Because This is the Week....

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Isn't that awesome?

(Also awesome, Mister read the whole thing to me this morning... and only needed help with a few words!)

Across the Universe - I want you (she's so heavy) HQ

I didn't actually like the movie all that much, but I found the way they did "I Want You" really really really interesting.  So, here it is for your viewing pleasure.

In other news, that's 2 1/2 hours of my life I will never get back.

I could have been reading. :P

Book V Movie: The Hobbit

So after writing yesterday's post, I did some research.

It looks like the movie is going to include the whole Council of White thing... which is only barely mentioned in the book.  I guess they'll pull some details from The Simarillion.

And that makes sense, right?

Especially since it relates to the rise of Sauron in Mordor and the betrayal of Sauruman and all.

What do you think?  Good idea or bad?

It certainly explains why they are making it a 2 part movie.

And given that Legolas is the son of the Elven King that captures the dwarves in The Hobbit, there is probably a reasonable explanation for him being included also.  Except that I can't find anywhere how old Legolas is and that's driving me crazy.

Here's my problem, though.  The movie versions completely glossed over the 17/18 year gap between Bilbo's party and leaving the Shire and Frodo leaving with the ring.  So while Aragorn is, in fact, 87 at the time he meets Eowyn (one of the extended scenes), that does NOT mean he was 27 at the time of The Hobbit.  He was 10, people.  TEN.  And he didn't even meet Gandalf until many years later.

So, while I was originally thinking there were a couple good spots to stick Aragorn in if they wanted to, I've changed my mind.  Unless they want to include him as a child in Rivendell, which just seems silly.

Discuss.

:)

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

5 stars

YF

Okay, so flash back to a family vacation when I was.... 11 or so.  Maybe 10.  Whatever.

Anyway, we were in Northern California, driving through the redwoods, and came across a little place called Hobbiton, USA.  (Apparently, it is no more, which is very sad, but you can see pictures at the RINGERS Photo Gallery.)

For whatever bizarre reason, I had never heard of The Hobbit.  Blasphemy, I know.  But I enjoyed walking through Hobbiton, listening to the story (there were speakers at each spot and you pushed a button to hear that part) and got hold of the book as soon as we got home.  And enjoyed it.  (Then I tried reading the Lord of the Rings and that's a whole 'nother story for another post.)

Anyway.  I hadn't read it again.  But now seemed like a good time, what with rumors flying about the movie and all.  (Plus we just watched the trilogy.)  I do think it's interesting that most of the rumors involve actors whose characters were not actually IN The Hobbit, but whatever.

It's going to be interesting to see how the movie turns out-- the tone is so different.  Assuming they get Hugo Weaving again as Elrond (which they should, if only for the sake of continuity) he's going to have to actually be happy, which will just be weird.

Back to the book-- we actually currently own two copies-- the little paperback at the top of this post is what I actually read, because the other was a little too unwieldy.  It does, however, have cool pictures, so I flipped through it as I went along.

If I decide to read it with the kids, I think we'll use the illustrated one.

For those of you who have read this with/to your kids, what age worked?  I can't decide if Boo is old enough to actually be interested.  And, again, there are no girls.  (Let's face it, Tolkien wasn't real strong on the female characters.)

Now I'm gearing up to read the trilogy, but like I said, that's a whole 'nother story.  :)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume One

3 Stars
R-4 (innuendo AND pictures)
VERY BLOODY

I'd have given this a higher score if it weren't for how risque it was.  Definitely not a kid's graphic novel!

Confession-- I love this movie.  Yeah, it's stupid.  I know.  It could be one of the dumbest movies ever made... but I love it.

And I was delighted to see that one of my favorite lines is straight from the graphic novel!  Okay, so the context was different, but the first mate does in fact say "Call me Ishmael"!!

Cracked me up when I first saw it in the theater.... and then I was disturbed to find that in a dollar theater in a college town I was the ONLY ONE THAT GOT IT!  Terrible.

Anyway, fun to know where the story came from, but I have no desire to read the others.  Which is too bad, because the random literary references are fabulous.

I'll stick with the movie.  Not as bloody, not as risque... AND it has Sean Connery.  What more could you want? :D

Counts for the Support Your Local Library challenge!

The Scarlet Pimpernel-- A Multimedia Review

This was the absolutely beautifully brightly stress-free part of this last weekend-- seeing The Scarlet Pimpernel at Hale Centre Theatre!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the music-- I'm totally wearing out the cd. Or I would be, if I hadn't just ripped the whole thing to my computer. But still. Seriously, it wouldn't be at all shocking to me if my kids started singing about the guillotine around the house.

This was my chance to finally see it live.

If you live in Utah (well, northern at any rate) and haven't been to Hale Centre, you really really need to! They do a fabulous job.

The woman who played Marguerite was FANTASTIC! Though sadly it seemed like the leading men fell slightly short. Percy Blakeney was played by a great actor who clearly has a great voice, but his acting got in the way of his singing a bit, which just didn't work for me. The real sadness, however, was Chauvelin, whose singing just kind of... fell flat. Don't get me wrong, he had a fine voice... but the emotion and depth just wasn't there.


Chauvelin is evil, don't get me wrong. But there's such a richness, depth and passion to his character-- especially in the musical! He has some of the most passionate, gut-wrenching songs in the whole play! Now I'm not saying the guy was a bad actor, I just think he may have been miscast. Or I caught him on a really bad day. Heaven knows the pollen in the air is killing me. Maybe he has allergies.

Now in the movie, Chauvelin was played by Ian McKellan. Can't go wrong there, right? Though sadly it's not a musical. I love musicals. Raised on 'em. (Though my parents did get rid of Grease after my 7-ish year old sister was singing "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" at the top of her lungs while riding her bike around the neighborhood.)

Anyway-- I did like Jane Seymour as Marguerite, though if I were trying to think of who to cast she wouldn't spring to mind. And I quite like Anthony Andrews as Blakeney.


It's interesting to compare the movie and the musical. In the musical, how and why and when Blakeney becomes the Scarlet Pimpernel is a little more clear than in the movie, while in the movie (I think it's in the movie... I guess it could have been the book) Marguerite running off to France makes more sense.

The movie and musical combine elements from more than one of Baroness Orczy's books. There's a whole slew of Pimpernel books. I've read at the very least... 2 of them. They start to run together, but I enjoyed them.

It's been a while, so I can't speak to how clean they are. I don't remember anything major. I wouldn't, however, recommend taking any child under 12 or even 14 to the play. (I was amazed at how many young kids were in the audience!)

All in all, I recommend the books, movie and play!

Really, I do. The music in the play is brilliant. There's more than one soundtrack option, and while the Original Broadway Cast Recording is my preferred listening option, you should really try the The Scarlet Pimpernel (1991 Concept Cast) (also sometimes called the Miami Cast, I believe) which has a couple of songs that didn't make it into the final production. "Now When the Rain Falls" is a personal favorite.

(This could be the longest review I've ever written.)

A Father's Day-ish Movie Review

*Note* Blogger hates me. This was supposed to go up yesterday. Sorry.

So talking about Alan Alda made me think of MASH (go figure) which made me think of

THE MARX BROTHERS!!!

(It's a logical leap, I promise. "Yankee Doodle Doctor", a great MASH episode, has tons of Marx Brother references.)

These are awesome Father's Day presents. At least, they would go over great in my family. But we're kinda nutty.

Do you know the Marx Brothers? You have to know Groucho. Everyone knows who Groucho is... even if they don't realize they know.


My personal favorite is Duck Soup.

"Hail, Hail Freedonia!"

I love it.



Go, I tell you. Watch. Run, do not walk, to your nearest library and check out a Marx Brothers movie.

To tide you over, here are some clips:
The Mirror Scene
Abusing the Lemonade Man

And just for fun (From Horse Feathers)

What's the Password??

Most Quoted Movie of ALL Time

Okay, I know, this is off-topic, but I'm curious.

My husband and I caught part of The Princess Bride on tv the other night. I made the comment that it's probably the most quoted movie ever.

He said it's in the top 100.... I'm thinking more like the top 3.

I mean, come on-- "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Hardly a day of 6th grade went by without me saying that! :D I was even Inigo for Halloween. (My friend was Wesley as the Man in Black. Yes, we were nerds. And cross-dressers, apparently. But, really, who wants to be Buttercup?)

So I'll put it to you, is The Princess Bride the most quoted movie ever? Or does something else take top honors? Either way, it's in the top 3, right?

"It's possible, pig."

:D

Hey, if you haven't yet, join in for Summer Reading Saturdays!!

"Now a Major Motion Picture"

Splendidly cast, too. I'm actually not planning on seeing it, but Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are perfectly cast.

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4.5 Stars
R- 3.5 ish
Language

"A deft, ironic, beautiful novel that deserves to be a classic."-- William Styron

I agree, actually. Which surprised me. I'll be honest, I wasn't really expecting to like this one.

The Wheelers are not likeable people. They're just not. They live in a state of existential angst-- the kind that one encounters in high school and college. You know what I mean, the philosophical, coffeehouse intellectual snobs that can talk all day without saying a thing. And you know, if the Wheelers were kids, I'd be fine with that.

That whole feel reminds me of my Humanities classes. And hey, I think there can be a time and place for some of those philosophies and discussions.

But eventually, we must grow up. In one way or another, we have to move on. Either to acting on those philosophies or to withdrawing to a more even-keeled life. Or some combination of the two.

About half-way through the book, you start to feel like they've figured this out-- April wants to move to Europe so that Frank can "find himself" like he should have years ago. (Not what I would consider a sensible plan, but crazy things like that work fine for some people.) When this falls through, Frank wants to be "mature" and take a higher paying job, even if it is still dull, and settle into a "mature" life.

The irony is that the more they desperately try to be painfully honest, the more amazingly deceitful they become.

And Frank's "maturity"? What a crock.

Anyway, I liked Revolutionary Road. It does carry a high risqueity rating, but I enjoyed the book.

(On a completely unrelated note-- we're off to the dentist later. Aren't you jealous?)

A Movie Novelization

Which is not something I would normally read. But since it was done by an author I love, I figured, what the heck.

Elizabeth- The Golden Age novelization by Tasha Alexander
4 Stars
R- 3 ish

If you've seen the movie, I'm sure you know what to expect. I haven't actually seen it, so I went in blind. I did want to see the movie, though, and it's the kind of thing I like to read.
Anyway.
The style is a little jumpy, but I think it works. It didn't bother me, and that's something that ususally does. (And I must be more tired than I thought, 'cause this review is sounding a little jumpy!)
What I really did like- the writing of Elizabeth, the character. The contrast between Elizabeth the public queen and Elizabeth the woman was great-- especially during the two more personally pivotal events. (No, I'm not going to tell you what those were. Goodness.)
The other characters aren't as deeply developed, but it's not really about them, so you don't mind too much. And really, since a lot of them are historical figures, you don't need as much as you would if they were fictional.
What I was not as happy about-- the notes were really slim. I LOVE to read the research/historical notes in fiction like this and she didn't include a whole lot. There is some info, but more would have been awesome. (Yes, I'm a nerd.)