Books, Movies, Music

Here are some of the things I've watched, listened to, and read recently, in case you need any ideas.

Movies

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Fun, irreverent, great actors. If you need some brain candy, this will do.

Kindgom of Heaven- I liked this movie. It provided some interesting thoughts on religion and history to ponder. I don't know how historically accurate it is (probably not very much) but if you enjoy historical epics, this is it. Other reviewers have complained that there isn't a clear side to root for in this movie, and that somehow makes it bad. Personally, I think that is a lazy criticism; the point of the movie is in the motives and deeds of the characters. Each side can have heroes; neither side may be more right or wrong than the other.

Music

Blue Orchid- The White Stripes (single)
Black Betty - Lynyrd Skynyrd (original version)
Black Betty - Dukes of Hazzard Soundtrack (new album)
Jack Johnson - his whole new album
Beck - E Pro (single)

Books

Star Wars: Episode III by Matthew Stover - If you just can't wait. Personally, I think I'll enjoy the movie more after reading this.

Resurrection by Paul Kemp - Another fantasy. Great writer of a good series. Dark and evil!

Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins - Dawkins starts with humanity and traces back the common ancestors of all living things to our bacterial beginnings. Very interesting and well told.

The European Dream by Jeremy Rifkin - A look at the American Dream, past and present, contrasted with the emerging European Dream. Excellent.

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis - Looks at the early Republic through five or six crucial events in history. I learned a lot about Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Hamilton, and Madison reading this. There is quite a bit concerning these men I did not know, and you probably don't either! This book is especially important these days when we have Republicans trying to tell us what the Founding Fathers were like (it's not what they tell you) and what our country was founded on (which they seem to ignore).