News Flash: Evelyn Waugh Was a Dude

We recently saw Brideshead Revisited, which should have been called Brideshead Revisited Revisited. Why? Apparently the 1981 Jeremy Irons version was much better. This film was your pretty standard gorgeous English period piece, in which a large ole castle, Brideshead, features prominently as a main character. And it was a tad wee bit too long. We didn't choose this movie, but tagged along with a friend. So I admittedly didn't know much going in. My post-movie research was most fascinating. Apparently, the original 1945 novel was written by a dude! British Catholics are so funny.

Movies of the Month: April 2008

Lest you think all I do is sit around day in and day out with a book in hand, I'll have you know I also watch movies. Sometimes. Not as much. Here's an April wrap-up (*= saw it in the theater).

Love in the Time of Cholera

The film Love in the Time of Cholera (2007), directed by Mike Newell, is an accomplished and faithful screen adaptation of the modern classic, CliffNotes on Love in the Time of Cholera. This film brilliantly hits all the major plot points whilst successfully avoiding Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez's arrestingly beautiful language, complex themes, and challenging character development. Missing is Garcia Marquez's consideration of the multiple types of love -- filial, marital, or what have you. Instead, the film's viewer is exposed to only the obsessive and sexual variety of amour. Viewers needn't bother themselves with metaphor or struggle with complex characters and themes. I highly recommend this film to any high school student who must turn in a term paper or take a quiz on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's challenging work tomorrow. Indeed, high school boys will surely appreciate the abundant nipple shots placed at regular intervals throughout the film. To most anyone else, skip the movie. Read the book.