Godzilla (2014)

To be clear, I wanted Walter White to save us from Godzilla.  To be fair, I am less than a casual fan of Godzilla so perhaps I'm not qualified enough to review this new re-imagining.  Then again, I am a lover of film.

The trailer for Godzilla was brilliantly executed and thus I found myself anxious for opening weekend.  However, the PG-13 rating started the doubts.  The insipid Fiat commercials really got to me.  Sure, go ahead and show the entire monster in a 60 second commercial, dumb-ass mad men!

So as I found myself anticipating the viewing of this movie, it was difficult to discard all the hate that had welled up.  Godzilla is fine popcorn flick; but sadly it fails to be memorable primarily because of the casting.  It's hard to see this otherwise stellar cast including Juliette Binchette, Bryan Cranston, and Ken Watanabe relegated to bit-parts.  And sadly, the shoulders of our leading man, played by newcomer Aaron Taylor-Johnson, aren't quite square enough to carry this film.

But let's be honest... this movie isn't 'The Beast who Ate San Francisco'.  It's Godzilla and the beast does not disappoint--or at least the parts that you can see.  Herein lies my biggest issue... the move is dark--in an overcast, let's not worry about the details kinda way.  Unlike 2008's Cloverfield, Godzilla in all his glory is disappointing.  This viewer expected to see the Power Rangers coming to the rescue.  Director Gareth Edwards depends too much on shadows to give the film it's atmosphere when a more controlled camera would do.

As I see it, 2014's Godzilla is a mediocre summer film.  Sadly, it won't reboot the monster-movie genre.  If you're desperate to justify wanting to see the film, it does pose some interesting environmental and moral questions.  But I would encourage you to elevate your summer movie experience by seeing The Winter Soldier or X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Book Twenty-One: Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor

In this 'Upstairs, Downstairs' inspired memoir, Rosina Harrison recounts her life as lady's maid to one of the most polarizing figures of the 20th century, Lady Nancy Astor.  Politician, traveler, society maven, Lady Astor was a notoriously iron-willed personality.  Rose, was her lady's maid.

Rose speaks fondly of Lady Astor even when sharing the tiffs.  Originally published in 1975, her stories shed light on a different time with both honesty and frankness.  Rose tells of a hard-working, but honest existence growing up and a series of lesser jobs that led up to service to the Astors.

Despite family scandals, ever-changing travel plans and war, Rose manages to manage her lady and her whims.  What really strikes me is how interdependent the classes were.  There is no disdain here.  Rather, she writes of a equality when it comes to respect for each other and their social status.  Never crossing the line of professionalism, but becoming friends and confidantes despite societal restrictions.

As I see it, Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor serves as a fascinating look into British aristocracy and those who served them. It very much strikes the Downton Abbey chord without being nearly as dramatic.  Seeing the upstairs and the downstairs, this reader isn't sure which flight has more fun.

 

Book Twenty: Paris, My Sweet

What began as a lovely memoir told through baguettes, macaroons, and the darkest of chocolates became a cloying sad-sack tale of woe.  Our heroine gets the chance of a lifetime to leave New York behind to work in Paris.  When the going gets tough our author gets whiny and this book becomes exhausting.

Paris, My Sweet is a love story of Paris and New York from author Amy Thomas.  It's unfortunate that her story becomes an obsession of her single life.  Surrounded by 'Frenchies' as she calls them, she can't get past the fact that she can't hold a 'normal' relationship.  Amid her walks to the boulangerie, Thomas always seems to be unsatisfied with the now, always comparing what she has with what she thinks she wants. 

This book frustrated me to no end.  Thomas' whiny narration grated on my nerves.  By the time she has a breakthrough, this reader was over it.

Book Nineteen: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Book three of Potter's adventures remains my favorite of the series.  This is the book that sees the most growth for Harry as he jumps from child to teen.  His world expands outside of the Dursley's and Hogwarts.  His adventures take on a solemnity here that continues throughout the remainder of the books.

It's been interesting to see this book through the eyes of my niece.  I was surprised that the dementors or the idea of Azakaban didn't create more of a reaction.  I think they would have for me at nine years old.  Serious conversations centered around the Whomping Willow, Peter Pettigrew, Professor Snape or whether Professor Lupin really should have resigned his position are unending.  We both agree that the Maurader's Map would be seriously helpful for a Muggle and we continue to wonder what house we might be sorted to.

As I see it, books are meant to be shared.  Sharing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with my sweet niece further adds to my love and nostalgia for the series.  Seeing her carry that dog-eared paperback warms the soul in more ways than one.

Book Eighteen: The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us

Forget about the elephant in the room.  Did anyone see the gorilla?!  Based upon their study of the same name, authors (and Nobel-prize winners) Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons explore how our brain deceives us.  Not to infer our brains are out to betray us; but rather, examine how society has come to think our memories are infallible.

Under the illusion of attention, I am scared enough to minimize the time I spent driving and talking.  In short, we simply cannot 'multi-task'--our brains won't let us, but we think we can.

Under the illusion of memory, I'm not sure I can ever retell another story.  Why?!  I don't know if it's my story anymore.  Has my brain highjacked and distorted it based upon what I know today?

While I am sure it is not the authors intention, I was indeed fascinated when they 'called people out'.  Again, it was not confrontational.  It was simply to show that while Malcolm Gladwell can infer from his examination of the Hush Puppies company in The Tipping Point that the result of there success was from trendy subculture, the authors call Gladwell's hand in saying 'you didn't prove anything, you just read the results to mean this'.  Don't get me wrong, Gladwell's books are certainly counted as some of my most favorite reads; it was just interesting to see them from another point of view.  As polarizing a topic of autism and Jenny McCarthy's fight against vaccination--again, it's a fascinating look at how data can be skewed to any one's favor.

And on a personally self-righteous note, I am glad to see them take to task authors of such business texts like 'Good to Great'.  Again not for blatant lies--only for not disproving their theories.  You can infer anything from the data gathered; but you haven't proved anything until you examine the companies that have failed.

For my fellow cinephiles, Chabris and Simons goes to Trudy Ramirez a long time Hollywood script supervisor to examine why continuity errors can appear so glaring to the cinema-obessives.  It's not so much that Spielberg doesn't care it could just be the shot is just too good to leave on the cutting room floor.

After reading The Invisible Gorilla, there is only one thing that I am sure of--I don't  know anything.  Herein lies the success.  Self-awareness of over-confidence or memory distortion allows you and I, dear readers, to observe human nature in a new light.  It allows us to question our intuitions thoughtfully and as the authors conclude, "before you jump to a harsher conclusion."