Breakfast on Pluto // Cillian Murphy {Movie}

Why I'm watching
Who can resist Cillian Murphy in drag?

Where I got the movie
Greenwich Library (new job!)

Expectations
Something in the realm of Kinky Boots and Hedwig and the Angry Inch: sexy, heartfelt, and dealing with gender and human nature.

So how was it?

Good, but not exactly what I was expecting. The story follows Patrick "Kitten" Braden, whose sexuality and gender identity are... never directly examined, but you could say transgender. We see him grow up as an abandoned, feminine, and extremely bratty young man in Ireland in the 1970s, fascinated by the mother who abandoned him.

The movie was a lot more subtle than I was expecting -- definitely an Irish production. And it's very, very, very interwoven with the history and politics of 1970s Ireland (yes, that means car bombs.) I wasn't wrong in thinking this would be like Hedwig; if anything, it was more like Hedwig than I was expecting: raw, confused, and personal-political.

Recommendation
Fans of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 110%. Except the singing.

Feels
Raw, a little mixed up, heartfelt without being melodramatic.

Favorites
The silly spy daydream (hallucination?) was adorable by itself, but really kind of dark in context. I really connected with Kitten's friends; smaller parts, but just as important and interesting.

Least favorites
The CGI birds were unnecessary. Some of the dialog was hard to follow (hey, Irish).

(Sh)It Doesn't Just Happen // Bob Mayer

Why I'm reading
Seemed kinda interesting: a Green Beret's take on some famous historical disasters. The first disaster he covers is the Titanic, and I used to be huge into the Titanic in 3rd grade... yes, right before the movie came out, and no, I was not happy to discover it was a romantic drama instead of an IMAX documentary.

Where I got the book
Another free eBook from LibraryThing Early Reviewers!

Expectations
I didn't really go into this with a lot of expectations, but in retrospect I was expecting more thorough research.

So how was it?

This book might have turned out well -- if someone ran it through a very heavy-handed editor first. And I don't mean the kind of editor who decided you can't start a book with the word "shit," and certainly can't put it in the title. (Yeah, that little change makes the first few lines of this book relatively incoherent. Meanwhile, the word "shit" is censored to sh!t throughout the book -- was this written by a twelve year old?) I mean the kind of editor who will tell you when you haven't supported your argument or need to cut down on the lists. And fix the occasional typo.

The premise of the book -- military trained disaster expert commenting on various historical disasters -- is fairly interesting. I wouldn't think poorly of someone for enjoying it. But unfortunately, it's written and argued like a third grade persuasive essay. He actually ends his introduction by repeating what is clearly his 'thesis statement,' and follows it up with "That is the purpose of this book."

Mayer is heavy on number lists (humans love threes and sevens!). Rule of 7, seven catastrophes. Three reasons to read this book, three reasons to listen to me, three benefits of catastrophe thinking. He insists that it's always seven failures that lead to catastrophe -- never less! -- and fluffs most of his catastrophes to round out the number. He's also heavy on code words. Every single facet of an idea has its own code word, defined at the end of the chapter (the intro includes, but is not limited to: "No-do-over," "Sh!t Happens," "Cascade Event," "Final Event," "Delusion Event," "The Gift of Failure"). One code word is confusingly similar to a common cognitive bias ("Halo effect") but he's using it to mean something entirely different -- and he was a psychology major!

On top of this, he takes a lot of things on faith simply because they make sense to him. He points out that some experts think that binoculars wouldn't have made a difference in the Titanic's fate -- but dismisses it completely ("I'll go with the guy who was there.") Of course you will! If the binoculars wouldn't have made a difference, it invalidates your Rule of 7, that there are a minimum of seven "cascade events," and that stopping any one cascade event will stop the catastrophe!

There were all sorts of other things that drove me up a wall. Mayer counts Custer's failed extermination of Native Americans at Little Big Horn a "catastrophe." He doesn't understand what a Pyrrhic victory is -- I think he confused it with the word "futile." In places you can feel him bending reality to fit his own understanding of the world, like his tangent into how Custer doesn't really count as a real West Point grad (since that would upset his view of military training).

But ultimately, hey, I read the whole thing. The stories were interesting, kind of like reading a Cracked article.

Recommendation
This book would be really great for anyone in charge of disaster planning -- any sort of disaster planning, not just ships/airplanes/military/etc. But it has about as much historical worth as a Cracked article.

Feels
A little bit like an infomercial.

Favorites
I like the idea and the format. And yes, he does make some good points, mostly about disaster preparation (duh) and different ways people can mess up.

Least favorites
Honestly, it's a masterpiece in confirmation bias.

Writing style
3rd grade persuasive essay.

Sherlock Holmes I & II // Robert Downey Jr. {Movie}

Why I'm watching
I've been meaning to see it for a while, and it just so happened to come back in while I was at the circ desk.

Where I got the book
Berlin-Peck Library, returns cart :)

Expectations
Fun, relatively mindless action-adventure.

So how was it?

Fun, relatively mindless action-adventure. Holmes and Watson take on a case with dark magic, mysterious deaths, and politics. The sequel is about the same.

It's not groundbreaking, but the plot was fun, the characters were great, action was good, good cinematography and pacing. It had some bromance and great female characters and no annoying romantic subplots. Sure, there's some drama over Watson being engaged, but it's bromance drama.

Recommendation
If you like Psych, House, or any mostly-humorous interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, you'll love this.

Feels
Fun, a little goofy, interesting without trying to be too twisty or dramatic.

Favorites
Mary being super cool about everything.

Severance // Chris Bucholz

Why I'm reading
I want to start reading more sci-fi, and the summary made this look fantastic. A generation ship, cliques, drugs, costumed orgies(!), meat plants, and a murder mystery.

Where I got the book
Another LibraryThing Early Reviewers ebook!

Expectations
An inventive futuristic world, a murder-mystery plot, probably some so-so YA level character development, randomly capitalized Things and Groups, and a "twist" ending about the purpose of the generation ship. A sci-fi snack.

So how was it?

Severance follows Laura Stein, a vaguely mid-level engineer on the generational ship Argos, which is headed towards a new home in another star system. One of her underlings ends up dead after a routine maintenance assignment, leading Stein to unravel a conspiracy that could rip the ship in two.

It was exactly what I expected... only a hell of a lot better than I expected. The writing was a little clunky (like a YA book) but I don't even care. The world development was fantastic -- imaginative, but still grounded, built into the plot but not harped upon, and completely plausible. The plot never felt too slow, didn't put the main character through dramatic trials just to watch her suffer, and built up foreshadowing without (gasp) being too predictable.

There was a great amount of humor, too, from the friendly piss talk between Stein and her friend Bruce, to the hilariously stupid inhabitants of Argos. The description had me worried, with mention of groups like Breeders and Markers... factions and capitalized Proper Nouns are a big, cheesy thing in YA literature. Yeah, that's not a problem with this book. I won't spoil what the Markers are because it's too funny, but they exist in the same world as teenagers who look at the curved ship walls and spin until they puke (vomit clubs, and they've gone out of style).

N.b. I keep referring to YA books, but I'm not sure if this fits or not. Reading level and entertainment value, yes, YA. But there's a reasonable amount of casual swearing, and honestly, it avoids a lot of the annoying YA tropes.

Recommendation
Sci-fi and action/adventure fans, mystery fans.

Feels
Exciting, fun, a little gritty -- but it doesn't make a point of being gritty, if that makes sense. Dirty and a bit scruffed up. I think I could see this adapted into a movie fairly well. It has an almost comic book vibe.

Favorites
Characters, hands down. He doesn't dig too deep into any of the characters, but they're realistic and fun. The main character is relatable without being Typical Teenage Girl, competent but not especially good or bad at what she does, smart and brave but not unreasonably so, etc. etc. She's just in the right place at the right time, and does what needs to be done. Well, okay, there's one special bit about her -- she's a "canned baby" -- but it's not a big deal.

Least favorites
The writing was indeed a little clunky... I wanted to break out my red pen at points. There were also two side characters I wish had a little more "screen time," so I could appreciate their friendship. But overall, I had very little to complain about.

Writing style
Clunky, yes, but... there are little tiny hints of Douglas Adams' influence. Ramshackle technology, a silly little metaphor here and there, and a storyline that jumps around and doesn't always go where you're expecting. Not perfect, but it has its delightful moments.