Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

You know, I really meant to make an effort at posting more, but it seems like life is just going to keep me from doing that for right now. My other blog has been lacking in the posting department as well, but I hope I can pick it up a bit.

This movie was funny, but not so funny that I just couldn’t stop laughing. Maybe it’s because I watched the Director’s Cut, which added about half an hour to the movie by way of showing you longer versions of the scenes in the movie. There’s a reason why they cut those scenes shorter for the theaters. Don’t get me wrong they weren’t bad, they just weren’t necessary to make the movie funnier or better.

Dewey Cox was a man with a dream: to be a famous musician. After leaving home at the age of fourteen, Cox lived a roller coaster of life and career. He married three times, slept with 411 women, had 22 kids, and had 14 step-kids. He became addicted to and then kicked every drug known to man. His career was littered with huge hits (“Walk Hard”) and devastating lows (his wife took the kids and left him with his pet monkey). Yes, it’s that kind of movie.

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen the movies this one is parodying (Walk the Line, and The Doors, among others). Maybe it would have been a bit funnier if I had, seeing as how parodies usually are. But it was still enjoyable, it made me laugh out loud, and John C. Reilly is always a hit. By the way, did you know he really did sing all his songs? Same goes for Chicago.

3 out of 5 stars because this is a movie that was meant more for guys than girls. Don’t get me wrong, girls will still love this movie (and I’m sure there are some who love this movie more than their boyfriends) but ultimately, it’s a guy movie. Albeit a funny guy movie that girls will appreciate more than a bloody, explosive guy movie (Sin City, I’m talking to you). I saw the movie, I’m glad I saw it, but I don’t need to see it again. However, I will recommend it to all John C. Reilly fans, because if anyone else had played Dewey Cox, the movie would have been a bust (and seriously, the song “Walk Hard” is so damn catchy!).

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman

I came across this book as I was investigating and testing our library’s downloadable audio books, and man am I glad I did!  It might have taken me awhile to read it, what with putting it down to finish laundry or working out or something, but I was able to do all those things while listening to it on my mp3 player, and I had it done it just about 4 hours.  I’ve never finished a book so fast in my life!

Nora Ephron (also known for writing and directing You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, and writing When Harry Met Sally, among other things) has written a very funny book about women and the insufferable quirks tied to our gender.  Why do we need purses to match every outfit?  We can’t find the things we put in them anyway, and probably didn’t need them to begin with.  Ephron’s solution is to buy a bag that is taxi-cab yellow and couldn’t possibly match anything, and therefore, in some weird way, matches everything.  She also discusses the need to wash your hair every day.  Not only is this unneccesary, Ephron says, but it takes too much time and money.  And yet, picking up a copy of Vogue one day at the hair salon cost her $20,000.

Matching wit with wisdom, Ephron has produced a book that can be enjoyed by women of all ages.  While some of the jokes may not be as funny to those of us under 30 (or even 50), it gives us something to look forward to.  Her humor is just my style – sarcastic, cynical, and yet somehow optimistic.  She tells you that aging is nothing to cheer about, but at the same time, it’s got its up sides.  She’s got advice in her section titled “What I Wish I’d Known,” and her stories of her experience as a White House intern are hilarious.

3 out of 5 stars, mainly because I just don’t think I’m old enough to fully appreciate all the content in this book.  I do, however, appreciate Ephron’s wit and wisdom, and I found myself knowing that when the aging process really begins to weigh me down, I won’t be alone.

Cesar’s Way

If you know me at all, you know that I have become obsessed with the idea of owning a dog.  Growing up, I always had cats, and since I’ve been on my own, I’ve had fish.  I’m going to be honest, the fish aren’t doing it for me anymore.  I need something fuzzy and cuddly that wags its tail when I come home instead of puffs up its gills or ignores me.  I’m still considering getting a cat, but I’ve never had a dog and I think it would be a great experience.

So, since I’ve never had a dog but have a deep and burning desire to own one, I thought I should do a little research and reading up on the subject.  (What else would you expect from someone with an English degree and who works in a library?)  The book that I ran across and decided to try out first was Cesar’s Way, written by the host of National Geographic Channel’s TV show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.  I had never seen the show and I knew next to nothing about Cesar Millan, but I dove right in and barely surfaced for air.

This book gave a lot of background information on Cesar, where he grew up and how he always seemed to have a special connection with dogs.  He explains how he came to the United States (a very interesting story, I might add – he wasn’t originally a legal immigrant) and how he decided to and eventually became a significant force in the dog business.  I was amazed to learn that he has his own Dog Psychology Center, and here he keeps 30 to 40 dogs on a regular basis, all of whom get along and can run next to Cesar without leashes, can eat without showing food aggression, and can even play with one tennis ball and never have a problem!  Cesar gives information on dogs in general – their overall psychology and, in relation to that, their physiology.  He explains why dogs act out the way they do, and what you, as an owner, need to do to curb that aggressive or unwanted behavior.  While I wish he had more direct instructions as to how to train a dog, the insight he gave me as to why a dog needs to be trained and the basic rules on how to keep your dog happy and psychologically healthy (“exercise, discipline, and affection, in that order!”) is invaluable.  He also discusses how you can (and should) become the pack leader to your dog, instead of letting your dog rule you.

After reading his book, I happened to stumble across a TV with cable and it just so happened that his show was on.  Watching it, I saw what he had tried to explain in his book, and everything that was just a bit hazy in my mind clicked into place.  By reading, I understood why Cesar did certain things, but watching the show I got to see how.  His website also has a ton of helpful and interesting information.

5 out of 5 stars.  This was the absolute best book I could have picked out before owning a dog.  It opened my eyes to the amount of responsibility a dog entails (much more than a cat!) but also gave me the tools I needed to succeed as a competent and responsible dog owner.  I am currently waiting to get a hold of his second book, Be the Pack Leader, and am looking forward to watching more of his show.  While this is not the book for you if you are just hoping to teach your dog to sit and stay, this is definitely required reading for all current and potential dog owners.  The information I received is invaluable and I can’t wait to learn more!

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Okay, I know I’ve been slacking. But I’m going to blame it on the stomach flu I had and then the things I had to catch up on after that. So here we are, back on track, and I’ve got at least four reviews lined up for you over the next week or so. Enjoy!

I’ve gotta say, this is a movie that I looked forward to for a very long time. I love Johnny Depp, I love musicals, I love Victorian London, and I love the sinisterness of the movie. That being said, this is a movie I would watch again, but not for awhile. It was good, don’t get me wrong, and I was impressed and happily surprised by the musical numbers, but I’m not one for the slashing of the throats. It really wasn’t that gory or disgusting, I’m just the type of person that always averts my eyes when I know something bad is going to happen.

On to the synopsis: Benjamin Barker is a happily married barber with a brand new baby girl when Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman, recognizable to most as Snape from the Harry Potter movies) sentences him to forced labor in the Americas for a crime he didn’t commit so Turpin can have Barker’s wife all to himself. The story begins when Barker arrives back in London under the alias of Sweeney Todd. Todd walks through the streets of London and finds himself at his old residence, which is located just above Mrs. Lovett’s Meat Pies. With the help of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) and a boy he met on his trip back to London (or during his stay in the Americas, it’s not exactly clear which) Todd learns that his wife poisoned herself with arsenic and his daughter, Johanna, is now a captive in the judge’s mansion. Todd vows revenge on the judge and all of London, which he can only think of as a “hole in the world like a great black pit.” He and Mrs. Lovett go into business (you’ll have to watch the movie to find out exactly how) and Todd goes on a murderous rampage, trying to rid London of the “vermin of the world [that] inhabit it.”

To know if Sweeney Todd ever does get revenge on the judge, or if he’s ever reunited with his daughter, well, you’ll just have to watch the movie to find out. It’s definitely worth it.

4 out of 5 stars for being the kind of movie you don’t see every day. This showcases Depp’s and Carter’s raw talents as actors, and you feel for their characters. The music is catchy and makes you want to sing along, and the story sucks you in. I just don’t like blood spurting.