End-of-June Movie Update

--Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy

I went to see X-Men: First Class not too long ago and absolutely loved this movie. I had never seen any of the other X-Men movies and this was a prequel to the others, so it worked for me. Why did I decide to see this one? Because of Michael Fassbender. And James McAvoy. How could I go wrong? I didn’t!!

Anyway, the movie was much better than I had expected. Apparently, there are two teams of X-Men (and women: January Jones, Zoe Kravitz) and this movie shows how the teams were formed. Also, one of the young actors grew up in the Dallas area. I didn’t know that until after the movie. He is Caleb Landry Jones. I recommend this movie because of its ensemble cast, story, and action! There are so many great cast members I did not mention (Kevin Bacon). Once again, for a superb review, go HERE to Kristen at I Think, Therefore I Review's in-depth dissection of the movie.

 

--Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard in Midnight in Paris

Before seeing X-Men, I also viewed Midnight in Paris and Beginners. Of these two movies, Beginners was by far the better movie. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris was really like two movies: one a silly Lifetime television movie and the other a really beautiful look back at Paris in the 1920’s (cinematography, costumes, etc.). Marion Cotillard was outstanding as the girl from the 1920’s that Owen Wilson’s character meets at a party after the Fitzgeralds (as in F. Scott and Zelda) pick him up on the street at midnight one night. He keeps going back to that same spot every night at midnight to meet up with the writers and artists of the Lost Generation. Of course, I was most interested to see how Hemingway was portrayed. This Hemingway was very, very handsome and bohemian, but wasn’t nearly as disheveled and boisterous as I pictured him. But it was the manner that this Hemingway spoke that I didn’t appreciate, as if he was reading his own prose and using all his writing clichés. And there was no mention of his first and/or second wives and son, which figured prominently in this part of his life. Also, the Fitzgerald was too concerned about everyone else (Ernest, Zelda) to really be Scott (not enough self-doubt). The actress that portrayed Zelda was spot on. I didn't think Kathy Bates was that good as Gertrude Stein, but really only in her appearance. The Picasso was superb and so were the Dali and Man Ray. There were so many so quickly it was hard to remember them all. I have enjoyed Owen Wilson’s movies since Bottle Rocket, and I liked his character here. However, the modern day scenes in this movie were just not that enchanting. Wilson’s character’s fiancée was bitchy and spoiled, her parents were snotty, and these characters were flat and had no appreciation of the magical Paris, only of the high-dollar shops and restaurants. Maybe that is what Woody Allen intended, but I felt I was watching a not very good TV movie during these scenes. I would see this movie again just for the opening scenes of Paris and for the 1920’s vignettes.

--Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor in Beginners

Beginners was definitely the best movie out of the three that I have recently seen. Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, and Mélanie Laurent were superb. The film was written and directed by Californian Mike Mills. Plummer plays an older gentleman who was married a very, very long time, but after his wife dies, he comes out of the closet. After he meets and lives with a younger man, he finds out he has cancer. His only child, Oliver, is played by McGregor and Laurent plays Oliver's new girlfriend. The film is shown in flashback from Oliver's point of view, and parts seem to be like a documentary. Beginners is about risk and (and in) relationships. I highly recommend this movie before the others. Ewan McGregor is such an intriguing actor. His performances are always superb. Oh, there's also a cute dog in the film.

Fun Foto Friday: Banksy in Big D?

--Photo courtesy of A. Sansone

I doubt it, but still . . . 

For more information on Banksy click HERE and HERE.

A Ticket to the Circus: A Memoir by Norris Church Mailer

A Ticket to the Circus: A Memoir by Norris Church Mailer

ISBN 978-0-8129-7987-9

Random House Trade Paperback Edition

New York

2011

I have not been in a reading mood lately but needed to fulfill my 52-52-52 Challenge obligation, so I went to the bookstore to kill some time the other day and was trying to think of books I wanted to read. I finally thought of Norris Church Mailer’s book about her life. I didn’t even remember the title, but quickly found it in the biography section of Barnes and Noble. I love the title: A Ticket to the Circus: A Memoir. If you don’t know who Norris Church Mailer is, she is the sixth wife of the great writer Norman Mailer. She was with him for 33 years until his death in 2007. She died in 2010 from gastrointestinal cancer at the age of 61, after suffering many years from the disease. Personally, I did not know very much about Norman Mailer, his life, or his family until this book. The only book of his that I have read about 15 years ago was The Executioner’s Song. Of course, I thought the story of Gary Gilmore and his quest to be executed by firing squad was extremely well written, and had enjoyed previously the movie based on the book. I searched in my memory bank and remembered that I even went to hear Mr. Mailer speak at SMU at one of their literary festivals a while back. I had only read the one book, but I knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear him speak. I have no memory of what he talked about. I was seated near the back of the auditorium. I just remember that I thought he was very old and it might be boring, but his talk was better than I expected. Also, I remember him taking questions from the audience and a young black student in front of me asked him a question about James Baldwin. I bought a poster from that festival as a remembrance, as that was way before I actually took evening classes at SMU and was much more interested in writers and their craft.

I was hooked into Ms. Mailer’s book from the start. I knew she was from Arkansas and happened to meet Norman Mailer at a lecture when he came to Little Rock, but couldn’t wait to find out the circumstances. Can you imagine being a high school art teacher, divorced with a small son, and falling in love with an older guy that is still married to one lady, taking a sabbatical from another, has 7 kids, and is a famous author? Well, that is what happened to Barbara Davis Norris. She left her young son, Matthew, with her sweet parents and moved to New York to be close to Mailer and see how their relationship would work. She also had aspirations as a model and as a painter, so New York was a great escape for this tall, southern-born and bred Baptist 70’s hippie woman.

I liked a lot about A Ticket to the Circus:

--Ms. Mailer writes in a very honest, readable way. I enjoyed reading about her life growing up, her first marriage to Larry Norris during the Vietnam era, and her experiences teaching art to 70’s teens. Even if she never met Norman Mailer, I think she led an interesting life, or at least wrote in such a way as to make it seem interesting to me.

--Norris Church Mailer, John Buffalo Mailer, and Norman Mailer (from www.nytimes.com)

--I enjoyed learning about Norman Mailer and his life as a father and husband, as well as a son and brother. For a serial philanderer who only lived with one of his children past the age of 7, Mailer spent every summer with most of his kids in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and it seems they felt close to one another and enjoyed their relationship with their father. Most of his kids are creative; all have no issues such as alcohol or drug abuse, and all live very productive lives. Ms. Mailer’s first son was Norman’s only stepson and they were close. Her second son with Mailer, John Buffalo, was the only child of his that he lived with from birth to adulthood.

--the Mailer family including his mother and sister (from www.nytimes.com)

--I enjoyed learning about many of the books Mailer has written and really would like to read some of them.

I did not really think Ms. Mailer should have shared a few things, such as how she slept with Bill Clinton before he was governor of Arkansas, but it is her book and her story. Cannot some things be kept a secret forever?

One thing about the book I enjoyed was how pictures were interspersed in the book relative to the time being written about, instead of having an insert in the middle of the book with tons of pictures.

I really wish I could have seen and met Ms. Mailer in person, as I think I would have liked her a lot. She seems to be one of the reasons the children are close to one another. Even though Mailer cheated on her, too, I think he loved her and their life together. I would have enjoyed hearing her read excerpts from her book and talk about her life with Mailer, his children, and her two sons.

Jumping to Conclusions

Not everyday does one get to chat with one of her literary heroes . . . 

--Norton Juster, author of The Phantom Tollbooth

--Milo and Tock jump to the Island of Conclusions (my favorite chapter)

--Iconic cover by Jules Feiffer

--a new young fan

Challenges

 I am participating in a couple of book-related challenges. The first is the 52-52-52 Challenge sponsored by Amanda at The Zen Leaf. HERE is Amanda's posting introducing the challenge and HERE is her posting on the first day of the challenge that mentions how she has already lost 43 pounds, 28 of them this year!

The premise is simple: 52 weeks, 52 books, 52 pounds. You might not need to lose 52 pounds, but attempting to lose a pound a week is a reasonable goal for the majority of readers. Check it out.

As for me, I have not lost a pound yet, but have been tracking my food and fitness for the past couple of weeks and have definitely increased my fitness time. That is victory in my book! Also, I read Bel-Air Dead by Stuart Woods. Not great literature, but always a fun read when Stone Barrington is the main character. And when Woods mixes in his other lead characters, the result is always more fun . . .

**********

Thomas at My Porch and Simon at Savidge Reads are sponsoring International Anita Brookner Day on July 16th. All Thomas and Simon are asking is for readers to try one book by Anita Brookner before this date. I am happy to say I have already listened to two audiobooks by Anita Brookner and am reading a third. The ones I listened to were The Rules of Engagement and The Bay of Angels. I am now reading Undue Influence. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the audiobooks. Ms. Brookner has such a unique style of prose that I really enjoy. Thank you, Thomas and Simon. They have created a stand-alone blog for this celebration and you can learn more about Anita Brookner at this great IABD blog.

Wordless Wednesday: At Grapevine Lake Near DFW Airport

--Wordless Wednesday

Fun Foto Friday: Mavs Come Back in Game 2

The Dallas Mavericks came back in the 4th quarter last night to tie the NBA Final series 1-1. The media seems very biased towards Miami. Let's go, Mavs!

 --Dirk Nowitzki putting the heat on . . . (Photo by Tom Fox of the Dallas Morning News)

And since this is my blog I am throwing in a picture of JJ.

--JJ Barea (Photo by Michael Ainsworth of the Dallas Morning News)

Arkansas Adventure: Part Two

After my driving day to and from Piggott, Arkansas, the next day I explored Little Rock and went to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum. Little Rock is easy to navigate because it has a triangular highway structure (including North Little Rock) and a middle loop.  The library has a unique, modern design. It really is a beautiful and architecturally striking building:

--from www.datravelmagazine.com (Destination America)

Here is another view:

--from www.pleasantlivinghome.blogspot.com

And another:

--from the architects' site (Polshek Partnership Architects)

The Library has four levels: the bottom floor houses a restaurant and meeting rooms, the next level is the street-level entrance and security area with a couple of exhibits such as a Presidential limousine. The second level houses the Cabinet Room replication, as well as a year-by-year timeline and major subject area groupings with memorabilia, and also on the second level is a theatre giving an overview of the Clinton presidency (12 minutes). The third level houses many of the gifts from all over the world and various souvenirs from famous people.  Also on the third level are special exhibition areas such as the Dr. Suess one I viewed. There were many of Dr. Suess's propaganda drawings done during World War II. Also, many of his non-children-oriented works were displayed. I happened to catch the Dr. Suess exhibition near or on its last day.

--Lance Armstrong's 1999 bike and jersey from the Tour de France

--a work by Dale Chihuly that the artist donated to the Library

After approximately an hour and half, I was finished seeing and reading all of the major displays (I didn't do the audio tour). It is good to always have something different to do if I return. The library has a shuttle to take you about a 5-minute walk away to downtown Little Rock to their Museum Store. 

I enjoyed buying a few souvenirs:

--I also bought some Toms shoes that had just arrived at the store. 

I savored the history on display at the Clinton Library, as I have at the two other presidential libraries located in Texas that I have previously visited. I always enjoy the personal correspondence on display and the life story of the subject. It is so amazing to remember all of the major world events that occurred during a particular presidency. 

After walking around downtown Little Rock, I found a fabulous used book store called River Market Books and Gifts. This bookstore is actually part of the Central Arkansas Library System. It is located across from the downtown River Market shopping area and was a nice respite from the heat of the day. The bookstore is housed in an old warehouse and has a couple of levels. There is also a cafe/coffee shop and a nice patio area. I could spend lots of time here on the weekends if I lived in Little Rock. This entire building complex is called the Cox Creative Center and also had a great children's area and displayed lots of art from local artists.

--Cox Creative Center, Little Rock, AR

I ended this day by going to see the movie Thor at a local theatre. An enjoyable escape from the heat that I would rate 3 stars. Chris Hemsworth (see my previous post on CA$H) will probably get more roles after this movie. Natalie Portman was fine as Jane Foster. I barely recognized Ray Stevenson (Titus Pulio from HBO's Rome).