So I just took a few minutes to make a new banner for this blog on photoshop... I kind of like it but I think it's not quite right yet.... If anyone who stumbles across this blog needs a banner, I'd love to make you one, totally free... Just thought I'd throw that out there!
I'm going to post a new review soon, about a very special thing. POTTERMORE.
I am one of the lucky million Harry Potter fans who gets to beta test the new PotterMore sight! I answered the magical quill question on day two, and I've been waiting for my welcome email ever since... It finally came this morning! I was so excited, and I passed the entire morning by going through the entire book one section of PotterMore. So I'll be reviewing that soon!
Anyone reading this yet?
I'm just going to put my opinions out here and hope someone will eventually read them. :)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
fright night, 2011, reviewed.
Need I say more?
I really don't think I should have to say anything else to make you want to watch the recent remake of the cult classic horror movie, Fright Night, but I will, just in case you're not quite convinced yet (look at me, just writing to 'you,' as if I actually have readers.... That's cheerful...)!
So I just got home from seeing the new Fright Night with two of my friends, and even though I just posted a review this morning, I'm too excited about this movie to put off reviewing it!
The pacing was excellent, very quick, lot's going on, but not to the point where it got overdone or confusing.
The blood and gore was plentiful and very nicely done! I'm the kind of girl who likes a lot of blood and gore!
The cast was pretty excellent! Anton Yelchin was great as Charley Brewster, I used to think he might have been in danger of becoming Michael Cera 3.0 (Michael Cera 2.0 being Jesse Eisenberg), and always play the akward teenage boy, but I think his part in this movie might well save him from that fate (Don't get me wrong, I love Michael Cera, I just think he should try playing a different role once in a while....). Sure, his version of Brewster was plenty awkward, but when it counted, he was really brave. Maybe I just still love him because he was such an adorably amazing Chekov in the Star Trek reboot (which I love, and probably would have loved even if I weren't such a trekkie!), but I really do think the boy has some talent...
Here's the really amazing thing about the Fright Night cast (Other than David Tennant, that is!). The girlfriend isn't annoying as hell. This never happens. Ever. Girlfriends, in non-romance movies that center on the actions of a guy, are NEVER likable. They're rarely even tolerable! But I actually really liked Imogen Poots's Amy Peterson. Sure, her name makes me chuckle every time I see it, but Ms. Poots clearly has some definite talent (And I'm basing this off all the movies I've seen ger in, not just this one!), if she's able to make me like a movie girlfriend! It definitely helped that she didn't keep looking flawless no matter what happened to her (Cough *That one Girlfriend in the newest Transformers movie* cough).
Colin Farrell is a great evil vampire! The way he carries himself, the way he's so nonchalant about some very evil gruesome things... He's just a great classic vampire.
And now, I just have to talk about Tennant. I can't not talk about Tennant. I loved him as the Doctor in Doctor Who, and I loved him in this movie as Peter Vincent, vampire expert extraordinaire! Or should I say, not so extraordinaire.... He was, without a doubt, my favorite character in the whole movie. Everything he said or did made me smile. I was loving it, and not just because it was David Tennant, but because he really was just funny and crass and all around amazing! He even got a little bit inspiring at one point towards the end! So yeah, Tennant gets a lot of love from me in this film....
The Vampire face...... Priceless... I won't spoil it for you by describing it!
It was hilarious, but not in the cheap, vulgar kind of way that most 'funny' movies nowadays are. It was witty! I love witty things!
It was sufficiently creepy and bloody to make it a real vampire horror flick, and I can't even say how good it is to finally see another movie about REAL vampires! None of those sparkly love-struck excuses for a monster! The movie even takes a direct shot at the whole Twilight 'vampire' thing (if you can even call them vampires!) at the beginning, which had me brimming with pride!
I'm a big fan of cult movies. From the brilliantly written to the brilliantly cheesy, they're just great! Which is why I loved the original Fright Night. This movie, however, doesn't have quite the same appeal as it's campy predecessor. They;re both funny as hell, but that's the biggest similarity they share... Other than... You know... The characters... And the plot...
So pretty early on in the film, Tennant's character utters a line that made me literally burst out of my seat with happiness and giggles. He was already being so awesome and David-Tennanty, and then he goes and says a line like:
"Don't expect me to join your little scooby gang!"Cue the squeeing from my seat in the theater. Two of my favorite shows, all brought together in one of my new favorite movies. The Doctor just made a Buffy reference. Life=Complete. Unfortunately, my friends have never even seen Buffy (Terrible, right?!?), so they just thought I was being a raving madwoman... Again... Such is the tale of my life....
Tennant's character also uttered tons of other really priceless lines throughout the movie, and there is a positively hilarious scene with a pebble.... But you'll have to take my word for it, and just go watch the movie!
I think I'll leave you with just one more of my favorite lines from the movie This had me and my friends bursting with laughter. Luckily it was a pretty much empty theater, or else I'm sure we would have gotten complaints! Anyways, for your enjoyment:
"He's inside of me now."That's what she said. That is all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Books Read This Summer: 14 (I just finished two, and started two more.....) This number would be way high if included books I was currently reading.... There's like 30 of them....
Movies Watched (in theaters): 7 (Two days in a row.... I love going to the movies!)
Currently Listening To: The Weepies :) very good chill music!
Location: My bed (AGAIN! Always...)
I just realized that both this and my last review have dirty double entendres towards the end.... I really should get my mind out of the gutter for at least a little while....
Yeah... Bye.
rise of the planet of the apes, reviewed.
It was really good. Really, really good.
It was compelling enough to appeal to the masses, but deep enough to more critical minds.
The really interesting thing about this movie was the way that it totally made you root against the Human race. It's similar to what happens when you watch Avatar (The amazing movie with the blue people, not the amazing animated series!). Both movies just make you hate your own species, and wish for them to fail. That is a quality in movies that I find quite intriguing.
As for the characters, right off the bat, the Harry Potter geek in me (which, if I'm being honest, is a very, very large part of me), has to point out that Tom Felton is in it. And it seems that he just can't get away from playing the bad guy... or from that blonde hair! His ten years of practice with playing the villain have obviously paid off, because Felton's character in Rise, Dodge, is just so easy to hate!
But now let's talk about the real star of the show!
Throughout Rise, there were a lot of references to the original movie, which I loved. "It's a madhouse! A madhouse!" Oh, Draco.... Oooops, I mean *Dodge..... I'm sorry Tom Felton, but you'll always be Draco to me <3
So anyways, I highly recommend you watch it!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Books Read This Summer: 12
Movies Watched (in theaters): 6 (4, if I only get to count HP7 part 2 once!)
Currently Watcing: Battlestar Galactica, season 2! I finished season 1 last night, and I'm obsessed.... I'll probably post a review of that whole season soon.... Also, I've been watching Game of Thrones, which I'm ashamed to say I only just heard about like a week ago! But that..... is great... Yup.
Location: My bed (I generally work on beds... my desk is too full of crap and not as comfy!) at HOME! California, as much as I dislike your constantly warm climate, I have missed you! And the people inside of you... That sounds potentially dirty... There are people inside you!!!! I'm going to stop being immature and just go now....
Au Revoir my humble and, as of yet, unexistent readers!
Monday, August 15, 2011
anna and the french kiss, reviewed.
Let me just start this first review of mine off by saying that I never expected to even like Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins, let alone love it. But I did. I absolutely LOVED it. I still can't quite put my finger on any definitive reason why I loved it so much, but I just did.
Now that I've made that clear, onwards with the actual reviewing part!
After weeks of hearing great things about Anna from various souces across the interwebs (Namely, John Green and Alex Carpenter, as well as many others), I finally picked up a copy at the bookstore while I was in the middle of my annual 'get enough books to sustain me for four weeks in Austria and two eleven hour flights' book shopping spree. And yet, even as I bought it, and even after hearing so many glowing reviews of it from people whose opinions I have come to respect, I was still skeptical. It just looked and sounded so... Girly. I am not girly. I generally don't do girly. But everyone had assured me to not be put off by the girly cover, or by the girly summary. They assured me that, beneath the girliness of it all, there was actually a very witty and wise tale of friendship and personal growth that I just had to read to believe. So I bought it. And boy, am I glad that I did.
For those of you (if there even is a 'you' who is actually reading my blog!) who don't know, Anna is about a girl who gets shipped off to a boarding school in Paris, where she is to complete her senior year of high school. And she is far from happy about it (which, frankly, I just don't get! I mean, come on, it's PARIS! What could be so bad about that?). Anyways, while in Paris she meets some new friends, an enemy or two, and, most importantly, she meets this guy, Etienne St. Clair. The only problem is, he's not exactly single.
See what I mean when I say girly?
But honestly, give it a chance, I can almost guarantee that it will surprise you. Here's why:
First of all, it's actually very witty. Unlike most romance books marketed towards teens, the humor in Anna, is actually very funny, not immature or over-thought. This book is funny, without seeming like it's trying to be.
Secondly, it's in Paris. Maybe it's just because I've always loved Paris, so much that I am now learning French, but to me it seems like there really is no better place to set a love story than in Paris. Yes, it's a total cliche, but it's a cliche for a reason. And, though othe tales set in Paris might put too much emphasis on the romanticism of the city, or just otherwise make the story a little hard to believe, Perkins manages to make Paris seem both heart-stompingly beautiful and, even more importantly, utterly realistic.
Third, it's not just your average love story. In fact, for most of the book, it's a story about friends. Friends who, yes, happen to like each other, but also just truly support each other the way true friends should.
Fourth, it's the perfect guilty pleasure. As much as I generally gravitate towards more serious fare, I have to admit, that there is a small (very, VERY small) part of me that delights in the kind of sweet, heart warming story that Anna offers.
Fifth, Anna is full of some really great characters. Anna Oliphant is an amazing heroine, despite the fact that she is just Anna. She is simply herself, she is very normal. I think it's very easy to relate to Anna, just because she is a totally regular person. And I love that about her! So often, main characters in books are purposely made to seem extraordinary. Sometimes, they are purposely made to be abnormally boring (*coughBellaSwancough*). But Anna is just nothing more or less than an average girl, and somehow, this makes her seem even more special than any of those overdone characters ever could. I know it sounds odd, that her normalness makes her seem special, but trust me, it makes sense if you red the book. Then there is Etienne. Etienne St. Clair. He is awesome. I think I might love him a little bit. And that means a lot coming from me, a girl who usually never gets all lovey over a guy, even when he's real! He's short. Yet, from his personality, his confidence, you'd never know it. He's afraid of heights (so I guess it's a good thing he's not any taller! Ha..... lame joke, I know....), has a messed up family, and is way to reluctant to make changes in his life. And yet, despite his flaws, he is still the most endearing character. It's not hard to see why Anna likes him. Then there is a whole host of other wonderfully written characters, though none are quite as well developed as Anna and Etienne. That is just about my only complaint about this book. I would have liked to read more about characters like Josh, whom I loved, and Rashmi, and even Ellie. Still, the characters are all wonderful, if at times underdeveloped. But the real gem is Anna. You don't just feel for her, you feel with her. You hate who she hates, you love who she loves. When she is sad, you're sad, when she's happy, you're happy. Few characters have ever made me feel with them as much as Anna did.
Finally, Stephanie Perkins is an extremely talented writer. Right off the bat, she gets some serious credit in my book, for being married to Jarrod Perkins, of the wizard rock band, Gred and Forge. But aside from that connection to Harry Potter (which is my favorite thing..... Ever.) she also has an utterly astounding talent for making a story which seemed like it would be so girly and mushy and unrealistic, feel so completely real and plausible. Stephanie Perkins, on the off chance that you ever come across this review, you should know that, in my humble opinion, you have a gift. And I plan on buying everything you write in the future. Everything. And, going back to her husband, it's easy to see why Perkins is able to write about love so convincingly, when you read the portion of her acknowledgments page dedicated to her husband. Though I don't plan on ever getting married, I do hope that someday I can find someone who makes me write the way Stephanie Perkins can! :)
I could go on and list so many more reasons why you should go buy this book and read it, right now, but this review is already quite long, and I think that if I were to continue, I would just be rambling on and gushing about how much this book truly exceeded every one of my expectations. Everyone has heard the old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." In the past, I disagreed with that saying. Usually, the cover of a book is actually a fairly good indicator of the quality of the writing inside. But, if ever there was one book that made this saying totally and absolutely true, it is Anna and the French Kiss. I judged it by its cover. But my judgement was completely wrong. All the hype this book got was definitely well deserved, and I can not wait to read Perkins's next book, Lola and the Boy Next Door, a companion book to Anna, which comes out September 29, 2011. I am doing everything I can to try and get my hands on an ARC of it....
Anyways, back to Anna. Just read it. Read it, and love it. And, tell me what you thought of it in that lovely little comments section below! If there even is a you, that is!
Links:
Buy Anna and the French Kiss on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Anna-French-Kiss-Stephanie-Perkins/dp/0525423273
Pre-Order Lola and the Boy Next Door on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lola-Next-Door-Stephanie-Perkins/dp/0525423281
Visit the website of the lovely Mrs. Perkins herself: http://stephanieperkins.com/
Listening to: Thoughts of a Dying Atheist - Muse. (Mini-Review: It's great :))
Typing this: In my bed, at my grandma's house, in Austria. For the SECOND TIME. That will teach me to not save my reviews when I'm done....
After weeks of hearing great things about Anna from various souces across the interwebs (Namely, John Green and Alex Carpenter, as well as many others), I finally picked up a copy at the bookstore while I was in the middle of my annual 'get enough books to sustain me for four weeks in Austria and two eleven hour flights' book shopping spree. And yet, even as I bought it, and even after hearing so many glowing reviews of it from people whose opinions I have come to respect, I was still skeptical. It just looked and sounded so... Girly. I am not girly. I generally don't do girly. But everyone had assured me to not be put off by the girly cover, or by the girly summary. They assured me that, beneath the girliness of it all, there was actually a very witty and wise tale of friendship and personal growth that I just had to read to believe. So I bought it. And boy, am I glad that I did.
For those of you (if there even is a 'you' who is actually reading my blog!) who don't know, Anna is about a girl who gets shipped off to a boarding school in Paris, where she is to complete her senior year of high school. And she is far from happy about it (which, frankly, I just don't get! I mean, come on, it's PARIS! What could be so bad about that?). Anyways, while in Paris she meets some new friends, an enemy or two, and, most importantly, she meets this guy, Etienne St. Clair. The only problem is, he's not exactly single.
See what I mean when I say girly?
But honestly, give it a chance, I can almost guarantee that it will surprise you. Here's why:
First of all, it's actually very witty. Unlike most romance books marketed towards teens, the humor in Anna, is actually very funny, not immature or over-thought. This book is funny, without seeming like it's trying to be.
Secondly, it's in Paris. Maybe it's just because I've always loved Paris, so much that I am now learning French, but to me it seems like there really is no better place to set a love story than in Paris. Yes, it's a total cliche, but it's a cliche for a reason. And, though othe tales set in Paris might put too much emphasis on the romanticism of the city, or just otherwise make the story a little hard to believe, Perkins manages to make Paris seem both heart-stompingly beautiful and, even more importantly, utterly realistic.
Third, it's not just your average love story. In fact, for most of the book, it's a story about friends. Friends who, yes, happen to like each other, but also just truly support each other the way true friends should.
Fourth, it's the perfect guilty pleasure. As much as I generally gravitate towards more serious fare, I have to admit, that there is a small (very, VERY small) part of me that delights in the kind of sweet, heart warming story that Anna offers.
Fifth, Anna is full of some really great characters. Anna Oliphant is an amazing heroine, despite the fact that she is just Anna. She is simply herself, she is very normal. I think it's very easy to relate to Anna, just because she is a totally regular person. And I love that about her! So often, main characters in books are purposely made to seem extraordinary. Sometimes, they are purposely made to be abnormally boring (*coughBellaSwancough*). But Anna is just nothing more or less than an average girl, and somehow, this makes her seem even more special than any of those overdone characters ever could. I know it sounds odd, that her normalness makes her seem special, but trust me, it makes sense if you red the book. Then there is Etienne. Etienne St. Clair. He is awesome. I think I might love him a little bit. And that means a lot coming from me, a girl who usually never gets all lovey over a guy, even when he's real! He's short. Yet, from his personality, his confidence, you'd never know it. He's afraid of heights (so I guess it's a good thing he's not any taller! Ha..... lame joke, I know....), has a messed up family, and is way to reluctant to make changes in his life. And yet, despite his flaws, he is still the most endearing character. It's not hard to see why Anna likes him. Then there is a whole host of other wonderfully written characters, though none are quite as well developed as Anna and Etienne. That is just about my only complaint about this book. I would have liked to read more about characters like Josh, whom I loved, and Rashmi, and even Ellie. Still, the characters are all wonderful, if at times underdeveloped. But the real gem is Anna. You don't just feel for her, you feel with her. You hate who she hates, you love who she loves. When she is sad, you're sad, when she's happy, you're happy. Few characters have ever made me feel with them as much as Anna did.
Finally, Stephanie Perkins is an extremely talented writer. Right off the bat, she gets some serious credit in my book, for being married to Jarrod Perkins, of the wizard rock band, Gred and Forge. But aside from that connection to Harry Potter (which is my favorite thing..... Ever.) she also has an utterly astounding talent for making a story which seemed like it would be so girly and mushy and unrealistic, feel so completely real and plausible. Stephanie Perkins, on the off chance that you ever come across this review, you should know that, in my humble opinion, you have a gift. And I plan on buying everything you write in the future. Everything. And, going back to her husband, it's easy to see why Perkins is able to write about love so convincingly, when you read the portion of her acknowledgments page dedicated to her husband. Though I don't plan on ever getting married, I do hope that someday I can find someone who makes me write the way Stephanie Perkins can! :)
I could go on and list so many more reasons why you should go buy this book and read it, right now, but this review is already quite long, and I think that if I were to continue, I would just be rambling on and gushing about how much this book truly exceeded every one of my expectations. Everyone has heard the old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." In the past, I disagreed with that saying. Usually, the cover of a book is actually a fairly good indicator of the quality of the writing inside. But, if ever there was one book that made this saying totally and absolutely true, it is Anna and the French Kiss. I judged it by its cover. But my judgement was completely wrong. All the hype this book got was definitely well deserved, and I can not wait to read Perkins's next book, Lola and the Boy Next Door, a companion book to Anna, which comes out September 29, 2011. I am doing everything I can to try and get my hands on an ARC of it....
Anyways, back to Anna. Just read it. Read it, and love it. And, tell me what you thought of it in that lovely little comments section below! If there even is a you, that is!
Links:
Buy Anna and the French Kiss on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Anna-French-Kiss-Stephanie-Perkins/dp/0525423273
Pre-Order Lola and the Boy Next Door on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lola-Next-Door-Stephanie-Perkins/dp/0525423281
Visit the website of the lovely Mrs. Perkins herself: http://stephanieperkins.com/
Listening to: Thoughts of a Dying Atheist - Muse. (Mini-Review: It's great :))
Typing this: In my bed, at my grandma's house, in Austria. For the SECOND TIME. That will teach me to not save my reviews when I'm done....
Sunday, August 14, 2011
welcome.
I like many things. Among those who know me, it is often said that anything that catches my interest immediately becomes an obsession of mine. What these people do not realize is that I obsess over so many things, not because my good opinion is so easily won, but because I simply look into so many different things, so much literature, music, television, cinema, and every other imaginable type of media, that I just happen to discover a great deal of really good things, in the midst of all the other mediocre excuses for entertainment.
I love movies. In a mere two or three hours, a good movie can paint a picture so vivid and real that it penetrates into the hearts of its audience.
Even more so than movies, I LOVE television. TV can do the same thing that movies do, but on a much deeper level, when they are made right. The length of a television show allows for so much more character and plot development than in a movie. Though there are often a lot of really bad television shows, there are also many treasures to be found.
Then there's music. The beautiful thing about music, is that there are so many different artists, songs, and even genres to choose from. There is, undoubtedly, something for just about everyone. The great variety of music out there is perfect for me, with my greatly varying moods and tastes.
And then, there is my one great love. Books. If I were ever condemned to be alone for all my life, I would be all right, so long as I were still allowed my books. They simply have such a marvelous way of presenting beautifully complex stories, while allowing their readers to form their own pictures in their mind of what the stories look like. Books allow for a great deal of imagination.
It is these loves of mine that bring me here. I want to share my love for things, and all my other not so favorable opinions of things, with the world. And though I know that right now, there is no one who even knows this blog exists, no one who is even reading this unnecessarily long post, I hope that eventually, if I continue offering up my opinions on things, someone, somewhere, will read them, and take them into account.
So I will begin writing reviews of everything I come across. And yes, they will probably be quite geeky at times, due to the fact that I am quite the nerd, and proud of it. That's where the title of this blog comes in! So anyways, if someone is ever actually reading this, I would be delighted if you would take just a second to write me a comment, it would probably make my life :)
I love movies. In a mere two or three hours, a good movie can paint a picture so vivid and real that it penetrates into the hearts of its audience.
Even more so than movies, I LOVE television. TV can do the same thing that movies do, but on a much deeper level, when they are made right. The length of a television show allows for so much more character and plot development than in a movie. Though there are often a lot of really bad television shows, there are also many treasures to be found.
Then there's music. The beautiful thing about music, is that there are so many different artists, songs, and even genres to choose from. There is, undoubtedly, something for just about everyone. The great variety of music out there is perfect for me, with my greatly varying moods and tastes.
And then, there is my one great love. Books. If I were ever condemned to be alone for all my life, I would be all right, so long as I were still allowed my books. They simply have such a marvelous way of presenting beautifully complex stories, while allowing their readers to form their own pictures in their mind of what the stories look like. Books allow for a great deal of imagination.
It is these loves of mine that bring me here. I want to share my love for things, and all my other not so favorable opinions of things, with the world. And though I know that right now, there is no one who even knows this blog exists, no one who is even reading this unnecessarily long post, I hope that eventually, if I continue offering up my opinions on things, someone, somewhere, will read them, and take them into account.
So I will begin writing reviews of everything I come across. And yes, they will probably be quite geeky at times, due to the fact that I am quite the nerd, and proud of it. That's where the title of this blog comes in! So anyways, if someone is ever actually reading this, I would be delighted if you would take just a second to write me a comment, it would probably make my life :)
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