Fantasy casting

30 Days of Movies: A Movie That Makes Me Happy

2012-02-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's a little tough to come up with a movie that is a) not my favorite movie and b) not one of my favorite comedies but c) makes me happy.

There is, however one movie that puts a goofy smile on my face every single time I watch it, and that is this:

A Lot Like Love starring Amanda Peet and Ashton Kutcher.

I can't even say how many times I've seen it. Dozens. And every single time, I giggle like crazy when Amanda Peet puts stuff in her nose. I smile like a big idiot when they start singing along with Chicago in the car.

Plus, I really, really do like Bon Jovi.

I found this challenge on Carolina Robin's Blog:

Day 1- Your Favorite Movie
Day 2 - The last movie you watched
Day 3 - Your favorite action/adventure movie
Day 4 - Your favorite horror movie
Day 5 - Your favorite drama movie
Day 6 - Your favorite comedy movie
Day 7 - A movie that makes you happy
Day 8 - A movie that makes you sad
Day 9 - A movie that you know practically the whole script of
Day 10 - Your favorite director
Day 11 - Your favorite movie from your childhood
Day 12 - Your favorite animated movie
Day 13 - A movie that you used to love but now hate
Day 14 - Your favorite quote from any movie
Day 15 - The first movie you saw in theaters
Day 16 - The last movie you saw in theaters
Day 17 - The best movie you saw during the last year
Day 18 - A movie that disappointed you the most
Day 19 - Your favorite actor
Day 20 - Your favorite actress
Day 21 - The most overrated movie
Day 22 - The most underrated movie
Day 23 - Your favorite character from any movie
Day 24 - Favorite documentary
Day 25 - A movie that no one would expect you to love
Day 26 - A movie that is a guilty pleasure
Day 27 - Favorite classic movie
Day 28 - Movie with the best soundtrack
Day 29 - A movie that changed your opinion about something
Day 30 - Your least favorite movie

30 Days of Movies: My Favorite Comedy

2012-02-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

This is going to echo the sentiment I had about the first day of this challenge: ONE Favorite comedy?!? Impossible!

Except this time, it really is impossible.

I cannot, absolutely cannot pick just one favorite comedy. Top ten? Well, if you insist...

Here they are, with a few choice quotes from each. (really in no particular order, all ten of these can tie for first place on any given day):

#10: The Princess Bride-

"Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!"

"I told you!"... "Yes, yes, you're very smart. Now shut up."

"We'll never survive!"... "Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has."

"Mawwiage."

#9: 10 Things I Hate About You-

"What's a Bogey Loenstein?"

"I'll let you get back to Reginald and his quivering member."

"Should you be drinking if you don't have a liver?"

"I'm thinking of getting a Tercel. Yeah. That's a Toyota."

This quote.

#8: Bring It On-

"Cheerleaders are dancers who have gone retarded."

"This is a cheer-ocracy."

"Dude. You just lost."

"Don't play dumb. We're better at it than you."

#7: Dumb and Dumber-

"Man. That John Denver's full of ****."

"Those your skis?"... "Yeah."... "Both of 'em?"

"We've got no food, we've got no jobs, our pets' heads are falling off!"

"Whoa. Look at the butt on that one!"... "Yeah. He must work out."

"More like... one in a million."... "So you're saying there's a chance!"

#6: Ferris Bueller's Day Off-

"It's a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school."

"Ferris Bueller, you're my hero."

"Ferris, please, you've gone too far."..."A) You can never go too far. B) If I am gonna get busted, it is not going to be by a guy like that!"

"Um... he's sick. My best friend's sister's brother's girlfriend knows this guy who knows this kid who's going with this girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious."

#5: Office Space-

"PC Load Letter? What the **** does that mean?"

"You've been missing a lot of work lately, Peter."..."Well, Bob, I wouldn't say I've been 'missing' it."

"Samir Naga... Naga... Not gonna work here anymore, that's for sure!"

"Why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael?"..."No way. Why should I have to change? He's the one that sucks."

#4: Napoleon Dynamite-

"Are you drinking 1% because you think you're fat?"

"Bring me my chapstick, my lips hurt real bad!"

"Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter."

"Napoleon... give me one of your tots!"

"What are you gonna do today, Napoleon?"... "Whatever I want! Gosh!"

#3: Mean Girls

"Danny DeVito, I love your work!"

"Nice wig, what's it made of?"..."Your mom's chest hair!"

"You smell like a baby prostitute."

"Sorry. We only carry sizes 1, 3 and 5. You can try Sears."

"Boo, you whore."

#2: Wayne's World

"We broke up."..."That doesn't mean we can't still go out."..."It does actually."

"Actually, it's pronounced 'mill-e-waw-kay" and is Algonquin for 'the good land'."..."Does this guy know how to party or what?"

"I once thought I had mono for an entire year. Turns out I was just really bored."

"Let's just say I've got an extensive hair net and name tag collection."

#1: Elf

"What's a Christmas gram?! I want one!"

"Son of a nutcracker!"

"Kay, I'll call you in five minutes!"..."No, Buddy."..."Good idea, you call me!"

"The yellow ones don't stop."

"You sit on a throne of lies."

Honorable Mentions go to:

Easy A, Spaceballs, This is Spinal Tap and The Whole Nine Yards.

I really like comedies. In case you can't tell.

I found this challenge on Carolina Robin's Blog:

Day 1- Your Favorite Movie
Day 2 - The last movie you watched
Day 3 - Your favorite action/adventure movie
Day 4 - Your favorite horror movie
Day 5 - Your favorite drama movie
Day 6 - Your favorite comedy movie
Day 7 - A movie that makes you happy
Day 8 - A movie that makes you sad
Day 9 - A movie that you know practically the whole script of
Day 10 - Your favorite director
Day 11 - Your favorite movie from your childhood
Day 12 - Your favorite animated movie
Day 13 - A movie that you used to love but now hate
Day 14 - Your favorite quote from any movie
Day 15 - The first movie you saw in theaters
Day 16 - The last movie you saw in theaters
Day 17 - The best movie you saw during the last year
Day 18 - A movie that disappointed you the most
Day 19 - Your favorite actor
Day 20 - Your favorite actress
Day 21 - The most overrated movie
Day 22 - The most underrated movie
Day 23 - Your favorite character from any movie
Day 24 - Favorite documentary
Day 25 - A movie that no one would expect you to love
Day 26 - A movie that is a guilty pleasure
Day 27 - Favorite classic movie
Day 28 - Movie with the best soundtrack
Day 29 - A movie that changed your opinion about something
Day 30 - Your least favorite movie

30 Days of Movies: My Favorite Drama

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm generally a comedy and/or action kind of girl.

I'm not big on anything based on a book by Austen or Bronte (I know, traitor to my gender, blah, blah, blah). I'm definitely not one for Nicholas Sparks or Jodi Piccoult or ::shudder:: Mitch Albom.

That all said, there are a few dramas that I love a whole lot.

One of them is The Count of Monte Cristo. This movie is our go-to date night movie.

And why wouldn't it be?

Romance? Check. Action? Check. But it's the dignified kind of action, not the Michael Bay kind of action. Suspense? Intrigue? Humor? Triple check.

Jim Caviezel is amazing.

And this is one of those few movies that I think I like better than I like the book.

I found this challenge on Carolina Robin's Blog:

Day 1- Your Favorite Movie
Day 2 - The last movie you watched
Day 3 - Your favorite action/adventure movie
Day 4 - Your favorite horror movie
Day 5 - Your favorite drama movie
Day 6 - Your favorite comedy movie
Day 7 - A movie that makes you happy
Day 8 - A movie that makes you sad
Day 9 - A movie that you know practically the whole script of
Day 10 - Your favorite director
Day 11 - Your favorite movie from your childhood
Day 12 - Your favorite animated movie
Day 13 - A movie that you used to love but now hate
Day 14 - Your favorite quote from any movie
Day 15 - The first movie you saw in theaters
Day 16 - The last movie you saw in theaters
Day 17 - The best movie you saw during the last year
Day 18 - A movie that disappointed you the most
Day 19 - Your favorite actor
Day 20 - Your favorite actress
Day 21 - The most overrated movie
Day 22 - The most underrated movie
Day 23 - Your favorite character from any movie
Day 24 - Favorite documentary
Day 25 - A movie that no one would expect you to love
Day 26 - A movie that is a guilty pleasure
Day 27 - Favorite classic movie
Day 28 - Movie with the best soundtrack
Day 29 - A movie that changed your opinion about something
Day 30 - Your least favorite movie

Looking Forward To... The Hunger Games!

2012-02-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today, I welcome Alicia to the blog, to talk about her feelings about the upcoming Hunger Games movie:

Since I can remember I’ve been an avid reader. When I was younger, though, I had a problem. I read too fast. I would speed read through required reading materials so that I could get onto the things that I loved to read. This didn’t pose a problem in school, seeing as how I got fantastic grades, but it did become an issue when I realized, at my ripe old age of 30, that I hardly remember what happened in the million and one books I read when I was a child. That being said, I TORE through The Hunger Games in a week and I remember, nearly, everything.

I, like the previous person who posted on The Hunger Games said, “am convinced [Gina] must have her own secret IMDB database because I see her castings and think, “how do you even remember that random actor/YES THAT IS PERFECT!”.”

So as I attempt not make a fool of myself when it comes to casting on the Queen of castings website, let’s get started.

(Psst: This is Gina- I didn't pay her to say that either, just so you know!)

I’m quite unfamiliar with any of the 3 lead characters. I’m completely clueless about Jennifer Lawrence. I’ve never seen a single one of her movies. I know Josh Hutcherson from RV. I have researched him a little because he is one of my favorite characters and I’m really hoping he pulls it out. It appears he’s more of a child movie/comedy actor. Liam Hemsworth? Isn’t he Miley Cyrus’ boyfriend? I will say that I didn’t quite picture Gale being THAT man pretty.

I, however, am extremely excited to see Donald Sutherland as President Snow. He, if not in appearance alone, is a stately man who commands respect. Him as Pres. Snow is, in my eyes, a wonderful choice. Woody Harrelson as Haymitch feels perfect in my head. I can think of 2 different shows that make me almost instantly cling to him playing this character. The first, 2012. He was that off kilter, seemed like a handful, kind of person. Then Will & Grace comes to mind. He played Nathan, Grace’s boyfriend, for a number of episodes. He was unruly, unkempt, and not like anyone else. When I see Haymitch, I see Woody. Last, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman. He’s chatty, he’s played a chatty character quite a few times, it’s just right.

As far as scenes that I’m totally excited for, and scenes that I think will get cut, the first on my list would have to be the Peeta/Katniss cave scene. I think that’s where we got to see Petta’s true emotional connection to Katniss. I also think that most of that will get taken out of the movie. It was a quite a bit slower than the rest of the book and what tends to go slow gets cut. When looking at the cast list, I don’t even see someone cast as Madge. It was a small part she played but a crucial part all the same. She was the girl who originally gave Katniss the MockingJay pin. So, obviously, that’s not going to be included. Something also tells me that they’re going to skip the fact that Peeta was “working for the enemy” when they first enter the arena. I truly hope not but I have this nagging suspicion that it’s going to be Katniss and Peeta from the start.

All in all I’m excited for the movie. I’m also not sure if I want to see it. (Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely will be seeing it I’m just hesitant) A lot of Harry Potter was, not ruined but, skewed in the movies and when I read back through the books I tend to pick them apart with more vigour. I don’t want to do that with The Hunger Games. This was one of the first books that pulled me into the YA Dystopian world and to have it ruined would be horrible.

Oh, and completely as a side not, did anyone else picture the square, where the reaping is held, being this gray? Not dismal gray but literally, gray. Did I just miss that fact in the books? It wouldn’t surprise me seeing as how I didn’t realize that Rue was black until the trailer came out. I had to go back through the book and there it was, plain as day.

I blog over at This Girl Does It All where I talk about beauty, books, and crafts. Yes, all on the same blog. It’s quite well organized, at least I think so, for the time being. With my ability to become completely random who knows how long that will last.

Review: Before I Fall

2012-02-09T17:10:00.001-05:00

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book I've rated with five stars in less than a week. Either I'm going soft in my old age, or my friends have given me some completely stellar recommendations recently.

I'm going to say it's the second one, because that makes me feel better about myself.

In case you haven't heard of this book yet: it's the story of a girl who dies in a car crash, but then has to keep reliving the last day of her life until she does it right. Sort of a morbid, teenage version of Groundhog's Day.

Samantha, our protagonist and narrator, is as popular as they get. On her last day of her life, she's worried about dressing sexily, flirting with her math teacher, eating the coolest possible sandwich (not joking), making fun of weird kids, losing her virginity and getting drunk at a party. A direct quote:

"When we get out of high school we'll look back and know we did everything right, that we kissed the cutest boys and went to the best parties, got in just enough trouble, listened to our music too loud, smoked too many cigarettes, and drank too much and laughed too much and listened too little, or not at all."

Her definition of "right" at the beginning lines up with what most high school seniors think is "right," but most adults would disagree vehemently.

As she relives this day, over and over again, she recognizes (eventually) that she's been given a chance to rewrite her story. She sees the futility of the high school social rankings, she comes to understand what's really important in life, and she realizes what she's been doing wrong all these years. Even in her semi-reincarnated-afterlife, she has some missteps, and it takes her a lot of tries to actually get it "right," and even then, her definition of "right" might not line up with yours.

In short: She grows up. Fast.

Along the way, the writing is as I expected it to be. Which is to say, it is pretty much PERFECT. Sam is only 18, so she has virtually no real-life experience to draw from, so all of her "answers" to her problems come in the form of "I read somewhere once..." or "I saw this old movie once..." or "I've been told..." Such a brilliant literary device, to make it so plain that this young girl, for all her vitality, hasn't yet begun to live.

The teens behave just like real-life teens. At least, the kind of teens I knew as a teen, and the teens I see wandering around today. There's no hyperbole used to prove a point. They just... are.

As you'll see in the parental advisories section, this book is fairly graphic. Despite that, I genuinely think this is the kind of book that teens and young adults NEED to be reading, and it ought to be on high school reading lists everywhere. There are some graphic/explicit novels with no redeeming qualities other than the fact that they bring kids into the bookstores. This is not one of those. The message Oliver is sending out could not be more clear or more appropriate to a generation. Love, forgiveness, selflessness, honesty and treating others kindly are timeless traits that everyone needs to see in a different light.

PARENTAL ADVISORIES:
Sex 3/5: Teens talk about their sex lives including what "bases" they've been to. One character is planning to lose her virginity, so there are a lot of jokes and innuendo surrounding this topic. Safe sex is advocated repeatedly, though. Boys pressure girls to have sex, juvenile discussions about it are had several times. Two scenes of foreplay, but the action stops long short of actually having sex.

Violence 2/5: The car crash is brief (since the narrator dies). We see one outside perspective on the crash. Vague description of teen suicide. Some bullying turns physical.

Language 3/5: Typical teen language, they never drop the F-bomb, but when they are talking to each other, they use pretty much every other swear word imaginable. It didn't feel deliberately scandalous: it was true to who these girls were.

Substance Abuses 5/5: The night of the car crash, the main character is at a party, so we relive this scene over and over again, with varying aspects highlighted each time. Lots and lots of drinking, lots and lots of cigarette smoking. Pot is mentioned, but not consumed at the party. One minor character offers the narrator a joint, and they smoke together in a bathroom.

View all my reviews

30 Days of Movies: Favorite Horror Movie

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

I don't like being scared.

It's not fun to me.

So I don't watch horror movies. Like, ever. Never ever.

The last time I saw a horror movie was The Ring, when it was in the theaters. And that was only (surprise, surprise!) because of a boy.

I was barely watching the screen, but mostly carefully counting the seats in the enormous, brand new stadium theater, when the guy turned to me and said, "You didn't have a horse, did you?" Despite how little I was paying attention, I had no idea how this could possibly be relevant to the movie we were watching, so I just look at him like he's crazy. He repeats, "I know you're from Scottsdale and all, but you didn't have a horse when you were a little girl, did you? This is important!"

And, of course, that's when I decided to tune into what was happening on the screen.

Thankfully, I never did own a horse.

Prior to that, I saw The Cell in theaters, again because of a boy. But that one was nice enough to leave the theater with me when he saw that I had pulled my feet up onto my seat and was burying my face in between my knees.

And, now, IMDB is telling me that The Cell isn't even technically a horror movie.

Well, fine, then. I watched Scream at a sleepover in high school.

Through my hands.

With the lights on.

And a pillow wrapped around my head.

30 Days of Movies: Favorite Action/ Adventure Movie

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have a hard time categorizing action/adventure movies.

I mean, I know there are cut and dry examples, like Indiana Jones or Spiderman.

But, then, what about stuff like the Bourne series, where most of the action is psychological? And is he more or less action-based than Bond?

And what about The Lord of the Rings series? Action? Yes. Adventure? Yes. But, really, it's a Fantasy story, right?

Screw it.

I'm going with Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

It's awesome for the following reasons:

It's the first movie I know of that's based on a ride. Lots of rides are based on movies, but no other movies are based on rides, so far as I know.

I don't care what you say: Orlando Bloom is a very, very pretty man.

Captain Jack Sparrow is Rad. He's arguably the best original character ever created by Disney or, at least in recent memory, by any movie studio. Anti-heroes are tough to pull off, but this one is pretty nearly perfectly done.

While the sequels all got more and more over-the-top and *cough* stupid *cough* the original is still fun, funny and fresh-feeling.

I found this challenge on Carolina Robin's Blog:

Day 1- Your Favorite Movie
Day 2 - The last movie you watched
Day 3 - Your favorite action/adventure movie
Day 4 - Your favorite horror movie
Day 5 - Your favorite drama movie
Day 6 - Your favorite comedy movie
Day 7 - A movie that makes you happy
Day 8 - A movie that makes you sad
Day 9 - A movie that you know practically the whole script of
Day 10 - Your favorite director
Day 11 - Your favorite movie from your childhood
Day 12 - Your favorite animated movie
Day 13 - A movie that you used to love but now hate
Day 14 - Your favorite quote from any movie
Day 15 - The first movie you saw in theaters
Day 16 - The last movie you saw in theaters
Day 17 - The best movie you saw during the last year
Day 18 - A movie that disappointed you the most
Day 19 - Your favorite actor
Day 20 - Your favorite actress
Day 21 - The most overrated movie
Day 22 - The most underrated movie
Day 23 - Your favorite character from any movie
Day 24 - Favorite documentary
Day 25 - A movie that no one would expect you to love
Day 26 - A movie that is a guilty pleasure
Day 27 - Favorite classic movie
Day 28 - Movie with the best soundtrack
Day 29 - A movie that changed your opinion about something
Day 30 - Your least favorite movie

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

2012-02-07T17:15:00.001-05:00

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is just pretty much the most adorable little teenage love story you ever did see. It's cute and age-appropriate, which I love. There's no "agenda" being pushed, it's just a story.

Smith manages to capture all the tingly-what-if feelings that come with meeting somebody new. All the flirtatious ups and downs in your gut, all the moments that are somehow simultaneously private and personal, but completely public. Our teenage heroine (and by that I mean "lady hero"... sorry. I've been watching too much 30 Rock) has just the right amount of sass and angst, but is mostly a happy kid. You know, like most kids are. She manages to be both awkward and adorable, and I loved it.

Then there's our love interest. And really, what's NOT to love? British accent? Yale student? Funny? Friendly? Handsome? Yes, to all.

There's no promise of happily ever after, and there's no we-fell-into-forever-kind-of-love-as-teenagers. It's just a meet-cute, a whole lot of adorable conversation, some will-they-won't-they complications, and a little bit of growth.

I highly, highly recommend. To everyone.

PARENTAL ADVISORIES:
Sex 1/5: One minor character has an extra-marital affair. Another, even more minor character, supposedly had several.

Violence 0/5: Nothing

Language 1/5: A couple damns and hells for good measure

Substance Abuses 2/5: Whiskey is drank by some under-21s, but they justify it because they are in international waters (or something to that effect).

View all my reviews

30 Days of Movies: Last Movie I Watched

2012-02-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this counts, but the last movie I watched was the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert.

There are movies on my TV every day, but they are kid movies, and I'm not watching them, I'm usually making dinner or scrubbing crayons off the walls.

But, for date night last Friday, hubby and I got take out to eat after the kids were in bed, and we watched the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert. He had never seen either of the concerts, the play, the movies, nor read the book, so he had no frame of reference for when I was ~~ranting~~ talking about the upcoming movie (in which Hugh Jackman is playing Valjean!)

My favorite part of this "movie?"

Lea Solonga singing "On My Own" as Eponine:

I found this challenge on Carolina Robin's Blog:

Day 1- Your Favorite Movie
Day 2 - The last movie you watched
Day 3 - Your favorite action/adventure movie
Day 4 - Your favorite horror movie
Day 5 - Your favorite drama movie
Day 6 - Your favorite comedy movie
Day 7 - A movie that makes you happy
Day 8 - A movie that makes you sad
Day 9 - A movie that you know practically the whole script of
Day 10 - Your favorite director
Day 11 - Your favorite movie from your childhood
Day 12 - Your favorite animated movie
Day 13 - A movie that you used to love but now hate
Day 14 - Your favorite quote from any movie
Day 15 - The first movie you saw in theaters
Day 16 - The last movie you saw in theaters
Day 17 - The best movie you saw during the last year
Day 18 - A movie that disappointed you the most
Day 19 - Your favorite actor
Day 20 - Your favorite actress
Day 21 - The most overrated movie
Day 22 - The most underrated movie
Day 23 - Your favorite character from any movie
Day 24 - Favorite documentary
Day 25 - A movie that no one would expect you to love
Day 26 - A movie that is a guilty pleasure
Day 27 - Favorite classic movie
Day 28 - Movie with the best soundtrack
Day 29 - A movie that changed your opinion about something
Day 30 - Your least favorite movie

30 Days of Movies: My Favorite Movie

2012-02-06T12:01:00.000-05:00

My Favorite Movie?

Isn't that like asking a kid what their favorite candy is?

ALL OF THEM.

Okay, so it's not quite that bad, but still... one favorite movie?

Alright. If I have to pick just one movie, I would have to pick the one that I will watch every single time it's on TV. Even if Bravo plays it back-to-back, I will sit there and watch it twice in a row, and never get tired of it.

When Harry Met Sally.

In case you've been living under a rock for the last twenty or so years, the movie is based on the assumption Harry has that men and women cannot be friends:

They then spend the next two hours trying to debunk that theory. We make pit-stops along the way to see that Princess Leia grew up and became a homewrecker, that nobody is ever going to want the ugly coffee table, you should never karaoke to the soundtrack from "Oklahoma" and there are viable reasons not to date somebody too much younger than you.

But the best part? The best part is the big finale. This has to be, hands down, the best guy-gets-the-girl scene in the world:

I found this challenge on Carolina Robin's Blog:

Day 1- Your Favorite Movie
Day 2 - The last movie you watched
Day 3 - Your favorite action/adventure movie
Day 4 - Your favorite horror movie
Day 5 - Your favorite drama movie
Day 6 - Your favorite comedy movie
Day 7 - A movie that makes you happy
Day 8 - A movie that makes you sad
Day 9 - A movie that you know practically the whole script of
Day 10 - Your favorite director
Day 11 - Your favorite movie from your childhood
Day 12 - Your favorite animated movie
Day 13 - A movie that you used to love but now hate
Day 14 - Your favorite quote from any movie
Day 15 - The first movie you saw in theaters
Day 16 - The last movie you saw in theaters
Day 17 - The best movie you saw during the last year
Day 18 - A movie that disappointed you the most
Day 19 - Your favorite actor
Day 20 - Your favorite actress
Day 21 - The most overrated movie
Day 22 - The most underrated movie
Day 23 - Your favorite character from any movie
Day 24 - Favorite documentary
Day 25 - A movie that no one would expect you to love
Day 26 - A movie that is a guilty pleasure
Day 27 - Favorite classic movie
Day 28 - Movie with the best soundtrack
Day 29 - A movie that changed your opinion about something
Day 30 - Your least favorite movie

Review: Supernaturally

2012-02-04T12:25:00.001-05:00

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit, about a fourth of the way into this book, I was pretty ticked and I stayed that way until about the 7/8 mark, right near the very end. Evie was doing all the things that "stupid" teens do: Lying to the people who care most about her, putting way too much emphasis on the things that don't really matter, and ignoring all obvious signs of danger and foreboding. OK. Maybe "regular" teens don't get to deal with the danger/foreboding thing all that much, but they do a little, and they general handle it all wrong, and Evie does the same.

I got so annoyed about the middle portion of this book that I thought my love for YA fiction had finally waned (*gasp* ShockAndAwe! I know.) A love triangle developed where I didn't think there a) needed to be one or b) one made any sense. Too many coincidences were happening, and being written off as genuine coincidences. Too much teenager-y ditziness, if I'm being completely honest.

But then.

Oh, Kiersten White, she's a crafty one.

She managed to fix it ALL!

I know, crazy, right?

Oh, Evie is still kind of an idiot kid, don't get me wrong. But White at least fixed everything from a story telling/narrative standpoint. The paranormal world that White has cooked up is fun, fast paced and fascinating. She's got a sense of humor that manages to be both wittily sharp and enthusiastically silly, and I pretty much love it.

I love how White managed to create a moral dilemma for our main character without it feeling cheesy or overworked. Evie isn't just trying to save herself from physical danger, or from heartbreak, she's fighting to understand who she is and what kind of person she wants to be, an element missing from so much YA these days. She has looked at the world in a black/white sort of way, and now she's wallowing in shades of gray, and has to determine where on the spectrum it's okay to be, and where she's going to sit as a result of that assessment.

It's a good book. Trust me. You just need to make it all the way to the end.

Oh, and, incidentally, best Acknowledgements ever.

PARENTAL ADVISORIES:
Sex 2/5: A boy barges into a girls' locker room, with girls in various states of undress, and the girls don't bother to cover up, but instead flirt and try to show off their "good side." #Teens A boy and girl kiss a bunch. Teen girls dress in slutty costumes for Halloween.

Violence 2/5: A lot of near-misses and intimidation and scary moments. A vampire describes some of his previous attacks. Another vampire discusses how she was changed and her first kill as a vampire, but does so in a pretty detached/clinical type of way. Some fist fight/hand to hand combat stuff.

Language 1/5: Evie uses "bleep" as a substitute for every swear word throughout the story. One other character swears once.

Substance Abuses 2/5: One fairy is addicted to an earthly substance, like an alcoholic. Teens get drunk at a party and make stupid decisions.

View all my reviews

Looking Forward to... The Hunger Games!

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers: This is the first of several opinion pieces written about the upcoming Hunger Games movie. Please feel free to share your opinions in the comments, and don't worry... we'll keep talking about this all the way until March 23rd!

I was excited to write this guest post for Gina, because I am, among other things, a lover of books. I have loved them since my Daddy and I read the same three books every night ad nauseum before bed, continuing on to an obsession with all things Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley. Here I am, at the ripe old age of 29, genuinely excited about books meant for middle school kids. I guess some things never change.

I love Gina’s website. It’s genius, and I am convinced she must have her own secret IMDB database because I see her castings and think, “how do you even remember that random actor/YES THAT IS PERFECT!” I think whenever we read books we imagine the characters in our minds, so when books become movies it’s exciting to kind of see the book come to life.

(Psst: This is Gina, I didn't pay her to say that or anything, she totally said it all on her own! Score! *ahem* Carry on.)

I didn’t read Harry Potter. I never cared about Twilight. But I kept hearing how amazing The Hunger Games were, so I gave them a shot. (One of the biggest proponents was a 14-year-old girl I know.) After I read them I couldn’t wait to see her again to talk shop. I am lame. I embrace it.

I am truly sad that I am out of Hunger Games books to read. THREE WAS NOT ENOUGH.

I read all three books in 8 days, and that’s while still going to work. My husband mocked me for always having my nose “stuck in a book” (in my Kindle) and I had no shame. I have recruited one friend to jump on the bandwagon, but I recommend them to anyone I can. I am mildly obsessed.

The first trailer, which I hardly think deserves to be called a trailer, was a major disappointment. It was basically Katniss running around in the woods, and I was left wanting more. All I had was IMDB to tell me who was cast in some of the main roles.

The casting looks good so far. I vaguely know who Jennifer Lawrence is (Katniss) but her male counterparts are unknowns to me. And to be honest, so far I’m not exactly sold on either one of them, but I’m sure they’ll grow on me. Like lichen. Picks I love so far are Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, Donald Sutherland as President Snow and Lenny Kravitz as Cinna.

While I LOVED the books, I was having trouble remembering details (especially from the first book specifically, as I read them all one after another and they all kind of run together.) Watching the newer trailer refreshed my memory. I am curious to see how they portray all the different Districts…whether you will be able to look at them and tell they are different from one another, or whether they will all kind of look sad and depressed and alike. I got goosebumps when I saw Katniss kiss her fingers and make the signal for Rue’s District.

I am also curious to see how some things are done in the sense that they aren’t possible in real life. I kind of imagine the arena to be kind of like The Truman Show—like a little bubble of sorts. But sometimes it was hard to envision how there were so many different types of terrain. This becomes more of an issue in a later book, when the arena takes place with so much water. And how are they going to make Katniss and Peeta “on fire” at the opening ceremonies?

Movies almost always leave those that read the book a little disappointed, so I don’t have terribly high expectations. (That doesn't mean I'm not embarrassingly excited. It means I know the books will still be better.) The most recent example of this I’ve seen was with The Help…the book was amazing, and I was annoyed when things were either left out or changed in the movie. As a result, I find that most of the people who gush over how amazing the movie was probably didn’t read the book. But that’s okay. There is almost always too much in any given book to include in a movie.

With The Hunger Games, they will have to explain lots of things that are easy to explain in the book when the narrator is just narrating. But movies don’t work like that. Katniss can’t sit there and explain to the audience why her and Gale’s names were entered so many times, so I’ll be curious to see how they slip that explanation in. (I know they will, because in the trailer Katniss tells Prim that “your name is only in there once.”)

I doubt Buttercup the cat will make it into the movie. Granted, he’s not a huge character, but I enjoyed him and it would make me happy to see a curmudgeonly cat as a character. I also hope Madge makes an appearance. She is a bit more important, since she gave Katniss the Mockingjay pin. But that’s exactly the kind of thing that I can see the movie presenting differently—where Katniss got the pin. It could be something her father gave her, or some other story. I’m wondering how that will be presented.

If “Team Gale” and “Team Peeta” doesn’t become a thing, the marketing people are really missing the boat on a huge opportunity. That being said, I would be super excited if in the (final) movie that Katniss ends up with the other guy. But I’m not holding my breath.

What about you? What are you most looking forward to with The Hunger Games?

Hi, I’m Gretchen, and I write Eat More Carbs. My posts usually fall into a few broad categories:

·      I’m an idiot. Let me tell you why,
·      Someone or something annoys me. Let me tell you why.
·      I am stupid in love with my husband. Let me tell you why.
·      My pets either make me deliriously happy or really frustrated. Let me tell you why.

Review: The Battle of the Labyrinth

2012-01-30T15:41:00.001-05:00

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've come to an "It is what it is" opinion about Percy Jackson.

They're great for kids, but they just don't have the cross-over appeal that, say, Harry Potter would have.

Don't judge me for mentioning Harry Potter! Comparisons are drawn between that series and this one constantly, and it doesn't make any sense!

Anyway, aside from one really funny scene where the Sphinx is compared to public school standardized testing, this is pretty much exactly the same as all the others. If you're over twelve, you probably wouldn't like it much.

My kids, however, love it.

One more book to go. I can do this.

PARENTAL ADVISORIES:
Sex 1/5: Some chaste kissing. A boy is starting to recognize that girls are pretty. And petty.

Language 1/5: Rare usage of damn and hell

Violence 3/5: Sword fights, fist fights, magic fights, it's all here. Nothing too graphic or over the top, but there is a lot of fighting. We don't get graphic description of wounds, and everybody who dies either does so on the sidelines, where we can't really read about it, or is a monster, so it's OK.

Substance Abuses 0/5: None.

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They're all too pretty!

2012-01-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

I addition to the "Everybody you picked is so old!" complaint, I get an awful lot of "Everybody you picked is too pretty!" nonsense.

First: Be careful who you're calling "old" there, kiddo.
Second: Everybody in Hollywood is pretty. Or at least prettier than the rest of us.

Let's play a game, shall we?

OK, I need an actress for a movie. The character is morbidly obese. She's sweet and smart and funny, and ends up falling in love with our lead. But, mostly, she needs to be morbidly obese.

Who did you come up with?

Was it Gwyneth Paltrow?

No? Oh, well, maybe this well help:

Alright, well, maybe that's a bad example, since she does spend most of the movie looking thin and beautiful. Let's try again, shall we?

I need an actor. He needs to be balding, with gray hair, with a big ugly nose. So, an older man would probably be best.

I'm sorry, was handsome Jim Carrey not the person you thought of?

Funny how that works, isn't it?

This time, I need a skinny guy. A really, really skinny guy. Somebody who looks like he's about to die, he's so skinny.

Nailed it.

No? Well, I know Gwyneth put on a fat suit, but there's no way to put on a "skinny" suit and make all that muscle go away...

Nevermind.

The next movie we need an actor for is about a man with a disease that causes excess buildup of calcium on his skull. This buildup transforms his face, distorting it into a shape unlike any other human face. It's a disease that's painful both physically and emotionally. It causes blindness and loss of hearing. This does, however, need to be a very experienced actor with a broad range, as the part is emotionally demanding, as well.

Well, sure, he's probably a good actor, but...

Oh. Okay.

This last one will definitely require you to find an "ugly actor." There's no way, NO WAY, you're going to find some pretty boy that fits this description: Bald. Five teeth. Six, tops. His ears are lopsided, sticking out of the side of his head. Heck, his eyes are lopsided, and two different sizes.

I'll wait.

::crickets chirping::

I'm sorry. Do you not recognize John Matuszak? Maybe you know him better as Sloth:

Next time you look at somebody's fantasy cast (even if it's not mine!) and think, "Gosh, all these actors are too dang pretty. I wish they would cast more ugly people in movies!" remember this post. Remember that anybody can be made to look "ugly."

One last parting thought:

All six of these women were cast as "Ugly Stepsisters" in one version of Cinderella or another:

PS: If you want to discuss the disproportionate amount of beauty in Hollywood and the insane amount of pressure it puts on people (women in particular) to strive for physical perfection, that's a perfectly reasonable conversation to have. It has really no bearing on this particular complaint, though. The fact, at least as of today, is that Hollywood people are pretty. You can't put ugly actors in movies because they really don't exist. It seems the only option is to find beautiful people and either a) make them "ugly" or b) pretend they are "ugly," just as they are.

PPS- Yes, I am putting air quotes around the word "ugly." It's subjective and mean. But lots of readers have been using it, so...

Review: Delirium

2012-01-28T22:27:00.001-05:00

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is somewhere between three and four stars, but I tore through it so fast, I just have to give it the little boost.

I'm going pro-con list on this one. Ready yourself.

CONS:
Everyone over 18 has a procedure done so that they are incapable of love. Then they raise children. But those children show no signs of lack of attachment or neglect, etc. It's a psychological plot hole, plain and simple.

The climax comes too fast and too furious. A whole new problem is presented right before our big, action filled climax, and it never gets resolved. The action filled climax is TOO action filled. It's a bit confusing to read, it's waaaaaay over the top and it ends far too abruptly.

The final page? HEART-RENDING. And I'm not sure it's in a good way.

PROS:
It's beautiful. The prose is pretty nearly flawless.

The concept is completely wonderful/awful. Decades ago, the US deemed love a disease. They eradicated it in adults. Without love, there is no hate. Without hate, there is no crime. There is no hurt, there is no sorrow. But... without sorrow, can you really be happy? Without hurt, can you really understand joy? No. So life has become a bland version of itself. It's haunting and perfect.

Best first chapter of a book ever.

The love story is pretty perfect. No triangles. No drama (other than the outside drama caused by the government). Just a boy and a girl spending a summer together and falling in love, the way millions upon millions of people do every single year.

I absolutely love the re-written poems/songs/Bible verses at the top of each chapter. Some chapters have quotes from their propaganda, but mostly it's rewrites of stuff we know today, worded in a way to make love look like the most horrifying and destructive force in the world.

She absolutely captures the desperation that comes with the fiercest of loves: a mother for her child, the first-love-Romeo-and-Juliet feelings, etc. She taps into the most primal part of our hearts and our heads and identifies those emotions that we can all identify with on some level.

BOTTOM LINE:
This takes the best parts of The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld and the Matched series by Allie Condie and blends them together. It's not perfect, but it's a fun and thought provoking read.

SEMI-SPOILERY-WARNINGS:
There are a couple of big personal issues with the main character that are NOT properly resolved. I was furious when I finished this book. I was ranting to my husband "I cannot believe she just ended it like that! Why didn't she wrap up this storyline? Or that one? And WHY oh WHY oh WHY!?!?!?!" After I found out there are sequels, I feel better. But... I don't know that there's enough to justify sequels. I'm torn. And it feels weird.

Oh. Don't hold your breath for a happy ending. Just saying.

PARENTAL ADVISORIES:
Language 3/5: I once saw an author defend her prolific use of profanity by saying "In real life, when something really awful happens and catches you by surprise, you don't say, 'Oh, darn.' You say "OH SH**!!!'" And, to a certain extent, she's right. If a K-9 unit comes after me and a dog tries to rip my leg off, I'm not going to say "Crud." I'm probably going to use profanity. And that's what this book does. In the tensest and most dire of situations, the characters let loose with a couple of the worst swear words. But, for the first time ever, I feel like they really were the right words to use.

Violence 3/5: Attack dogs are set loose on a group of young adults, wounding several and killing a few. Law enforcement uses lethal force whenever they sense opposition. A dog is beaten to death. Several suicides are described (people would rather die than live a life without love). One scene of gunshots.

Sex 2/5: Lots of kissing. Some rubbing of a boy's chest. A girl's shirt gets removed briefly; we read about it in hindsight, not in the heat of the moment.

Substance Abuses 1/5: Unknown beverages are served at some parties. A smoky haze exists at these same parties. Narcotics are used to drug a guard.

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Looking Forward to... The Hobbit

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

"I am looking for someone to share in an adventure..."

Gandalf, The Hobbit

I was first introduced to Bilbo Baggins and his wonderful adventures a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Okay, FINE. It was 1993 and in England. But England is pretty far from Australia, and people who were born in 1993 have finished high school now, so it's pretty much the same thing. Right? Right. Anyway, my point is this: Bilbo and I? We go way back.

We go back to the days when my mum still read bedtime stories to me and my brother. If I'd been born in 1988 rather than 1983, I have no doubt that those bedtime stories would have featured a boy named Harry and his adventures battling Lord Voldemort at Hogwarts. As it was, they featured a hobbit named Bilbo and his adventures battling goblins, spiders, trolls and dragons on an unexpected journey to the Lonely Mountain.

So when I say I have high expectations for The Hobbit film, I mean I've-been-waiting-to-see-this-on-the-big-screen-for-20-years high. When the trailer was released late last year, there's a possibility that I did this in my seat:

(Source)

In fact, I *did* do that in my seat when I saw the trailer on the big screen a week or so ago. Sorry, total stranger who was sitting next to me. I didn't mean to wave my arms around to the point where I nearly hit you in the face. Really, I didn't.

Ahem.

What am I excited about for The Hobbit? I'm excited about Martin Freeman playing Bilbo. I have been since he was first announced in the role. And having now seen him in the trailer, I'm pretty sure I won't be disappointed.

(Source)

I'm excited about Andy Serkins reprising his role as Gollum. He pretty much stole the show whenever he was on screen in The Lord of the Rings. And the scene in The Hobbit where Bilbo and Gollum have a riddle competition? That's the part I'm looking forward to the most. It's not really surprising, given that any time I find something in my pocket that I'd forgotten about, I say "What has it got in its pocketses?" to myself. #totallynotcrazy #Ipromise

I'm excited about Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug. Given that he and Martin Freeman have spent so long playing Holmes and Watson in Sherlock, I can't WAIT to see them as adversaries (even if it's only Benedict Cumberbatch's voice).

Actually, I'm excited about Smaug full stop.

I'm excited about Barry Humphries as The Great Goblin. He's always amazing, no matter what ridiculously over-the-top character he's playing.

I'm excited to see how they handle Beorn and the idea of skin-walkers.

What am I nervous about for The Hobbit? Richard Armitage.

(Source)

Don't get me wrong, I'm Team Armitage all the way. He wears the HELL out of a cravat in North & South. And I've been known to call him Swoonitage while watching The Vicar of Dibley wedding special. But when they released the first images of him dressed as Thorin Oakenshield last year, I took one look and went "Well, if they wanted Alfred Molina, why didn't they just cast Alfred Molina?! He's a much better actor for starters!" I'm a little reassured after seeing the trailer. But still. I'm kind of apprehensive as to whether Dwarfmitage (I'm sorry, I've tried to stop myself. But it's just too much fun) can pull off a character like Thorin Oakenshield.

I'm nervous about the songs. The book has over a dozen songs in it. And the trailer shows us that they're going to include at least one, which works BRILLIANTLY. But if they include more than that one? I'm scared it'll end up a bit like Spamalot.

I'm nervous about the spiders in Mirkwood. I think it's going to be a hard scene for them to do without it feeling like Ron and Harry visiting Aragog in the Forbidden Forest.

I'm nervous about the eagles. They appeared twice in The Lord of the Rings, saving Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring, and Sam and Frodo in The Return of the King. But in (the book of) The Hobbit, they can talk. It will be interesting to see if they include Bilbo's conversations with the eagles in the film.

I'm nervous about whether it can recapture the magic of Middle Earth that The Lord of the Rings delivered. And I'm nervous about whether it can live up to the expectation. Not just my ~~ridiculously over the top~~ expectations. But the expectations of everyone who saw and loved The Lord of the Rings, and who's now going to spend most of 2012 waiting for the moment they can finally see more than the two and a half minutes of The Hobbit that the trailer has given us.

Is it December yet??

K xx

That seemed better in my head...

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

This particular post is a little embarrassing. But, I am nothing if not dedicated to my craft, and to you, dear readers. So, I am willing to be embarrassed in the pursuit of honesty and making you laugh a little bit.

Sometimes, when I read a book, I picture an actor in my head for a character.

OK, well that part isn't embarrassing. You already know that much, or else you must be really confused by this entire blog.

Here's the embarrassing part: Sometimes the actor makes NO SENSE at all.

Trust me. It's bad.

For example, in reading the Hunger Games, I pictured Evanna Lynch as Rue:

When the casting was announced, and we see that little Amandla Stenburg is going to play Rue:

I'm not opposed to casting directors making changes to make a cast seem more diverse, so long as it makes sense in the context of the story. Race isn't a factor in Hunger Games, so including people of any and all races makes perfect sense.

Here's the thing, though: When I went back and re-read Hunger Games, it's super obvious that Rue is black. Like... SUPER obvious. It's mentioned over and over again, and again in Catching Fire. I couldn't believe I'd missed it. But missed it I had, no doubt about it.

Lest you think I'm whitewashing every story in my head, I have another, just as embarrassing example, to prove otherwise.

When reading New Moon for the first time, we are introduced to Jane, a young vampire with exceptionally strong powers. I had a very clear picture in my mind of what this vampire looked like, and while there wasn't a specific actress I pictured, she looked very much like this:

Young, beautiful, very full lips, intense eyes, and, incidentally, black.

Imagine my surprise when I see Jane being played by:

Dakota Fanning?

Especially after the filmmakers of Twilight had incorporated diversity in a way that didn't really make sense, I was stumped as to why they would cast a white girl in a black girl's role.

Re-read the book: Jane is totally white. It's very clear. But again, somehow I missed it and let my imagination get away with me.

One more for you, dear readers. Because I believe in full disclosure (though, if I'm being completely honest, even three of these admissions will not be anywhere near full disclosure, this happens to me a lot)

In Orson Scott Card's recent release, Pathfinder, we meet a young man named Umbo. "Young man" might be a little generous, actually. He's more of a boy than a man, barely entering his adolescence. We're talking 12, 13, maybe 14. Maybe. But more like 12. Young enough that he's considered a child by most who meet him.

In my head, I unmistakeably saw Danny Pudi.

Yeah... he's 32. Not 12.

And it's not even like I can legitimately say that I was picturing a younger version of him because the first thing I ever remember seeing him in was Gilmore Girls, and that was only about five years ago.

So, now that I've embarrassed myself sufficiently, tell me, has this ever happened to you? Have you ever pictured somebody that was WAAAAAAY off from what the book described? Been shocked when you saw what a casting director did with a character you loved? Spill it. It can't possibly be worse than what I've done.

Review: The Warrior Heir

2012-01-24T15:18:00.001-05:00

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Blerg.

You know how sometimes you are so incredibly excited for a book that you are afraid it cannot possibly live up to your expectations? But then you start reading, and it DOES! It totally lives up to your expectations and you are in a book-induced-delirium for days as a result?

Yeah.

That didn't happen.

I have to admit, my expectations were high. Sky high. I've fallen in love with the Seven Realms series by Chima, and I thought this series would be just as wonderful. I was so sure of it. *sigh*

It was good. Just not amazing. And I am sure my disappointment is colored by my initial expectations. Like when you are expecting Sprite, but it's just a cup of water? Not that there's anything wrong with water, but in comparison to the Sprite you were expected... blah.

The concept of this novel is a cool one; it's wizard fantasy in modern day, with some kidnapping and centuries-old family grudges making things interesting. The "methods" of wizardry are cool, and the complexity of the backstory is compelling.

However. The dialog... is bad. I just couldn't picture a sixteen year old boy saying that person seems "cold and unfamiliar." They'd say "different" not "unfamiliar" and "cold" isn't a phrase used by typical teens to describe a person's demeanor. A LOT of this type of stuff; people who have known each other for years speaking very formally to one another, teens using very mature language, people explaining themselves too fully in their dialog. You know, like, "Well, son, don't you remember when you were a child and you got sick? After that I did this, and then this happened, and..." People don't usually talk to each other that way.

Also, the big "twists" were not surprising. I knew who Jack's opponent was about fifty pages before he even knew he had an opponent. Too many coincidences, too flimsy of excuses, too contrived of a story.

It's intriguing, for sure. And I'm very glad that Chima didn't stop after this book, and that she wrote the Seven Realms series. But for now, I would recommend that this book stay in the hands of teens. It just doesn't cross over well to the overly-critical-adult audience.

PARENTAL ADVISORIES:
Violence 3/5: Medieval style battles, but we don't linger on the injuries or the gore. A poisoning attempt. Some teen bullying. Talk about assassinations. A sword fight that results in some minor injuries.

Sex 0/5: One kiss.

Language 1/5: Damn, hell are thrown around a bit.

Substance Abuses 2/5: Wine is served at a banquet. A teen party features beer and at least a handful of the kids get drunk.

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The older the better, I guess...

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

How old were you when you were a high school senior?

Me? I was 16, turned 17 halfway through the year. I know I'm the exception, most people are 17, turning 18 or even 18 turning 19. My husband turned 18 five days after starting his senior year.

But, still, I don't think many of us were as old as these "high school seniors:"

Freddie Prinze, Jr., 23- Rachael Leigh Cook, 20

Paul Walker, 26

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, 24

High School Seniors, class of 1999 in She's All That

Marla Sokoloff, 20- James Franco, 22- Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, 25 (yes, it's a year later, she's a year older, still playing a high school girl)- Shane West, 22

High School Seniors, class of 2000 in Whatever It Takes

Melissa Joan Hart, 23- Susan May Pratt, 25

Adrian Grenier, 23

Ali Larter, 23

High School Seniors, class of 1999 in Drive Me Crazy

Tara Reid, 24- Chris Klein, 20 - Alyson Hannigan, 25- Thomas Ian Nicholas, 19- Natasha Lyonne, 20 (Jim's Dad, not really applicable to this subject)- Jason Biggs, 21- Shannon Elizabeth, 26- Mena Suvari, 20- Seann William Scott, 23- Eddie Kaye Thomas, 19

High School Seniors, class of 1999 in American Pie

Ian Ziering, 28- Gabrielle Carteris, 31- Luke Perry, 27- Jennie Garth, 20- Jason Priestley, 23- Shannen Doherty, 21- Tori Spelling, 19- Brian Austin Green, 20 (he was even graduating early; he's supposed to be 17, not 18)

High School Seniors, class of 1993 in Beverly Hills, 90210*

Milo Ventimiglia, 25- Alexis Bledel, 21

Keiko Agena, 29

Liza Weil, 25

Jared Padalecki, 20

High School Seniors, class of 2003 in Gilmore Girls*

So, once again, dear readers, I ask you to stop saying, "But that actor is just TOO OLD to play a teenager!" Because, frankly...

Ain't no such thing.

*For Beverly Hills, 90210 and Gilmore Girls, the actors' ages are as they entered the third season, their "senior year."

Review: Crossed

2012-01-22T14:59:00.001-05:00

Crossed by Ally Condie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've read other reviews of this, and while they are all right, I also think they are mostly wrong.

Let me explain.

For the most part, this book is being criticized for, put simply, not being as good as the first. And this is where I think people misunderstand the word "different" and think it must be either "better" or "worse." I'm going to refer to this as Catching-Fire-Syndrome. After devouring Hunger Games, most people moved on to Catching Fire, which was exactly as fast paced and plot driven as the first. And many sequels, particularly in the YA world (although adult authors are not immune to this behavior) churned out sequels that were nearly indistinguishable from their predecessors, creating series that, over time, become stale.

However, most sequels don't- can't- function that way. They have to change. They have to either give more (more danger, more information, more character development, more something) or less (less character time, less mystery, less something). Which is exactly what Crossed did: it gave us less story in exchange for more character development. It delved deeper into the poetry and- dare I say it- literary world, away from the violent and political dystopian landscape we are accustomed to.

I liked it. I found it a welcome respite from the go-go-go pace that these YA dystopians usually offer us. A break in the middle of the story, giving us greater insight into the main characters' minds and setting the stage for what will be the final scene. We know where Cassia, Ky and Xander all are, both literally and figuratively. We didn't know any of this at the end of Matched. We now know their minds, we know their secrets, and we know their intentions. And that is worth the "lack" of story that so many are complaining about in regards to this book.

Flaws? Sure. The switching of POV was lackluster; each voice sounded like the other and lacked its own style and personality (although, after reading Game of Thrones and Martin's flawless execution of this device, I doubt I will ever hold another author's attempt in high regard again). The motives of the Society are incompletely explained, even for this stage of the game. So little is revealed that I almost don't care; and I really doubt that's Condie's intention.

However, the pros well outweigh the cons here. Condie has found a voice and a niche heretofore unexplored in YA dystopia, and I find it a welcome departure.

PARENTAL ADVISORIES
Language 0/5: I don't remember any.

Violence 2/5: Guns and bombs, but they're always talked about or shown in the background. It's never up close and personal, and we don't get graphic descriptions of wounds.

Sex 1/5: Kissing, some of it fairly passionate and some talk of "I wish we could just be together for one night" type of stuff.

Substance Abuses 0/5: None.

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Review: Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution

2012-01-21T08:38:00.001-05:00

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's official: I've become a fan of Michelle Moran. All thanks to my friend Suzanne who brought "Nefertiti" to book club.

I love how she chooses a character who is a front-row witness to the action but is not actually involved in the action. Marie (aka Madame Tussaud) is a tutor to the royal family and a renown artist/celebrity of sorts, so she has access to information and events that others of the time would not have. However, she's not personally invested in either the royal family (she's not of noble birth) or the revolution (she has plenty to eat and feels safe in her home) and as such is privy to details and conversations from both worlds. As Moran says, "It didn't hurt that her father was friends with some of the greatest influences of the day." The men who penned the Rights of Man and the French constitution ate dinner with Marie's family on a regular basis.

I love how she "fills in the gaps." She has hard, incontrovertible fact as the basis for her story, but she fills it in with personal details: relationships, personalities, conversations and thoughts. What is dull and confusing in a history text comes alive as we feel a person living it, firsthand.

I love her author's notes. She spends considerable time explaining where truth was blended with fantasy to create a plausible reality, and which events and conversations were true and documented, and which ones were fabricated to create a fluid storyline.

This particular story was especially fascinating, given the political climate here in the States right now. (If I hear one more person say "The wealth gap is worse now in the US than it has ever been anywhere in the world" I will probably barf) The French Revolution was basically an Occupy Wall Street Movement (Occupy Versailles?) that was more justified in its existence but then went completely overboard, abusing its own power and terrorizing its people. A cautionary tale for our times if ever there was one.

I don't normally do this, but I actually flagged several quotes that I loved and want to share with you: (these quotes are all fabricated, as far as I know)
"A republic is undoubtedly the way forth... but will men be willing to govern themselves, or is it more convenient to hand the reins of power to someone who promises free bread and wine?" - Thomas Jefferson

"They want to believe in the king's cruelty. It's easier than believing that God and Nature are starving them to death." - a coachman, on the lies people tell each other regarding the royals

"He wants equality for all, even if that means we are all living in the dust. And he will get it, Marie. He will achieve equality if that means cutting off every single head." - Lucille Desmoulins, wife of Camille Desmoulins a revolutionary and journalist

This one is real, not just spoken by a character:
"I predict future happiness for Americans,if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson

And, finally, I have to point out that reading this book made me want to go and do more research on the subject. I read about Marie Tussaud, her family and her friends. I read more about King Louis and Marie Antoinette (though I have done considerable reading about them in the past; a curious fascination of mine). I refreshed my memory and put old information into a new context.

And that, my friends, is the whole point of a book like this: to point us toward the true history.

PARENTAL ADVISORIES:

Language 2/5: Damn, Hell, a b-word and several sexually based slurs for women

Sex 3/5: Discreet conversations about "loss of virtue" and inappropriate relationships. Mistresses abound, but are scorned for their impropriety. A vague reference is made to methods of romance that don't risk pregnancy. Female prisoners are told that if they become pregnant, their executions will be postponed until after they deliver the baby, so they spend time with the male prisoners. Actual actions are never described; it's all very hush-hush and fade-to-black. Rumors regarding the queen's decadent sexual escapades are described.

Violence 5/5: It's a war. Shooting, canons, explosions, sabres, swords, axes and every manner of weaponry imaginable. The Reign of Terror is also documented, thus the guillotine is prominently featured. The revolutionaries were angry and vicious, and their battles were gruesome, even by wartime standards. Rape is also a common fear, though it's never shown. A lengthy conversation is had with the Marquis de Sade regarding the sexual violence he inflicted on others, sometimes children.

Substance Abuses 1/5: Wine is served with dinner and at parties.

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Looking Forward To... One For The Money

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

One For the Money starring Katherine Heigl is a film based on Janet Evanovich's popular Stephanie Plum series and will be released on January 27th. Today's "Looking Forward To..." post is written by Casey:

Nancy Drew is quite possibly fiction’s most well known girl detective. But imagine that she lived in New Jersey, was a bond agent for slimy cousin, her best friend was a former prostitute with a penchant for leather, she lived in a shoebox of an apartment with a hamster named Rex, was on-and-off involved with a policeman and instead of knowing exactly what she was doing, she had absolutely no clue and just hoped for the best while trying not to get killed. Oh, and her cars get destroyed on a regular basis.

That’s Stephanie Plum, the heroine of Janet Evanovich’s Plum Series. Full of mystery along with slapstick humor, Plum has become one of my favorite series. I was very excited when I found out a movie was being made. The trailer made me even happier.

Let’s start off with the casting. Katherine Heigl would not have been my first choice for Stephanie. But after watching the trailer, I realized that she does an excellent job. She looks the part, which is a huge plus for my book. I think Katherine probably does her best acting in comedy which comes in handy when you’re playing someone as trouble and accident prone as Ms. Plum. Like I said, not my first choice but from what I’ve read, Janet seems to like what she’s done with her girl. That’s enough for me.

Jason O’Mara as Joe Morelli? Perfect. Cocky, handsome and enjoys teasing Stephanie. I think he’ll nail it. Daniel Sunjata as Ranger? Not so much. Daniel is very nice to look at, but don’t get me wrong. Ranger is supposed to be silent, dark, and dangerous. He’s not la fan of words or smiling, and tends to intimidate everyone. Daniel is not exactly intimidating and while I’m sure he’s a good actor, I don’t think he was right for the part.

Sherri Shepard and Debbie Reynolds were not who I expected for the parts of reformer prostitute Lula and kooky Grandma Mazur. But I was pleasantly surprised by them in the trailor. I think they’ll be the perfect crazy women in Stephanie’s life and I’m looking forward to seeing how well they do.

Also, Gavin Keith-Umeh as Benito Ramirez, One For the Money’s antagonist seems to be another excellent casting job.

There are a few scenes in paticular that I’m really excited to watch. If you’ve read the novels, then you know that Stephanie goes through cars like some people go through books (like myself). Janet has many creative, funny ways to destroy a car and I think watching them come to life on the big screen would be very amusing. Also, the chemistry between Stephanie and Morelli is something that I’m hoping will be just as good as the books. They’re just so cute and funny together! The part of the trailer where Morelli tosses Stephanie’s keys into the dumpster and where they watch Morelli’s car blown up made me laugh. They’re probably one of my favorite fiction couples and from the trailer, it looks like they’ll be done justice in the movie.

Janet Evanovich has a knack for combining humor, mystery, romance and suspense into one amazing book series. I laugh out loud as I read, which doesn’t really happen. She is one of my very favorite writers and as I said before, once I found out that One For the Money was being made into a movie, I got way too excited. (And yes, I already made my honey agree to take me to see it.) One For the Money won’t win any Oscars but it’s lighthearted and funny, which is what the books really are. Even without the mystery and light suspense elements, I would still enjoy the series. But they add quite a bit to the stories and watching Stephanie stumble over herself and attempt to capture criminals while having no idea what she’s doing is pure entertainment. Overall, I think the cast and crew have done an incredible job and I’m anxiously waiting for January 27th.

When not working, studying or reading, Casey spends her time getting into as much (legal)trouble as possible. You can find her at http://www.goodreads.com/caseynicole

Review: Clockwork Prince

2012-01-19T14:52:00.001-05:00

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

OK- I will admit I tore through this in a little less than a day, but a big part of me thinks that is almost completely because I was sick with practically no energy and no TV. (NO TV, yes, I'm serious. #firstworldproblems, party of one)

And yet, despite how quickly I tore through this, I just can't bring myself to give it more than three stars. I debated for a couple days about how to rate it, but in the end, I can't give it any better than a "Yeah, it was fine" kind of a rating.

Most of what I liked about it was the mystery surrounding the villain. I have to admit, Clare has created quite a nice little web of mystery here, and I enjoyed it. The rest of what I liked about this story was the fact that Tessa was growing closer to one of the young men in the story... and it was the one I wanted her to choose. The romance was built up nicely, and I found myself saying "D'aw!" out loud at least twice.

However.

(come on, with a three star rating there had to be a "however" in here)

There was some annoyances surrounding said romance: After Tessa falls in love with one character, in a really sweet and era-appropriate way, she then is suddenly second guessing herself and thinking of the other boy all the time. But it didn't feel like a love triangle, it felt like the author knew there needed to be a love triangle for teenagers to buy this book, so she muddled one together at the end.

And, frankly, any author who has to quote SO MANY other authors maybe ought to look at the strength of her own characters and story. Every chapter, and very nearly every page has a quote from a Victorian era author or poet. It smacks of unoriginality and bogs down the storyline. Have you ever had a conversation with somebody and EVERY. SINGLE. THING. they say is a line from a movie/TV show? (not just a lot... ALL?) If you didn't find it annoying, then you would probably like this book just fine.

And lastly, the incongruity with the Victorian era overall. Lots and lots of kissing and making out and just general romantic impropriety. Everyone calls everyone else by their first name. Clare seems to catch herself every once in a while and say something to the effect of "Shadowhunters are different" as a way to excuse to anachronisms. But in reality, it ends up simply shattering the world-building that steampunk relies on, giving us what is basically a modern story with a few little twists from the Victorian era.

I'm just not impressed. I will keep reading because I really want to make sure that Tessa does the right thing with her boy problems, but otherwise, it's just really not that great. This Clockwork series certainly pales in comparison to the original Mortal Instruments (which still hold my heart, by the way, don't worry).

PARENTAL ADVISORIES:
Violence 3/5: Some hand to hand style combat with demons and robots. (That is a weird sentence, but it's accurate, so I won't change it) A girl is bashed over the head and knocked unconscious. One character dies in a pretty violent and up-close way. A bomb explodes, leaving two characters badly wounded.

Sex 2/5: Some kissing and talk of kissing. One hot-and-heavy makeout session in which a girl is in her nightdress and a boy removes his shirt. One less hot-and-heavy makeout session in which everyone's clothes stay on.

Language 1/5: Damn and Hell are thrown around a bit, and I think there's one B word in there, too.

Substance Abuses 3/5: Wine is at every meal, even for the teens. Champagne is used at a celebratory gathering. A supernatural substance is used as a narcotic; one character is addicted to it, though the reason for the addiction is actually medicinal, and another uses it like heroine or something similar. The second is regarded as bad choice and is openly condemned by the other characters, even though it's a one-time thing.

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Review: Blameless

2012-01-18T18:42:00.001-05:00

Blameless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I still love this series. I'm just not as blown away as I was at first. However, I read this just after reading Clockwork Prince, and WOW was that a shock. "Mediocre steampunk written to make a buck" is a whole different than "steampunk."

All of the same praises for this book as for the first two:
- Funny, in a way that few books are these days.
- Romantic and sexy without being dirty
- A fun twist on history. I know this is what steampunk is supposed to be, but rarely does it actually acheive this goal. This series does, though, and it's pretty freaking great.

The downside in this novel was that there was zero motive for one of the big conflicts. We know what was done, when it was done and by whom, but we never really learn why. And it's not left as a cliffhanger, it's just apparent that the author needed this event to happen to set a whole big set of other events in motion, and so she put it in there. It threw a big wrench in the whole story, in my opinion.

I do, however love how things get "fixed" without it feeling cheesy.

PARENTAL ADVISORIES
Sex 2/5: one scene fades to black just before a married couple gets busy, but we know what they were planning to do. Several conversations discreetly allude to romantic affairs outside of marriage, several of them are homosexual, despite tis being Victorian London.

Violence 4/5: vampire attacks, werewolf bites, shooting of supernatural weapons, brief mention of executions, a lot of hand to hand combat and several assassination attempts. One man is shot in the heart and dies immediately.

Language 0/5: Totally clean

Substance Abuses 1/5: a few cocktails, but nobody gets drunk

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A HUGE THANK YOU!!!

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

I just want to say a huge, ginormous THANK YOU to the 20 Something Bloggers Community for voting me as their Best Contributor Overall. You guys rock, and I am honored, right down to the tips of my toes.

or something like that.