Posters!

The new poster for John Carter was released today and it's absolutely gorgeous, very retro-scifi-feeling in all the best ways and super brightly coloured (a joy compared to all the dark and pretentious posters out there). Just like how I have this weird love for movie trailers I love a good poster. My favorite poster of 2010 is probably the one for War Horse, a film I can barely wait to watch:

Colors, composition, the contrast between the emotion on the boy's face and the serenity of the horse, the beautiful amber lighting . . . it's beautiful. My runner-up would have to be the poster for The Artist, another film I've been eagerly anticipating for over a year now:

I guess I have a thing for dramatic lighting. But look at it! It's gorgeous, I love how elegant and classical it looks. And I love profiles of any kind, so that too. I'm seeing both of these movies over Christmas break, it's going to be wonderful!

After only 3 hours of sleep last night

I dragged myself out of bed to rush to my 830 AM class only to remember as I walked into a completely empty classroom, that class had been cancelled today. AUGH.

And now I have a paper to write so I can't spend any more time blogging but I registered for classes today and STILL was unable to get into the creative writing class before it filled up. This is ridiculous, I mean I'm a Junior already and still can't get in. AUGH AGAIN.

Seriously the only thing keeping me going right now is the knowledge that the first Hobbit trailer comes out in December. And that I can get the Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell audiobook from the library in December.

And caffeine. Copious amounts of caffeine.

Top 10 Books that I want to see turned into (awesome) Movies

1. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (One of my newest reads but oh my Silmaril it would make an amazing film. Actually, arguably more amazing would be if the BBC made a miniseries out of it--imagine the previews. They start out looking like the usual British costume drama and then BAM! re-animated corpses and evil faeries and pineapples growing out of people's mouths. That'd be perfect.)

2. The Silmarillion (Okay, this is only half true. I want a Silmarillion miniseries. No kidding. I might be the only person on the planet who would watch it, but imagine how epic it would be! A Beren and Luthien episode? The Kinslaying? The Fall of Gondolin? EPIC, I TELL YOU.)

3. The Bartimaeus Trilogy (One of my favorite trilogies ever. Ever ever ever ever ever.)

4. The Mark of the Horselord (One of the less likely titles on my list to actually become a film, as hardly anyone knows about it, but that's a crying shame because it would be fantastic. Sutcliff is such an unbelievably visual writer anyway.)

5. The Once and Future King ("Camelot" just doesn't cut it. This would have to be like a Trilogy or something--Part I would be The Sword and the Stone/The Queen of Air and Darkness, Part II The Ill-Made Knight, and Part III The Candle in the Wind. And it would be beautiful.)

6. The Thief/The Queen of Attolia/The King of Attolia (I know another girl who'd be first in line to these films, but I'd be second. A very close second.)

7. The Last Unicorn (As much as I adore the animated film, I really wish there was a proper live-action version. There's been rumors about one being in the works for years, but so far nothing really has happened.)

8. A Tale of Two Cities (Like The Last Unicorn I love the film we already have (Ronald Colman is LOVELY) but it is from the 1930s and so suffers a bit as an adaptation in terms of editing the story. We need more Dickens in the cinemas again!)

9. The Hero and the Crown (Fantasy with strong female lead, visually impressive setting, and lots of eventful magic happenings. Why hasn't this been made yet? Same goes for The Tombs of Atuan which, I admit, could be a bit dull since half the time it would have to be set in pitch-darkness, but it'd still be cool.)

10. The Charwoman's Shadow/The Worm Ouroborous) (Another couple of great fantasies hardly anyone knows about. The Old Woman with a Young Shadow is such a great image, and Eddison's tale of Mercury-dwelling Demons and Witches is just gloriously weird.)

"The Fall" set to Poets of the Fall

Perfection. I should really do a post sometime with random music fan videos for stuff that I've found and liked, there's some great ones out there.

Book Reviews for October

You'll notice I read significantly less in October than I did in September. That is because school got absolutely mad. Six exams, three final papers to start preparing, and a presentation to put together, and that's besides all the regular homework. Something had to go, and unfortunately, because I am a good student, the something was my pleasure reading *sad sigh*

But I still managed to read 4 books anyway. So here are my reviews!

A Conspiracy of Kings, by Megan Whalen Turner

Probably my least-favorite of Turner's "Thief" novels, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. On the contrary, it's great. But it isn't as self-contained as the other books; I felt upon finishing it that it was only really prefacing a greater tale--one which I eagerly anticipate! It was interesting reading Sophos' first-person narration though, as I'm so used to Gen. They're definitely two different voices.

The Seer and the Sword, by Victoria Hanley

I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would; it's got a lovely, light style that makes it seem like a romantic epic somehow, like an Arthurian tale or something. I wish in a way that the author delved deeper into the characters (some of whom were very intriguing but barely featured) and spread the story out across more than one book so things didn't move quite so quickly. But all in all it was quite enjoyable.

Eight Days of Luke, by Diana Wynne Jones

A fun, lighthearted little book, very much in the vein of “The Game”. I was pleased that I guessed most of the mythological characters, etc. before they were revealed in the afterword. Also, I wonder if this book influenced JK Rowling at all, as a lot of the scenes with David and his relatives really reminded me of how JK wrote, tonally, about Harry and the Dursleys. I quite liked Loki’s characterization too. Nothing particularly special about this book but it was fun, especially if you like Nordic mythology.

The Book of the Month:

Plain Kate, by Erin Bow

This is the best YA fantasy I have read in a long while--beautiful, frightening, poetical, with characters that really stay with you and mean something without seeming to try. I love this book. It's rare to find a completely refreshing and original world in fantasy fiction, but I thought the world depicted in this book was a breath of fresh air, as was the description of and rules of magic. There is genuine tragedy, genuine drama, and genuine fright. I was entirely absorbed by Kate's journey from beginning to end. And I also enjoyed what I can't help but think is a very deliberate tribute to "The Charwoman's Shadow", an excellent fantasy novel by Lord Dunsany. I honestly cannot criticize a single thing about this book, its plot, how its told, or the characters who inhabit it. It’s a beautiful piece of art.

This is me right now.

It really is. No joke. I've had very little sleep for five nights now because of midterm exams, a film presentation, sundry other homework, and now I get to start stressing about those 3 separate 10 page final papers I need to start writing (or actually should have started writing weeks ago). I am utterly worn out. Sigh. Also, Mr. Thornton is adorable when he falls asleep at his desk while working.

And I've finally altered what songs play on my blog playlist now. That was a change way overdue. Not that I love the other songs any less. But even the best things get monotonous after a while. Except "The Lord of the Rings". And chai tea. And naps.

1 HOUR TO NANOWRIMO YOU GUYS

I'd be running around flailing and going 'aaaaaaaaah' if I wasn't so tired. As is I think I'll just do homework and sip water and stretch and watch the clock like a mouse watching the cat outside its mousehole.