2010 in Movies, and Some Books I Forgot.

I found some more books I read last year!  My record-keeping has been terrible, apparently.  (I wonder if I left anything else out...?)  Below the Forgotten Books of 2010 list, I'm also including a very short list of the very few movies I saw in 2010.

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman (3)
A kid-friendly short story collection.  See previous comments on Gaiman's writing: this is more of the same.  (It's probably a good thing I haven't read anything by this guy since early 2010; apparently I'm getting jaded.)

Work is Love Made Visible: Collected Family Photographs and Poetry by Jeanetta Calhoun Mish (4)
I don't often pick up a book of poetry and read the whole thing, but last year I had the opportunity to join a panel of judges for a writing award, and this one was a shoo-in for the winner. (There wasn't much competition in the poetry category, but even with more, it would've done well.)  This is matter-of-fact poetry, unpretentious and effective.  The writing captures moments from Mish's own life and personalities from her family history in a way that lets you see dirt under nails and creases around mouths.

The Butcher and the Vegetarian: One Woman's Romp Through a World of Men, Meat, and Moral Crisis by Tara Austen Weaver (4)
One of your favorite bloggers publishes a book and comes to Powell's to sign it for you; of course you buy a copy, and (eventually) read it too.  Weaver's book traces her quest for better health all the way to the butcher shop, a terrifying destination for a lifelong vegetarian.  I sympathized with her struggle to feel better, and appreciated her insights on responsibly raised meat.

Whirlwind Wonderland by Rina Ayuyang (3)
A collection of Ayuyang's short comics about the events of her life, from traffic jams and favorite TV shows to visits to family in the Philippines.  She's not a spectacular storyteller, but I liked the genuineness and everyday-ness of her work, especially because much of her everyday-ness is so different from mine.

What It Is by Lynda Barry (5)
Part memoir, part meditation on creativity and the self, part instruction manual for writing exercises (I should really do some of those writing exercises...), all done in a combination of comics and collage that spills and sprawls all over the page.  This decidedly weird book made me a Lynda Barry fan, but ever since reading the louse story I suspected I would be.

And now for the movies:

The Karate Kid (1984) (4)
No, I'd never seen it before.  It totally lived up to the hype.

Up (2009) (3.5)
I'm not a mad Pixar fan like the rest of the planet - they know exactly where my buttons are and have no compunction about hammering on them, which tends to leave me feeling emotionally violated.  Still, in the main, I enjoyed this.  Especially Kevin.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) (4)
Relentlessly entertaining, and a better translation of book-to-screen than I would've believed possible, given that there were 5 books and less than 2 hours of screen time to work with.

Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 1 (2005) (5)
Y'know, all the raves about this show?  Are not exaggerating.  It is really, really, really good.  I need to get my hands on the other seasons this year.  (I didn't, and won't, see the movie.)

The Work of Director Michel Gondry (2003) (4)
Music videos, short films, and commercials, ranging from the beautiful to the disgusting.  Like a series of windows into the crowded head of a completely charming, utterly odd man.

The Iron Giant (1999) (4)
Yes, I've seen this one before.  And yes, it's still a great flick (and so pretty!), though I find the heavy-handed portrayal of the military annoys me more than it used to.

Wit (2001) (2)
A middle-aged Lit professor (Emma Thompson) dies, alone, of cancer.  Probably a great stage play, but a completely depressing movie, especially if you don't know what you're getting into (and I didn't).

Reel Injun (2009) (4)
Great documentary of the portrayal of Native Americans in cinema over the past century.  Lots to learn here, for sure, and left me wanting to see some flicks made by Native Americans for once. 

The Road Home (2001) (3.5)
Chinese film, nesting the story of a young couple in love within a story about the burial of a husband and father.  Beautifully done.

(Yep, that's really all the movies I watched last year. There's no additional forgotten cache of films to tack on in a later post.  Some years are movie-watching years, but 2010 just wasn't one, for me.)