Your one-sentence(ish) catch-up post

So, it was the holiday season, and I read and watched a bunch of stuff without posting anything.  My bad.  Here's my take on it all.

Movies!


Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (I have no idea how to punctuate that)
Super fun!  Saw it in IMAX and was definitely worth the extra $5 or whatever.  I don't have strong opinions about/really remember the other movies, but this one was a really entertaining and nail-bite-worthy sequel.  Catch it in the theater if you're even vaguely interested; I bet it won't be as good at home unless you have a real butt-kicker of a television.

Winter's Bone
Haunting and excellent.  One of those movies I'm glad I saw but never want to see again.  Jennifer Lawrence was as good as everyone says--can't wait for Hunger Games!

Midnight in Paris
Cute and dorky.  It's probably fun for everyone but more fun if you catch all the references to Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and the like, which I didn't even manage despite my Comp Lit degree.  (shame)

The Descendants
Well-acted and compelling.  A little too "grief-porn" for my tastes (thanks to whoever came up with that phrase in reference to the AMC series The Killing--it fits well here) but I couldn't look away from Clooney and that girl from ABC Family.  And it was funny and sweet at times too, not all sadness.  Certain to generate Oscar buzz.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Unique and brilliant adaptation.  That super long book became a pretty long movie, but the condensation of an incredibly detailed manuscript somehow didn't glaze over much.  Incredibly suspenseful throughout; beautiful cinematography.

Sherlock Holmes (not the new one)
I love Robert Downey, Jr.  The end.





TV seasons!
Dexter, season 6
Thank you, Showtime preview weekend.  Not as good as the other seasons.  Still better than most shows I'm watching on other channels.  And what a cliff hanger!  (Problem--spoiler alert--Deb and Dexter?  for real?  what's up with that?)



Books!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (Mindy Kaling)
Be my friend on Goodreads for a slightly longer review.  Funny most of the time, rarely hilarious.  Pick it up if you're an Office fan.

Before I Go to Sleep (S.J. Watson)
Also a longer review on Goodreads.  A Memento-style amnesia mystery, beautifully written and suspenseful to the end.

Room (Emma Donoghue)
Another suspense, this time a best-seller.  Narrated by a five-year-old, which is both impressive and obnoxious.  The plot was exciting but the pacing was a little off--the last half of the book was downhill for me.  Still, worth a read if you want something quick.