We’ve watched a lot of movies this break. I’ve also been doing a lot of reading, and will write another post on my book reviews later. Here’s my quick breakdown on the movies I’ve watched:

American Hustle. Absolute “must see” for 2013 films. I love this movie. Acting is phenomenal, as are the God-awful 70s hairstyles, costumes, and sets. Amy Adams and a nearly unrecognizable Christian Bale have tremendous chemistry, and you won’t be able to look away from Jennifer Lawrence as a blond bombshell-train wreck you can’t stop watching. Props to Bradley Cooper also, with his tightly-permed hairdo and fierce desire for easy takings. You know, the hair alone in this movie is worth watching! But really, see it for the great storytelling (based on truths) and Jeremy Renner as the mayor you wish we all had. And the soundtrack – just WOW!

The Last of the Mohicans. Yes, I’m sadly behind the times by about 20-something years. Loved this movie. I watched it because I saw Daniel Day Lewis (herein referred to as: DDL) in another movie I’ll discuss next. Gorgeous scenery, compelling and swift-moving storyline, and violence coming out the yin yang. The soundtrack is gorgeous. Like I said, loved it. 

There will be Blood. I’m still catching up on movies from way back when. My son William convinced me that I had to watch this film, and he was absolutely right. I adore this movie because it talks about the oil boom in California and mentions and shows all sorts of places I know about. DDL is simply phenomenal as he shows you how the greed in men can change them over time and circumstances. You know he’s got a tender side there, what with how he cares for H.W. and all, but when his evil side comes out - beware! He WILL come and slit your throat in the night. And drink your milkshake! Don’t miss this masterpiece. I’m a confirmed DDL fan now because of this. Going to watch everything he’s done, and I’ll probably watch this one again sometime. The soundtrack is bizarre and jarring at times, and it works. Just an excellent film all the way around!

Candy. Wow…total downer, but beautifully filmed. Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish are beautiful young 20-something Aussies who spend hours each day trying to score heroin and then shooting up. Like for 10 years. She does degrading tricks on the side to make money for their nasty habit; he works minor money scams. What is their relationship really based on, aside from getting blasted as frequently as possible? Watch this movie and see. I decided to read the book since I’d seen the movie and found the book to be even more detailed and depressing. When you get to the part where the main character can’t find any more veins to use, well you know he’s about to hit bottom. Only with this couple, they hit bottom over and over before they really hit bottom. Disturbing movie, but compelling acting. And Heath - still love him and hate that the world lost him so soon.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. Hmmmmm. What a strange little movie. Heath died while it was being filmed, so director Terry Gilliam (remember him, of Monty Python fame, and for Time Bandits and 12 Monkeys as well as many other awesome movies?) had to do a bit of finagling with extra actors to make the storyline work without the lead actor. This is a freaky, odd little movie that I wound up liking a lot after I just gave up trying to initially make sense of it. Then it all fell into place. My daughter Casey talked me into watching it and I’m glad she did, because I was resistant at first. The visual scope of it is so clever and amazing - like being in a candy store for the eyes, or perhaps being drunk at a small-town carnival. If you saw the cover, you’d think this was a movie for kids, but it isn’t – it has adult themes and scenarios.

Shame. Oh.My.God. This is a very sad movie about a man who is a sexual addict (played fantastically by Michael Fassbender) who spends his days looking for any type of action via women he meets, prostitutes, pornography, and voyeurism. His sister, another damaged soul beautifully played by Carey Mulligan, comes to stay with him and upsets his hourly sex-seeking habits. I’m not exaggerating when I say “hourly” because this guy can’t get through a morning without resorting to self-pleasuring episodes in the men’s room at work. I compared this movie in my brain with Candy (above) because the main characters’ lives totally revolve around satisfying their various addictions. This film is eye-opening and gritty, and doesn’t guarantee a happy ending (no pun intended) but is worth watching, in my opinion, to learn more about the ways addictions impact people’s lives. 

I get on a kick, much like I do with reading various authors, by watching actors across their film careers. Michael Fassbender makes a creepy, calculating appearance as the android David in Prometheus. I’d seen this move while I was working on my doctorate, and it didn’t all sink in. So I needed to see it again to try to understand the beginning scene, and to figure out what it all meant. I enjoyed this movie a lot, because I like the whole Alien franchise. It was good, spooky entertainment and sort of fills in the back-story of what happens years later when Ripley lands on the planet with her crew. 

I need to go back and watch Inglourius Basterds to see Fassbender in it, because when I first watched it I was focused on Brad Pitt’s performance, and especially Christoph Waltz as the despicable Jew hunter Hans Landa.

Next Up:

Marley & Me (I lost my doggie Rusty five months ago and think I’m finally ready to watch this)

The Descendants

Leap Year

By the way – I got all of these movies at the public library, with the exception of American Hustle, which I saw in the theatre.

This will be a quick book review, and I'm throwing it out there for those of you who enjoy creepy, stalkerish thrillers. Jennifer Hillier's Creep is an engaging, mostly fast-paced horror story about all the things that can go wrong when professors who know better choose to sleep with their young teaching assistants. Especially when the professor is the brilliant, beautiful and seemingly confident 39-year-old Dr. Sheila Tao, an expert in extreme personality disorders, who realizes that she must end her relationship with Ethan (the 23-year-old psych student she secretly hooks up with on a regular basis) because of her upcoming nuptials. 

Ethan's a sociopath, a fact made clear within the first chapter, so I'm not giving anything away. Before you delve very far into this novel, you will discover that both of the main characters have buried nasty little secrets that will threaten to expose their true, innermost selves to all of their significant others. Suffice to say that Ethan isn't about to let go of Sheila once he's enjoyed her kinky favors; his sociopathic tendencies come about full force as he plots various ways to ruin Sheila's teaching career, and her life. This book is too sexually graphic for a high school library collection, but would likely be enjoyed by readers who are comfortable reading about mature themes and behaviors. 

My only complaint about Creep is that some parts strain credulity. Without giving too much away, events leading up the ending seem to fall into place too easily and appear to be more than the coincidental puzzle pieces being logically snapped into place. The final ending should be left as is, yet the author has penned a sequel that appears to be part of a planned, ongoing series. I'd label this book as highly entertaining, forgettable fun. Much like a bowl of chocolate ice cream, you'll enjoy feasting on it, but then your brain will move onto other thoughts as you make your way to the kitchen sink!

Margo Lanagan's Tender Morsels is a dark, fantastical tale that because of extremely intense subject matter will likely be left out of some school libraries. This is a shame, because the writing is lyrical and engaging, with clever phrasing and just the right use of descriptives to paint incredible pictures of events occurring in the characters' lives. This book reminded me very much of Orson Scott Card's Enchanted, and yet at the same time it deals with devastating, mature themes beyond that of Card's unique and entertaining storytelling. This book might be more akin to Robin McKinley's Deerskin, another disturbing, complex novel that deals with very dark themes.

I came across Tender Morsels when a colleague asked me if I'd read it. As he described his wariness about placing it in his school library collection, I felt compelled to do a bit of research on this Printz award-winning (2009) novel, even while I admit that his initial description made me also immediately question whether themes in this book might be too strong for young adult readers. As stewards to student readers aged 14 through 19, school librarians must consider the overall community culture, as well as cognitive and emotional levels of student development.

As I began to research this novel, however, I discovered glowing reports. Over and over again, I found references to the incredible writing style, the storytelling finesse, with some writers even calling this the young adult "book of the year" when it was published. I'm glad I took the time to read this book, even though the description below will probably put most people off on actually reading it. 

Liga is fifteen or so, and lives alone with her father in a tiny cottage on the edge of a town, and is essentially her father's slave both in terms of housekeeping and fulfilling his sexual needs. Her mother died years ago, and Liga knows that what her father does to her is wrong, but feels powerless to stop his nightly abuses. When the novel opens, the reader gradually comes to realize that her father has given her a type of tea brewed by the village charlatan, and that when Liga becomes very ill it is because the concoction has caused her to miscarry the child inside of her. Liga is so innocent and unsophisticated that similar events occur again before she makes the connection between her father's actions and her gradually swelling stomach. 

Told as a readable, beautifully written fairytale detailing both immense cruelties and incredible joys, the story follows Liga's trials over time as she gives birth to two illegitimate daughters (one the result of her father's rape, and the other from a gang rape), and within one horrible day and night her descent into a surreal yet comforting madness that provides her mind with the only safe place to hide from the ugliness surrounding her. As the two girls grow and flourish, they chafe at their strange lifestyle that includes a perfectly kept cottage, plenty of wholesome food, and infrequent visits to the nearby village where the townspeople almost seem to look right through them. 

There are many more details and characters in this book, but you need to read it for yourself. I love how Lanagan deftly blends magical happenings with the realities impacting the characters, and her use of animals and their intersections with human lives. Tender Morsels will remind you that there is indeed good in the world, and that the tenuous, delicate strengths of the human spirit may become the strongest bonds that sustain us all. The dreamy language raises the reader up above the harsh and ugly events in Liga's world, and I fully understand now the initial reviewers' claims I uncovered. This book won't be everyone's cup of tea, and for that reason I predict it will, over time, develop a cult following among young people who might just need a read like this to help them make sense of their own lives.

Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races left me wishing that I could learn even more about the compelling main characters and continue to follow their lives, and that I could visit the charming, remote fantastical island of Thisby (which seems to be located somewhere between Ireland and Scotland's coast), where the story is situated. If you like horses, magical happenings, windswept coastlines, and small island life then you will enjoy this novel. Set in a time where the first models of automobiles exist, but technology has not yet exploded, this story merges magical horse legends from several cultures into one powerful tale that will keep you engaged until the end.

Puck is a fiesty teenage heroine, living with her two brothers (Gabe and Finn) in extreme poverty, the result of the loss of both parents earlier in the children's lives. They barely manage a living, and Puck is devastated when her older brother Gabe decides he's had enough of scraping out a tough island existence, and tells his younger siblings he's moving to the mainland. At the same time, Puck learns that she must come up with a good-sized chunk of money in order to repay lapsed payments on the mortgage for their simple cottage. She decides to enter a local, annual race - The Scorpio Races - in order to win the large purse that will help solve her problems. She knows her brothers will protest for a variety of reasons, chief among them the fact that her own parents were killed as a result of the capall uisce, the wild, magical water horses who rise up from the sea each autumn to hunt for anything living and breathing, and the very creatures that cause mayhem and death across the island.

The only problem is that there has never been a female rider in the races; Puck lives on an island that is decidedly behind the times.Sean Kendrick is older, brooding, and the best horseman on the island. An orphan, he works at the only stables on the island, and is frequently tormented by the rich owner's spiteful, violent son. As it turns out, Sean is also the one person on the island who knows how to ride the race in ways that keep the water horses from unleashing their killing frenzy. He also wants to win first place so he can take the prize money and purchase the most beloved item in his miserable existence - the tamed water horse Corr, the stately, huge beast that Sean has spent years breaking and learning how to love.

Puck needs to win the race. Sean wants to win the race. Reluctantly, he begins showing her how to handle her gentle mare Dove around the mythical sea horses, while also reminding her that he plans to cross the line first.

This novel has many layers and subtleties. The writing is exquisite. While reading this book, I was ready to book a flight to the mainland and take a ferry to Thisby so I could smell the salt air, walk along the rugged cliffs, and dip my toes in the chilly waters where the water horses hunt. The tale is spooky, ethereal, and fulfilling. I'd recommend this for older teens and adults. There are complex problems and events occurring, and the love story that unfolds is neither blatant nor rushed, which makes the story all the sweeter.

Stephen King's Joyland is a blast from the past and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I believe part of my enchantment with this short (for King) novel has to do with my past life as a teenager living in Panama City Beach. I spent summers with my friends Magi, Carol, Chris, and Donna, visiting the Miracle Strip Amusement Park - a small, provincial theme park that was not unlike the Joyland park so lovingly described in King's thriller. You've probably been to this type of park...it could never compete with the commercialized and sanitized Disney and Universal theme parks; yet on a visceral level, a park like Joyland has the ability to transport you into a complex fantasy experience, complete with gypsy fortune tellers and an ultra-creepy horror house run by grizzled carnies.

The main character, Dev, is a hard-working, New England college kid who takes a summer job working at a run-down, rapidly fading amusement park in North Carolina. He's bummed out from a love affair that never really took off, and ready to get away and make some money for the upcoming school year. The story, set in 1973, totally resonated with me as a memory piece for the time frame, and also contains great storytelling and insight into the human condition. Take yourself on a spooky ride and visit Joyland yourself. Along the way you might find some chills when you realize that all is not as it seems, and that what is hidden will become revealed, whether or not you desire that outcome. 

I dread the day Stephen King no longer creates new works, but take comfort in knowing that I can re-read his books many times and still find new ideas and insights. He is a master storyteller!

Today I gave a presentation at the ALTEC Mobile Learning in the Classroom conference at KU. I learned how to make a Symbaloo, among other things, and decided to share it here. This is all of the information that was in my PowerPoint presentation, but it looks SO much better than PowerPoint! Making my first Symbaloo took me about 45 minutes, and I had a lot of apps and sites to share. I hope you like the clean, graphical appearance - this is what drove me to what to use this program. Best of all, it is free! Click on the graphic below to open up the entire Symbaloo.

This is my Powerpoint presentation for a talk I'm giving next week at the University of Kansas. The presentation was designed for teachers, but many of you readers will find something useful here for your own life. The TED talk movie referenced in the beginning of the presentation is located here:
http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_suarez_a_12_year_old_app_developer.html.

Here's a listing of all apps/sites with corresponding URLs, descriptions, pricing (if any), and available mobile platforms. For easier reading or downloading, visit: http://www.scribd.com/doc/156397567/20-Apps-and-Sites-Detail-in-PDF.

20+ Apps and Sites_Detail in PDF

Two Books; Two Films

I just finished reading Veronica Roth's Insurgent, the second book in her trilogy. You've probably heard a lot of buzz around the first book, Divergent, because it is currently being filmed. I enjoyed the first book a lot, even though I've just about had my share of dystopian novels. This series is different, because it is really intelligent. The second novel may actually be stronger than the first, which is not typical of many trilogies in general. The female character is tough, yet allows herself to be be vulnerable. The relationship she forms with fellow Dauntless faction member Four (Tobias) is not your typical gooey teen romance, thank God!

I'm also reading Wither (by Laura DeStafano) and while the premise is interesting (females in this futuristic world don't live past the age of 20, and are therefore forced into "marriages" with the goal of producing more children while a cure is being found, thereby ensuring the continuance of a dying population), the writing is sophomoric. This doesn't mean it isn't an entertaining novel; my opinion is that Roth's books are more intelligent and multilayered. Part of my bias may lie in the fact that I'm listening to Wither on my iPod and the narrator is somewhat annoying. Don't get me wrong - people seem to LOVE this series, but I'm on the fence and unsure whether or not I'll read books 2 & 3. Someone on GoodReads called it "The Handmaid's Tale" for kids - Ha! Ha!

Two films we enjoyed the past week:

1. Primer (2004). Wow. I'll watch just about anything that involves time travel. This movie isn't afraid to use a lot of engineering jargon without bothering to simplify anything for the audience. Four (later two) techno geeks spend hours each week trying to come up with a sure-fire moneymaker that will lift them out of their dead end engineering jobs, and eventually wind up inventing a sort of time machine that allows them to visit the immediate (24 hours) past. They figure out how to work the stock market based on this extra wedge of time, but other problems ensue. Totally confusing and yet compelling. I can't wait to watch director Shane Carruth's 2013 Upstream Color, which got tremendous reviews, and seems to be just as strange. You have to be patient to get into the groove of Primer, but I think it is worth it. I found this on Netflix. Sci fi.

2. Sweet Land (2005). Inge is a German mail-order bride who shows up in 1920s Minnesota, ready to marry the man she's been corresponding with. Only problem is that the people in this new tiny town filled with transplanted Norwegians are still skittish towards Germans because of the recent war. Her new husband-to-be is about the most awkward suitor one could imagine - cringe worthy at times. The cinematography is stunning, and the story is compelling. and both sad and heartwarming. I found myself thinking about it several times after I'd viewed it. Stars Elizabeth Reaser (she plays Esme in the wretched Twilight movies, as well as a bunch of TV work) and Tim Guinee, who does an exemplary job with his performance as Olaf. Suitable for viewing by all ages, but probably appreciated more by those who have earned a few rings in their inner tree. Historical drama/romance. I checked this out from the public library.

Last night I took my adult children to go see "This is the End," the movie about how some very famous actors deal with the end of the world, also known as the Rapture. It was laugh-out-loud funny, irreverent, and better than I'd anticipated. I'm sure it will offend a lot of the population, but we loved it. I will never think about Jonah Hill in quite the same way...