Netflix DVD so I got it right away.

Thoughts: I really liked this one - didn't love it, but liked it. It wasn't as quirky/indie as I thought it would based upon how animated the trailer was, but I'm OK with that. It was a nice story, if predictable, and all of the actors did a good job. I'd recommend it, as long as you're not expecting Galifinakis to act like he did in The Hangover
Title: Youth in Revolt

Notable Actors: Michael Cera, and also briefly Justin Long and Zach Galifianakis. I think my Netflix queue was on a Galifinakis kick.

Why?: Because a coworker recommended it.

Thoughts: This one pretty much comes down to your feelings for Michael Cera. If you like him, you will like this film. If you hate him, you will hate this film. If you're ambivalent, I think there's a decent chance you'll still like this one. It's not my favorite of his films, but I definitely watched the whole thing and enjoyed it. He did a nice job with role.