Mad Max // George Miller {Movie}

Ugh. Can I just say -- a plate full of edamame does not constitute “vegetables,” not even with the little bits of shredded carrot. We went out with some of Alan’s friends for this one, and I was not impressed by the Chinese (?) fusion place we went. I think it was supposed to be French/Chinese fusion, but it was just Americanized Chinese take-out with fancy plates and a few odd ingredients. It wasn’t bad, but… meh.

Anyway!  

Why I'm watching
Well, yes, partially Tom Hardy, but honestly the movie looks like great scifi dystopian action.

Where I saw the movie
Middletown. The theater was super tiny… I’m not sure why we went there for an action movie. Once we walked over to the parking lot, I realized I’d been here before with Abby to see that sort of magic-themed Ocean’s 13 bank robbery movie with Morgan Freeman, Ariadne, and the kid who played Zuckerman Now You See Me.

Expectations
Boom.

So how was it?

The entire thing is more or less a chase scene. 

It was pretty much everything you could ever want out of a dystopian action movie. Fantastic cinematography, high caliber actors, self-aware absurdity, engaging characters (heroes and villains!), crazy sets and wardrobe, world building, an impressive lack of spoon-feeding… just solid, awesome, and chock full of explosions. And on top of all that, a female-heavy cast (without making a point of it) and fairly feminist plot.

Mad Max is played by the gorgeous and increasingly non-verbal Tom Hardy, Furiosa by the badass Charlize Theron, and a host of excellent supporting actors rounds out the cast.

Recommendation
Action fans, scifi fans, and/or feminists.

Feels
Like a solid, classic 80s scifi flick -- and I'm not just talking about the visuals. Beautiful cinematography, fantastic world building, simple-but-solid plots and themes, absolute unapologetic absurdity, and none of the overly twisty-turny plot shenanigans that have been so popular in the last decade.

Favorites
I can’t choose. Doof (the guitar guy). The two lead actors, who were able to crunch so much into just one glance that the usual action movie dialogue tropes weren't necessary. The world building. The wives. How every single character was a solid, recognizable, individual personality.

Least favorites
Max was pretty quiet -- which I didn’t have a problem with at all -- but since they went that route, I think they should have made it a more deliberate character trait. There are a few scenes that make a point of how non-verbal he is, but several scenes just seemed a little unbalanced, like they forgot to write in his dialog.

Cinematography
I remember thinking about the cinematography in Blade Runner -- gorgeous, sure, but it was just rammed down your throat. HEY LOOK, STOP AND LOOK, LOOK AT THIS SET, LOOK AT HOW WE SET THIS SHIT UP, IT LOOKS LIKE A PAINTING LOOK LOOK LOOK.

This... was not that. There were a handful of incredibly gorgeous shots, but they always fit with the flow of the movie, had elements of movement and good timing, and told you something about the characters. They weren’t just pretty shots.

And yes, yes I did tag this as road trip.

An Abundance of Katherines // John Green {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
The path to me reading John Green was a strange one. I'm a huge fan of SciShow and CrashCourse, two YouTube channels run by Hank and John Green -- who started their YouTube endeavors with Vlog Brothers. Hank Green is this perfect blend of hot and obnoxiously nerdy but you didn't hear that from me...  Meanwhile, the YA world has been abuzz about The Fault in Our Stars by John Green... yeah, it took me way too long to realize John Green is John Green. That was the little extra push I needed to read these YA books everyone has been in love with.

Where I got the book

I'm actually listening to this via CD audiobook in the car, on the way to my new job (yay!) in Greenwich (boo!) Naturally the audiobook is from Greenwich library.

Expectations
Whiny teenage boy plot; fun, friendly, slightly goofy writing style, if Hank's videos are anything to go by.

So how was it?

An Abundance of Katherines is a nice, gentle, fairly predictable teenage coming-of-age story. It follows Colin, a child prodigy desperate to become a genius, and his overweight and fairly religious friend Hasan. Colin just got dumped -- by Katherine the Nineteenth, the nineteenth Katherine he's dated -- and Hasan drags him on a road trip. They meet Lindsey Lee Wells in a small town called Gutshot, and Colin works on an equation to predict the course of a relationship between any two people.

I really liked it! I mean, it's not groundbreaking, but all the characters were fairly engaging, and it wasn't too trope-y. The plot isn't over-dramatic, it's not driven by avoidable misunderstandings, and all three main characters actually go through their own independent coming of age experiences.

Recommendation
Young adult readers, definitely. But this could appeal to an adult, I think. Local history and small town communities are actually strong themes, not just a backdrop to romance.

Feels
Slow in terms of drama, but lots of stuff actually happens to make the story interesting. Natural, relaxed, but entertaining.

Favorites
Lindsey Lee Wells, hands down. Normal, salt-of-the-earth girl, going through her own independent identity crisis, just like Colin. She feels like a real person, not a side character in someone else's story.

Least favorites
There really wasn't anything annoying or upsetting about the book, really. Literally the only think I can think of to complain about is that the beginning ramps up this "going on a life-changing roadtrip!!!" feeling, but then they stay in the first town they visit for the rest of the book. Even that's not too bad, though; it's almost like this is just a chunk of a larger road trip story.

Writing style
Easy to read, fun, engaging. Definitely gets in the head of a melodramatic (but still relatively level-headed) teenager.

So what did I really think?

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