December, 25, 2005 archives
the family trade by charles stross is book one of a new fantasy(ish) series, and it unfortunately is the sort of book one that totally fails to resolve anything significant. the central idea seems a little well-worn, but the execution is very tight, so it works anyway.
kong!
king kong is too long, but i am not sure what you could really cut out without losing something worth keeping. naomi watts does a great job as the beauty taming the beast of kong, and it is almost possible to accept jack black as the producer who brings king kong to broadway (but, unfortunately, only almost). and the effects are amazing, of course.
the universe tends to unfold as it should
harold & kumar go to white castle is one of those movies that is exactly what you expect going in, and hits all the right notes. neil patrick harris has a hilarious cameo as himself.
and this aside from roger ebert’s review of the movie is genius: “Many people believe the names of In 'n Out and Steak 'n Shake perfectly describe the contrast in bedroom techniques between the coast and the heartland.”
the producers is very funny.
wyrd sisters by terry pratchett is the discworld riff on shakespeare, and is also very funny. an astute observation: “ninety per cent of true love is acute, ear-burning embarrassment.”