6 posts tagged “two thumbs up”

When indoors and not hanging out in front of the computer doing various things that I should and/or should not be doing, I go read a book.  And the book I've been reading for the past two days was Stargirl, a re-read from about four years back.  I remember crying while reading it back then, and now, years and a ton of life-experiece—ugh, how I detest that term!—later, I cried again.  It's one of those books that mean different things depending on when you read it, but the thing is that there's always something in it that will strike a chord in most adults, more than in the children/teenagers the book was supposedly meant for.

This has to be one of my favorite books.  My sister's on the wait list at the library for the sequel, Love, Stargirl.  I'm going to read it too, of course.

Similar books (not really, though, but these come to mind): The Virgin Suicides (high school nostalgia) and The Time Traveler's Wife (tearjerkiness factor), As Long As We're Together (junior high/friendship).

Finally, I get my grubby hands on this book after numerous delays.  And now I wish I had it on the plane with me to read because the first sentence sucked me right in.  I'm not done yet, but I'm two-thirds into it after only a record two sittings.

As mentioned on the cover, the book is a series of stories revolving around medical students and the kind of lives they lead and the relationships they make.  In the center is Ming, who starts off as a pre-med student at the beginning of the book; she is an achiever with complete focus on her goal of getting into med school, and is trying to find a balance between her strict Chinese upbringing and the more western society of which she is also a part of.  Each chapter of the book is like a slice out of her life, as well as the lives of the people she interacts with, and is written in such a way that it can stand on its own like a short story.  (Then again, they're stories that are so interconnected that they seem like chapters of the book.) 

What I find most interesting is how multicultural the stories are and how the viewpoint shifts with almost every story.  Some stories are in the third person, some are in the first; sometimes it's about Ming, sometimes it's about Sri, or Winston, or some of the other people in Ming's circle.  It's sometimes disorienting but nevertheless still very interesting; it often feels like getting the inside scoop on someone else's private life.  The writing is strong and clear, and there is a nice, even flow to all the stories I've read thus far.  I find it hard to believe that this is Vincent Lam's debut; his writing reminds me of both Jeffrey Eugenides and Haruki Murakami at the same time, with a touch of Amy Tan.  Maybe it's just me, but being reminded of all three is very, very good thing.

I would totally recommend this book, especially for those who are looking for books that have med students, Chinese culture, Canadians, short stories, interesting titles, overachievers (heh), among other things.  And another good thing: at the end of the book is a glossary of medical terms for the rest of us mere mortals.  I find that really considerate and of course that gets brownie points!

Having said all that, I'm now going to go off and finish the book! 

Cashback, by far, is the best movie I've seen in the past couple of weeks.  It's about Ben, a guy who suddenly stops sleeping after a breakup with his girlfriend, who finds out that he could freeze time.  That's just the tip of the iceberg; there's so much more to this movie than that.  It's smart and funny and just the right kind of sentimental in parts.  If I were to have a perfect boyfriend in the form of a movie, this would be it.  And no, it's not a chick flick.

I also happened to watch it on a day when I needed a bit of a mood boost, and I found it in this movie.  Those who know me well know where those bits are; hearing them totally made my day (and pretty much confirmed to me that I am going the right way) and made me smile.

It stars Sean Biggerstaff, better known as Oliver Wood from the Harry Potter movies.  He's all grown up now, less munchkin-cute, a bit more dorky-cute but in that sweet, kind of sexy way that Jake Gyllenhaal is.

So many good reasons to watch this movie!

I watched Bad Guy last night and it was great, as usual.  As expected.  Whenever I want to watch a movie and be completely satisfied at the end, I'd usually pick something by Kim Ki-Duk.  I'm never disappointed.  Maybe weirded out sometimes, but not disappointed. 

So, Bad Guy.  It's about this guy who works as some sort of security person for a brothel and he falls in love with one of the prostitutes, a college girl who I'm guessing works there because she needs to pay for tuition.  He doesn't talk until near the end of the movie, but nevertheless, it doesn't spoil the film.  On the contrary, it makes things even more interesting.

What can I say?  Kim Ki-Duk is a genius.

Two thumbs and all toes up.

I just finished watching Kim Ki-Duk's second-newest movie, Time.  I am at a loss for words.  It's sheer genius, as usual, although this is probably the talkiest of all his movies (because he has movies like Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring and 3 Iron, where the characters didn't even say a word but it was fantastic nevertheless).  Although I like the two I mentioned better, he still is in excellent form here nevertheless.

Time is about a girl who gets plastic surgery because she thinks it would prolong her relationship with her boyfriend.  While she wasn't particularly ugly, she was always jealous and paranoid that her boyfriend was getting tired of her and was apt to replace her with someone new and prettier.  Something like that.  It's slightly a bit more complicated, but in a good, horrific, Kim Ki-Dukish way.

Totally recommended, if I had four hands, I'd give it four thumbs up!