13,99 RON (99 Francs)

The original title is 99 Francs, but even the French changed it to 14,99 Euro eventually. I don’t understand why in Romanian they used 13 instead of 14, but anyway…..it’s one of the best books I’ve read lately and Frederic Beigbeder is starting to seriously challenge Chuck Palahniuk as my favorite author.

Even though the book was written 14 years ago, it still feels incredibly fresh and accurate. It’s sad in a way only “corporate people” could understand and it indulges into pop-culture like it’s something natural. My parents would never get it. After all, the guy does have it all, what on earth is wrong with him?

Octave is leaving the dream: he is a very successful copywriter, he earns an obscene amount of money, he owns nice stuff, lives a life of luxury. Then you find out that, besides the girlfriend, he entertains himself with expensive prostitutes and cocaine.

Life in the office is not easy: clients are difficult, colleagues are stupid, bosses demand the impossible – and even so, he gets away with a lot of shit. Which makes him bored. Sophie, the girlfriend, is one of his co-workers. She was married and he was seeing someone else when they started dating. Of course, that’s not an issue, it was pure passion and he adores her, but now she’s pregnant and he wants nothing to do with that.

Apparently, when a girl tells a guy she’s pregnant, the first thing on his mind is “Do I really want to spend the rest of my life with this?” Well, he decides he wants something else, and by the time his daughter finally becomes more than a distant concept in his head, his life takes a new turn.

Towards the end of the book, things get really weird. You’re not sure if you’re moving into sci-fi territory or if it’s all in his head, but up until that point the story is incredible. I was reading it in the subway and kept thinking “fuck, that’s exactly right”. I guess there’s a Sally Kendoo in all of us, waiting to kick nice people with her shoes (if you don’t get this, pretty please go and watch American Dreamz).

Beigbeder was writing this while actually working as a copywriter himself, and got fired after the book was published. Think of that before dissing the story. Enjoy!

A Bronx Tale

The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.

I like that quote. I think it’s a great line. It reminds me of that Frank Zappa quote recently made famous by social networks: “If you end up with a boring miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it.” A Bronx Tale is a growing-up story, a tale of right and wrong and the importance of father figures. Calogero had two: his father, a relatively poor, but honest and hard-working man, and Sonny, the local mobster. They both love the kid and try to set him on the right track.

How Sonny and Calogero become friends is interesting and is a choice the kid makes early on. Why this relationship is not to blame is what makes the movie beautiful. Seeing this criminal doing right by a boy in no way related to him, telling him to go to school and achieve something in life is a story that seems old, but which is told here with delicacy and sagaciousness.

There are a lot of interesting dialogues: about the three great women you’re allowed in your life, about losing money and not chasing the guy who owes them, about being true to your parents while understanding that sometimes you’re the only one who knows what’s best for you.

At one point, Calogero falls for a black girl and asks his father what to do. He tells him not to pursue her, because it would be difficult and could cause problems. Sonny tells him that, at the end of the day, it’s just him and her under the sheets and that, if he thinks she’s worth it, he should go for her.

The father is played by Robert De Niro, who also made his directorial debut with this. Chazz Palminteri plays Sonny. He’s the one who wrote the script, based on events from his own childhood.  It’s an old movie – 1993 – that you should try and see for the free life lessons it graciously throws at you. Enjoy!

Suits – sezonul 3

Incep sa mananc pe paine seriale despre viata intr-o corporatie si ceva imi spune ca nu e tocmai bine. Pe de alta parte, e trist cand treci pe la dozatorul de apa si nu poti intra in discutia despre ce a facut Harvey saptamana trecuta.

In prima parte a sezonului, toata povestea cu fuziunea ajunge la un punct culminant, moment care nu ii cade tocmai bine Donnei. Cineva s-a luat de Donna! Normal, baietii salveaza situatia, Harvey ajunge in safrsit partener si lucrurile revin la normal. Ma rog, nu tocmai, pentru ca apare Scottie in peisaj.

Relatia dintre ea si domul Specter incepe bine, insa el nu stie cum sa se comporte intr-o astfel de situatie iar, spre final, realizeaza ca exista persoane mai importante in viata lui. Spre sfarsitul sezonului urmator ma astept sa vad o schimbare in relatia cu Donna.

Mike, pe de alta parte, are din ce in ce mai mult probleme cu starea lui de ilegalitate. Totul culmineaza la sfarsitul sezonului, cand  hotaraste sa urmeze o alta cariera, unde nu va fi nevoit sa minta si unde nu va trebui sa se ascunda de reflectoare. Nu sunt tocmai de acord cu chestia asta, orice ar face, va fi urmarit mereu de faptul ca teoretic diploma lui este obtinuta de la Harvard.

Cert e ca acum Mike este un angajat important al unei firme reprezentata de Harvey. This should be fun :).

Sezonul 2

Sezonul 1

 

White Collar – sezonul 4

Primele 2 episoade au fost extrem de frumoase, cu insula, personaje cu trecut dubios, increderea lui Peter in Neal si reciproc, insula. Va spun eu, e momentul perfect sa fugiti pe o insula cu o comoara furata!

Evident, lucrurile se intorc repede la normal. La un moment dat se intoarce si Sarah :). Si e un episod delicios in care Peter si Elizabeth sunt rapiti si isi invata rapitorii ce inseamna un cuplu sanatos.

Partea dubioasa e cu trecutul lui Neal. Treat Williams il interpreteaza pe tatal lui si este un personaj cel putin interesant. Enjoy!

Sezonul 3

Sezonul 2

 

Enemy

I had been waiting for this movie for some time when a friend told me he saw it and that I should watch it. It surprised me that I wasn’t aware it came out – but then again, it’s a psychological thriller that requires patience and thought, of course it was not advertised, it’s not commercial at all.

I was waiting for it because it comes from one of my favorite directors – Denis Villeneuve, responsible for Incendies (can’t believe I haven’t reviewed that one yet) and Prisoners, and it’s based on a book written by one of my favorite authors – Jose Saramago. Obviously, everything was set up to disappoint me.

The film was odd, to say the least. It took something I thought to be essential from the book – for those of you who have read it, they took out that person who also asks about Daniel Santa Clara, who goes to meet one of the characters in the end. By the way, the book is called The Duplicated Man and you should read it.

A thing they added and I don’t understand why are the spiders. I could come up with a metaphor or two for them, but none of them feel right. So, if you’re reading this and you know what I’m talking about, please tell me what you thought about the spiders.

I don’t want to discuss the plot too much. Jake Gyllenhaal does an amazing job, and both Melanie Laurent and Sarah Gadon are a pleasure to look at. While Villeneuve’s previous movie was mostly grey, this one is mostly beige, it’s a heavy atmosphere that perfectly captures the hopelessness of city life, how we’re always alone and the world just evolves towards chaos.

Once, my mother told me her theory about parallel universes. It scared me, because, as a little kid, I just knew I wouldn’t like me if I’d meet me. I still think that. Anyway, see the movie, read the book afterwards (in that order) and then come back and pleeease, let’s discuss those spiders!