I decided to watch "The Descendents" last night.  I found it to be one of those well made movies that I either wasn't in the mood for or that just didn't hit me well.  It has some really nice cinematography, the acting is good, but the story is depressing, dealing with a family coming to grips with a vegetative mother who was having an affair.  Not my general choice for entertaining subject matter, and it wasn't SO good that I would feel any desire to watch it again.

I did finish "The Last Dragonslayer" by Jasper Fforde as well, and that is one that I did enjoy quite a bit.  It is another "YA" book that is easily accessible to all ages.  It is also the most straight-forward of Fforde's books.  The story is about Jennifer Strange, a foundling who is an indentured servant to one of the few remaining houses of magic in the UnUnited Kingdoms.  The last remaining dragon lives nearby in a magically warded area known as the Dragonlands.  When it dies, the ward will drop and the land becomes open for whomever can stake a claim (think Oklahoma Land Rush without the possibility of "sooners").  And, precogs from all over have just gotten a vision saying the dragon will be slain by the last dragonslayer on Sunday. 

This book is much more self-contained than Fforde's other books, which contain a general set of references to outside stories or genres.  At the same time, though, it has a very classic Fforde perspective and style.  I really enjoyed it, but wish there wasn't the wait to get the next books in the series (book 2 has been out in the UK for almost a year, I think, and book 3 is due out there next year).