tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59019556591084629972024-02-18T21:48:17.725-08:00Orisi's Blah Blah BlahA collection of honest notions, frustrations, ponderings, praise and reviews of audiobooks, books and movies.Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-43246985532182940962013-07-16T04:42:00.004-07:002013-07-16T04:48:08.042-07:00The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>“And perhaps there is a limit to the grieving that the human heart can do. As when one adds salt to a tumbler of water, there comes a point where simply no more will be absorbed.” </i></span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― Sarah Waters, </span><i style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The Little Stranger</i></span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The subliminal mind has many dark, unhappy corners, after all. Imagine something loosening itself from one of those dark corners. Let's call it a--a germ. And let's say conditions prove right for that germ to develop--to grow, like a child in the womb. What would this little stranger grow into? A sort of shadow-self, perhaps: a Caliban, a Mr Hyde. A creature motivated by all the nasty impulses and hungers the conscious mind had hoped to keep hidden away: things like envy, and malice, and frustration..." </span></i><span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">― Sarah Waters, </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The Little Stranger</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Those of you who are partial to a little Downton Abbey may quite like this spooky piece of fiction. This book is set shortly after the first world war. We're introduced to an England that is licking its wounds, an England that has been victorious but found themselves in a worse state than during the war. The festivities have passed and the sons of Britain have made their slow way back.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Waters introduces us to an old aristocratic family. A family that is falling apart. Their estate is crumbling around them, they have no money left and the Master of the house is the only man and has come back from the war with nervous problems and probably post-traumatic stress disorder. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b><u>The Audiobook</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I was pleasantly surprised by the narrator in this novel. It was narrated by Simon Vance, and I honestly felt that I wouldn't be able to enjoy his narration. He is a well paced, even quite slow but he does the voices pretty well and I found his voice to be perfectly suited to the voice of Dr Faraday. I'm not sure that he will be everybody's cup of tea, but I was whisked away to post-war England!<br /><br /><br /><b><u>The Story</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">This is a story written, at least in my opinion, in the 19th Century Gothic vein. I've seen much discussion with people disputing this, but although the setting is a modern one, I feel that Waters uses conventions that are so recurrent in the genre. Conventions such as pathetic fallacy and personifcation (the attribution of human feelings upon inanimate objects or animals), weather features greatly within this novel as does the personification of the crumbling house. We are introduced to Dr Faraday who is the narrator of the novel and so the once removed narrator we often find in Gothic novels eg. Dracula, Wuthering Heights, The Woman in Black etc. Dreams also feature within the novel (which may also be a clue to the ending... but shhhhh... I can't give anything away!) as they do in pretty much every Gothic novel I've read. Ambiguity, a feeling of dread, the supernatural and damsel in distress are all found within this novel, and so I'll contest that this is a Gothic novel and that it does mimic literature from the 19thC. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Anywho... now that my false little essay is done, I'll move on! Haha!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">So, we have the narrator Dr. Faraday from a working class background. His parents worked hard to make sure he could go to a fantastic university and become a doctor. Although Dr Faraday is a successful doctor he is aware that he has been unable to break in to treating the gentry. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">His chance comes though, when an emergency at Hundreds Hall calls him out. The house had once been an important part of the community but the war had left both the family and the estate in tatters, not to mention the class system and society in general. Dr Faraday's mother had previously been employed at the house and so he has memories of visiting it as a child. Now though, as an adult, he returns to the hall and becomes close to the family.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Things start to happen at the hall, strange things, and Dr Faraday plays the ultra cynical and logical narrator. How reliable he is... I'm not quite sure, but that's for you to come up with your own conclusions.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it was great to return to the Goth genre and seeing it done so well. The first couple of hours of the book were hard to get in to, but I recommend it none-the-less. If you can get past those it is pedal to the metal and if you're lucky you'll get as many bouts of goosebumps that I did!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">P.s. I'm currently laptopless, so I'm afraid my access to the blog has been hindered! Please bare with me during this technical hitch!</span></span></span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-78663560487749638092013-07-01T01:03:00.000-07:002013-07-01T01:03:34.055-07:00Wool - Hugh Howey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Hello everyone!<br />I'm back! Please forgive my extended holiday. It was the end of the school year and well, it gets super busy in schools as we try to prepare for the new academic year!<br />But yes, I'm back - with a long overdue review!</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/2013/01/25/d005fec4a48e2742b893d53f3b813906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/2013/01/25/d005fec4a48e2742b893d53f3b813906.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">“We are not the people who made this world, Lukas, but it's up to us to survive it. You need to understand that."</span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><i>"We can't control where we are right now," he mumbled, "just what we do going forward.”</i> Hugh Howey, <i>Wool Omnibus </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Maybe you read this a few years back? Maybe. I only recently came across it and I am absolutely glad I did!<br /><br />This is a post-apocalyptic thriller that takes place in a silo buried deep in to the earth. Stairs run through the silo connecting the hundred or so levels. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The only contact the people of the silo have with the toxic outside world is through a camera. A camera peers outside at the bland scenery and the population are able to see out. </span></span><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Any questions regarding life in the silo can see the perpetrators sentenced to 'Cleaning'. Cleaning is a death sentence... the prisoner is strapped in to a suit and is sent out to the outside world to clean the camera lens. The strangest part of the cleaning process though, is how always, without fail, perpetrators always, ALWAYS go and clean the camera.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Inside the silo they have farms, livestock, mines, hospitals etc etc. It's a very organised machine where people know their place and rarely venture out of them.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><u>The Audiobook</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Susannah Harker was the narrator for this particular version of the audiobook. There's another one narrated by Minnie Goode too, she did the omnibus version. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Harker was ace though, I was strangely surprised as I usually like a more passionate performance and she was very slow and steady. There have been times where I've not been able to listen to an audiobook because of that type of pacing but Harker owned her voice and I thought she was magnificent. Of course she was also aided by excellent writing, and a great production too!<br /><br /><b><u>The Story</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Okay, I admit it, I have a soft-spot for post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels. I just do, and this was right up my street!</span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 18px;">The pacing is brilliant, the writing is awesome and although it is an exploration of a very popular genre - I found it re-imagined, unique and wholly entertaining.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I usually try and discuss the story in a bit more detail here but I don't want to spoil it. You see, this story is a spider's web and I'm sure that if I give any little parts away and you decide to read it... well, it'll all click too quickly and you'll curse me for it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">All I can say is this, keep in your mind the very strange phenomena of the prisoners being sentenced to go outside but then always choosing to clean the camera lens (CREEPY), and also keep in mind that the silo has everything that anybody needs; Farms, livestock, water, air, coal etc etc.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I really, really enjoyed this book but I will not give away any more than that... I promise!<br /><br />If you go on to read it, please please come back here and let me know what you think. Maybe you'll agree with me, or maybe you won't at all! Anywho, enjoy and let me know!<br /></span></span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-9858886572655676212013-06-04T09:34:00.002-07:002013-06-04T09:34:42.814-07:00Orisi's On Holiday!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well... not really!<br /><br />But Orisi's Blah Blah Blah is officially on holiday. Not for long though folks.<br /><br />You can check in here on Tuesday 11th June for more reviews and rantings from your very own Orisi!<br /><br />See you guys soon, and thanks for stopping by!!<br /><br />In the meantime, you can check through my <a href="http://oblahblah.blogspot.ae/search/label/Book%20Review">audiobook, boo</a>k or <a href="http://oblahblah.blogspot.ae/search/label/Movie%20Review">movie</a> reviews. Or if you want to know what's on my reading list you can <a href="http://oblahblah.blogspot.ae/p/to-read-pile.html">click right here.</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can still find me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/OrisiB">@OrisiB</a> and I always welcome a new stalker on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7436301-orisib">GoodReads</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm currently reading Wool - so expect a review soon!<br /><br />See ya'll soon!</span></div>
Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-62324059153507916082013-05-22T11:05:00.002-07:002013-05-22T11:26:19.993-07:00Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>“Young man," he said, "understand this: there are two Londons. There's London Above―that's where you lived―and then there's London Below―the Underside―inhabited by the people who fell through the cracks in the world. Now you're one of them. Good night.”</i> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Neil Gaiman<span style="background-color: white;">,</span> </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Neverwhere</i></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.audioeditions.com/audio-book-images/l/Neverwhere-933087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.audioeditions.com/audio-book-images/l/Neverwhere-933087.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>“Somehow, this was one oddity too many. He could accept "Mind the Gap" and the Earl's Court, and even the strange library. But damn it, like all Londoners, he knew his Tube map, and this was going too far. "There isn't a British Museum Station," said Richard, firmly.” </i></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Neil Gaiman<span style="background-color: white;">,</span> </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Neverwhere</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Richard Mayhew is an ordinary Scot living and working in London. He is so ordinary in fact, that he's boring. He works, he goes home, he goes out with his tempestuous fiancée and then starts that all again, day in, day out. He is also a very simple man. He is not particularly assertive, brave, brash or short-tempered. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One night, walking with his fiancée to have dinner with her boss, he happens to catch out of the corner of his eye an injured girl. Richard cannot leave the bleeding girl and picks her up and takes her home although his fiancée is outraged. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nursing the girl back to health he suddenly realises that things are no longer as they were. Two strange looking men march in to his apartment looking for a girl named 'Door', suddenly his friends and family have no idea who he is... and to top it all off his landlord walks in to his flat with new tenants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unable to live in the real London he is pulled kicking and screaming in to 'London Below' the fantastical London that thrives through the underground. Richard is pulled in to a quest, and whilst trying to go back to his old life, finds himself instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>The Audiobook</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This audiobook is narrated by Neil Gaiman himself. I'll be honest, when I downloaded the book from Audible I was cynical. I thought that this was going to be an author with a big ego convinced that he'd do the voices better than anybody else. I kinda feel embarrassed. I obviously had not done enough research as I had no idea that Gaiman has narrated lots and lots of books. I'd also like to add that he was pretty spectacular! He was well paced, the differentiation between the voices were awesome and even his Scottish accent was excellent!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>The Story</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my first Gaiman novel, and I imagine it'll probably be my last. That sounds like such a negative way to start, but I don't mean it in a negative way in the least.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The novel falls under the 'Urban-Fantasy' genre. Gaiman understands fantasy. He does not feel obliged to go the high-fantasy route, what with giants and fairies, instead he turns something as mundane as the London underground in to something animated and literal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">t seems silly to say 'literal' when talking about fantasy - but here, let me explain. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each underground station has a different name. He takes those names and forged characters out of them i.e. Earls Court in to the 'Earl's Court', and has a subway train home to the Earl and his court. There's a district in London called 'The Angel, Islington' and lo and behold one of Gaiman's main characters is 'Angel Islington'. I really enjoyed this play on words, I found it witty and comical, and a homage to London.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>It's worth noting that you can<br />also read this as a Graphic Novel!</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the book is quite witty the protagonist is soooooo annoying, and soooo boring. He's the most unlikeable character in history. He was unsympathetic and just generally wimpy and whiny. In fact, he reminded me a lot of Arthur Dent from <i><a href="http://oblahblah.blogspot.ae/2013/01/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-galaxy-douglas.html">The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</a>, </i>and not in a good way considering that I didn't particularly enjoy that book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The storyline is pretty slow as well. I had to drag myself through it kicking and screaming, and luckily, because it was in audiobook form I could do that, if it had been paper and ink though, I don't think I would have been able to finish it. It finally picked up speed in the last two hours of the audiobook and that is when I found myself finally enjoying the writing and the storyline.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although both Gaiman or his books will never be favourites of mine, I am pretty certain that for some, his books are on par with Terry Pratchett's fantasy works. If you're a fan of Alice in Wonderland and want a new spin on it, this may just be the book for you! Also, if you liked <i>The Hitchhiker's </i>books I think you'll love this! It exhibits the same wit, comedy and joy. It's worth a try! You may discover a new found love!<br /><br /><br />Have you read this book? What did you think? Have I missed something? Let me know what you thought/think right here or over on Twitter @OrisiB<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">P.s. I do plan on watching the dramatisation... OH, OH, OH and if you're a James McAvoy fan I do believe they've put together an all-star cast to narrate the book on BBC 4, so check it out!</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-11042644177655038222013-05-19T04:42:00.000-07:002013-05-19T04:45:13.433-07:00Why Girls Hate Game of Thrones: A Response<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Did any of you read that article? The Thrillist.com's '<a href="http://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/why-girls-hate-game-of-thrones">Why Girls Hate Game of Thrones</a>'? If not, you may want to read it before reading the rest of my post here... it may just cause capillaries in your nose to explode, resulting in nosebleeds of rage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the most amazing, backwards and Victorianesque piece of writing that I've read in quite a while.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Renata Sellitti has written a post, for men, as to why their girlfriends just hate Game of Thrones. She lumps us all together as hating it because our <i>sensibilities cannot cope</i> with the incest, our <i>ovaries cannot cope</i> with the corporal punishment, our <i>puny little girly-brains</i> cannot follow all the <i>'intricate' plot details and story lines</i>, and the Mean Girl in all of us just cannot cope with the idea that the show may be watched by people who used to play 'Magic Cards at the Cafeteria. And people who go to Renaissance festivals.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who is this lady?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The piece is so condescending, and so, so offensive I just want to clothes-line the hell out of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But it doesn't stop with her little discussion on why their girlfriends hate it... oh no, she goes on to advise these men on how to convince their significant other to give it a try. Apparently, according to Sellitti, he should 'downplay the incest', 'tell us about the romantic crap', and apparently the real winner is to tell us about Sir Loras because 'girls love gay guys.' It's just wow!<br /><br />I'm surprised I can get in to my pyjamas at night without having an aneurysm; because according to this lady, my poor little female brain just could not cope with the task! Every girl friend that I know <b>LOVES</b> Game of Thrones, and I dare say, potentially more than guys I know. I also have at least three girl friends who are currently reading through the series.<br /><br />The show is full of <i>very, very</i> powerful ladies! We do not see women with as much power in any other show on prime time TV these days. I don't care how you try to spin it, but one of the leads is the 'Mother of Dragons'... she's the khalisi man! Another, is Lady Stark, holy moly, she's cold, beautiful, loving, independent and also loyal. We also have her daughter Arya who is intelligent, quick thinking and leads a bunch of boys out of their prison. Let us not forget the psychotic Queen Cersei who will do anything to keep her son on the throne and protect her family. We also have a lady-knight who can beat the crud out of most of the guys who challenge her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm not saying <b>all </b>women love Game of Thrones. I'm sure there are many who just don't like it, or get it. I can accept that; but I wont accept being lumped in with a bunch of stereotyped women who exist only in the movies Mean Girls and The Hot Chick. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What do you think? Have you read the original article? Let me know right here, or even on Twitter @OrisiB.</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-30014640909837892882013-05-16T05:00:00.001-07:002013-05-16T22:14:55.701-07:00Stephen King movies are making a Comeback!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.theofantastique.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/pet_sematary-300x220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="http://www.theofantastique.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/pet_sematary-300x220.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember all those cheesy Stephen King movies? Yah, me too (not all of them were cheesy, but let's start with the cheesy ones).<br /><br />There was IT [1990], about the scary monster Pennywise that had a penchant for dressing up as a clown and eating children (and it was quite scary)! There was Secret Window [2004] which starred Johnny Depp and was just <b>awful</b>. Oh my goodness... remember Christine [1983] the killer car? What about Dreamcatcher [2003]? Firestarter [1984]? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course there have also been gems, but they have been few and far between. The Green Mile [1999], Carrie [1976], The Shawshank Redemption [1994] and of course The Shining [1980] to name but a few.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...but guess what. I'm not joking. They're making a comeback. So much so in fact that...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tod Williams the director of Paranormal Activity 2 has been pulled on board to direct CELL by Stephen King, and, and and, it's starting filming this Autumn...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">... and that's not all!<br /></br>Pet Sematary is also being pushed forward. The screen play is being rewritten by the same guy who wrote the screen play for Stephen King's 1408. I'm terrified! Anybody watched Pet Sematary? Holy moly, that freaky zombie child and the scary woman in the attic... I can't contain my goosebumps! I'm waiting with bated breath...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></br>...and that's not all!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So the biggest piece of Stephen King movie news is... IT is coming back, but not as a made for TV movie. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh no. It's coming back as a HARDCORE big screen, gonna make you cry yourself to sleep theatre spectacular. I say this because they have pushed for AND been given approval for what we'd call in the UK an 18 rating. That means it's gonna be gory. It's gonna be fowl. It's gonna be scary, and hopefully, it's going to terrify future generations as much as the original IT movie scared us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Joyland, the novel, which is gonna be released on June 4th has ALREADY had film rights bought up. The book hasn't even come out yet!!!! In fact, the guy who's producing and directing it is the very same guy who adapted and directed <a href="http://oblahblah.blogspot.ae/2012/10/the-help-kathryn-stockett.html">The Help</a> (random)!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also Stephen King's 'Good Marriage' has just started filming in Sleepy Hollow. There's enough King movies coming soon to get me reading!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, and here's some quick news about CBS's Under the Dome. They just released a commercial for it! And because I'm so so wonderful I've got it for you right here!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spoil you guys huh, haha!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>On a side note</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadly, and once again, any talks on making the EPIC Dark Tower series by Stephen King in to movies has flopped. It's so sad. We have the movie technology to turn his wild-west fantastical sci-fi awesomeness in to feature length films. I'm waiting though. Waiting as patiently as I can muster.</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-74813232515354437992013-05-10T23:17:00.000-07:002013-05-11T03:47:44.410-07:00The Sapphires [2012] - A Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you're looking for an easy, feel-good movie on a Friday night, this movie is for you. It's a musical romantic-comedy set during the Vietnam war. </span><br />
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<a href="http://lads-mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/The-Sapphires-movie-poster-2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://lads-mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/The-Sapphires-movie-poster-2-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dave Lovelace (played by one of my favourite actors <i>ever</i> Chris O'Dowd) and four super-talented Aborigine girls; Gail (Deborah Mailman), Kay (Shari Sebens), Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) and Julie (Jessica Mauboy) tour around Vietnam singing for the US troops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The girls originally sing Country music, and Lovelace has to convince them that Soul music would be better suited to their... skin tone. It's quite a blunt suggestion, but one that I certainly feel would have been pressed upon any man or woman of colour wanting to succeed in music during that time (in fact, not that much has changed even now).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately Lovelace is right, and they ace the audition singing Motown. The Sapphires are then promptly recruited as entertainment for the US soldiers and are catapulted out of their small town and out in to a war zone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be aware that this film is certainly not an original one, but it is easy to forgive it its trespasses because there is enough sass, jokes, sarcasm and joy to make you forget that you've seen this type of movie before.</span><br />
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<a href="http://themovieblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/the-sapphires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://themovieblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/the-sapphires.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The story has its ups and downs, and gives a sensitive focus to the much marginalised Aboriginal community. The film not only discusses race, but also dips in to the way the Australian government, quite literally, used to go in to Aborigine villages and steal their children. The children would end up adopted by white families. This piece of history is explored very well indeed, and the implications are exposed very gently to the audience without preaching. The film is loosely based upon a true story, and you're shown a photograph of the four ladies now as older women.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The film has had terrific reviews over on Rotten Tomatoes, but has not done so well on IMDB (no surprise right? lol).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really recommend this movie. It was refreshing! Get hold of it, invite your friends round, and enjoy something light and charming! Oh, and please, once you watch it, let me know what you thought! I'd love to know!!</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-38338788550351262292013-05-09T23:07:00.000-07:002013-05-09T23:27:33.781-07:00Feature and Follow Friday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Whoop! It's Friday again and I'm participating in this week's blog hop. It's an awesome initiative by the brilliant ParaJunkee and Alison Can Read. </span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">So, the question this week is!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q: Happy Mother's Day! Who is your favorite mom from fiction?</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There can't be any mother more epic that Mrs Weasely surely? Yup. That's my answer. She's a <strike>lean </strike>frumpy <strike>mean </strike>loving magical machine. She's fiercely protective over her children, and pretty much adopts Harry Potter and Hermione as her own. Her house is manic, awesome, lots of fun and has lots of magical pots and pans doing their own cleaning. </span><br />
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<b><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How to follow me?</span></span></b></h4>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would love it if you could follow me in two ways (I know, I'm asking far too much). If you could follow me on GFC (if you can) as well as either BlogLovin or NetworkedBlogs I would appreciate it so, so much! Many thanks! [<b>Just in case GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT goes kaput]</b></span></span></div>
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-58380310508579307242013-05-08T11:13:00.000-07:002013-05-08T11:13:44.703-07:00Oblivion [2013] = Sci-Fi for Chicks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look, I'm just going to say it. Oblivion was <i><u>sci-fi for chicks</u></i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The story goes like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is 2077 and Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is a drone repair man. He and his wifey are living at the top of a wicked-cool house above the clouds of earth. Earth, as we know it, has been destroyed after a war against an alien race. Circling the earth is a mahoosive space station apparently harbouring the survivors from earth. The human race is collecting water from our planet, ready to take it to one of the moons of Jupiter. Humans are going to start again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Massive constructs are sucking up the water from the oceans and the drones protect them. Some aliens have apparently been left behind on earth and keep trying to sabotage the collection of the water. The drones are routinely attacked too, and so Harper must wake up every morning to go find missing drones, fix them up and send them on their merry way.<br /><br />I have to admit. It's a pretty original premise! I was impressed!<br /><br />To cut a long story short though, things start to go wrong and those aliens turn out to be humans and well, it's all just a mahoosive conspiracy and well - y'know, you'll find out. I don't want to give it all away.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apparently this film cost around $120 million. $120 MILLION FOLKS! The CGI at times was truly quite wonderful. The movie is full of beautiful mountain scenery, gorgeous canyons, deserts, clouds etc etc. It's a feast for the eyes; but it seems that the director/producers thought that excellent special-effects were going to have us completely oblivious to the holes in the story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This film is full of plot-holes. When I say full... I mean spilling over with them. It's just shocking. I love good sci-fi, I do. I don't need to understand everything; but come on, the plot-holes were CATASTROPHIC. So glaringly obvious that it started to look like the story-line was rushed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Credit where credit is due, Tom Cruise was actually pretty amazing. I know, I can't believe I'm saying this too, but it was an excellent performance. If you imagine, 50% of the movie is Cruise alone on screen, I think he carried the movie very gracefully and was believable. Of course it's full of fighting, so for anybody who just likes to see examples of his 'prowess' you'll certainly get your fill in this film.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.joblo.com/posters/images/full/oblivion-post2-213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.joblo.com/posters/images/full/oblivion-post2-213.jpg" width="136" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This movie have all the regular sci-fi movie tropes; aliens, advanced-technologies, action, suspense, clones, conspiracy, action, space-travel, explosions and romance... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...hold up. Did I say romance? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this brings me to why this movie is sci-fi for chicks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The whole movie... we find out, all rests on a romance story. Yah, and some random love-triangle which lacked believability. It wasn't even believable romance. It was something else. <i>Contrived. Forced</i>. This movie could have been a beautiful homage to hardcore sci-fi fans but instead they decided to stick their middle finger up at true men and women of sci-fi and instead cater for chicks who were going to be dragged to watch the movie by their husbands/boyfriends. It just didn't make sense.<br /><br />The Matrix, for instance, had a romance-plot, but it wasn't IMPERATIVE to the story, and they certainly didn't seem to decide a third in to the storyline that actually it is memories of lost love that will save the whole human race. The Matrix has a sci-fi romance-plot done right. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Bah. Disappointing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This could have been awesome; but it wasn't.</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-22523392711060744532013-05-02T21:50:00.001-07:002013-05-02T23:45:01.573-07:00Feature and Follow Friday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8474595901_873f4993f4_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8474595901_873f4993f4_n.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whoop! It's Friday again and I'm participating in this week's blog hop. It's an awesome initiative by the brilliant ParaJunkee and Alison Can Read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, the question this week is!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm currently reading <i style="font-weight: bold;">Neverwhere</i> by Neil Gaiman. It's an interesting story so far, and straight up urban fantasy. It features a guy called Richard who was basically in the wrong place at the wrong time. He helps out a girl from 'London Below' (the magical city beneath London), and as a result suddenly stops existing in the real world. Because of that choice he's stuck and is forced to try and make a life in London Below. Him and a few others need to get to Islington to look for an angel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what do I think? Hmm... it reads like it's trying to be something it's not. That's a little frustrating. The good thing though, is that it is quite comical and does not take itself too seriously. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The jury is still out on this book though, and I wouldn't wanna write too much - otherwise I'd have nothing left to say in the actual review! Haha!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How to follow me?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would love it if you could follow me in two ways (I know, I'm asking far too much). If you could follow me on GFC (if you can) as well as either BlogLovin or NetworkedBlogs I would appreciate it so, so much! Many thanks! [<b>Just in case GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT goes kaput]</b></span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-84784984530571893872013-05-02T01:16:00.002-07:002013-05-02T23:45:58.430-07:00Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell [Book Review]<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://booksandreviews.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/cloud-atlas.jpg?w=490" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://booksandreviews.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/cloud-atlas.jpg?w=490" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.”</i> </span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">― David Mitchell, </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Cloud Atlas</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>“Spent the fortnight gone in the music room reworking my year's fragments into a 'sextet for overlapping soloists': piano, clarinet, 'cello, flute, oboe, and violin, each in its own language of key, scale, and color. In the first set, each solo is interrupted by its successor; in the second, each interruption is recontinued, in order. Revolutionary or gimmicky? Shan't know until it's finished, and by then it'll be too late.” </i></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">― </span>David Mitchell<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Cloud Atlas</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">If you're looking for a complex read... read this. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.pajiba.com/image/tumblr_mcpkttsexZ1qiaif5o1_500.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.pajiba.com/image/tumblr_mcpkttsexZ1qiaif5o1_500.jpeg" width="161" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This novel is split up in to six narratives about novella length. The novellas are then neatly sat within the next narrative. It's kind of like you took six books, you take the first book and slot a second book in to the first, you then take a third book and slot it in to the centre of the second, you then take a fourth etc etc (remember when you used to do that when you were supposed to be reading something and you hid a comic book inside and read that instead? Yeah, it's just like that) and so because that is the make-up of the narrative each story is interrupted by the next. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Yes. Even my description is complex!</span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 18px;">So, the first half of the first novella takes place in the 18th Century. We are introduced to a hypochondriac lawyer, Adam Ewing, who is befriended by a doctor who collects and sells teeth. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The second novella sees us introduced to a young aspiring composer named Frobisher. Frobisher sends a series of letters to his lover in Cambridge, both mentioning the diary he is reading, but also how he is working for one of the greatest living composers in Europe. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">In the future, Luisa Ray comes across those letters and hunts down a rare piece of music by Frobisher and they inspire her to make sacrifices to become an </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">amazing journalist. We are interrupted by Timothy Cavendish and eccentric publisher, and realise that Luisa Ray's narrative is a book he's been sent for perusal. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Cavendish is victim to a series of very, very unfortunate events and his life is being watched as a movie by a clone, in the distant future called Sonmi-451 who is the unknowing leader of a revolution. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The next narrative is from a post-apocalyptic future, Zachary a goat-herder and his tribe worship Sonmi as a goddess. A woman from the Prescients has come to study the way his tribe live. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">What do all these characters have in common? </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The key character in all of the narratives have a shooting-star shaped birthmark somewhere on their body.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><b><u>The Audiobook</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought this book from Audible (as usual) and I was very happy to see that they had recruited six different narrators for this awesome job. I think it was necessary so that the book felt as broken up as it should have. Sonmi-451's voice was simply brilliant. She had that robotic quality that we would imagine! Also, Timothy Cavendish's narrator sounded... I kid you not... just like Jim Broadbent (who played Cavendish in the movie); It was genius. The production was excellent! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u>The Story</u></b><br /><span style="line-height: 18px;">Although the book is complex, it is so very elegant. The book won't be for everybody, I admit, but it is so beautifully crafted I really did feel in awe. Mitchell knew exactly what he wanted to achieve with this book. He did not become lost. Although all the stories are connected and lay over and interrupt each other, he is master of all the characters and does not allow them to run away with him. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Timothy Cavendish's story is a hilarious one, which I enjoyed so very much. Nearly all the novels are super heavy and so Mitchell offered comic relief to allow the reader to giggle. It was one of my favourites, but my real favourite was Sonmi-451's narrative. It was beautiful. Slightly disconnected but also feeling. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The most amazing part, I found, about the whole book was how Mitchell managed to forge the English language to suit each time. Of course, the 18th Century Ewing would write in a way that we would expect from the 18th Century. Timothy Cavendish is in present day London and so his language reflects this. Luisa Ray's story takes place in the 70s and so the colloquialism is reflective. But then Mitchell does something extraordinary, he fashions whole new dialects for the narrators in the future. It is incredible. Sonmi-451's language is brilliant. Instead of using words such as 'TV/Television' she calls them 'Sony's'... because it is a super commercialised world she lives in, things are known by their brand names rather than their actual names (kinda like in the UK where a vacuum cleaner is called a 'Hoover'). When we fast forward even further in the future to Zachary's narrative, it takes a little time to get used to the dialect, well, it's just amazing. I'm sure you can tell that I was just so, so impressed.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The only issue I have with this book is that it was difficult to stay interested! For instance, I loathed Adam Ewing, I found his narrative painfully boring! But because it is pretty impossible to even skip a few minutes/pages of this book for fear of missing something crucial I had to painfully listen through it. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">I tried not to extract meaning from the books as much as others have. There is much discussion of the idea that the stories are just repetitions of each other from different time periods including the same soul, but y'know what... I didn't get that. I felt that they were connected because their lives effected both the future and the past, but I left it at that. When I re-read it I will try and decipher it all!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.egida.us.edu.pl/public_html/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ach4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://www.egida.us.edu.pl/public_html/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ach4.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Is the book a good one? Well, it's an amazingly crafted book. The language is amazing, the writing sensitive and in command. The characters are varied and brilliant. But as a story does it work well? I'm not sure... it would all depend on the person I believe. I've seen this book get rated 5/5 but also receive a mere 1/5. This book has the potential to frustrate some, whilst mesmerising others.<br /><br />If you have a short attention span, or no real love for language or literary craftsmanship I would avoid the book. It'll make you angry! If though, you can be patient, enjoy beautiful writing, and can admire the time, love and dedication an author has put in to his work then I promise this book will definitely enlighten and awe you. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The movie was released in 2012. I will be offering up a review of it too, BUT I must watch it again before I can! </span></span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-17146808768652414432013-04-25T22:45:00.000-07:002013-04-25T22:46:43.098-07:00Feature and Follow!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Feature and Follow is an awesome meme hosted by ParaJunkee and Alison Can Read. You should check them out because they are fantabulous.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're given a question, and we get to answer it and then go along our merry way <strike>stalking</strike> following and finding new awesome blogs!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's all quite exciting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, this week's question is:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Q: Is there a song that reminds you of a book? Or vice versa? What is the song & the book?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Florence + The Machine's <b>Seven Devils</b> for the book <b>The Hunger Games</b> by Suzanne Collins. It's just the lyrics, the tempo, the absolute focus of the song that reminds me of Katniss and her mission. She's got to keep herself and Peeta alive at all costs.</span></center>
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-20768744198434021052013-04-22T11:33:00.002-07:002013-04-22T11:43:42.058-07:00The Boy Who Could See Demons - Carolyn Jess-Cooke [Book Review]<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"As I pulled through the busy streets of Belfast in a taxi, I heard her voice. <b>I love you, Mummy. I love you. </b>And then I saw her, clear in my mind. Her chocolate-brown eyes curved with laughter, her thick black hair swept across one shoulder. She was turning to me, the white sheen of a curtain brushing against her face. <b>The hole is gone, </b>she said smiling.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>She was only twelve years old." </i>Carolyn Jess-Cooke, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13497675-the-boy-who-could-see-demons">The Boy Who Could See Demons: A Nove</a>l</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxfXqk7fzMC-wsClRLbLxq6hNTLIxp8j_r-0HtdUCUu7An2xRX07b7cgFG7jmPaDf5WKe1SvMXRwk7scR4hzdgs1hsjm2ttwlosrBpLZXcKiXWH1Pybb0cI7_q0SMszWaCbH40bqtFRI/s1600/boywhocouldsee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxfXqk7fzMC-wsClRLbLxq6hNTLIxp8j_r-0HtdUCUu7An2xRX07b7cgFG7jmPaDf5WKe1SvMXRwk7scR4hzdgs1hsjm2ttwlosrBpLZXcKiXWH1Pybb0cI7_q0SMszWaCbH40bqtFRI/s200/boywhocouldsee.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could not put this down. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had been reading <i>The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared</i> and I just couldn't finish it, and on the day I decided to call it quits approval came through on Netgalley for this little book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a novel told from two view points. We have diary extracts from the fantastic Alex, a young boy claiming to see a 9000 year-old Demon called Ruen (and his pals), and the thoughts and opinions of his</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> child-psychiatrist Anya. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex is a bodacious and charming child. He lives with his clinically-depressed mother (Cindy) who self-harms and regularly attempts suicide. Because of his experiences he is alienated by his peers, and has no friends of his own age. His only friend is a 9000 year old demon who comes in four different shapes. An old man, a child, horn face and a monster. Ruen has told Alex that the demons that lurk in his house are there studying him, because Alex is not affected by them like other humans. Alex and Cindy live in a run-down house, and Alex wears the clothes of an old man who lived in the house previously - things like old too-big suit jackets and bow-ties. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anya, the psychiatrist is an assertive and successful doctor. She is serious about her work and his highly professional. Anya though is still mourning over the loss of her daughter who commit suicide at the age of twelve, four years before. A social worker invites Anya in to Alex and Cindy's case, and Anya finds it hard not to take the case to heart... especially as she suspects that her own daughter and Alex are suffering from the same medical condition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story is fast paced, addictive and will completely sweep you away. Some pieces of prose are just so beautifully executed that they can catch you breath. Carolyn Jess-Cooke sets this story with a backdrop of Belfast. <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles">The Troubles</a> </i>is a recurring theme throughout the novel, and it is sensitively explored. I believe I could not give Cooke enough credit for how she explored The Troubles within this novel. Y'see there was nothing judgemental about it, not even a political stand-point. Instead we see The Troubles both through Alex's eyes and Anya's. At the same time it is not the main theme. It is not bigger than the story. It is in the background and I imagine it would have felt that way living in Ireland at the time. That something wasn't quite right under the surface though everything seemed to be going on as normal on the surface. It also explores the idea that even when The Troubles were over, children were still traumatised by it because their parents not only lived through it but were also changed by it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ruen plays a very uncomfortable part in the novel. He is Alex's only friend but he is also eerie and Alex is both afraid of him and in need of him. Ruen promises Alex things constantly and takes credit for good things that happen to Alex. This leads to Alex slowly becoming tempted in to things by Ruen but it is a slow decline, and his giving-in to the demon's suggestions are always done out of self-sacrifice and love for others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story, as a journey is a magnificent one. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Unfortunately the ending was just absurd. Whilst I was sure I would five-star this book, unfortunately the ending flopped and made me a little frustrated. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So we're taken through this absolutely AMAZING whirlwind psychological adventure. We have this charming boy called Alex who we're not sure if he's mentally ill or if he's truly speaking to a demon. On the other hand we have this dedicated and pretty awesome psychiatrist who is desperately wanting to help Alex and Cindy. We're following, we're in the grips of it. Ruen is freaking us out a bit by now, he's actually telling Alex that he's gotta murder Anya and how he has to do it. We're completely entranced. We watch as Anya slowly starts dying and then suddenly she wakes up in the next chapter. We're then told... yes... it's revealed to us that actually Alex, Ruen and Cindy don't even exist and some how Anya is a schizophrenic doctor who actually hallucinated the whole lot of them and well... it all didn't happen!<br /><br />Say what?<br /><br />Yes. Cooke pulled an Alice in Wonderland on us. I was outraged if I'm honest and so disappointed. Y'see, it came out of the blue. I don't feel that there were enough hints through the book to make me go 'awww... yeaaah I get it' at the end. Instead I just felt that I had just finished reading a story where the novelist became so entangled that they brushed it all away with '...and then I woke up'. I was gutted to say the least.<br />I was waiting for a big reveal... and it was big alright, it was just the wrong type of reveal. I had thought I was reading a book about the paranormal, and although I LOVE the idea of exploring mental-health and schizophrenia, I still wanted an aspect of the paranormal at the end of the book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn't give it five out of five I'm afraid, though the journey itself was worth it, the end was such a let-down that it ended up knocking the rating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anywho, let me know what you thought! Am I being melodramatic? Were you disappointed too? You can comment below or message me on Twitter @OrisiB</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-82115658934837504992013-04-21T08:58:00.000-07:002013-04-21T09:22:29.175-07:00A Bookish Bank Heist - Guest Post by Ginger-Read Reviews<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhPD9O4trX29bCy8Omdb9V1NRsHR1H7Z7xljb29ZCcIheQn7X5Di5JcQnkTbD9v3YAYY_p7JzxRQ8v8b7lDcEur3ekAb9D1HpCUpOUK2NzrnUfwpxGXWNURtjVaEJkcL1-8ITSBEMw9eG/s1600/GingerbuttonNew.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhPD9O4trX29bCy8Omdb9V1NRsHR1H7Z7xljb29ZCcIheQn7X5Di5JcQnkTbD9v3YAYY_p7JzxRQ8v8b7lDcEur3ekAb9D1HpCUpOUK2NzrnUfwpxGXWNURtjVaEJkcL1-8ITSBEMw9eG/s1600/GingerbuttonNew.png" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">I am <b>thrilled</b> to announce a visit from the fantastic Ali from <a href="http://ginger-read.blogspot.ae/">Ginger-Read Reviews</a>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">We've paired up to bring you a bookish list that is slightly out of the norm. We're not casting characters for wannabe relationships, or our book crushes... no, we're a little more HARDCORE than that. We've cast ten characters from books we've read that'd help us rob a bank. Yes. A good-old fashioned bank heist.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So I'd like to introduce the fantastic Ali. She's awesome, witty, brilliant, a wide reader, and overall fabulous female! You've gotta check out her blog if you've not yet. You won't be disappointed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I admit it. I'm her fan girl.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">You can find my <a href="http://ginger-read.blogspot.ae/2013/04/a-bookish-bank-heist-crossover-event.html">choice of ten bookish bank robbers</a> over on Ali's blog!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">We have all seen many bookish top ten lists everything from; your favorite book boyfriends to your favorite book villains. But, what if you could cast book characters into your real life. Maybe you need a superstar team to accomplish a big project at work or perhaps you are getting married soon and want the very best people for your bridesmaids and groomsmen. Hmm, maybe that should be a future post. Or, maybe you need to pull off the impossible...like a huge bank heist. That is the crew we are casting today and I went with a little Set It Off meets Ocean's Eleven feel. Here is who I cam up with, be sure to check my blog for who Orisi came up with and let us know in the comments who you think would want by your side during a big safe cracking.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>The Mastermind</b> ~ Lisbeth Salander from <i>The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo</i> by Stieg Larsson; Evil (okay, not really) genius and ruthless when it's needed. With all her research skills I'm sure she'd come up with the perfect plan.<br /><br /><b>The Security</b> ~ Rudy from <i>Taking on The Dead</i> by Annie Walls; He uses a bow more often than guns but still a super sharp shooter, usually only target the walking dead but maybe we could get him on our side. Oh, and sexy and who doesn't want a crew of hotties, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>The Driver</b> ~ Edward from <i>Twilight</i> by Stephenie Meyer; The getaway driver needs to drive well (obviously) and good old Eddie was the first to pop in my mind. At least he's good for something.<br /><br /><b>The Safe Cracker</b> ~ Ellie Watts from <i>Sins & Needles</i> by Karina Halle; Not only does she have extensive experience at breaking into safes (not that it always works out to her benefit) but she also knows how to 'clean' money. So, she's doubly needed.<br /><br /><b>The Distraction</b> ~ Lestat from <i>The Vampire Chronicles</i> by Anne Rice; Face it, most bank employees are women and the fairer sex can be easily distracted by a charming man. Especially bored women at a boring job. Sorry to all you bank employees out there but counting money is really BORING! </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Comic Relief</b> ~ Zuzana from <i>Daughter of Smoke & Bones</i> by Laini Taylor; When you get a group of ten strong personalities together you need a someone to give off some good snarky whit. Zuzana fits the bill perfectly with her petite form but large personality and could also serve as a distraction for any male bank employees as she just demands attention.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Crew: These are the people with exceptional talents to get in and get out. With butt loads of cash.</i><br /><br /><b>Hermione Granger</b> from the <i>Harry Potter Series</i> by J.K. Rowling; Smart, magically talented, quick on her feet and has experience breaking into (and out of...on dragons -awesome!) the most secure of banks.<br /><br /><b>Graylee Perez</b> from the <i>Spellbound Series</i> by Nikki Jefford; Another magically talented creature but with a special talent. Gray can make herself invisible. Uh, no-brainer.<br /><br /><b>Vin & Kelsior</b> from <i>Mistborn</i> by Brandon Sanderson; Again, magically talented in a unique way. They are what we call Allomancers and can do miraculous things with just a little bit of metal. Breaking into a bank would be as easy as pie...whatever the hell that means.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And there ya have it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which ten characters would you choose if you were to plan a bank heist? You can comment below, tweet Ali's face <a href="https://twitter.com/MissAliGirl">@<span style="line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;">MissAliGirl</span></a><span style="line-height: 20px;"> or even mine <a href="https://twitter.com/OrisiB">@OrisiB</a> .</span></span></div>
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-58002734339111988692013-04-18T23:55:00.000-07:002013-04-19T00:44:33.326-07:00Feature and Follow Friday!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good morning everyone!<br /><br />So I've decided to do the fantastic Feature and Follow Friday this week! ParaJunkee and Alison Can Read are the hosts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the question this week is a doozy. I've never really thought about it to be honest (which sounds crazy) but there it is... in red below!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br />Q: If you could hang out with any author (living) who would it be and what would you want to do?</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is going to have to be <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10917.Stephen_Fry">Stephen Fry</a>. He's just awesome. He's knowledgeable. Hilarious. Poetic. Deep. Has history of mental health problems. Loves both facts and fiction. Is a history buff. One of Britain's most beloved comedians. TV Show host. Audiobook Narrator. Writer. Reviewer. Rugby Fan. Art Lover. Eccentric. Author. Charming. Humble and awesome. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a fan girl. Can you tell? Without a shadow of a doubt he is the author I would want to chillax with. We would go to a cafe, drink tea, and discuss books and the general state of the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which living author would you want to hang out with?</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-91148804546159828732013-04-11T11:40:00.002-07:002013-05-02T01:33:34.458-07:00The Book Crisis in the UAE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have a book crisis here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a pretty absorbing issue for book-worms and can be quite frustrating. Let me explain why.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Y'see, here in the UAE we have Borders, we have WH Smith, we have smaller book franchises and we also have the mega-book shop in Dubai Mall called Kinokuniyah also known as Book World which is just... amazing! </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have one second hand book store in Abu Dhabi, and that's pretty much it. Pretty much all the book shops I've been to around here have always been small (except from Kinokuniyah), having just a small selection of current best-sellers, and a ridiculous over-abundance of YA books (sorry YA fans!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every book-worm, I hope, is going to say 'well, what about libraries?' and y'see that is the shocker. There are no real libraries here. Sure they have libraries, but you're not allowed to borrow the books; in effect, you gotta bookmark the novel you're reading and return to it every day for an hour or two to get your fix.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Books here are EXPENSIVE (mostly because they're imported). There's no Amazon here (well, you can have books delivered here but they're a pretty-penny) though I do believe a recent online company is trying to follow from Amazon's success and make it big in this region; but even still, they won't be as cheap as Amazon or others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The thrift store (second-hand book shop) I recently visited was impressive. It had a great range and is in down town Abu Dhabi, the only problem I had with it is that it just wasn't organised as well as it could be - but I'm hoping they will sort it soon. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">[By the way, that book shop is a Thomas Harris wonderland. They have all his books three times over at least.]</span></i> The way they get their books is through donation. Expats returning to their country of origin, or moving on, need somewhere to dump their books, so they say goodbye to their beauties and leave them with the shop. The books there are cheap, I'll give them that, BUT they're also old books, you're not gonna get new ones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There has been a recent initiative by two Emirati girls called The Book Shelter. They quite literally saw how desperate the book reading community feels here, and so they did something about it. An interview with them will be coming up soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some Cafe's are also jumping aboard the bookish rebellion by stocking shelves in their establishments with books that not only can be read at your table but taken away with you... free of charge and you choose if you want to return it. I visited Circle Cafe in Abu Dhabi and interviewed the manager there, that will also be coming up soon, and he showed himself to be a very enthusiastic promoter of this bookish movement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's interesting to note that certain photographs in magazines are censored here in the UAE, books are not explicitly (I'm not sure if books criticising the country/government, religion etc would be sold openly here though). WH Smith was advertising the 50 Shades books without any censorship at all; they had the books on their front tables at the front doors! In fact a colleague walked in to work with it tucked under her arm the other day - no questions asked!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The majority of the country are expats from around the world (around 80%) and so the Kindle and the Nook has proved to be blessings for the bookishly challenged. Kindle is sold in many shops around here and it has opened up a new world for us impoverished readers! Unfortunately we have to try to beat the system and put in British or American addresses to ensure that we have the best and widest possible array of books. It's sneaky, but true; otherwise we get stuck with a smaller selection, pining away until rights and what not allow the book to be sold in the Middle East.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things aren't all that bad. I love that book stores flourish here and that young people (and old people) are able to access books, I just wish they were more affordable and that a wider array was available. I can't complain too much though because the UAE is realising that those of us who read are starving for more. You never know, this bookish-revolution may just lead to lending libraries...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">maybe!</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-13167661102663630312013-04-07T12:11:00.000-07:002013-04-07T12:18:13.577-07:00Ten Movies That Will Make You Weep<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love listing things... and I love reading lists; I'm sure that has become pretty obvious. So here are the top ten movies that have reduced me to tears... and so I am going on the crude assumption that they will emotionally wreck you too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are rated by how many buckets I needed to collect the water from my face.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0AjVUDxEpvficqI-cEdUEYJiXPr4y0svw0Ol7FRgf2e9hYtv2-lD-F8wL5wxQ0pWTNd40DQ_Zd0baOjYpjVe1sveaBLqWkckCYMW_A_MLOEAnsiI2WYChdESdyMS6OgvPhjavnw0o1U/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0AjVUDxEpvficqI-cEdUEYJiXPr4y0svw0Ol7FRgf2e9hYtv2-lD-F8wL5wxQ0pWTNd40DQ_Zd0baOjYpjVe1sveaBLqWkckCYMW_A_MLOEAnsiI2WYChdESdyMS6OgvPhjavnw0o1U/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405159/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Million Dollar Baby</a> (2004)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm such a baby. I have always had a soft spot for these types of movies (inspirational sporting movies). Its the stupid build-up, the way the film makers and of course Eastwood and Swank make us think - wow, everything is gonna be alright and then no. No it's not alright. Not even close.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">09) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Dead Poets Society</a> (1989)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh dear... I know. This is truly the type of movies that destroy me. I'm a sucker, and by sucker I do mean UBER-SUCKER for inspirational teacher movies. They're number one on my sucker list, and of course number two is the inspiration sporting movies. (<a href="http://oblahblah.blogspot.ae/2012/11/dead-poets-society-review.html">Dead Poets Review here</a>)</span><br />
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<a href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130126124144/lesmiserables/images/thumb/8/8a/Les-Miserables-Poster.jpg/324px-Les-Miserables-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130126124144/lesmiserables/images/thumb/8/8a/Les-Miserables-Poster.jpg/324px-Les-Miserables-Poster.jpg" width="135" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">08) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/?ref_=sr_1">Les Miserables</a> (2012)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started crying about... I'd say forty minutes in; I then couldn't stop... not till the end. There were men and women crying in the theatre with me, not to mention some friends beside me. I cried so much that all clothing within ten centimetres of my face were wet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">07) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120686/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Stepmom</a> (1998)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This film can make me cry... every time. It's the combination isn't it? Mother. Children. Cancer. It's enough to ruin me; and it does every time.</span><br />
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<a href="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r61/Una6/My%20Girl/MyGirlPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r61/Una6/My%20Girl/MyGirlPoster.jpg" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">06) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102492/?ref_=sr_1">My Girl</a> (1991)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you know that I spent a small chunk of my childhood having to watch this because there was nothing else on the telly? Do you know that the vast majority of those viewings resulted in sobs of hopelessness from little old me. No? Well now you do. It's all compounded by Vader's inability to mourn properly at first... and then the whole funeral scene... oh my! No. I can't think about it now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">05) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/?ref_=sr_1">Toy Story 3</a> (2010)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nobody warned me! Not a single person. A couple of people said in passing 'yeah, it's kinda sad' so I went to go watch it in the cinema and a part of me died that night. It was doing all fine until - wham - my heart was crushed all out of the blue and stuff. How dare Andy become mature and stuff.</span><br />
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<a href="http://lunkiandsika.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/the-green-mile-tom-hanks-poster-02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lunkiandsika.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/the-green-mile-tom-hanks-poster-02.png" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">04) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120689/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Green Mile</a> (1999)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If this film doesn't make you cry, you have no soul. You know it's a recipe for tearfulness after the first half an hour, and then it just gets worse, and worse and sadder and sadder. The first time I watched it I was clueless. I thought it was just a straight up 'death row' type of movie. No, it's not. And there's magic which makes it worse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">03) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King</a> (2003)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's that part when Pippin in singing and Faramir is trying to be the son his father wants. Oh dear. I know, it is a testament of my ultra-geekiness but I'm proud, and that scene makes me cry every time. Oh, and when he tries to burn Faramir too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">02) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118799/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Life is Beautiful</a> (1997)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I distinctly remember this film destroying me. I watched it as a teen and have not been able to revisit it because it was just so traumatic. I recommend it, I think it should be required watching for future generations. This film has subtitles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">01) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Grave of the Fireflies</a> (1988)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I watched this a few weeks ago and wow, I just could barely keep myself together. I was absolutely exhausted at the end. We watched it with some friends and I couldn't even compose myself to not SOB (...and by sob, I really do mean the gut-wrenching, chest heaving, wobble in the throat sob) in front of them. I couldn't contain myself... the stiff-upper-lip crumbled and lay in the pool of tears between my feet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What about you? Are these in your top ten list too? What movies are always sure to make you weep like a babe in arms? Don't be shy... you can comment below or message me right in my Twitterface @OrisiB</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-58214215286680753962013-04-02T09:28:00.002-07:002013-04-02T10:02:06.420-07:00Re-Watching... E.T. (1982)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://tjhouston.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ET.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://tjhouston.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ET.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Haha! Yes, that's what I did! I totally rewatched <a href="http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0083866/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">E.T.</a> to see if it was as good as I remember it being when I was a kid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Come on, you all know E.T. right? It's the classic tale of spaceship landing in America... alien getting left behind, boy meets alien, alien creates telepathic link with boy, alien starts dying, boy starts dying too, spaceship comes back, alien goes home. Sounds familiar, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is <i>classic</i> Steven Spielberg. It has a great score, a dynamic cast, an up close and personal movie 'monster' and of course suspense! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is mesmerising about this film are the children. Children in this film sit around playing Dungeons and Dragons, their bike rides are exhilarating rather than 'exercise', T.V can hold interest for a few minutes before it's boring, and the outside world is there to be explored and dominated by them. This film is a celebration of childhood even if it did not intend to be. Spielberg is just excellent at shooting children and depicting childhood, <a href="http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0102057/">Hook</a> (1991) and <a href="http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/?ref_=sr_1">Jurassic Park</a> (1993) are excellent examples of his craft. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E.T. gets excellent reviews all round. I know this, and I understand why. It is a coming-of-age tale about an alienated boy and of course the Martian that he comes to love. Spielberg always manages to unite mundanity with the paranormal/otherworldly, he does this in other movies such as <a href="http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/?ref_=sr_1">The Goonies</a>* (1985), <a href="http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0084516/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Poltergeist</a> (1982) and Hook.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.austin-mergold.com/images/Bikes_ET.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="http://www.austin-mergold.com/images/Bikes_ET.gif" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the real question is how has it dated? Do I still feel the same way I did when I was little? Unfortunately, no, I don't. In fact there were times where I would go walk-about forgetting that I was even watching a film (no, that's not old age!). When I was little I remember being filled with so much awe, and being terrified in all the right places, but this time round the film felt a little stale. The strangest part is that when I started it, I </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">had </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">honestly forgotten the majority of the film... after all, I had probably been around six years old when I first watched it. So although I had forgotten much of what would happen, I had not forgotten the score... not a wink. The score is just so amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't rate it as high as I would have as a child I'm afraid. I know, I'm being harsh, but even though it's a film that creates such feelings of nostalgia, without it, the film is a little slow for my tastes... and not much really happens. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anywho - if you think I'm some crazy crackpot let me know down in the comments section. Of course you are also welcome to scream 'MOVE BLASPHEMY' at me over on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/OrisiB">@OrisiB</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also! Here is a fabulous video of John Williams Creating the Score of E.T.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">*Please be aware that Spielberg is a director but also a writer. Some of these films he wrote the story or screenplay for rather than directed</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-88172482730122100732013-03-28T04:12:00.000-07:002013-03-31T12:53:31.617-07:00Let Me In - A Review [Guest Post}<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>(Here is an awesome guest post from the fantastic Emma @ <a href="http://www.mabismab.com/" target="_blank">Mabismab</a> - please hop on over to her blog and show her some love!)</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow, here I am again! I'm so lucky to have such a great friend who will let me share my amateur views on film on her blog – Thanks Mrs B! <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(<b><u>Emma is being far too modest!</u>)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time, I'm here to talk about vampire films. More specifically, I'm here to discuss the two versions of Let The Right One In; the Swedish film of the same name, and the American “Let Me In”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">It is only very recently (this weekend, in fact) that I have ventured to watch the American adaptation. I watched the Swedish film in the cinema as soon as it was released, and loved every second. This was closely followed by reading the (very brilliant) book by John Ajvide Lindqvist. When it came to Let Me In being released, I felt that the Americans had made this film too soon. It was barely a year since the Swedish release, and my enjoyment of it wasn't ready to be eclipsed either positively </span><i style="color: #222222;">or </i><span style="color: #222222;">negatively by the English speaking version. The reviews had also been a little unconvincing, so, I sat back and watched other things. God help me I actually watched Jennifer’s Body on the quest for vampire visual consumption... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">Of course, the lure of a vampire film inspired by a novel I knew to be great couldn't be kept at bay for long, and so it was with anticipation that I settled down to watch Let Me In on a suitably bleak Bristolian day. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">Well, I have to say that I'm glad that I waited this long. The film is very almost a scene for scene copy of the Swedish film, and the performances of the two children are creepily alike in both versions. If I had watched it at its release I think I would have resented it for that, being so soon, but now I find it was nice to have a non-departure from such a stunning original attempt. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chloe Moretz is currently “actress du jour” for the up-and-coming star hunters among us, and in this film it is very easy to see why. Both she and her counterpart Kodi Smit-McPhee are brilliantly meek and fragile in their exchanges. They convey that childlike awkwardness with great style and I will admit my only disappointment with these two characters is that the American writers chose to call Moretz’ character Abby instead of Eli and Smit-Mcphee's character Owen instead of Oskar. Never mind eh, they have a habit of unnecessary name changes... (<wbr></wbr>ahem<i>GoldenCompassSorcerorsSton<wbr></wbr>eetcetc</i>ahem)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also found the snowy setting just as believable in the American estate as in Sweden. The cinemato</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">graphy, although it lacked an artistry that was evident in the Swedish version, was nonetheless interesting and engaging, if a little “standard”.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I actually think that in one respect, the American version surpassed the Swedish: The phone call Owen makes to his father is deeply moving, and brings something more to the character than the “bullied school misfit” that would have been all too familiar for a teen-targeted film at the moment.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/let_me_in_movie_poster_chloe_moretz_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/let_me_in_movie_poster_chloe_moretz_01.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, there were mixed reviews for this film for a reason, and I can only put them down to the completely unneeded CGI. Watching Abby clamber up a tree as if she had just escaped The Ring was jarring, to say the least, in a film so otherwise unassuming and modest. It wasn't even a scene that was integral, it was just there because it could be; because it was Hollywood. The same can also be said of Abby’s “transformation” - also unneeded and also bringing something of a gimmicky, tacky edge to an otherwise poetic concept.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my favourite moments from the Swedish film was the pool scene. If you have seen it, you might agree that it was one of the most beautiful, graphically violent things to be watched in 2008. Something of a contradiction, but true. Unfortunately Hollywood got all Hollywood about it, and the scene's subtlety was destroyed -very much a shame as I had looked forward to a new representation of it all film long. Deep down, though, I knew it would be as it was. I shouldn't be so surprised!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the end of the day, I don’t know whether or not I would encourage anyone to watch Let Me In, but I wouldn't dissuade from it. Similarly to much of the “new” things in the film, I felt the entire thing was just a bit unnecessary. If you want Let The Right One In without subtitles, watch this. If you want to see why Chloe Moretz might be worth putting Oscar bets on when she’s a bit older, watch this. Otherwise, if you’re choosing between the Swedish version and the American one, I honestly don't think it matters...</span></div>
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-56098653529015830122013-03-26T04:35:00.000-07:002013-03-26T04:35:00.295-07:00The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“My greatest enemies are Women and the Sea. These things I hate. Women because they are weak and stupid and live in the shadow of men and are nothing compared to them, and the Sea because it has always frustrated me, destroying what I have built, washing away what I have left, wiping clean the marks I have made.”</i> Iain Banks, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/567678.The_Wasp_Factory" target="_blank">The Wasp Factory</a></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This book is just so gross. By gross, I mean recurring graphic descriptions of animal torture and deaths of children. Avoid this book if you have a weak disposition, do not have a thing for gore or if you love fluffy bunnies, because I kid you not, some of the stuff in this book is just awful.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Frank, who's sixteen, lives with his father, some old brilliant ex-university professor. His brother Eric is in a psychiatric hospital and we begin the book hearing of Eric's escape. The story is written in first person and to be honest not much really happens. We know that Frank's's father has an office that he always keeps locked. Also, Frank receives crazed phone calls from Eric every day or two, frequently becoming hysterical and overly sensitive. All the while there are a good too many scenes of animals being killed and tortured, we have to listen to endless, monotonous internal dialogue by the incredibly boring Frank, which all culminates to what you think will be an epic struggle and battle but instead a huge freaky secret is exposed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><u>The Audiobook</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The book is narrated by Peter Kenny. He is a master of many voices and to be honest listening to him reading in Eric's voice is eerie - he encapsulates the fury, hysteria and lunacy in Eric's voice, I'm not exaggerating, you can practically hear the spit shooting from his mouth as he rages! It's scary! Unfortunately though, the voice he chose for Frank was just so boring, coupled with Frank being quite boring it was like pulling teeth listening sometimes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><u>The Story</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I'm sure you can tell just from my rating that I wasn't a big fan of this story. There were parts in the tale that were interesting. For instance, Frank is evidently crazy himself. He divulges the three murders he planned and perpetrated as a child with a quiet detachment, and consistently shares with the reader his obsessive compulsive behaviours and his inability to control his habits.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Frank's OCDish behaviour manifests in his creating a sort of religion. Everything he does has, in his eyes, greater meaning. The animals he tortures and kills are always done in a ritual manner, he believes himself to be able to see in to the future with these killings. We hear references of his alter, the animals being called sacrifices, and his premonitions... there is even one point where he thinks that he can reach his brother telepathically and is pretty sure he did. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I found the story repetitive and so frustrating. It was just a constant reminder of how nuts Frank is and how much he loves torturing things. Frank does not grow. He is stagnant, and bizarre, and I'm sure Banks thought that it would all be worth it in the end with the twist, but it wasn't. I walked away flabbergasted and annoyed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The story's twist, which I shall not give away can easily pass even the most focussed reader, but the clues are there, all along, so let me know if you catch them. I unfortunately already knew the twist at the end and I am sure that it removed some of the intrigue from the book that others would experience. All in all though, I'm not a fan of excessive gore, or animal torture or child murders, so it was a difficult read for me, and the only reason I finished reading it was because I'd started. I also like to read writers that are clever about being pretentious... I don't like it shoved in my face.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">It's a coming-of-age type of story set on a tiny Island in Scotland. It has pacing that is very, very typical of the Gothic. No goblins, ghosts or ghouls though I'm afraid! </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">You may like it, I won't be unreasonable, I mean on GoodReads </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/567678.The_Wasp_Factory" target="_blank">The Wasp Factory</a></i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> has done very well indeed and so it really just depends on your tastes. For me - no, I didn't enjoy it at all, it was like pulling teeth.</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-35957036587984999452013-03-24T07:46:00.002-07:002013-03-24T07:53:54.476-07:00You know You're a Movie-Geek when...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...these films
are;</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A) <!--[endif]-->In your DVD collection</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> B) ...considered, by you, to be the best films EVER</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The movies are not in any particular order... except for number one... number one is number one I'm afraid!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">21)
SpaceBalls [1987]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You get
every reference and find yourself having to explain them to your guests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20) Fight
Club [1999]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You still
talk about the ‘twist’ in the movie and regularly compare with acquaintances at
what point you ‘clicked’ – or maybe, you’re one of those geeks who say ‘Oh... but the book
was far superior’?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qhY1w_gxN5ext_NLz018QUPDdbyjtuZxqksx0OMpdFdJS9Wy9scZpb0TC9QywkPQTH_BftLxP2Br48u5D0tOED926PRTDKN1AtXChWdU3NVQTqKlF7tGFKeBczw4PxFWPhXyuTYMtJM/s1600/sevensamurai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qhY1w_gxN5ext_NLz018QUPDdbyjtuZxqksx0OMpdFdJS9Wy9scZpb0TC9QywkPQTH_BftLxP2Br48u5D0tOED926PRTDKN1AtXChWdU3NVQTqKlF7tGFKeBczw4PxFWPhXyuTYMtJM/s200/sevensamurai.jpg" width="137" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">19) Seven
Samurai [1954]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yes...
you love world cinema and regularly say (with a flourish of course) ‘Akira
Kurosawa’s film, Seven Samurai, is really not only his greatest film, but... also his most widely known movie on our side of the planet... har-har!’</span></div>
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<a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRwy_GKhGB936MbK5hsNPCWsrs5_PUAzHoXTOcjPqOKfqCKKENh3w" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRwy_GKhGB936MbK5hsNPCWsrs5_PUAzHoXTOcjPqOKfqCKKENh3w" width="135" /></a><o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">18) The
Cabin in the Woods [2011]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You make
everyone you know watch this at least once and watch for their expressions...
you then check at the end of the film to see if they ‘got it’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">17)
Highlander [1986]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, it’s
awful... you agree, but you love it. You love it because it’s about Scotsmen,
swords, revenge and the modern world (oh and Sean Connery). You can’t help it... I get it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16)
Zombieland [2009]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m afraid
if this is on your shelf, there’s no hope for you now.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNDYyMDgxNDQ5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjc1ODg3OA@@._V1_SY317_CR12,0,214,317_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNDYyMDgxNDQ5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjc1ODg3OA@@._V1_SY317_CR12,0,214,317_.jpg" width="135" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15) 2001: A
Space Odyssey [1968]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You sit with
bated breath during the five minute overture at the opening, not allowing anybody to talk or
even blow their noses (or like me you stare at the ‘iPad-like’ devices they
have in the space ship and pause it to tell everybody about it).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">14)
Metropolis [1927]</span></div>
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<a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcy16ywP241qebbreo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcy16ywP241qebbreo1_500.jpg" width="141" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conversations
with you about this film are painful – as you’re convinced you’re the one who
discovered it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">13) Shaun of
the Dead [2004]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You guffaw
at all the right places like a Brit; whilst saying ‘there really is nothing
quite like British humour’. You also point out all the foreshadowing in the
film to the annoyance of other people.</span></div>
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<a href="http://ruthlessculture.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/battle_royale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ruthlessculture.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/battle_royale.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12) Battle
Royale [2000]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Does the following sound familiar... ‘Ha, you liked The Hunger Games? You do know that she totally
ripped it off from Battle Royale... a Japanese film from like the 2000s, which was also a manga!’ </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://content9.flixster.com/movie/25/53/255319_det.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://content9.flixster.com/movie/25/53/255319_det.jpg" width="137" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11) Gattacca [1997]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘The themes
in Gattacca are totally relevant to our very near future’ says you, whilst
shaking your fist, convinced that future super-stars will be having their children genetically engineered in the womb etc etc</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10) Batman [1989 onward]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRg3M7tOQa7NfuLzeZ0lg4sYYviE6T8KwXXLV_DBCk_KylCb3WPGg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRg3M7tOQa7NfuLzeZ0lg4sYYviE6T8KwXXLV_DBCk_KylCb3WPGg" width="135" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11) Serenity [2005]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Argh... stop
telling me that it used to be a TV Show (Firefly) and all the actors are pretty much up
to start the show again and blah blah...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c-MjsisaIfHnqmpl7fWD1H1010Fztk4hd6FVA5gSgIwOsn21SODB-di6nLS4dmZ_S-QKhAWcp2PgeoUgCKnA9fap5_Y0MN5xAu0dFsczL9dWovGmBKqIUVxft4viScH4CE_VojR-OEXb/s1600/twelve_monkeys_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c-MjsisaIfHnqmpl7fWD1H1010Fztk4hd6FVA5gSgIwOsn21SODB-di6nLS4dmZ_S-QKhAWcp2PgeoUgCKnA9fap5_Y0MN5xAu0dFsczL9dWovGmBKqIUVxft4viScH4CE_VojR-OEXb/s200/twelve_monkeys_poster.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10) 12
Monkeys [1995]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Post-Apoc is
a genre that gets your juices flowing. This is required watching.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9) Idiocracy [2006]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you sit
to watch it, you have to be alone... otherwise, your constant spouting of how people
have already reached the level of stupidity in this movie distracts those
watching with you.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQD5Uk4bwR4mYmv64DmdRDZ8u7l-nZtLRZJVm68FdOkZiZllWdZ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQD5Uk4bwR4mYmv64DmdRDZ8u7l-nZtLRZJVm68FdOkZiZllWdZ" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8) Alien Series [1979 onward]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh my. To
initiate other people to your geekdom you force them to watch this... and the
rest for good measure!<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6DUvMrWdaf_WUZU1DXsIRM8Tc5Y5cnpwaTRAhkzgZjSFqi-_e" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6DUvMrWdaf_WUZU1DXsIRM8Tc5Y5cnpwaTRAhkzgZjSFqi-_e" width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7) The Fifth
Element [1997]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another
Bruce Willis – you use the fact that he is in this movie, and 12 Monkeys to
prove that Willis is just so flexible and one of the best actors of our age.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6) Back to
the Future [1985]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is so
geek it’s close to becoming main-stream... but your inner-geek can’t resist,
even if you resent it a little.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTOU000HmenhjAfnXeXwGweFhRmce1plzkuebxMNZ3VXT4N4CxbMg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTOU000HmenhjAfnXeXwGweFhRmce1plzkuebxMNZ3VXT4N4CxbMg" width="145" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) Planet of
the Apes [1968 onwards]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whole
damn franchise</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) Dune [1984]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks72oN_3i2z4bKUDGu4RNOhu6u33Fhn4D8DhW9OqYjLL-exwBZhSbsZ3heBJ0QNeDAKjvzPt0rxHgXZ-fAyhqBXeoY03EDltsc9nZAOKNk63mXcE3yFzTGStzmgD9LujONVRpsKxUiA/s1600/star-wars-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks72oN_3i2z4bKUDGu4RNOhu6u33Fhn4D8DhW9OqYjLL-exwBZhSbsZ3heBJ0QNeDAKjvzPt0rxHgXZ-fAyhqBXeoY03EDltsc9nZAOKNk63mXcE3yFzTGStzmgD9LujONVRpsKxUiA/s200/star-wars-poster.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is
another one of those films where you push up your glasses and tut at all the
inconsistencies the film has with the novel. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) Star Wars [1977 onwards]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘The old
ones please, none of those fandangled-fancy ones’, says you, gritting your
teeth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Stargate [1994]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You not only
love this, but own it... and the whole series too!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>...and the number one place goes to...</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/001-the_motion_picture_poster.png/220px-001-the_motion_picture_poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/001-the_motion_picture_poster.png/220px-001-the_motion_picture_poster.png" width="233" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Star Trek [1979 onward]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is nothing left to be said</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have I missed something? Do you disagree? Has your inner-geek just raged against this list? Let me know! You can message me below or on Twitter @OrisiB</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Am I not geek enough?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-24570403224460977552013-03-21T23:23:00.002-07:002013-03-22T08:06:37.162-07:00It's World Poetry Day! (Yesterday...)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>[So, I kinda suck, I had this post ready for yesterday and went out, and didn't get back home till late. When I got in I went straight to bed, COMPLETELY forgetting to publish it. So here it is... with my amendments! haha!]</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh yes, <strike>it's</strike> <span style="color: #cc0000;">yesterday was</span> World Poetry Day. Exciting hay? Well I <strike>think</strike> <span style="color: #cc0000;">thought</span> so!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm gonna share a poem with you, but also some awesome anthologies/collections that are so delicious you may LITERALLY sink your teeth in to them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But first...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a poem from an unknown Inuit poet. I live right by the sea, on an island, I love to swim and I love everything about the ocean... so, this moved me too.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Moved</b></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://bks1.books.google.co.uk/books?id=GIHAQgAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE71p2ANOP3ebJFN-Cm7VybmFuOxbzDH9o0B7oyaAP6e02Djp4eZDrMmQTX-4LqKQEJillFjfIHg1y7J6yhbBW9GhdYkGyQf5psdvL-wNlVg6aqEWFLhwSc6evcQObctztkMuL5kz" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://bks1.books.google.co.uk/books?id=GIHAQgAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE71p2ANOP3ebJFN-Cm7VybmFuOxbzDH9o0B7oyaAP6e02Djp4eZDrMmQTX-4LqKQEJillFjfIHg1y7J6yhbBW9GhdYkGyQf5psdvL-wNlVg6aqEWFLhwSc6evcQObctztkMuL5kz" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The great sea stirs me.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The great sea sets me adrift,</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it sways me like the weed</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on a river-stone.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sky's height stirs me.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The strong wind blows through my mind,</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It carries me with it,</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">so I shake with joy.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>(Inuit Poem)</i></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>And now for something completely different...</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here they are - for your viewing pleasure! Eight awesome poetry collections from around the world (oh and sorry... two are from Britain).</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you have a favourite poem from a place other than your own country (I know... I'm totally rocking the boat here, hay!)? If you do, post it below or you can always Twitter my face @OrisiB I'd love to get hold of some new awesomeness!</span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-20197250405173064642013-03-19T06:11:00.000-07:002013-03-19T06:11:15.393-07:00Liebster Award Nomination!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The very wonderful Madiha @ <a href="http://thesmellofparchment.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">The Smell of Parchment</a> nominated me for the Liebster Award. Cute huh!<br /><br />It's an award for blogs with fewer than 200 followers. It's a way of showcasing different blogs and more importantly discover new ones! Super awesome.<br /><br />So, I've gotta answer 11 questions, as well as give away 11 facts, and then nominate 11 blogs PLUS give them some questions too (11 to be exact)!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many thanks to the fabulous Madiha - you can find her at the link above! Go and stalk with ya bad self!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><b><u>My Questions from Madiha</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Why did you begin blogging?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have always written and I have always been opinionated. I began my 'blogging career' when I moved to the United Arab Emirates a few years back, I had (and still do but I've been lazy since the new year) a blog that recorded our adventures and misadventures, as well as pieces with general information about the UAE. I read English at university and so from an education perspective was taught to be quite critical of literature in general, also a good friend of mine @<a href="http://www.mabismab.com/" target="_blank">MabisMab</a> had a book blog and so, I apologised profusely to her and let her know that I needed a place to express my audiobook, book and movie loves and irks and so that I would too, be starting a book blog. So viola - that is a detailed explanation of not only why did I begin blogging... but also how I got in to book blogging.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Sunrise or Sunset?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's all about sunset for me my awesome friend. It's just stunning, the sun all deep oranges and reds that gives way to darkness. Just beautiful!<br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">3. Do you judge a book by its cover?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, yes I do, and I am not ashamed to sing it loud and proud. Occasionally not so good covered stories can surprise me, but if I'm out looking for a new book in a store I will naturally gravitate towards the prettiest covers.<br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">4. What is the most exciting thing you've ever done?</span><br />It would have to be upping sticks and moving to the middle east. I love it here, it has been an amazing experience so far but yes, it was pretty exciting. Lots of tears but excitement too.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. If you had to give up one of your senses, which would it be and why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess it would have to be my sense of smell. I know I would miss out on the smell of fresh books, bread, and cut grass, and I'd definitely miss perfumes, but I think I couldn't go without the others optionally!<br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">6. Which, in your opinion, is your favourite book to movie transition?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm gonna have to say To Kill a Mockingbird would be my favourite... even though I risk sound like an old fogey, but anywho, yes, yes, I loved it! Both the movie and the book, so there!<br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">7. Most embarrassing story you are willing to share online?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an embarrassing but also AWESOME story. A friend and I had been walking through Borders once upon a time, as a teen, looking for a new book and I kid you NOT, there was a book that had a lady on the front that looked just like me! My friend and I could not believe our teenage eyes and so we grabbed it off the shelf and went to one of the staff members. We told them that I was the author of the book and the model on the front and that I was here for my scheduled book signing. The staff member looked flustered and told me that he would quickly go to his manager and that they would set something up as soon as possible.<br />So anywho... he started going and I... a total coward, chased him up the stairs apologised profusely and said that we were only joking. I was red, and stuttering, and feeling like I could potentially be arrested... my friend added to the aggrieved looking staff member, 'But doncha think she looks just like her?'. I felt just, so very embarrassed. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. Your favourite book as a child?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The B.F.G by Roald Dahl. I even had it on audiobook too - I loved it!<br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">9. Which book are you highly anticipating to read.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm really looking forward to reading <i>Bitter Seeds</i> by Ian Tregillis. It's a supernatural alternate history set in 1939; need I say more?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. Who's your favourite character from a book/movie and why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think it has to be Odetta Holmes from Stephen King's <i>The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three. </i>She's also known as the Lady of the Shadows and Detta, she's a black lady from New York who is missing both of her legs below the knee and is wheelchair bound. She has a few, very awesome personalities. I love her because she's awesome, witty, moody and has other personalities - haha!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11. Have a book boyfriend/girlfriend? Who is it and why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funnily enough... I really don't. I do, though, remember when I was around fourteen having a massive book-crush on a character named Jethro from the Point Horror books. Yes... I know, I should be ashamed of myself, I had even thought that that was a hot name. Embarrassing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>11 Random Facts about Me<br /></u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. I get claustophobic if I'm indoors too much, but I prefer being indoors than outdoors</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. My favourite film of all time is The Wizard of Oz</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. I used to tight-lace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. I'm a snob. A book and movie snob, I try not to judge, but I do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. I am a teacher</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. I have a freakish obsession with Stephen Fry</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. I am bilingual</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. I have a ridiculous soft-spot for 'inspirational teacher-movies'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. I avoid CAPTCHA like the plague (unless when necessary)!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. Rachel Berry from Glee is the most INFURIATING character to me and I actually stopped watching the show because I hated her so much</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11. I love to swim</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">I Choose You!</u><br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.mabismab.com/" target="_blank">Mab is Mab</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://sceneofchaos.blogspot.ae/" target="_blank">Scenes of Chaos</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://www.thatswhatsheread.net/" target="_blank">That's What She Read</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://www.lolabookreviews.blogspot.ae/" target="_blank">Lola's Reviews</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://thesocialpotatoreviews.blogspot.ae/" target="_blank">The Social Potato Reviews</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. <a href="http://literaryetc.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Literary, etc</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. <a href="http://girlwithapenandadream.blogspot.ae/" target="_blank">Girl with a Pen and a Dream</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. <a href="http://www.wordsandteabottles.com/" target="_blank">Words and Tea Bottles</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. <a href="http://wonderlandsreader.blogspot.ae/" target="_blank">Wonderlands Reader</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. <a href="http://www.ramblingsofabooknerd.com/" target="_blank">Ramblings of a Book Nerd</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11. <a href="http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ae/" target="_blank">Shadows of the Past</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>My Questions for all of Yous</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Why do you blog? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. If you could become a character in a book for one day, who wouldja be?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. What is your favourite genre?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Spring, Summer, Winter or Autumn?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Do you have a favourite book? What is it and why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. In your opinion what makes a good book cover?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Look one-hundred years in to the future... what does reading look like then?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. Do you love or loathe movie adaptations of your books?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. Where is your favourite place to read?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. Where in the world have you visited?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11. If you could explore one culture in the world and ask all the questions and not offend anybody which culture would that be?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And there you have it! I look forward to seeing your answers - drop by and leave me a comment so I know when to find it and where! You guys rock and a special thank you to Madiha! </span><br />
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Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-30442740395516789622013-03-13T12:03:00.002-07:002013-03-13T12:03:28.913-07:00Game of Thrones 1995 Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, while the world waits to hear who has been named the new pope I came across this BEAUTY. It was uploaded on to YouTube just yesterday and it has the potential to go viral.<br /><br />Enjoy my friends... enjoy the beginning credits of Game of Thrones... 1995 styley!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much love to huntersland on YouTube who put this together!</span></div>
Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5901955659108462997.post-7855698540254690892013-03-13T10:13:00.000-07:002013-03-13T10:13:38.679-07:00Vote for me! Vote for me!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So thanks to some of you awesome people, and thanks to many other awesome people, <b>Orisi's Blah Blah Blah</b> has got through to the second round of voting for the Best Noob Blogger of 2012 for the upcoming Book Blogger Twitter Conference (BBTC) hosted by ParaJunkee and Bookish Brunette. I'm thrilled!<br /><br />So... I'm gonna be tacky and ask that you guys vote for me one more time. Just one more time (I know I've harassed over on Twitter, but please bare with me)! It'd be awesome and much appreciated. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many thanks</span></div>
Orisihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602237365421639458noreply@blogger.com0