The Twilight Saga: New Moon

I'm sure that everyone who's been to see this movie already has added their two-cents worth, but I think I can add an interesting perspective: that of a sort-of-fan. See, I enjoyed the books, I really did. They weren't literary masterpieces, and they certainly catered to the desires of the tween female demographic, but the storyline was halfway to unique, as far as vampire fiction goes.

In this second installment of the Twilight Saga we see Bella turn 18, Jacob turn hot, and Edward turn hallucination-inducing. It was undeniably true to the book, more so than the first one, and the overall look is good. The fight scenes were my favourite bits, other than whenever Jasper spoke, and I felt embarrassed for the characters of Edward and Bella every time they kissed. Sorry guys, but we're supposed to believe you're in love, not going through the motions. Oh, and I actually said 'ew' when Edward took off his shirt. What was the makeup department on when they painted on his abs? And what was with the cruelty that Bella displayed towards Jacob? After that I don't see how he could even think about sticking around for her sake for the next few installments. She does not even nearly deserve that guy.

Yet again Emmett gets next to no lines, Rosalie is standoffish, Carlisle and Esme are the loving parents. What we get to see in this movie is Alice taking a more leading role, and showing that adorable psychic we all know and love from the books. Though her outfits leave much to be desired considering she's supposed to be highly into fashion.

The Volturi were as close to perfect as they could be. Aro was delightfully crazy, Marcus was weird, and Caius was sinister. The real surprise was Jane, who was as scary as she was supposed to be, in the very young (and previously innocent) body of Dakota Fanning. Laurent was scary, that's all I can say about him. I would not want to meet him in a deserted meadow.

The music was the real let down. There wasn't anything memorable in the actual movie (where was the main song, 'Meet Me on the Equinox'?), and there was a definite lack of music in certain crucial moments.

So what's the overall thoughts? Well, if you're a diehard fan you'll be blind to all the flaws just to see Edward and/or Jacob once more. And you'll see plenty of Jacob, and too much of Edward. It was good. Not the best thing I've ever seen, but I'm going back, so that says something. The action in this movie is definitely something to be seen, even if it is short. If you're only a passing fan, I wouldn't bother until it's out on dvd. But for us real fans, well, The wolf pack's collective abs are worth the price of admission...

Sookie Stackhouse Series Book 4 - Dead To The World

Firstly I'd just like to say that yes, I will be reviewing every book in this ever-lengthening series, because there is a difference between them. As usual there are spoilers in this if you haven't yet read the book, so be warned.

For those of you who have read book 4, I'm going to assume you've joined Team Eric, just like I have. For the first three books I could see that although Bill was her first love, the author became quickly bored with the idea of monogamy, as I have previously stated. It was also apparent that Eric was being prepared as his successor, though she did have a few other options.
In this book Eric loses his memory, and Sookie finds him running through the woods near her house. She takes him in and looks after him, while the vamps that work for Eric try to find a way to restore his memory. Sookie, who is already incredibly attracted to Eric, falls for him even more after he loses his memory, and becomes a sweet version of himself. It's completely understandable. The thing with this scenario is that Bill is out of the country for basically the entire book, so she is free to be with Eric without actually having to see Bill. This seemed a little too convenient to me, in fact, the ever increasing lack of Bill in the last two books has seemed a little convenient. Give him a chance! Obviously since Eric is a lot older than Bill he has a lot more going for him in the... experience department, so what with that and his self-confidence he is pretty irresistible. Whereas Bill... well, what makes him better than Eric in any way? Maybe it's the fact that he isn't always sure of himself, and he's not perfect. Regardless, he is slowly being pushed out of the picture, and I can't really see him returning.

Sookie Stackhouse Series Book 3 - Club Dead

Warning: Spoiler Alert.

Attention all fans. I have finally figured out what was bothering me about this series, and it was so obvious that I should probably slap myself in the forehead and mutter something about my lack of intelligence recently. I'm not a published author, as I have previously stated, but I believe as a writer, and an avid reader, my opinion is valid.
This series constantly jumps between past and present tense, and that frustrates me more than most other foibles. Yes, sometimes words like 'this' and 'now' can be used in the context of the past tense, but not too much, and not in the same sentence. Here's an example:

"Eric had gotten me situated on the bed, which was so high, I might need a stepstool to get down." (Club Dead, page 169) The issue here is that most of the sentence is in past tense, until it gets to "might need" instead of "might have needed". A small distinction, yes, but when it's on every page, in almost every sentence, it's a bit too noticeable.

Now to the book. It's quite apparent that the author got bored of monogamy quickly. Sookie has kissed basically every good-looking guy she knows (vampire, shape-shifter, werewolf, human), or at the very least, had impure thoughts about them, and considered acting on them. The first few books have only taken place within a year or so, by the way. So Bill will become the bad guy, like he basically was in this book, and plenty of other options will become available to Sookie (like Alcide and Eric). I understand that it's exciting to go for the unfamiliar, and Eric's raw sexual appeal is definitely a bonus in this situation, but come on, she got bored with Bill by book 2, so he didn't really get a chance to be anything other than someone who used Sookie, and tried to leave her for someone else. What can I say, I just wanted Bill to be the one for her, but clearly the author doesn't.
Pictures courtesy of Photobucket and Twistedplot

City of Bones - The Mortal Instruments Trilogy Book 1

WARNING: Spoiler Alerts

I recently finished Book 1 of the Mortal Instruments trilogy, and like the avid reader I am I have decided to write a review of it.
There's no doubt that this book has a well structured story line. The characters each have personalities that are developed individually, and the overall action is excellent. The one problem I had with this book, and to me this is a rather annoying point, is the overuse of adjectives and similes. The scenes, characters, everything in fact, are so over-described that little imagination is actually needed. In a work of fiction it is mostly the case that certain things are left up to the imagination of the reader, since people are very different their ideas about certain details vary. That makes things easier if a book were ever made into a movie, since they wouldn't have to adhere to a too specific idea of a character or scene. Obviously that is not the only, or main, reason for this point, rather the enjoyment of the reader in a new world should be the main point.

Here's an example:

"A slender man standing in the doorway regarded them curiously... The man blocking the doorway was as tall and thin as a rail, his hair a crown of dense black spikes. Clary guessed from the curve of his sleepy eyes and the gold tone of his evenly tanned skin that he was part Asian. He wore jeans and a black shirt covered with dozens of metal buckles. His eyes were crusted with a raccoon mask of charcoal glitter, his lips painted a dark shade of blue. He raked a ring-laden hand through his spiked hair and regarded them thoughtfully..." (page 204, City of Bones)

First he is described as "slender", then a few short lines later he is re-described as "tall and thin as a rail". The way he regards them is, at first, "curiously", then "thoughtfully". Here's an example of how I would write it (though by no means am I trying to present myself as a better writer than a popular published author. I have, however, read a lot of books in my life):

"Clary noticed that the thin man blocking the doorway was also surprisingly tall, which made the black spikes of his hair rather obsolete. She guessed him to be half Asian, judging by his evenly tanned skin and the fold of his eyes. He was wearing jeans and a black shirt covered in metal buckles, and his hands were laden with rings of varying sizes and designs. His facial makeup was slathered on thickly, his lips were a dark shade of blue, and his eyes were surrounded by a coating of charcoal glitter, giving Clary the distinct impression of a raccoon.
He pulled a hand through his hair as he continued to study them."

Now, in this case, the same basic descriptions have been used, but not always as descriptions. Sometimes a point is introduced as a part of the action, eg "which made the black spikes of his hair rather obsolete" (describing the spikes in relation to their effect on his height).

Having said that, I did like this book. It's hard for me to get past issues like those I've discussed, but the general storyline is good enough, and definitely well-structured enough that I was able to read it AND enjoy it.

True Blood - Bill VS Eric

So, I know everyone seems to be Team Eric right now, and I can understand why. He's mysterious, charming, and oozes self-confidence. I might sound quite old-fashioned, but every time someone starts a 'good' relationship with someone else in a book, that's who I feel like they should stay with, as long as it doesn't become an abusive relationship of course (or if they're not in love etc etc). So I'm still Team Bill. The way he says "Suh-kie" is pretty irresistible, and he's got this dark intensity that I'm always drawn to in tv series' (that's why quite a few times I've liked the 'bad' guy, like Sark in Alias, or Sawyer in Lost). Albeit I'm only up to book 3, and season 2 hasn't started in Australia yet (plus it will be on pay tv, which I don't have), so I don't have much to go on, so we'll see if I'm still saying this in another month's time. After all, there's also something about Eric...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

WARNING: Spoilers Alert if you haven't seen the movie and don't want to ruin it, don't read on.

Today I went to see the latest installment of the Harry Potter franchise. I walked in there with a certain expectation as to how things would go, not so much in the plot development and scripting (since it has been a long time since I've read the book), but more in the overall look of the movie. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

This movie picks up after the events of the last, with the starting scene happening directly after the last movie, and then flashing forward a few months. The world is covered by dark clouds, and Death-Eaters are causing havoc even in the Muggle world. What follows are a series of events that lead Harry to the ultimate conclusion: he must leave Hogwarts to save the world.
Along the way there is a fair bit of romance, as things between Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermoine reach fever pitch. The graphics are just as amazing as always, and the world created is one that you can disappear into for 2 1/2 hours. If you really love HP, you would have cried when Diagon Alley was destroyed. Fred and George's store is gorgeous, though only briefly shown, and the new scenes are intense and well positioned.

The main point about this movie that I really wanted to see was the development of Draco's story. We've gone through most of the series being presented with a character who is antagonistic and manipulative, and a bit of a weakling. In this installment we finally get to see Draco for who he really is, a boy whose family situation requires him to do something that, ultimately, he doesn't want to do. He's faced with the only future his family will allow him to have, to become a Death-Eater, and he can't see any way around it, because he knows if he doesn't join them, they will kill him. When he runs to the bathroom to cry, it is because he's trying whatever he can not to kill Dumbledore directly, because he doesn't want to be faced with the reality of what he's done. If he curses someone into doing it for him it won't hurt as much. When the curse fails he gets scared, and then when Harry finds him in the bathroom he can't let himself show weakness, especially in the eyes of the person considered to be his enemy, so instead he fights him, trying to prove to himself and those who watch him that he can take care of himself.I am ecstatic that we've finally reached the point where Ron and Hermoine will be together. It's something I've hoped for since the very beginning, and waited for once I found out that it actually happens. Ron is definitely my favourite character in most of this movie. He's grown up, but he still retains all those essential "Ron qualities" that make him loveable.

Pay particular attention to the scene where Harry drinks the Luck Potion, it shows a lighter side to Harry that we rarely get to see, and shows us that Daniel Radcliffe can step away from the usual character of Harry Potter even when he's still playing that character.


None of the images contained belong to me :)

True Blood: Season 1

So, today I started watching True Blood. As the first thing I've ever watched with the R18+ rating, I must admit I'm feeling a little strange.

The storyline is a lot like the first book, except for the addition of a main character in Sookie's best friend Tara, who opens up a whole other set of story lines for them to show in between scenes of Bill and Sookie, or Jason and every woman in town. Does anyone else think that Sam's pretty all right to look at? I wasn't expecting that, I kept imagining him older even though I knew he wasn't. I'm not sure why.
I'm not yet up to the introduction of Eric the vampire, who seems to be the most popular vampire of the lot (though from pics I've seen I wouldn't know why). So we'll have to see how it goes. Well, it's the weekend now, so I have plenty of time to figure out his attraction.

Bill is definitely a good vampire so far. He's dark and brooding, and incredibly intense. Let's just see how that plays out...