Firsts for 2006

• First Book Read: The Dog of the Marriage by Amy Hempel - I found this book of short stories to be insanely over-rated. I picked it up from the library on a whim, I figured that since so many of my favorite authors seem to praise Hempel to the highest heavens, it seemed pretty likely that I'd enjoy her work too. Alas, stories about middle-aged divorced women have never been my cup o' tea as it were.

Verdict: Disappointment, not worthy of first book status. I am now working my way through The Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. I have never read Borges before, mostly because I found the fact that his first and last names rhyme troublesome. Regardless, I find that so far, I find that I either immensely enjoy his short stories, or am completely disinterested in them.

• First Film Watched in Theatre: King Kong - Having never been a fan of blockbuster movies of any sort, I went along simply because I was invited and didn't want to go home yet. The endless chasing, chasing, chasing and weird creatures popping up everywhere got to be a little tiresome, but the cast was fabulous and I must admit to tearing up a wee bit at the end.

Verdict: Every bit as inventive as the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Peter Jackson sticks to his vision and manages not to mangle one of the most memorable films in cinema history. The characters were brilliant - and fiercely believable - Jack Black's performance as a scheming film director was pitch perfect. That Billy Elliot kid even dances a wee jig! The reference to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness was a nice touch - just imagine what Jackson could do with Apocalypse Now. Yikes!

• First film rented: Dear Frankie - A Scottish film about a mother who tells her son that his father is in the navy and stationed at ports around the world. She writes letters to her son, Frankie (who is deaf) under the guise of his father, and Frankie replies - sending his "da" letters to a post office box in Glasgow, which his mother checks once a week. They soon learn that his "father's" ship is due in Glasgow and Frankie is excited to finally meet his dad. In order to protect him, she hires "The Stranger" to pose as his dad for a day.

Verdict: I'm a sucker for British films - especially those which focus on the underdog - the down and out. Dear Frankie is similar in that right to the aforementioned Billy Elliot. The story is so captivating and the characters so bloody endearing!!! It really was a gem of a film.

P.S. "The Stranger" is played by Gerard Butler, ( www.imdb.com/name/nm0124930/ ) who is going to be my new boyfriend - just so you're all aware.