Book Review: Bossypants

 

By Tina Fey

To fulfill the humor portion of my 2012 reading challenge, I picked up Tina Fey's Bossypants. A collection of stories about growing up and growing into her role as boss and the many awkward stages along the way.

I love Tina Fey, and I expected to laugh out loud, cry and possibly pee my pants while reading this. But I didn't. It was still a really good book, though. Tina has a knack for writing and making herself relatable.

Tina comes off as very human in this book. She bounces from awkward and nervous to empowered in a natural, realistic way. I really hope this is the first of many books from her.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I highly recommend it to others to read.

September Premier Reviews: Part II

see part I of my reviews here

 

From laugh-out-loud comedies to edge-of-the-seat dramas, the second part of the fall premiers didn't disappoint.

 

Modern Family

 

As always, funny and refreshing. I don't love all of the story lines, but the characters are still sympathetic and lovable.

 

The Big Bang Theory

 

The premier was funny, but I'm a little bored with the Penny/Leonard back and forth relationship. I really want the writers to decide what storyline to use and go with it.

The Good Wife

 

I'm not sure this show will ever disappoint. I love the strong female characters (Julianna Margulies as Alicia, Christine Beranski as Diane and Archie Panjabi as Kalinda) they are all flawed and unsure about their romantic lives, but the camera doesn't focus too heavily on those aspects like other shows would. Rather, we see their strengths, their convictions, and their ability to deal with their flaws in a real way.

Revenge

Such a good soap opera. I'm proud to say I'm a fan of this show. They laid a lot of their cards on the table for the premier, but I feel like there's more in store for us. This show is very well organized. The writers are so far doing a good job of keeping the storyline flowing smoothly.

666 Park Avenue

 

 

I watched the premier of this show, but I'm not sure if I'll continue to watch. I really don't think it's good for my blood pressure. The show hasn't been very scary, but the suspense has been a bit too much for me. 

September Premier Reviews: Part I

With the turning of the month I wanted to share my thoughts on the fall premiers I've seen so far. I'll share Part II next week.

Glee

As I mentioned here, I wasn't impressed with the premier of Glee. The subsequent episodes have been better. I'm interested to see which direction they go.

Saturday Night Live

 

As much as I like host Seth MacFarlane this wasn't a strong premier. With the loss of some key cast members, this will be an interesting season.

Revolution

 

The story and setting are interesting. The writing and acting are not interesting or good. I'm still watching, though.

The Office

 

This was a good premier. Seeing Roy again was interesting, but the continuing story of Pam and Jim knowing everything about each other was cheesy. I don't like the new customer service guys. In the last season, I just want resolution for the existing characters.

Parks and Recreation

 

Loved this political-star studded premier.

New Girl

 

The premier was delightful and cute, just like it should be.

The Mindy Project

 

The premier didn't quite hit the right notes. It was funny and interesting, though, so I continued to watch it. By the second episode it seemed to have hit its stride.

See Part II of this post here.

Fall Shows on Fox

Somehow I missed adding Fox shows to my fall lineup. Oops!

I'm only looking forward to three shows: Glee (Thursdays at 8:00), New Girl (Tuesdays at 7:00) and The Mindy Project (Tuesdays at 8:30).

I've watched the first two episodes of Glee, and I'm not terribly impressed by the story line and dialogue. I know it's odd to criticize a show for teenagers, but it's definitely been better in the past. Now it seems tired and trite. If it doesn't get better, I'll remove it from the DVR.

New Girl is so cute and funny. I love Zoe, and I also love Mindy Kaling, so I have high hopes for her.

To see my reviews of fall shows, click here and here.

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

Directed by: Gary Ross

 

Since having Claire, Nick and I have found it more difficult to watch movies in which children are possessed or harmed. So, before watching The Hunger Games I asked Nick if he knew what it was about.

 

"Yeah," he said. "It's Death Race for hungry kids."

 

OK. He was ready to watch it.

 

Or, maybe not. It's one thing to know what happens, but knowledge didn't prevent us from being upset by what we saw. I suppose that's true of many things. During pivotal moments, I found myself holding back tears. On film the events I read about in the book seemed all too real.
 

Gritty, Appalachian District 12

At the beginning the shaky camera, while giving a realistic, gritty feel, caused a mild amount of nausea. By the time I had adjusted, the camera had steadied, and I was pulled into the characters' storylines.
 

Elizabeth Banks' Effie Trinkett dressed in garb typical of the
Capitol with Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss dressed as a district 12 native.

The costumes, done by Judianna Makovsky, were a highlight of the movie. The citizens of the Capitol looked amazing in their over-the-top colorful garb. The grittiness of District 12 was emphasized by a wardrobe reminscent of the dirty '30s and '40s. The contrast between the two groups really highlighted not only the differences between them, but also emphasized the Capitol's lack of concern and interest for the well being of the people of District 12, Panem's poorest district.

 

Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman

In my review of the book, I wrote that Collins often told rather than showed some of the thoughts and actions. I found the movie better in that respect. The addition of Stanley Tucci's character as an announcer during the games fixed that. Instead of Katniss's narration, we're treated to Tucci's colorful commentary.

 

Casting was well done with known actors such as Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci with new and less well known actors such as Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

 

Both Nick and I are looking forward to the second movie. According to IMDB, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be released in November of 2013. That gives me over a year to read and review the book before catching the movie in about December or later, because, let's face it, I'm not waiting in a long line with teeny boppers for this movie no matter how good it is.

 

Have you watched The Hunger Games? What did you think?



Did Rihanna Deserve It?

Yes, I'm going there.

Since the Grammy awards aired February 12th, there has been a lot of speculation about Rihanna getting back together with Chris Brown. Some have questioned her motives and her self esteem, but others have been downright nasty. Apparently, Rihanna deserved it because she sings about violence and S&M. And, as we all know, liking it rough in the bedroom means you deserve to be repeatedly punched in the face for any infraction outside the bedroom.

Here's where I stand: Even if Rihanna likes it rough, even if she hit Chris first, there was no reason for him to beat the shit out of her. There's never a reason for the one-sided beating Rihanna received. Does Rihanna owe Chris anything? No, in fact, he hasn't received and probably never will receive the punishment he deserved in the first place.

And the answer to this posts title is a resounding "NO."