Coraline

This movie based on Neil Gaiman's book of the same name is quite good: it tells the story of a brave little girl's battle with an evil witch. It does the book justice, based on my memory of the book, in creating a magical alternate reality that the witch manufactures to lure Coraline into her trap. It's probably too scary for young kids, though.

Dexter

We started watching the first season of Dexter. Creepy, bloody stuff, but the series does a wonderful job of creating a set of compelling characters (and a gripping storyline).

Julie and Julia

An enjoyable little movie: Meryl Streep is stunning in her performance as Julia Child. Stanley Tucci is great as her husband, and it was fun to see Jane Lynch as her sister. The rest of the story (about "Julie") was not very interesting. Nonetheless, the movie is fun to watch.

The End of Overeating

This book by David Kessler, who was commissioner of the FDA, talks about the research showing that the combination of sugar, fat, and salt can be considered addictive to many people. Well worth reading.

A Face in the Crowd

Wow, Elia Kazan's film about media, advertising, and politics (and the corruption that power brings) is fantastic. Andy Griffith got to act his head off, and go over the top in every scene he was in. Well worth watching! It speaks to a more naive time in American history, when media manipulation was much more obvious, in many ways.

Jets!

I missed a lot of the second half, but turned the tv back on to see the Chargers get to 17-14. I still cannot believe the Jets won!

Kathi Roll

Kathi rolls (or kati rolls, I can't tell what the right spelling is from the various restaurant names) are basically Indian burritos. Yummy, and relatively cheap too!

District 9

This film was great! Much better than Avatar, certainly. The main character/actor was hilarious as a nebbish who stumbles into big problems. A definite must-watch if you like science fiction.

The Battle of Algiers

This fantastic film about the Algerian revolution is well worth watching. It feels like a documentary, but it isn't; but it isn't really fiction either. It revolves around historical events of the time, and tells the story of the FLN (the Algerian rebel group) and the French police and soldiers who are tasked with bringing down the FLN. It demonstrates how they wind up succeeding in their short-term goal of pacifying Algiers, but fail at retaining the cost of the country. Probably most apropos to our current war is the scene where the French lieutenant tells the press that his methods (torture) are necessary if France is to retain possession of Algiers.

The Princess of Nebraska

This odd movie about a Chinese woman who travels to San Francisco to get an abortion is very difficult to follow. The cinematography is gorgeous, but otherwise I couldn't appreciate the movie very well.

South Pacific

This revival at Lincoln Center (the Vivian Beaumont Theater) was glorious to watch. If you get chance to see this musical, it is well worth it. A lot of memorable songs, and some really great actors with beautiful voices.