Allimuffin Stuff

Remember The Secret? Oprah made a big thing about it a few years ago, and it become an international bestseller. This book came out in the 1920’s, but makes the same claims. Both are about how your thoughts and words will manifest themselves in your life. If you constantly worry about being hit by a bus, you will manifest yourself into getting hit by a bus. These books claim that the opposite is also true, and can therefore imagine your way to wealth, true love, and happiness.

I started reading The Secret back when it was on Oprah and I found it so absurd that I barely made it through ten pages. All it seemed to focus on was material goods, and wealth. People would ask for a pale blue Mustang GT, and because their faith was strong and pure, a pale blue Mustang GT would magically appear in their lives.  It felt like a joke, or worse, and infomercial for a cult.

The Game of Life is less simplistic, and relies more on the Christian faith to explain why manifestation works (Scovel-Shinn references a lot of Biblical passages). I was actually able to finish it, though I’m not entirely sold on the idea of manifestation. I don’t think you can prevent bad things from happening to you just by having faith, and I don’t think you can have a Mustang GT, in your color of choice, just because you asked for one. Scovel-Shinn never suggests that a bad event can be for the greater good, which is worrisome. No one can live an easy life, no matter how much they pray for one.

One good thing that comes from thinking in the way these books suggest is that it probably makes you a happier person. Believing that you will be successful is a lot healthier than believing you’ll be a failure. And sometimes sanity is it’s own reward.

There’s a popular saying that says ‘God only gives us what we can handle’. Regardless of whether you believe in God, that point of view makes people stronger and less fearful of troubled waters. So, I’m taking this book with a grain of salt—and choosing to think a lot of happy thoughts.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

This movie is, in a word, hypnotic. My roommate is a chronic cell phone-checker, but she stopped looking at her phone twenty minutes in. With minimal music and a very limited color palette, the film draws you in by it’s restraint. And though it unfolds slowly, it manages to never feel slow. Elizabeth Olsen is fantastic. The hype about her is completely justified. There is some nudity, which led to my roommate saying, “She looks so much like her sisters, I feel weird and like I just saw an Olsen twin naked.” 

My Week With Marilyn (2011)

This movie is not a biopic, but it suffers from the same predicament that most biopics suffer from—a great performance encased in a so-so film. Michelle Williams is fantastic as Monroe, capturing her essence despite not looking a whole lot like Marilyn. The rest of the cast plays their real-life counterparts with respect and dazzle. Worth seeing if you’re an acting junkie.

Have your smart phone handy, because if you’re like me and my roommate, you’ll wonder ‘how many years was Marilyn married to Arthur Miller?’ ‘Who exactly is Judi Dench playing?”, “I’ve never heard of The Prince and the Showgirl! Was it a real movie?” etc. Thank God for the internet.

Young Adult (2011)

This is a black comedy that proves being popular and pretty in high school doesn’t mean you’ll grow up to be happy. Even if you look like Charlize Theron. My roommate thought this movie was a bit of a downer, but I really enjoyed it. It’s funny, but has something to say about growing up and letting go of superficial bullshit. Four stars!

The terms ‘introvert’ and ‘extrovert’ are thrown around often to describe people’s personalities. But introverts aren’t always shy, and the term ‘introvert’ is too often thought of as a negative trait in our extroverted culture. In this book, Susan Cain explores the biological differences between the two, as well as the psychological traits that define them. Famous introverts such as Ghandi, Rosa Parks, Isaac Newton, and Steven Spielberg prove that being the life of the party isn’t the only route to accomplishment. 

After reading this book, I wanted to walk around with a sticker that said “Hello, I am an Introvert.” It helped me understand myself better. Even if you’re an extrovert (or an ‘ambivert’, which is a thing), this book is a great way to learn more about the other half. 

Recommended for all my tumblr peeps, ‘cause I bet most of us are a little more on the introverted end of the spectrum!

Drive (2011)

Snapshots of my experience watching Drive with roommates and drinking a 24oz. bottle of Corona on an empty stomach:

• “That shiny, scorpion jacket only works on Ryan Gosling.” Roommate: “Barely.”
• Think it’s hilarious that Albert Brooks and Bryan Cranston are in the same movie, and Albert Brooks is the badass.
• Am unable to stop smiling, even when random henchmen is stabbed in the throat with a fork.
• I yell “No Baby Goose, no!” every time Ryan Gosling does something violent.
• When the silhouette of a hammer appears onscreen, I hide behind a throw pillow. Roommate tells me to stay here.
• The rubber mask-hood thing is the scariest f*cking thing ever and it will haunt my dreams.
• Think it’s so cool that the Driver has a scorpion on his jacket, and in real life, Ryan Gosling is a Scorpio!
• Roommate tells me to stop calling him “Baby Goose”.

Steve Jobs was an amazing man—though he had plenty of demons, his stubborn drive and vision changed the world. Reading this book inspired me on a number of levels. It even prompted me to purchase my first Apple computer. My hats off to him, warts and all.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Last Christmas, my family watched the original Swedish adaptation of this book, so this year we had to see the newest version—because we like horrible violence during the holidays.

I was pretty excited to see David Fincher’s take on the story, which fits into the dark, menacing world he’s created before with Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, and even The Social Network. He delivers quite well, but not in a drastically better way than the Swedish version. There are some obvious differences between the two films, as well as each film and the source material. Nothing crazy is changed in this adaptation except for the ending, which goes for the heartstrings instead of the jugular. Pretty surprising for a film about a serial killer.

I liked Daniel Craig as Blomkvist much more than I liked the guy in the Swedish version, but I think I prefer Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. While Rooney Mara does a good job, and looks closer to the Lisbeth described in the book, Rapace had more spunk. Both are badass’. 

This film is close to three hours long, but it didn’t feel like it. Fincher hasn’t officially agreed to direct the other two books, but I hope he does—my family needs the other two for future Christmas movie-going.

The Graveyard Book is probably the best Neil Gaiman book I’ve read so far. Kind of an odd read for December, but full of spooky fun.