Review: Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin

I said most of what I wanted in the last post, but I need a break from writing my thesis (yeah... summer classes :P), so I'm doing this.
Long story short, I liked it. I know, against all odds. Usually I can't stand books in verse, but this time around I found I liked the story enough to get around the whole 'book in verse' thing. The problem I have with books in verse is that usually I have a super hard time figuring out what the deuce is going on, but in Eugene Onegin, the plot is easy to follow without being extremely simple. I'd love to read this in Russian someday, but I don't know if I could learn it well enough. We'll see.
The characters were interesting. The cast was small and easy to keep track of, unlike a lot of Russian novels. Not like having a huge cast is a bad thing, because I love Russian novels.
I feel like I can't judge the writing because I read a translation. With regular prose, you can directly translate what the author was saying. When translating poetry and having rhymes to preserve... let's just say that maybe what the author wanted to say hasn't completely gotten across.
The thematic elements were beautiful, and I learned a lot about Russian culture (at least in the 1800s) from the useful footnotes, so this was a lovely experience.
Pushkin inspired a lot of my favorite composers to write music about his stories, so I'm very excited to try and read some more! I'd like to read The Blizzard next, because one of my favorite concert suites is based on that story.

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray [1847]

A lot of people dislike this book because pretty much ALL the characters are deeply flawed. I would like to direct these people to the book's subtitle- A Novel Without a Hero.
The story is very meandering and basically follows the lives to two women, Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley. Becky is clever and pragmatic, almost to the point of deviousness. Born from a poor family, she uses any means to better her situation. She is attractive, but not extremely so, and uses her wits to climb the social ladder. Amelia is on the other end of the spectrum. She is quiet, demure, and pretty much the model of a perfect 1815 wife. She was despised by readers even in her time for being apparently perfect, but when you really take a closer look at her character, she isn't really all that much better then anybody else.

My favorite character is Major William Dobbin, a rather ugly, but (mostly) steadfast and chivalrous man. He unfortunately spends pretty much all his adult life providing for Amelia and her child after she's widowed, but she doesn't seem to be the most attentive person, and doesn't notice the extent of his devotion.

My favorite thing about this book was the narrator. I think that if the narration had been your standard omniscient and anonymous narrator, I might not have loved reading it so much. Because this book was released in monthy serials, the narrator even says what people are saying to him about his story! And a lot of his observations are quite hilarious.

The Verdict: A-
A fun read, but quite a commitment, being over 600 pages long. Some people might find it tedious, I really like it though.

The Good Dinosaur [2015]

Okay. So let me start by saying that this is not a cutsey little fun romp movie. I know that the stylized animation of the dinosaurs makes them look kind of land-before-timey, but this is kind of a mature movie! Not saying that it's not fine for kids, because it's a great family movie, but smaller children might be a little freaked out.
The Good Dinosaur gets a lot of flak, and I think that this is because it was unfortunate enough to come right after a masterpiece like Inside Out. Inside Out was, in my opinion, a better film, but that doesn't mean that The Good Dinosaur isn't still an above-average movie!
First off, the animation is beautiful. Nothing short of amazing. Inside Out looked amazing, but it was mostly set in a metaphysical realm that is pretty alien to us viewers. Here, the setting is much more familiar- nature! It looked really amazing, almost photo-realistic. To offset the photorealism though, the characters are classic Pixar stylized. A lot of people thought that the cartoony characters looked silly in the midst of all the intricately animated backgrounds, but I wouldn't sacrifice the gorgeous backgrounds.
Most computer animated films have 'that one scene' that shows off the movie's aesthetic in a showstopping way. Let it Go from Frozen, I See the Light from Tanged, Wall-E and EVE dancing, etc. Here, there is a gloriously beautiful, but also very, very simple scene of a father and son playing with fireflies.
The characters were nice. The supporting characters were a little one note, but they were likeable one note. And besides, this really is Arlo's story. Arlo is the titular 'Good Dinosaur', and he's about preteen aged, and has some serious problems with fear. The story is all about how he is forced by circumstance not only to grow up, but also to face his fears and break free from anxiety and grief. It was very moving, and it's treatment of sadness and anxiety reminded me of Inside Out.
I love to see a movie that treats these kinds of things thoughtfully and seriously, not just some flaw that gets fixed in the last ten minutes of the movie without any real resolution.
The music gave the film a very Appalachian or Frontier flavor (there are even cow-herding Dinos at some point!), and I really liked it!

The Verdict: A-
Though the parent-dies-tragically-and-child-must-grow-up thing is getting a little old on kids movies, this was still a very moving film. There was a brilliantly bittersweet scene that resolved a storyline without even having any dialogue! True Pixar magic, that.
Content Advisory: Some bloodless violence and intense scenes. Fine for kids who don't freak out easily.

The Martian by Andy Weir [2011]

Yes! Officially one of my many favorite books!!
Of course not without its little flaws. There is a lot of technical jargon in this book. That's not a bad thing, but for most of the population who are not scientists, it's a little hard to get through the paragraphs upon paragraphs of science talk. But as I said before, the witty narration and the sheer likability of the characters makes it totally worth skimming some paragraphs. And I found his problem solving process utterly fascinating!
There is a lot of crude language and occasional crude humor in this book though, so be warned.

Ahem, now with the ranting!!
Mark Watney is a terrifically fun and relatable hero. Despite the fact that he is a brilliant scientist, he feels just like a normal guy, like someone you could totally be buddies with! The story is mostly told through his 1st person mission logs, and he is funny! I'll put some of my favorite quotes down at the bottom of the review! I like his teammates too, and the other characters down at NASA. The Media-Relations lady, Annie, is hilarious. And I liked Rich, he called the covert briefing 'Elrond', ahahaha! Nerd!

This is a wonderful story of determination and endurance. It's incredibly positive without being insufferably so. The optimism is of a reasonable sort, one that prepares for the worst but keeps striving for the best.

Favorite quote time!!

Actually, I was the very lowest ranked member of the crew. I would only be 'in command' of the mission if I were the only remaining person.
What do you know? I'm in command.

It was a ridiculous sequence of events that led to me almost dying, and an even more ridiculous sequence that led to me surviving.

LOG ENTRY: SOL 11
I wonder how the Cubs are doing.


H--- yeah, I'm a botanist! Fear my botany powers!!

I suppose I'll think of something. Or die.

Firstly, hydrazine is some serious death. If I make any mistakes, there'll be nothing left but the "Mark Watney Memorial Crater" where the Hab once stood.

Things are finally going my way. In fact, they're going great! I have a chance to live after all!
[the very next log entry]
I am f-----, and I'm going to die!

The time has come (ominous musical crescendo) for some missions!

I guess you could call it a failure, but I prefer the term 'learning experience'.

All around me there was nothing but dust, rocks, and endless empty desert in all directions. The planet's famous red color is from iron oxide coating everything. So it's not just a desert. It's a desert so old it's literally rusting.

By my reckoning, I'm about 100 kilometers from Pathfinder. Technically is the 'Carl Sagan Memorial Station'. But with all due respect to Carl, I can call it whatever I want. I'm the King of Mars.

I don't want to come off as arrogant here, but I'm the best botanist on the planet.

The Verdict: A+
This book is so much fun to read, and it's hard to put down because as soon as one problem gets ironed out, another one pops right up! So sit back and enjoy the rather stressful, but incredibly optimistic and can-do ride!

Content Advisory: Waaayyy too much language, and the occasional crude humor. Aside from that, nothing else.

Three Film Reviews in Tandem

Hellooooo! Today we're going to review three films from 2015 that I haven't already ranted about in some way. My favorite movie of 2015 was Inside Out, but these three are my other favorites of 2015. Allons!!

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

I don't care if the plot kinda made not a lot of sense, or was pretty much the same plot of every Mission Impossible movie, I liked it! Almost as much as MI Ghost Protocol, haha! The action scenes were really cool, and so fun to watch! I was constantly yelling, balancing on the edge of my seat- it was so awesome! And the Alto Flute gun made my day. I thought I saw a flute in the opening, but it went by so fast that I thought it was jut a gun and I was so orchestra obsessed that I saw it as a flute. But no, it was a flute. Huzzah. Oh, and can we talk about those credits? Because they are so delightfully cheesy. Love 'em.
Verdict: A for Mucho Fun

The Martian

God on Hiiiiiiiigh....
Heeeeeear my prayer!!!

I WILL SURVIIIIIIVE!!! Ahem.
So for a movie about a man trapped alone on Mars with next to no chance of success, this is a flippin' fun movie. Seriously. I love the optimism and can-do attitude of this movie. This movie does more to help my pessimistic attitude then a whole truckload of positivity memes (those do no good at all because they're stupid and they don't star Matt Damon). The actors were good, the dialogue was brilliant, and the special effects looked AWESOME!! The end.
Verdict: A+ for all the Above Reasons

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Wow, I'm suddenly into Star Wars! How'd that happen? Oh yeah, this movie was the best Star Wars to come out since the 80's. Even though it's basically a remake of A New Hope. But that's cool, because it had enough fresh characters and plot to make it really interesting and suspenseful! It's probably still a federal crime to mention spoilers, so I won't go into too much depth, but I thought that Kylo Ren was a really interesting bad guy, and I'm really looking forward to where his storyline is going. And Rey's. And Finn's. And Poe needs to be in the next movie more! Despite his dumb name! Oh, and BB-8! Yaaaayyy!! Han and Chewie were awesome.

Verdict: A because WOW, so good!

Final Fantasy VII [1997]

I play video games to retain my sanity after stressful practice sessions, and a really good game is quite a treat after you've been hitting your head against a concerto for an hour.
FF VII is considered the BEST RPG ever made, and while there are a few other games I like a little better than this one (Okay, just the first Kingdom Hearts lol), I still agree that it is very good. I think that this game is actually a little too good for its format, so it's neat that they're making a remake. There are a few extremely emotionally charged scenes that are maybe a little nullified due to the weird, blocky looking character models. XD
The story is a little confusing in places, though overall, I would say that it is very well put together. There are little bits of foreshadowing that you wouldn't notice the first time around, and I love foreshadowing that is so subtle that when you get to the twist, you look back and think "Holy Shnikes! How did I not notice that?!"
The characters are actually pretty well done! Even the weird cat thing (Cait Sith) gets some development! The only one I didn't really care about was Red XIII, but that's just because I'm not nutzo on endless droning on and on about 'the planet' and how 'the planet is blah blah', but you know, he's not unbearable. My favorite characters were Tifa, Cid, Yuffie, and Aerith. Aerith is also a really neat character! A lot of the other entries in the series make her look like some kind of dainty, mystical sweetheart, but she's actually a very vivacious, streetwise lady, who can actually be kind of a shrew at times. XD
I like the gameplay. The Materia system is really cool when you figure out how to combine them to give the characters different abilities. There are also a TON of extras you can get if you're patient enough to work for them. Like the Chocobo racing, Materia Caves, and the Battle Arena.
I really liked the music. Sure, it's kind of cheesy sounding due to the MIDI program used, but it really is amazing music! You can find a lot of it remastered online, and they've arranged a few of the tracks for orchestra that you can also listen to on YouTube. Aerith's theme is always a favorite for good reason, it's a really beautiful, emotional track. I also really liked Tifa's theme. That song features a pretty flute solo, and the repeat of the melody makes good use of what I think is the bassoon (hard to tell with the MIDI instruments and all)! How cool! The World Map song is so pretty that it almost sounds like classical music to me! It goes through a lot of different emotions, and I think that the composer really knocked it out of the park with this one. I'll embed a video of the orchestral version at the bottom of the post. :)

The Verdict: A
Definitely one of my favorite games! While not flawless, this is a deeply engaging game that has a LOT to do besides the main storyline! I like the game mechanics, it's really fun to develop your own unique playing style.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Okay, so I'm not a super duper Ivory Tower snob, so I'm technically not allowed to have an opinion on any kind of Shakespeare, but here we go.
So far as Shakespeare goes, Henry V is still my favorite, but Romeo and Juliet is an extremely close second.
First, I'll explain my take on the two title characters romance. Okay, get your pitchforks and torches ready, because I don't think that they are the Paragon of True Love. I think they were impulsive and rushed things because of circumstance. I think that if their families hadn't been feuding, then they would have either gotten married eventually after getting to know each other, or they would've lost interest (similar to how Romeo quickly lost interest in Rosaline?) and started seeing other suitors.
That's the tragedy of it, if you ask me. It didn't have to be that way. This play made me really sad not because they were tragically star-crossed saints in love, but rather because they were impulsive kids who just wanted to be together and rushed into it without thinking of the consequences. [sniffle]
I liked the character development of the two. Romeo started out as an emo whiner but was sharpened into a determined young man; for better or worse. Well, worse.
Juliet is a typical ingénue, but also clever, and she actually keeps her head better than Romeo. And at the same time, she's totally your average girl.
How art thou out of breath, when thou hast breath to say to me that thou are out of breath?
XD
The supporting characters were pretty good, too. I feel bad for Paris, I know a lot of productions demonize him for not being Romeo, but he seems to have a solid character, and I was pretty tensed up during the fight between him and Romeo. My favorite character was Mercutio, because even at death's door he's a total snarker. At first, I thought he was just being a drama queen, actually! Then it turns out he's really hurt. Ouch. That's when the play goes from Rom Com to straight up Tragedy, I think.

The Verdict: A-
This here is a Tragedy with very interesting characters, sword fights to balance out the love scenes, and actually a very satisfying ending! I read this to prepare the this orchestra semester where we will play the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture by Tchaikovsky! It's very pretty, and I think that now I understand the story, I'll be able to put that much more into performance.

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan [2012]

Haha, just the title to this book alone is enough to make me crack a grin!
After Crime and Punishment, this book was a really good way sort of come back from all the really dark themes and such.
Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore is about a man named Clay Jannon, who is a very techy fellow, but hasn't been able to hold onto a good job, despite the fact that he lives in the heart of tech country- San Francisco. So Clay grabs onto the first job he can get- the overnight shift at a very weird bookstore that's (you guessed it!) open 24 hours a day. Soon, weird people come and borrow books that are seemingly nothing but jumbles of letters taking up all the pages. It soon turns out though that Mr. Penumbra and these costumers are members of a secret organization seeking- well, I don't want to spoil it!
This book is narrated in the first person by Clay, and he's a really fun narrator! He's dorky, sarcastic, and actually very clever and intelligent when you get down to it! The pacing is good, the plot never drags, but it also doesn't feel rushed, either.
The Supporting Cast is also pretty good, though- I've noticed this with 1st person narration- they aren't as developed as the main character, and that's cool. Why? Because in a 1st person narration book, we only know as much as the narrator knows, and the narrator doesn't know all their inmost secrets. That being said, they are still very interesting and fun. I liked Kat, and of course, Mr. Penumbra himself! The plot goes in directions that you don't expect, and I really liked how all the loose ends (and more!) are neatly tied up at the end of the novel.
There are some interesting themes, too.  The most obvious one is the relationship between modern technology and regular, traditional books. I feel that by the end of the novel, the conclusion is agreeable and interesting.

The Verdict: A
So, this was a really delightful book! It's got everything a book nerd like me could want! A relatable protagonist who is relatable without feeling catered to a specific audience, a colorful ensemble of characters, snarky but not obnoxious writing, and a plot that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Hooray!

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky [1866]

Well, okay, where to start.
So, I've read three and a half (lol) Dostoevsky novels, and this one is about the second best. It's not a very fun book, though it is really good. Crime and Punishment is about a young man named Rodion Romanovitch Raskolikov who murders the old pawnbroker woman brutally with an axe. The real kicker here, is that the old lady's younger sister walks in at the wrong time, and ends up being murdered too. Raskolnikov's reasons for killing the pawnbroker are vague, and various reasons why are alluded to many times. It could be for money, it could be for the benefit of the poor people that she's swindling, or it could just be that Raskolnikov desperately wants to be one of those 'great men', who are above the law and morality. So it's interesting to puzzle that out in your head as you read the novel.
Something I really like in Dostoevsky's writing is his ability to make you feel exactly what the character is feeling at any given moment. In this particular novel, he really nails this neurotic, paranoid mindset. Especially in the aftermath of the two murders.
The characters are pretty well written in this book. Not all of them are as multi-layered and complicated as the ones in The Brothers Karamazov, but the main characters are very interesting. My favorite characters were Razumihin and Dounia. Razumihin is Raskolnikov's friend, though Raskolnikov ends up pushing him away and being horrid to him most of the novel. Razumihin is very much Raskolnikov's opposite. Razumihin thinks of others, and he's also very friendly and warm. Despite his slacker persona, he's very intelligent. Dounia is Raskolnikov's sister, and she's a really cool female character. She's hot headed and proud like her brother, but she's a much kinder person than him. I like Dounia because she's very blunt, and she doesn't take junk from anyone. She also is revealed at the end to have been packing a gun the whole time. O.O
As for Raskolnikov himself, he's a titanic a-hole and the novel knows it. We're not expected to like him, at least not in the beginning, but he's interesting enough to keep you hooked. Without giving too much away, I didn't hate him too much by the end of the book. ;)

The Verdict: A-
Pretty good stuff! There are lots of very good quotations in this book that make you stop and ponder, and I really like that in my books. This one isn't really that much of a doorstopper, at around 400 pages. So if you were looking to start Dostoevsky, this one is probably the best to start with.

Content Advisory: Towards the end of the book there's a character with a very creepy attraction to teenage girls. Also, there's a somewhat graphically written murder scene. This book is worth reading, but only for mature readers.

Inside Out [2015]

Inside Out was very, very, very, very good.
The End.

Okay, I'll elaborate.
So we all know the basic premise, right? There's a girl named Riley, and her family moves to San Francisco from Minnesota, and we get to know the five major emotions that live in her head (and supposedly also live in ALL our heads!).
So the animation was amazing, as per usual! And the difference between the 'Head' World and the Real World was quite sharp. In the real world the scenery is more realistic looking, while in Riley's Head, it's more cartoonish and soft looking. The music, by Michael Giacchino was just lovely! Especially the main theme that plays at the beginning and a few times later. It's very tranquil and sweet, and has a rather unique ring to it. Very nice. The acting too, was great. Joy was effervescent and optimistic, but never over the top or annoying. She was always very likeable, even when she was making her mistakes. Sadness' actress gave delightfully morose performance, and the other emotions were so spot on!
Pixar movies usually have good humor, and this was no exception. There were so many laugh out loud moments! And of course, the emotional poignant-cy.
I'm not really eloquent or anything like that (what do you expect from somebody who says 'righteous' in every other sentence?), but this movie got me in quite a personal spot the way only a few movies do. I'm talking about the whole Joy/Sadness dynamic. The movie shows that yes, we do need Joy very much, and being joyful is important. But sometimes we just need to be sad. Not sure how else to explain it. The Family dynamic was well played, and it's really cool to see a movie where the kid's relationship with her parents is important and portrayed as something beautiful.

The Verdict: A+
Aaah! I'm in my Post-Pixar movie emotional high right now! Inside Out has pretty much everything I like in a movie. Great acting, a pretty soundtrack, imaginative scenery, and plus! There's HOCKEY! Woo!
Oh, and the short! The movie was preceded by a little short called Lava, which was very cute, and featured a Ukulele song! My sister plays the Ukulele, and she thought it was really cool.

Los Miserables [2011]

Yeah. Me and my Dad are becoming weirdos who own a billion different Les Mis recordings. Actually, we already are weirdos, but we've all got our things we like. Some people like Star Wars, other people like Lord of the Rings, and we at Spilled Ink like Les Miserables.
Anyway, my Dad got this CD for Christmas from Mom, and it's in Spanish!
So! This is from 2011 (as you might have seen in the title, granted) and it ha the same orchestrations as the 25th anniversary concert. The conducting is a little fast, and there are songs that were previously somewhere around Moderato that are now done at a brisk Allegretto. I could go here or there on the tempos and orchestrations. I don't mind the faster tempos, and in most of the songs, the orchestrations are really beautiful! The only song who's instrumentals I didn't really like were Javert's Suicide. It doesn't sound as dramatic or intense to me. But you know, it's a matter of taste I guess. :)
 Standout songs for me would be Estrellas (Stars), Sale el Sol (One Day More) and Solo Para Mi (On My Own). The Prologue sounded really cool, the rhythm was uber emphasized, and the chorus members were really good.
I really dig the guy who played Jean Valjean in this recording. He was a terrific actor, and he hits the last note in Quien Soy Yo (Who Am I) very well. It sounds so excellent. I also like his version of Bring Him Home, or Salvalo. Either this song is growing on me, or he just did a really amazing job of it. All in all, this guy is really good! A little hammy in the Prologue, but that is to be expected I suppose. XD Maybe he was trying to come off as gruff and hardened or something.
Something I really like about this album is that the entire cast is really good, both singing and acting-wise. Usually there is at least one singer in a Cast Album that you don't like, but that's not the case here. Normally, I don't feel too partial to Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, but the version on this CD is majorly sad. Which means it was done right. XD Cosette has a very sweet voice, I liked her. Though um, she sounded a bit like (pardon my overactive imagination) a cartoon mouse! All through A Heart Full of Love, all I could see in my mind's eye was Marius holding a little girl mouse in a dress on his hand. XD
 Eponine was one of my favorites, I like her voice, and the attitude she lends to the character. She's very fiery, and in Solo Para Mi there are a few lines that sound a bit more sarcastic than in other languages. Fantine's actress did a good job with Sone Una Vida, the I Dreamed a Dream equivalent. Enjolras made me laugh at times because he was just so into it (adorably so in Sale El Sol), and his version of the Final Battle is very rousing. :)
Oh yeah, and how could I forget Javert? Well, he's really good. He was um, super hammy in Javert's Suicide though. Yikes. But even with that, his voice and acting (for the most part) was totally spot on!
So! I don't speak very good Spanish (despite the fact that I live in California and have Mexican Heritage :P), but I know that they were speaking Castilian Spanish, that is, European Spanish. The biggest difference between European Spanish and Latin American Spanish, to my ears at least, is that some of the words with 's' sounds are a little erm, lisped. Well, not lisped in the sense that everyone in Spain has a speech impediment, it's just the way the accents over there work. So 'Cielo' (heaven) becomes 'Thielo', and so forth. It just struck me as funny because I'm used to Latin American Spanish. XD
Anyway, one of the coolest things on this album is Sale El Sol. The cast is so good in that one, the orchestra is rocking, and the title is so righteous. Literally, Sale El Sol literally translates to 'The Sun Rises' or 'The Rising of the Sun'. But it's also an expression similar to 'You live to see another day'. SO awesome.

The Verdict: A+
For a terrific cast and neato instrumentals. :)
Favorite Song: Sale El Sol
Runners Up: Estrellas, Solo Para Mi, Quien Soy Yo

Captain America: The Winter Soldier [2014]

This poster is really dramatic.

How could they do that to Bucky?!
Sorry, getting a little ahead of myself.
So! We watched this movie last week, and I think it's a pretty good movie! Not my favorite, but I'm just not big on the Avengers. I certainly don't dislike them, but the only ones I really care about are Nick Fury, Iron Man, and Captain America.
Anyhoo, I haven't seen the first Captain America movie in a long time, so I don't know how this compares as a sequel. It was well directed, and there was some really good camera work, too! Captain America is my favorite avenger, because he's so idealistic and actually believes in his country, and fights to make it better even when he doesn't approve of everything it does. My kind of patriotism, baby! I was afraid this would be all dark and grim, with Cap becoming harsh and cynical in the process, but it was actually really good.
Aside from Captain, the supporting cast is pretty good! I didn't find the villain that memorable, but I liked Black Widow, and especially that dude who had the wings and stuff. Was he called Falcon? I want to call him Falcon, but I don't want to get heat for being wrong about his name. :P Whatever, we REALLY liked Falcon. He might have been me and my sib's favorite character, actually. XD
So yeah, back to Bucky. I um, had actually sort of kind of forgotten about him! I knew that Cap had a buddy who got killed off in the first movie, but I didn't actually think he would come back, let alone come back the way he did! Poor guy!

The Verdict: B+
A good superhero movie is one that non-comic book fans can enjoy too. And, well, this is one of those movies! It's got a good story (though how did that guy live in the computer? Magic?!?) and very good directing. Good atmosphere all throughout, too. Though if you just want a fun superhero movie, this one's a bit dark for that. If it's a muy good time you're looking for, may I suggest Guardians of the Galaxy? :D

Shane [1953]

There's no living with a killing. There's no goin' back from one. Right or wrong, it's a brand... a brand sticks. There's no goin' back. Now you run on home to your mother and tell her... tell her everything's alright. And there aren't any more guns in the valley.

Allrighty, who's in the mood for a Western? I hadn't seen this movie for a while, and I didn't remember, well, how dang good it is! With a super poignant ending, too, I might add.
Anyhoo, this movie is about a gunslinger named Shane (obviously XD) who befriends a family of homesteaders. He hopes to retire from his gunslinging ways, but unfortunately, the valley has a problem with this nasty cowboy called Ryker and his gang. Feeling compelled to help the valley people, Shane makes his presence known to Ryker & Co., and the plot just kind of goes from there!
So, one of my favorite things about this movie was the cinematography. At first, it didn't look like anything terribly special or creative, but as the film went on, I started noticing all the technique and composition, and in a climatic scene towards the end, especially, there was one shot that blew me away. It hearkened back to something early on that happened and related in a sad way to the scene at hand, and how everything was laid out... it was so amazing. I also liked the soundtrack. It was very swell-y, and really hearkened a big, open valley!

The Verdict: A
SHAAAANE! COME BAAAACK SHAAAAAANE!!
Ahem. Yeah, Joey was kind of shrill sometimes but that ending just... got me. This movie has a relatively simple plot, but it packs quite a punch. Highly recommended. :)

Saint Odd by Dean Koontz [2015]

[deep breath] Okay. So it's over! How bittersweet is that, huh? I would like to go on a rant about the end, but this book hasn't even been out for a week, so it's a little early to start getting crazy with the spoilers.
But there's plenty else to rant about. So! This book picks up a little bit after the last one left off, and pits Odd against the same enemies from the last installment, a group of Satanists who aren't just your average devil-worshippers.
Odd Thomas books aren't horror, strictly speaking, but most of them have had at least one part that was pretty terrifying. This one on the other hand, doesn't ever utilize the horror card, and goes more with suspense. There aren't any bits that made me afraid to turn the lamp off, but it was very fast paced and I was constantly on the metaphorical edge of my seat because everything was so nutty. I like how Dean Koontz never wastes time, he just goes right into it.
All in all, this was pretty much your regular Odd Thomas book. You know, all the familiar elements. Ragtag set of misfit supporting characters, bad guys under obvious satanic influence, and of course, the awesome prose. Odd as a narrator gets a little more maudlin in this book than in the others ("It wasn't the fact that I killed [those bad guys], it was the fact that I had to kill them that disturbed me."), but he's still good ol' Oddie, trying despite everything to have a positive attitude and work for the best.
And the ending, oh my goodnesses the ending. I thought it was terrificoso. Though there is a bit of a twist, I think it was an interesting interpretation of certain Christian concepts. Though I'm still trying to figure out Annamaria.

The Verdict: A
[sniffle] Ahem. Yeah, I might've maybe sort of cried a little bit at various points in this book. But despite how late it kept me up the day before orchestra (I fell asleep at practice! Again!!), I really like it. The supporting cast is great, the writing is fast, and if you're looking for a good contemporary read, I highly recommend this series. :)

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg [1964]

So! For French class, we had to watch one movie En Francais, and that proved to be a very difficult task. There are a lot of movies I really like in other foreign languages, like Shall We Dance? (Japanese), Pan's Labyrinth (Spanish), and Rare Exports (Finnish!), but oddly enough, I've never seen a movie in French! And as I explored the options... none were jumping out at me. Yes, even Amelie didn't sound all that appealing to me (well, it did, but there is a lot of stuff in that movie I don't think the initial charm and creativity is worth sitting through for). So then there was this movie.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a very different sort of movie. All of the dialogue in this movie is sung, like an opera. Even the most casual conversations and exchanges are sung to a melody. Pretty cool, n'est-ce pas? The film is also renowned for its beautiful, vibrant colors. Okay, some of the wallpapers in this movie are ghastly, but most of the colors are really pretty. XD
So, that was the appeal. The only qualm I had going in was that this movie is a romance, and I'm cautious about romance because there is always the risk of lover-centric-ness in these movies. You know, where absolutely NOTHING matters except the love of our two heroes! The love of other people is phoney and easily collapsed, but the two heroes share a love unbreakable!
But as it turns out, this movie is way better than that.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is about young Genevieve and her boyfriend Guy, who share a relatively innocent relationship that Genevieve's mother doesn't really approve of. A wrench gets thrown in the lovers' plans however, when Guy is drafted into the army. Unfortunately, the night before he leaves, Guy and Genevieve get up to some- ahem- shenanigans, and a few months later Genevieve discovers that she is pregnant. So she has a tough choice. Wait two years for Guy to come back, or save face by marrying the kind-hearted (and rich!) Roland Cassard.
There are some things in this movie that totally caught me off guard. In any other movie, the mom and Roland would both be nasty people who don't want Genevieve to be happy, blah, blah, blah. However, bossy as she is, Genevieve's mother is a decent person, and Roland doesn't want to force Genevieve into something she doesn't want to do. You can see that he is a kind man who sincerely wants her to be happy. I'd elaborate on the whole Roland/Genevieve thing, but I don't want to give away spoilers. This movie is one that you really don't want spoiled, because it kind of kills the ending.
There are some flaws. I know that it's supposed to show that Genevieve is immature and has growing up to do, but in the beginning of the movie, her impetuous 'We're in love and you can't stop us!' attitude got on my nerves a little bit. Only a little bit. But still. And I have a few qualms about something that happens later in the movie, but yeah. Rule of Spoilers dictates that I can't elaborate on that. Meh.
So! As a musical film, the one of the most important things to get right is of course, the music! I recently listened to Oliver!, and really just didn't like it. The reason? The drab score! It doesn't matter if the story is good and the character arcs are touching. If the score is lack-luster and only has one or two songs that are really appealing, then it's not going to be much fun to watch said musical. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg on the other hand, has a very good score. While there are not strict 'songs', since the lyrics are just conversations and such, the little tunes are very nice, and there is one that is just plain amazing. But yes, there are a few moments where it is glaringly obvious that it's the 60's. Bongo drums, wee!! XD
The main melody, which is relatively famous, is a real masterpiece. I can't even describe it, just watch the opening credits down there and you'll see what I mean. It's gorgeous, and pops up many times in the movie. :)
Let's see, what else... I really liked the cinematography, especially the way the opening credits were shot from above. And the ending. I would like to go into details, but that's for maybe another post someday, because I really don't want to give it away. But it's a good ending.

The Verdict: A-
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a movie about two completely normal people, and the choices they make and how that shapes their future lives for better or worse. With the ending especially, there seems to be the theme that even if things don't go the way you planned, it's not the end of the world. I think that this movie is quite the piece of art. It's a little different, and maybe hard for some people to get used to, but it's a lovely little movie that if you like musicals and French stuff, you probably will appreciate. :)

Content Advisory: There is one instance of extramarital sex, but nothing is shown. The camera cuts away as soon as they start to kiss. And later, a dude visits a seedy bar and spends the night with a hooker (yeah, I'm not a fan of that part). Again, nothing explicit is seen, but it's quite clear what was going on.

Les Miserables: Paris Revival Cast Recording [1991]

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas. :)
So, to celebrate the end of my semester of French, I figured why not review a Les Miserables recording that is in French! I mean, it was recorded in flippin' Paris, what could be better? XD
Ahem. I like to start by rambling about the instrumentals.
Being from the 90's, the instrumentals are spiced up with those syntho instrumentals, so they're relatively the same as the English 3-Disc recording that we have. They don't bug me (they might bug some people, but they remind me of the early 2000's when I was a little kid :D), though sometimes they make me laugh because it sounds like Video Poker music! XD
Now the cast! Jean Valjean is always cool (I've never met a Jean Valjean I didn't like, haha!), and this guy was neato! He has a nice voice, and so far as I can tell his acting was good. His version of Bring Him Home ('Commme Un Homme') is lovely, his acting is just right here. That song doesn't usually elicit a huge reaction from me, but this one... really good. He was also really good in the Epilogue. :)
I liked Javert, he has a very dramatic, almost operatic voice at times. Cosette is usually the most hit and miss character in the whole shebang, but she was a very good singer! She has a sweet, clear voice that is really nice to listen to. All the talk of Cosette makes me think of 'Une Poupee dans la Vitrine', the French equivalent of Castle on a cloud. The French version of this song is so sad, it almost made me cry! The last verse is about how she wishes she knew how to write, because then she could write to Father Christmas for the doll she wishes for. And the middle verse is actually very interesting. Cosette talks about how when she has her doll (her 'daughter') she will dress her in the prettiest dresses, and how she wants her doll to be very proud of her as a mother. Sounds kind of like what Fantine wanted for Cosette, huh? It's such a tearjerker. :(
Ahem. This cast has a good Gavroche, he's got sass, but not in a forced or annoying way. This kid pulls off the role quite effortlessly. I also liked Enjolras on this recording. He's a little petulant, but that's fine by me, so long as it's not excessive. When I was reading the book, I got the impression that due to his privileged childhood he was still a little used to getting his way. XD
Aside from the really good Jean Valjean, my other favorite performer on this CD was Eponine. Her actress has a very normal-girl sounding voice, by which I mean she doesn't have an overly pop-ish sound to her vocals. I like her take on the character, too. She's got a bit of an edge to the character, and pulls off the sad bits without coming off as maudlin and pouty. I really like her On My Own ('Mon Histoire') and Attack on Rue Plumet.
Oh yeah, Mon Histoire. I love On My Own, but Mon Histoire (My Story) is really something. It's harder to adapt into a generic teenage girl 'I'm in the friendzone!' song, because there is more about Eponine's feelings about her situation in life as well as her feelings for Marius. She begins by thinking about how her childhood seemed so pleasant and fairy-tale like, which is pretty different from the English one. I really like the lyrics, I almost translated all of them, so huzzah for French class!

The Verdict: A+
Weee, this font is pretty big and makes the review look super big. Ahem.
I really enjoyed listening to this and being able to understand almost half of it. It's a cool experience to have any kind of automatic understanding of a foreign language. I like the lyrics that I understood, they are so good ("Marius, get off your cloud!") the cast was really solid! I know I didn't talk about everybody, but there was nobody who was weak, or bad. The acting was good, the singing was good, an all-around great cast.
Favorite Song: Mon Histoire
Runners Up: Sous Les Etoiles, Le Grand Jour, Souviens-Toi Les Jours Passes?

[A rant on] The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Well.
Has this book got me frustrated or what? I'm not saying that it's good or bad, all I'm saying is that it has me really confused and a little irritated.
Confused, because I know that there is a point in there somewhere (Monica's going to take a magical journey to the land of Sparknotes!), but I can't seem to figure it out. That's what has me irritated.
For a good portion of the book, I couldn't really figure out for myself what was going on under the surface. And sometimes I couldn't even figure out what was going on in the plot. I guess I have a basic enough understanding of the plot to have a vague idea of what the point of the story was, but this book still makes me feel like I'm the idiot for not understanding all the weird symbolism and motifs and stuff. Argh.

And there was the rather sudden ending, well, I guess it wasn't really that sudden or ambiguous. The dealio is, that Prince (who is a really sweet, kind man) has spend the whole book torn between two women. The adventurous and feisty Aglaya, and the tortured, guilt-ridden Nastasia (who feels that way because she was somebody's mistress, I think. Wouldn't swear to it). Prince Muishkin truly loves Aglaya, but his love for Nastasia is more of elevated pity.
By the climax of the story, Aglaya dumps him because she realizes that his epilepsy will have him sickly forever, so after some time he and Nastasia grow closer and become engaged.  However, on their wedding day, Nastasia runs away with another man who loves her, Rogojin, because she feels like a rough, mean man like Rogojin is the only kind of man she deserves. In a few days, a worried Muishkin locates Rogojin and makes the horrifying discovery that Rogojin has murdered Nastasia.  This, along with the realization that every good thing he tries to do just leads to more trouble, drive Muishkin to madness, and at the end of the book he can't recognize any of his friends, or even speak. Rogojin is shipped off to Siberia, and Aglaya gets married to some loser who lied about his big fortune.
The end.
And you know what, I had some issues with the ending of The Man Who Laughs, but that was sort of made up for by the ending line.

When Ursus recovered consciousness, he no longer saw Gwynplaine, and he beheld Homo near the edge, howling into the gloom as he gazed out at the sea.

I know, I know, it makes no sense in context, but I don't want to give away spoilers for a book that the post isn't about. Now, I find the last scene of the Idiot just plain anti-climatic.

So spoke the good old lady, almost angrily, as she took leave of Evgenie Pavlovich.

Um, no offence or anything book, but if I were you, I would have ended on a scene relevant to the main characters and themes of the novel. Eugh.

I guess no letter grade for this one, because I don't feel clever today. :P I guess I'll read it again someday, because it did have it's very strong moments where I really liked it. I feel like the execution could have been better, though.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card [1985]

Earth was the constant noise of crickets and winds and birds. And the voice of one girl, who spoke to him out of his far-off childhood.

Wow! I read a Sci-Fi novel, and I actually loved it! Not just liked, but loved. This book isn't perfect. There are a few things that I don't like about it, but it is certainly a worthwhile read. Let me just throw it out here that this book does have language and a little crass talk. Just because I really liked the book does not mean that I approve of all that.
This review will have spoilers, but it's been out for ages, so I'm not pulling out the angry red font.
So. I really liked the writing in the book. The author is really good at really making you feel the way the character does. A lot of people say that Ender is a boring, static character, but I really liked his character arc. All through the book, Ender is afraid that he is like his psychopathic brother, Peter.
It's true, when Ender is confronted by an enemy (like bullies, or the weird giant thing in those computer games) he doesn't pull punches, he practically eliminates the threats so they can't hurt him anymore.
Then at the end of the book, his worst fears are practically confirmed when he is tricked into destroying the bugger's homeworld. But then, he finds that last egg or something from the last queen bugger, and sets out on a mission to find a place where the egg an hatch and thrive. The book ends with the line "He searched for a long time."
 I'm doing a poor job explaining this, but I'm trying to lead up to my point. I have a friend at college (one of the two people who recommended the book to me!) who thinks that the ending was setting up the sequels, but I actually think that it was a really good ending for the story.
There are a lot of books that just kind end, with absolutely nothing resolved. These kinds of books are very unsatisfying to read, and kind of wreck the book even if you feel like the rest of it was well plotted and such.
Then there are book that end with some of the plotlines still dangling, but emotionally, philosophically, and thematically, the story is over. Are you guys picking up what I'm putting down? I'm thinking about books like The Brothers Karamazov or The Road. Books where yes, there are still things that are unknown, and maybe you don't know if everything will be okay, but the characters have found- I hate to say this because it sounds really stupid- inner peace. You know, emotionally, the story is resolved and you maybe don't need to know what happens next.
Maybe I'm just silly or something, Je ne sais pas.
Anyhoo, something I really liked about this book was that the hero's most important female relationship is with his sister, Valentine (who is also a really interesting character!). Not with some half-baked love interest, but with his sister. Their dynamic is very well-written.

The Verdict: A
I didn't expect this book to make me cry, but I almost did at the ending. This book is well written and well plotted, and it kept my attention very well all throughout. This book is quite deep, and pondered some interesting questions, and I can't wait to read it again sometime next year. ;) I don't know if I'll be reading the other books because the ending of this one just seemed so 'right' to me.

Age Appropriateness: 14+
There's some cussing and crass talk, and a few borderline-disturbing scenes.

Dracula by Bram Stoker [1897]

I don't think that I like this book as much as I liked it when I was fourteen. XD
Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this book, I didn't even dislike it all that much. But there were a few things that bugged me a bit and a few other things I'm not sure how to feel about!
For things that I didn't like, first of all, way too melodramatic. I know that it's the 19th century and melodrama was about as in back then as stupid teen romance is in now. But I found many scenes that were supposed to be dramatic, well, I found them quite hilarious.

Now for the things I don't know how to feel about.
First off, this book has a lot of rather sexist tendencies. I know, and I know, 19th Century, product of it's time, blah, blah, blah. But riddle me this, Batman! If that's just how 19th Century female characters are, then how come The Count of Monte Cristo has so many varied and interesting ladies? Then again, maybe it's just the , and not the author, who are being unintentionally sexist. I mean, they are all very courteous and kind to the point of revering Mina. And Mina is one of the smartest characters in the book. I just lost it when a character made a remark about Mina being too frail and delicate in mind to help them in their monster-hunting work. Hello?! Jonathan Harker? He's a man, and he had a big ol' nervous breakdown towards the beginning of the book! Who's frail and delicate again?

Then there was the cavalier treatment of the Holy Eucharist. As a Catholic, (I know most of my readers probably aren't, but this is me explaining my issues with the book, and to do that I have to sometimes bring up Religious issues), I believe that the consecrated wafers used in Mass are in fact, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The way Van Helsing hands out consecrated communion wafers like Halloween candy for the others to use against Dracula, it made me think of a rather important question! Do Van Helsing and the others have actual faith in the Holy Items they are using to fight the monster or are they just waving them around the way you would use a magic wand? It kind of bugged me in a big way how casually they used the Holy Eucharist.

The Verdict: B-
Yeah, it was allright. I did appreciate all the Christian stuff in the book, aside from the possible irreverence. I liked this book MUCH better than Frankenstein, which I plan on Video Reviewing as soon as possible, but I don't know if I'm going to read this again any time soon.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen [1811]

Oh my GOSH, I've read all the Jane Austen books (except for the short stories, but shush), somebody give me a trophy. ;)
Anyway! I really like this one. I know that there are a lot of people who like the adaptations better, and I may or may not be in that camp, but as brilliant as the '95 adaptation was, it didn't ruin the book for me at all.

So. I'm going to be really self centered and say that I related a TON to Marianne, and maybe that's a big reason why I was so invested in the story. I understood her character (and have done pretty much everything she has, except get dumped and almost die), and some of the things she said were things that I've thought! I know it's really stupid and ego-centric to go on about that, but that's what happens when you read a lot of books! It doesn't take long for you to start finding characters that you really connect with. Not every book has them, but it's a lovely feeling when you find some character and think "Wow, I've felt the exact same way!" I know that the more book I read, the more I get that feeling.

But let's not forget Elinor, because she is such a terrific character! The way she is described in comparison to Marianne you'd think that she's a robot, but Elinor is so witty and clever! I actually laughed out loud at some of her lines, like the following exchange between her and Margaret...

"Oh Elibor!" she cried, "I have such a secret to tell you about Marianne. I am sure she will be married to Mr. Willoughby very soon."
"You have said so," replied Elinor, "Almost every day since they first met on High-Church Down; and they had not known each other  week, I believe, before you were certain that Marianne wore his picture round her neck, but it turned out to be only the miniature of our great uncle."
"But indeed this is quite another thing. I am sure they ill be married very soon, for he has got a lock of her hair."
"Take care, Margaret. It may only be the hair of some great uncle of his."

And I admire the way she can hold back what she's feeling and not go on rampages, that's such an admirable trait. But Elinor is by no means perfect (though when Marianne is going on an emotional spell it's quite easy to think that!) She gets secretly jealous sometimes, and occasionally thinks slightly uncharitable thoughts sometimes. Elinor is a very well rounded character, and I enjoyed the book a lot because of her.

The two male leads of the book were pretty good. A lot of people think that they are kind of bland, but I liked them. Colonel Brandon is certainly more interesting that Edward Ferras though. By a lot. The thing that I like about Colonel Brandon's character is that he's a pitiable character who's had some rough times, but he's not written all like: "Aww, wook at this poor widdle guy, coddle and feel sowwy for him!".

As per usual, the writing was top-notch. I won't lie, my eyes did sort of glaze over during some of the London bit, but the rest of it was just fine. And there is a very thought-provoking bit towards the end, concerning Willoughby, and how they go about forgiving him for what he's done. It was very interesting, and I wasn't expecting it!

The Verdict: A
Point deduced because I think that Elinor's romantic complications were solved a little too conveniently. Just a little bit. But we can talk about that later, all I know is that I really liked this book, and will definitely be reading it again sometime.