Recently I was perusing the shelves of B&N's bargain books and came across a book by Nigel Cawthorne, entitled, "Killers: The Most Barbaric Murderers of Our Times." For $7.95, I was introduced to the most notorious serial killers and mass murderers since the early 1900's. Please note, all of these horrible crimes were SOLVED.
There was no impending sense of doom as I laid in bed after finishing the book that Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy or Charles Manson was coming to slink into my room via my fire balcony and bludgeon me to death. The best thing about Cawthorne's book was that it profiled famous murderers in a easy-t0-read format and also intertwined some historical references, for good measure. I actually felt like I was getting a little bit of history too, which is a rarity with my books of choice.
I then returned the bargain book back to it's rightful home on the shelves in B&N, and purchased another book by Cawthorne: "Killers at Large." This book, too, delves into numerous murder cases and follows the trails of serial killers. The catch? These are all cases where the murderer was not caught, so the prospect existed that he or she or them(?!?) remained at large.
Strangely enough, the night I started reading the manual of unsolved murders, I slept fine. The book is 500 pages long, meaning there are a helluva of remaining mysteries, faulty evidence and crazy assed killers still at large.
You might think I am crazy, morbid or just plain stupid for reading True Crime novels. But I have to confess, I do read them for that rush it causes; the gut wrenching, twisting of your stomach which happens when you are scared or excited, and your adrenaline is pumping like crazy. Like when you are going up the hill on a roller coaster and anticipating the drop. That's how I feel when I read these books...can anyone relate to this?
Other than my new fascination with True Crime, I have a few classics sitting listlessly on my nightstand waiting to be picked up. "Women in Love," is one, along with Aldous Huxley's book, "After Many a Summer Dies the Swan." I confess that, in all honesty, recently I've been neglecting these more substantial books, favoring mass market paper favorites and a sleuth of vampire novels (Christopher Pike has a few vampire series out, #1 is called "Thirst"), most notably starting the series that True Blood is based on, by Charlaine Harris.
Today, when I was the movie theater watching Harry P. (which I really liked, despite the mixed reviews I received from friends), I ran into two girls discussing "The Time Traveler's Wife." Apparently, in the actual book, Eric Bana's character has a little reunion with his wife eighty years after his death, when she is an octogenarian herself. In the movie, Eric Bana's character attempts to release his wife from waiting for him, telling her to move on and live her life.
Either way, I find it hard to believe that Rachel McAdams would have a lifetime love for a man who kept disappearing at life defining moments, despite the beauty of Bana's butt and abs.
I originally thought I would stick to a theme, hence the beauty of a somewhat limiting Blog Entry Title. But I find I am already getting tangential. Oh well. Deal with it.
Okay, I am really going to digress and finish this posting with my current five favorite things:
1. Meyer Basil Scented Cleaning Wipes-smells like a salad=gotta love it (their baby lotion and surface cleaner smell amazing as well).
2. The little pot of solid scent I got from Sephora. The pot is shaped like a cute little anime girl's head. A bit disturbing, applying perfume from a head but sorta neat.
3. The amazing bird pendants and necklaces Lola brought me from her store called OLIPHANT in Madrid.
4. The Balsamic and Chicken Sandwich I am about to go get for dinner from Pret.
5. The prospect of possibility (and I am speaking in a strictly professional sense here).
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Promised Land of Blogdom
I have officially been unemployed for 26 days. Two unemployment payments and way too much downtime later, I decided, in partnership with Kitty, to start a blog. Not about living on a budget, how to cook a meal for under $10.00, or God forbid, one of those horrid animal-centric blogs with endless pictures of cats in various amusing or semi-humorous poses.
No. This blog is not intended for that kind of reader. Kitty and I are both highly opinionated, pop culture savvy individuals, and agreed we needed a medium to let our perspectives and creative minds run wild.
I am starting this blog with a short review of "The Time Traveler's Wife." Like most movies these days, it's based on a book. While I haven't honestly read the book, I am hoping it is immensely more coherent and structurally sound that the plot of this film.
First of all, who is their right mind would marry someone who drops off the face of the planet for prolonged periods of time, and without any warning at that? Rachel McAdams fit the part of the depressed, confused wife fairly well, though her entire role was flat. I actually liked the whiny, nasal voice of Amy Adam's character, Julie Powell (in "Julie & Julia) more, which says a lot.
I will admit, I did weep through the second half of the film, but the periods of present-day time and the past/future time travel scenes read like two difference films. The first, in which Eric Bana has a nuclear family life, with his wife, and the second, in which a startled man is transported to various locales, always arriving completely naked.
The only two things which I really retained from this movie are : a.) The atrocious coats (some were actually shearling lined!) McAdams wore throughout the film and b.) the prospect of getting some eye candy whenever Bana was about to time travel.
So, if you decide to see "The Time Traveler's Wife," bring a beer and prepared to less than thrilled. Alcohol did make the film less painful, though only by a small margin.
-M
No. This blog is not intended for that kind of reader. Kitty and I are both highly opinionated, pop culture savvy individuals, and agreed we needed a medium to let our perspectives and creative minds run wild.
I am starting this blog with a short review of "The Time Traveler's Wife." Like most movies these days, it's based on a book. While I haven't honestly read the book, I am hoping it is immensely more coherent and structurally sound that the plot of this film.
First of all, who is their right mind would marry someone who drops off the face of the planet for prolonged periods of time, and without any warning at that? Rachel McAdams fit the part of the depressed, confused wife fairly well, though her entire role was flat. I actually liked the whiny, nasal voice of Amy Adam's character, Julie Powell (in "Julie & Julia) more, which says a lot.
I will admit, I did weep through the second half of the film, but the periods of present-day time and the past/future time travel scenes read like two difference films. The first, in which Eric Bana has a nuclear family life, with his wife, and the second, in which a startled man is transported to various locales, always arriving completely naked.
The only two things which I really retained from this movie are : a.) The atrocious coats (some were actually shearling lined!) McAdams wore throughout the film and b.) the prospect of getting some eye candy whenever Bana was about to time travel.
Today, I am seeing Harry P. I have heard from 98% of people that the film drags on, lacking tension, chemistry between characters and even basic entertainment value. Why spend $12.50 on a ticket for the likelihood of two plus hours of boredom? Because it's ritualistic, seeing these films. Like Lord of the Rings, The Golden Compass, Star Wars and even the Narnia films, I have to see them. For the sake of saying I sat through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
So, if you decide to see "The Time Traveler's Wife," bring a beer and prepared to less than thrilled. Alcohol did make the film less painful, though only by a small margin.
-M
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