charlie and the chocolate factory

i didn’t think depp-cum-wonka was nearly as jacko-esque as he’s been made out to be. this movie wasn’t as good as the wilder version, but it was still good, and fun to watch.

nine stories

these white-with-colored-stripes editions of salinger works are perfect for reading on an airplane, then giving to someone else to read as well. sadly, i didn’t quite manage to pass this off to anyone.

war trash

here is another of the handful of books lea got me for my birthday. i don’t claim to know much of anything about the korean war, but this book offers a fascinating insight into both that conflict, and to the recently communized (communist-ized?) chinese culture of the time.

rabbit-proof fence

a beautiful movie set in the australian outback. the (true) stories on which movies such as this are based always amaze me.

tour de france 2k5

the tour de france rolls out of the gates tomorrow, and though i’ll probably not be able to follow it through the opening (long) weekend, you can bet i’ll have my browser windows open to keep tabs on it throughout the rest of the month of july. though i’m not much of a follower of cycling for the rest of the year, i can jump on the bandwagon with the best of ‘em during “the” tour.

all eyes are on the mythic figure of lance, obviously, but even more so this year than previously, due to his announcements that this is his last year. though there is much talk of him needing to “protect his legacy,” i think it’s safe to say his legacy is pretty well established at this point, and, win or lose, he is pretty universally recognized as a hero. i certainly won’t think any less of him if he’s not on the top of the podium after three weeks.