Hamlet // Benedict Cumberbatch {Theater}

Quick note on Hamlet, with Benedict Cumberbatch at the Barbican.

First of all, what the hell National Theater, are you allergic to money? This (and most other NT Live film recordings) are only available on limited single-day runs at tiny local theaters; they will never be released on DVD.

My big thing with Shakespeare (not that I'm a connoisseur) is how most performances end up sounding so unnatural -- the feeling might be there, and the words might be well delivered, but they seem disconnected from each other.

Cumberbatch (Hamlet) was actually very natural in most of this production, especially the conversational and comedic sections, although I wish he'd slow down and let us see his conflict during the soliloquies. Sian Brook (Ophelia) actually seemed like she was connecting with her lines, although I didn't like the way she chose to interpret the character. Ciarán Hinds (Claudius) was appropriately dramatic, but he speachified the whole time -- his conversations never felt like he was actually conversing with the other actors. I liked their take on Horatio (Leo Bill). Rosencrantz (Matthew Steer) and Guildenstern (Rudi Dharmalingam) were very natural and heartfelt. Polonius (Jim Norton) stole. the. show.

Crimson Peak // Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston {Movie}

Why I'm watching
I won't say Tom Hiddleston wasn't a major draw, but it's also directed by Guillermo del Toro, and the trailer looks absolutely gorgeous.

Where I saw the movie
Local cinema, after dinner... somewhere. This was less than a week ago, how have I forgotten where we ate?! Bill's Pizza?

Expectations
I've seen it marketed as both horror and Gothic romance, so a mix of the two. The house (mansion) looks creepy and gorgeous. No idea about the plot, though.

So how was it?

"Gothic horror/romance" was spot-on. The movie follows Edith (Mia Wasikowska), a young, rich, high-society American woman who wants to become an author. While visiting her father's office, she meets and becomes entangled with Thomas (Tom Hiddleston), a British inventor looking for investor capitol, and his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain).

The rest is either spoilers, or mostly belongs in the 'favorites' section.

Recommendation
Great for horror fans who don't mind some romance, and don't need a ton of evil/gore/etc. Great for romantic drama fans who don't mind violence and gore. Not great if you're expecting a complicated plot -- you'll figure this one out quickly, and get irked when it continues to act mysterious.

There was more gore than I expected, but it's not just gore for the sake of gore. 

Feels
Gothic. Horror. Romantic. A hint of video-game.

Favorites
Edith blew. it. out. of. the. water. She's confident without getting anywhere close to "spunky," "sassy," or defensive; she's a female author without coming across as a nerdy social recluse; she was clearly born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and it's neither ignored nor whinged about. She isn't perfect, but makes reasonably smart choices. She kicks a reasonable amount of ass against a reasonable opponent. Brilliant. This is a strong female hero.

The set, of course.

I also love the interplay of British and American characters. Edith's father (Jim Beaver) is pure distilled American self-made nouveau riche, set against a British baronet in decline. The Americans' indulgent confusion about his title is adorable. Casting was perfect, especially for Edith, her father, Lucille, and the random socialites. Alan (Charlie Hunnam) was a little blah, but then again, I think he was supposed to be.

I don't know what department is responsible -- set design? casting? wardrobe? lighting? -- but you really got a feel for the era... it didn't feel like a bunch of actors trotting about in period costume.

I have... feelings... about the waltz scene, but I'm not sure if it's favorite or least favorite. I'll consider it favorite, because it seemed historically accurate, wasn't super awkward, and they clearly consulted a professional; the candle metaphor was a dead give-away.

Least favorites
Nothing really stuck out, but I was left with a sense that it could have been better. The ghosts weren't scary or mysterious enough, and (gasp) I was actually a little disappointed with Hiddleston. Then again, that's partly my fault: I read that Benedict Cumberbatch backed out, so I spent the whole movie noticing how much more suited he would be for the role. More on that...

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... spoiler filter disengaged!

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies // Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith {Audiobook}

Wow, that freak pocket of thunder-lightening-downpour was pretty cool. Good thing I had my car windows down.

>:[ 

Why I'm reading
Fantastic work of literature that goes way beyond most of the romantic drivel it has inspired, in both form and depth? Check. Zombies? Also check.

Where I got the book
Audiobook, Greenwich libraries.

Expectations
Pride and Prejudice… and, uh, zombies. I’m not sure how they’re going to combine the two, but I’m guessing just added blocks of text in between chapters, probably involving the army that’s stationed near the town.

So how was it?

It’s a lot more absurd than I thought, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s also a lot more integrated into the book itself -- which is only possible because it’s absurd. I guess I was expecting a zombie outbreak happening just sort of… in the background. Like a romance during times of war. Nope, Grahame-Smith wove it right into the story by turning the Bennett girls into awesome badass ninja zombie fighters.

Despite the zombie spin, the romance is alive and well -- although by necessity lacking some of the wit and subtlety -- and where it survives, the underlying social commentary is wry and absurd.

Recommendation
Fans of Pride and Prejudice who can take a little bit a lot of absurdity; fans of cheesy zombie and/or ninja movies.

Feels
Tongue-in-cheek.

Favorites
Honestly, all of the best parts were from the original, and it just made me want to re-read Pride and Prejudice.

Least favorites
I did enjoy it, but it isn’t anything ground-breaking. Some of the action scenes were repetitive (which will work much better for the movie adaptation) and the absurd humor didn’t always hit the mark. I really hated that certain things were cut out of the original.

Some of the references to "Oriental" combat training got uncomfortably... uh... Victorian, i.e. racist. I'm not sure if I can call that a "least favorite," though, since it isn't entirely inappropriate to the era. 

Writing style
A shockingly good pastiche of Jane Austin’s writing style, although it sometimes gets a little too bombastic when talking about the “deadly arts.” A few subtle jokes about balls, too.

Etiquette & Espionage // Gail Carriger {Audiobook}

I listen to a lot of audiobooks (no way!) on the way to and from work, but at work I’m mostly limited to music, stand-up comedy, and whatever audiobooks I can find on Spotify or Google Play.

UNTIL NOW!

Overdrive sent an email out a few weeks ago that they would be adding an in-browser player, similar to their in-browser reader for ebooks. I just tried it out for the first time, aaaaand it’s fantastic. I haven’t tried it on my phone yet, but the phone app lets you download files to play, so that might be friendlier for my data plan.

Why I'm reading
I was just looking through Overdrive for something to test out the in-browser audiobook reader, and this seemed interesting.

Where I got the book
Overdrive, Greenwich library.

Expectations
Your standard YA fare, hopefully not too self-involved or full of tropes.

So how was it?

Set in a Victorian steampunk era, the Finishing School series follows the rambunctious Sophronia as she’s whisked away Hogwarts-style to Mademoiselle Geraldine's finishing school… except it doesn’t seem to be a normal finishing school. She meets a variety of friends, learns skills like eyelash-flutter manipulation and wafting poisonous perfume, and embarks on various little plots and adventures.

It's definitely meant for the younger side of the YA audience, but it's a nice guilty pleasure read you don't actually have to feel all that guilty about.

Recommendation
Younger YA readers or older readers looking for something quick and fun; fans of the “special school” trope (like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts); steampunk fans.

Feels
Fun, light-hearted, with somewhat believable characters (if not plot).

Favorites
Sophronia’s friends are extremely tropey, but they’re done well and don’t feel fake or forced. Some of the stuff they learn in class is hilarious, particularly anything having to do with their "decolletage"...

Least favorites
There wasn’t anything I particularly disliked. Everything is predictable and tropey, but the story isn’t trying to be anything it’s not.

Writing style
As far as the writing itself goes, I had no urge to pull out the red pen. The teenage characters and fairly simple action/spy plot make this clearly a YA book, but with not quite as much focus romantic sub-plots (although there are several), and Sophronia actually pulls off the “just a normal girl” trope by 1) actually acting like a normal, reasonably headstrong girl, 2) not making a big deal about how normal/not special/average she is, and 3) not describing herself every five sentences. I'm fairly certain I didn't even know her hair color until several chapters in.

The Importance of Being Earnest // Oscar Wilde

I’m pretty sure I read most, if not all, of this on a train -- going to see Hedwig when I finished it up, but I can’t for the life of me remember where I was going when I started it.  

Why I'm reading
Honestly? It was free, and it’s pretty famous. Ironically, in retrospect, the name Ernst was also pretty intriguing.

Where I got the book
Project Gutenberg, read on my phone using Google Books. Get it here.

Expectations
I have no idea what it’s about.

So how was it?

Okay, so this was both shorter and dumber than I thought it would be, as well as being a play instead of prose. It starts with a conversation between two friends, both of whom are guilty of bunburying -- having two identities, one in the country and one in the city, as an excuse to get out of things they don’t want to do. And of course, romantic hijinks ensue.

I’m actually very happy I read this after a few books like Pride and Prejudice… it’s an absurd take on all those little misunderstandings, complicated family relations, and forbidden love triangles.

Recommendation
Fans of absurdities and romantic comedies.

Feels
Lighthearted, trivial, exaggerated.

Favorites
The word “bunburying,” and the cucumber sandwiches.

Least favorites
It’s too stupid for me to love it, but nothing really sucked. What did suck was the opera version I listened to -- or tried to listen to. Awful. And not your typical boring opera sort of awful.

Writing style
Flippant, fast, complex.

Dorian Gray // Oscar Wilde {Movie}

Why I'm watching
I liked the short novel by Oscar Wilde -- and okay, let’s face it, the lead actor is adorable.

Where I got the movie
Browsing the ‘new’ section at the Greenwich library. I always thought my RA classes overemphasized browsing for discovery, but it turns out it’s surprisingly effective. Not only do I run into titles I forgot I wanted to see -- I also find stuff I’ve never heard of, and it’s interesting to just pick something up without any expectations.

Expectations
...not high. Something about the pretty-boy lead actor, and the fact that I’ve never heard of this new adaptation of a very famous short story, makes me think this was a flop, although a high-budget flop.

So how was it?

Surprisingly, the movie doesn’t wander too far from the original plot. It begins with Dorian Gray sitting for an oil painting for his friend Basil, listening to Basil’s hedonistic friend Lord Henry. He becomes convinced that beauty and pleasure are the most important things in life, and sells his soul so that the portrait ages in his place. Dorian pursues a sexual and ultimately sinful lifestyle, staying young and beautiful while his portrait ages and becomes disfigured.

It was actually a fairly good interpretation of the story, with excellent supporting actors and a surprisingly good performance from the lead. They found a pretty-boy actor (a must, for Dorian Gray) who can act. The supporting actors had a lot of… character? They stood out as complex and individual personalities, rather than “Rich friend #1 with black hair,” “rich friend #2 with beard,” and “attractive woman #1.”

The movie did a great job showing the seedy underbelly of high society, too. Instead of getting heavy handed -- or worse, outright explaining it in dialog -- there were interesting moments woven in, and a pretty cool artsy montage blurring the lines of high society, public image, sex, murder, etc.

Feels
Victorian without being a caricature of the era. Dark, but maybe a little to neat and tidy for the subject matter. No pulled punches when it comes to the hedonistic subject matter, but not a lot of actual nudity. Felt a little too clean.

Favorites
Casting for Dorian -- for all of the characters, actually. I was also incredibly impressed by the subtle but strong cultural differences between the Victorian society Dorian leaves, and the one he returns to some 18 years later.

Least favorites
The painting CGI was okay, but I would have preferred a more subtle approach with no CGI at all. The rest of the movie had some idea of subtlety, and then you’ve got some hissing squirming crypt-keeper looking thing going on in the frame. If they left that as more of a subtle, mysterious danger, it would have gotten rid of the B-movie vibes.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

The Queen's Necklace // Alexandre Dumas

Why I'm reading
After Monte Cristo, I wanted to check out the author’s other works. I picked The Queen’s Necklace at random.

Where I got the book
Project Gutenberg (again!)

Expectations
I’m going into this blind, for once. I'm expecting something like Monte Cristo, maybe a little more mystery - robbery? - and less action. But I must say, the first line… "Our old acquaintance, the Marshal de Richelieu, having with his own hands colored his eyebrows with a perfumed dye." What have I gotten myself into?!

So how was it?

I found out after the fact that this is the second book in a series, so... yeah. I might look into reading Memoirs of a Physician and The Marie Antoinette Romances.

The story has three plots intertwined - and when I say “plots” I do mean “plots”. One, enterprising young Jeanne maneuvers herself into the high life she believes she deserves; two, the mysterious Monsieur de Cagliostro takes interest in a doppelganger to the queen; and three, Beausire, the doppelganger’s seedy boyfriend, plans the elaborate theft of a necklace made for the queen.

Recommendation
For readers who enjoy court intrigue, historical dramas, and mistaken identity. Not for fans of action and adventure. If the slow parts of The Count of Monte Cristo were too slow for you, avoid The Queen’s Necklace.

Feels
Sedate, with sparks of mystery and surprise. Lacks closure.

Favorites
The introduction is extremely engaging; unfortunately, it doesn’t have much to do with the story. M. de Cagliostro was my favorite character - almost like the Count, but we’re not told much about his motivations.

Least favorites
The story was slow, and lacked a lot of the tension that made Monte Cristo such a good read. I’m not a huge fan of the whole doppelganger trope - and, even though the queen figures it out fairly early, she does nothing to avoid the typical doppelganger shenanigans. At least everything falls apart quickly and realistically (if not intelligently) instead of building an improbably web of assumptions and mistakes.

Writing style
This is episodic, just like Monte Cristo. Once again the different perspectives are used to create dramatic irony.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!