Laura's recent posts

Recent public discussion board posts (showing 1-20 of 40).

these things are public, you know.

Oh, I have read more. This was the first, years ago. I got totally sucked into the Gunslinger series. I love all the cultural and literary references he throws in, in addition to mingling characters and places from his other stories -- oh, and he makes a cameo appearance! I'm terrified of all the more gruesome ghost-story type stuff he has written; I won't go near them.

Perhaps it was censored.

Me too, on the "Shakespeare in Love"!

As for "these idiotic teenagers who thought, with the egomaniacism that only teenagers can achieve, that theirs is THE ONLY love that has ever been or can ever be, and the ONLY ALTERNATIVE is suicide!" -- well, isn't that EXACTLY what Shakespeare wrote?

YES! Now go read it.

43. Tombs of Atuan -- Ursula K. LeGuin
44. The Omnivore's Dilemma -- Michael Pollan

38. Winter's Heart -- Robert Jordan
39. Crossroads of Twilight -- Robert Jordan
40. Knife of Dreams -- Robert Jordan
41. New Spring -- Robert Jordan
42. A Wizard of Earthsea -- Ursula K. LeGuin

35. Lord of Chaos -- Robert Jordan
36. Crown of Swords -- Robert Jordan
37. The Path of Daggers -- Robert Jordan

33. The Shadow Rising -- Robert Jordan
34. The Fires of Heaven -- Robert Jordan

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Anyone who loves the kung fu movie genre would love this movie -- it is so true to form, just animated. Oh, and Jack Black is great as Po. The artwork is beautiful, it was done already in Mulan, that very Chinese art stylized animation, but very well done again here. It struck me as being sort of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" meets "Kung Fu Hustle" -- beauty and funny together. Ski-doosh!

32. The Dragon Reborn -- Robert Jordan

Having FINALLY seen the movie, I find I agree in part with both of you. They did do a good job of condensing and retelling the story. It is darker and sadder this second visit, more savage, as Trumpkin says. I could also have done without the additional, unneccessary battle at the castle, and the tension between Caspian and Peter. Caspian should have been a boy Edmund's age, to whom Peter as High King hands over the rule of Narnia, legitimizing him as the rightful King, more Narnian at heart than Telmarine.

I did miss Lucy's interaction with Aslan, when she follows his call into the dark and finds the trees dancing. I thought the movie was going to go there, when she commented that the trees were so still, and that they used to dance, but then it fell short, leaving us with only a lovely dream sequence and a dissappointing awakening. After that, nothing happened quite as it was supposed to.

The Beruna Bridge exists already in the book, and the river spirit says to Aslan, "loose my chains," which Aslan does, returning Beruna to its wilder, more primitive, more natural state...a metaphor for the Narnia which flows seamlessly with natural wonder, versus the cold, hard metal and stone cities of the Telmarines. In fact, what happened to whole scene in which the young people come running and laughing and celebrating through the streets after Aslan?

As a whole, the book is more light-hearted than the movie, more like the wild, untamed, rowdy Narnia it is supposed to be. I suppose the movie would have been much shorter without the additional battle scene, but then, there would have been time for the bacchanalia. I wish the movie had taken less liberty with the story. It does not surpass The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, partly for that reason.

As an additonal note, I thought that the score would have been better if there were more new music in it, building on the themes of the first movie, rather than a reprise of the exact same music, overlaying a new battle.

31. The Great Hunt -- Robert Jordan

29. The Fifth Book of Peace -- Maxine Hong Kingston
30. The Eye of the World -- Robert Jordan

Probably. I saw the series through because I truly wanted to know how it would end, but the middle books are really slow going. They deteriorate into so much political ranting that they lose momentum.

At least seven or eight times. The series starts to deteriorate after the first few books, none are as good as the first.

I was rather disappointed by this movie. The music is excellent -- the integration of the clacking typewriter into the music is a great touch -- at least the first half of the movie, anyway. I was expecting mystery and romance and drama. It fell apart 45 minutes into the film, all the intensity was gone. It was nothing but futility for the remainder of the movie. Downright nihilist.

I never did get around to seeing this in the theater, finally saw it on DVD and I loved it so much I am definitely going to buy it. As a mother, the ending made me cry, just at the thought of going through the whole nine months and then giving up the baby like that. At the same time, I thought to myself, I want my daughter to see this in a few years! I want her to see an example of a smart teenage girl who makes a mistake and then finds a way to make it right, all on her own, and has the fortitude to see it through.

Story aside, the movie is very well done, the actors great, the music perfect.

Only twice, I think.

I just re-read these myself. I swear, some books become MORE powerful the older you get, even if they are written for young'uns.