Pride and Prejudice

I’ll continue the book and movie review theme with a combination. A short while ago, I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The motivation was primarily due to a friend’s reference to Elizabeth Bennet going clear over my head. I can only give this novel my highest praise. Its characters are quite extensive and were challenging (for me) to keep straight, but it was completely worth the time spent.

The clever book contains great wit and humor. The characters and their experiences are fundamentally timeless, a quality many find analogous to Shakespeare’s work. In a very impressing way, the elegant title becomes more and more fitting as the story builds. I’d recommend without reservations.

I also had the chance to watch the BBC version of the movie. It was quite lengthy but followed the book extremely well. It was almost like the movie version of a play. I expect anyone’s opinion of the book would mirror this movie version identically.

While literature is most definitely not my profession, engineers must critically analyze and make connections. So, I can relate to the field, but I’m just not as familiar with the surroundings.

In my effort to be ‘educated’ I strive to make and understand other people’s literary jokes and references. Luckily, people don’t usually expect much out of an engineer. How’s that for Pride and Prejudice?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Last night a group of us went to see the premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (aka Harry Potter 5). This was my first Potter experience. The movie took a while to get going, and condensing the 2 hour 18 minute saga to a 100 minute version would have been appreciated. Overall, the movie was definitely entertaining with its special effects. Elements of mythology and ideologies created a complexity appealing to all ages. I agree with the current Rotten Tomatoes rating, 74% fresh.

Inland Empire

Inland Empire was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Dragging on for 3 hours, it was completely incoherent and mundane. I wish I could recover the time I wasted. The only entertainment I found during the movie was musical, which is very surprising because the soundtrack was practically nonexistent. The only humorous element was when a group of girls were dancing to "The Loco-Motion". I did notice a musical connection to the 1999 version of "The Thomas Crown Affair". The song "Sinnerman" by Nina Simone was featured in both movies. It was in the end credits of Inland Empire. IMDB confirmed that it appeared in "The Thomas Crown Affair", and I believe it was also in the end credits. Any help here would be appreciated.

V for Vendetta

This was a great find on Netflix (Saw it on HD-DVD, of course.) Definitely a 5-Star movie, it really makes you think about freedom. It also included a Latin moment: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici which translates to “By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.” Did the movie remind anyone else of Fahrenheit 451?