Movie: Inception

I had heard great reviews for Inception so I convinced my husband to go see it (with the agreement that he could go online on his phone if he got bored--IF there wasn't anyone sitting near us). So we went and um.....yeah.

I was a fan of Leo back in the Romeo and Juliet and Titanic days, so seeing him all grown up and heavier was kind of blah for me. But I've seen previews of other movies where he looked even heavier than in this movie--so I guess I shouldn't complain. Plus, he was fine in this.

I guess my biggest thing was that it was sort of confusing: a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream (I think that's enough dreams--I may be forgetting one). And the special effects were good too, but not like orgasmically good or anything. It just sort of reminded me of the Matrix movies in terms of visual effects. And that girl from that high school pregnant girl movie wasn't that great--at least to me. She just seemed unbelievable in every aspect of her character; she still looks high-school aged and we're to believe that she's a serious architect student at the top of her class, able to grasp the whole maze of dreams thing and blah blah blah...just no.

So, I guess you should go see it if you want to see what all the hype is about, but it's probably not worth it. Get it on Netflix or something and see something else instead.

I give it 2/5

Book: Eva by Peter Dickinson

Eva by Peter Dickinson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This futuristic story is about an adolescent girl whose brain is put into a chimp's body in order to save her life after an accident destroys her own. This happens because her father works for a company that studies chimps, so she becomes part of the company's research.

I would have thought Eva would be more angry about having to live as a chimp for the rest of her life, but she seems to take it well--I think this is because she had spent a lot of time with her father and the chimps he studied. In fact, she knew the chimp whose body she now inhabits. She is able to communicate orally using a specialized keyboard that gives a voice to her words.

It was interesting to witness the changes that Eva goes through as her mind comes to terms with having lived as a human for over a decade, but then having to live as a chimp. At first Eva spends more time in the human world--she lives at home with her parents and she even attends school. But, as time passes, it appears as though she feels more of a connection with the chimps being studied.

I liked this book; I listened to the audio version of it, and I have to admit that it was entertaining listening to the reader make chimp grunting noises.

I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy futuristic stories, human/animal relations stories, or simply like stories about the strange and bizzare.

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Book: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is a really good book! Yeah, it's for kids, but I totally recommend it. I just got the audio book version of book two, called Catching Fire. Book three is released on August 24. I hope Collins can keep up the good writing for the entire trilogy, as sometimes does NOT happen with these types of books.

Well anyway, here's my review:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this future society, there is no more United States; instead, Panem is divided into twelve districts, each of which must hold a drawing once a year to see which boy and girl will compete in that year’s Hunger Games. The Hunger Games were designed to remind the people of Panem that the Capitol has complete say over what goes on everywhere and that fighting back is futile. So this is why, every year, 24 adolescent participants kill each other off in a Capitol-made arena until there is one participant left—the winner.

Katniss’s name is drawn as that year’s female participant, while a boy she hardly knows named Peeta is drawn as that year’s male participant. Before she can truly grasp what has happened, she is saying goodbye to her mother, sister, and best friend, then being whisked away on train headed to the Capitol, where they provide her and Peeta with all the luxuries one could ask for before being left to fight for her life in the arena.

This is an excellent book that had me hooked from the beginning. The Hunger Games is the first book in The Hunger Games Trilogy. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Katniss and Peeta as they move forward from the terrifying experience of the Hunger Games. For those who enjoyed reading about the fight for survival in a futuristic society, give the Exodus trilogy (Bertagna) a try.

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Blindness by Jose Saramago

Blindness by José Saramago


My rating: 1 of 5 stars
While driving in his car, a man suddenly goes blind. This blindness isn't the "normal" kind; rather, he "sees" white instead of darkness. As more and more cases like his pop up, the government decides that a quarantine in an old mental institution is the answer. However, the quarantine doesn't work...everyone (in the entire world?) loses their site and society falls apart.

This might have been a good book, but it is a grammatical nightmare. Saramago must have felt that neglecting to use any sort of structure in this book would provide the reader with the feeling of chaos--the same sort of feeling the characters are feeling. All I felt was frustration. None of the characters even had names.

If someone were to rewrite it using even some rules of grammar, this book would have been much more enjoyable.

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