by cmessina25 on November 1, 2009 at 3:27 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
I am absolutely appalled by the fact that Looking for Alaska is a banned book. I have always felt that adults have lost faith in the judgement of the individual. They are all out from protecting us from the real world of sex, violence, and drug use. These things are reality and the fact that we see this all around us is much more concerning than the fact that they are portrayed in books.
I have yet to start to read the book but from what I gather it is a book that is not graphic or “pornographic” as some have called it. Books are written to express human truth and a human truth is we are violent we use drugs and have sex so why is it so wrong to here about in books. The individual should be allowed the choose to read a book no matter the content. This book was to show the horrors of depression and the effect that drugs have on the human condition. If this is not a book of warning more so than a how to then I understand it being banded but I highly doubt it is the latter.
If you don’t want your children to read a book than fine but don’t punish everyone else. We need to protect our rights as Americans and the fact that organizations and the government are suppressing these rights is wrong and should be stopped.
Read the article on the banning of Looking for Alaska by John Green at The Orlando Sentinel website
by cmessina25 on October 26, 2009 at 1:25 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
In “Elvis and Anabelle,” every terrible tragedy brings about something equally miraculous. Groomed by her overly ambitious mother (Mary Steenburgen), Anabelle (Blake Lively) is on the road to winning the Miss Texas Rose tiara when she dies tragically during a pageant. Her death lands her on the embalming table of Elvis (Max Minghella), an embittered young man whose sense of family duty and love for his ailing father (Joe Mantegna) keep him from following his dreams. When Anabelle is miraculously resurrected on Elvis’ embalming table, the two unexpectedly connect and sparks fly. With the help of each other and Elvis’ father, they discover love, freedom and happiness as the real world and their own demons threaten to force them apart. Written by biggoldbird.
My Take: Elvis and Annabelle is by far the sweetest romantic/comedy/tragedy of this decade, in my opinion. A great introduction indie for any new comer. Warning, this movie is deep and should be regarded as such. For people who cry in movies you will cry in this one.
Cinematography in this movie though better then Edge of Love it lacks excitment. Though beautifully portrayed it seems to lack true art.
Costume design was nothing spectacular but very appropriate. Nothing to out there very country very homey.
The writing was stellar. A beautiful written piece I give it ten stars out of five. The fact that both Lively and Minghella (stars of the movie) really played both their characters well made the writing really come alive. But i do not want to give the actors too much credit because the author of the movie really showed their skill.
To dive deeper into the movies context I would have to say a continuing theme throughout the movie was the importance of life. Elvis’ mother had committed suicide a few years before the movie began and Elvis really saw the only reason for him to continue on with his life was to take care of his father. Annabelle saw very little reason to life except to win Miss Texas Rose and when she did she unexpectedly died landing her in Elvis’ mortuary. Elvis, mortician brings her back to life despite the fact that his chosen profession was to send them to their final resting place. Later on in the story as Elvis tries to hang himself the windows open and he sees the sunflowers Annabelle had planted signifying life and the renewing of the
that would bare nothing. All in all Elvis was Annabelle’s will to live and Annabelle was Elvis’ will to live brining the movie full circle.
by cmessina25 on October 14, 2009 at 2:47 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
I am so EXCITED!!! I have discovered that soon there will be a Dorian Gray movie! I am very interested to see how it turns out. In the tradition of movie adaptations of books there will be changes made and I am curious to find if the the changes are going to be for the better or for the worse. I am personally excited to see that Dorian Gray is played by Ben Barnes though in my head I see James Franco (I think he’s sexy) as Dorian, I think that Dorian should look more “English”. Can’t wait until the movie comes out in theaters hopefully I will finish the book before then.
P.S. I was going to start with Dorian Gray but I am having a really hard time focusing so expect the book to be done far from now.
by cmessina25 on October 11, 2009 at 5:05 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
In my quest to find other teens writing book reviews I came across kd’s library. I found it absolutely wonderful. She had a cute and very insightful perspective on books and got me very interested in quite a few books. Her review on Looking for Alaska made want to read it even more. One thing that I thought could be improved was her writing style. She had a lot of great things to say but what she wrote didn’t really flow. I read a few books that she had reviewed on and I thought her reviews where accurate and had a wonderful perspective but I wasn’t as interested in her writing. Most of the time in book reviews, I find that it is just factual and unexciting and that maybe if people looked at review writing as a reflection of the writing in the book than maybe it would be a little more interesting. All in all I think that kd as a fresh and exciting perspective that could use a little help in the writing department.
by cmessina25 on October 11, 2009 at 4:34 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
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Hello movie lovers! This will be the first in a long series of MOVIE reviews. I am happy that this is the first movie I am reviewing. Edge of Love stirred up so many emotions in me. I was literally shaking after I saw it, it was beautiful portrayed. The combination of poetry and excellent camera work really made my emotions soar. Edge of Love is the story of the legendary poet Dylan Thomas and the two most important woman in his life, his first love Vera and his wife and mother of his child Caitlin. the story begins in WWII London, Vera (Kiera Knightly) is a singer at a night club when William Killick (Cillian Murphy) first sees her. Infatuated with the beautiful Vera he follows her and tries to get her attention by faking that she had dropped her handkerchief. She calls him out on his attempt to get her attention and blows him off. Earlier that night she runs into her old friend Dylan Thomas (Matthew Ryhs) and old emotions are stirred for both. She agrees to meet him later that night. In the meantime, Dylan’s wife has joined him in London. That night Dylan arrives with Caitlin (Sienna Miller) and Vera is surprised but interested in Caitlin. Caitlin and her quickly become friends and due to certain events both Caitlin and Dylan come to live in Vera’s flat. In the mean time William Killick is still trying to win the heart of Vera who refuses to let him in due to the fact he is a soldier and she is afraid that she will loose him. One night at a night club Killick and Vera are dancing and a bomb goes off. Vera’s friend dies and she is deeply disturbed by the event. Killick comforts her and she finally lets him in. Dylan very unhappy by the new relationship starts to write poetry for Vera. Caitlin warns him not to touch Vera, she does not want to lose a friend. Soon Killick is being sent off to war and Vera marries him but does not tell him she loves him. He leaves and soon she finds she is pregnant. The movie goes on and shows the change that happens after Killick leaves including Vera’s realization that she truly does love him. But nothing compares to the changes that happen when Killick comes back. He is deeply disturbed by the war and even more disturbed by the fact that his wife slept with Dylan. He does not believe Rowatt is his son and refuses to hold him. One night in a drunken rage Killick comes into Dylan’s home with his gun and a grenade and threatens to kill him. Caitlin’s tears and her sons crying brings him back to his senses and he is remorseful for his crimes. He is later put to trial. Vera pleads with Dylan to drop the charges because she loves Killick. He stands up in court a says that Killick came to his home completely sober and had all intentions on killing him and his family. Killick is found innocent by the soldier sympathetic jury. Vera is now offically fallen out of love with Dylan, Caitlin and him leave thus ending the movie.
The beauty of this movie is vast. I will first start with my favorite part of a movie, costume design. Though nothing compares to the elegance of Marie Antoinette (it won best costume design at the Oscars in 2007) it had this wonderfully modern feel to it. Though the clothes stuck very well to the period, it had this twist to it that made it appropriate for our times. With lovely floral dresses and knit sweaters it really added so much depth to the movie. They did an excellent job of pairing clothes with moments in time. When in London the clothes where dark and business like. At the night club Knightley wears a crimson dress which very much reflects the blood shed that has happened that night. While in Wales the girls style changes into more relaxed and fun dress.
The camera work in the movie was nothing special. This movie being more of a big budget film did not take as much time with the artistry in camera angles. Though in period films camera angles are not useful as in other films it would have been refreshing to see some different type of camera work but I understand that it was hard to incorporate. Though I don’t really if this would count as camera work but it was a scene that stood out to me. On the train ride back from the front, William Killick’s face is not shown. The lighting around him was darkened and his face was not visible but everyone else’s faces where and their expressions where filled with fear and disgust. I think it was a good representation of the change in his state of mind and the change of the feelings toward soldiers.
As editing goes this film was amazing. the overlay of Thomas’ poetry was amazing. It fit well with every scene and made the film have a whole new demotion. The incorporation of this other art form really made the film what it is. It was obvious to me that poetry would play a role in this film but not in this artistic way. Great work Rainy Day Productions!
As writing goes this movie was VERY well written. The story line was complex and interesting. I was always interested.
What do I think about this movie? Well worth watching. An excellent performance by Keria Knightly and a very eye opening performance by Cullian Murphy. He is an actor I would like to see in more of.
by cmessina25 on September 30, 2009 at 1:56 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Books. I have always prided myself in being an avid reader. All my life I have always loved to read books. Books are like a good dessert, sweet, salty, soft, crunchy, warm, and cold. A good book provokes emotion and a want to dive further into its meaning. For me it has been a long time since I have tasted a truly good book. Lately I have focused on a more superficial type of book with a basic plot and little extra. Now I want something that provokes emotion and makes me want to go into the further meaning of the story. In this blog you will follow my journey into finding, reading and understanding of books with substance.
Movies. My understanding of art is very limited. When it comes to modern or abstract art I draw a blank. But one form of art i do thoroughly enjoy is cinematography. In a movie you can get lost in some one else’s imagination. On the screen worlds are spread out for you and explored. In movies there are so many aspects of it to explore such as camera angles, lighting, soundtrack, acting, scenery, and plot line. In this blog I plan to explore these aspects of cinematography in depth with movies that I love.
Books: Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, Exit Here. by Jason Myers, Looking for Alaska by John Green, and the Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Movies: My Brother Tom, Teenage Dirtbag, Edge of Love, and Elvis and Annabelle
Warning: This may be a struggle, I do tend to get bored with books I think I will not like and I have a very bad habit of peeking in the back. I also tend to fast forward through boring/sad parts.
