Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 116
November 23, 2011
Picture Kaleidoscope 11/23/11
Feed your eyes!
Lego store in the mall had this beauty in their window. Sweetness!
Funky fan at a new Mexican restaurant in town. Weirdest fan blades ever! :P
Autumn colors: Your Green Shoots Photographs.
If you click on the link for the larger/original image, you'll see an astronaut reflected in the photo. Loved that! NASA's Image of the Day - Bean Walks on the Moon.
There's something just pleasing about this one. Heart of Gold by lieveheersbeestje.
Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
Once it gets going this is amazing! Got it from Petapixel.
From NASA's Pic of the Day - McCandles orbits in Jetpack. So cool!
[image error]
Jon Huertas shared this pic from Castle.
Enjoy!
Lego store in the mall had this beauty in their window. Sweetness!
Funky fan at a new Mexican restaurant in town. Weirdest fan blades ever! :P
Autumn colors: Your Green Shoots Photographs.
If you click on the link for the larger/original image, you'll see an astronaut reflected in the photo. Loved that! NASA's Image of the Day - Bean Walks on the Moon.
There's something just pleasing about this one. Heart of Gold by lieveheersbeestje.
Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
Once it gets going this is amazing! Got it from Petapixel.
From NASA's Pic of the Day - McCandles orbits in Jetpack. So cool!
[image error]
Jon Huertas shared this pic from Castle.
Enjoy!
November 21, 2011
Mind Sieve 11/21/11
Welcome to one and all to another Mind Sieve round of insanity! Hope you find something fun or at least useful in this mess! :)
If you're an NCIS fan, you heard Dinozzo talk about his Bucket List. Michael Weatherly shared the whole thing with the fans here. It's so Tony! Heh heh heh.
Chuck (NSFW) Wendig shared his Recipe for Sinner's Stew (Contains coffee, beer, and whiskey! oh my!) Sounds quite nice.
Hunger Games movie preview. I've not read the books but know a lot of people who love them. Preview is definitely titillating, that's for sure. :) And I love the young man playing the male counterpart. Awesome actor.
Ellie Ann is doing a series of blogs on What I Want To Be When I Grow Up - First up A Spook. And she interviews one to get the real skinny. Fascinating.
Artist MarieMJS painted this to encourage the writers for the British series "Sherlock" to write Mark Sheppard into the cast. I totally agree! Would be a super blast! Here is a Watson and Sheppard match.
A Dr Who Movie on the Way! I'm both excited and nervous about this development! But still, Dr Who on the BIG SCREEN! Woot!
Best For Film has found out that those Muppet people also have a penchant for the Twilight films. Here's one of the three posters. You can find all three here. Too funny!
Steven Popkis has a cool discussion on Signs of Life. Basically, how do you really know if there's life on a planet.
Gene Lempp's Designing from Bones tackles Signalling Viewpoints this week! (I'm thinking another worls where electricity doesn't work so towers are manned by telepaths where the next tower right at the edge of their range - mind to mind communication. heh heh.)
Movie Preview for Mirror Mirror. Looks like it will be a blast! Not your typical Snow White story, that's for sure. lol.
New preview for Disnety Pixar's Brave. Looking forward to it!
Kristen Lamb warns - Beware the Social Media Snuggie! One Size Does Not Fit All!
Are Libraries Good for Authors? A post by Kristin Laughtin. (People actually think of libraries as book pirates?!?!?)
Well, a week of two ago, I had articles here about joining Klout. This week, I have one about DeKoutifying by John Scalzi. Heh heh. (I don't do any of the perks stuff or eagle eye my score, so...shrug) What will you decide?
Rachelle Gardner gives advice on What NOT to Blog About. And she's totally correct. The internet NEVER forgets!
Why Writers Need a Platform by Kristen Lamb.
Sharla Rae tells us Why Some Blogs Make Me Cranky. (And I totally agree. A lot of this stuff makes me cranky too! Heh heh. But then, that's why I am your Mind Sieve. Bwahahahaha!)
Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law - awesome discussion by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig and the weirdness we as writers get mired in. Go - Read - Be Free!
More from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig as in 25 Reasons Readers Will Keep Reading Your Story.
Does Age Matter For Writers? Question answered by Rachelle Gardner. (I know an author that didn't publish till her 80's and she's still kicking buns! Booyah!)
From Larry at Storyfix.com The Are of Receiving Criticism. Some very good points in this! All peeps are not made the same with critiquing skills.
Foreshadowing: How A Sore Thumb Can Prepare You For A Brutal Beating by Roz Morris. Good stuff!
Okay, the eyeballs are screaming. Time for me to stop. This should keep you lot busy for a while anyways. Bwahahahahaha!
Till next time!
If you're an NCIS fan, you heard Dinozzo talk about his Bucket List. Michael Weatherly shared the whole thing with the fans here. It's so Tony! Heh heh heh.
Chuck (NSFW) Wendig shared his Recipe for Sinner's Stew (Contains coffee, beer, and whiskey! oh my!) Sounds quite nice.
Hunger Games movie preview. I've not read the books but know a lot of people who love them. Preview is definitely titillating, that's for sure. :) And I love the young man playing the male counterpart. Awesome actor.
Ellie Ann is doing a series of blogs on What I Want To Be When I Grow Up - First up A Spook. And she interviews one to get the real skinny. Fascinating.
Artist MarieMJS painted this to encourage the writers for the British series "Sherlock" to write Mark Sheppard into the cast. I totally agree! Would be a super blast! Here is a Watson and Sheppard match.
A Dr Who Movie on the Way! I'm both excited and nervous about this development! But still, Dr Who on the BIG SCREEN! Woot!
Best For Film has found out that those Muppet people also have a penchant for the Twilight films. Here's one of the three posters. You can find all three here. Too funny!
Steven Popkis has a cool discussion on Signs of Life. Basically, how do you really know if there's life on a planet.
Gene Lempp's Designing from Bones tackles Signalling Viewpoints this week! (I'm thinking another worls where electricity doesn't work so towers are manned by telepaths where the next tower right at the edge of their range - mind to mind communication. heh heh.)
Movie Preview for Mirror Mirror. Looks like it will be a blast! Not your typical Snow White story, that's for sure. lol.
New preview for Disnety Pixar's Brave. Looking forward to it!
Kristen Lamb warns - Beware the Social Media Snuggie! One Size Does Not Fit All!
Are Libraries Good for Authors? A post by Kristin Laughtin. (People actually think of libraries as book pirates?!?!?)
Well, a week of two ago, I had articles here about joining Klout. This week, I have one about DeKoutifying by John Scalzi. Heh heh. (I don't do any of the perks stuff or eagle eye my score, so...shrug) What will you decide?
Rachelle Gardner gives advice on What NOT to Blog About. And she's totally correct. The internet NEVER forgets!
Why Writers Need a Platform by Kristen Lamb.
Sharla Rae tells us Why Some Blogs Make Me Cranky. (And I totally agree. A lot of this stuff makes me cranky too! Heh heh. But then, that's why I am your Mind Sieve. Bwahahahaha!)
Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law - awesome discussion by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig and the weirdness we as writers get mired in. Go - Read - Be Free!
More from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig as in 25 Reasons Readers Will Keep Reading Your Story.
Does Age Matter For Writers? Question answered by Rachelle Gardner. (I know an author that didn't publish till her 80's and she's still kicking buns! Booyah!)
From Larry at Storyfix.com The Are of Receiving Criticism. Some very good points in this! All peeps are not made the same with critiquing skills.
Foreshadowing: How A Sore Thumb Can Prepare You For A Brutal Beating by Roz Morris. Good stuff!
Okay, the eyeballs are screaming. Time for me to stop. This should keep you lot busy for a while anyways. Bwahahahahaha!
Till next time!
November 18, 2011
Movie Review - Immortals
Immortals
Starring: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Joseph Morgan, Anne Day-Jones, Greg Bryk, and more.
Directed by: Tarsem Sighn Written by: Charley Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides Original Music by: Trevor Morris
Premise: King Hyperion is searching for a special bow he can use to release the Titans trapped under Mount Tartarous. It's how he seeks to reap revenge on the gods who failed him as well as the rest of the world. Young Theseus, unknowlingly trained by Zeus, gets thrown into the middle of Hyperion's chaos as he searches for the weapon. (Rated R)
Review: I would STRONGLY caution against taking children to this one. There is a lot of carnage but also truly vicious implied torture and abuse. That being said...
This had one of the coolest and most intriguing beginnings that I've seen in a long time. The music ramped up at just the right moment to make the whole scene sing. Masterful. (And creepy. Oh so very creepy.)
Forget about what you know about Greek Mythology when you go see this film, however, as this follows it very very loosely and in some places totally changes it. So you've at least been warned. :)
Great costumes and sets and some amazing colors and contrasts. The CGI vistas are breathtaking. A lot of detail on everything. They also have a lot of fun with scene transitions, several of which were quite lovely. Depictions of murals and buildings looked very legit for the period so gave great atmosphere. And when something godlike happened, you had no doubt of it! Weirdest head gear you have ever seen as well 0 very imaginative for the gods and the priestesses. Even had some foreign tongues in a few places for flavor, though they do fall back to modern English and worse, British accents, but what the hey.
Lots of great fights! Was super impressed when Henry Cavill made some moves like pulling a sword or holding his spear (even chopping at a log that never gave) seem very natural and fluid. Aside from a little time spent on Theseus and a couple of others, the rest didn't get much in the way of build up, but it doesn't hurt the overall story too badly.
There is one bit of bad planning by the architect of the Wall, but then again I don't think they ever thought anyone would get that far. Still, the movie is fast paced, the villain has depth, and I liked the role of the gods, how they have rules they've not shared with the humans, and therefore make what they do or do not do, seem fickle to those below. Definitely a new take on Zeus for sure.
The ending was also quite neat and leaves you with a sense of unease at those things which we can't see.
Overall, quite the visual and fun romp.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
Starring: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Joseph Morgan, Anne Day-Jones, Greg Bryk, and more.
Directed by: Tarsem Sighn Written by: Charley Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides Original Music by: Trevor Morris
Premise: King Hyperion is searching for a special bow he can use to release the Titans trapped under Mount Tartarous. It's how he seeks to reap revenge on the gods who failed him as well as the rest of the world. Young Theseus, unknowlingly trained by Zeus, gets thrown into the middle of Hyperion's chaos as he searches for the weapon. (Rated R)
Review: I would STRONGLY caution against taking children to this one. There is a lot of carnage but also truly vicious implied torture and abuse. That being said...
This had one of the coolest and most intriguing beginnings that I've seen in a long time. The music ramped up at just the right moment to make the whole scene sing. Masterful. (And creepy. Oh so very creepy.)
Forget about what you know about Greek Mythology when you go see this film, however, as this follows it very very loosely and in some places totally changes it. So you've at least been warned. :)
Great costumes and sets and some amazing colors and contrasts. The CGI vistas are breathtaking. A lot of detail on everything. They also have a lot of fun with scene transitions, several of which were quite lovely. Depictions of murals and buildings looked very legit for the period so gave great atmosphere. And when something godlike happened, you had no doubt of it! Weirdest head gear you have ever seen as well 0 very imaginative for the gods and the priestesses. Even had some foreign tongues in a few places for flavor, though they do fall back to modern English and worse, British accents, but what the hey.
Lots of great fights! Was super impressed when Henry Cavill made some moves like pulling a sword or holding his spear (even chopping at a log that never gave) seem very natural and fluid. Aside from a little time spent on Theseus and a couple of others, the rest didn't get much in the way of build up, but it doesn't hurt the overall story too badly.
There is one bit of bad planning by the architect of the Wall, but then again I don't think they ever thought anyone would get that far. Still, the movie is fast paced, the villain has depth, and I liked the role of the gods, how they have rules they've not shared with the humans, and therefore make what they do or do not do, seem fickle to those below. Definitely a new take on Zeus for sure.
The ending was also quite neat and leaves you with a sense of unease at those things which we can't see.
Overall, quite the visual and fun romp.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
Movie Review - Twilight Breaking Dawn Pt 1
Twilight Breaking Dawn Pt 1
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Gil Birmingham, Sarah Clarke, Ashley Green, Peter Facinelli, Anna Kendrik, and more.
Directed by: Bill Condon Based on the Novel by: Stephanie Meyer Screenplay by: Melissa Rosenberg Original Music by: Carter Burwell
Premise: Bella and Edward finally tie the knot, yet something unexpected occurs while in their honeymoon. Something that might very well cost Bella her life. (PG-13)
Review: The film starts out a little off key, the dialogue and acting not quite jelling for some reason, but luckily that improved before long.
Lots of little funny moments splattered all over the first half of the film. A lot of subtle touches too, so that they 'show' a lot of emotions at certain moments rather than 'tell' them, which was great.
There was even a sub story thrown in, which if you're not paying attention could be easily missed. Keep an eye on Billy, Charlie, and their lady friend. Edward and Jacob aren't the only ones with love troubles.
The CGI for the wolves was good, though they change back to humans seemingly fully clothed. But where the movie truly excelled was all the work they did on Bella. There's a bathroom scene that gave me chills as we see her shoulders and backside. And then the scene with her almost at the end of the film. Beautiful seamless transitions that truly brought the point home. Kudos on that, guys!
As you should expect, the movie leaves you hanging for part 2, but the film itself does go full circle. Make sure to stay through part of the credits as there's a little more to see - a quick peek on what we can expect part 2 to be about. Trouble is coming!
Overall, it was fun and entertaining.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)[image error]
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Gil Birmingham, Sarah Clarke, Ashley Green, Peter Facinelli, Anna Kendrik, and more.
Directed by: Bill Condon Based on the Novel by: Stephanie Meyer Screenplay by: Melissa Rosenberg Original Music by: Carter Burwell
Premise: Bella and Edward finally tie the knot, yet something unexpected occurs while in their honeymoon. Something that might very well cost Bella her life. (PG-13)
Review: The film starts out a little off key, the dialogue and acting not quite jelling for some reason, but luckily that improved before long.
Lots of little funny moments splattered all over the first half of the film. A lot of subtle touches too, so that they 'show' a lot of emotions at certain moments rather than 'tell' them, which was great.
There was even a sub story thrown in, which if you're not paying attention could be easily missed. Keep an eye on Billy, Charlie, and their lady friend. Edward and Jacob aren't the only ones with love troubles.
The CGI for the wolves was good, though they change back to humans seemingly fully clothed. But where the movie truly excelled was all the work they did on Bella. There's a bathroom scene that gave me chills as we see her shoulders and backside. And then the scene with her almost at the end of the film. Beautiful seamless transitions that truly brought the point home. Kudos on that, guys!
As you should expect, the movie leaves you hanging for part 2, but the film itself does go full circle. Make sure to stay through part of the credits as there's a little more to see - a quick peek on what we can expect part 2 to be about. Trouble is coming!
Overall, it was fun and entertaining.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)[image error]
November 16, 2011
Picture Kaleidoscope 11/16/11 - The Austin Comic Con Edition
Oh yeah! This past weekend was the Austin Comic Con put on by Wizard World. Got a ton of pics. (From the phone - already was carrying way too much through the airport :P)
Obligatory table shot.
Yes, the book is OUT! I held it in my little hands for the first time there. :P
Creepy companion across the isle. All weekend LONG! (She did not get prettier over time. :P)
Scarecrow?
Angry Zombie Lawn Gnome. Also across the isle from me, at least on Friday. (I think he might have wanted to date the dead girl.)
Major steampunk presence! The Airship peeps had their own table even!
Scare For A Cure - sign ups for costume contest, kids costume contest, and doing makeup for donations. Also took donations during the "Shoot the Storm Trooper" times.
Indiana Jones! Golden Idol and all!
Full form Steampunk Storm Trooper! Loved the alchemical vials.
Yes, Predator was in attendance
Summer Wear Batman - or so he said! lol.
Baddie from the Watchmen
Ood! Ood!!!
Harvey Dent. Even had words on the suit. Awesome job.
Loved this look. Better in person and his eye was also red. A dark drow, I believe.
Inspector Gadget!
Ghost Rider! Red glowing eyes too. Darn you camera!
A Roman Centurion and Maiden costumes made totally from paint swabs. Dang!
Manly Men!
Blue Bird of Paradise
Royal guard from Clone Wars and the Red Skull!
Queen of Hearts! Off with their heads!
He's BATMAN! Hee!
And what I took is only a sampling of the costume goodness at the place. I never even made it down famed peeps row. lol. Afraid to go down other aisles too. Loads of tempting goodies EVERYWHERE!
Enjoy~!
Obligatory table shot.
Yes, the book is OUT! I held it in my little hands for the first time there. :P
Creepy companion across the isle. All weekend LONG! (She did not get prettier over time. :P)
Scarecrow?
Angry Zombie Lawn Gnome. Also across the isle from me, at least on Friday. (I think he might have wanted to date the dead girl.)
Major steampunk presence! The Airship peeps had their own table even!
Scare For A Cure - sign ups for costume contest, kids costume contest, and doing makeup for donations. Also took donations during the "Shoot the Storm Trooper" times.
Indiana Jones! Golden Idol and all!
Full form Steampunk Storm Trooper! Loved the alchemical vials.
Yes, Predator was in attendance
Summer Wear Batman - or so he said! lol.
Baddie from the Watchmen
Ood! Ood!!!
Harvey Dent. Even had words on the suit. Awesome job.
Loved this look. Better in person and his eye was also red. A dark drow, I believe.
Inspector Gadget!
Ghost Rider! Red glowing eyes too. Darn you camera!
A Roman Centurion and Maiden costumes made totally from paint swabs. Dang!
Manly Men!
Blue Bird of Paradise
Royal guard from Clone Wars and the Red Skull!
Queen of Hearts! Off with their heads!
He's BATMAN! Hee!
And what I took is only a sampling of the costume goodness at the place. I never even made it down famed peeps row. lol. Afraid to go down other aisles too. Loads of tempting goodies EVERYWHERE!
Enjoy~!
November 14, 2011
Mind Sieve 11/14/11
Have a huge list to sift through this week. Everyone has been really pumping out the blog posts! lol. Time is even shorter than usual though with the Austin Comic Con over the weekend, so no telling how far I will get. (Also my browser keeps dying every 5 minutes, so Murphy is working against me! Argh!)
Shared by ZombiesSchool - "Now that Halloween is over, how will we incorporate the zombie horde into the upcoming holiday season?" One answer is here.
[image error]
A weird preview of a movie called Warhouse. Stars Joseph Morgan, of late, Krauss in the Vampire Diaries.
Over at Mashable Tech - Touchscreen Makes Its Way Onto Keyboard of the Future. I think this looks awesome. Would love to try it to see if I liked it. Ooo!
From Petapixel - Stop Motion Music Video Shot Over Two Years with 288,000 Jelly Beans!!! DANG! Pretty spiffy too!
The Face of My Father - a lovely post by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig about past and future generations. Might need a hanky!
From AJ Walker - Medieval Mondays - The kettle hat, humble helm of the medieval soldier. Wish he'd been able to add more info, but still pretty interesting for a quickie. :P
From Discover Magazine - Stone-cutter Finds Fossil Whale In Marble Slabs. Definitely NOT where I would have thought you'd find some! And it's a prehistoric whale of all things!
SoonerCon shared this - Nyan Cat is So Yesterday - the NyAT NyAT is where it's AT. Heh heh. Go Darth Baby!
Designing From Bones by Gene Lempp. This week - The Iceman Plot! Dum dum DUMMM!
An interesting take on blogging - Susan Bischoff - 3 Tips on Using Fiction Skills to Craft More Engaging Blog Posts.
From Evo Terra - Google + Pages for Authors. Instantly went on my To Do List. lol. Now just need TIME! (Set one up, but need to do more and add the other books as well. Ugh!)
Okay looks like this is as far as I'm going to get this week. Sigh.
Happy Reading!
Shared by ZombiesSchool - "Now that Halloween is over, how will we incorporate the zombie horde into the upcoming holiday season?" One answer is here.
[image error]
A weird preview of a movie called Warhouse. Stars Joseph Morgan, of late, Krauss in the Vampire Diaries.
Over at Mashable Tech - Touchscreen Makes Its Way Onto Keyboard of the Future. I think this looks awesome. Would love to try it to see if I liked it. Ooo!
From Petapixel - Stop Motion Music Video Shot Over Two Years with 288,000 Jelly Beans!!! DANG! Pretty spiffy too!
The Face of My Father - a lovely post by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig about past and future generations. Might need a hanky!
From AJ Walker - Medieval Mondays - The kettle hat, humble helm of the medieval soldier. Wish he'd been able to add more info, but still pretty interesting for a quickie. :P
From Discover Magazine - Stone-cutter Finds Fossil Whale In Marble Slabs. Definitely NOT where I would have thought you'd find some! And it's a prehistoric whale of all things!
SoonerCon shared this - Nyan Cat is So Yesterday - the NyAT NyAT is where it's AT. Heh heh. Go Darth Baby!
Designing From Bones by Gene Lempp. This week - The Iceman Plot! Dum dum DUMMM!
An interesting take on blogging - Susan Bischoff - 3 Tips on Using Fiction Skills to Craft More Engaging Blog Posts.
From Evo Terra - Google + Pages for Authors. Instantly went on my To Do List. lol. Now just need TIME! (Set one up, but need to do more and add the other books as well. Ugh!)
Okay looks like this is as far as I'm going to get this week. Sigh.
Happy Reading!
November 11, 2011
Movie Review - Puss In Boots
Puss In Boots
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thorton, Amy Sedaris, Constance Marie, Guillermo del Toro and more.
Directed by: Chris Miller Based on Characters from: Charles Perrault (Tales from Mother Goose) Written by: Brian Lynch and David H Stenberg Screenplay Written by: Tom Wheeler and Jon Zack
Premise: Running from the law after being mistaken for a thief, Puss In Boots meets once again with his once friend Humpty Dumpy who, with the help of Kitty Softpaws, convinces him to once again help him try to obtain the three magic beans of legend so they may plant them and steal the giant's golden eggs. (Rated PG)
Review: Clash of the Fairy Tales! Take pieces of several of Mother Goose's fairy tales, add a twist or two, and voila!
The previews on this one are actually quite misleading with regards to the plot. The content itself too is more adult and complex than you'd expect as they cover betrayal, lies, second chances, revenge, misunderstandings, and more. So parents, be prepared to possibly have to explain some of this. heh heh.
Totally loved the scenes with Kitty. The dance and fight numbers between Puss and Kitty are the bomb. The cat cantina was too much fun as well. Jack and Jill were scary good and even funny in places. Most twisted 'having a baby' conversation EVER! lol.
The soundtrack was most fitting and will have you tapping your feet. Sword fights, coach chases, rooftop chases, and more. Many truly beautiful and very detailed scenes. Especially the growing of the giant bean stalk and what it is like up in the clouds.
Tons of in-jokes and taking what we know of these fairy tale characters and doing something new and interesting with them, so you're never quite sure what to expect. I thought it an added treat that it was a Guillermo del Toro film and he even did one of the voices. (Reminds me of the antics by the creators of Phineas and Ferb.) :P
Fast paced and a lot of fun!
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thorton, Amy Sedaris, Constance Marie, Guillermo del Toro and more.
Directed by: Chris Miller Based on Characters from: Charles Perrault (Tales from Mother Goose) Written by: Brian Lynch and David H Stenberg Screenplay Written by: Tom Wheeler and Jon Zack
Premise: Running from the law after being mistaken for a thief, Puss In Boots meets once again with his once friend Humpty Dumpy who, with the help of Kitty Softpaws, convinces him to once again help him try to obtain the three magic beans of legend so they may plant them and steal the giant's golden eggs. (Rated PG)
Review: Clash of the Fairy Tales! Take pieces of several of Mother Goose's fairy tales, add a twist or two, and voila!
The previews on this one are actually quite misleading with regards to the plot. The content itself too is more adult and complex than you'd expect as they cover betrayal, lies, second chances, revenge, misunderstandings, and more. So parents, be prepared to possibly have to explain some of this. heh heh.
Totally loved the scenes with Kitty. The dance and fight numbers between Puss and Kitty are the bomb. The cat cantina was too much fun as well. Jack and Jill were scary good and even funny in places. Most twisted 'having a baby' conversation EVER! lol.
The soundtrack was most fitting and will have you tapping your feet. Sword fights, coach chases, rooftop chases, and more. Many truly beautiful and very detailed scenes. Especially the growing of the giant bean stalk and what it is like up in the clouds.
Tons of in-jokes and taking what we know of these fairy tale characters and doing something new and interesting with them, so you're never quite sure what to expect. I thought it an added treat that it was a Guillermo del Toro film and he even did one of the voices. (Reminds me of the antics by the creators of Phineas and Ferb.) :P
Fast paced and a lot of fun!
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
November 9, 2011
Picture Kaleidoscope 11/9/11
I left my phone at work over the weekend so you won't be tortured by any of my photos this week! Yay? :P But I will share all these other great ones I ran across during the week. :)
For this one, I suggest sunglasses before viewing, so bright! Golden Morning by thrumeye.
Cool Jurrasic Park pumpkin by Chumplet.
Orange by Ivan Andreevich. (I am detecting a theme running through pics this week. lol)
Jerry J Davis did a Timed Exposure which turned out to look like a Haunted Barn. (Too cool!)
[image error]
Mar's Newton Crater from NASA's Picture of the Day.
From Martin Hsu - Totoro Creampuffs. They look so GOOD! Mmmmm
Enjoy!
For this one, I suggest sunglasses before viewing, so bright! Golden Morning by thrumeye.
Cool Jurrasic Park pumpkin by Chumplet.
Orange by Ivan Andreevich. (I am detecting a theme running through pics this week. lol)
Jerry J Davis did a Timed Exposure which turned out to look like a Haunted Barn. (Too cool!)
[image error]
Mar's Newton Crater from NASA's Picture of the Day.
From Martin Hsu - Totoro Creampuffs. They look so GOOD! Mmmmm
Enjoy!
November 7, 2011
Mind Sieve 11/7/11
Welcome! Loads of things to share!
Flight of the Konkordski - Russia's TU-144 and the deep mystery/conspiracy surrounding the disaster. Post by Holmes.
image from concordesst.com
Two clips from the forthcoming Twilight Breaking Dawn part 1 over at The Hollywood Reporter.
From Total Film, first official images of Tim Burton's remake of
The Myth of the Pumpkin by Donna Newton. Some cool pumpkin photos. The birthing one is just amazing. lol.
Over at the YA Authors You've Never Heard of Blog, Kim Baccellia shares some Urban Legends. Including The Weeping Lady, The Blue Lady, and the Chupacabra.
From TL Jeffcoat - Weapons Weekly: The Kusarigama of the Ninja. Has a cool little video showing it's us in action if you've never seen one. :)
Dr Who - "The Ballad of Russell and Julie" Wrap Party Special. This is a hoot! With Davids Tenant, Katherine Tate, and John Barrowman doing a tribute to Russel T Davies and Julie Gardner. ROFL!
Designing from Bones by Gene Lempp - Zoo Arcane - Evil Little People.EVIL! Eeeeevvvvviiiillll little people! (So don't be messing with me, bub!) :P
Examiner.com has a cast picture of the "Hunger Games" as well as cast reactions.
Festival of Late Bloomers (as in writers) Day 2: Fairy Tale Tuesday by Debra Eve. Cool article on Charles Perrault author of Tales From Mother Goose!
Book Trailer for Rachel Caine's latest in her Morganville Vampire series - Last Breath. (If only mine could be this cool! Waaaaahhhhh!)
Social Media 101: Klout by Grmln (Twaitter) - Nice quick article telling what it's about. Weirdly enough I signed up on it last week after it was mentioned on a blog last week. I must have been a good girl because it started out at 36 and is now at 46. It's weird stuff.
Billie Joe Woods explores the question What if I don't Have a Book Trailer? (I can't say whether they do anything or not, but I have one for each of my books now! Bwahahahaha!)
How To Win the Hearts of Bloggers - Scoring the Book Review, Guest Post, or Interview by Kristen Lamb.
The Life Cycle of a Blogger - 10 Stages by Roni Loren. Lol. Worth it just for the insane pics alone! Hee!
The Inkslinger's Invocation: The Writer's Prayer II by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. Booyah!
Scarier than Halloween - Bad Clauses in Publishing Contracts blog post by Agent Kristin.
Guest post by Barbara Baig on How Deliberate Practice Can Make You An Excellent Writer.
From John M Cussick - Ten Surefire Ways to Turn Off a Prospective Agent. Yeah, DOH!
25 Things You Should Know About Writing Advice from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig.
Kristen Lamb - Keeping Focused and Nailing the Pitch - Understand Your Seed Idea. Kristen uses the word log line to also equal pitch. But to me they're something else altogether? I'm probably wrong though! Heh.
A MUST READ! Writing Ain't Easy by Rachelle Gardner. (Why I was just having this mental conversation with myself the other day! lol.) Just good stuff to know. :)
Okay, ya'll if this doesn't keep you busy for a bit, nothing will! Heh heh. Enjoy!
Flight of the Konkordski - Russia's TU-144 and the deep mystery/conspiracy surrounding the disaster. Post by Holmes.
image from concordesst.comTwo clips from the forthcoming Twilight Breaking Dawn part 1 over at The Hollywood Reporter.
From Total Film, first official images of Tim Burton's remake of
The Myth of the Pumpkin by Donna Newton. Some cool pumpkin photos. The birthing one is just amazing. lol.
Over at the YA Authors You've Never Heard of Blog, Kim Baccellia shares some Urban Legends. Including The Weeping Lady, The Blue Lady, and the Chupacabra.
From TL Jeffcoat - Weapons Weekly: The Kusarigama of the Ninja. Has a cool little video showing it's us in action if you've never seen one. :)
Dr Who - "The Ballad of Russell and Julie" Wrap Party Special. This is a hoot! With Davids Tenant, Katherine Tate, and John Barrowman doing a tribute to Russel T Davies and Julie Gardner. ROFL!
Designing from Bones by Gene Lempp - Zoo Arcane - Evil Little People.EVIL! Eeeeevvvvviiiillll little people! (So don't be messing with me, bub!) :P
Examiner.com has a cast picture of the "Hunger Games" as well as cast reactions.
Festival of Late Bloomers (as in writers) Day 2: Fairy Tale Tuesday by Debra Eve. Cool article on Charles Perrault author of Tales From Mother Goose!
Book Trailer for Rachel Caine's latest in her Morganville Vampire series - Last Breath. (If only mine could be this cool! Waaaaahhhhh!)
Social Media 101: Klout by Grmln (Twaitter) - Nice quick article telling what it's about. Weirdly enough I signed up on it last week after it was mentioned on a blog last week. I must have been a good girl because it started out at 36 and is now at 46. It's weird stuff.
Billie Joe Woods explores the question What if I don't Have a Book Trailer? (I can't say whether they do anything or not, but I have one for each of my books now! Bwahahahaha!)
How To Win the Hearts of Bloggers - Scoring the Book Review, Guest Post, or Interview by Kristen Lamb.
The Life Cycle of a Blogger - 10 Stages by Roni Loren. Lol. Worth it just for the insane pics alone! Hee!
The Inkslinger's Invocation: The Writer's Prayer II by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. Booyah!
Scarier than Halloween - Bad Clauses in Publishing Contracts blog post by Agent Kristin.
Guest post by Barbara Baig on How Deliberate Practice Can Make You An Excellent Writer.
From John M Cussick - Ten Surefire Ways to Turn Off a Prospective Agent. Yeah, DOH!
25 Things You Should Know About Writing Advice from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig.
Kristen Lamb - Keeping Focused and Nailing the Pitch - Understand Your Seed Idea. Kristen uses the word log line to also equal pitch. But to me they're something else altogether? I'm probably wrong though! Heh.
A MUST READ! Writing Ain't Easy by Rachelle Gardner. (Why I was just having this mental conversation with myself the other day! lol.) Just good stuff to know. :)
Okay, ya'll if this doesn't keep you busy for a bit, nothing will! Heh heh. Enjoy!
November 4, 2011
Movie Review - In Time
In Time
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Cillian Murphy, Amanda Seyfried, Vincent Kartheiser, Matt Bomer, Johnny Galecki, Alex Pettyfer, and more.
Directed by: Andrew Niccol Written by: Andrew Niccol Original Music by: Craig Armstrong
Premise: In a society where time is used as currency and all people stop aging at age 25, a young man, living from day to day scrapping for time to live on, finds out the truth about the system and is given a chance to do something about it. (Rated PG-13)
Review: A near future dystopia, we're told up front that all will not be revealed as to how things came to pass for this state of being, but will deal purely with the present. Pacing wise this works in their favor, though curiosity wise, I would have liked a little more background on how things came to be. Still, there is definitely enough there to get a feel for the status quo and its general effect on the different levels of society.
Loved the little touches. While tech wise most of the things in the film are simple changes, aside from the flesh clocks themselves, its the people and the way they do things that make you feel you're not home. One beautiful shot comprised a mother-in-law, her daughter, and her grand daughter and yet they all looked the same age. Some of the habits by some of the characters showed they were older, despite their looks. The speed at which you did things and took life showed class standing (running to save time for instance, while the rich took everything slowly as they had all the time in the world).
A fun film with smarts thrown in. Unlike a lot of man vs society movies, this one actually acknowledges the fact that small actions won't always solve the problems, and even better, can have repercussions that work against the very things you were trying to do. This doesn't stop the heroes from coming up with a better solution, but it was very nice that it was even there. (So many ignore that actions sometimes have adverse reactions!)
Even better, I liked that they showed that being rich wasn't all the glamor everyone in this world assumed. Or that even if you came from the same background, those who found a way out would not want to acknowledge it or have empathy for those left behind. Even the fact that getting a lot of time at once wasn't always the best thing for certain people.
The film picks up a Bonnie and Clyde feel during the later part of the film that I found interesting. Though this couple does similar things, they do it for totally different reasons and don't kill for sport, but could very well be heading for the same ending.
There were only a couple of minor glitches with regards to a camera angle and video available to the Time keepers or how Will got driving or shooting experience, but overall was pretty solid. There were several twists and left turns, which kept the whole thing exciting and moving.
Lots of action, shootings, driving, and light comedy moments. A couple of very poignant spots as well.
Definitely worth a watch!
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price to See Again)
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Cillian Murphy, Amanda Seyfried, Vincent Kartheiser, Matt Bomer, Johnny Galecki, Alex Pettyfer, and more.
Directed by: Andrew Niccol Written by: Andrew Niccol Original Music by: Craig Armstrong
Premise: In a society where time is used as currency and all people stop aging at age 25, a young man, living from day to day scrapping for time to live on, finds out the truth about the system and is given a chance to do something about it. (Rated PG-13)
Review: A near future dystopia, we're told up front that all will not be revealed as to how things came to pass for this state of being, but will deal purely with the present. Pacing wise this works in their favor, though curiosity wise, I would have liked a little more background on how things came to be. Still, there is definitely enough there to get a feel for the status quo and its general effect on the different levels of society.
Loved the little touches. While tech wise most of the things in the film are simple changes, aside from the flesh clocks themselves, its the people and the way they do things that make you feel you're not home. One beautiful shot comprised a mother-in-law, her daughter, and her grand daughter and yet they all looked the same age. Some of the habits by some of the characters showed they were older, despite their looks. The speed at which you did things and took life showed class standing (running to save time for instance, while the rich took everything slowly as they had all the time in the world).
A fun film with smarts thrown in. Unlike a lot of man vs society movies, this one actually acknowledges the fact that small actions won't always solve the problems, and even better, can have repercussions that work against the very things you were trying to do. This doesn't stop the heroes from coming up with a better solution, but it was very nice that it was even there. (So many ignore that actions sometimes have adverse reactions!)
Even better, I liked that they showed that being rich wasn't all the glamor everyone in this world assumed. Or that even if you came from the same background, those who found a way out would not want to acknowledge it or have empathy for those left behind. Even the fact that getting a lot of time at once wasn't always the best thing for certain people.
The film picks up a Bonnie and Clyde feel during the later part of the film that I found interesting. Though this couple does similar things, they do it for totally different reasons and don't kill for sport, but could very well be heading for the same ending.
There were only a couple of minor glitches with regards to a camera angle and video available to the Time keepers or how Will got driving or shooting experience, but overall was pretty solid. There were several twists and left turns, which kept the whole thing exciting and moving.
Lots of action, shootings, driving, and light comedy moments. A couple of very poignant spots as well.
Definitely worth a watch!
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price to See Again)
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