Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, I intended to stay up for perhaps another hour and read another hundred pages or so; I was about a hundred pages into it. I ended up not getting to bed until I had finished the last 700+ pages at three in the morning. It's still unmistakably a Harry Potter story, but I hesitate to call it a children's book. Darker in tone and heavier in content, Rowling is definitely allowing her work to mature. The only problem I had with the book was that it became difficult to like Harry. He became too moody and self-absorbed; in short, too much of a teenager (though I can't say I wasn't that way in my own adolescence; can any of us?). One warning and mild spoiler (in case you haven't already heard): something very sad happens in the climactic scene; prepare yourself for it.

Started: 2003-07-27 | Finished: 2003-08-02

Purchase from Amazon

Nope. Not even a sympathy star. This movie was awful. The writing was tragically unfunny, the editing was amateurish, and the direction suffered from a serious lack of timing. The story suffered from a serious lack of continuity with the previous films and the characters devolved into mere caricatures of themselves. The few scenes that might have had the capacity to be funny were destroyed by a total lack of timing and any understanding of comedy. Shallow, stupid, and simply dreadful.

Viewed: 2003-08-02 | Released: 2003-07-23 | Score: F

IMDb Page

This was the kind of movie that really draws you into the story and makes you care about it. I don't normally care about horse racing at all, but I found myself holding my breath during the racing scenes, and felt like cheering each time Seabiscuit won one (many of the audience members did, in fact). Chris Cooper will likely not get an Oscar nod, because although his performance was brilliant, it was probably too understated to be noticed (which is unfortunate because that's exactly what the role required). Tobey Maguire, on the other hand, may be nominated; he is really starting to mature as an actor. The only problem with this film, and it may be a bigger problem to some than it was to me, was that the writer/director didn't seem to fully make up his mind whether he was making a movie or a documentary. Each aspect of the film would have been interesting to watch, but the combination seemed to clash.

Viewed: 2003-07-25 | Released: 2003-07-21 | Score: B

IMDb Page

Such an interesting novel, at once hilarious and tragic. I wasn't crazy about all of the ideas put forward in the book, but I can't deny that I found it gripping. There's something bordering on insane about Vonnegut's writing, and it intrigues me to no end.

Started: 2003-07-16 | Finished: 2003-07-23

Purchase from Amazon

I had a great time watching this movie. Yes, the action sequences defied physics and, yes, a lot of stuff was extraneous to the plot, but it was a fun movie. Don't think of it as an action movie with good one-liners, think of it as a comedy with fights and explosions. And there's plenty of comedy: the dance scenes, the costumes, and, of course, Bernie Mac.

Viewed: 2003-07-17 | Released: 2003-07-17 | Score: B

IMDb Page

The fourth installment of the Legacy of the Alldenata saga concludes the Human-Posleen War series. It lived up to the first three novels, if it did resort to a bit of deus ex machina in the end. I would have been upset with all the loose ends, but Ringo made it clear in his afterword that he will be writing more about these characters (although perhaps after a not-too-brief hiatus).

Started: 2003-07-09 | Finished: 2003-07-13

Purchase from Amazon

I've been a huge fan of Gene Wolfe since I first picked up his Book of the New Sun series about five years ago. His novels are dense and it can be difficult to get to the core of them. A single reading is never enough to figure them out. But, oh!, they are so beautiful! The Fifth Head of Cerberus was my favorite of his books for a while, but Peace may be giving it a run for its money.

Started: 2003-07-02 | Finished: 2003-07-09

Purchase from Amazon

This was a welcome change of pace after Nietzsche. Ambrose's book is a bit biased, and since it was so short and covered so much he didn't have time to really delve into any of his topics, but it was still a good read and I think I can apply the highest praise that can be given to an historian: it made me want to learn more about the people and events he described.

Started: 2003-06-28 | Finished: 2003-07-01

Purchase from Amazon

I read this book as a part of my continuing quest to read all the books I was supposed to have read for various classes. It didn't take me long to remember why I skipped it the first time around. Nietzsche is a racist, a chauvenist, a classist, and, in general, a jerk. I disagree with the basic premise of his philosophy—that the basic and sole important drive in people is the will to power—as well as most of the conclusions to which it brings him. Nevertheless, he was an important influence on so many thinkers, so I suppose it wasn't a total waste of time.

Started: 2003-04-30 | Finished: 2003-06-26

Purchase from Amazon

This may be the best comic book movie I've seen. The character of the Hulk is one of the more interesting in the Marvel universe, which gave the film a solid backbone. Nick Nolte was very good, and Eric Bana was quite decent. The editing was a bit jarring at first, but it really made it seem like I was reading a comic book.

Viewed: 2003-06-21 | Released: 2003-06-16 | Score: B

IMDb Page