Anansi Boys

After reading Anansi Boys and watching the MIT talk, I really love Neil Gaiman. I have added all of his books to my Amazon wish list, so if anyone wants to be supper nice to me and buy me something, my email is klgrigs@yahoo.com! I love how he makes these two completely different worlds mesh so well together. It is like that is the way the world has always been and its normal. I tend to really like pessimistic smart ass characters, so Fat Charlie and Spider were right up my alley. I love things like mythology and gods, and am really happy to have found a writer who can work them into modern novels so flawlessly. My only issue was the singing at the end of the book. That was a bit cheesy but it didnt turn me off from the entire book. It was just random and really odd to visualize.

His MIT talk really put a lot of things into perspective for me as a designer. The fact that he can take all these stories that already exist and are popular and change them in a way that they don't copy the original but still hold the impact and meaning of the original story really opened up a lot of paths for me. It's just improving on what already exists. We are getting to a place where it feels like everything has already been done, so thinking like a writer will really help with designing.

Mirrormask

I am a fan of Jim Henson movies — love Labyrinth. Anything with puppets is awesome! Mirrormask was obviously more advanced than simple puppetry, but still very visually stunning. It was a little confusing to watch because there was so much going on visually. The story was enjoyable and easy to follow once I understood what was going on. I do agree with what we talked about in class about the main character being too old. Her character did seem a bit immature for the actor playing her. There were a lot of creepy things like the man face cat things and the giants. After watching this Jim Henson movie, Labyrinth is still my favorite. Gotta love David Bowie and puppets!

Time Bandits

I watched the movie Time Bandits and thought it was cute. I could see myself really enjoying this movie as a kid. As an adult, I found it cute, but was not blown away. The story was interesting though. Who would have thought to time travel and steel from all the famous people in history. Brilliant! I did really enjoy Shaun Connery though. I forgot how attractive he was young. He still is a pretty handsome old dude though. After watching this, I totally picture those time travel squares while I read the rest of His Dark Materials now. All in all, cute movie for kids. It has a lot of elements kids would really enjoy. Adults should watch it for young Shaun Connery!

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass

I purchased His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman a few years ago with good intention to read it but I kept of forgetting about it and continued to buy other books to read, so it sat on the bookshelf and collected dust. I started it a few times but for some reason never finished. I was really excited when I saw that it was a reading for my literature class because then I would have to read it. I am really glad I did. I really enjoyed it. Every minute of it. It is one of those books that makes you think. Not just at some parts, but all parts. Pullman did a really good job and making the reader question life and everything that is associated with life. He put it in ways that are very easy to grasp. Some of the content is pretty deep and do not see a child reading this and understanding it.

I really like the concept of a daemon. To wear you soul on the outside really lets people into your character and it shows who you really are. In this book, you can tell a lot about a person by the form of their daemon or by they way they act. The individual may be able to hide their true feelings, but they're daemon can not. It says a lot about children and growing up too. Their daemons, or souls, are constantly changing forms and once they reach adulthood their daemon chooses a fixed form. Its like innocence is over and you cant keep changing your mind all the time. This is who you are so deal with it. It is sort of like being forced into growing up, which I think a lot of us need sometimes. I think right now, if it were up to me, my daemon would still be changing forms. If I were to have a daemon, I think it would be a chocolate labrador retriever, because they are fun, playful, loyal, smart, and always there when you need them. They know when to goof around but also when to be serious. They also make great companions. That would by my daemon.

I enjoyed The Golden Compass so much that I have continued onto the Subtle Knife. I was shocked in the beginning because it started out completely different with a new character in a new world but was relieved when Lyra made her appearance. I think her and Will are going to be going on some crazy adventures and am really looking forward to finishing it.

The Hobbit

I first read the hobbit back when I was in junior high, which was like 12 years ago so my memory of it is a little foggy. I read the Lord of the Rings more recently so I was nice to go back and read the hobbit again. It answered so many questions that I had from the Lord of the Rings. Like how Bilbo found the ring and how get got the Mithril. I really enjoyed the riddle game with Gollum too. No wonder he hates hobbits so much. They're sneaky! What I enjoy most about the hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books is how they transport you to another world. He is so good and describing every detail of middle earth that you can visualize it like it is real. You follow the map in your head along the journey and by the time you finish, you feel as though you were there on the journey with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves too. You forget about everything that is going on in your life, all the stress and deadlines, and just lose yourself in Tolkien's world. That is the main reason why I enjoy reading so much. I love all the characters you meet along the way too. Even the evil ones are sometimes funny, like the Trolls. My favorite character in the hobbit had to be Bjorn. I just pictured him as this big burley woodsy guy who is loyal to his friends and will do anything to protect the world he lives in. He seemed so pure and natural. I was not as fond of Bilbo and I was of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings though. Hobbits are funny but Frodo was more more pure at heart than Bilbo was. Frodo truly wanted to save everyone and make everything right again, where as Bilbo seemed like he was just there because Gandalf forced him. He seemed selfish to me. He did prove to be a good friend by saving the dwarves, but he was also sneaky by taking the arkenstone for himself. He only used it as leverage because he wanted to go home. All in all, I enjoyed the book very much and will probably read it again in the future. It is an enjoyable journey and a good companion on a cold rainy winter day.

A Wild Sheep Chase

This was my first time reading J-horror and I quite enjoyed it. Yeah, the book was kind of depressing but the writer Haruki Murakami describes everything in such detail he makes it sound less depressing. You can really picture the scenes in this whole book come to life. It was one of the smoothest reads I have read in a while. It is set up like a mystery novel and I love a good mystery. Murakami really makes you wait until the VERY end to reveal the secrets. It was not a very intense book but there definitely was A LOT of suspense. I could not put the book down because I could not wait for everything to make sense. I agree, that it is a little weird that nobody has a name in this book, except for a few, but I think that just adds to the mystery. To me, it didn't feel like anything was missing. I do not think it was have been as good if everyone had names. Its hilarious that he didn't even name his cat. He just called it "Cat." By making the world around him seem so simple and boring, it made this mysterious mission he was going on that much more prevalent. There were no distractions. I didn't have to worry about remembering names. Some of the characters in this book are so mysterious and good, they don't need names. My favorites were the Chauffeur and the Sheep man. I think there is a sequel that has some more of the Sheep man in it so I may add that to my Amazon wish list. Good characters and a good mystery make up for the doom and gloom atmosphere in this book. I can see this being a very good movie. It would be something different for us and we need that right now.

Reading this book really does make you sit back and think about your life and where it is and where it is headed. The majority of us are probably already like the narrator of this book, or we are on our way to being like him. It seems that today, most people just go through the motions of life. Nobody really LIVES anymore, and its sad. This book made me realize that sometimes we need an adventure, or something that will just shake things up a bit, no matter how crazy it is. It makes us realize how little we were living before. If somebody came up to me and asked me to find a chestnut sheep with a star on it's back, I would so do it. Bring it on!

Vampire Movie Weekend

Bram Stoker's Dracula:

First off, I was a little worried about this movie because it had Keanu Reeves in it and for some reason I always picture him as Ted from the Bill and Ted movies. He was okay in this one because he wasn't in it as much. I never read the book so I was not familiar with the story of Dracula. I enjoyed the story part of the movie way more than the special effects. It had some really cheesy parts in it: Winona Ryder's beating heart and the eyes in the sky. The only actors that I really like in it were Gary Oldman as Dracula and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing. I was not blown away by this movie and will probably never watch it again, mostly because of the cheese effects.

The Lost Boys:

Even though this movie is older it was my favorite out of the three I watched. It is probably now one of my favorite vampire movies. Kieffer Suttherland played a really good vampire in my opinion. He was cool, calm, vicious and seductive, not to mention he drove a motorcycle. I think by not showing the vampires actually flying was a really good choice because it would have probably just looked fake and cheesy. I love that they just hinted at the attacks and didn't really show them except for that one scene at the bonfire. The frog brothers were entertaining and the fact that the grandpa saved everyone from the vampires is great. The last line in the movie is my favorite: "The one thing I could never get over about living in Santa Carla, is all the damn vampires." (or something like that). Aside from the 80's wardrobe, these vampires were my favorite. This movie is definitely on my "to buy" list. I love most 80's movies in general because I grew up them up.

Interview with the Vampire:

I know this was not on the movie list but since we just read the book and it had been a while since I have saw I decide to watch it again. It does not measure up the book at all but its not a bad movie as long as you are not comparing it to the book. Most movies based on book don't measure up, in my experience. Although I still really enjoy the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies. The casting was off; Bradd Pitt, Tom Cruise and Antonio Banderas do not make ideal vampires in my opinion. Tom Cruise maybe since he is kind of "off" to begin with. The only actor that really fit the character was Kirstin Dunst as Claudia. She was soooo creepy and evil in the book and in the movie. All in all, not my favorite vampire movie, but also not a bad way to kill a couple hours. Read the book though. It is way better.

Why isn't "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" with Luke Perry not on the list? Ha ha. That was one of my all time favorite movies to watch when I was little.