Books and Flicks

Just a quick review of a couple movies and a book I finished this week.

For starters, if you like a good chic lit, try Plantation a Low Country Tale by Dorothea Benton Franks. This marks the second book I've read by her in the last couple of months and I must say I enjoyed this one even more than the first. It is a tale of an adult woman coming home, to learn that maybe she's not so different from her mother after all. It is a casual summer read, with richly developed characters and while the plot is predictable (as is always the case in chic lit), it doesn't seem too unbelievable (another flaw with chic lit). I picked up another book by this same author at the library. We'll see if she follows a formula to her writings. I noticed similarities in her first two books but not outright formula writing that makes me irritable. We shall see if she's capable of writing a third good book. Similar is OK, it is when the pattern of the story is almost identical that I get very annoyed. Yeah right, like I could do better?

As for movies, I"m trying to catch up on some chic flicks I rented through Blockbuster Home Delivery. First up was "How to lose a guy in 10 days". Cute premise and Kate Hudson is a good comedic actress. You can tell she's Goldie's Hawn's daughter: she can be goofy and beautiful at the same time. And well, 2 hrs with Matthew Mcconaughey...enough said! (While I don't like him as a celebrity tabloid feature, I do enjoy him on the screen playing the role of leading man. Outside of the screen, I think he's too handsome and he knows it! Again, yeah right who am to be such a critic? ).

Last night I watched an interesting independent film called Real Women have Curves. It stars America Ferrara (Ugly Betty before she became ugly). I rather enjoyed this movie. Keep in mind, it is in an independent film so it has that "artsy" feel to it but you can really appreciate the turmoil that this 17yr old girl is struggling with. If not for the one love scene, I'd highly recommend it be a mother-daughter movie to watch with teenage girls. The scene itself was tastefully done (more of an implied, hey we know what is happening than actually filming a love scene) but it is still a young woman having sex. I think it would just be awkward watching that scene with a parent. Overall I like the film's ability to show a Hispanic family at a cultural crossroads: while comfortable in your own culture, the need to move forward in both education and exposure to the great community that exists out there.

Now I really must work on getting ready for company (fresh coffee and butter braid at 10am, drop on over if you want) and think about getting stuff ready for vacation next week. Oh but blogging is so much more pleasurable than folding laundry, sweeping the floor, making bed, unloading the dishwasher. sheesh...I need to get my hiney off of this office chair!