The Hurt Locker (2009)

Crazy wild man takes bomb disarming duty in Iraq. Not bad, but not great.

Two is Enough: A Couple's Guide To Living Childless By Choice by Laura Scott

I think one would only pick up this book if one had a hesitation about the question of whether to have kids. Since I did, and even though I'm not in a couple so the question is largely a theoretical one for me, I thought it might be an interesting read. And in fact it was. First of all, there is some relief in a misery loves company way in its discussion about how every (straight) couple of child-bearing age seems to receive pressure to have kids. I'm not sure it's the case in liberal metropolitan areas, but it appears to be true in 'family oriented' suburbia.

The main focus of the book is a non-statistical interview based survey by the author of childless (or the more positive: childfree) by choice couples. It presents their most common reasons for not having kids. (And no, "We are selfish jerks" is not one of them. In fact, sometimes it's very nearly the reverse, something like: we've thought it through and kids would not benefit having us as parents.) The basic idea being helping couples new to the decision process decide by looking at the satisfaction of other couples who decided one way or another and on what basis.

Red Cliff (2008)

Tells the story of the historically noteworthy battle at the end of the Han dynasty. But not a terribly notable film except for the somewhat good looking actor Takeshi Kaneshiro who is 3/4-Taiwanese, 1/4-Ryukyuan (Japanese) and plays the Shu strategist Zhūgě Liàng.

Departures (2009)

A film dealing with death in Japan, but interspersed with humor. There is a deft touch in the handling of the protagonist's own death in the family.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Liked London here. A bit of a buddy pic with the polished Watson looking after the brilliant (but somewhat unhygienic) Holmes and vice versa. Some pretty CGI.

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