Things that give me pause

Committed - As Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem began filming the Hollywood version of Eat, Pray, Love in Bali, Elizabeth Gilbert was putting the final touches on an untraditional, but thoroughly satisfying follow-up to her 2006 bestseller. Committed is a historical, sociological and cultural exploration of marriage and its ever-evolving role in society. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to a giddy, wedding-obsessed bride-to-be, I'd say it's worth a read for anyone who has contemplated what marriage really means ... and how it affects the two individuals it involves.

Check out Ariel Levy's review of Committed in The New Yorker, and Curtis Sittenfeld's evaluation in The New York Times.

Brothers is one of those movies I know will stick with me for a while. I guess you could say this film succeeds on its ability to stir up a wide range of emotions. For me, it was a virtual Molotov cocktail of sadness, excitement, confusion and relief. Tobey Maguire's performance is haunting...riveting to the point of actually inducing cold sweats (granted, I happened to be watching the movie on one of the warmest nights we've had this year, but still....). And Jake Gyllenhal somehow manages to make you fall in love with his character, even though he happens to be a cigarette-smoking, unemployed ex-con. There's something about those soulful brown eyes that does it for me every time.

If you've seen it, I'd love to hear your impressions in the comment section below.