Some music, literature, and film reviews.

Since i'm lazy, i'll only give a paragraph description and a rating.

.:.music.:.

She & Him - Volume Two: A-
Yeah, it's basically a continuation of Volume One, which means if you loved volume one, you'll love this. And if you hated it, you'll hate this. I happen to be in the former group than the latter, so I love it...especially Thieves, Home, and Over it Over Again.

Seabear - We Built a Fire: B+
This is a much different record than their debut. The vocals are more "distant" (I don't know if that is the right word for it) and is a little less cheerful. Nevertheless, it's another great album for this unknown band. And since one of their songs was recently featured in Grey's Anatomy, I hope they get more exposure, because they are excellent.

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds: A
When the Beatles' album "Rubber Soul," came out, it inspired Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys to make a really great collection of songs. Boy, do I thank the Beatles for making Rubber Soul. Pet Sounds is that collection that Brian Wilson dreamed of.

.:.books.:.

Julio Cortazar - Cronopios and Famas: A+
Don't expect anything normal when you read Julio Cortazar. Especially when you read this...uh, novel? Short story collection? No, it's neither. It's a stream-of-consciousness collection of satiric vignettes. And it is brilliant. Within the span of 160 pages, Cortazar gives you instructions on how to cry correctly, talks about an aunt who has a fear of falling on her back, and rips on the police force. If all of that sounds too outlandish or boring or too liberal for you, it probably is, and you shouldn't even go near it.

Stephen King - On writing: A+ (writing portion); D (the rest of the book)
I have never liked Stephen King's writing, and most of this book is no exception. However, the "on writing" portion (which, thankfully, takes up about 1/3 of the book) is flawless. The rest of it is just him talking about him surviving a life-threatening accident, and it gets extremely tedious after a while.

Nicholas Sparks - The Last Song: B
I'm the only guy who reads Nicholas Sparks and isn't embarrassed to admit it (and enjoys all of it immensely!) This guy's writing style is horrible and all of his stories are a bunch of fluff designed to jerk tears out of you, this one being no exception. Why do I keep reading his work? Because i enjoy it. It's escapism, and everybody needs an escape once in a while.

.:.movies.:.

The Princess and the Frog: C+
This movie is clever. Clever in the way that it blends the culture of New Orleans and a fairytale together. However, clever is it all it really is. Besides the food recipes and jazz-influenced music (which will go over the heads of most young'uns), this movie becomes a parody of itself very quickly. It did make me smile at times, though.

Where the Wild Things Are: A
I loved this movie. Anybody who has ever felt genuine loneliness, jealousy, or fear as a child, or has experienced his/her parents being divorced, or has even never really grown up will cry oceans at this film. I have kind of gone through all of the above, so...yeah, I'm a baby. (Did I mention the soundtrack is fantastic?)

Say Anything: A+
This 1989 classic stars John Cusack, who has never starred in a bad movie in his life. The reason I love this movie is because, even though it is a teen/chick flick, there isn't loads of mindless sex (though there is one love scene), it has a story anybody can relate to: boy falls for girl, girl's dad disapproves, and it's incredibly sweet, but not syrupy.

Now i'll go back to writing my stories and poems..