September in Movies and Books

It's the end of the month so time for a check in on how the month was for me in terms of the movies I watched and the books I read.

Movies:

American Graffiti
Under suspicion
Taken
Goodbye Girl
Singing Revolution
12
The Butterfly
Smart People

I think my favorite movie this month was 12. It was the 2007 version, in Russian. (I find it funny that when I watch foreign films and am reading the subtitles, I still want the volume loud enough so you can hear what they are saying - even though I can't understand a word of it! ) Anyhow, the movie is about 12 jurors who must decide the fate of a Chechen teenager charged with murdering his stepfather. It's a fascinating look into how often small single events in our lives shape our decisions for the rest of our lives. It was a wonderful examination of people and how the facts in the trial bore no relation to how the jurors made their decision. I just loved it. It's unusual.

Books:

The other hand
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

I loved both of these books. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was the book for my book club. We had a great discussion about it and then I made a Yemen lunch for us all!

"The other hand" is a book my sister gave to me. It's different. They tell you nothing about the plot on the book cover...and it takes about half the book to find out what happened that was the crux of the book. Intriguing, sad, thought provoking.... I recommend it. The title in the US is "Little Bee". Same book, different titles. By Chris Cleave.

So what did you read and see this month? Let me know your recommendations so I can give them a try.