The Savages

Difficult families, we all can relate, right? In 2007 Tamara Jenkins wrote and directed a simple, fresh and beautiful movie called The Savages, a comedy / drama starring the ever so lovely Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney who also does a phenomenal job here. It is a very moving picture that despite its brilliant cast got lost somewhere under the radar. Walking the fine line between real life comedy and its inevitable tragedy, The Savages is about a brother and a sister who are each coming to terms with their estranged father who is suffering from old age dementia.

Physical and emotional breakdowns, dementia, nursing homes and broken dreams, not exactly a barrel of laughs but Jenkins has written a warm and soothing screenplay that makes these every day occurrences realistic and bearable. The Savages is a bitter sweet movie filled with touching moments, simple and elegant dialogue and poetic / dreamlike images that beautifully contrast the dreary reality.

It is brave enough to address issues we desperately want to ignore and does so in a humane and humorous way that shows both the perspective of the kids and of the father, making it a powerful accomplishment. The subject may not be a laughing matter but there is a lot of humor intertwined in this heartfelt tale that arises from the absurdity of the situations which feel so genuinely familiar.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney, although portraying ordinary and complex individuals, make their performance so natural and effortless that you can’t help but be in awe of these two phenomenal talents. Tamara Jenkins on the other hand has an uncanny understanding for family relations, making her film raw, poignant and compassionate. Her subtle and engaging story is aided by her natural flowing camera movement, powerful details and a multitude of melancholic colors. The Savages is a stunning movie illustrating what happens when children have to become parents.

Let the Right One in

Last night I finished one of the most gruesome books I've read in a long time: Let the right one in by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. It's a contemporary vampire story about a boy named Oskar who is being bullied at school and secretly wishes he could kill his tormenters. Enter Eli, a little girl that just moved in next door. She is sweet, understanding and only comes out at night. Then there's Hakan, Eli's supposed father who likes kids a bit too much and literally worships his "daughter". Add a little murder, prostitution, theft, drugs and pedophilia to the mix and voila, a truly gutwrenchingly great story.

Despite being a vampire, Eli is actually the most humane character of the bunch. Let the right one in is part social novel, part vampire story that bases its horror on the dark side of humanity instead of the supernatural, which adds more horror than some fangs ever could. This fascinating and original vampire yarn is extremely gory and shocking at times but at its core it is a beautiful and touching tale about friendship, loneliness and salvation. Despite its killer reviews, I doubt I'll be able to stomach the movie.

Dawn of the Dreadfuls

Quirk Classics have become a true literary phenomenon due to their remarkable injections of pop culture into classic novels. Pride & Prejudice and Zombies became an unexpected hit and a New York Times bestseller and thus staying true to its contemporary roots, Quirk Classics decided to make a prequel: Dawn of the Dreadfuls concocted by acclaimed novelist Steve Hockensmith. Not only will the origin of the zombie plague be unveiled but also Elizabeth Bennet's evolution from a naïve young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead with a little gut-wrenching romance to spice things up. I can hardly wait!

Material Girl

Yesterday I watched the last episode of BBC's new series Material Girl based on the novel Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edward-Jones. Now I am a huge fan of BBC book adaptations, especially the classics, which are simply divine: great actors, beautiful costumes and realistic sets. In a nutshell: top notch! Naturally the source material is also great, they are classics for a reason and the BBC always brought them in a fresh and highly entertaining fashion.

So I never thought I'd say this but Material Girl was the biggest load of bollocks I have ever seen. I never thought the BBC would be capable of such complete and utter nonsense. The acting was abominable, the plot was predictable and borderline bad and the setting good lord! It was colorful, happy, girly and a complete and utter insult to women who actually have a brain and do more with their life than playing with pompons.

The non-existing story revolves around Ali Redcliffe who is an up-and-coming fashion designer working for Devina Bailey fashion icon / bitch (Devil wears Prada anyone?) She gets fired and with some help from a rich and handsome American starts her own label. Some obvious backstabbing, bitching and boyfriends later, all's well that ends well. Simply sickening!



Ok, I occaisionally read chick lit for diversity's sake, I like to shop put purely on a functional basis and was simply addicted to Sex and the City so I'm not a hater of all things girly and I was quite excited that there was a) a new BBC adaptation, b) something contemporary and c) something funny and girly. How wrong I was! I basically tortured myself for six weeks in a row, hoping it would get better but it simply got worse. I just couldn't believe the BBC, creator of quality TV, was capable of creating such shit. Where are Austen and Dickens when you need them?

I'm still in denial really and am thus blaming the obviously bland and superficial book. I'm not saying fashionista's are stupid but life's more than pretty dresses and pictures people! But that still leaves the acting which is simply painful and over the top. Maybe this was done on purpose to add some more kitsch to the already nauseating mix but all in all, Material Girl is a simple travesty created for brain-dead bimbos and unintentional masochists like myself.

Timothy McSweeney RIP

You probably all know that I simply adore McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the innovative literary journal that combines fresh young talent with great authors and groundbreaking graphics, edited by Dave Eggers. The eccentric and unknown letter-writer who gave his name to this quarterly has sadly died aged 67.

Dave Eggers’ mother's maiden name was McSweeney and when Eggers was eight he started getting strange mail addressed to both him and his mother. They were usually notes written on pamphlets and other sorts of mail that required no postage. The messages were confusing and illustrated, but generally seemed to be written by a man named Timothy McSweeney, who thought he was related to Eggers' mother. Although they made no sense, Dave was intrigued and kept them all.

He didn't know if Timothy was real but in any case the name Timothy McSweeney came to hold an aura of mystery. He was an enigma, a man looking for a home, producing writing that was cryptic and full of longing. Manny years later, when Eggers was conceiving a name for his literary journal, the name Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern occurred to him.

A few years after the quarterly began an intern named Ross McSweeney joined them, he turned out to be the nephew of Timothy McSweeney. Coincidence or fate?

The real Timothy was adopted and a graduate of the Massachusetts School of Art. Sadly, mental illness overtook him and he also struggled with alcoholism. He was institutionalized and began to look for his family. In 2000 Eggers and Ross discovered the melancholy truth behind this mysterious character. Given Timothy's background as an artist and his search for connection and meaning through the written word, they decided to dedicate all issues to the real Timothy who unknowingly inspired a literary revolution.

The Girl with Glass Feet

I finished The Girl with Glass Feet yesterday, the debut novel by Ali Shaw. I don't know if it's depressing or inspiring but he's the same age as me and he also studied English literature.

Anyway, it's about this boy called Midas who lives a rather solitary life on a quaint fictional island were strange things start to happen from tiny butterfly winged cows to albino animals who turn everything white. His only joy in life is taking photographs of his surroundings until one day he meets Ida, a girl who is slowly turning into glass from the feet up. What starts out as fascination slowly turns into love. Together, they try to find a cure for her condition but time is slipping away.

It's basically a modern day fairytale / off-beat love story with lots of strange events, eccentric characters and stunning poetic prose. The book gets off to a very slow start but turns into a wonderfully magical end melancholy experience that is simply beautiful, both inside and out. Fresh, dazzling, I might even use the word gripping here, it sadly leaves readers with a lot of unanswered questions which can be a little annoying to a more grounded reader like myself.

Away we go

This weekend I tried my best to torture my sweet pea with non-sentimental romantic movies, not an easy genre to come by. One of them was Away We Go, a more low key outing by Sam Mendes, low key meaning straight to dvd in Belgium and a nice departure from his stereotypical dark and brooding films.

Away We Go is a comedy / drama starring John (The Office) Krasinski and Maya (Saturday Night Live) Rudolph as soon to be parents who travel across America looking for the perfect place to set up home. No strangers in this road movie but lots of family and friends like Jeff Daniels, Catherine O'Hara, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Allison Janney just to name a few supporting actors in this stellar cast. After many misguided but hilarious adventures and moments of growth and enlightenment, they finally find their true home.

Each character is quirkier than the next, making this simple premises a true delight. The performances are top notch and the dialogues are superb filled with grace, truth and genuine emotion. This movie isn't romantic in the tragic "can't live without you" sense but in a mature every day kind of way, meaning it are the little things that count and it is truly remarkable to watch these characters grow, as people and as a couple, during such an exceptional voyage. Funny, sweet, realistic and somewhat reassuring, Away We Go also has a soothing soundtrack by Alexi Murdoch.

But the main reason I forced my pumpkin to see this exhilarating movie, is because it was written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, his wife. Eggers, who is basically a one man literary institution, is slowly but surely embarking on a blossoming screenwriting career filled with the same edge, wit and warmth that make all his novels little gems. And don't even get me started on McSweeney's, the man is a god!

The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a novel that is finally loosening its grip on mankind. A few years ago, this novel was everywhere. After 9/11 an Afghan writer became famous by telling us the "real" story of his perpetually troubled country injected with an unhealty dose of sacharine and sentiment. This combination proved fatal for the general population and turned The Kite Runner into an international best seller, a book club favorite and naturally a movie.

I'll tell you straight away, that I despise sentiment, tear-jerkers, smaltzy true stories filled with family, tragedy and small children in particular. Before you start thinking I'm a cold hearted bitch or something, I'll eloborate. These stories usually lack true depth, character and plot and rely solely on cheap sentiment which works for some but for me, it just stimulates my gag reflex.

Anyway, The Kite Runner. When I was working at Standaard Boekhandel, this novel together with Hosseini's second fictional outing never left the top 5 despite having been released a few years ago. Everyone was talking about these books, about how rich, devastating and engaging they were. Naturally, I had to see what all the fuss was about.

Firstly, I rarely read non-English writers (shame on me, I know) with the exception of Murakami and Larsson who I also discovered thanks to the word of mouth at Standaard. Secondly, loss, redemption, children and Afghanistan, not exactly my cup of tea but what the hell?

I read A Thousand Splendid Suns first. I didn't quit but it was't great either. Minus the inevitable sentimentality it was pretty predictable: young Afghan girl who is married of to an older brute, has kids and tries to escape. Not exactly original stuff right? So ok, this happens in real life and awareness should be raized but saying it's touching, unique and captivating, I think not. This pobably has also something to do with the fact that I'm not really into non-fiction. I love biographies and all but when it comes to books, I like them fresh, fictional, original and engrossing. That's not a lot to ask is it?

The Kite Runner which I finally got round to reading was more of the same: young boys, best friends, tragedy, war, redemption, happily ever after (for some anyway). Ok, you get a look into the lives of the Afghan people during the rocky 80s and 90s but this is pushed to the background by the boys and their toys.

In the end, I'm happy I got this book from my to be read pile. I can understand why some people love this stuff: history, tragedy, personal growth and politically correct. I'm just not one of them.

Contemporary classics

Introducing the Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions: The Scarlet Letter, Wuthering Heights and Pride & Prejudice aka an innovative new line of amazing re-imagined classic covers designed by Ruben Toledo.

Juliet, Naked

Nick Hornby's latest novel is good but not great. Like all his books the characters are likable, the writing is good, the plot entertaining but there's always something missing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his work but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because his novels are always lacking that certain something that leaves you begging for more. They're fun while they last yet easily forgotten.

His latest fictional endeavor revolves around Annie who has wasted the past 15 years of her life with Duncan, a man who is more passionate about recluse rock legend Tucker Crowe than he is about her. After 20 years of silence, a demo tape of Crowe's hit album Juliet accidently gets unleashed. This album entitled Juliet, Naked changes Annie and Duncan's life in ways they had never thought possible.

Once again, Hornby's novel can be labeled as a coming of age tale with a dash of love and a pinch of parenting and splash of rock and roll. High Fidelity, anyone (minus the parenting of course)? The same themes keep on returning sadly. Although the plot is mildly predictable, the characters aren't that bad ranging from mundane (Duncan, shame on you) to quirky (Jackson, Tucker's neurotic son is simply sublime). The ending was a bit rush-rush and not what you'd expect from Hornby (meaning no Richard Curtis finale) but seeing as the final page indicates Not The End, we'll have something to look forward to.

I may not love Hornby's novels but I truly like it for sheer entertainment value. The critics who labeled his work "the male equivalent of chick lit" were spot on.

Hotel Hell Vacation

When I was a kid, I watched a lot of movies. Video's were the latest craze and seeing as I come from a long line of movie lovers / couch potatoes we'd get a dozen or so every week. This not only nursed my love for motion pictures but also created a lingering sense of 80s nostalgia. For some odd reason my parents never got me cartoons, just comedies and lots of them.

John Hughes, the Brat Pack, Gene Wilder, Labyrinth, John Candy, the great Don Bluth who gave Disney a well-deserved run for their money, Beverly Hills Cop (first movie I "saw" in the cinema according to my mother), basically Eddie Murphy when he was still funny, Tom Hanks before he got all serious on us, the utterly awesome Lethal Weapon... there are just too many classics to sum ip here.

And then there was Chevy Chase and the great National Lampoons movies: Vacation, Christmas Vacation and European Vacation written by John Hughes and the latter was directed by Amy Heckerling who brought us Clueless, every girl's guilty pleasure.

27 years after the Griswalds went on their first wacky road trip, they are back! Sadly, not in a feature film but in a short movie that was created as an advertisement for vacation rentals by HomeAway.com.

Suite 101

I have to confess, haven't done a lot of reading this year. For some reason I just haven't been in the mood but that's all about to change now seeing as I've adopted no less than 8 new books this week. Damn you online sales!
You also might have noticed that my reviews (and lack there of) haven't been as detailed as they used to be because I'm posting my in depth thoughts on Suite 101 now so don't forget to check that out as well once and a while. You can find the link on the left hand side. But I'll save the fun literary facts, anecdotes and opinions for The City. For now, I'm lusting after literature again and I'll keep you posted ;-)