Big Screen: Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol

Loved it. Tom Cruise is showing his age (which I thought maybe he’d be one of those crazy celebrities who gets 97 billion procedures and never has a single wrinkle). Renner / Pegg / Payton all played their bits well. It was 100% completely enjoyable.

EXCEPT… So here’s the thing. With any action movie, but ESPECIALLY the Mission Impossible movies they do a million crazy nutbars out-of-this-world things and as the viewer you accept them as part of this movie’s reality. Fine. BUT if I am going to accept all their crazy masks and daring feats and car acrobatics and such, I insist that this type of movie must do everything else ACCURATELY.

And let me tell you, if you remove the floor to ceiling window from a 100th-floor hotel room? THERE’S GONNA BE A CRAPTON OF WIND BLOWING THROUGH. But no, they stand calmly in front of it, clothes barely aruffle. Sorry, can’t buy into that one. When they replaced the windows in my 4th floor apartment in NYC, things magentized to the refrigerator were blowin’ around the house.

GIVE ME MY REALITY and I’LL GIVE YOU YOUR FANTASY. That is the deal this type of movie is supposed to make with us.

So other than that, it was great. 🙂

À la Nick Hornby, books in/books out for December.

Bought:

  • A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness
  • Falling Together, by Marisa de los Santos

Read:

  • Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery (re-read)(audio)
  • The Black Cauldron, by Lloyd Alexander (re-read)
  • A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness
  • Falling Together, by Marisa de los Santos
  • Inside Out & Back Again, by Thanhha Lai (borrowed from Chris)
  • One Day, by David Nicholls (borrowed from GD)
  • To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel, by Siena Cherson (library)
  • Foiled, by Jane Yolen
  • Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts: The Hopeless to Hardcore Transformation of U.S. Army, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, Vietnam, by David H. Hackworth (borrowed from Dad)
  • Life, by Keith Richards (borrowed from Dad)
  • No Dark Place, by Joan Wolf (thought I was borrowing it from Mom, turns out it was mine, loaned to her long ago)
  • Someday Soon, by Joan Wolf (borrowed from Mom)
  • The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano, by Margarita Engle (library)
  • Enclave, by Ann Aguirre

Books Read in 2011

date refers to date finished; i.e., just b/c I finished two books in a given day doesn’t mean I read two entire books that day!

  • Enclave, by Ann Aguirre (12/27)
  • The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano, by Margarita Engle (12/27) (biography) (poetry)
  • Someday Soon, by Joan Wolf (12/26)
  • No Dark Place, by Joan Wolf (12/26) (re-read)
  • Life, by Keith Richards (12/25) (memoir)
  • Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts: The Hopeless to Hardcore Transformation of U.S. Army, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, Vietnam, by David H. Hackworth (12/24) (memoir)
  • Foiled, by Jane Yolen (12/20) (graphic novel)
  • To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel, by Siena Cherson (12/20) (memoir) (graphic novel)
  • One Day, by David Nicholls (12/19)
  • Inside Out & Back Again, by Thanhha Lai (12/18)
  • Falling Together, by Marisa de los Santos (12/17)
  • A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness (12/16)
  • The Black Cauldron, by Lloyd Alexander (12/10)
  • Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery (12/6) (re-read) (audio)
  • Three Cups of Deceit, by Jon Krakauer (11/11)
  • A Life in Stitches, by Rachael Herron (11/10)
  • Invitation to the Game, by Monica Hughes (11/10)
  • The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt (11/8)
  • Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine (11/8)
  • When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead (11/7)
  • Love Is the Higher Law, by David Levithan (11/6)
  • Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, by Susan Campbell Bertoletti (11/6)
  • Charles and Emma; the Darwins’ Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman (11/6)
  • Honeybee, by Naomi Shihab Nye (10/30) (poetry)
  • The Ocean Between Us, by Susan Wiggs (10/30)
  • Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer (10/28)
  • The Demon Trapper’s Daughter, by Jana Oliver (10/23)
  • The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander (10/23)(re-read)
  • Feed, by M.T. Anderson (10/21)
  • Educating Esme, Diary of a Teacher’s First Year, by Esme Raji Codell (10/18)
  • Northlanders Vol 2: The Cross + The Hammer (10/15)
  • Northlanders Vol 1: Sven The Returned, by Brian Wood (10/15)
  • Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Patterson (10/15)
  • Where do you think you’re going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz, pics by Margot Tomes (10/10)
  • The Good Soldiers, by David Finkel (10/10)
  • Don’t You Know There’s a War On? by Avi (10/9)
  • Ten Birds, by Cybele Young (10/9)
  • The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin (10/9)
  • The Trouble with Thirteen, by Betty Miles (10/8) (re-read)
  • Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick (10/8)
  • The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick (10/8)
  • Journey Into Mohawk Country, by George O’Connor (10/2)
  • Y: The Last Man — Unmanned, by Brian K. Vaughn (10/1)
  • Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt (9/25)
  • Stitches, by David Small (9/23)
  • The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life, by Ann Patchett (9/22)
  • The Arrival, by Shaun Tan (9/18)
  • Lockdown, by Walter Dean Myers (9/17)
  • Fortune’s Bones: The Manumission Requiem, by Marilyn Nelson (9/15) (poetry)
  • The Patchwork Quilt, by Valerie Flournoy (9/11)
  • The Butter Battle Book, by Dr. Seuss (9/11)
  • Maizon at Blue Hill, by Jacqueline Woodson (9/10)
  • Weed Flower, by Cynthia Kadohata (9/10)
  • The Northern Girl, by Elizabeth A. Lynn (9/x) (re-read)
  • The Dancers of Arun, by Elizabeth A. Lynn (9/x) (re-read)
  • Watchtower, by Elizabeth A. Lynn (9/x) (re-read)
  • The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, by Peter Sis (9/4)
  • Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi (9/4)
  • Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest (9/3)
  • Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes (8/29)
  • Purgatory Chasm, by Steve Ulfelder (8/27)
  • A Summer to Die, by Lois Lowry (8/27) (re-read)
  • Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White (8/26) (re-read)
  • The New Teacher Book, from Rethinking Schools (8/24)
  • The Bone People, by Keri Hulme (8/21)
  • The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner (8/12)
  • Heartless, by Gail Carriger (8/8)
  • Rebirth, by Sophie Littlefield (8/6)
  • The Cradle in the Grave, by Sophie Hannah (8/4)
  • Divergent, by Veronica Roth (8/1)
  • Maybe This Time, by Jennifer Crusie (7/26)
  • Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, by Tom Franklin (6/28)
  • The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss (6/26)
  • The Price of Honor, by Colonel David H. Hackworth (6/19)
  • Just Like Heaven, by Julia Quinn (6/19)
  • The Hunted, by Elmore Leonard (6/19)
  • State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett (6/18)
  • The Hero of Ages, by Brandon Sanderson (6/17)
  • One Bullet Away, the Making of a Marine Officer, by Nathaniel Fick (6/6)
  • Generation Kill, by Evan Wright (6/5)
  • Red Seas Under Red Skies, by Scott Lynch (6/2)
  • Trust No One, by Gregg Hurwitz (5/?)
  • All Clear, by Connie Willis (5/15)
  • Blackout, by Connie Willis (5/14) (re-read)
  • Relentless, by Lauren Dane (5/12)
  • Carry Me Down, by M.J. Hyland (5/12)
  • Blameless, by Gail Carriger (5/11)
  • The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch (5/7)
  • Killbox, by Ann Aguirre (4/28)
  • 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein (4/28)
  • The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson (4/17)
  • Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson (4/14)
  • Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White (4/10) (re-read)
  • Changeless, by Gail Carriger (4/8)
  • The Berrybender Narratives, Book 1: Sin Killer, by Larry McMurtry (4/6)
  • Soulless, by Gail Carriger (4/5)
  • Aftertime, by Sophie Littlefield (3/29)
  • The Night Season, by Chelsea Cain (3/24)
  • Undercover, by Lauren Dane (3/18)
  • Tempest Rising, By Nicole Peeler (3/18)
  • Composed, by Rosanne Cash (3/15)
  • Magic at the Gate, by Devon Monk (3/15)
  • The Dark and Hollow Places, by Carrie Ryan (3/15)
  • How to Knit a Heart Back Home, by Rachael Herron (3/13)
  • Mother’s Milk, by Edward St Aubyn (3/12)
  • River Marked, by Patricia Briggs (3/9)
  • Faith Fox, by Jane Gardam (2/20)
  • Visitation, by Jenny Erpenbeck (2/14)
  • Across the Universe, by Beth Revis (2/1)
  • The Old Devils, by Kingsley Amis (1/27)
  • What the Librarian Did, by Karina Bliss (1/19)
  • The Sentry, a Joe Pike novel, by Robert Crais (1/18)
  • Hunger, by Jackie Morse Kessler (1/5)

Duff at the Movies 2011

  • Young Adult (12/26)
  • Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (12/23)
  • Martha Marcy May Marlene (11/26)
  • Take Shelter (10/22)
  • Haunters (10/15)
  • Our Idiot Brother (9/4)
  • The Guard (8/5)
  • Cowboys & Aliens (8/3)
  • Harry Potter 8: Deathly Hallows 2 (7/24)
  • Super 8 (7/6)
  • Buck (7/4)
  • Beginners (6/22)
  • Hanna (6/9)
  • Midnight in Paris (6/5)
  • Tree of Life (6/4)
  • Incendies (en français) (5/26)
  • Thor (5/25)
  • Cave of Forgotten Dreams (3D)(5/13)
  • Hesher (5/11)
  • Bridesmaids (5/10)
  • Certified Copy (4/?)
  • Red State (3/8)
  • Cedar Rapids (3/6)
  • No Strings Attached (2/20)
  • The Company Men (2/6)
  • The Mechanic (2/4)
  • The Tourist (1/16)
  • Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (1/11)
  • Blue Valentine (1/7)
  • The King’s Speech (1/6)
  • The Fighter (1/5)
  • The Green Hornet (3D) (1/4)
  • Black Swan (1/2)
  • True Grit (1/2)
  • Somewhere (1/1)

Fiction: One Day, by David Nicholls

It was OK.

But I found the whole one day framing to be a little stupid since it was NOT actually the one day each year on which they saw each other or anything. Seemed a pretty arbitrary frame that falls apart as the novel moves on and the reader might want to hear about some other days as well. [Also seems like a blatant “hey When Harry Met Sally fans, come read this” advert but maybe that’s just me.] I mean when a chapter starts with something “having seen each other on and off for months now”, it renders that fact that we’re again focused on just this one day a little meaningless.

There were things I liked about it and I certainly agree with Emma that Ian was not the man for her…but is Dex really? The author maybe goes a little too far in giving you reasons to detest him and not enough instances of even halfway decentness for you to really be willing to fall for him yourself or put up with Emma’s love for him never going away.

Maybe on one of those OTHER days of the year, he did some stuff to redeem himself but we will never know.

Duff Does Live Music 2011

  • Alabama Shakes (12/17)
  • Bon Iver (5th x) (7/23)
  • Iron & Wine (6/6)
  • The Head and the Heart (6/6)
  • Arcade Fire (4th x) (4/22)
  • The National (3rd x) (4/22)
  • Sharon Von Etten (4/9)
  • In Tall Buildings (4/9)
  • Greg Laswell (3/3)
  • HelloGoodbye (2/17)
  • The Avett Brothers (2nd x) (1/29)
  • David Mayfield Parade (1/29)