For my sisters Grace and Sam's last Saturday of homework freedom before their semester beings, our family took the afternoon to veg out in the Jacksonville movie theater. Is there any better way to waste an afternoon than to see a couple stories played out on screen? Well as long as you smuggle in less junk food than I did today, I don't think so. I love those mini Reese's cups, but I should never eat an entire bag in one sitting again. Lesson learned.
The first movie was Tron Legacy. I saw the original 1982 Tron about a year ago because I was inspired by the poster on my favorite TV character Chuck's wall. It was soooooo hard to sit through because the "special effects" were pretty horrible and story was super slow. I'm sure it was awesome for 1982, but it's junk compared to 2011 standards. In case you haven't seen it, check out the theatrical trailer...
My nerdiness required that I see Tron Legacy. But based on the previews, I figured I shouldn't set my hopes too high. I found the story again to be super slow and really kind of lame. And they didn't even tell you who the Tron character was until the end of the movie... right before he died. And I have absolutely no idea what happened at the end. While the visual effects and the few action sequences were impressive and entertaining, I can't give a movie my seal of approval if I don't understand the ending. It was fun to watch, but I don't think I'll be seeing it again.
After a short intermission, we went to see Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It's been almost a month since the movie came out, so it's nearly killed me to wait so long to finally see it! I adore the books, but I was a little concerned when I learned they would be straying significantly from the book. While they made a few small tweaks to help the story flow a little better, they only made a couple big but actually acceptable changes.
Instead of the dark island in the book being just another stop in the voyage, it was an island controlled by a spell that frequently kidnapped people in a creepy green mist. And so in addition to the voyage being about finding Caspian's father's lost lords, it was also about saving the people who had been kidnapped by the mist. A little unexpected, but I didn't mind it.
One change I really liked is the length of time that Eustace was a dragon. In the book, Eustace was a dragon for only the duration of the their stay at that particular island. In the movie however, he was in dragon form for much longer. He was able to tow the ship from one island to another on a windless day when provisions were running low. He was also very brave as he fought the scary-by-mom's-standards sea serpent at the dark island. I'm sorry to Mr. Lewis, but I love how Eustace was able to learn a lesson on being helpful and brave before Aslan came along to rid him of the dragon suit.
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is still my favorite of the recent Narnian movies. But Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favorite of the books and it was great to see it on screen and I really did enjoy it. Although I felt kinda silly tearing up at a mouse's speech. I wasn't expecting them to make another film after this one, but a part of the ending made me think that maybe they are going to try to do the next installment, the Silver Chair. If they do, I'll be sure to give a review and outline all the ways the movie differed from the book. You're welcome.
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, December 10, 2010
Going to Narnia! BRB!
In excited anticipation of seeing the new Chronicles of Narnia film "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", I have read the book and I've been reading a few articles online about it. I was shocked recently when I read that the movie was going to stray significantly from the book. I was a little furious at first because who in their right mind would mess with a C. S. Lewis classic and my favoritest Narnia novel?! Oh no they didn't!!! But upon further study, I'm ok with it.
In the book, Prince Caspian is on a voyage to find his father's friends who were sent away during his evil uncle's reign. The search takes him and his crew along with Lucy, Edmund, and their obnoxious cousin Eustace far beyond Narnian maps and into small adventures at each island stop. Although I greatly enjoyed the book, it is a somewhat weak plot line, no offense to my beloved Lewis. According to this article, they are taking some aspects of another Narnia book "The Silver Chair" to make a better story.
While the book's plot line made the story a little slow with no real sense of urgency, I think this change will add more excitement which will help the story work better as a film. Also, this may be an attempt to incorporate as much from the series as possible because I don't think they're planning on making another Narnia movie. It would be awesome to see each of the books acted out on screen, but I don't know that the franchise will survive without the Penvensies who have only small parts if any in the rest of the series. Sure, Lewis fans like me would still hit the theaters, but the remainder of the Narnia books differ greatly from the films already done so I don't know that they would be nearly as successful.
I'm a little curious as to how they merge these two stories together into one movie, but I'm still childishly giddy about seeing this new adaption. The VotDT 1989 mini series on BBC was cool at the time I guess, but the "special effects" need a serious update and I'm glad I get to see it done. Such a book deserves an awesome movie, especially when you can have the voice of Liam Neeson as Alsan. James Earl Jones would make a great Aslan too, but I would make the mistake of calling him Mufasa too often. And we can't have that.
In the book, Prince Caspian is on a voyage to find his father's friends who were sent away during his evil uncle's reign. The search takes him and his crew along with Lucy, Edmund, and their obnoxious cousin Eustace far beyond Narnian maps and into small adventures at each island stop. Although I greatly enjoyed the book, it is a somewhat weak plot line, no offense to my beloved Lewis. According to this article, they are taking some aspects of another Narnia book "The Silver Chair" to make a better story.
While the book's plot line made the story a little slow with no real sense of urgency, I think this change will add more excitement which will help the story work better as a film. Also, this may be an attempt to incorporate as much from the series as possible because I don't think they're planning on making another Narnia movie. It would be awesome to see each of the books acted out on screen, but I don't know that the franchise will survive without the Penvensies who have only small parts if any in the rest of the series. Sure, Lewis fans like me would still hit the theaters, but the remainder of the Narnia books differ greatly from the films already done so I don't know that they would be nearly as successful.
I'm a little curious as to how they merge these two stories together into one movie, but I'm still childishly giddy about seeing this new adaption. The VotDT 1989 mini series on BBC was cool at the time I guess, but the "special effects" need a serious update and I'm glad I get to see it done. Such a book deserves an awesome movie, especially when you can have the voice of Liam Neeson as Alsan. James Earl Jones would make a great Aslan too, but I would make the mistake of calling him Mufasa too often. And we can't have that.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
And Then There Were None
Several months ago, I listed a few books that I wanted to read in the post Summer Reading. While I did not complete my entire list by the end of summer, I did however check one more off that list earlier this week.
While mom was out of town visiting her aunt, my sister and I were covering her shifts as secretary of a nearby church. God bless my mama, she worked hard before and after her trip to make sure that she completed most of her work and that her girls didn't have to do too much. But that left me with a dilemma. I was going to sit in a church office all morning with absolutely nothing to do.
I had wanted to read "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie for a while but just hadn't got around to it yet. And this was the perfect opportunity. So after completing the couple of tasks for Tuesday morning, I settled into the less than completely cushy office chair and began to read. The first two chapters were a little show and boring as I was being introduced to each one of the characters, but then it quickly picked up speed and captivated me. The story was thrilling and intriguing, but not until the end would I realize just how brilliant it was.
The story of the book begins as follows: Ten guests are invited for a variety of reasons to a remote island surrounded by rumor. When they arrive, they are informed that the host would be arriving the next day and instructed to enjoy their first night in his absence. After dinner, they settle into the living room and suddenly a voice is heard calling each of them by name and accusing them of murder. In the next three days, the host is still not there and one by one the guests are killed, leaving the remaining guests and the reader to figure out who is behind the deaths.
I did not think I would like a mystery novel, but this one had me obsessed with finding out who done it. First I thought it was William Blore, who initially lied about his identity and then was discovered to be an ex-investigator. Who else would have known all these details about the guests? And then I thought maybe it was Dr. Armstrong who knew everything possible about different poisons and strong sedatives. And then my suspicions shifted to Philip Lombard, the mysterious survival genius who carried a gun and smiled way too much. All the baddies smile too much, right?
Without revealing the end, I will say that I absolutely did not see that coming. The second to last chapter had me entirely clueless as I had run out of guesses. But the final chapter had my jaw dropped so long I'm surprised I didn't find a fly in there. I admired the total geniosity of the villain, and even moreso the author behind the geniosity who was able to put the entire story together in a way that so fascinates her readers. I was literally on the edge of my seat in anticipation almost the entire time, which consisted of less that two days.
This seriously was an amazing book, and I suggest that all of you read it. Read it, I tell you. Now please excuse me while I raid my sister's Agatha Christie book collection.
While mom was out of town visiting her aunt, my sister and I were covering her shifts as secretary of a nearby church. God bless my mama, she worked hard before and after her trip to make sure that she completed most of her work and that her girls didn't have to do too much. But that left me with a dilemma. I was going to sit in a church office all morning with absolutely nothing to do.
I had wanted to read "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie for a while but just hadn't got around to it yet. And this was the perfect opportunity. So after completing the couple of tasks for Tuesday morning, I settled into the less than completely cushy office chair and began to read. The first two chapters were a little show and boring as I was being introduced to each one of the characters, but then it quickly picked up speed and captivated me. The story was thrilling and intriguing, but not until the end would I realize just how brilliant it was.
The story of the book begins as follows: Ten guests are invited for a variety of reasons to a remote island surrounded by rumor. When they arrive, they are informed that the host would be arriving the next day and instructed to enjoy their first night in his absence. After dinner, they settle into the living room and suddenly a voice is heard calling each of them by name and accusing them of murder. In the next three days, the host is still not there and one by one the guests are killed, leaving the remaining guests and the reader to figure out who is behind the deaths.
I did not think I would like a mystery novel, but this one had me obsessed with finding out who done it. First I thought it was William Blore, who initially lied about his identity and then was discovered to be an ex-investigator. Who else would have known all these details about the guests? And then I thought maybe it was Dr. Armstrong who knew everything possible about different poisons and strong sedatives. And then my suspicions shifted to Philip Lombard, the mysterious survival genius who carried a gun and smiled way too much. All the baddies smile too much, right?
Without revealing the end, I will say that I absolutely did not see that coming. The second to last chapter had me entirely clueless as I had run out of guesses. But the final chapter had my jaw dropped so long I'm surprised I didn't find a fly in there. I admired the total geniosity of the villain, and even moreso the author behind the geniosity who was able to put the entire story together in a way that so fascinates her readers. I was literally on the edge of my seat in anticipation almost the entire time, which consisted of less that two days.
This seriously was an amazing book, and I suggest that all of you read it. Read it, I tell you. Now please excuse me while I raid my sister's Agatha Christie book collection.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Saved By Her Enemy
I mentioned several posts ago that one of the books I wanted to read this summer was "Saved By Her Enemy" by Don Teague and Rafraf Barrak. It's a true story about an Iraqi girl (Rafraf) who comes to work as an interpreter for American news correspondents (including Don) reporting on the war. I'm about half way through the book right now, and it has been quite an eye opening read as I have learned more about the culture of Iraq, and many particular stories have made a lasting impact on me. Here are two short stories that caught my attention.
Rafraf tells about a group of five high school boys. One had told a joke about then-president Saddam Hussein, and a nearby teacher told a local informant of the incident. Later, all five of the boys were taken by officers and were never seen or heard from again. Their families hoped for their return for a long time before finally accepting that they had been executed. All for a joke.
She also recounts her fear of Americans when she was younger. Iraqi children were taught that Americans are murderous monsters. For years, little Rafraf had nightmares about the American in her closet and under her bed. But unlike our "bogeyman" these Americans were more terrifying because she knew they really existed. The Iraqi press told nothing but horror stories about Americans, and since there was no alternative source of information, they had no choice but to believe it.
These two stories in addition to many others in the book thus far have given me a new perspective on my own nation. Our country has countless problems, but I know that I don't have to worry about what will happen if I joke about or disagree with our president. Also, the press can really get on my nerves with their biased reporting, but I am so glad that they aren't government controlled (as far as we know, anyways) and that we have multiple sources of information to turn to. I am so thankful that God placed me here, and I don't need to take my first amendment rights including freedom of speech and press for granted.
Rafraf tells about a group of five high school boys. One had told a joke about then-president Saddam Hussein, and a nearby teacher told a local informant of the incident. Later, all five of the boys were taken by officers and were never seen or heard from again. Their families hoped for their return for a long time before finally accepting that they had been executed. All for a joke.
She also recounts her fear of Americans when she was younger. Iraqi children were taught that Americans are murderous monsters. For years, little Rafraf had nightmares about the American in her closet and under her bed. But unlike our "bogeyman" these Americans were more terrifying because she knew they really existed. The Iraqi press told nothing but horror stories about Americans, and since there was no alternative source of information, they had no choice but to believe it.
These two stories in addition to many others in the book thus far have given me a new perspective on my own nation. Our country has countless problems, but I know that I don't have to worry about what will happen if I joke about or disagree with our president. Also, the press can really get on my nerves with their biased reporting, but I am so glad that they aren't government controlled (as far as we know, anyways) and that we have multiple sources of information to turn to. I am so thankful that God placed me here, and I don't need to take my first amendment rights including freedom of speech and press for granted.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
*SPOILER ALERT*
I did a post a few weeks ago about summer movies, so I just wanted to give an update on that! I had listed several films that I wanted to see in that post (Click here to view it) and I've already seen many of them!! Summers just aren't complete without frequent flicks to the theater, so I've been greatly enjoying this one!
I saw Iron Man 2!! The first one was excellent, I thought, but I'm always nervous when a sequel is made. On countless instances, the sequels are not near as good as the originals. The Spiderman series is a good example of horrible sequels. Ick. Anyways, I thought that this sequel was extremely well done. It satisfied my pyrotechnic side with seemingly endless explosions. Fourth of July came early this year, baby, haha! While the original is still my favorite, this was probably the best "2" I've ever seen. I look forward to what they do with a 3rd one!
I also saw Shrek Forever After! I've always liked the Shrek films, much to the chagrin of my mom who thinks they are a waste of film. But then I tell her that they didn't use film, so it's ok, haha! It was a fun movie to watch, especially when seeing Puss n Boots as a fat pet kitty, but it's not quite as good as the first one. Nothing can beat that amazing piece of hilarious originality.
Price of Persia was... eh. I was really disappointed with this one, because it seemed really great from the previews. I love watching sword fights and the story was great. But the last ten minutes totally killed it for me! *SPOILER! Highlight the next few lines to read the text...* The prince spends the entire movie working towards one goal and falling in love with the princess chica. The situations get progressively worse and the body count rises until right at the end when time is turned back to almost the beginning of the movie so that the prince can stop this chain of bad stuffage before it starts. Interesting concept, but it made me feel like I wasted two hours of my life. I left the theater pretty emotionally unsatisfied. He got to know the princess girl so well, but now he has to start all over!! The ending implies that they'll fall in love again, but that wasn't good enough for me. Dangit.
So yeah, it was frustrating.
And now today, I saw a surprise movie, The A-Team. I looooved watching this show when I was younger, and still enjoy watching when I can today. Must like my love for NCIS, I enjoy the show for how the characters interact, and this movie really grasped that aspect. Again, there were what seemed like endless explosions (and trade-markable car flips all over the place) which made me all happy inside. Some of the actions sequences were a little fantastical, like when they shot down drones with a falling tank. Cool, but ridiculously unrealistic. But it wouldn't be A-Team without that, haha! Overall, it was a good movie, except it had a lot more language than I would have preferred. Although, I laughed as they covered up the really bad words with explosions.
Oh, and I found out recently that C. S. Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader is coming out in December!! Some time ago, the news was that the making of this movie fell through and they weren't able to do it. But I am SUPER excited that I'm going to be able to see my second favorite Narnia book played out on screen! (The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe being my favorite of course) So yeah, I'm super giddy. Happy birthday to me!! Here's the trailer:
I saw Iron Man 2!! The first one was excellent, I thought, but I'm always nervous when a sequel is made. On countless instances, the sequels are not near as good as the originals. The Spiderman series is a good example of horrible sequels. Ick. Anyways, I thought that this sequel was extremely well done. It satisfied my pyrotechnic side with seemingly endless explosions. Fourth of July came early this year, baby, haha! While the original is still my favorite, this was probably the best "2" I've ever seen. I look forward to what they do with a 3rd one!
I also saw Shrek Forever After! I've always liked the Shrek films, much to the chagrin of my mom who thinks they are a waste of film. But then I tell her that they didn't use film, so it's ok, haha! It was a fun movie to watch, especially when seeing Puss n Boots as a fat pet kitty, but it's not quite as good as the first one. Nothing can beat that amazing piece of hilarious originality.
Price of Persia was... eh. I was really disappointed with this one, because it seemed really great from the previews. I love watching sword fights and the story was great. But the last ten minutes totally killed it for me! *SPOILER! Highlight the next few lines to read the text...* The prince spends the entire movie working towards one goal and falling in love with the princess chica. The situations get progressively worse and the body count rises until right at the end when time is turned back to almost the beginning of the movie so that the prince can stop this chain of bad stuffage before it starts. Interesting concept, but it made me feel like I wasted two hours of my life. I left the theater pretty emotionally unsatisfied. He got to know the princess girl so well, but now he has to start all over!! The ending implies that they'll fall in love again, but that wasn't good enough for me. Dangit.
So yeah, it was frustrating.
And now today, I saw a surprise movie, The A-Team. I looooved watching this show when I was younger, and still enjoy watching when I can today. Must like my love for NCIS, I enjoy the show for how the characters interact, and this movie really grasped that aspect. Again, there were what seemed like endless explosions (and trade-markable car flips all over the place) which made me all happy inside. Some of the actions sequences were a little fantastical, like when they shot down drones with a falling tank. Cool, but ridiculously unrealistic. But it wouldn't be A-Team without that, haha! Overall, it was a good movie, except it had a lot more language than I would have preferred. Although, I laughed as they covered up the really bad words with explosions.
Oh, and I found out recently that C. S. Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader is coming out in December!! Some time ago, the news was that the making of this movie fell through and they weren't able to do it. But I am SUPER excited that I'm going to be able to see my second favorite Narnia book played out on screen! (The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe being my favorite of course) So yeah, I'm super giddy. Happy birthday to me!! Here's the trailer:
Monday, April 19, 2010
Summer Reading
With my final school semester coming to a close, I've been spending my spare time wondering what the heck I'm going to do when it's over and I have my associates. While I'm sure I want to take at least an extended break from school, I am considering a second job or picking up some hobbies ranging from art to guitar lessons. So many things are unclear at the moment, but there is one thing that I know I want to do. Read.
School work has prevented me from being able to read anything interesting for quite some time now. In reality, I've read a lot, but it's all textbooks. I even took a class on literature this semester, but it's been pretty horrible apart from a few poems that I actually enjoyed. Come May 9th, I will have plenty of time to read whatever I want, and here's a list of some that I am really looking forward to...
"Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I got about half way through this book during Christmas break, and I am determined to finish it. After watching the new Sherlock Holmes movie, I was inspired to some of his novels and I'm sure I will read more than just this one during the course of the summer.
"Saved By Her Enemy" by Don Teague and Rafraf Barrak. I had set up an interview with the authors of this book for Coastal Daybreak, and Ben was so impressed with the people that he gave me the book and told me to read it. It's a true story in which a news correspondent covering the war in the middle east befriends an Iraqi woman translator. But her life becomes threatened by her own people and the correspondent brings her home and gives her the chance to start a new life.
"And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie. My older sister Sam, a mystery novel enthusiast, claims that this is one the best books she has ever read. Having heard rave reviews from others, I'm pretty sure this is gonna be something awesome. So I'm going to have to figure out a way to steal it from my sister's massive book collection without her noticing...
"Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis. I have had this book in my possession for the longest time, but I have yet to get past chapter three. In just the first few paragraphs, Lewis blew my mind with his simple logic and profound intellect, and then I realized I could only take this book in very small but potent doses. I plan on reading many other writings of his throughout the next few years.
There are countless other books that I would love to read, but I'll start with these few and see where I go from there!
School work has prevented me from being able to read anything interesting for quite some time now. In reality, I've read a lot, but it's all textbooks. I even took a class on literature this semester, but it's been pretty horrible apart from a few poems that I actually enjoyed. Come May 9th, I will have plenty of time to read whatever I want, and here's a list of some that I am really looking forward to...
"Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I got about half way through this book during Christmas break, and I am determined to finish it. After watching the new Sherlock Holmes movie, I was inspired to some of his novels and I'm sure I will read more than just this one during the course of the summer.
"Saved By Her Enemy" by Don Teague and Rafraf Barrak. I had set up an interview with the authors of this book for Coastal Daybreak, and Ben was so impressed with the people that he gave me the book and told me to read it. It's a true story in which a news correspondent covering the war in the middle east befriends an Iraqi woman translator. But her life becomes threatened by her own people and the correspondent brings her home and gives her the chance to start a new life.
"And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie. My older sister Sam, a mystery novel enthusiast, claims that this is one the best books she has ever read. Having heard rave reviews from others, I'm pretty sure this is gonna be something awesome. So I'm going to have to figure out a way to steal it from my sister's massive book collection without her noticing...
"Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis. I have had this book in my possession for the longest time, but I have yet to get past chapter three. In just the first few paragraphs, Lewis blew my mind with his simple logic and profound intellect, and then I realized I could only take this book in very small but potent doses. I plan on reading many other writings of his throughout the next few years.
There are countless other books that I would love to read, but I'll start with these few and see where I go from there!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Finally, They Asked My Opinion!
After months of analyzing short stories, poetry, and now tragic plays, the textbook finally asked me what my thoughts were concerning the ending of the tragic play "Oedipus the King." For those of you who don't know, this story consists of Oedipus rising to immediate power, but then realizing that he had murdered his father and married his mother, resulting in ultimate humiliation and exile. Sounds great, right?
So apparently, I'm supposed to think that the story was refreshing. According to my textbook, Aristotle believed that "after witnessing a tragedy, we feel better, not worse – not depressed, but somehow elated." Yeah, um, that didn't happen.
By the time Oedipus was gouging his eyes out, I pitied the character. I definitely did not feel better after reading such a tragedy. Now I realize that my opinion of literature is much different than that of supposedly great writers like Sophacles and Shakespeare. While their tragic stories can sometimes seem so true to life, I read books as an escape from everyday life.
I enjoy stories with happy endings, like Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice, and the Chronicles of Narnia. If I know that a book or movie does not have a happy ending, I will not take the time to read/watch it! Maybe I'm just a wuss, but I cried all the way through the movie P.S. I Love You and was upset for days afterward, and X-Men 3 made me depressed for at least three days!
So yeah, my opinion is that sad stories are annoying and happy stories are the way to go. I have yet to see whether or not my English teacher agrees, haha!
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