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pieces of my life
what i'm reading, what i'm watching
2003
film
X2: X-Men United: Action! Adventure! Special effects! Great fun and the perfect way to spend New Year's eve (with a bottle o' bubbly, of course).
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/31/2003

filmAll Over The Guy: Much funnier than I would have thought. Funny, if a heterosexual couple had been at the center of this, I would have been screaming to the woman, "Get the hell out of that relationship!" So why didn't I think that just because it was two guys? Is there something--to me--implicitly more equal in a relationship between two people of the same sex? This probably makes no sense, but it might make more sense if you see the film. It was an insubstantial fun flick.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/28/2003

bookAn Innocent, a Broad by Ann Leary: Read for work.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/28/2003

filmThe School of Rock: Adam, on winter break, finally got to see his first baby matinee. I love Jack Black, but I was a little disappointed by this. It was fun, definitely, but for a movie that predictable, there should be something especially funny, and it was just okay. No big laughs for me. We did learn, though, that the Doodlebug seems to really like rock music.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/22/2003

bookMothers Who Think: Tales of Real-Life Parenthood edited by Camille Peri and Kate Moses: This was no Child of Mine: Original Essays on Becoming a Mother, but many of the essays were still fascinating. Sometimes the motherhood connection felt a little thin.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/21/2003

filmCharlie's Angels: Full Throttle: Even more over the top than the first one, but still fun.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/20/2003

filmReal Women Have Curves: Terrific characters and a good story (predictable ending, but I didn't mind).
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/20/2003

bookMaternal Desire: On Children, Love, and the Inner Life by Daphne de Marneffe: Read for work.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/17/2003

filmFinding Nemo: No one told me this movie had scary parts! It was no Monsters, Inc., but it was still terrific. Ellen DeGeneres redeemed herself in my eyes for that horrible television show with her portrayal of a fish with short-term memory loss.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/13/2003

filmNicholas Nickleby: While I've never read this, I could feel how condensed this version was. It was nicely acted, but it just seemed to have too much missing.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/12/2003

filmLaurel Canyon: I love Frances McDormand. And I found this movie engrossing. Definitely enjoyed it.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/10/2003

filmBruce Almighty: Amusing, but it dragged in parts. Could've been better.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/10/2003

filmDaddy Day Care: Yes, we watched this. Yes, it scared us a little about what is yet to come with the Doodlebug. But it was cute. It made us laugh. A good new parent film.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/5/2003

filmUnder the Tuscan Sun: The baby matinee. It was cute, but nothing I would have seen normally. A little cheesy, but sweet.
entertained Jenny Brown on 12/1/2003

filmThe Dinner Game: I saw this years ago and thought it was hilarious. I still think it's hilarious.
entertained Jenny Brown on 11/29/2003

filmAbout Schmidt: This didn't get the attention it deserved, because the Doodlebug refused to stay asleep. I enjoyed this, but didn't realize what a depressing film it was going to be.
entertained Jenny Brown on 11/19/2003

bookThe Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer: A wonderfully written book about a young woman who is lukewarm about the idea of marrying her fiance only before she can do anything about it, he's in a diving accident, leaving him paralyzed (this happens in the first few pages of the book). The characters are beautifully drawn and I savored the book.
entertained Jenny Brown on 11/16/2003

filmLegally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde: It was exactly what I expected: a pleasant evening of mindlessness.
entertained Jenny Brown on 11/14/2003

bookThe Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined Women by Susan Douglas and Meredith Michaels: Read for work.
entertained Jenny Brown on 11/2/2003

bookThe Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown: A fascinating thriller. I read it in just a couple of days and found it enthralling yet vaguely creepy. The intersection of religious history with modern thriller made it intriguing. I don't know what was fiction and what was historical, but that didn't diminish the fun of the book.
entertained Jenny Brown on 10/22/2003

filmMatchstick Men: The baby matinee--I liked it more than Nathan, who got fussy halfway through. Whether it was the lack of sleep or just my own gullibility, but I fell for it. Liked the stylized cinematography.
entertained Jenny Brown on 10/20/2003

filmBend It Like Beckham: Same plot as a zillion other films--think Billy Elliot on the soccer field--but fun nonetheless.
entertained Jenny Brown on 10/18/2003

filmDown with Love: A surprisingly fun film. Loved the quirky stylized manner.
entertained Jenny Brown on 10/15/2003

bookChild of Mine: Original Essays on Becoming a Mother edited by Christina Baker Kline: A truly wonderful collection of essays about what the first year of motherhood is really like. A range of subjects and views and opinions; each is carefully balanced by another essay (such as a pro-breastfeeding essay followed by one about a woman who hated breastfreeding and stopped). Highly recommended especially for new moms or moms-to-be.
entertained Jenny Brown on 10/13/2003

bookIn Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner: The trashy novel that broke the reader's spirt. Bad enough to make the end of my junk book spree.
entertained Jenny Brown on 10/10/2003

filmSwimming Pool: Despite the rather confusing ending, this is an incredibly provactive film. Charlotte Rampling is fantastic.
entertained Jenny Brown on 9/29/2003

filmMalibu's Most Wanted: Don't be hatin'!
entertained Jenny Brown on 9/28/2003

bookBabyville by Jane Green: I'm feeling a need for validation in my babyness and I was hoping this book would have it. The writing is cliched and the stories rather trite, but at least it was a new mom story.
entertained Jenny Brown on 9/27/2003

filmChicago: Not what I expected, but I really enjoyed it.
entertained Jenny Brown on 9/24/2003

bookShe's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan: An incredibly easy read. Towards the end, it tries a little too hard, but overall, a fascinating memoir of a transexual.
entertained Jenny Brown on 9/18/2003

bookProzac Nation: Young and Depressed in America: A Memoir: Rather repetitive. And so not the book to read when you've got the baby blues.
entertained Jenny Brown on 9/9/2003

bookTrading Up by Candace Bushnell: This was painful. I mean, I know I wanted junky books to read between feedings, but I just felt gross when I was done with this one.
entertained Jenny Brown on 9/7/2003

A wrap up before I forget everything I've read and watched:
book
The Wife: A Novel by Meg Wolitzer: I liked this book up until its "surprise" and its ending, which I felt to be a total cop out.

bookDiary of a Mad Mom-To-Be by Laura Wolf: I hated the first book, yet got suckered in by the whole baby thing. It was just as bad as the first book.

filmAbout Adam: A surprisingly fun, quirky film that didn't go where I thought it would at all and I totally appreciated that.

filmFather of the Bride(new version): Dopey, but fun. Watched this in the hospital, recovering from my C-section, and it was just the lighthearted, easy watch I needed.

filmGentleman's Agreement: Also watched this in the hospital. Found it incredibly didactic and was suprised that it was so groundbreaking for its time.

filmThe Hours: I didn't like the book, and hey! Surprise! I didn't like the movie either.
entertained Jenny Brown on 9/4/2003

bookThe Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine : I started all my pregnancy books early on, but then stopped reading them because it was stressing me out too much. So now I'm starting to go back and finish them up. This book is hilarious, but not it a "you got to read this" way. It was hilarious in "this author is out of her mind" way. Iovine is a former Playboy bunny turned mother of four, and while there is some decent info buried in here, you have to wade through pages and pages of "your husband won't think you're attractive anymore" and "you are going to be so fat and ugly." She advises things like not wearing stirrup pants because it will make your ankles look fat. Um, hello? We're pregnant--do we care if our ankles look fat? It was fun to read just for the "Oh my God, can you believe what she's written?" factor.
entertained Jenny Brown on 7/27/2003

book
Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Food Lover's Courtship with Recipes
by Amanda Hesser: I've enjoyed Hesser's food columns in the New York Times but expected more from the book--more in-depth, more insight. Instead, it was simply more column-type pieces. It was a fun, light read and I'll try a few of the recipes, but it was very forgettable.
entertained Jenny Brown on 7/25/2003

bookSan Remo Drive: A Novel from Memory by Leslie Epstein: Read for work (for upcoming article).
entertained Jenny Brown on 7/25/2003

bookCape Light #4: A New Leaf by Thomas Kinkade & Katherine Spencer: Read for work (Copy edit job).
entertained Jenny Brown on 7/20/2003

bookAmerica's Women: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines by Gail Collins: Read for work (Review and author Q&A in Publisher's Weekly, August 11, 2003.)
entertained Jenny Brown on 7/17/2003

bookThe God of Small Things by Arundati Roy : Reread this for my book group. I still love the flow of the language and the incredible imagery, but it definitely lost something on a second read.
entertained Jenny Brown on 7/6/2003

bookManeater by Gigi Levangie Grazer: Forget Devil Wears. This is the trashy novel for the summer. Such a nasty unlikable main character who you end up liking anyway. Predictible, yet so much fun.
entertained Jenny Brown on 7/3/2003

filmPunch-Drunk Love: The only redeeming quality of this film is that it was short. Painful. Simply painful.
entertained Jenny Brown on 6/28/2003

bookHow Ronald Reagan Changed My Life by Peter Robinson: Read for work. Duh. (Review in Publisher's Weekly, July 14, 2003.)
entertained Jenny Brown on 6/22/2003

filmThe Pianist: As wonderfully acted as everyone says. The movie was excellent, however, I honestly don't think it was any better than any of the other zillions of Holocaust films/books out there.
entertained Jenny Brown on 6/21/2003

filmFrida: The story was wonderful and I enjoyed the acting, but stylistically the film left me cold. It simply tried too hard. I also felt the script could have been stronger: too many gaps, it tried to "tell" us too much, and ultimately fails to make us understand her pain (both the physical and the emotional).
entertained Jenny Brown on 6/15/2003

filmNetwork: A bizarrely prescient film. Somewhat dated but still a fascinating watch. Could be about Fox television.
entertained Jenny Brown on 6/15/2003

filmThe Music Man: Can you believe Adam had never seen this? If this movie doesn't get you singing, nothing will.
entertained Jenny Brown on 6/7/2003

bookTricky Business by Dave Barry: I've decided to start listing the books I read for work (because I read so many for both my day job and my freelance work), however, I will not comment on them in anyway, as I think that would be unprofessional. Proofreading job.
entertained Jenny Brown on 6/7/2003

bookAppleby House by Sylvia Smith: Read for work. (Reviewed in Publisher's Weekly, June 23, 2003.)
entertained Jenny Brown on 6/1/2003

bookThe Tale of the 1002nd Night by Joseph Roth: I read this because of The Radetzky March, which I hated expected to hate and then thought was absolutely spellbinding. What an incredible book! So I think I went into this one with slightly too high expectations. It was still an enjoyable book, but not up to par with March. The story was as captivating nor were the characters as compelling. Still, it was better than most of the stuff I read. I wish more of his books were in print!
entertained Jenny Brown on 5/26/2003

bookThe Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger: I know, I know. What did I expect. But I did like the The Nanny Diaries, and I figured this was just this summer's version. Yikes, don't waste your time (yeah, library for saving me the money). Clunky writing. Nonexistent character development. Cringe-worthy ending. Blech.
entertained Jenny Brown on 5/18/2003

bookThe Death Artist: A Novel of Suspense by Jonathan Santlofer: Read for work. (Capsule in Bostonia, Summer 2003)
entertained Jenny Brown on 5/13/2003

bookBel Canto: A Novel by Ann Patchett: I'd picked this up a few times in the store and always put it down as something that wouldn't interest me. But then in New Orleans, I finished my books and Pam had just finished this and passed it over. I was amazed. The writing is gorgeous. Perhaps it was the vague South American country or the faint tinges of magic realism, but it was slightly reminiscent of Garcia Marquez. I was sorry when this book ended and would definitely recommend it to anyone who asked.
entertained Jenny Brown on 5/12/2003

book
Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year
by Annie Lamott
: This book came highly recommended to me (and I wish I could remember by whom, but I don't), and I was very much prepared to not like it. I occasionally read Lamott's column in Salon and find her so annoying, which is odd, because I agree with about 99 percent of her politics. And yet, I loved this book! When she's writing from her own life, she's immensely likeable and this is so not one of those mushy "Oh, how I love motherhood" books. This records the ups--and lots and lots of downs--of parenting and I was sorry when the book ended.
entertained Jenny Brown on 5/3/2003

book
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women
by Geraldine Brooks: I read this years ago and just reread it for my book group. While I understand that this is a controversial book--Brooks frequently makes comments that could be insulting to those who believe in the Koran--the look at Islamic women in the Mideast is fascinating. Her writing style makes this book easy to fly through, and while toward the end it feels a little repetitive and I wished she'd look at more sides of the issue (a la Elizabeth Warnock Fernea's
Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village
, which I highly recommend as a wonderful book that's both informative and a really interesting read), I still found the book difficult to put down.
entertained Jenny Brown on 4/30/2003

filmSecretary: This movie had everything about it that I like. And yet, I found it rather slow and occasionally boring. I expected more.
entertained Jenny Brown on 4/20/2003

bookAbandon by Pico Iyer: Much of the writing in here was beautiful, especially when the main character travels to Iran, India, and even England. But when he's back at home in Santa Barbara, emeshed in a tangled affair, the book sufferes. Overall, though, I found the threads on Sufism, poetry, and the mystery of secret Islamic manuscripts to be intersing.
entertained Jenny Brown on 4/20/2003

filmOld School: I laughed when Will Ferrell did his streaking thing. Um, that's about it.
entertained Jenny Brown on 3/29/2003

filmInventing the Abbotts: Boy likes girl. Coming of age. Blah blah blah.
entertained Jenny Brown on 3/28/2003

film8 Mile: Even though I couldn't help laughing every time Kim Basinger opened her mouth (her lines were ridiculous and she uttered them with such desperate conviction that it was horrifying to watch), I really enjoyed this movie. Of course, it helps that I like Eminem's music. The movie didn't have much to it, but it was entertaining enough.
entertained Jenny Brown on 3/25/2003

filmAuto Focus: Oddly compelling. The narration was a little disconcerting, but the movie kept my interest throughout.
entertained Jenny Brown on 3/23/2003

filmRoger Dodger: It had so much potential. It started out very In the Company of Men but then it tried to redeem itself with disappointing effect.
entertained Jenny Brown on 3/21/2003

bookAdvanced Sex Tips for Girls: This Time It's Personal by Cynthia Heimel: A little disappointing. I wonder if I've just outgrown that style (I read her other books in my early 20s) or if her writing has just gone a little stale. Some good moments, but she didn't elaborate where I wanted and went into too much detail elsewhere.
entertained Jenny Brown on 3/12/2003

bookMrs. Dalloway by Virgina Woolf: Okay, it's me. I just didn't "get" it. If someone wants to explain this novel to me, feel free.
entertained Jenny Brown on 3/9/2003

filmHarry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets: Not much to say about this one. It was quite faithful to the book and very enjoyable.
entertained Jenny Brown on 3/8/2003

bookWhite As Snow by Tanith Lee: About two years ago, Sandra lent me this book, thinking I would love it. I took one look at it and put it aside--I hate fantasy novels. Yet, somehow, it got packed with all our belongings and ended up here in Boston with me. When I went back to Seattle, I took it with me to return to her. As I settled into the plane ride, I was disappointed to find that Simone was the movie shown, which of course, I disliked the first time around. My Cosmo wasn't calling to me (and when it finally did, I swore that I will never pick it up again. It's time for a new trashy airplane magazine), nor was Mrs. Dalloway, so I picked it up out of boredom. I finished the book by the time I saw Sandra that night, and while it wasn't bad at all (a fantasy retelling of the Snow White fairy tale and the myth of Demeter and Persephone) it did confirm that I'm really not a fantasy fan.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/27/2003

filmThe Heiress: Caught this on TCM and thoroughly enjoyed Olivia de Havilland's turn as the spurned spinster. This was, I confess, the first time I had ever seen a Montgomery Clift film, and despite his odd accent, I found his depiction of the suitor to be dead-on; by the end of the film, I still wasn't completely sure what his motives were. Definitely catch this one the next time it's airing.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/23/2003

filmAbandon: The final plane flick. Adam detested this, however, I found I liked the noir edge to it. While the execution could have been better, I found the ending to be immensely satisfying.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/18/2003

filmPeggy Su: Another plane movie. An enjoyable comedy about a Chinese woman who must find herself a husband before her father finds one for her. It was mostly in English, but occasionally spurts of Chinese were spoken with no subtitles, but it was interesting to see how much I could get from the context.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/18/2003

filmSweet Home Alabama: Saw this on the plane ride to London, and shoot me, but I enjoyed it.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/13/2003

bookLove Works Like This: Moving from One Kind of Life to Another by Lauren Slater: After enjoying Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir so much, I was really looking forward to reading Slater's take on motherhood, however, I found this diary-like account of her depression during pregnancy to be rather prosaic.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/12/2003

filmIgby Goes Down: Well, now we know that Kieran got all the acting talent in the Culkin family. This movie was fantastic. The cast was superb and Susan Sarandon redeemed herself after Friday night's mishap. A little depressing, but in a good way. And as Adam asked, does Ryan Phillippe play any other role than the uptight preppie?
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/9/2003

bookHer by Laura Zigman: You know that feeling you get when you have an entire bag of chocolates and you eat a few and they're really good. But then you still have a bunch of chocolates and you're bored so you eat a few more? And then there are just three left and while you really don't want those last three chocolates, you know you can't just leave them there, so you eat them and you feel gross and nauseated and you can't get that sickly sweet taste out of your mouth? That's what this book is.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/9/2003

filmThe Bourne Identity: I know I read this book once upon a time; between the ages of 11 and 13 I read every Robert Ludlum and Ken Follet book that was out, so I must have read it (at that time my hope was to become Brown. Jenny Brown. Agent 005). But nothing in this movie seemed at all familiar. Is it me or is it the movie? Anyway, skipping over the improbability of it all, the ridiculousness of the plot gaps, and why someone as cool as Franka Potente would fall for Matt Damon, this was a really cool, fun action flick. And that's really all that can be said of this film.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/8/2003

filmThe Banger Sisters: The problem of promising to write down everything I read or watch is, well, I have to write down everything I read or watch, hence this humiliating entry. Adam warned me. Adam fell asleep in the first ten minutes. Adam, of course, was right. But it was Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn! Sigh. Enough said.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/7/2003

bookI Thought My Father Was God edited by Paul Auster: This is a collection of stories from National Public Radio's story project, in which Paul Auster invited listeners to send in their stories. The book was a fun read--much like reading the "Readers Write" section of The Sun magazine (which is the only reason I still subscribe to that depressing magazine). The pieces--from a paragraph to a full page--were grouped by subject (Love, Death, Dreams, Objects, etc.), which occasionally meant that you read a few pieces in a row that felt quite similar (for example, a whole bunch of pieces had to do with dreaming of someone the exact moment they died or were hurt). Unfortunately, the book ended on the subject "Meditations," which I found the least interesting; the stories about people are the most interesting and I was annoyed to go out on essays about things. Still, an interesting read.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/7/2003

bookAfter Life by Rhian Ellis: We read this in book group, and I found it to be an easy read. The group overall was mixed on this story about a murder committed by the protagonist, Naomi, in a psychic town (based on the real town in upstate New York). I normally don't like books about spiritual things, but I found that Naomi's visions (she was a medium) were well done, and I couldn't wait to find out what had happened.
entertained Jenny Brown on 2/2/2003

filmSimone: What potential this film had! How badly they blew it! I thought the premise was great: a down-and-out director creates a CGI actress who's a big hit. But this should have been a comedy. Improbable plot turns and a disintegration of the story simply rendered this mediocre at best. To quote Adam, "What was Al Pacino thinking?"
entertained Jenny Brown on 1/25/2003

filmThe Good Girl: Jennifer Aniston did a much better job than I would have expected in this decidedly depressing look at the sheer pointlessness of life. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the movie: I did. The movie has stuck with me and it felt realistic. But too much was left unexplained, like why Aniston's character, Justine, is still attracted to her husband, and why--well, I suppose if I write that it will give away the movie for those who want to see it, not that there's much to give away (that's not a complaint; it's just a straight-forward film). Married girl meets lost boy. Married girl starts affair with lost boy. Married girl finds her life in upheaval. I've seen this described as "comic," and I would say it's definitely not, save for one or two amusing scenes in the Retail Rodeo.
entertained Jenny Brown on 1/20/2003

bookThe Frog King: A Love Story by Adam Davies: In every thirtysomething single gal novel there is the heel. The guy who lies and cheats and drinks too much. This is book is the story of that heel. The book was light and funny and while I thought the turning point was ridiculous (one of those moments where you cringe at the character/author and say, "You don't really expect us to believe that one do you?") with some ludicrous details and strange dialogue, the book was a fun read with just the type of not-happy but happy ending that I find satisfying. A great companion to all the chick-lit out there.
entertained Jenny Brown on 1/12/2003

filmTruly, Madly, Deeply: I wanted to like this film. I should have liked this film. There was no reason on earth for me not to think this was a fabulous film. But I didn't and I'm not sure why. I like the director, Anthony Minghella. I thought the acting was great (Alan Rickman is great). But the story--a woman is pining for her dead lover, but when he comes back, things aren't all bliss; he's as argumentative and controlling as he was in real life and he keeps bringing his dead friends over to watch videos--just left me cold. I thought it was slow and any film that has that many rats in it is going to turn me off, I guess. It was a solid film--I just didn't like it.
entertained Jenny Brown on 1/12/2003

filmMy Wife Is an Actress: A light French comedy about a man who wishes his wife weren't a famous actress. A fun watch, with some interesting, likable characters (including Terence Stamp as a somewhat sleazy actor and a husband and wife team starring as the husband and wife team).
entertained Jenny Brown on 1/5/2003

filmBarbershop: While the subplot bordered on ludicrous, the movie worked well overall, with some of the best dialogue I've heard in a movie in a while.
entertained Jenny Brown on 1/4/2003

bookI Don't Know How She Does It, by Allison Pearson: This has gotten a lot of flack for being a backlash against feminism, but I don't think that's true at all. I found the protagonists feelings and actions to be quite believable all the way through and more than anything, I think it's commentary that shows that even women who want to do it all, can't do it all. The tone is extremely Bridget Jones and it doesn't hold that well over the course of the entire novel, but for the most part, I found it quite an enjoyable read.
entertained Jenny Brown on 1/4/2003

filmLovely & Amazing: I adore anything with Catherine Keener in it.
entertained Jenny Brown on 1/4/2003

filmAli: Too disjointed. Like Michael Mann's style--the quick cuts and documentary feel in parts. But overall, I didn't get any feel at all for what Ali was like as a person. Parts of it were downright confusing.
entertained Jenny Brown on 1/4/2003

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