another jane eyre movie…again

1983, 1996, 2006, 2011. Man, people love remaking this film. I actually have yet to see any film adaptations of it, so I don’t have much to compare this trailer to. It looks a bit too dark and gloomy for me, though. I might go see this or I might just rent the 2006 version because I’ve heard good things…

Which is your favorite version? Do you think this new adaptation has potential or will just fail? Click the image to watch.

what you should read

I have many wonderful blogosphere friends — all of whom you should check out on my sidebar, but here are some of the most recent additions!

> My friend Richard Lam is now writing for a FFWD blog called Cemetery Polka! Film, theatre, music, what-have you, Richard’s writing is insightful and entertaining no matter what the subject.

> Also new in the blogworld is PC in YYC, Peter and Christina, an adorable progressive conservative couple, write about politics and life in Calgary! I think this is only the beginning for these two, we’ll definitely be hearing more and more from them and about them in the future!

> Zoey Duncan is a journalism student and publishing editor of the Reflector, Mount Royal University’s student newspaper. Zoey’s Journalism Blog documents her experiences in her field and provides helpful advice for fellow student journalists.

> Trevor Bacque is a journalist and freelancer currently writing for the Airdrie City View and the Rocky View Weekly. Definitely not a shrinking violet, Trevor’s storytelling at The Bacque Bencher is smart and engaging.

> It Is All Happening follows Drea L‘s adventures exploring (soon-to-be influencing) the Canadian and Calgarian music scene. If you’re looking for some great local talent, Drea can direct you to the up-and-coming, genre-bending and/or party-inducing Calgarian bands.

> Blogiraptor is the internet home of Radiosaurus, the radio show of some random hot guy who loves music so much he stays up all night listening to it – literally. On Sunday mornings from 3-7am Bryan Leedham fills the airwaves with music worth staying up — or waking up — for on CJSW. Check out his blog for his playlists and CD reviews!

(Also click on the owl picture for more cute owl photos. I want a pet owl now.)

a conversation with writer john devore

You may recall one of my earlier posts extolling the writing of a certain John DeVore (I write sophisticated reviews, clearly). Well, I decided that he and I should probably talk about writing,  blogging and media and he kindly obliged to answer some of  my questions!

DeVore has written for a plethora of different websites on many different subjects, hosted a talk radio show on Sirius Satellite Network, writes plays and makes regular TV appearances as the “sacrificial liberal” on Fox News’ late night talk show Red Eye. Currently he is the deputy editor of Premier.com, writes a weekly column called Mind of Man at The Frisky and gives relationship advice at Guy Speak. For more background information on DeVore you can check out his website here!

So let’s jump right to it.

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What is your favorite subject to write about?

DeVore: Well, look, I am a hack writer. A lot of people cringe when I say that, but you know, I’ve lived in New York for 14 years and that was incredibly important to me — to make a living as a writer. So the first thing I like to write the most is whatever pays. I do like plays and I make absolutely zero — I make negative money on that. But really, I’m a hack writer, I write for hire. And I tell a lot of young writers too, anyone that really loves to write really loves to write anything. You know, a writer writes. A writer wants to be read, a writer has a degree of vanity, he or she likes to see his or her byline…but write whatever. I’ve written some incredibly soulless stuff and I’ve written stuff that I’m very proud of.

I like to write for money and if I write for love then, you know…I do like plays. The theater and the internet are kind of similar in a way.

How so?

DeVore: They’re both live mediums. I mean, the web isn’t a dead page. A magazine was written in the past and web is now – it’s live and it’s throbbing and it’s breathing. Bloggers and playwrights both know what it’s like to write for a live audience and both know what it’s like to endure immediate praise or immediate scorn. Playwrights live to have their words spoken to a live audience and there’s no greater thrill than that audience laughing and there’s no greater pain than that audience sitting in stony silence or asleep.

How about your relationship writing? You’re not a psychologist, you’re just a guy who’s dated a lot of girls and they pay you to write about it?

DeVore: When I write about relationships, of course I’m not a therapist or a psychologist…  Good relationship writing asks very basic moral questions. You know, what is right, what is wrong? And as a blogger my job is to try, and without being a dick – and granted there are plenty of dicks online – try to create conversation. A lot of my pieces start with an opinion and then I just sort of blabber from there. But you know, I want to start a conversation, that’s what makes blog writing blog writing. That’s what makes web writing web writing. I’m not trying to be the last word, I’m trying to be the first word. This week I make the statement that I don’t think two people of opposing political parties can fall in love. I don’t, but that doesn’t matter whether I’m right or wrong. You look at the comments and people are engaging. They say “No, I don’t agree with that,” “Yes, I agree with that.”

There was a debate at my university between Howard Dean and Fred Thompson moderated by Mark Steyn. A couple of my friends asked me, “Oh are you into American politics?” and I was like, “Well, I was, but not really,” and they asked why. The conclusion I came to was that there was just so much entertainment everywhere. The media and everyone had just turned everything into a joke, into a punchline. Everything was put up as entertainment value instead of informational value…

They call it the Information Age with the internet, but I’m looking at it as the entertainment age because that’s what gets the hits, that’s what gets the people reading. Do you think there is possibly too much entertainment?

DeVore: A lot of people criticize the media, but I’m in the media and we’re really not that smart. You know, there’s this idea that the media is this powerful pillar that dictates things to the people. The media has always been a marketplace….The media dictates nothing.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s tons of information out there. It is the Information Age. There’s an impressive amount of information out there for the taking. There’s a lot out there a generation ago most people wouldn’t have even had access to, but people don’t want that — they want showbiz. They want to feel hope or they want to feel anger. They want to feel, you know? And yes, I do contribute to the decline of western civilization.

[laughs] I’m not saying that!

No no no, it’s okay, it’s okay, Emily, I know what you’re getting around. I know what this is — this is a “gotcha” interview!

Yes, you found me out, I’m the next greatest journalist there ever was!

[laughs] You’re going to misquote me! John DeVore says, ‘I am the decline of western—’  actually that’d be a great quote.

Well, you write for pay, you write for whatever, but hey – if it’s good writing, it’s good writing no matter what it is.

Well, when I say I’m a hack writer that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it, I love it!

So what are five things you always look for or try to achieve with your writing? What do you try to go for to make your pieces good?

Be entertaining. Be compelling. You know, be concise. Respect the flow. Sometimes when you’re writing it takes a lot of effort to get started. It’s really tough to get into it, like jogging. I hurts until you reach a point where it doesn’t hurt. When you hit that point where it’s just flowing out of you and the music’s playing, that’s great, don’t fight that. And be very wary of over-editing the stuff that you’re writing when you’re in that flow. Don’t tell but show. Make people feel. If you can make a person feel something, that’s incredibly valuable. If you can make them feel, if you can make them cry, if you can make them laugh, if you make them horny, if you make them feel something, that’s a hell of a thing for a writer to be able to do.

Do you have any plans to write a book?

I’ve thought about that and I’ve talked to agents and editors, but right now in my life I am a blogger. It’s such a new thing, people just don’t get it. It was only ’95 that the browser as we know it was invented and back in 1999 I was in print magazines and I made the decision to jump online. People weren’t doing it, I was told I would destroy my career.

But you know, every writer has their romantic writer heroes. Like any friggin’ douchebag male wannabe writer in high school, I loved the Beats, I loved Kerouac. Cliche as hell, but I remember in ’99 asking myself, who was a writing hero of mine and would he have gone online? And I had to say ‘Yeah!’ That’s what it’s about, new ways of writing, new ways of communicating, new kinds of music, new social movements – he actually would have been online. So I kind of feel excited being part of the evolution of something that has never been before.

There are a lot of people who grew up being like, “I want to be a magazine writer.” But really at the end of the day, I want to be a writer. I want to make a living writing. And if that means…Well, bloggers don’t get any respect, that’s a pretty good bet. You know, but history’s shown groups of people who were pioneering something and got no respect.

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under the red hood (and other geeky goodness)

I watched Under the Red Hood a couple weeks ago with my brother and loved it. I was actually surprised to find out how dark it was – I know, I’m watching Batman, right? I guess I’m used to cartoons being a bit more tame. The opening scene has the Joker beating Robin with a crowbar. Definitely a bit more intense than expected.

The plot is very emotional and mature as well. It’s based on the 2005 Batman series Under the Hood, which I didn’t read but want to now, and Death in the Family, which was made in like, the 80′s or something.

I don’t know too much about comics, really, I just buy a few here or there that look interesting. And I watch Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Still. In fact, I just finished watching an episode where Wonder Woman  dances with Batman and goes clubbing in Paris. No joke. But after that she saves the world from an immortal Nazi who set up a huge asteroid shooting gun in space.

I bought Jodi Picoult’s Wonder Woman comic, Love & Murder, last summer. It was alright. I was expecting a real emotional expose but it didn’t happen. Instead the Amazons attacked Washington D.C. Okay.

And as you may have noticed, I’m a fan of the Green Arrow. Quiver, Archer’s Quest, Sounds of Violence and City Walls are pretty amazing. I like Green Arrow because he’s human, funny and a bit of a jerk. Actually, a lot of a jerk. What kind of man cheats on Black Canary? Seriously not cool. But then you have inner turmoil. And that’s interesting. Ah, inner turmoil.

So, ah, know what else is interesting? My birthday is coming up! Pretty exciting, huh?

steve martin

You know, I really like Steve Martin a lot lately. I don’t know why, I never really was into him before, except for maybe Father of the Bride (which, by the way, is a great movie. Also Part II, actually. Both very good). But Cheaper by the Dozen (I and II), Pink Panther (I and II) and Bringing Down the House? Definite pass.

However, I did recently discover he plays the banjo (I guess I’m young cause apparently he’s been doing it since the 70′s) and bought his album The Crow for my aspiring banjo-player boyfriend – and ended up liking it quite a bit myself. Awhile back I watched Shopgirl out of the blue, which Martin wrote and starred in, and enjoyed it a lot too. It’s a drama, really, and for once no one gets chased by dogs. And then today I watched It’s Complicated, which is something like a dramedy, where Martin plays a supporting role. Again, no slapstick involving food, dogs or food and dogs. It was enjoyable and sweet. I like his subtler side.

That’s pretty much it.

I’m trying to write something once a day now, btw, so you might see random stuff like this more often.

best twitter update ever

Excellent.

awake

I definitely haven’t been posting at all. I’ve been really busy and frankly, not in the mood when I have spare time. I usually browse through The Frisky or some crap and then go to bed. I guess I haven’t had too much to say without turning this into an online diary, which isn’t what anybody needs.

So Woodhands released a free EP online called Remixcapade. You should probably download it here. CP24 (Teen Mix) is a super fun song that cheers me up a lot. Dance party!

Exit Through the Gift Shop is absolutely clever. Banksy made it, and he’s pretty brilliant. Go see it.

I’ve been in a funk lately and beat myself up a lot when things go wrong, which is not good. I should just acknowledge what needs to be improved and move on, but instead I dwell. Hey, sometimes you do have to contemplate the repercussions of your actions. I just have a tendency to dwell on things longer than I should.

I need to get over a lot of things. And probably go to the gym more. Exercise would be a good way to vent frustration. Also, dancing.

Network (1976)

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

So says the TV prophet Howard Beale in the 1976 movie Network, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall.

The story starts when TV news anchor Howard Beale announces that he will kill himself on live television in a week. He is cut off the air and promptly fired. The day after, Beale admits he suffered a mental breakdown and would like to apologize to his viewers and say goodbye on-air, providing closure for his 11 years on the show. His boss, Max Schumacher, agrees.

However, Beale’s apology turns into a tirade about all the “bullshit” in the world. The producers are about to cut him off again when they notice their ratings have skyrocketed – and they keep Beale on-air. UBS, the station, has not been doing so well in ratings but Beale’s antics have put UBS on the map. The other tv stations and newspapers are reporting the “crazy news anchor” story, giving UBS huge publicity.

Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway), the programming director, suggests that UBS should give Beale a new show; the “angry television prophet telling it like it is” could be very profitable, she argues. UBS listens to her, puts her in charge of the show’s production and soon they have the number one show on television. Each night Howard Beale goes on a tirade about different subjects and the network watches the money roll in. Slowly Beale descends into insanity while the network continues to exploit him – until his ratings drop. Now Diana will do whatever she can to get rid of Beale and replace him with another show.

This movie heavily criticizes the for-profit nature of news organizations selling out to gimmicks. UBS was a lowly station with a simple news program until Beale went crazy. Then they turned Beale’s show into a circus act – soothsayer and all – and their ratings skyrocketed. Everything about this movie is very bleak – the station is run by absolutely miserable people who only care about profit and their key to success is a raving madman.

It’s a brilliant movie, though, a must-see. It is a reminder that putting too much focus on your career, success, prestige and money can turn you into the most miserable, ugly person no-matter how beautiful your physical appearance is. It is the people and relationships that matter the most. If your personal relationships fall apart it’s only a matter of time before everything else does.

At least that’s what I took away from it.

no no no no no

Did anybody watch this? It aired April 4th and 11th on CBC apparently. It’s a Ben Hur mini-series that looks awful (this is why I don’t watch tv). More sex? Useless action sequences? Messiah story completely removed? (Original 1880 title, btw = Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ). Someone confirm my suspicions so I can complain further and say things like, “What is our world coming to?” and “Where are my percocets?”

Update: AHHHHH! “Joseph Morgan had never seen the 1959 movie when he auditioned for the Ben Hur mini-series.”

*pours glass of wine*

“This new Ben Hur is a younger, sexier, more action-packed take on the story that spawned the multi-Oscar-winning 1959 film.”

*drinks glass of wine*

“There’s a whole section where Ben Hur becomes a gladiator, before he becomes a Roman noble, which was not in the original.”

*chugs bottle*

Let’s try to erase the knowledge of this mini-series from my memory. Behold, perfection:

to be or not to be

You know, I really dig this speech. It’s brilliant. Here are two completely different performances by Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh. I love both, but I like Branagh’s a bit more just because he delivers it so differently from what I would expect but pulls it off perfectly. He’s debating intensely with quiet reservation. Gibson goes for full dramatic effect and doesn’t hold much back. The locations are in stark contrast as well. Branagh is in a brightly lit room, Gibson is in a dark burial chamber. Anyways, I’m stating the obvious now. Just watch them both. It’s worth your time.

get a little action tonight

Here is The Expendables trailer. Watch and be in awe.

Now I know it’s often a bad idea to judge a movie by its trailer…but this legitimately looks awesome. Finally, an action flick featuring 80′s and 90′s stars that doesn’t revive and mutilate a beloved franchise (Die Hard 4, anyone? Rocky MXXVIII?).

There’s something about swashbuckling, cynical, action/adventure heroes that I just totally love. They’re usually jaded, looking out for number one, but have a streak of integrity that in the end forces them to do the right thing and save the day. Hot.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and reminisce my love for action heroes:

Okay, so here is the classic Die Hard dvd stand turned bookshelf. I worked at Superstore a couple years ago and totally called dibs on it when the electronics department was about to throw it away. I thought it was funny that such a bookshelf should be the home of Anna Karenina, The Complete Works of Shakespeare and many C.S Lewis books – although the Tom Clancy was right at home. I had to give it away last year when we moved, but it is in the hands of good friends now.

Then there was the time I coerced a group of friends to dress up as John Mclane for the Live Free or Die Hard premier. Yes, we are wearing wifebeaters, dress pants and flip flops. It’s the attention to detail that counts (Flip flops were the closest thing to barefoot. O what a dork am I). You know, because John McLane was barefoot the entire movie. Anyways, I don’t think anyone who saw us really caught on. I think they all thought we were servers who just got off work or something.

And then there was the Indiana Jones 4 premier….had to dress up for that, of course. Btw, those are straw hats we painted brown because we were too poor to buy real fedoras. I was an epic wannabe once. Back in the day. Definitely not anymore…nope.

….The Expendables premier, anyone?

The Rainmaker by John Grisham

directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Matt Damon, Danny Devito, Jon Voigt and Claire Danes

Augh. What a terrible and boring movie. And were all musical scores in the 90’s so cheesy? Worst. Ever.

Danny Devito was pretty awesome as Deck Shiffler, the sidekick, but that’s pretty much all the acting credit this movie gets; everyone else sounded like they were reading a script. Matt Damon bores as Rudy Baylor. Jon Voigt was alright, I guess, as Leo F. Drummond, the adversary, but that’s about it.

See, they didn’t put enough focus on Rudy. This guy had it rough and he was working hard. He filed for bankruptcy, was evicted, doorknocking on firms looking for a job, working late at the bar only to wake up at the crack of dawn to do yardwork. The movie, of course, lets us know all this, but just doesn’t put as much emphasis on it. I guess in a movie you can only spend so much time on one part of the plot, but that part was the reason I liked the book so much.

However, when it came to aesthetics, the characters and the settings all looked almost exactly how I had imagined them, with the exception of Donny Ray. I thought he would look far more emaciated – instead they got a James Franco look alike to talk faintly and tell us he was dying. Didn’t quite work for me.

I’m not sure how I feel about the adaptation from book to screen either. I mean, granted, scenes were omitted for time, and the scenes they did keep were hardly altered from the book…but I just felt they didn’t flow together well enough. Everything was very choppy, like the purpose of each scene was merely getting to the next scene, instead of drawing you in and making you care about what was happening to the characters right then.

But you know, I always complain that movie scripts never stay true to the book, and this one still did, so I’ll give it kudos for that.

3.5/5

Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D

For what it is, Journey to the Center of the Earth isn’t horrendous. It’s entertaining enough – just don’t expect much plot or character development and you’ll be fine. I went mainly for the 3D DINOSAURS which were friggin’ sweet, but they might have caught the short end of finances ’cause the T-Rex only has like, a 3 minute spot. There was no Great Saurian Combat in the ocean, just some Great Saurian Fish Eating…which was not bad, but just not the same.

However, I did like how they acknowledged the original book and didn’t pretend this movie was a direct adaptation. There’s even a part where Brenden Fraser is reading out loud from the book as he is exploring with his nephew and guide (Hannah, as opposed to Hans – clever).

I have to say though, the landscape at the center of the earth was really well done. For the most part, it looked a lot like how I had pictured it.

They attempted in no way to explain the science, of course. They go to the center of the earth and back in like, 2 days, whereas in the book it took 6 months or something. It didn’t remotely care to explain how our explorer’s heads didn’t implode as they rapidly fell a billion feet below sea level or explode on their way up – but that wasn’t the point. The point was to see a lot of cool 3D stuff, which they succeeded at, I’d say. Although they could have cut a lot of the mine-car scene and given the Saurians more time….

Oh, and I wanted Brenden Fraser to get eaten by the end of it. Everyone’s one-liners were brutal, but his especially. I was rooting for the dinosaur that was chasing him….

Anyways, I give it 3/5.

Prince Caspian movie review (Aka: C.S Lewis is turning over in his grave)

Spoiler alert, if you care.

There’s good, and then there’s the bad. Here’s the good:

Repicheep. YES, they did him perfectly! It brought me joy.

Caspian’s hair. It was gorgeous…I could not stop looking at it. Wow.

The sea-god at the end. Very well done and impressive.

And the costumes somehow seemed a bit better this time around…especially Susan’s. They looked more real, whereas in the last movie it just looked like expensive dress-up.

Unfortunately, that’s really it. I can count the amount of things I liked about this movie on one hand. In my previous post I quoted eight parts from the book that I hope they kept in the movie. Well, I only saw three. Weak, very weak.

First off…lack of Aslan. He’s like, in two scenes! And that’s it! I can understand cutting out Bacchus and Silenus…but why couldn’t the frolicking scene go on without them?

Also, PETER. Peter’s character in the movie is the exact opposite of Peter in the book. This quote sums it up:

“”I haven’t come to take your place, you know [Caspian], but to put you into it.”

In the movie Peter has this complex where he has to do things his way and always be in charge, and he and Caspian butt heads over this. Whereas in the book, everyone gets along quite amiably right off the bat. Also, in the book, Peter, along with Susan, doesn’t believe at first that Lucy saw Aslan , but soon he’s right back to his kingly self when he says: “We don’t know when [Aslan] will act. In his time, no doubt, not ours.”

That’s one thing I noticed, actually…modern movies like to introduce these complexes into characters to make them more “real.” Is it too far fetched for someone to actually have a noble character? Like Beowulf succumbing to lust for treasure and glory, like Superman having a freaking child out of wedlock…like Peter having this major ego and practically despising Caspian.

Also, it was not established just how scared of the forest the Telemarines really were. I mean, the forest freaks them out. That’s how all the tree nymphs and dryads scare the everlivin’s out of them and they run back to the bridge. In the movie they’re just slightly superstitious about the forest, and they don’t seem very phased at all when the trees showed up.

Um…what else. Oh yeah, the whole “let’s summon the White Witch scene” happened closer to the beginning, and Caspian was outraged at the very idea, not cooperative. And they never got around to actually summoning her before Caspian and Trufflehunter killed Nikabrik, the hag and the werewolf.

UM. Man, there are a billion things more. Oh, they never stormed the castle either.

Oh, and was it necessary for Caspian to have that annoying accent? I could hardly understand him sometimes. Blah.

Seriously…I didn’t like the first movie very much, but that might as well have been word-for-word compared to Prince Caspian. I had hope for it…actually. I thought there might be a chance… I give it 1 star out of 5, mainly for Repicheep and Caspian’s hair.

Update: As a commenter pointed out, and I agree: as a movie Prince Caspian isn’t all that terrible. If you haven’t read the book you might actually enjoy it a fair bit. However, as an adaptation of the book it is horrendous – which is mainly all I care about – and that’s why it lost 4 stars. =P