Sherlock

 It seemed like the internet wouldn't shut up about this new BBC modern day Sherlock series written by Stephen Moffat. Everyone knows the story of Sherlock Holmes, but Stephen Moffat gives his own twist on it. It's set in modern day London where a Dr. John Watson now home from the army is trying to fit in with the real world again. He happens upon an old college friend who introduces him to Sherlock after John mentions that he's looking for a place to live. From there, Watson is swept into a life of solving crime while living with a painfully brilliant sociopath.

I can't express how much I love this series. Sherlock, played by the comically Britishly name Benedict Cumberbatch, is wonderfully done. This isn't the loveably eccentric Sherlock as portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. This is a character that has no idea how to deal with or act in social interactions. He's rude, offensive, thinks that everyone but him is an idiot, and that anything not related to a murder case is boring. John Watson, played by Martin Freeman, acts sorta as Sherlock's interpreter, trying to patch up rude comments from Sherlock. It's easy to say that Watson is the closest thing Sherlock has to a friend, despite all their rough patches. Their relationship makes this show addicting to watch, seeing them interact and be friends despite how different they are.

If you haven't watched this show yet, I highly suggest it. Sherlock is a great story that has been redone over and over, some have been good and some have been mediocre. This is just one more to add to the good list.

The Computer Debacle

So my computer broke. That was a thing. I was in the middle of typing something to my friend when it just.. turned off. To say I was mad was an understatement. So I checked the battery, the cord, the memory, the hard drive and the CMOS battery, none of them were the problem - especially since it obviously wasn't a virus. That only left one dreaded solution: my motherboard was fried. So I had a funeral for my poor laptop, and made it through finals borrowing other peoples computers, generally just for checking email purposes.

A few days ago I finally got a new computer, and now that I've finally fine-tuned it to my preferences, I can start blogging again! I know, it's very exciting. I have some catching up to do, so expect a slew of posts soon.

Long story story: Computer broke, but it's okay. I'm back!

Einstein and Eddington

*Note: This review was for my Cinema Appreciation class. So the review is in a pompus college essay format.*

I should probably start off by saying I remember next to nothing about the science I learned in High School; however I've always been fond of a good historical movie. This movie is about Albert Einstein and Sir Arthur Eddington, a German theoretical physicist and a British astrophysicist, respectfully. More specifically it's about the evolution of Einsteins Theory of General Relativity during a time when Germany doesn't care to look into any science they can't use for the Great War and Britain doesn't want anything to do with the country they are going to war with. At this time everyone held everything Newton said was put on a pedestal – which stated that Gravity was what held the universe together, but gave no reason why or what it was. This left the idea that God was the reasoning for Gravity, the why behind the what. The only thing Einstein has done by this point was suggest that everyone was moving at it's own time, and that time was not a universal standard measure. With no way to prove or disprove his theory, the British scientist at Cambridge decided his theory was not relevant to the real world, especially with a war going on.

Sir Arthur Eddington wasn't so quick to brush off Albert Einstein. Instead he sent Einstein a letter posing a question: why was Newton correct about all the position and orbits of the planets except Mercury. What was different about Mercury that just eluded Newton's otherwise correct theory. With that question as a basis, Einstein created his Theory of General Relativity which stated that it was the Suns gravity that shaped space, twisting it out of it's original shape and changing how we view it. If his theory was correct it would completely change how the world was viewed, but first it had to be proven. That's where Eddington came in, to observe space to see if Einsteins theory was correct. These two scientists who have never met went against what each of their countries were telling them to try and understand the world around them a little bit better.

This was a made for TV movie, co-produced by BBC and HBO Films. For being a made for TV movie, I was surprised by the cast for the film. Sir Arthur Eddington was played by David Tennant(Doctor Who, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Fright Night), Albert Einstein was played by Andy Serkis(Lord of the Rings, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Prestige) and Jim Broadbent(Moulin Rouge, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) plays one of Eddington's colleague. All three are rather big names and all three were absolutely perfect in this movie. Andy Serkis's Einstein was half crazed from his intelligence that was being ignore, never going too overboard. He wanted more from the world than he was getting, wanted to prove that he had knowledge that was worth listening too. Jim Broadbents character played the main pro-England character wonderfully. He thought that there was no way that Newton could be proven wrong, especially by a German scientist. David Tennant's Eddington was probably my favorite. He went against what he's believed all his life – that God was behind everything – went against his faith for the possibility that some scientists he new met could be right. He played someone who was conflicted, hopeful for the possibility of helping to discover a new theory but worried about what this could mean for his Faith all while struggling with a possible repressed homosexuality that David Tennant hinted at perfectly.. 

 

My only real complaint for his movie was that they didn't really touch upon Albert Einsteins wife and kids very often. You saw them once while he still lived in Switzerland before he moved back to Berlin for his research, and once more when they came to visit him and his wife found out he was having [another?] affair. You never find out whether he and his wife split up or work it out, nor if Einstein worked things out with his kids. As far as the audience knows, they are out of his life forever and he doesn't seem to particularly care. However that pales next to how much I enjoyed this movie. It felt authentic and well thought out. All of their science talk was dumbed down a little so I didn't so I didn't get lost in all the gobbldy gook, yes still letting me learn something from it. This seemed like a movie just about anyone could enjoy if they gave it a chance. It has it's flaws, but the abilities of the actors manage to overshadow any and all of them. 

(Also: Wow I suddenly can't tab anything. that's super strange. I'll figure that problem out later.)

The Fault In Why We Broke Up

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Yea, it's been a while. I have a lot of catching up to do. I don't really have a good reason except that I read a book that just left me so.. overwelmed? That might not be the right word for it. Anyways I couldn't stop thinking about it. I went to write about it a few separate times now and nothing I say seems to be able to describe this book properly. For those of you who don't know, John Greens new book The Fault In Our Stars came out January 10, 2012.

Hazel Grace Lancaster is a 16 year old girl with cancer. Some rare kind that has left her relying on an oxygen tank. For her life almost entirely consists of laying around the house watching bad reality shows, going to a cancer survivor support group and going to college classes. Not the most happening social life. Then she meets Augustus Waters and everything changes.

This book was equal parts funny, thoughtful, and devastatingly sad. I've read this book twice now since it's come out, and I still get swept up by it. In the book, Hazel has a book that means the world to her. To describe her book, she said: “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. And then there are book which you can't tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal.” I love that and how unbelievably true that feels. For Hazel, her book seemed to speak directly to her – understanding her on a level no one else did with her cancer. I don't have cancer, but I do know what it feels like to be spoken to through a book.

I love everything about this book: from its pefrect description of books to its ability to portray a gradual relationship that left me breathless. Hazel and Augustus have a love that seems to come out of no where and sweep you off their feet while managing to feel real and true. It manages to remind you what it was like to fall in love, that maybe all the pain of just living is worth it just to have this person in your life. This is a book I feel like everyone should read. Maybe, just maybe, it'll become your special and rare book that you want to hide away from the world.

I also highly suggest watching this song that this person wrote about the book. It's hauntingly beautiful. Don't worry, there aren't any spoilers, just lots of quotes. I listened to this song while writing this review, it just sums up the book so perfectly.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

A family friend gave me a bookstore gift certificate, so I wandered through the book store either looking for a book I might not usually buy with my own money or one I really really wanted. I found this in the new release section for the Young Adult books and it was a little more expensive then most YA books were – putting it in the not usually category. This book was surprisingly heavy for it's size because it had paper you could print pictures on, the really thick king that are in children books. I guess when you have a full book of that paper, it makes the book super heavy. I was intrigued.

This book is written in a letter format. Min Green and Ed Slaterton just broke up. Min was the kind of person who saves everything from relationships in a box, mementos to remind her of different stages of their relationship. She loved foreign films and wanted to be a film director, Ed played football. They were very different from each other with very different social circles. Now that they've broken up, she is giving the box to Ed, since some of the stuff in there was his. Accompanying the box is a letter that Min is writing to explain their relationship and ultimately why they broke up.

This book let you follow their relationship from the beginning with pictures of items in the box, each item being explained how it played some part in their relationship. You get to experience a relationship spark, bloom, then end right there with Min as she relives everything herself. This is the sorta book that you just can't read without being reminded about you own doomed high school relationship. You know the ones, where your relationship suddenly springs up out of no where so fast that you forgot how different the two of you are. When it's over you look back and wonder why it didn't end sooner. This book manages to make you look back at that relationship with a sort of fondness for what it was, not what it ended up as. It manages to an almost painful to remember subject matter, beautiful.

Book Count: 11

Blue Envelopes and Harry Dresden

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

This is a sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes, which is an excellent book. I suggest it. This book takes place about 6 months after the first one. Someone has contacted Ginny saying that they found her last Blue Envelope and wants to meet up. Without really thinking twice, Ginny goes off to England to continue her Aunts adventure. While there she find new friends and that not everything can stay the same.

I really really enjoyed this movie. 13 Little Blue Envelopes is a book that I definitely though tneeded a sequel so I was pleased to actually get one. This book was everything I hoped it'd be. It took me to places I didn't expect and brought me to places I'd hoped it would. The ending felt perfectly final, giving me the closer I wanted while still letting me imagine what could happen. It was a great sequel. I suggest reading the first one if you haven't and I greatly suggest the sequel if you have.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden is Chicago's only professional Wizard. He runs a private investigation where more often then not he gets calls asking if he really is a Wizard than a job. He's getting pretty desperate when the police calls him in to look at a murder scene who's victims hearts where brutally ripped out. It reaks of Wizard. From there his life goes down hill as he searches for the Dark Wizard who is the cause of the murder before he is blamed for it. Along the way he runs into vampires, a drug that grants the users magical Sight, an underground mob boss and a few demon.

My friend lent me this book, insisting that I read it. There are 15 books in this series so far. I know! What do you even do with a 15 book long series? So of course I was a little apprehensive. Any book series that just shells out books tends to be a little.. low on substance. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Sure it wasn't some literary gold mine, but it was enjoyable. I liked reading it and I found it sucking me into it's plot. It's a good book to just zone out in and relax.

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden is back. After his adventure in the first book, he's not on the greatest terms with the Police. When they call him in because of another suspicious murder scene, it doesn't take him long to figure out Werewolves are the cause. Now while investigating he has to work carefully since the Police are constantly suspicious of him. Dresden quickly finds out that trying to dodge Police AND Werewolves is not conducive to solving this murder.

Just re-read my second paragraph from the first book, because it's basically the same thing. An enjoyable read.

Book Count: 9

The Grey

An oil drilling team's plane goes down on the way home from Alaska. Gathering together their senses and everyone still alive, they try to survive the harsh weather while trying to find civilization. And then the wolves come.

I was excited to see this movie: Liam Neeson fighting wolves. What more could you ask for? I gotta say, I actually got more than I asked for. The story was emotional and tense and I actually wanted all the characters to survive – even the dumb annoying ones. The movie definitely didn't pull any punches throughout the movie, especially at the end. Personally I loved the ending, it felt appropriate; however I know a lot of people who just didn't like it. Overall I liked the movie a lot more then I thought I would, it might even be going on my to be bought list.

Oh, also. Stay around after the credits.

Crazy Stupid Love

I only watched this movie because my roommate heavily suggested it, but I was still hesitant. Chick Flicks aren't really my thing, and despite how much I enjoy Emma Stone I didn't have high hopes for this movie.

When Cal's wife asks for a divorce, his life gets turned upside-down. In a fit of depression and uncertainty, Cal wandered into a bar which a professional ladies man decides to take him up under his wing, Jacob. Jacob takes pity on Cal, giving his life a much needed make-over with the desire to win back his wife.

At first I wasn't into this movie. It wasn't particularly funny nor was it very romantic for being a romantic comedy. None of the characters seemed very interesting or dimensional to me and it just seemed so not interesting. And then there was this point in the movie, maybe about halfway thought, when it just suddenly stepped up its game. The romance of the moment swept me away, giving me an 'Aw' moment that I rarely get from movies. Overall the movie wasn't bad. It was a fun watch which is usually all I require out of romantic comedies. However that one moment of romance made the movie worth watching more me. 

Also I'd like to note that I have no idea why everyone is obsessed with Ryan Gosling. Sure he's handsome in that classic Hollywood sorta way, but I wouldn't say he's significantly more handsome than any of the other actors. It just seems like the Gosling Fever came out of no where with no particularly good reason for it. If anyone can explain it to me, I'd appreciate it.

Like Crazy

Like Crazy is about Anna, a British college student studying abroad in America. While there she meets Jacob and they both fall hard for each other, quickly turning into a very serious relationship. In a moment of ill thought out stupidity, Anna decides to stay with Jacob over the summer instead of going home to satisfy her visa requirements and just goes home for a week instead. When she tries to return, they tell her she isn't allowed in the country and is forced back in Britain. The story follows both Jacob and Anna as they try to keep their relationship despite the giant ocean between them.

This movie wasn't a chick flick, it was just a movie about a relationship which I appreciated that they didn't feel the need to fluff everything up. In fact I loved the entire movie right up to the ending that left me feeling a bit.. unsure. Everything in the movie felt so real and heartfelt, so maybe my problem with the ending was that it was a tad to realistic. I was very invested in the characters and I wanted a bit more of a concrete ending. It didn't need to be a happy ending, just a more set ending.

Overall I'd suggest this movie. It definitely has an Indie feel to it and I always appreciate a realistic feel to a movie. Also Anna's mom is played by River Song from Doctor Who, if you're into that kinda thing.

The Road

So I just watched the movie adaptation of The Road. To be honest, it was exactly like the book. The dialog was exactly the same (seriously), and there were no different scenes. So.. it wasn't bad. It was the same amount of Okay as the book. In fact, I'm just going to put the link for my review from the book, because of how not different the two are.

Link Link Link 

A Frostbitten Road

The Road by Cormac McCarthy 

Set after some unexplained apocalypse, a father and son walk down a road, trying to make it south before the winter get really bad. That's about all the summary you need.

This book was interesting. You never find out the father and sons, or any other characters, name the entire book. They are just addressed as Man and Boy. The world is now just an ashy gray landscape with it only changing between pitch black, kinda gray, and raining. A majority of the population has died and you don't want to cross paths with most of the people still alive. Finding food is just one of the many struggles they have to stay alive.

I keep flipping back on forth on this book. On one hand, I love how simple the book is. You never learns names, you never learn how the world got to this point, and you never learn what happens later. Instead you just follow the Man and the Boy as they wander through the currant world with its own currant problems. On the other hand, I felt like it was missing something. I don't really need to know what happened to the world – I enjoy guessing what happened – nor do I need to know if the world ever gets better. I'm not sure what it was, but I just wanted more from the book. I think I just wanted more of a relationship between the Man and the Boy. Usually their conversation was so impersonal and scattered that I would have thought they were just a Man and Boy who met up and decided to travel together instead of a Father and Son. Overall I didn't dislike the book. I just wanted more from it.

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

The forth book in a series, Frostbitten follows the only female werewolf: Elena Michaels. Werewolves are a hidden society that are either born, or bitten. If born, they don't become werewolves until puberty, and then it's only the males who inherit the werewolf gene. If bitten, the person immediately goes through the genetic change – an extremely painful process that not everyone survives. Before Elena, no female had successfully survived the Change. After two decades of getting used to being a werewolf, Elena has finally gotten used to her new life and she's become an extremely useful part of the Pack. This mission around Elena and her husband Clayton go to Alaska to look into some human deaths with Mutt's (non-Pack werewolves) being the probably cause. Between the harsh cold weather, the startlingly silent wilderness, and the a pack of rouge Mutts, Elena and Clayton have possibly bitten off more than they can chew.

Book count: 6

Suite Develish Academy

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett Martin grew up in a hotel. As interesting as that sounds, it quickly loses its appeal when you have to clean and deal with guests for your entire life. This summer was suppose to be spent getting a summer job for pocket money, instead she was told to work at the hotel some more. Now she has to attend to Mrs. Amberson – an eccentric, C-List celebrity who is determined to change everyones life around her. Between Mrs. Amberson, her angsty little sister, her struggling actor brother and a possibly love interest, this could prove to be her most interesting summer yet.

This book was about letting loose so you can enjoy what's going on around you. Mrs. Amberson acted as a sort of once in a life person who manages to influence everyone around her, changing things that were previously thought to be unchangeable. Of could her desire is to change everyone, but it's not until she loosens up a bit before she starts making the big changes. I think Maureen Johnson does an excellent job of showing the different type of siblings. There is Scarletts' brother, Spencer, who is an amazing physical actor who doesn't want to get tied down to the hotel forever. He loves to dote on Scarlett and they can usually be found talking and hanging out more then not. Then there is Scarlett's youngest sister, Marlene who is coddles and is allowed to do essentially anything she wants by their parents. For whatever reason, Marlene has a problem with Scarlett and is generally not a fan of her. Lastly there is Lola, Scarlett's older sister who works outside of the hotel and is not often around. Lola and Scarlett are always nice and sisterly to each other, but Scarlett won't go to the movies with each other or anything like that.

I really enjoyed this book. I found all the characters interesting and intriguing – Mrs. Amberson and Spencer are at the top of that list. Scarlett felt like a realistic 15 year old that I could relate to on some level (despite not being 15). I'll probably buy the sequel when I see it in the store so I can continue my journey with Scarlett Martin and her family.

Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Jane is ridiculously smart. The sort of smart that is isolating. She breezes through all of her classes, even the college level one that are offered special just because of her. Jane dyes her hair and rebels against their school strict catholic rules because there is no real reason to try. Her only friend is Allison Concord and to be honest Jane is fine with that. Ally is sweet, lovable, a little clueless but still Jane's best friend. After a traumatically embarrassing event in front of the school (let me just say barfing on someone was involved), Ally comes into to school acting and looking different. Jane, being the smart gal she is, investigates the weirdness with quickly gets her involved into a game for her soul with the devil.

I didn't dislike this book. It was fun and definitely a new idea. However I wouldn't be too distraught if I misplaced the book and couldn't find it. It just fell a little flat for me. I found myself not actually caring about any of the characters nor the overall outcome.

Knightly Academy by Violet Haberdasher 

Knightly Academy is a prestigious school where kids from well-to-do families study to become knights. At least it used to only be for well-to-do families, until a loophole let Henry Grim, a serving boy, take the test and pass. Now Henry Grim gets to fulfill his dream of becoming a knight, if only he can survive the bullying from his much more socially important classmates. However things get a lot more serious when the harmless bullying turns into threats, stolen items, and legitimate attempts to get them hurt or even expelled. Henry needs to figure out who is behind this before it ruins his chances to become a knight forever.

Before I read this book, I was told rather accurately that it was like 'Harry Potter with Knights'. Henry Grim was an incredibly likeable main character, he was smart and just wanted to learn despite no one wanting him to be there. His two friends he does have balances him out nicely – Rohan and Adam. Rohan is the reason, the one who pipes up whenever they are about to do something not exactly allowed. Adam is the wit, getting Rohan and Henry to relax and just enjoy themselves whenever they get too stressed out.

Obviously there are a lot of similarities with Harry Potter, not that that's entirely a bad thing. Just an observation. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, fun read that drew me in. I have a thing for medieval stories, I'd never toss up the chance for to stories about knights and this book is no exception. 

Book Count: 4

The 100 Book Challange and Sisters Red

This year I'm going to read 100 books. I considered doing only 50, but go big or go home, right? This will consist mainly of new book I've never read, but I do have a few books I want to reread. They're a part of a series, so to make it even I'll probably just count the series as one book because they are short. It's been forever since I've read them, so that's really the only reason I'm allowing them. Also Graphic Novels are allowed (again, if they are a series I'll just count it as one book).

Of course I'll also be reviewing all the books on this site. It's probably the only way I'd be able to properly keep track of all the books.

So lets cover what I have read already.

Sisters Red  by Jackson Pearce

This is basically the story of Little Red Riding Hood, just revamped. Jackson Pearce has started a series where she revamps classic fairy tales - Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Little Mermaid. These aren't just like modernized stories. Instead she takes the classics we all know and love, and twists the story into her own creation.

When they were young, Scarlett and Rosie March were attacked by a Fenrir, or a werewolf, leaving Scarlett horribly disfigured and their grandmother dead. Now they've taken it upon themselves to hunt down and kill as many Fenrir's as possible to try and make the world a little bit safer. Well, more accurately Scarlett has taken it upon herself, Rosie follows along but shows much more interest in their childhood friend Silas. When they notice an influx of Fenrir in the area, they find out they are all looking for a new Potential Fenrir (a rare event) and decide to try and find the Potential before the Fenrirs do. It's a deadly race they're not entirely sure they can win.

I really enjoyed this book, but some parts felt obviously like a teen book. Scarlett gets a little angsty and Silas feels rather empty as the main love interest. But on the other hand, it also gets so much right. The Fenrir's are an interesting concept that Jackson Pearce doesn't feel obligated to explain every little thing about - which I love. It keeps some of the mystery alive. I loved Rosie's commitment to her sister, even if it was sometimes misplaced. Scarlett is very determined, not wanting to allow other girls to die when she has the ability to prevent it which I find very admirable. Despite the weird looks she gets because of her appearance, she still wants to help the world. I'm  excited to read the next book, Sweetly. Unfortunately I left that as school, so it'll just have to wait.

Angel

I can't remember if I've mentioned it, but I'm a HUGE Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. I can't remember when I started watching it, but I've seen every episode multiple time. Show me any scene and I can probably tell you what episode its from and what happens next. It's my comfort blanket. If I had a rough day at classes, it's not unusual for me to pop in a Buffy episode to watch to make me feel better.

With all my love for Buffy, I had not gotten around to watching it's spin-off show Angel until recently. To be honest I hadn't been particularly interested in it – Angel was probably one of my least favorite characters. So why would I want to watch an entire show about him? After some bothering from my boyfriend to watch it, as well as being promised that Spike shows up in later, I decided to just buckle down and watch Angel.

So for those of you who don't know, Angel is a sort of freelance investigation show. After leaving Buffy at the end of Season 3, the vampire with a soul Angel made his way to Los Angeles to start fresh. There he starts up a business where he “Helps the Helpless”. Pretty simple premise, Angel goes out at night to save the people of the city from the monsters who go bump in the night.

Even after watching all of the series, I gotta say I'm still not a fan of Angel. I know so much about the vampire, but I still feel like he has not depth to him. To me, he's just a character whose purpose in life is to act as a plot device. I felt that the real stars of the show were Angel's friends he acquired along the way. Doyle, Charles Gunn, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Lorne, Winifred 'Fred' Burkle, Spike. All of these characters were so heart warming or fascinating in their own way. To be honest any of these characters could be given their own show and I'd jump to watching it immediately.

I actually found the series pretty enjoyable. The monsters were like the ones I loved to watch in Buffy. There were relationships and character development that I loved to watch and I never really felt like the series dragged anywhere. I'm pretty glad I watched it.

However I still think Angel is dumb.

Hesher

I watched this movie primarily because of Josph Gordon-Levitt. The trailer looked interesting enough, but mostly just in that weird indie movie sorta way. When I noticed Josph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman and Rainn Wilson were in it, I became intrigued enough to want to actually watch it.

Hesher follows TJ, a young boy who's mother recently died. TJ and his dad move in with his grandmother as he slowly grows distant from his father. His life is generally down at the moment, rounding off with getting super bullied at school. That's when Hesher enters his life. Hesher is the dude version of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. For those of you who don't know, Manic Pixie Dream Girl is what film critics named the character that loves to show up in films with the sole purpose of influencing the main characters life. They usually have a eccentric personality, quirky and are unabashedly girly. Some examples are Kate Winslet's character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Zooey Deschanel's character in (500) Days Of Summer. So the dude version would probably be eccentric, rough, and about as dudeish as you can get. Hesher is a loner. He has long greasy hair and homemade tattoos He's malnourished, smoked a boatload of cigarettes and loves fire and blowing up things. He even lives in his van and constantly rocks out to heavy metal music. And then he meets TJ.

I surprisingly loved this movie. It was odd, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting but it wasn't that. Heshers character was crude, rude, and generally unpleasant – but I loved him. He had depth. Underneath that unpleasant outer level was someone who cared, even when he didn't want to. TJ was a boy in pain, struggling with being misunderstood and feeling cut off from life. He didn't want Hesher around and didn't particularly enjoy having him around, but Hesher still managed to change him for the better. TJ's father was struggling with trying to still be a father while he no longer wanted to put effort in life. He found Hesher very off putting, but still only got his life together because of Hesher.

Hesher's character was a little rough around the edges, but sometimes that's exactly what you need in life – rough around the edges. I'd suggest giving it a watch. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is excellent in it and I found myself surprisingly touched by the movie.

Ponyo on the Cliff

Oops. Been a while. You know how it is: school work, knitting, we just got cable. The usual distractions. Anyways, let's just get started.

Ponyo, or the literal title translation Ponyo on the Cliff, is a Hayao Miyazaki movie. You remember when I talked about him, right? Of course you do. Easily my favorite director. Well I have the great pleasure of watching almost all of his movies which didn't include Ponyo until just recently. I just got lazy I guess, or maybe the prospect of reading subtitles sounded too intimidating at the moment. Regardless, I finally watched it.

Ponyo is simply a retelling of The Little Mermaid. Sosuke, a 5-year old boy, finds a goldfish on the shore outside of his house and names it Ponyo. Turns out the goldfish is more then it appears. She is in actuality a Princess, the daughter of a powerful wizard and a sea goddess. Ponyo decides she likes Sosuke and wants to stay with him and become human - to the great displeasure of her father.

The movie was.. cute. I guess. As much as it pains me to admit, I didn't like it too much. The art was so un-Miyazaki like that it threw me for a loop and the story itself was nothing more then cute. I didn't get the heartfelt connection to the characters like I usually get. Past Miyazaki movies all had strong female characters and the movie portrayed a powerful message throughout the movie. Of course the movie had a message - you can't help who you fall in love with and once you find that someone, don't just give it up; however the message felt a little half assed. Sure the message was there, but it felt like it was there more because of convenience then actually wanting the message to be there.

I wished I liked it more, I really do. If it was on TV I'd watch it, but it's not something I'd go looking for.

Note: I feel the need to mention that I didn't prefer the sub over the dub, or vise versa. I had heard that the dub was terrible and only to watch it subbed. Well I watched both and found that I didn't care one way over the other - a heads up for anyone who wants to watch it and isn't sure which one to watch.

Moonlight

I feel vampires shouldn't sparkle. It's a personal preference really, but Twilight just isn't my jam. I don't need my vampires to be old school exactly, just don't make them goofy like sparkling. Which bring me to Moonlight.

Moonlight follows a certain vampire, Mick St. John, who is a private investigator. Usually the cases he takes on are the suspicious sort, ones that usually end up having vampires at the root of its problem. Throughout the entire show he battles with his vampire ex-wife, his general past, trying to not get outed as a vampire to everyone and possibly starting a relationship with a human girl named Beth.

Moonlights vampires aren't affected by garlic and crosses are just a shape to them. Their image can get captured on camera, which they explain by the way cameras take pictures now is very different by hoe camera took pictures in the older days – which makes sense to me. For them, the old myths hold the most stock in silver, stakes, fire and the sun.

They can go in the sun, they don't burst into flames and they certainly don't sparkle. If they stick to the shadows and wear sunglasses, vampires can go outside with some mild irritation. They can even go into direct sunlight for short amounts of time; however any longer and they start to get weaker and weaker until they die.

Stakes don't kill them. Instead it sort of paralyzes them, making them unable to move until someone takes it out. I find that to be an extremely interesting take on it, since most vampire fighting shows put so much faith in a stake to the heart. Although this sort of holds the same idea, if you stake a vampire in the heart you could do anything to them and they can do nothing about it. For them, a stake in the heart could very well result in death.

For silver, its best for everyone if they just don't touch it. It's poison to them. If they touch it, it burns. If it gets in their bloodstream, it basically kills them from the inside. Not pretty.

The only sure fire way to kill these vampires is fire (get it? Sure fire? Fire? Gosh I'm so clever).

Overall I really enjoyed Moonlight. It was disappointingly shot, having gotten canceled after just one season and definitely left me asking for more. I found the characters interesting and the plot even more interesting. The vampires were interestingly portrayed while still getting the idea of vampires out there. If there were more seasons, I'd definitely go out of my way to watch them.

Game of Thrones: From Book to TV

I don't even remember when I first read George R.R. Martins' 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' series - maybe 6 or 7 years ago. It's an intimidating book series. There are currently 5 books - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, As Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons - and each book is over 1,000 pages give or take a few hundred, usually on the give side.

It wasn't the first medieval set world book I read and it wasn't the last, but its my favorite. There is so much thought put into all the characters and the world in general that it sometimes leaves me in awe. These aren't just characters you're reading about, its entire familys. At the back of every book there is an appendix where it goes through each major family and gives multiple generations of people as well as who there friends are, who there enimies are, who works for them, a short history of the house, and what their house motto is along with their house sigil. There are around 16 main houses and smaller houses. I can't even wrap my mind around how much thought was put into all of this.

The title of the first book basically explains the entire series - a game of thrones. We start off in a time of peace after a recent change in power. Of course there is the usual royalty shenanigans going on in the background, but then everything changes when the current king dies. The whole Kingdom is thrown into turmoil. The ex-kings spoiled son takes the throne and starts making kingly orders, his thought process ending as 'I want to do that so I will and no one can stop me'. The ex-kings brother claims it is his throne and that the ex-kings son isn't really his son. The ex-kings youngest brother claims it is his throne for no better reason that his older brother wouldn't make a good king. The north wants to split off with their own King of the North and the daughter of the King who was Overthrown is coming back with an army to claim her birthright.

The entire book is from multiple points of views. The chapters range from the Northern folk, to the daughter of the Overthrown King, and to the ex-kings multiple family members. There is no set good or bad side - which I love. Some sides may seem on the evil side, but then you see not everyone on that side is bad and you almost want to route for them to live just for the few good ones. Then the side that seems overly good has some bad blood of its own. It all feels so real and you almost want them all to win. 

I should also mention there are dragons. I couldn't find a good place to mention that, but it definitely needs mentioning. Everything in the series feels so realistic, just with the addition of dragons. I may or may not love dragons.

I wasn't sure how to feel when HBO announced they were going to turn George RR martins books into a TV series. On one hand I was so excited, who doesn't love to see their series in action? But on the other hand I was hesitant, there is so much stuff in the world George RR Martin created with so many characters I wasn't sure if it was even possible to turn it into a TV series.

I think they pulled it off rather nicely. Sure they couldn't include everything, but they did the best they could. I didn't feel like they left out anything major and they obviously put a lot of thought into how they went about doing it. I wasn't disappointed. What I was most impressed with were the casting choices. All the characters were almost exactly how I imagined them in my head and all of the actors performed so well.

Even if you don't feel like putting in the effort to read the book series, you should at least give the TV series a watch. It was a good introduction into the world George RR Martin created and might inspire you to give the books a chance. They are intimidating to say the least, but so satisfying. One of my favorite book series.

Day Thirty: The Host

Day Thirty: Your favorite movie of all time

I love a good monster movie, which are few and far between. A movie where there is just a monster causing chaos, people getting trampled, buildings getting destroyed.  It's my jam.

When a monster comes out of a river in South Korea, Seoul gets put into chaos. Tons of people are either killed or go missing. When one family gets a missing relative because of the attack, the family bands together to search for her. They don't want to admit she was killed, so instead they hunt down the monsters hide out to see if they can figure out what happened to their youngest family member.

This movie has so much heart. Even when the monster is causing havoc, there is something emotion going on in the background. I find the monster incredibly interesting and unique and the main characters are honest and heartfelt. More people need to see this movie, I never get tired of watching it.

And that's the end of my Thirty Movie Day.. thing. I was almost able to post everyday. Sorta. It was close enough anyways. So onto new reviews, I have a few planned out already so it won't be too long before I have a new one up.

Day Twenty- Nine: Fantasia

Day Twenty-Nine: A movie from your childhood

You know how everyone has that one movie they watched over and over as a kid? Well Fantasia was that movie for me. I'm not sure what about it enthralled me so much - it's not the common movie kids repeatedly watch.

There isn't really a plot to Fantasia. They took classical works of music and added footage to it. For example they took the song Dance of the Hours by Amilcare Ponchielli and shows hippos and crocodiles doing ballet together. Or The Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven which had some Greek mythological characters including Zeus, Bacchus the God of Wine along with centaurs and the such.

I can still sit down to watch this movie and love it. I would also suggest Fantasia 2000, which has the best of Fantasia along with new additions. Some of my favorite song... video.. things are from Fantasia 2000 - they really upped the A game for that one.

Day Twenty-Eight: Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki)

Day Twenty-Eight: Favorite movie from your favorite director

Everything Hayao Miyazaki makes is gold. If you aren't that aware of anime, you may remember the animated movie Spirited Away that won an Oscar 2003 - well that was not only a Miyazaki movie (however my least favorite one), but also the first Japanese animated movie to win the category. Miyazaki has an impressive list of movies that he's made, or helped to make, or even just influenced. My Neighbor Totoror, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Porco Roso, Castle in the Sky, Ponyo, Kiki's Delivery Service, Grave of the Fireflies and of course Howl's Moving Castle, are just some of them. Fun fact: one of the reasons Pixar movies are so good is because Pixar makes a habit of scooping up old Studio Gibli people - Studio Gibli being the company Miyazaki co-created and works in. Pixar admited that Toy Story 3 was a homage to Miyazaki, they even included a Totoro doll in the movie.

Sophie, a strong willed young woman, gets cursed by the Witch of the Waste which turns her into an old woman. With nothing left for her at home, she sets out to start fresh and finds her way to a warlock named Howl and his strange moving castle. There she strikes up a deal with the fire demon Calcifer who powers the entire castle- he promises to remove the curse on  her, if she can remove the curse on him. While trying to figure out what the curse even is let alone how to break it, Sophie finds herself falling in love with the mysterious Howl.

Howl's Moving Castle is one of the cutest stories around. A story about love despite appearances and per-determined opinions. A story about never giving up even when it seems hopeless. I watch this moving when I'm feeling down, when I'm feeling happy, even when I'm mad and just need to watch something. I even loved this movie so much that I went out of my way to read the book it was based off of (which is equally good and adorable by the way).