Top Ten Tuesday #4

It is been awhile since I've done a Top Ten Tuesday. It is basically a feature by the amazing blog The Broke and the Bookish where every Tuesday we create a list of books on a certain topic (because who doesn't love lists?)

Today's theme is a very exciting one for me: top ten books I plan on reading this summer! I adore summer and reading on the beach is the closest part of heaven I will ever encounter. I always create to-read lists but almost never follow them. I would much rather prefer to pile up unread books in my room while spontaneously buying random ones and reading them in one day. But this time I will try harder.

Ilina's picks

George's picks (I didn't give him much chance, did I?)

1. Divergent - It feels like I am on track if the first book is on my currently-reading shelf. So far so good although I find some striking similarities with other novels. I would probably write a full report on it soon.

2. Sex and the City - Yes, people, I know what you would think but I do love this trilogy (is it a trilogy, though?). The writing is nothing special but I enjoy the storyline. And admit it - isn't it the perfect light read for the beach, am I right, ladies?

3. Lipstick jungle  - Another book of the same author because my holiday will be long after all.

4. An Abundance of Kathrines - One of my favorite authors - light-hearted, funny and smart, all of his books amuse me. This is probably the only one left that I still haven't put my hands on.

5. Coastliners - Now this woman is magic. I have done a whole post on her, so you can go check it out (Joanne Harris). This book's title and cover just smell of summer and I'm sure I'll love it.

6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - I love Fitzgerald works, he is just perfect. As for this one in particular, I remember how touching the film adaptation was. So I was just scrolling through my read shelf and remembered that last summer I went through two of his novels and I absolutely loved them. 
7. The last two book on my menu I own since like forever, so I think I owe them my attention.
As for George's list, one of them is a Stephen King's novel and he is just obsessed with him. That is probably one of the few remaining unread. And The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is my recommendation as I am sure that he will surely fall in love with the trilogy but he is stubborn. 

I absolutely love participating in the Top Ten Tuesday and I will definitely continue like I did last summer. 
~I.

A Severe Case of Harry Potter Nostalgia

Warning: this random rant is directed to die-hard Harry Potter fans.

If you don’t like Harry Potter I genuinely believe that there is something wrong with you. Not having read the books is relatively acceptable but the films are a must. Some might think: “Oh, you must be crazy writing about something so far gone, how could you still be interested in Harry Potter?” And my answer would be: “Always.” Forever I will be charmed by the idea of a magical world, of characters so perfect and finished.  What is the summer vacation for if not to treat yourself with a Harry Potter marathon? I do it almost every year and yet I still find myself crying over the most heart-melting scenes. Harry hugging Hagrid and saying: “There is no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid.” and everyone standing to applause him. Cedric Diggory dying. Sirius Black. With Dumbledore, Rowling already pushed it way too far. But Dobby and Fred, and Lupin? Why?

Aside from the deaths, almost everything in this series brings joy to my reckless soul. I would never understand how a person who had no writing experience whatsoever, managed to shape such an amazing storyline with unbelievable plot-twists. Speaking of plot-twists, I always wondered how Alan Rickman felt about portraying the best fictional character ever to exist. Yes, I know everybody loves Snape now, and no, I didn’t see it coming and logically hated his guts. But I can’t deny it was an absolutely genius move and most importantly, it made perfect sense. While I understand that most of the population on Earth knows everything there is to know about Harry Potter, I would like to indulge in some random facts that completely conclude the story and attain the perfect ending. As I said, I recently re-watched the series and I remember quite good what was mentioned and what not, but excuse me if I repeat some information that is obvious.

We all realize that Voldemort’s weakness was the fact that he could not feel love. But do you know exactly why? His mother, Merope Grunt (direct descendant of Salazar Slyderin), grew an obsessive love for Tom Riddle, a muggle. So she bewitched Tom with Amortentia – a powerful love potion. It was due to her enchantment that her son was incapable of love. His lack of feelings may be the thing that made him so evil and powerful, but then again this lack killed him. It was the only weapon Harry had against him. As Dumbledore said to him: “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love.”

One of my favorite elements of the story is the concept of the three Deathly Hallows. There is the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility cloak. At first I didn’t realize, as many others, that the cloak was already been with Harry throughout all those years. It is said that most of the invisibility cloaks are not very powerful and their function fades away through the years. But not Harry’s. Most importantly, both Harry and Dumbledore have been in possession of all three of Deathly Hallows which basically makes them the coolest wizards of all time.

Harry is an amazingly brave wizard and therefore he has many abilities, but one of the most bizarre ones was his skill to speak Parseltongue (talking to snakes) – it is something only the heir of Slyderin could do. When he was eleven years old he communicated with a snake in the zoo and that didn’t seem that odd at the time. Later, he realized that it is absolutely unusual even for the magical world. For me personally it was quite obvious why he had this ability – he shared a connection with his enemy. The night Voldemort tried to kill him, part of his soul rebounded and clung to the only living thing it could find. Naturally, of course, when Voldemort himself tried to kill Harry in the Forbidden Forest, he actually destroyed his own unintended Horcrux. After that, Harry lost his ability to speak to snakes forever.

I hope I have not bored you to death with my nostalgic rant. It is something that I am very excited about and even if one single person likes it, I will continue with this Harry Potter series. Do you know any interesting facts that I may have neglected?

~I.

We Are The Millers: Film Reviews #3

Scottie P: You know what I'm sayin'?
David: Well, I'm awake and I speak English, so yeah, I know what you're saying.




In case you are in a hurry to watch something and you are wondering whether this is the right film to get you in a good mood and a happy state of mind - YES, IT IS. Now, if you have some time for specifics - keep reading, I definitely have something to say about it. 
We Are The Millers is a perfect example of what a modern comedy should look like. It is funny, dirty, nasty, sexy (Rachel... sorry, Jennifer still has it) and extremely witty. The writers make fun of everyone and everything, even the film itself. There is not a race, belief or ethnicity that goes unharmed. And yet, it does not come as offensive in any way, because the plot itself is so ridiculous you can't take anything that happens seriously. We have a stripper, a small time drug-dealer, a pretty thief and a very trusting virgin ("Just pretend its a girl's dick"). And the chemistry between the cast members is fantastic and together they produce the only listenable rendition of TLC's "Waterfalls" there ever was. Even Emma Roberts is not her usual annoying self. David (Sudeikis) and Rose (Aniston) really pull off the hate/love bond between their characters and the hateful comments never seem to get old.
The plot itself makes much "sense" - the upper-mentioned degenerates have to smuggle "enough weed to kill Willie Nelson" through the American border. And that seems to be the easy part (not counting a guy in the next lane getting beaten to fuck for a joint as they are slowly approaching the guard). The chaos that follows on american soil is a sort of a symphony of racist redneck humor and love for Tom Waits. It is beautiful. So in case you are not the sharpest tool in the box - go see this film! It is brilliant! Wipe your mouth, you are drooling...


Rose:  Lord, we thank thee for the blessing of this family vacation. May David find his bliss and bring us all back home safely. May Kenny and Casey fortify their sibling bond over the warm glow of our devoted hearts. And may this entire airplane find safe passage and a bountiful life. Even the Jews. Amen.




~G.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves: Book Reviews #1

You know what is one of the best things about living in London? Well, for me anyway. Walking around small streets you have never wandered around in a rainy day and finding a small private book sell. People there are so sweet and innocent, they just leave their precious books right there on the street and let you take whatever you like in the return of just 50p. That is so far the sweetest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.

That is the cheesy story of how I encountered “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves”. Why I chose this one in particular, one would ask. While I generally enjoy reading absolutely everything – from crime to romance, to fantasy, to classic – I mostly, enjoy reviewing contemporary novels. And there are so many of them that if you just pick a random one, it is more likely for it to be absolute nonsense. “One of the best twists in years’, its front page said and I was intrigued. Another thing that is more likely to draw me in is the cover itself – and this one in particular, is appealing.

Now, to the actual book – a story of a seemingly ordinary family, at least in the beginning.  It is a tale of sibling love and there are many novels dedicated to this topic but not many melt my heart like this one managed.  If I have to be absolutely fair though, the main character, and essentially the narrator, was quite irritating. But I’ll speak later about the characters themselves. The theme, family, is supposedly boring but this one is extraordinary. The author does manage to create quite a twist with the special member of the Cooke family. The most thought-provoking part for me was the relationship between all the members of the family, what they expected from each other and mostly, how a little child comprehends the world in its own unique way. “In most families, there is a favorite child.”, she writes and throughout the whole novel the innocent kid in her believes that everyone loved much more her sister and that everyone blamed her for Fern's disappearance.  It is amazing how children can take all the blame on their own shoulders. Later on in her story, she is being terribly bullied and still not wanting to bother her parents: “My mother wasn’t strong enough to hear it; she would never come out of her room again if I told.” So she just endured everything. This right here is what I call pure love. Despite for that, all her other qualities were quite annoying - she was always doubting herself, never capturing the moment and later whining about it.  Her bother, on the other hand, also had his issues but I absolutely adored his unconditional love for animals. But abandoning his whole family and going against the law was too extreme. His compassion, though, was unreal and it is hard to almost impossible to find living people who share the same dedication to protecting the animal rights. 

On the whole, this book deserves my three stars because it was a light read and I genuinely enjoyed it but it is not something I would recommend to absolute book lovers. The ending was quite predictable but that is not always a negative trace – more often the important part is not why but how it is done. And in this particular case it was heart-melting as I probably have already said a million times. The actual writing though is scattered and can be rather confusing which is the main reason I don’t recommend it to everybody. Other than that, it is a lovely story that can get to the feelings of even to most stone-hearted person. 
~I.

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Film Reviews #2

The Public: We never said “Thank you!”

Chris Nolan: And you’ll never have to!

Okay, I know that’s actually a conversation between Gordon and Batman (spoiler alert: who is actually Bruce Wayne, if you happen to have been born on one of Jupiter’s moons and just arrived on Earth today), but I believe we all need to stand up, look at the sky and thank Christopher Nolan for restoring our beloved character to his former glory. Not only that, he introduced him in a whole new down-to-earth, realistic light to the mass audience. Not only that, he did so in such a graceful manner that kind of kept a bit of the gothic feel that the 1989 Batman built. NOT ONLY THAT – IT IS A COMIC BOOK MOVIE WITH AN OSCAR IN A MAJOR CATEGORY! I need to lie down, got too excited…

I am slightly against looking at the three movies separately, for they complete each other too much, but I reckon if I add chaos to the lack of writing talent in this article, it would be too much to bear.

That being said, let’s start off with Batman Begins. Stupid title. I remember when it first came out I DID NOT want to see it! And I’m the biggest bat-fan I know! There was too sour a taste left from the previous movie that had all but drained my faith in ever seeing a decent dark knight movie ever again (fuck you, Schumacher! Bat-skates?! Really?!). In the end I went to see it just before it came off cinemas… and it was THE BEST BATMAN MOVIE EVER! It captured the torment of the character like nothing on the big screen ever had! (Apologies to Tim Burton, but Michael Keaton as Batman!? Kind of shot yourself in the foot there, didn’t you?) Back to the point – what really grabbed me is that the movie takes itself seriously; the reality of Gotham is actually real. The cast has perfect harmony, no one overshines the others and in this way everyone fits perfectly into the story. Ever Katie Holmes, I swear. The stage was set…

The Dark Knight is to date the only movie I went to see four times at the cinema. In one week. I couldn’t get enough! This movie is what every bat-fan could ever dream of. It has the complex story, the emotional fuse, the tormented hero and brilliant villains! Heath Ledger gave us the performance of a lifetime. He put so much into portraying the Joker it is almost as if he knew it would be his last complete performance. You can rarely see an actor remove himself from a character as much. He gave himself completely to the image of the Clown Prince of Crime to such an extent that people will actually remember him with the paint on his face. Which I believe is the way he would want them to (given his career choice). The only thing I dislike about the movie is Maggie Gyllenhaal. Her face can put a cock to sleep. In the end, The Dark Knight is somber and delicate, morbid and artistic. It is the movie we deserve.

With Ledgers death, one can only wonder what plans Nolan held for the end of his trilogy. Respectably he refused to re-cast the Joker (which would have been an abomination) and instead went for a new villain. Bane was supposed to be the most horrific thing to happen to Gotham City. Unfortunately, you cannot follow Ledger, despite Tom Hardy’s best efforts. It just isn’t possible. Bane is a threat, he actually beats Batman, but still, you know that he will recover. With the Joker that was not certain, there was always room for Batman to lose. That being said, The Dark Knight Rises turned out to be the swan song that the trilogy deserved. It gave the films a sense of completeness in an epic and hugely emotional way. It was the best possible good-bye Nolan could say to our beloved universe. And we are forever grateful, that he created it.

Henry Ducard: A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely.

Bruce: Which is?

Henry Ducard: Legend, Mr. Wayne.

~G.

Interstellar: Film Reviews #1

Cooper: I’m coming back…

Murph (crying): When?

                Knowing the general theme of the movie (saving the world and shit) one might wonder why I chose this particular quote off what I can only claim to be an honest opinion, for I could never consider myself worthy enough to put out an official article on the experience that is Interstellar. Anyway, the reason is this: all of its stars, and planets, and spaceships, and wormholes cannot cover up the fact that the center of this epic tale revolves around a normal, “down to earth” family’s struggle to hold on to each other despite the metaphorical or physical light years that stand between them.

                The story is set in the not-so-distant (or unlikely) future. Most of Earth’s resources have been used up and humanity is patiently waiting to die in the dirt (which is arguably a fate well deserved).  From the very beginning you get a strong sense of the overall “down to earth” atmosphere and tone of the movie. And yes, I am quite aware that I already used this phrase twice – it is no accident! No matter how deep into the galaxy the story sends poor ol’ Matthew McConaughey (fuck, they can spell in Texas), that feeling that everything happening in the film is in a strange way much closer to reality than to science fiction does not go away. This is on one hand due to the tremendous amount of thought that was put towards molding the script into a theoretical plausibility (to such an extent as to make an educated prediction of what a worm hole could actually look like), and on the other hand you have Nolan’s precious practical effects. And they are precious indeed. The green screen is down to almost zero – even the scene on the first planet had the enormous waves projected on huge screens in order to get a truly genuine performance out of the actors. Let’s face it, it’s just sad and honestly pathetic every time you see that picture of poor Gandalf sitting alone in a fucking green room in the opening scenes of the fucking Hobbit (you killed it, Peter, you fucking murdered it… greedy fuck). Thankfully, that is not the Nolan way, and that’s why you gotta love it!

                Needless to say, what makes this movie exceptional (beyond everything said up until now) is the performance. While reading on until the end, I would like you to imagine McConaughey’s face illuminated by a ray of heavenly light… beautiful, brilliant man. A surprise for me was that it was Jessica Chastain that stole quite a lot of the spotlight, especially when talking about her great scenes with Michael Cane (who makes you love him, then hate him with such ease that it’s ridiculous). I dare not speak of McConaughey’s talent as it is purely work of art and whatever I said would just tone it down. If anyone was left unmoved by the scene where he watches his kids’ videos for the first time – your heart is as black as the devil’s arse.  In other news: Casey Affleck is worthless and lifeless as usual. Oh, and Matt Damon is a floppy dick. Don’t mean to be and ass, but I just hate his fat sorry face… it’s a personal issue.

                What baffles me is the absolute lack of recognition for this masterpiece from the Academy (of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, trolls, I know this stuff!). Unforgivable. Hence forth, the Academy shall be renamed to the Cuntcademy.  

                But to end on a higher note – this could very well be the best movie I have ever seen. And if you are one of the five people alive yet to see this brilliant piece of cinema history – GO AND FUCKING WATCH IT! BEING IN ANTARCTICA IS NO EXCUSE! IT IS PROBABLY THE BEST MOVIE YOU WILL EVER SEE! (Until Nolan’s next project, come to think about it)
~G.

Godzilla: Classic VS Remake #1

I have been gone for awhile (that blog was just an experiment after all), but I am back with all force and this time I am not alone. Let me introduce you my cocky boyfriend and his surprisingly good writing which kind of makes me feel bad about myself and my attempt to conquer film studies. We will just have fun, like an old married couple trying to find an interesting hobby so that they don't die of boredom. Excuse my lover's attitude, that is just how it goes. 
This is one of our first ideas of а series of posts and we found it compelling since so many remakes appear nowadays in our cinemas. 


~I.

Before we get straight down to it I have something to say: FUCK ROLAND EMMERICH AND HIS FUCKING PRETENTIOUS DISASTER MOVIES. There, I feel much better now. And before I hear the furious roars of a thousand fan boys, let me say that I do not consider the 1998 shitstorm that was Godzilla a classic, but given the nature of the movie battle itself I consider the original 1954 version incomparable to the new remakes – mainly because of the vast difference in Asian and American cinema. And also, I would have to mention all of the other Asian versions. And I’m a lazy bastard. PS There may be some spoilers!

                Let’s start off with Emmerich’s “contribution” to the seventh art. First and shallowest of all, the taglines promoting of the movie is so much better suited for a porn flick. Not that there probably hasn’t been some thought put into “Size Does Matter” or “Something Big Is Happening”, but I reckon they would be better suited describing “The Incredible Hulk: An XXX Parody”.. or “Fifty Shades Of Grey”. Second of all: Matthew Broderick. You ass. Not only is he not even remotely likely to be considered an action hero, but the general “I think that was not just a fart” look on his face, for me, deems him unlikely to be much of a scientist. Perhaps Roland was trying to go for a cool/geeky touch to bring to the table, kind of the way Jeff Goldblum does in Jurassic Park. Needless to say this little experiment failed miserably. So that’s strike one. Come to think about it the strikes just keep on coming: Maria Pitillo’s “that dick has not been washed” look; Hank Azaria’s pure awkwardness and the general lack of effort put in the writing of the script. The one thing I would like to pardon when it comes to this movie is Jean Reno’s part in it. Based on his other contributions to the film industry, I think I can let this appearance slide. He probably just needed the money.

                On the other hand we have the fresh 2014 remake, courtesy of Gareth Edwards. And I know what you guys are thinking: “Who the fuck is Gareth Edwards and how did he come to direct such a blockbuster movie?” Well, don’t worry – no one really knows. Which turned out to be a good think, for expectations weren’t sky high as they were for the “original”. The first trailers were allusive, focusing on the people, slightly hinting the danger, the drama, the aftershock of what a huge motherfucking creature attacking humanity would actually feel and look like from the perspective of a common man. The cast is well balanced, focusing on a mixture of up-and-coming talents (Olsen and Taylor-Johnson) and proven and influential artists (Bryan “Hail-To-The-King” Cranston and Ken Watanabe). Now, can’t say that Watanabe’s weepy look doesn’t get old and that there aren’t some plot holes, but you can’t expect too much – it is a Godzilla movie, after all.

                I think it is pretty clear which version I consider to be superior. But if you still need convincing of the superiority of Edwards’s effort, here it is – GODZILLA IS NOT THE FUCKING VILLAIN (ROLAND, YOU WANKER!), HE IS THE PROTECTOR!  There, I said it. The victor is clearly the new and gloomy reptile, as opposed to the old and… well, gloomy reptile.

                Sorry I used “fuck” so much, mom.

                PS P.Diddy & Jimmy Page’s effort for the first movie’s theme song is worth hearing out.

                PSPS The Patriot was a fluke, admit it!

~G.