Hello lovelies! <(^-^)>
So, lately, since it's a dream of mine to finish my novel and become a published author, I've been reading a TON to keep myself inspired, and oh man, did I choose the right series to get me motivated.
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare had been sitting upon my bookshelves for YEARS waiting for me to take the time to pick them up and plow through them. You can see my review on my Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/326788367) for the first book, City of Bones, but let me just tell you here, it's fucking AWESOME! Cassandra Clare is a true literary genius in my eyes and I was definitely doing myself a disservice by not picking it up sooner, but it's one of those things that has just come into my life at the perfect time. This is even more true with the film coming to theaters this month and you already know who plans to see it opening day. THIS GIRL.
It would be wrong of me not to mention how psyched I am about this cast, in particular, a certain man by the name of Jamie Campbell Bower, who will be playing my favorite character (possibly from any book, ever) Jace Wayland. Bower was already on my radar since he played Anthony in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the T-shirt of which I'm currently wearing as I type this post. When I had first seen he was going to be playing Jace, the face from the book was still trying to form in my mind. I spent a moment getting to know both Jace and Bower and I found that, for me, they really were one in the same. Now, as I'm literally 90% of the way through City of Ashes, Bower has been Jace for me the whole way through, and, to be completely honest, I would never have been fully satisfied with the character if anyone else had been cast to play him, (to all you Alex Pettyfer fans out there).
On a side note, I actually am getting a tattoo to commemorate my love of the series when I get back from my trip to Tennessee this month. A friend of mine is training to be a tattoo artist, so I'd like her to slap the Angelic Power rune on the back of my neck (in all black, of course, to look like a Shadowhunter's).
As you can tell, I'm way too into this series. All this aside, I wanted to give my 2 cents on another film I recently saw.
Elysium was one of the many dystopian sci-fi films released this past year, the trailer of which slapped me and said, "Lex Marie, you ARE going to see me." I was wide-eyed, heart-racingly eager to see it and asked my family (the only people I see movies with), "We're going, right?" every time it was brought up anywhere. Being a sucker for sci-fi as well, my father was just as determined to go, so I believe we went the day after it came out.
This film was directed by Neill Blomkamp, the same man behind District 9, which is one of my favorite films. However, there were some similarities I immediately noticed between the two films. Mainly, let's look at the unlikely heros'/martyrs' traits.:
~Seems almost completely self-centered and only concerned for their own well-being, both at the beginning and throughout the film.
~A physical plight compromises their lives and they are forced to act and, in doing so, occasionally does the right things for all the wrong reasons.
~Reluctantly decides to do the righteous thing at their expense at the very last minute, both with a child being a great driving force, though in D9, Wikus had even less of a choice.
~Lastly, a super small note, they're both trying to make it into the sky/space.
Another similarity between D9 and Elysium, that is honestly welcomed, was the fact they were both based on recognizable, real-life issues. D9 was based on the apartheid regime of District Six in South Africa, and Elysium showed current themes of immigration, health care, and class segregation.
While the films definitely were not the same by any means, the similarities were there, and, I felt, noticeable, throughout the whole film.
All of that aside, I really enjoyed Elysium and it held my full attention the whole time. I wanted more, though. I wanted a bigger, epic end scene. I wanted a better idea of just how the residents of Elysium were living in comparison with those left on Earth (we rarely see the residents or the lush settings). Why didn't Elysium go on to find another planet? I also honestly wished that there was more of an on-screen relationship between Max and Frey. While I got really attached to Max, despite his being a bit of an ass, Frey and her daughter just felt like side characters at best. I felt closer to the main antagonist, Jessica Delacourt, from whom we saw very little of her home life.
All in all, it was a great sci-fi movie, but again, I wanted more! To be totally honest, I would have preferred a D9 sequel, but I'm not turning my nose at Elysium. It was worth buying a ticket to see.
However, I have to note that, this year, dystopian/sci-fi films have been coming out with a beautiful vengeance, the only one I have missed out on being After Earth, (though I WILL see it). My first love this year was definitely Oblivion, which was another must-see for me and my family. I truly fell in love with the settings, Jack and Beech, and the plot itself. It was like every sci-fi film ever made compacted together, refined, and done really well. It totally made up for the lack of thrills I didn't get from The Host, which was still an interesting idea, but lacked substance, (and I'm still trying to get through the book, which my mom loved).
There was another that really stood out and pulled at my heartstrings this year. Pacific Rim impressed me more than any film thusfar, mainly because I really didn't expect to like it. I admit, I mainly went for MJR's popcorn. But I loved it. I really did. I think it might tie with Oblivion for best film I've seen this year so far, (no matter how average their Rotten Tomatoes ratings were). It was like if you took Godzilla, Transformers, Cloverfield, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, once again compiled them all together, and did them well and added a great plot with memorable characters. I thought everyone did an amazing job, but the characters that stood out to me most were definitely Stacker Pentecost (played by the talented and graceful Idris Elba), Dr. Newton Geiszler (played by Charlie Freakin' Day!), and, of course, Hannibal Chau (no matter how brief his moments on screen, damn right, there was impact). The film itself was also beautiful, with saturated, acid colors, beautiful CGI, and fantastic fighting scenes. My favorite? The freakin' "Boat Sword."
Another film I was not expecting to enjoy was The Wolverine, seeing as how I have managed to fall asleep during, literally, EVERY SINGLE X-MEN MOVIE I'VE EVER TRIED TO WATCH, but again, I was really impressed. I loved this film, though, I'll admit, the Japanese setting coupled with my new appreciation for Hugh Jackman was definitely a major factor in my newfound attention span.
I'd be crazy to forget the experience that was World War Z. I'd heard about the book years ago and had the intention of reading it, but I have far too many books to get through still, but this film was a phenomenal take on zombies. When a hoard is literally tripping over each other in a giant mass, building itself up like a wave in the illusion they're working together just to get to your throat, THAT is truly terrifying. And the idea that sick people would be avoided by these zombies and become the inspiration for a vaccine is brilliance.
I also really LOVED the comedy, This Is The End. I nearly died laughing in the theater, which I haven't done in a very long time, and if you need a good laugh, this is definitely the movie to turn to.
I saw Oz the Great and Powerful, which was a really cute family film with a lot of great, eye-catching visuals. I loved getting to see the backstory to how Oz became the wizard.
One film I did not enjoy, however, was Beautiful Creatures, which I'll be honest caused me to get rid of the book before reading it. I had lost all interest after being bored to death by the film itself.
Another lukewarm film was The Purge. It had SO MUCH POTENTIAL, and yet the execution was depressingly dull. One family? One rich family? That's all we get? In a time of literal utter craziness, and all we get is one WASP family's night in their own house? Go back to the drawing board and think about what you've done!
Anyway, I've blabbed enough about movies, but I'll end with this. So far, 2013 has been a great year for film, and it can only get better, with City of Bones, Catching Fire, and The World's End all coming out soon.
So, lately, since it's a dream of mine to finish my novel and become a published author, I've been reading a TON to keep myself inspired, and oh man, did I choose the right series to get me motivated.
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare had been sitting upon my bookshelves for YEARS waiting for me to take the time to pick them up and plow through them. You can see my review on my Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/326788367) for the first book, City of Bones, but let me just tell you here, it's fucking AWESOME! Cassandra Clare is a true literary genius in my eyes and I was definitely doing myself a disservice by not picking it up sooner, but it's one of those things that has just come into my life at the perfect time. This is even more true with the film coming to theaters this month and you already know who plans to see it opening day. THIS GIRL.
It would be wrong of me not to mention how psyched I am about this cast, in particular, a certain man by the name of Jamie Campbell Bower, who will be playing my favorite character (possibly from any book, ever) Jace Wayland. Bower was already on my radar since he played Anthony in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the T-shirt of which I'm currently wearing as I type this post. When I had first seen he was going to be playing Jace, the face from the book was still trying to form in my mind. I spent a moment getting to know both Jace and Bower and I found that, for me, they really were one in the same. Now, as I'm literally 90% of the way through City of Ashes, Bower has been Jace for me the whole way through, and, to be completely honest, I would never have been fully satisfied with the character if anyone else had been cast to play him, (to all you Alex Pettyfer fans out there).
On a side note, I actually am getting a tattoo to commemorate my love of the series when I get back from my trip to Tennessee this month. A friend of mine is training to be a tattoo artist, so I'd like her to slap the Angelic Power rune on the back of my neck (in all black, of course, to look like a Shadowhunter's).
As you can tell, I'm way too into this series. All this aside, I wanted to give my 2 cents on another film I recently saw.
Elysium was one of the many dystopian sci-fi films released this past year, the trailer of which slapped me and said, "Lex Marie, you ARE going to see me." I was wide-eyed, heart-racingly eager to see it and asked my family (the only people I see movies with), "We're going, right?" every time it was brought up anywhere. Being a sucker for sci-fi as well, my father was just as determined to go, so I believe we went the day after it came out.
This film was directed by Neill Blomkamp, the same man behind District 9, which is one of my favorite films. However, there were some similarities I immediately noticed between the two films. Mainly, let's look at the unlikely heros'/martyrs' traits.:
~Seems almost completely self-centered and only concerned for their own well-being, both at the beginning and throughout the film.
~A physical plight compromises their lives and they are forced to act and, in doing so, occasionally does the right things for all the wrong reasons.
~Reluctantly decides to do the righteous thing at their expense at the very last minute, both with a child being a great driving force, though in D9, Wikus had even less of a choice.
~Lastly, a super small note, they're both trying to make it into the sky/space.
Another similarity between D9 and Elysium, that is honestly welcomed, was the fact they were both based on recognizable, real-life issues. D9 was based on the apartheid regime of District Six in South Africa, and Elysium showed current themes of immigration, health care, and class segregation.
While the films definitely were not the same by any means, the similarities were there, and, I felt, noticeable, throughout the whole film.
All of that aside, I really enjoyed Elysium and it held my full attention the whole time. I wanted more, though. I wanted a bigger, epic end scene. I wanted a better idea of just how the residents of Elysium were living in comparison with those left on Earth (we rarely see the residents or the lush settings). Why didn't Elysium go on to find another planet? I also honestly wished that there was more of an on-screen relationship between Max and Frey. While I got really attached to Max, despite his being a bit of an ass, Frey and her daughter just felt like side characters at best. I felt closer to the main antagonist, Jessica Delacourt, from whom we saw very little of her home life.
All in all, it was a great sci-fi movie, but again, I wanted more! To be totally honest, I would have preferred a D9 sequel, but I'm not turning my nose at Elysium. It was worth buying a ticket to see.
However, I have to note that, this year, dystopian/sci-fi films have been coming out with a beautiful vengeance, the only one I have missed out on being After Earth, (though I WILL see it). My first love this year was definitely Oblivion, which was another must-see for me and my family. I truly fell in love with the settings, Jack and Beech, and the plot itself. It was like every sci-fi film ever made compacted together, refined, and done really well. It totally made up for the lack of thrills I didn't get from The Host, which was still an interesting idea, but lacked substance, (and I'm still trying to get through the book, which my mom loved).
There was another that really stood out and pulled at my heartstrings this year. Pacific Rim impressed me more than any film thusfar, mainly because I really didn't expect to like it. I admit, I mainly went for MJR's popcorn. But I loved it. I really did. I think it might tie with Oblivion for best film I've seen this year so far, (no matter how average their Rotten Tomatoes ratings were). It was like if you took Godzilla, Transformers, Cloverfield, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, once again compiled them all together, and did them well and added a great plot with memorable characters. I thought everyone did an amazing job, but the characters that stood out to me most were definitely Stacker Pentecost (played by the talented and graceful Idris Elba), Dr. Newton Geiszler (played by Charlie Freakin' Day!), and, of course, Hannibal Chau (no matter how brief his moments on screen, damn right, there was impact). The film itself was also beautiful, with saturated, acid colors, beautiful CGI, and fantastic fighting scenes. My favorite? The freakin' "Boat Sword."
Another film I was not expecting to enjoy was The Wolverine, seeing as how I have managed to fall asleep during, literally, EVERY SINGLE X-MEN MOVIE I'VE EVER TRIED TO WATCH, but again, I was really impressed. I loved this film, though, I'll admit, the Japanese setting coupled with my new appreciation for Hugh Jackman was definitely a major factor in my newfound attention span.
I'd be crazy to forget the experience that was World War Z. I'd heard about the book years ago and had the intention of reading it, but I have far too many books to get through still, but this film was a phenomenal take on zombies. When a hoard is literally tripping over each other in a giant mass, building itself up like a wave in the illusion they're working together just to get to your throat, THAT is truly terrifying. And the idea that sick people would be avoided by these zombies and become the inspiration for a vaccine is brilliance.
I also really LOVED the comedy, This Is The End. I nearly died laughing in the theater, which I haven't done in a very long time, and if you need a good laugh, this is definitely the movie to turn to.
I saw Oz the Great and Powerful, which was a really cute family film with a lot of great, eye-catching visuals. I loved getting to see the backstory to how Oz became the wizard.
One film I did not enjoy, however, was Beautiful Creatures, which I'll be honest caused me to get rid of the book before reading it. I had lost all interest after being bored to death by the film itself.
Another lukewarm film was The Purge. It had SO MUCH POTENTIAL, and yet the execution was depressingly dull. One family? One rich family? That's all we get? In a time of literal utter craziness, and all we get is one WASP family's night in their own house? Go back to the drawing board and think about what you've done!
Anyway, I've blabbed enough about movies, but I'll end with this. So far, 2013 has been a great year for film, and it can only get better, with City of Bones, Catching Fire, and The World's End all coming out soon.
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