Saturday, December 26, 2020

Mini-Reviews: As You Like It, Lorna Doone, Waitress

themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com


As You Like It
I'm rather confused as to why they decided to set this in feudal Japan... it is barely important in the overall look or feel of the movie, and really doesn't seem to serve any purpose. The music is absolutely gorgeous though, and fits absolutely perfectly with how the rest of the adaptation has been done. It uses Shakespearean English, and is overall good. If you like other Ken Brannagh adaptations, it definitely fits his style, and I would recommend it. If you're not a particular fan of his work, then I don't think this one is anything to write home about. It passed the time.

imdb.com

Lorna Doone (1990)
I almost stopped watching this more than once, but decided to power through. Honestly, I just couldn't get into it. I love Sean Bean, but have never really cared for Clive Owen, and this movie did nothing to change that. It felt very slow, and I really didn't get the point of it much. The plot was fine, and I do plan to watch another adaptation in the future, but this really didn't catch my interest.

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Musical Identity Book Tag

I decided to make a new tag! I created this one a long time ago, but just hadn't written in my own answers. If you love musicals as much as I do, then I hope you'll answer these questions as well. And if not, perhaps you'll have fun reading my answers anyway!


Memories

What was the first musical you saw (whether on stage, or on film)?

The King and I! It was the first one I saw, actually both on stage and on film, so it has a very special place in my heart.

What musical were you most surprised impacted you as strongly as it did?

Rent! I thought for the longest time that it was probably this super hyped-up musical that it was popular to like because it was edgy. And yes, I think that that is absolutely the case for some people - but I also think it's brilliant. (Now, will I ever understand the appeal of the song "Over the Moon?" No, no I won't).

What is the most original musical you've ever seen?

I think that depends, a bit. I'm tempted to say Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, simply because of the variety of musical styles running through it. Otherwise, Godspell has a really unique structure to it.

It might be silly, odd, or cheesy, but what musical do you have a soft spot for anyway?

Gigi. It's a musical that a lot of people probably don't know about, and it has definitely some elements that might not look the best to modern audiences, but I fell in love with it as a little girl (thank heavens! ;) ) and still love it very much go this day.


Feelings

What's your favourite classic musical?

Probably The Phantom of the Opera!

What's your favourite contemporary musical?

Maybe Dear Evan Hansen? I tend to be a bit of an oldie where musicals are concerned, but I really enjoy the music from this one. Otherwise, if it counts, Rent. But I'm not sure that's considered "current" enough.

Musical movies - not necessarily a musical, but what's one you love?

Lili (1953) is one of my favourite movies of all time. It has a few musical numbers, but I wouldn't exactly refer to it as a musical. (With both Gigi and Lili on this list...can you tell I love Leslie Caron?)

What's a musical you just don't understand the appeal of?

There are actually several I just don't get the appeal of, but the first one that comes to mind is Shrek: the Musical. I don't personally like the Shrek movies in the first place, and I don't understand how this would make an appealing musical either...but that's just me!


The Specifics

Who are you most like from Rent, and why?

Mark. Absolutely Mark. I adore him completely, and connected with him right away. I do have elements of Roger and Mimi as well, but just listen to the song Hallowe'en, and you will see how I feel.

If you could play any part in Hamilton, which would you choose?

Angelica Schuler for sure. Although I would get so tongue tied trying to get the lyrics out that quickly!

Should Christine have ended up with The Phantom in the original musical?

Yes. I know, I know...that might be terrible of me, but in some ways I still wish they ended up together. And I have seen Love Never Dies, but that doesn't fit in the same way for me. 

Do you consider classic Disney movies to be musicals?

I personally don't, but I have no issues with people referring to them as such. I mean, they contain a lot of music, and this is used to tell the story and express feelings exactly in the same way that musicals are, but to me they feel different because they are animated. By definition, I guess they are "Disney animated musicals" but I think of them as a category unto themselves.

Monday, September 28, 2020

September 2020 Update

Wow has it ever been a while since I've done an update! This one isn't going to follow the normal format, but my goal for the past bit has been to just try blogging again - regardless of if my posts are perfect. It's hard to keep faithful to that though - I want them to be my best work, and I have to remind myself that I am not at my best, so it's okay if my posts aren't either.

The past few months have been...well, a lot. And I know it's been that way for most of us. I'm not going to go into too great detail there, because well, it is not only too painful, but I am also trying my best to move forwards. So, although I will spend a moment on this all, this will focus on what I have been reading and watching in the past while. That being said, I would like to give a trigger warning for terminal illness for the first heading in this post ("What's Happened"). Feel free to skip past and onto future sections.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Would You Rather Book Tag

I've been having a hard time blogging for many months, so I want to focus on some fun and light content hopefully for the next little while until I get back into the swing of things...and what's more fun than a tag? These questions are provided by Greg @ Book Haven!




1) Would you rather read or watch Netflix for an entire year?

In truth, read, although I unfortunately haven't had much mental space for it lately. But reading will always be one of my favourite things to do, regardless of if I am actively able to do it!

2) Would you rather read all new releases or used/ backlist books for a year

Backlist books! I have such an extensive backlist of things that I truly want to read (and in a lot of cases, also own). I would love to clear these shelves down a bit!

3) Would you rather have pizza or Chinese food?

Well, Greg has decided to torture me with this question. I eat a fair amount of pizza, so I guess I would likely have to pick that...but I truly, truly love Chinese food, especially Szechuan.

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Blog-Along: Little Women (2019)

There couldn't possibly be more spoilers in one of my posts than there are in this one! I've done this blog-along with a lot more detail than past ones. No, unfortunately it doesn't have time stamps (I watched it on my television DVD player rather than my computer), but as this is a story that many people are familiar with by now, I figured that would be okay.

sonypictures.com

Now, if you know anything about me, my opinions on Little Women are, well...pretty strong. I have watched so many adaptations of it, and it has always been a part of my life. So when a new version of it comes out, I am going to go over it with a fine tooth comb. Want to know my thoughts about the most recent adaptation (2019 - Saorise Ronan, Timothée Chalamet)? Read on! Don't want spoilers? Maybe wait until you've seen it.

Enjoy!

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Tuesday, August 4, 2020

TTT: Colourful Classics

I'm back doing a Top Ten Tuesday for the first time in who knows how long! This week's topic is "Books with colours in the titles" but I have decided to take it a few steps further and do classics...and I am going to try doing at least one for each colour of the rainbow, and then a few others. So...wish me luck? Thank you as always to Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl for such a fun series.



RED

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

ORANGE

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

YELLOW

Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley

GREEN

Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Mini-Reviews: Call Me By Your Name, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Jane Austen Book Club

Welcome once again to the portion of the blog where I talk about some movies I've been watching! Some movies I simply don't feel motivated to write a full review on (or life gets busy!) but I still want to share my thoughts with you. So, here are a few things I've seen lately and how I felt about them!

tiff.net

Call Me By Your Name
Wow. I put off watching this one for a while because I thought it might have been popular because of the cast or subject matter rather than its own merit. Well, I was wrong. No, it's not perfect, but I definitely found it had a real impact on me to the point that I actually cried at one scene. My only previous experience with Timothée Chalamet had been in Lady Bird, and I hadn't watched anything with Armie Hammer in it, so this was a great way to get to know them better as actors. I would definitely recommend this one. It isn't overwhelmingly dramatic, and there isn't a lot going on in terms of action, but it's lovely nonetheless. I did have one or two moments where I wasn't really a fan of how they shot things/the content, but as far as I am aware they were true to the book for these things, so it's not really a fault of the film.