As a rule, I don’t do reviews on this blog. I figure that since negative reviews are a lot more entertaining to read and write, I’d probably just end up churning out churlish snark, which (a) isn’t really fair to the media creators, and (b) gets a little old for the readers. So really, I’m not being lazy by avoiding reviews. I’m doing everyone a favor. You’re all welcome!
I do, however, provide recommendations. If I play, read, see, or hear something cool, I’ll pass it along. (So my Shark post was actually a recommendation to go read some good REH Conan, not a review of the book. Honest.)
This week, I’d like to recommend the movie Super 8. It sets out to capture of the feel of a 1980s Spielberg movie, and does so beautifully. The kids are great protagonists on par with those from The Goonies, E.T., or Stand By Me. The alien gives the movie the same sense of creepy wonder you get from Poltergeist or Close Encounters. And the dialog was authentic, funny, and very well performed.
I would also like to recommend Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I’ve been hearing about this book (and its two sequels) for a while now, but finally got a chance to read it, via audiobook CD, while driving around the country with my wife. If you haven’t heard of it, the gist of the book is this: in the crappy future, kids are forced to fight to the death for the entertainment of their evil overlords. Our hero is one of those kids.
The book is smart. The author does a great job of seamlessly integrating just enough exposition to keep you going, while holding back enough to keep you curious. She also makes her characters smart. More than once, when the book provided a problem and my wife or I thought of a clever, not-so-obvious solution (like gamers often do), within a page, the characters had thought of it too. Like I said, smart.
How about you? See any good movies lately? Read any good books?
