I don’t know if this will be a regular thing, but I though it’d be cool if I did this as a periodical feature. Pretty self-explanatory– discussing the movies, music and books I’ve been enjoying.
MOVIE
On the Canada day weekend, I happened to watch the very Canadian movie One Week (no, it wasn’t planned purposely to be patriotic). When I first heard the summary of One Week, I was like, “Aw, it’s going to be a cheesy sapfest”. It did have its cheesy moments, but it was also a really cute movie. Not to mention a wholeheartedly Canadian production that actually instilled a bit of patriotism in me (which isn’t always easy– we’re not the most characteristically interesting country, no offense).
MUSIC
Right now, a sampling of my current roster of songs this summer:
- Beach Boys – Wouldn’t it Be Nice
- The Killers – This River is Wild, For Reasons Unknown
- Bon Jovi – Living on a Prayer, You Give Love a Bad Name
- ABBA – S.O.S.
- Passion Pit – Make Light
- Chad VanGaalen – City of Electric Light
- Metric – Wet Blanket
It’s a strange mix, I know. Quite a bit of old stuff in there. My Killers phase is still going– I’m slightly addicted to the Sam’s Town album– the whole thing– right now for some reason.
Another strange thing is that I’m listening to the radio right now, something I’ve NEVER done at home. Even stranger, this station has played songs I know and enjoy for approx. the last five songs– which is insanely rare.
BOOKS
I don’t know where I first heard of John Green, but I picked up two of his books in the last little while: Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns.
They’re both actually really similar, but I liked Paper Towns more. Green actually does have a nice style– it’s pretty hard to find an author working in the YA category, writing about teenagers, that doesn’t make me want to strangle myself. Or feel dumb. Though not always likeable, his characters are well-developed and interesting, and I enjoyed the informal sense of mystery/adventure in the plots (as in they’re not like, “I’M A DETECTIVE NOVEL! LOOK AT ME, I’M SO CLEVER AND FULL OF PLANTED TWISTS!”). Nice relaxing summer fare that’s slightly dark at the same time.
4 Comments
July 10, 2009 at 1:22 pm
The Killer’s Sam Town album is sadly berated. I don’t understand why so many people dislike it; This River is Wild is one of the best of the album!
What’s One Week about?
July 10, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I’m actually listening to This River is Wild right now… amazing.
One Week is about a guy who finds out he has terminal cancer, and while his fiancé and family urge him to start treatments and such, he impulsively decides to buy an old motorbike and go on a cross-country adventure, solo. The whole “I’m dying, got to seize the day” cliché doesn’t usually appeal to me in books or movies, but this was an exception.
July 16, 2009 at 5:38 am
Dang, good movies like that doesn’t play often in the US.
I’m a classics person, so I appreciate you having ABBA’s S.O.S on your list. XD
July 17, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Hey Courtney.
I have to say, writing this comment, I did not read your above blog post .. BUT I just wanted to drop a line a say bye before I have to get off this computer!
<3