True Love

When Jennifer Lopez brought her Dance Again World Tour to my city I was excited. It was her first worldwide concert tour and to see her perform was in my To do -list. The evening was one of the greatest moments of my life. The atmosphere in the concert was amazing. I know Jennifer Lopez is not the worlds greatest singer or actor, but she can take her audience and the warmth of her personality really came through. She has this unbelievable aura, she’s magical on stage, she’s beautiful and she is truly a great performer.

When I found out that True Love, her first book, was to be publiced, I was eager to get it and read it. I pre-ordered it and it came to me as soon as it came for sale.

The book is just as beautiful as Jennifer. A lot of pictures and honest talk about her problems with her low self-esteem, lack of self-respect and the divorce form Marc Anthony. Lovely pictures, not just those where she’s all dressed up, but with children and without makeup (she’s so beautiful).

It’s also interesting to read all the details about her Dance Again World Tour. I wish I had had this book before I went to see the concert, because I realised, when reading True Love, how much details and stories there are behind every song and every detail. How much of herself she actually gave us that day. But I must admit, I felt it, I truly did. In a concert as huge as it was, everything is planned, of course. But I didn’t realise that she was telling her story through this concert. Now, when I realise it, it’s even more beautiful and amazing.

I read the book in one day, I just couldn’t let it out of my hands. Jennifer Lopez has been my idol a long time. She has achieved so much by working very hard. Music, movies, perfumes, clother, she’s done it. I wish I had this kind of determination to pursue my dreams. It truly needs determination to achieve as much as she has.

This book is a gift to her fans. If you are not interested in Jennifer Lopez, well, you don’t want to read this book. True Love is a delightful, honest, touching, funny, inspiring and heartbreaking book and I loved it. It’s also comforting to know that no matter how huge a star you are, you’re still a human being with all the problems and happy moments of life.

I can’t judge this books literary value and I think that I don’t have to. Because that’s not the point of this book. The point, to me, was to get to know a little about a woman named Jennifer Lopez. The point also was to enjoy,  see beauty and have a pleasant reading experience. That’s what it offered me. After this book, I’m  bedazzled and full of positive thinking. Thank you!

American Hustle

Many movies that are nominated or have won an Oscar aren’t on my favourite list of movies. I went to see American Hustle with some doubts.

I loved the acting in this movie. Christian Bale was great with his belly and toupée. So was Amy Adams (she’s so beautiful) and Jennifer Lawrence. Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner were the same as usual. I think Bradley Cooper was better in Silver Linings Playbook. I don’t know what to say about Jeremy Renner, to me his an average actor.

And then to the story. I think it was a little bit boring. In the middle of the movie my concentration got lost for a while. I got it back, but it told me that the movie was not so great as I wanted it to be. I didn’t feel anything special after the movie. To me, that’s a significant minus.

The movie was not bad nor it was great. American Hustle has great costumes, set desing, music and acting. It’s just that the story wasn’t interesting enough. To be honest, based on all the praises, I expected more. But American Hustle was worth the watch, one time. After this one time I can forget about it.

Behind the Candelabra

I only know the real Liberace by name and I know how he looked. Still, I wanted to see Behind the Candelabra. I saw the trailer of the film a while ago and immediately knew that I wanted to see this movie.

It seems that Liberace was quite a character. All that glitter and shine, and the candelabra and big pianos. Both Michael Douglas, as Liberace, and Matt Damon, as Scott Thorson, make an outstanding performance. Stunning and very intimate performance. Michael Douglas and Matt Damon are moth actors that have made many very masculine roles, so this was different, but not in a bad way.

Behind the Candelabra tells both touching and sad story. There is true love, trust and affection between these two men. There is also jealousy, loneliness, vulnerability and possessiveness. One of the most intimate moments of the movie is when Scott sees Liberace without the huge wig that covered his bald head. All in all, I’m left with a feeling that Liberace was a lonely, confused man who desperately wanted to hide his true self from the public. He loved Scott but was kind of lost in his own world that he smothered this young man and wanted to make Scott someone else, a younger version of himself. And Scott let all that happen.

Behind the Caldelabra is a love story that doesn’t end well. In other words, a story of life. It is so sad that Liberace had to live his whole life hiding his true self. And it’s sad that all the people around him took part on this show.

I liked Behind the Candelabra. I’m not able to say how true or accurate it is, I’m not familiar with the story, but both Michael Douglas and Matt Damon deserve my applause. And we should not forget Rob Lowe as Dr. Jack Startz, a plastic surgeon who operates both Liberace and Scott Thorson. Hilarious character.

In The Pleasure Groove – Love, Death & Duran Duran

I’m happy that this book was not available when I was a teenager. I felt deep love for John Taylor, the bassist of the band Duran Duran. My love for him was blind, he was flawless and the most perfect man in the world.

Years went by and I became an adult, so my enthusiasm decreased (luckily), but I was quite excited when I read that John Taylor was writing a book about his life. In the pleasure groove – love, death & Duran Duran was an interesting and great reading experience. Because Duran Duran was one of the most significant things in my life when I was young, my feelings for the band are still very warm. Reading this book brought back many wonderful memories.

What does this book tell you about John. Success doesn’t bring happiness. Alcohol and drugs mess up your life. On stage, performing, he was happy. After, lonely and confused.  John tells his story honestly and I love that.  In The Pleasure Groove – Love, Death & Duran Duran has opened new realistic perspectives about a phenomenon called Duran Duran. The book is also a story about survival. John’s life is better now, without alcohol or drugs.

Biographies are not my favorite form of literature and I only read biographies if the person in somehow meaningful for me. This book was just that and I feel very lucky that I was able to read it. I’m not able to give any critique, I’m too partial for that.