DVD: THE DESCENT (2005)

I’ve never been one who enjoys horror films. I don’t like gore. I get scared easily, and basically I’m a wuss. But I have noticed that the scary movies that I can handle often include zombies or are psychological thrillers. I like being scared sometimes, but I don’t like watching movies where I could potentially be in the situation, realized or not.

So when I kept hearing about how The Descent was a good scary movie and had to do with exploring caves, I figured I could summon up enough courage to get through it. And I did. By myself.

What I enjoyed about this movie is that there were multiple times when I screamed. Granted it doesn’t take much for that to happen, but if I’m watching a scary movie, I expect to jump a little at least. This movie delivered in that department.

I also found it interesting to see how the different women dealt with the “crawlers” from below that they were faced with again and again. So if you like scary movies and haven’t seen this one yet, I’d recommend it. Just know that you’re taking advice from someone who rarely watches scary movies.

CD: YEAH YEAH YEAHS: It’s Blitz! (2009)

Even though this album came out in the beginning of 2009, I didn’t get my hands on it until now. Sure, I knew some of the singles, but I always enjoy listening to an album from front to back when given the opportunity.

And for the past few days, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing with this one. If someone were to compare this album to their first, Fever to Tell, they might think this one is a bit subdued. A bit clear. Maybe not as heavy. But what I really enjoy about musicians is seeing how they evolve through their albums.

While I can’t say the mood varies too greatly from their second album, Show Your Bones, I definitely can hear a difference. I like how there are some 80’s influences in the beats, and what I’ve always enjoyed about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is how they play with sounds.

Like I’ve said in the past, I’m no music expert at all, but I adore and love and crave music at all times. Considering that I’ve listened to the entire album over and over in the past few days, I’d say it was successful in pulling me into its world.

BOOK: THE 19TH WIFE by DAVID EBERSHOFF (2008)

It took me awhile to get through this book, but not due to the lack of an interesting story. There are many components of this novel - newspaper clippings, novel within a novel, letters - that make up the story of Ann Eliza Young, a young Mormon woman who challenged the ideas of polygamy in the 1800s.

While this novel draws its story from real-life figures, there are reminders that this is a work of fiction. The novel interweaves two stories, one from modern day and one from the 1800s, to shed light on Mormons and Latter Day Saints and how polygamy was a part of those two religions.

The amount of details made it difficult for me to keep everything straight in the beginning, but as the story was told, the details became clearer, and the story moved faster. Historical fiction fans would enjoy this tale, and I think if I were to read it again, I would catch a lot more of the details.

DVD: THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

I may have been the last person to see this film, so I know already that I am not the first to love it. I’ve always been a fan of the popular superhero films, like Spiderman, Batman and X-men, and this one does not disappoint.

From the introductory heist to the party for the district attorney to Batman’s (Christian Bale) bat cave to the menacing portrayal of the Joker (Heath Ledger), I couldn’t tear myself away from what was going to happen next. In a very general sense, most people know that Batman equals good, the Joker equals bad and their relationship to each other frame the plot of many movies out there. What made this film so enticing was the darkness of it all and the idea that evil can be just that: evil.

And while I’m not one who knows about the intricacies of the original comic, I still found myself swept away by the performances and special effects that created Gotham City and its people. I only now wish I could have seen it on the big screen.

CD: THE EELS: HOMBRE LOBO: 12 Songs of Desire (2009)

In college, my roommate introduced me to the Eels. I have one of their CDs, but they have not always been on my radar. This of course all changed when I heard E, the lead singer, interviewed on NPR.

The beauty of this new album struck me hard when I heard it for the first time. The music alternates between soft and hard, but the lyrics stay consistent along this theme of desire, hence the subtitle of the album.

What strikes me on this album is a distinct voice singing about the universal thoughts of love and pain, yet it seems so fresh. One of my favorite parts of hearing new music is when I hear one song and must hear the rest of the album and am then pleased with its entirety. With Hombre Lobo, you have just that. Every other track goes back and forth between beautiful melodies and heavy guitars, and for anyone who’s ever felt desire, there is no better way to illustrate it.

BOOK: DEAD AS A DOORNAIL by CHARLAINE HARRIS (2005)

Sookie Stackhouse Series, Book 5

I got sucked (no pun intended) into this Sookie Stackhouse Series immediately, and it’s no surprise that I’m ready for book 6.

Like the previous novels in the series, Harris continues to expand on the supernatural world and all who are a part of it, including Sookie’s brother Jason. This is the first year Jason shifts into a werepanther and with that acknowledgement, Harris’ worlds of shifters, vampires and werewolves continue to get intertwined.

During this novel many people throughout the town of Bon Temps are getting shot. Sookie must figure out with the help of others who is doing damage to the town’s community. The twist and turns play out until the end, and all are not resolved of course. This sets up the perfect scene for the next book in the series, one which I will be reading as soon as I can get my hands on it.

DVD: LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007) PG-13

I LOVED this movie. Loved. The trailer angles it as a comedy more than I consider it, but that’s part of what’s so good about this film. It balances the fine line between hilarious and heartbreaking.

Lars (Ryan Gosling) is a twenty-something man who decides to order a sex doll off the internet for companionship in the most non-sexual way. Karin (Emily Mortimer), Lars’ sister-in-law, is concerned about how much time he spends alone, and rightly so, while Lars’ brother Gus (Paul Schneider) freaks out that his brother is crazy.

What unfolds is truly heartwarming. As the small-town community welcomes Lars’ “girlfriend” Bianca with open arms, albeit initial, hesitant open arms, all who are involved are changed for the better.

In some of the extras, Nancy Oliver, the writer, explains how she wanted to consider how the world might be different if people went along with mentally ill people’s delusions. What comes of her vision is something quite ideal, but magical all on its own.

(Image: Amazon.com)

CD: TORTOISE: MILLIONS NOW LIVING WILL NEVER DIE (1996)

Instrumental music can be great while working. I’m of the sort that always enjoys having music on at all hours, but if I need to concentrate I turn to something like Tortoise’s millions now living will never die. Not to say I don’t enjoy classical music, but I always love discovering the variety of instrumental music out there.

Tortoise is a popular band for those of us who love music from the 90s, yet one I had always heard of but never heard. Millions now living will never die’s experimental flavor is great for background music because one song flows into the next and before you know it you’ve listened to the whole album. Of course the complexity of it leaves room to listen to it multiple times because every time you listen you find something new to appreciate, or at least I did.

I may be late to the game of Tortoise, but I’m happy to have the chance to add them to my musical knowledge.

(Image: moby.com)

CD: MOBY: WAIT FOR ME (2009)

When I first started listening to this CD through Exclusive First Listen, I was immediately drawn in. Who knows if it coincided with my mood, but the opening track is very calming and peaceful. I find that there’s a line between dark and light that is constantly being played with throughout the album.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not one who can thoroughly describe aspects of music and what makes them great or not so great. For me, it usually comes down to feeling, and honestly wait for me has a calming effect on me. So for that reason, I find myself enjoying it. It’s not something I would listen to every day because it does evoke a certain pensive mood, but I definitely will come back to it again and again.