Looking for Alaska by John Green

I don't know how I ended up on this book, probably from a list of things that are highly rated. That was before I knew it was a movie, and that John Gren was such a famous writer of cutting Young Adult literature. That's okay, though. I guess I don't have young adult stuff. Part of me feels like a loser if I get into stuff for kids that was made after I became and adult. Maybe I've seen too many creeps trying to get in with the youngsters. 

This book is about teenagers who go to a private boarding school in the south, where they smoke cigarettes and plan famous pranks. When tragedy befalls our little friends, they do what they can to dig deeper into the whole thing. That's about all I can say without spoiling it. Maybe you've already seen the movie. I'm going to have to see it too, but I probably won't be telling people how much better the book is. Not because the book is bad. It's actually really good. You understand. 

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This book is about a young team of dreamers and game designers who hit it big. It's about the romance of working obsessively with your best friends on a project of passion and ambition of heights never before dreamt. It's about the depth of friendship that can form from such an experience, and the struggles their relationships face as they become very successful and life happens. If you have any feelings at all, you'll probably like this book. It'll really get you. 

The Push by Ashley Audrain

I had a brief phase of reading dramatic, murdery thriller type things. And I think there's a new trope for stories told by mothers whose favorite children were murdered by their least favorite children. In this case the mother was the only witness and there is no proof. Even She questions what she suspects to have seen. But she cannot let go of this suspicion, causing everyone in her life to turn on her. The Push is a dark, juicy ride for sure. 

Pig (feat. Nicolas Cage)

I don't know if it's just me, but there seems to be much buzz about Pig. Lots of people with revered, astute opinions on film are chiming in. And do I feel entitled to join the conversation? No. But I am a real fan of Nicolas Cage, and this movie secures my opinion that he's in more good movies than anyone. One of those good movies is Pig.

It's the story of a famous chef who leaves all the bull shit (as he calls it), to live in the woods with his pig, his cookware, and his cassette tapes. Who hasn't wanted to join the likes of Thoreau and live a life of pure substance? So our hero, Robin Feld is about as cool as you imagine. He doesn't talk much, but everything he says is filled with wistful meaning.

In the event that you haven't read more telling reviews of this film, Robin's pig gets kidnapped in a dramatic scene (I can still hear the screams), forcing our hero's return to the city in search for one of the only things worth caring about. I kept expecting some type of Nick Cage action scene or Nick Cage freak-out, because you don't at first know what kind of guy Robin is. And I feel like this expectation, only aided the immersion of Pig's wonderfully moving scenes. There were some hokey moments, but not enough to pull me from the edge of my seat. Pig is an instant classic, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves their pet and likes good food.

1. Raising Arizona
2. Leaving Las Vegas
3. Red Rock West
4. Adaptation
5. Pig
6. Birdy
7. Wild at Heart
8. Joe
9. Guarding Tess
10. Dog Eat Dog
11. Color Out of Space
12. Mom and Dad
13. Peggy Sue Got Married
14. Zandalee
15. City of Angels
16. Bangkok Dangerous
17. Drive Angry
18. Lord of War
19. Gone in 60 Seconds
20. Matchstick Men
21. Vampire's Kiss
22. Con Air
23. Face/Off
24. The Boy in Blue
25. Honeymoon in Vegas
26. Amos and Andrew
27. Moonstruck
28. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
29. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
30. Bringing Out the Dead
31. The Family Man
32. Knowing
33. It Could Happen to You
34. 8mm
35. Looking Glass
36. Between Worlds
37. Left Behind
38. Ghost Rider
39. The Humanity Bureau
40. Next
41. The Weather Man
42. 211
43. The Croods

Joe (feat. Nicolas Cage)

Joe is like a super hero film, but our hero isn't super at all. He has no powers aside from the fact that he's a boss among the crew of outlaws who work with him, poisoning trees so the lumberjacks don't have to get their hands dirty. Still, Joe has to do the right thing, and all the while, doing the right thing keeps getting more dangerous.

While many of Cage's heroic roles haven't aged well, Joe gives us a very modern, immersive experience. It is gloomy and emotional, for those of us who don't naturally feel emotional over the events in films like Ghost Rider. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Joe without feeling disturbed.

So I guess you get more bang for your buck with this one. It's not for everyone, and maybe not for watching more than once. Maybe this is the kind of film all those edgy, 90s directors wanted to make, but couldn't. Instead they kept themselves from going too far. Though I guess the makers of Joe intended to go as far as possible.

However, they knew what it takes to make a good film. Even the worst of lives have their best days. And it is the best of films that remind us of how those good times felt. In addition to the talents of Cage, we get star performances all around, bringing the villains and the demons all too close to our own realities.

Despite Joe's goodness, I can only dish out so much love to the format of a hero story. Amid Joe's challenges along the arch of his story, none of the characters go through any satisfying, internal changes, leaving us with a lack of dimension. But gosh, I'm probably expecting too much.

1. Raising Arizona
2. Leaving Las Vegas
3. Red Rock West
4. Adaptation
5. Birdy
6. Wild at Heart
7. Joe
8. Dog Eat Dog
9. Color Out of Space
10. Mom and Dad
11. Peggy Sue Got Married
12. Zandalee
13. City of Angels
14. Bangkok Dangerous
15. Drive Angry
16. Lord of War
17. Gone in 60 Seconds
18. Matchstick Men
19. Vampire's Kiss
20. Con Air
21. Face/Off
22. Honeymoon in Vegas
23. Amos and Andrew
24. Moonstruck
25. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
26. Bringing Out the Dead
27. The Family Man
28. It Could Happen to You
29. 8mm
30. Ghost Rider
31. The Humanity Bureau
32. Next
33. The Weather Man
34. 211
35. The Croods

211 (feat. Nicolas Cage)

In 2018's 211, Cage plays a bad cop in Massachusetts, named Mike. His name doesn't really matter. None of the characters need to be identified beyond their typical roles. The title of the film refers to a police procedure in response to a robbery. So, Cage, a bad cop, gets to be a hero in a big deal bank robbery done by some military ass holes. Cage's ass hole looking son plays one of them, wearing an ass hole-looking haircut.

Like a direct-to-video tape, 211 plays out like some kind of propaganda movie, pretending it's real, and just as good as any other kind of violent cop movie. During the robbery and romp of very well executed gunshots, I kept expecting someone to pray and make God save the day, depleting all relevance from the rest of the story. The idea behind 211 isn't so terrible, but that's no excuse to do everything badly. If it weren't for my promise to hate The Croods, I might rank 211 at the bottom of my list.

1. Raising Arizona
2. Leaving Las Vegas
3. Adaptation
4. Birdy
5. Wild at Heart
6. Color Out of Space
7. Peggy Sue Got Married
8. City of Angels
9. Drive Angry 10. Lord of War
11. Gone in 60 Seconds
12. Matchstick Men
13. Vampire's Kiss
14. Con Air
15. Face/Off
16. Honeymoon in Vegas
17. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
18. Bringing Out the Dead
19. The Family Man
20. It Could Happen to You
21. 8mm
22. Ghost Rider
23. Next
24. The Weather Man
25. 211
26. The Croods

Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel

After a few pages, I thought this would be the equivalent of a Harlequin Romance, only longer. The font seems big, and the spaces between the lines are huge, like in an abridged classic from the (not to be named) dollar store.

My mom reads Danielle Steel, or she used to. And I didn't expect Steel's 100th novel to be so heavy. It's about a hugely successful photographer named Hope, with a tragic past and a lot of money. She meets the perfect guy who turns out to be less than great. Many times I had to put this book down, because it conjured so many dark feelings, wondering about my past relationships. I wasn't all that bad. Still, I really cared about sweet little Hope.

Now I'm left wondering about Steel's other novels. She's written over a hundred, and I do plan on reading a hundred books this year. Maybe my mom can steer me in the right direction.