“Goodness!” he cried. “Golly! Good God! Blessed Allah! Zeus and Hera! Mary and Joseph! Nathaniel Hawthorne!”
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room – Lemony Snicket
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Monthly Archives: December 2013
Trailer Tuesday: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies, since I’ve always found them to be endlessly fascinating.
2010’s How to Train Your Dragon was something of a surprise hit, making almost half a billion dollars at the box office and getting a couple of Oscar nominations, so a sequel was inevitable (especially when you consider the success of the TV show spinoff). The first film, very very loosely inspired by the book series by Cressida Cowell, was a fun, funny beautifully animated film, whose plot may not have been overly interesting but which had a firm anchor in the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless. The new trailer for How to Train Your Dragon 2, highlights that relationship, while trying to amp up the story and show off the visuals. Take a look below and read on for my thoughts:
Quote of the Day
Garak: Interesting, you saved the day by destroying the world.
Julian Bashir: I bet they didn’t teach you that in the Obsidian Order.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 4: Episode 10 – “Our Man Bashir”
Quote of the Day
“Is it true that you shouted at Professor Umbridge?”
“Yes,” said Harry.
“You called her a liar?”
“Yes.”
“You told her He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?”
“Yes.”
Professor McGonagall sat down behind her desk, frowning at Harry. Then she said, “Have a biscuit, Potter.”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling
Quote of the Day
It is very unnerving to be proven wrong, particularly when you are really right and the person who is really wrong is the one who is proving you wrong and proving himself, wrongly, right. Right?
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room – Lemony Snicket
Quote of the Day
Garak: Kiss the girl, get the key. They never taught me that in the Obsidian Order.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 4: Episode 10 – “Our Man Bashir”
What if there was a Best Voice Performance Oscar? – 2003
(Note: This is a fictional creative writing exercise, inspired by hours of contemplation of which animated performances have been most worthy of attention over the years. This feature imagines that a Best Voice Performance category was added to the Oscars following Beauty and the Beast’s nomination for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards. Each week I’ll cover the hypothetical nominees and winner from one year of animated performances.)
After the controversy at the 75th Academy Awards, it seemed all anyone could talk about was Andy Serkis and the eligibility of his portrayal of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films. His motion capture performance wasn’t nominated either for Best Supporting Actor or Best Voice Performance, and there was considerable debate over whether the acting or the animation branch (or both) would bend and give him the nomination. What the speculators didn’t count on was the arrival of Pixar’s latest film, one which would go on to be regarded as a game-changer in the industry on account of its depth and storytelling.
Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Two Towers is my favorite film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. While most people either preferred the pitch-perfect styling of the first film, or the epic conclusion of the third, for me I thought the middle chapter stood out in an interesting way. I feel like a lot of the film’s success owed itself to how writer/director Peter Jackson was able to take a book in which little happens and craft it into a satisfying story arc which fit perfectly into the trilogy but also stood alone as a unique accomplishment. He took the handful of major events in the story and fleshed them out, allowing him to focus much more on character and drama and less on sticking to the detail of the text, and it really showed off his (and his team’s) writing skills. I had high hopes that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second film of Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy would follow in the footsteps of The Two Towers, and while it’s definitely an excellent film, it lacks the creativity and emotion of his previous middle movie.
The Desolation of Smaug picks up right where An Unexpected Journey left off. Continue reading
Quote of the Day
When she saw Harry, her prominent eyes seemed to bulge excitedly and she made a beeline straight for him. Many of his classmates turned curiously to watch. Luna took a great breath and then said, without so much as a preliminary hello: “I believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, and I believe you fought him and escaped from him.”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling
Quote of the Day
It’s in the singing of a street corner choir
It’s going home and getting warm by the fire
It’s true, where ever you find love, it feels like ChristmasA cup of kindness that we share with another
A sweet reunion with a friend or a brother
In all the places you find love, it feels like ChristmasIt is the season of the heart
A special time of caring
The ways of love made clear
It is the season of the spirit
The message if we hear it
Is ‘Make it last all year’It’s in the giving of a gift to another
A pair of mittens that were made by your mother
It’s all the ways that we show love that feel like ChristmasA part of childhood we will always remember
It is the summer of the soul in December
Yes, when you do your best for love, it feels like ChristmasIt is the season of the heart
A special time of caring
The ways of love made clear
It is the season of the spirit
The message if we hear it
Is ‘Make it last all year’It’s in the singing of a street corner choir
It’s going home and getting warm by the fire
It’s true, where ever you find love, it feels like ChristmasIt’s true, where ever you find love
It feels like Christmas
It feels like Christmas
It feels like Christmas
It feels like Christmas
“It Feels Like Christmas” – The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Love Pirate 