Ending remarks and class assignment

Okay, as I said there was nothing required for this week but I am posting the exercise we did in class on envisioning what our life will be like in x amount of years, after watching part of the movie - Idiotic.

In 10 years I have a job, maybe not the one of my dreams, but that is understandable since I don’t get out of undergrad till 2015 and I’m thinking about grad school as well. I hope that by then I live in a house, not apartment or condo but a real house, am married  with at least one child already with at least two more planned and a German Shepard as a pet, maybe a cat too. The economy is slowly recovering after all the problems Europe pulled us into and China has taken a much larger roll in world leadership and Japan hopefully has started to straiten out it’s population problem.

In 50 years I’ll be 70. By then I’ld like to have been a grandparent at least 4 times. (My grandpa turned 75 least year so my expectation comes from that.) If I’m not retired by then I’m planning on it soon most likely. I worked at Disney for a number of years and retired from that earlier to teach at a local school since my husband’s job has gone so well that I didn’t need to work as much and could instead spend more time at home with my family. We have been married since the beginning. Chinese is now taught in the public schools at an early age since it is the number two most important and common language in the world.

And that’s it. 

So I wont be posting anything here again since the class is over. I most likely will start another blog about everyday life so if you’re interested look for it in the new year. Other than that wish me luck for a good grade in the class.

TiMER (dir. Jac Schaeffer [2009])

* May contain spoilers *

Okay, so I’ve seen this movie before - my mom rented it once when it first came out. I didn’t recognize it by the title but in the first few seconds I remembered.

So for those who don’t know, the movie is about a small device implanted into your wrist that counts down to the moment you meet you soul mate. The story revolves around a family, one has her timer blank (her mate does’t have one yet), one has a count-down but it’s not for several years, the last gets it for his 14th birthday an is to meet his match in 3 days. There are other things that go on, you know, the whole plot thing, but I’m not going to get into that.

So, a question that arrises is who would you rather be? The one who doesn’t know, or the one that does and has to wait?

Regardless of who you choose to be, that movie does have some interesting life lessons.

Anyway, some observations. 

The mom, completely crazy. So totally different from anyone in my family that it makes me almost sick. I mean, yeah, my parents got together when they were 16 and my mom will ask me often if there is any guy I like at school, but she is not nearly as bad as the mom in the movie.

Also, while our conversations aren’t about the same things, my sister and I have about the same type of relationship as the two in the movie. It’s a very awesome relationship to have. She is most defiantly my best friend. 

And so that concludes the semester. Well, in a week anyway. But like I said, no assignment for next week. Though, I might post something in response to the film from last week since I got a title to watch to replace the once that we were suppose to see but had gotten taken off Netflix instant play.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

So this was the last book we had to read for the class, though it wasn’t even a reading assignment. We were tole to listen to the original radio broadcast of the book that was available online at our class’s web resource page.

Anyway, I listened to the recordings. 

I can’t really compare the audio to the actual book (my sister would be able to though) since I’ve never really read it. I have also only seen the movie once so am limited in that comparison as well. I can, however, compare it to other audiobooks.

Now this was a radio cast. At the time there was no book, it was made from the weekly specials. And being that it is for radio you realize as you listen that there isn’t that much description or directional diogule. Of course, being that this is the only radio broadcast I’ve heard I can not say for certain if it is a radio thing or just something done for the story in specific.

Regardless I did enjoy the recordings. Being not from a book there were no ‘he said,’ ‘she said’(s) making you have to really pay attention to the readers, or actors. Though I did get Arthur and Ford mixed up often.

In the end it was very good and entertaining, making me want to see that movie again as well. I also think that it was educational to hear an old fashioned radio show, especially since I love audiobooks so much and they are basically that same idea.

Well, that concludes the books for this week as well as the reading assignments for this class since next week is the final meeting and he isn’t making us have anything for it. Later tonight there will be an entry for this weeks movie but after that it’s all over.

Literary Speculation

So this week I read 2 short stories. First Seventh Voyage by Stanislaw Lem then The Distance of the Moon by Italo Calvino.

The first one was bizzar. It was all about this man on a space voyage but gets caught in this time loop vortex so sees past and/or future selfs. The first thing that I thought of when reading this had actually nothing to do with the story or its contents at all. Instead it was the question, is he on a space ship or in a house that happens to be in space? I know a silly question, but when you saw that the character in on a space mission I think a space ship, either the ones that NASA uses or something like from Star Treck or Lost in Space. Yet, things were being described like the sofa seat and the kitchen - not things on your average shuttle.

Anyway, back to the story. 

Like I said, it’s about this guy seeing his future and/or past self. And I’m not talking about simply seeing them and they look ghost-like, but that they are physical and they can interact with each other. For the first encounter his reaction, though very know-it-all-like, was possible. However, when he continued to act the same way for the second, third, and forth encounter I started to get annoyed. I also began to get confused since more and more “selfs” were starting to appear at once. Towards the end I just wanted a chart or something in order to keep them straight.

Moving on.

So the second story was also strange. I mean, they talked about the moon as if it was more like an actual animal than just the moon. Like how they described the “moon’s milk,” what is it, a cow? In the end I didn’t really get it.

I took a look at some of the second authors other stories, and found that he is found of writing in first person. (Just saying that as a side note.)

So that is the last reading story. For next week we’re listening to the original radio casting of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It should be interesting.

Now usually the next thing I put up is a review on the required movie for the week. We’re suppose to watch existent a 1999 film, but while it is on Netfilx like all the others, it’s only available on DVD, not instant play, so I don’t really know what to watch. Clockwork Orange was on the alternate reading list for the week, but I’ve never really had a care to see it, especially after seeing a part of it in someone’s presentation. Well, I’ll figure out something.

Cyberpunk and Diverse Position

Alright. First last talk about last weeks story Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson. I read it in time for class last week but just kept getting delayed in writing. Well, that’s college for you. 

Anyway, the story was defiantly Cyberpunk in my opinion. I found it a bit confusing at first but hey, that’s Sci-fi for you. I thought that the beginning part about the relation between being technical and crude was very interesting and true. I was also told that it’s a movie as well and am planning on looking at it eventually.

Alright, moving on.

This week was Diverse Position.

For this I read two short stories since I had no time to even listen to a book on tape.

The first story I read was Bloodchild by Octavia Butler. I really enjoyed it eventhough it was kind of creepy. I mean who doesn’t see larva/youth being cut out from a male host a bit creepy and disturbing? Either way though I really enjoyed it.

The other one I read was I Live with You by Carol Emchwiller. Right, okay, I take it back. The last story wasn’t creepy, only this one. Really, really creepy. A person who lives with you, uses your clothes, your food, changes things around in your house and you never notice their presence? How is that not a bit creepy? While I did enjoy it I didn’t really understand the ending part with the guy. What happened? Oh, well I’ll re-read it later.

So there you have it. Diverse Position. 

The Brother from Another Planet (dir.John Saylers [1984])

Okay, that was an odd movie. The nice thing about though was that you didn’t really understand, or at least I didn’t, until the last few minutes.

First thing, I have to say, the alien main character guy is Henry from Eureka. I find that very interesting. Also the fashion, this movie was made in the 80s a time when my parents were teens, and my goodness what were they thinking?!

The movie was very quiet, I get that he couldn’t talk and that they might have wanted to play that up, but even understanding that it was quiet. There was basically no soundtrack. Other than the music that played as you passed there was no real music. The soundtracks of a movie can make or break it, for many it helps, even pushes them over the edge, but for this it really needed something more.

I thought that the sequence when he fell in love was neat, even funny, but the part when he discovered drugs was disappointing. The idea that he would go there is sad, but in the end I understood, though it was a bit confusing to get there.

What was with that part near the end in the bar? Was it a fight scene or a dance? If it was a dance, then I’m glad the scripted fights in movies has improved since then.

In the end, I did enjoy the film. Not something I would see multiple times I think but nice to see once.

Blade Runner (dir. Ridley Scott [1982])

*May contain spoilers.*

So we’re doing thins backwards tonight. First will be the movie review, then the story will be posted later.

Okay, so this movie reminded me a lot of other Sci-Fi things. The opening words made me think Battlestar Galactica, the design of the important buildings and computer systems in the car reminded me of Tron, and the city’s design - with the multi-levels and flying cars - made me remember the city in the ‘new’ Star Wars 2 movie. So the whole movie was like a mash up between several others.

My sister said that it’s a great book, maybe I’ll read it one day.

The topic is cyberpunk. The word to me means the type of characters who are good guys but look bad. It has a look of dirt and grind, and that is how the movie was.

A good choice.

(As a side note: the last ‘Next 6’ that was alive and trying to kill the main character kind of reminded me of the main vampire teen from Lost Boys. And the one for the very beginning reminded me for the Ministry of Magic guy that Ron impersonates in the seventh movie of Harry Potter.)

The last few minutes were. . . odd. They seemed to be fighting forever. I remember thinking three things while watching this part. 1)This fight is really long. 2) If his fingers were really broken then he wouldn’t be moving them like that no matter how much tolerance and adrenalin he has. 3) The ‘bad guy’ is actually going to win?

I admit I kind of wanted to see that happen. I mean, it not like he was really a bad person, just confused. And he wasn’t going to live long past the fight anyway so it did no harm. But alas, he went good and saved that man he was so willingly ready to kill thirty seconds ago. I would like to see the bad guys win for once. I mean, if not, then you should never sigh up to be a villein since you always lose.

Well, there is my impression of the movie. The section is okay. I like some of the movies that at least I would consider cyberpunk so I think it’s good.

Fahrenheit 451 (dir. Francisco Truffaut [1966])

This movie reminded me a lot of 1984 by George Orwell. A man who for all his life believed that his life was good and normal then basically wakes up one day to see that things are not as they seem.

Another similarity is the ‘family.’ In the movie everyone watches TV being apart of the ‘family’ the host being called cousin and talking about things that to us, the viewer, seems stupid - controlling in what seems to be an obvious way. And let’s not forget how the wife participated in the show. Doesn’t that mean that they can see you and watch what you’re doing? Now come on, you can’t tell me that that doesn’t remind you of Big Brother.

The idea behind the reasoning of the movie made a bit of sense to me. A book can cause lots of problems. Marx’s book lead Lenin to rule with Communism. The Bible leads millions of people’s belief, a belief that is challenged by other religions. The Lord of the Rings defined a hero’s journey and has made all authors now strive for trilogies. Harry Potter is the simple two word answer to define our current generation.

You see, books can cause a lot of noise. In some cases good, but not all. For many they create arguments be about the subjects, principles, or even if it should be aloud to be read. At one point nearly all the books mentioned ere banned at one time or another. In some places they still are.

So in a way I understand why they were burning the books - so as to not spread unwanted or dangerous ideas. But at the same time they also said that it was to because books made you antisocial and that they made you a danger to yourself since it gave you dreams that were ‘unrealistic.’ To there two reasonings I roll my eyes.

Antisocial? Okay, that act of reading can be isolating, but discussing them is a definition of socialism.

Being dangerous? Kind of. I admit that at times I find myself trapped in stories while working or doing something. Or even just wishing that I could do what they did in the books. Look at my school. Harry Potter was so captivating that a muggle version of Quidditch has been made, it even has a national league! Anyway, some people get really hurt playing the game, a game they got from a fictional book and are playing because they all have the wish that they could actually do it. Why do you think they made the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” in Universal? So people who are obsessed with the stories can be a part of it.

So, are books good or bad? You decide.

Multiverse week

*Warning: May contain SPOILERS*

Right, so this week I read two short stories. The Drowned Giant by J.G. Ballard and We Can Remember it for You by Phillip K. Dick. 

The first one I found to be slightly disturbing and quite sad. I mean, they completely defile the poor giant. At first I wasn’t sure how to react to the story since I didn’t see officials allowing it, but after a while I gave in and simply felt depressed for the poor unfortunate giant man. 

I enjoyed the main character’s persona. It was one that I can easily relate to since I see myself reacting to the events the same way, should they ever actually happen. 

The second story was interesting. Every time the man went to ‘live his life’ by getting false memories implanted they would trigger real memories that just so happened to be very similar, if not exactly the same, to those that he was getting implanted. By the end I pitied the owner of the company a bit. All he’s trying to do is his job but this one guy just makes it so difficult.

Well, that’s about it really. Not much to say about things that short. I do think that they are worth reading, even thought the first one is disturbing to think that people would do such a thing. But I guess we already do with sharks and whales.

Multiverse is the title for the week. I think parallel universe or alternate realities. This is still the Sci-Fi section but I guess you can put some of these types of stories as such. Though, the title makes me think of 1984 and that is not Sci-Fi.

Oh well,, on to the movie.

Serenity (dir. Joss Whedon [2005]) and Star Trek (dir J.J. Abrams [2009])

Alright, what? 

Somehow I managed to watch the whole movie, but trust me, I was very confused. I understood the basics - war, man-eaters, Han Solo want-to-be’s - but all the character background went right by me. I had no clue to there relationships save for what I could gather from the movie and remember from my sister’s occasional rant about it.

Like I said before this movie was supped to be viewed after watching the entire series. It’s like watching only Conquest of Shamballa and not the Fullmetal Alchemist series before it. Trust me you would be jus as confused if not more.

So what can I say about it. 

Well, I didn’t fall in love with one of the characters since I didn’t really get a chance to meet them. The style kind of reminded me of a mix between Star Trek, Han Solo from Star Wars, and Battle Star Galactica. Each had their moments.

But really, I can’t write much about it, so I’ll tell you about the Star Trek movie.

This movie is amazing. You can love it even if you have never seen the series since it introduces the characters from the beginning and has nothing to do with the original series. And if you have seen the show you just get to appreciate it that much more.

There are two things that made me want to watch the movie as many times as I did. Sure the characters were great and some of the lines were hilarious but neither is one of my reasons.

Reason 1) The soundtrack is amazing! Honestly, if the music can make or break a movie and it did anything but break this one.

Reason 2) The editing and camera shot are beautify. A lot of the movie has light spots. Some of the shots as also slanted. Between all this I find myself holding my breath. 

This is a beautiful movie.

...I have to see it again.

Anyway, there you have it. Our first look at Science Fiction.

First Contact by Murray Leinster and Sci-fi in general

What was awesome about this week was that it was really short. Only 22 pages!

I know that I probably should have read another short story, but after spending nearly 2 weeks on Warbreaker I was ready to just get this weeks reading done with.

I story was interesting. A kind of surveillance-men-frist-in-history-to-meet-aliens kind of story. The conflicts were understandable, the outcome logical. I seemed to me to be like something that might happen with Star Trek. 

I have always enjoyed Sci-fi. My dad loved to watch Star Trek so it was always on and when something is always on you tend to sit down too. When it comes to Star Trek there is dispute in my house. I like Next Generation, my mom likes Enterprise, and my dad likes the original series - or at least I think it’s him, if not then it’s someone else.

And don’t even get me started with Star Wars. To my brother Star Wars is his Lord of the Rings, and you hopefully understand how much I love that series. 

Don’t ask why I like them - I hate that question. I’ll say that I like the characters (who doesn’t think Picard is the best captain) or I like the story, or the real life symbolism. But if you ask me to explain why I like those then I won’t answer.

I could however tell you how much I love the Star Trek movie that was released 2 years ago. I must have watched it at least 12 times by now, literally.

Anyway, now I have to go watch Serenity as the required movie for the week. I’ll try but I also know that this is a movie that is suppose to conclude the series Firefly which my siblings have all seen, but not me. Personally I think that we should watch the Star Trek movie since though it has the same characters, it’s a parallel universe so you don’t have to know the series in order to enjoy it.

But, hey, I’m not the teacher so I’ll try. Though be forewarned that if I I’m really lost after 30 minutes I’m going to abandon it and rant about the Star Trek movie instead.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson continued

Alright, so I finished the audiobook over the weekend. It took a lot longer than expected since I went on a small vacation with my grandparents.

Anyway, the book is awesome! I truly encourage everyone to read it. I’m a bit upset that there is no movie for it since it could easily be made into one, but it is still a relatively new book so there is still hope.

One of the things that I liked about the book so much was the plot trust at the end. I won’t say much more since I want people to read it too, but I will say to pay attention when reading or listening to the book.

I will again wholeheartedly suggest audiobooks. For this book is was great because you really get a sense of the character and their personality biased on the voice for the person.

Well, I’m not really sure what else to say without spelling out my reasons for my enjoyment by using examples. So I’ll leave fantasy here. This week is Sci-fi, and I already finished the story - one at least - and I’ll update about it later today.

The Color of Magic (television 2008)

First off, why even bother calling it a TV show when it is only two episodes long and each episode is about an hour and a half long?

Besides that, it was enjoyable.

When I first turned it on I thought it would be the stupidest thing ever in the first 20 seconds when they say that the world is a flat disk sitting on top the backs of 4 elephants who stand on the shell of a giant turtle swimming through space. Very crazy in my opinion.

However, once I saw Sean Austin and Christopher Lee in the opening credits, I decided to give it my all. After all, how bad can something with Sam Gamgee and Saruman be?

And it wasn’t bad at all. A little silly sometimes, but good.

Throughout the movie I saw references to other films, be it intentional or not. I found reference to Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and a bit of Harry Potter cropping up every now and again. Each one made me have a huge smile and little laugh, a very good thing to have throughout a film.

Some of the references: naming the red star the ‘Death Star’ (SW), the riding sequence looking at the grassy mountains (LotR), a ‘secret’ school of magic (HP), potatoes (LotR), I can go on.

The show also gave me a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy feel the way the narrator sounded and talked to you. If you have ever seen the movie, you’ll know what I mean.

Overall I give it a thumbs up. I loved Death and thought he was hilarious. My only real problem was that the evil wizard was played by Tim Curry and so every time he spoke I kept picturing Nigel Thornberry from the animated show The Wild Thornberrys. But can you blame me? I spent six years of my childhood associating his voice with that character.

So, another week done - officially once I finish that book. We’re moving a bit away from fantasy and getting into Science Fiction, next week we’re to talk about Star Trek and Star Wars. It doesn’t get more specific than that.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Okay, so I’m not done the book. I downloaded the audiobook Friday night only to find out then that it was 24.5 hours long! I am currently little more then 2/3 done, so for now this is what I have.

The beginning of the audiobook says that Warbreaker is labeled Science Fiction. I don’t really see that. To me this is another fantasy book. I mean, when I think Sci-Fi I think outer space, aliens, starships, things like that. The only thing with this book is that it goes into the politics of the two counties a lot more then others that I have read. But I still don’t see it Science Fiction.

Writing style. Each chapter focuses on a different main character of the plot line. Sometimes your with Vivenna, or Siri, Lovesong, or one of the other major characters. Some people might find it annoying, but I enjoyed it. True, because if that I wanted to just skip some chapters if they were about a character I didn’t like, but the layout motivated me to get though it so I could get to the chapters with more favorable people.

After spending 18 hours listening to a book, the characters become very real. I ranted to one of my floor mates about Viveena - who was driving me crazy at that point and I wanted to go die in the whole my sister and I have for our less liked people. To this he said that it was just a made up character and I didn’t need to get upset. I simply glared at him and moved to the couch for a bit.

Scoot and Lovesong are two of my favorite characters (really most of them were). Lovesong is so carefree and nonchalant in the beginning, then slowly starts to take an interest in the things around him. This character development reminds me of of growing up - for most people at least. As a kid, or teen, one doesn’t really see or care how there actions effect things. As people age they start to accept responsibility and pay more attention. Just like Lovesong.

Scoot, oh come on how can you not like him. He spends all day taking care of a giant little kid and has more patience than I can ever hope to encounter. He’s just the perfect best friend / mother hen.

Anyway, that is what I have for you so far. I’ll update later when I finish later this week, but it wont be too much.

Till then.

Being John Malkovich (dir. Spike Jonz [1999])

Okay, when you compair this movie to Anansi Boys, well you can’t do it. At least in my opinion.

Yeah, they both have a bit of magic in them, but in the book seems so much more fun and believable like it all could easily be real. In the movie it seems so out there that I’m not really sure I can even start to believe in. I mean, how does a portal like that come into being in the first place?

I main character, the one who takes over the body in the first place, is a vey wimpy character. Didn’t like him at any part.

The person who is the one the portal leads to is probably the one I feel most sympathetic to. I mean it’s not like they asked to be taken over and given no free will when they turn 44. It’s not fair for them at all.

As for the topic of the week, contemporary urban fantasy and mythic fiction, I guess it fits - the first part at least. (The second part the Anansi Boys.) It is a contemporary idea, the ability to be someone else and never die, but the way that it was presented was so odd and out-of-place to me that I couldn’t get into it.

I did not enjoy the movie. The lighting for the whole thing was very low, the characters were winy, and the idea that an office building with a floor built for little people has a secret door that leads to the mind of another person is so farfetched that I could only just believe it enough to get though the movie.

There were only 2 things/ parts that I liked about the movie. 1) the body’s best friend was played by the guy from “Two and a Half Men” 2) The documentary about his life becoming a famous puppet-tear. That was the must interesting part of the movie for me.

So that is my opinion. Fell free to agree or disagree. Watch the movie yourself if you would like, I just didn’t find it that good.

Well, that week 7 done, midterm week. Half way done.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

I have to say that I enjoyed this book much more than The Magicians from last week.

While it was a bit confusing in the beginning, what with the seemingly random anansi stories and random character backgrounds, you learn later that it all has a point.

I see this book as a supernatural-godlike-people-meets-Mary-Higgins-Clark type of book. And I love some of her books, so once I understood that everyone mentioned for more than a paragraph had a significant, but hidden, part in the plot I really got into it.

The parts when Fat Charlie comepairs his fiance’s mother to a vampire where so funny at points that I would start laughing out loud. Of course this caused the rest of my hall mates to ask if I was alright since to them I suddenly crack up while working on some sculpture homework. (I was listening to the audiobook since I had no time for reading this week.) They would also question me when I would start saying random words under my breath. In this case I would be repeating some of the lines or words from the audiobook since it is both written and spoken in British English. This makes it very difficult not to make a sound when you hear one of the characters repeating the word ‘bullocks’ over and over again.

Spider was my favorite character. Sure he’s a jerk for a while, a huge arrogant jerk, but if tell me you don’t feel sorry for him when he’s with the bird woman then I say you aren’t human.

Alright, now let’s look at it as a book. The chapters are long. Even on audiobook I could tell that they were long. There were 14 chapters and 10 hours of book, and I know that the edition in our library is about 400 pages.

I liked that they had a concluding chapter, where you learn everyone’s ending and don’t get left to make up your own story. Let’s compair it to Harry Potter. At the end on the seventh book of the Harry Potter series you get Harry going to look for a place to sleep then a 19 year jump to when all other their kids go to school. This led to hundreds of different fan-created stories to try to explain how everything went back together after having been shattered with the final battle. In Anansi Boys you get and explanation for everyone as well as an epilogue for Charlie and his new family. This I feel is better because I know that most of the true Harry Potter fans are still very annoyed that there is no explanation.

So there is Anansi Boys. I defiantly recommend it if you are looking for a good book.

Labyrinth (dir. Jim Henson 1986)

Gosh, I haven’t seen this movie in years!

And I’m not sure I want to see it again for a few more.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good more for the 1980’s, but the girl complains so much that it just got annoying.

If you look at this movie in comparison to the topic of the week, spiritual education, then yes it does fit. Yeah, it’s not what you would first think of (Harry Potter) but it does have magic in it and teaches you that life isn’t fair and you can’t always take things for what they seem.

My favorite character is Ludo. If I had to choose between the three helper characters, only Ludo would be the one I wouldn’t mind taking home with me. I mean, what is she going to do with a goblin, at least Ludo can summon rocks, and he can be a giant teddy bear!

I do feel bad for the Goblin King though. He was only dong his job, and in the end many of his people go and live with the girl. 

That’s not fair.

If you were to compare this to The Magicians then I have to say that a few things. 1) The magic in the movie is less obvious. 2) The movie is on it’s own. It seems to have little to no influence from outside sources and defiantly does not reference other stories in it. 3) The movie’s plot and conflict are very easy to identify unlike the book.

While this is the required movie for the week, the in class movie and discussion is Harry Potter, much more magic related.

At any rate the movie was good. However, I would say that it is a movie to watch because of the characters and techniques of it rather than the relation to the topic at hand.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

To those who enjoy reading books about magic, you will want to check out this book.

Okay, I say that it’s good but be forewarned, the story moves kind of slow. I mean it took literally more than half the book to find out what the conflict is in the story. I read one hundred pages the first day and when my dad asked me that night what is was about I said that it’s about a boy who goes to a college of magic but other than that I had no idea.

I will say though that I like how some parts are written. 

In the book they talk about a series that the main character loves and they way to that world is very similar to that in The Chronicles of Narnia. If you even look at the cover you can see similarities between it and The Magician’s Nephew.

But it’s not this points that I enjoyed. Rather, the other elements that were in reference to things like Quidditch in Harry Potter or hobbit-holes from The Lord of the Rings. What was awesome (at least in my opinion) was that he didn’t try to cover it up like some writer’s do, but rather made sure you got the reference by pointing it out to you. In the end he mentioned Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Scooby-doo, Star Treck, and The Lorax - at least those are the ones that I remember.

Every time that I would come across one of them I would smile and think that that was exactly what I was thinking about too. Half the reason why I kept reading the book when it got really slow was to find the next culture reference in it.

So, in the end it’s a good book, just a bit slow for me. If I want to read the next one in the series I will most likely find and audio book of it and see if that makes it move any quicker.

Well, 6 down, 10 to go.

Time Bandit (dir. Terry Gilliam 1981)

Okay, I wasn’t expecting that.

The movie was rather odd. Like I said, not something I expected. After reading the Hobbit, seeing that the in class movie is the Lord of the Rings, and knowing that the topic is heroic journey - I expected something more similar to the others, and this movie is so not like LotR.

Shall I compare the two?

Let’s start with the basics - Plot. The Hobbit’s plot line was esaplished within the first chapter - they’re going to the Lonely Mountain to kill Smaug and get back their gold. Time Bandit, well, that is a bit confusing. I mean the thieves were looking to steal things, the boy was tenthly looking for a way home, but even that just made for a jumpy plot - the goals changing for each world.

Characters. Each had a group of people that was our main focus. Each having a leader and one that was more sensible then the rest. In the Hobbit the leader was Thorin, the sensible one Bilbo the main group being 14 whenever Gandalf was not there - 7 dyeing. Time Bandit had the guy with the map as the leader, the boy as the sensible one, the group being 7 altogether - no one dyeing. 

The Ending. The Hobbit ended with the knowledge that the Lord of the Rings was to follow. Time Bandit ended with the boy thinking it was a dream only to have pictures and have his house destroyed and parents blown up by evil. Not every nice.

Well, that’s the major parts of it. 

I did enjoy that the same couple kept appearing in different times and always got interrupted.

My favorite would would have to be the one where the boy was ‘adopted.’ Felt bad that he was dragged out - would have been better off staying there after what ended up happening to his parents.

Anyway, there is the movie.

Next week we have no class so I technically don’t have to read this week, but I think I will so I don’t have to worry about falling behind later in the semester if it gets really busy.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Oh my goodness, I love Tolkien!

Okay, calming down. I admit I have read The Hobbit, as well as The Lord of the Rings, before. However, that was back in sixth grade - getting through all 4 books in two and a half months - I figured it was long enough ago that I could read it again.

And I did, and boy did it make me crave to watch everything again. I don’t mean just the movies, I’m talking about the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings, the countless hours of behind the scenes they have, the National Geographic “Beyond the Movie” DVD of the Lord of the Rings, even the Hobbit animated movie from 1977.

Anyway, the book. The copy that I read was my own personal copy published in 1996 with illustrations in it done by J.R.R. Tolkien himself. On the beginning flap of the cover slip is the description as well as the age range written for, the Hobbit id for all ages. From that I do firmly say that it is on the list of ‘Must Read Books Before You Die.’ 

Some basics. The Hobbit, the accurately dubbed a book for all. Getting though the book is quite easy and enjoyable. The longest chapters are in the middle, allowing you to be sufficiently engrossed in the book too much to really notice or care. The wording is simple, not too much though that you fell like you’re reading a child’s book, yet not wordy enough to confuse you.

On top of reading the book I also listened to the audio book - dramatized. It was quite entertaining. The audio was only 4.5 hours long, just enough time to complete a homework assignment. It was, however, not exactly word for word the book - but neither was it abridged, at least in my opinion. In my experience, abridged is when sections of the book are simply cut out all together. This version, while they did leave stuff out, shortened the cut information giving you only the necessities of it. On top of that, it was dramatized for crying out loud! It had different voices, sound effects, background music, basically a narrated movie without the visual. 

If you love Tolkien as mush as I, check it out.

I also watched the 1977 animated movie of the Hobbit. I’ve seen it before - actually I own a copy at home - but it’s been some time. It’s okay. If you watch it, remember that it’s 1977 and not Disney - so don’t expect the animation of be awesome. It’s funny the way the portray some for the characters. Elrond is okay I guess, but Gollum - why is he green? He use to be similar to a hobbit before he got the ring. Smog - why does he have hair where most illustrators would put spikes? Makes him look like a flying snake/cat thing. And finally - the wood-elves of Mirkwood. Thank goodness Peter Jackson didn’t look to this movie for ideas of the elves. Can you imagine Legolas looking like that?! (For all you who don’t get it Legolas is prince of the Mirkwood elves - thus the reason he’s there. If you didn’t know everyone is a royal - Legolas a prince, Gimli a prince, Aragorn an heir [though there to represent the rangers], Boamir son of the steward who is acting king till the throne is claimed, then we have Gandalf, Frodo, and Bilbo - but they’re special.)

Back to books. The Hobbit is a must read, the rest of the series...I understand if you can’t do it. Compared to the Hobbit it is much more wordy and the books have a lot more government/political information - even additional battles - that the movies never mention. Not that I fault them for it. The movies are amazing and the parts changed and deleted are fine with me. For instance, Saruman and Wormtong don’t die at Isengard. They escape and go to the Shire were they wage war upon the hobbits and when the four heros return from their adventure to Mordor they must lead the hobbits to regain their freedom. As I said I don’t mind that that whole thing was cut. However, the scene added in the extended addition of Return of the King during the celebration after Helms Deep when Gimli get Legolas to compete in a drinking game...WOODLAND ELVES DRINK! That is how Bilbo and the dwarfs escape, because they got drunk. Yet in the scene he acts like he’s clueless saying things like “I think it is effecting me.” Oh shut up. 

ha...ha....ha. So, um, yeah - that part annoys me.

Anyway, the’s the Hobbit - the book, audio book, and animated movie. Read it before you die, I insist. And go see the movie Peter Jackson is making when it comes out.

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami continue

So I finished the book today, told you I would. Anyway, the conclusion was very strange and the ending was almost nonexistent. I class we compared this book with Alice in Wonderland - perfect comparison. If you ever pick up this book and get confused, just keep reading because if you back up you'll only confuse yourself more.

Well, that's all I have to say for that book. Good bye horror, hello fantasy!

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

I enjoyed the book. Okay, really I didn’t read it - I’ve been listening to it on audio book but sometimes that just makes it even better, depending on the reader. And truthfully I still have 2 hours left which I plan to get though tomorrow after lunch - so this post will be shorter then the others until I post the second part of my thoughts tomorrow.

But so far this is what I think.

If you’re like me and find that sitting around for hours reading a book if not enjoyable unless with certain books, then I highly recommend audiobooks. Often it will take less time and you will be able to get other things done as well. And depending on the reader you might be given different voices for the different characters (really if you love the Harry Potter books rent the audiobooks sometime - Jim Dale is an amazing reader).

So yes I listened to the audiobook, it helps with time management and getting around all those Japanese names.

But I digress.

The book in itself I wouldn’t classify as horror either. True I’m not done and it might turn out like Audition and turn into a light slasher type in the end, but from where I stand now it seems more like a mystery novel. But I’ll let you know my final call tomorrow afternoon.

It took me a while to understand what the book was about. For a while I thought that it was about the girl who died in the beginning since we say the past relationship she had with the main character. And the part with the guy and the ear model out to eat talking about her “real ears” two things: 1) I kept laughing out loud completely confusing this other boy out in the commons. 2) The way she talked about the way she hid her true ears reminded me of a scene from Star Girl when she talks about doing absolutely nothing.

Anyway, that’s all you’re getting for now. I’ll tell you tomorrow about the rest of the book.

So next week is Heroic Journey and for the reading we have The Hobbit! I love J.R.R. Tolkien and I can guarantee that next week there will be an extra long entry about the book and the movies since we are to talk about them in class. But that’s all next week. Until then you’ll have to settle with this.

(I said it would be shorter but it’s really long, oh well)