The Sunday Salon: The Help Movie Review

I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett when it first came out in 2009 (my review is here)and then discussed it with my book club last year. It was on my list of best books for 2009 and remains a favorite book for me. I saw the movie together with my book club instead of a book club meeting this month. The Help, the movie is based on the best selling book by Kathryn Stockett  in which both look at  the relationships between the white women and the African American maids that work for them in a southern town in Jackson, Mississippi  in the early 1960's.  

I  believe that they did an excellent job adapting the book to the movie. Although it's been awhile since I've read the book, I didn't notice any significant changes.  I felt it stayed true to the heart of the book. I was drawn into the movie from the start and didn't want it to end. The casting was excellent and true to the characters in the book. They were all outstanding in my mind and I hope to see some academy award nominations down the road. The Help is a movie that engages the audience, even if you have not read the book. I heard laughter, tears, cheers and clapping from the movie theater. It touched my heart and I loved it. This is definitely a must see movie, perfect to see with your friends, book club, for mothers & daughters and couples. 

Weekend Cooking: Julie & Julia Movie Review

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. To see who else is participating go to Beth Fish Reads, Weekend Cooking, here.

I watched the DVD of Julie & Julia with my husband a few weeks ago. I had read the book the movie is based on with the same title Julie & Julia by Julie Powell last summer before the movie was released. You can read my review here. The movie blends the story of Julie Powell and Julia Child's life as told in the book My Life in France by Julia Child. I haven't read Julia Child's book yet. I have a copy on my bookshelf and look forward to reading it. The best part of the movie for me was Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia Child. Her acting was superb and she was very believable and I enjoyed the focus on her life. I didn't realize that she was such a passionate woman and had a very strong marriage. Stanley Tucci played the role of her husband which made for great chemistry between the two.

In all honesty, my husband and I enjoyed the parts focusing on Julia more than the focus on Julie. Since I had read the book, I was familiar with the story of Julie's project to make all the recipes in Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She would do this in a year and write about her experiences in a blog. As a blogger, I loved this part and I think most bloggers would as well. The focus she had on wanting to know that there were actually people reading her blog, the excitement when she got her first comments and the realization that she had readers that supported her and were interested in reading her blog posts. Amy Adams portrayed Julie's anxieties and emotional side quite well. Although, I found her a bit too sweet compared to what I perceived of Julie through reading her book.

The food and cooking was another highlight of this movie. I enjoy foodie books and movies so I enjoyed the focus on food and cooking. You can find Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe that was featured in the movie as it has been made available to download by the book’s publisher, Knopf Doubleday. You can check out this link at delish.com, the authors have come up with versions of the recipes in the movie. I would definitely recommend this fun and enjoyable movie to foodies and bloggers and fans of Julia Child and Meryl Streep.



Disclosure: My copy of this movie on DVD was borrowed from the library. I am an Amazon associate.

Review: Twilight Movie

I read the first book Twilight by Stephanie Meyer last year before I started blogging and went on to read the whole series. It was a fun series to read, even as an adult but it was not great literature. I recently watched the Twilight movie on DVD and am trying to put together my thoughts. I have to say that the movie was true to the book including some of the cheesy, teen angst filled lines from Bella. I wasn't thrilled with the casting of Robert Pattinson as Edward as it just didn't connect with the character of Edward from the book for me. Also, the Cullen family didn't connect with what I pictured from the descriptions in the book, except for Alice who was spot on as a character. Jacob, played by Taylor Lautner, was a good match except for the wig and fake hair. The cinematography and visual effects were beautiful and scenery of the Pacific Northwest were excellent. The baseball scene was exactly as I pictured it from the book. So, overall I would have to say that I enjoyed the movie for what it was, entertainment. I like that it is more of a teen based love story and not a horror film considering the vampire theme. I am more of a team Jacob fan so I look forward to the next movie, New Moon.