The Edge of Love (1/30/11)

 

Another twisted strange movie.  It feels like I've been watching quite a few of those recently.  I watched this while Richard was off at hockey.  It was interesting and twisted.  The main characters seem to struggle with multiple personalities or something of the sort.  I think I liked the girls and the guy that went off to fight with the army, but the poet was lost with me.  I guess most movies have someone that you don't like, but he was such an important part of the story and not in a villainous way that it was hard for me to watch.  Certainly not one of my favorites by any means.  But I watched it so here it is.

Time Bandits (1/22/11)

 

This is one of those classics that is amusing for what it is.  It was actually me who put this in the queue to watch and it was me who decided to watch it.  Normally the movies I watch are because of Richard (and this seems like a very Richard thing to watch).  Recently I've become quite fascinated with steampunk and this is one of the movies that can sometimes fall into the steampunk category.  So I watched it, the clothes aren't so much steampunk but I can see the ideas being that way.  It's a good little movie, certainly doesn't compare to more modern movies, but it's good for what it is and when it was made.

National Geographic: Inside North Korea (1/19/11)

 

This documentary was very informative, and very sad.  I can't imagine being brain washed and enslaved the way the people in North Korea are.  The stories from people that have managed to get out of the country are just heart breaking.  And to think that their families will be punished for them escaping by being put in a work camp and not properly fed is just so sad.  Not to mention the kids being so malnourished that they are very noticeably smaller then the kids from South Korea of the same age.  It is just sad that a ruler could want that much power to more or less enslave the masses.  I can't even begin to fathom living the life there.  We are very spoiled here in America, I often forget what the rest of the world is going through.  I'm glad Richard puts on documentaries to remind me of how this are in other places.

Unashamed: Rahab (The Lineage of Grace Series #2) by Francine Rivers

 

Another book club book.  I think this one is my favorite in the Lineage of Grace series so far.  Once again I notice my lack of bible knowledge feels really noticeable.  I was planning on reading the whole bible this year but I've fallen very far behind on my readings.  I guess I better get to work on that one.

The story of Rahab is one of great faith.  I think at times growing up I had similar feelings as Rahab, even though everyone around me wasn't necessarily feeling the pull to God.  I knew I needed him, even at a young age before I was really able to go to church on my own.  The book adds in details about the spies that we will never know for sure and it adds in more details about Rahab's future husband.  But it was a good story, once again Rivers does a great job of bringing a bible story to life and making it more real for me.

Rescue Dawn (1/17/11)

The acting and story were both amazing.  The things that they had to go through and do were quite inspirational. Yet another movie that Richard got and I ended up watching and enjoying. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I heard about this book from a friend, she reads a lot and recommended it so I figured why not.  I really had no clue what I was getting myself into.  That being said it is a beautifully written book, it is narrated by death and goes through the life of a young girl in Nazi Germany. 

It's hard to see the life of the citizens as they go through dealing with the way life was in Nazi Germany at the time.  Watching the kids and the brain washing that a lot of them went through, the lack of food because of government run programs, the way people were punished for doing anything for anyone that wasn't part of the supreme race.  Through the book you learn to love the characters, you bond with them, and you are devastated about everything they had to go through.

Great book, certainly worth reading!  What a great way to start out my New Year reading.

The Fountain (1/10/11)

This movie was just bizarre.  It follows what seems to be three different story lines that flow together between each other.  I'm guessing if I had been paying full attention I might have understood a little more of what was going on.  But it didn't really feel like it deserved my attention.  Very very strange movie.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (1/3/11)

It has been a very long time since Richard and I went to the movie theater, abd we have quite a few movie passes we've been holding onto for some strange reason.  So we decided to go see a movie, we didn't really care which one, neither of us really had any clue what was out in the theaters.  We decided to go see the latest Harry Potter, I'm a fan and Richard likes to make me happy.

The movie was great, I loved it and I really can't wait to see the other half of this movie!  They have done such an amazing job of making these movies true to the books.  As Richard pointed out, the beginning of the movie was slow, as was the book if you have read them.  Having not read the books it was really hard for him to get into that part, once things started happening he liked the story and he really hasn't followed the series so he was able to watch it without the whole backstory.  Great movie, I'll watch it again and I'll be happy to own it when it comes out!