Against the Grain

I hate when I read or watch something that the rest of the world raves about and seems to think it’s the best thing since sliced bread, and I don’t like it.  It happens quite often, like with the Kill Bill movies… or Monty Python.   It makes me feel like I have no taste, or can’t appreciate art.  I know I should be happy to have my own taste and not just say I like things because other people do but … damn!

My most recent experience with this is the book No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.   A friend of mine told me about another of his books that he really liked, so I added it to my list of books to be read.   While looking for it I saw this book and knew they were making a movie from it so it had to be good, right?

Wrong… so wrong.

I couldn’t even finish the book.  I tried really hard, picking it up each night when I got in bed and trying to struggle my way through it.   Everyone loved this book, why didn’t I?   The story didn’t suck, but I just couldn’t follow it and I hated the way conversations were written.

I read more than half and usually by the time I force myself to that point in a book I start to get into it or at least want to find out what happens, but that just wasn’t happening.   Thank god I got it from the library and didn’t spend money on it.  I set it aside and decided I’d just watch the movie.

I DID watch the movie, and while it was easier to follow and the story still didn’t suck entirely, I couldn’t stand it!  It was good most of the way through but then I got to the end, which I never got to in the book, I was sorely disappointed.   I don’t know, maybe I’m just too into Hollywood endings or something, but it left me frustrated and ticked off that I not only spent time trying to read the book but to watch the movie as well!

Maybe it’s a sign of a good movie when it can pull a reaction out of you like that.  I guess some people figure that if a movie can make you feel frustrated that at least it’s having an affect of some kind rather than leaving you not thinking about it at all.  Not me though, if I’m frustrated that means I didn’t like it, and therefor, it sucks.