![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
May. 24th, 2005
(no subject)
May. 24th, 2005 09:40 amI didn't really have a long weekend as my weekend consisted of work, followed by work, with a side of work.
However, B* and I rented some DVDs on Saturday night. We watched a couple episodes of "The Office". I'm not ashamed to say that I disliked it intensely. I don't like the way it's shot, even though I know that some people might enjoy this. It just reminds me of watching a home video. However, the show is not my cup of tea. I don't like that type of humour at all.
We also watched "Before Sunset", which I liked because of the good dialogue and acting. Ethan Hawke has not aged well. I used to think he was really attractive, but I don't feel that way any more.
However, B* and I rented some DVDs on Saturday night. We watched a couple episodes of "The Office". I'm not ashamed to say that I disliked it intensely. I don't like the way it's shot, even though I know that some people might enjoy this. It just reminds me of watching a home video. However, the show is not my cup of tea. I don't like that type of humour at all.
We also watched "Before Sunset", which I liked because of the good dialogue and acting. Ethan Hawke has not aged well. I used to think he was really attractive, but I don't feel that way any more.
What I've been reading lately
May. 24th, 2005 09:43 am1. Lilac Moon- by Sharon Butala- A non-fiction book about Western Canada and Western Canadians. This book tried to decipher some of the history and ways of thinking of prairie people. It covered our uneasy relationship with First Nations people and the French, the history of farming, and the character of prairie women. I didn't always agree with Butala, and at some points I got tired of reading about her personal history, but it was still a good book.
2. The Middleman and other stories by Bharati Mukherjee- A collection of stories about immigrants in North America. Part of my goal to read more short stories, since I've been writing more of them lately. A decent book, but nothing amazing.
3. The autobiography of Malcolm X- as told to Alex Haley- An excellent book. At times, it was a bit of a slog, but I'm glad that I read it. I learned an amazing amount about history, as well as the history of Malcolm X, which I wasn't very familiar with. I was interested to learn about the various stages of life of Malcolm X. He went through many different personas in his lifetime. I was fascinated to learn that during his time in jail, he read about 15 hours a day. He originally started to become learned by copying pages from the dictionary.
It was very hard to read the section of the book in which Malcolm feels that white men are the devil. This part of the book seemed full of rhetoric and I wanted to quit reading. However, once I got past this part, and Malcolm had his realization and changed his viewpoint to a more encompassing view, I was really glad that I'd stuck with it.
2. The Middleman and other stories by Bharati Mukherjee- A collection of stories about immigrants in North America. Part of my goal to read more short stories, since I've been writing more of them lately. A decent book, but nothing amazing.
3. The autobiography of Malcolm X- as told to Alex Haley- An excellent book. At times, it was a bit of a slog, but I'm glad that I read it. I learned an amazing amount about history, as well as the history of Malcolm X, which I wasn't very familiar with. I was interested to learn about the various stages of life of Malcolm X. He went through many different personas in his lifetime. I was fascinated to learn that during his time in jail, he read about 15 hours a day. He originally started to become learned by copying pages from the dictionary.
It was very hard to read the section of the book in which Malcolm feels that white men are the devil. This part of the book seemed full of rhetoric and I wanted to quit reading. However, once I got past this part, and Malcolm had his realization and changed his viewpoint to a more encompassing view, I was really glad that I'd stuck with it.
The Oscar project "Platoon"
May. 24th, 2005 07:59 pmThe first time I started watching 1986's Platoon , I fell asleep. That was last year. This year, I actually appreciated this movie. It's the story of a young recruit, and the horrors of war, but what really made this film is the quality of the acting. Charlie Sheen is great as the young recruit and Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger give strong performances as his sargeants. Other cast members include Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillon and Johnny Depp. I actually googled Kevin Dillon afterward to find out what he'd been up to, as his performance in this film was quite good and I wanted to see if he was still working. I also found the race relations and the dynamics between the men in the Platoon to be interesting. There are many disturbing scenes in this movie, but I found the scene in the Cambodian village to be particularly disturbing for me personally.
( some things that bugged, including a spoiler )
The truth of the matter is, I don't particularly enjoy war movies. I know that there are people who do, but I am not one of them. Still, I'm glad that I saw this film.
( some things that bugged, including a spoiler )
The truth of the matter is, I don't particularly enjoy war movies. I know that there are people who do, but I am not one of them. Still, I'm glad that I saw this film.
I'm doing a reading
May. 24th, 2005 08:12 pmI'll be reading this Saturday at Our Town Cafe as part of Asian Heritage Month. The event starts at 7:00 pm and Joy Kogawa will be reading too.
Our Town is located at 96 Kingsway, near Broadway and Main.
Our Town is located at 96 Kingsway, near Broadway and Main.