Review Day

There are no major spoilers in these reviews.

Gone Girl (R):
The movie version of this book is equally as successful as the book, thanks in no small part to the traditional David Fincher flourishes one comes to expect from his movies. Even the ending, which seems to dribble off the page like a melting ice cream cone, feels more secure in movie format. The only flaw is the horrible sound mixing (almost at Interstellar levels of dialogue-concealment) in several scenes.

Final Grade: A-

Rectify, Season Two:
Season two is still packed with wonderful performances, but lacks much plot drive until the final couple of episodes. For the most part, the show just breezes about as the characters slowly grow and mature like wheat -- this is only bearable because the actors are so good, but eventually it gets old (see also, living in Tallahassee). Free on Netflix.

Final Grade: B

Kind Bar Nuts & Spices Variety Pack:
Rebecca gets Kind bars for her lunch at work, and they're pretty good. Thinking that this variety pack with almonds and chocolate would be equally as good, I bought a box at Costco and was disappointed. There are very few bars in the box, yet somehow they don't last long and aren't very filling -- not cost-effective at all. Additionally, the nuts are larger than most cockroaches. If you don't break a tooth, you'll loose a filling because the bars are shellacked with a sticky coating to keep the nuts from falling out. Overall, these bars are tasty for about 10 seconds, logistically difficult to eat on the go, and pricey.

Final Grade: D

Drinking from the Sun by Hilltop Hoods:
There are no amazing Cosby Sweater-like tracks on this older album, but everything on it is well-crafted and in a consistent Hilltop Hoods style. I appreciated how much variety was put into the arrangements and orchestration, as heard in the title track -- hip-hop doesn't have to be one guy rapping over a tape loop for nine hours.

Final Grade: B