Europe

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most WantedYear: 2012Rating: PGLength: 93 minutes / 1.55 hours After the first two movies in the Madagascar franchise explored what it was like for zoo animals to survive in the wild, the natural conclusion to this arc was to bring them into an adjacent space for performing animals: the circus. While this didn't allow for nearly as much individual character development as was in Madagascar: Return 2 Africa (2008), Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) was still a fun ride that looked the best the franchise as ever looked. If anything, Europe's Most Wanted shares more with the first Madagascar (2005) than the second one. The focus on animals performing (including that somewhat annoying "Entrance of the Gladiators" bit that Marty (Chris Rock) does) and the return to Central Park is a good bookend to bring closure to the saga started in the first movie. At least this journey was more purposeful than a mere accident that put the...

Neither Here Nor There: Travels in EuropeYear: 1991Author: Bill BrysonLength: 338 minutes / 5.63 hours Over time, I've found Bill Bryson's books are hit-or-miss for me. I enjoyed his memoir about childhood, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and it was A Walk in the Woods that introduced me to Bryson in the first place. However, since then, I've struggled to find something that's lived up to those two books. At Home came close, but I was really turned off by I'm a Stranger Here Myself. Ultimately, I hoped Neither Here Nor There would fit the bill, but it disappointed me once again. Perhaps Bryson's travels in Europe weren't interesting to me because I haven't been over there myself. Most of the details in this book felt like they would only be understood by someone who knew what Bryson was talking about because they had experienced the same thing. I did appreciate the dueling retrospective look at Bryson's life between...

Tag: Europe

MOVIE: Madagascar 3 – Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)

BOOK: Neither Here Nor There (1991)