Penelope

4.5 stars out of 5

Sheralie had a rare request to watch this movie. So we did. I had pretty low expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. The story is about a girl who has a curse which causes her face to look like a pig (really just the nose). The only way the curse can be broken is for one of her own kind (a rich person) to fall in love with her. It is kind of a whimsical fairy tale. I enjoyed it. I recommend it.

Terminator Salvation

3 stars out of 5

I was enticed to see the new Terminator movie by the awesome theater we found. The theater has only 30 seats. They are all recliner-style seats with a table in between each group of two chairs. All seats are assigned so there is no need to come early. Each seat comes with popcorn and a drink. And the price? A whopping $7!

It was pretty awesome. The movie itself is so-so. Lots of things blow up and there is quite a bit of violence. This theme of man vs. machine theme is getting a little overdone in my opinion (Matrix, Terminator, Battlestar Gallactica, etc.). Christian Bale is okay, but he is much better as Batman. I wouldn't recommend the movie unless you are a big fan.

Halfway to Heaven

3 stars out of 5

Halfway to Heaven: the title tells it all: one journalist gets it into his head to climb all the peaks in Colorado that are above 14,000 feet. It's a good goal and he has many adventures on the way. People he hikes with, adventures on the mountain, stories about the different mountains.

It's a fine book, but in the end you kind of wonder why you are reading it. It feels like you are reading a climber's blog. I can see being interested in this book if you lived in Colorado and enjoyed hiking or were just older and interested in hiking generally, but generally I found myself kind of bored. There were a few good tidbits here and there, but it is not really a story as much as many short stories, all about one subject.

The Black Swan

5 stars out of 5

I couldn't put this book down it was so interesting. I got it a long time ago, but hadn't started it since I have a million books on my shelves that I haven't read (I have even more in storage). Someone mentioned it one day, and I read the introduction and went from there.

The author's thesis is that the world is not as predictable as it seems. You may shrug and say "Yeah, so, I know the world is unpredictable" but then look around and see how many people are running around doing the following things:

a. trying to predict what will happen in the future - what the deficit will look like, how much oil will be around, how much global warming is going to effect the earth, etc.

b. trying to attribute causes to observed events - journalists, historians, economists, politicians, etc. are all very guilty of this. Politicians especially. Geez, if I had a dime for every time a politician claimed credit for fixing the economy. But of course they never take the blame when the economy tanks.

c. Read "how-to-get-rich" books that chronicle the lives of successful people as if we could figure out the "cause" of their wealth.

Luck and chance have more to do with life than we give them credit for, and we wind up wasting a lot of time trying to figure out what "caused" this and what "caused" that.

The ego of the author is pretty large and it sometimes distracts from the book, but overall it was a fascinating read with a lot to say for it. I skipped some of the technical parts, but overall a tremendous book.

Battlestar Galactica

4.5 stars out of 5

Recently the series of Battlestar Galactica concluded, after 4 years. It was a good run. I believe I have commented on the series previously, but I thought I would do so in conclusion.

For those not familiar with the story line, humans on distant worlds create artificial intelligence, which eventually rebels (like the Matrix), calls a truce, then comes back 40 years later with improved technology - so much so that the robots (called the Cylons) now look exactly like humans. They obliterate most of mankind, but several space ships full of people survive and band together to try to fight and/or eke out an existence. Their ultimate goal is to find "Earth" which is reported to be home planet of one of their lost tribes.

It's a great story on many levels. There is the conflict between wanting to maintain a democracy and needing to get things done and make command decisions. Race relations are explored as people try to figure out how to treat Cylons (which are essentially human). Religion is examined as people struggle with their beliefs when everything is crumbling around them.

The series reinvented itself every year, which major plot twists that turned the show on its head. It was very fun to watch and had great subplots and themes.

It would get five stars but I can't quite recommend it to everybody. It is pretty gritty - as in, there is quite a lot of language, violence and sexual innuendo. I wonder if they could have made the story without it or whether it was integral to the plot. I don't know, but the story was pretty good, but definitely not for all viewers.

John Adams Mini-Series

4 stars out of 5

A Christmas gift from my parents on recommendation from my sister. I enjoy history a lot, and this series was a great gift for me in that sense. The 7-part series (most episodes are one hour) is about the interesting life of John Adams. The first few episodes focus on the Revolution, the middle episodes on his life as a diplomat, and the final episodes on his being VP, President and retiring.

It's quite a life and it is examined in all its humanity. Meaning to say, they present John Adams, warts and all, to be observed. Sometimes I prefer to have revered historical figures glossed over, as I like to remember the good parts, not the ugly parts. But in the sense that we are all human and all capable of doing great things, it is good to remind us that even great Presidents had their faults.

John Adams was a key man in the Revolution. His oratory and push for independence was instrumental in getting the movement going. After (and during) the revolution, his work as a diplomat seemed less successful, and his vice-presidency and presidency even less so.

The series itself is very well known, with a lot of attention to detail (too much?). The story is not quite as interesting after the first few episodes, especially given how obnoxious John Adams is portrayed, but we made it to the end and enjoyed the ride. Thanks Mom and Dad for the gift.

Australia

4 stars out of 5

Sheralie pushed me to get this movie from Netflix and I did, because she so rarely ever requests a movie. I wasn't all that enthusiastic about watching it, but it was Baz Luhrman, who has directed some pretty decent shows, and it was about Australia, which is a pretty decent country/continent. The interesting part of this movie is that it is really two movies. The first 60% of the movie is about a cattle drive. Nicole Kidman takes over her husband's cattle ranch and in the end has to help Hugh Jackman drive the cattle to the port. It is pretty decent, though nothing to write home about.

The first part resolves itself and it appears they will live happyily ever after. But wait - there is still another hour of the movie. Turmoil engulfs Nicole Kidman and her "family" and WW2 breaks out. I thought this part was more intersting, more dramatic and a better story. Definitely brought it from a "3 star" to a "4 star". Definitely a chick flick, but worth watching.