OMG, New Moon was beyond expectations. Also because Twilight was such a letdown before, unless you’re a die-hard fan. Chris Weitz did a much better job with New Moon. Catharine Hardwicke was an indie filmmaker, Chris directs for the masses. And this time, he did not stick too closely to the books (like the earlier Harry Potter films, which spoils everything). OMG, the ending was the best, best, best. And the wolves, =). Taylor surpassed my expectations, he was a wonderful actor in here. In fact, all of them were great, allowing for heaps of close up face shots of the expressions which I love. Daniel Radcliffe just can’t do it so it always irks me when I watch Harry Potter because they shoot everyone’s faces except his!!! The only times we catch a glimpse of his face, he’s expressionless. *sigh* LOTR had heaps of close up shots as well, especially the eyes, and I think these convey far more of the story than the panoramic views and battle sequences. That’s why Taylor was a pleasant surprise because even though his eyes were quite deep set and hard to discern, he still managed it superb-ly. I am so Team Jacob for this film. Fickle, I know but Edward was so tortured throughout the film, it just makes me cringe (I feel tortured as well) every time he comes on. But he saved himself in the last few minutes of the story. I think he will do a complete turnaround in the next film and take charge. It would be good to see a more lively Edward next time round. Plus, the soundtrack fitted the movie beautifully, I cannot like a film with a bad soundtrack. That’s why I am always for movies with specially composed soundtracks and New Moon not being a big budget film, I was dreading the background music because the soundtrack was basically just songs from various artistes (although they were good songs). The first one didn’t exactly fit the mood, and I was very skeptical about this second one especially when most of them sounded so dreary and country music-like. But again, I was surprised. Lykke-Li’s song was the only one a recognised and remembered. =P

So, for those who were thinking whether New Moon is worth watching in the cinema, I’d say, go for it. We get to see the CGI wolves fighting the rogue vampires and I guess that kinda made me forgive Robert’s fighting sequence. Seriously, the wolves, go watch them. =)

Haha…. I guess my kind of film review goes more into the technicalities rather than whether it was an entertaining story plot or not. But I’m pretty most people will know the story (or would have read the gist of it somewhere), so there is no need to expound on all the different aspects of the plot. I will say this however, whoever they are (producers, director, screenwriter), they have managed to adapt the book perfectly for the screen, which is very important because most of the time, books to screen adaptations very easily fall short, especially those that try to stay true to the book. I never like it when they say ‘We’ve stayed true to the book’ because that usually means that they’ve basically transcribed the whole thing (dialogs, sequence of events etc) into a script. And I don’t think it works for films, you have to change things, mix up the subplots, make it work for you. When Melissa (the screenwriter) was signed on to do both the second and third scripts, I wasn’t looking forward to it because the first film followed everything through and so nothing felt fresh. Plus New Moon is my least favourite book of the series, it was absolutely tedious to plough through and I had to skip to the back to make sure Edward was really coming back (and soon) so that I would persevere. I will credit the director for making this adaptation work, because it did. I thought the middle bit would bore me to tears, instead, I found that these were the best moments.

Something I came across a while ago which I found pretty funny (and some may say its true).

“FAMILY…… It isn’t just a word. It is a sentence.”

(and here I thought it was gonna continue with something like ‘Father Mother I Love You’. Was I wrong)

“FAMILY……. It isn’t just a word. It is a sentence.

A Life sentence.”

O_O LOL.

Two more papers to go….

We celebrated our end of Preclin years and 8am starts with an even earlier start of 6.45 am for Champagne breakfast at the Torrens River across from uni…

One month of holidays to look forward to

I cracked open an egg today and it was rotten inside.

I meticulously peeled an orange only to be greeted by a rotten core when I separated it in half.

Top it up with a not so chirpy week so far

O_O So is something going to happen???

I sincerely hope not. I can’t afford it now.

Random 2:
Is it just me or are Australian actors recently taking the Hollywood big screen by storm??? Before that, it was just the big names like Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger. Right now, I can reel off a whole list of them. In fact, I will. For my own future reference. Hmph.

(in no particular order of preference)
1. Isabel Lucas
The pretty amazing (and deadly) robot from transformers who tried to seduce Shia LaBeouf.

2. Mia Wasikowska (what a mouthful)
Soon to be seen as Alice in Tim Burton’s highly anticipated Alice in Wonderland movie alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway….. She was also in the Australian film Newcastle. That’s not all. She plays Amelia Earhart’s (Hilary Swank) rival in the upcoming film Amelia, and also worked with Daniel Craig (James Bond series) in Defiance.

3. Xavier Samuel
Only applicable to Twilight fans. This guy is playing Riley in the 3rd installment, Eclipse. Worked with Mia previously in Newscastle.

4. Abbie Cornish
She was in Candy with Heath Ledger, Elizabeth: The Golden Age with Cate Blanchett and A good Year with Russell Crowe. Now, expect to see her in Bright Star as Fanny Browne, the girl next door whom the famous poet, John Keats (Ben Winshaw, do watch him in Brideshead Revisited and Perfume) fell in love with. I’m looking forward to Bright Star as it is the latest film by Jane Campion, who directed The Piano and Portrait of a Lady. The Piano, lead Anna Paquin to win an Oscar for best supporting actress, an amazing thing when one is only 11 years old.

5. Sam Worthington
This guy play Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation and we will soon be able to see him in the highly anticipated CGI film Avatar. Apart from that, he will also be in Clash of the Titans, another box office movie, with Liam Neeson (The Reader, Taken, as Aslan in Narnia) and Ralph Fiennes (Voldermort).

6. Craig Horner
Okie, this is not big screen but Legend of the Seeker, based on the Sword of Truth books by Terry Goodkind, is the latest TV series from the creators of Xena and Hercules. Produced by Sam Raimi (Spiderman movies, I think), this fantasy production sees a detraction from the usual tongue in cheek kind of atmosphere felt in Xena and Hercules and seeks a sense of gravity and seriousness, more in line with cinema productions like Lord of the Rings where attention is paid to the details and storyline. Also filmed in New Zealand. (I mean, omg!!! go check out the sets!!!)

7. Emily de Ravin
All I know is that she is co-starring with Robert Pattinson in a film called Remember Me. =P

8. Emily Browning
As the older sister in Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events. After that, she kind of faded off into the background.

I’m calling it a day. =P

What drew me to her works were the characters that she created. They were extremely convincing, people whom it is possible to empathise with. She never had any clear cut ‘villains’ in her story. Rather, we see how people acted / made the choices they had to because of circumstances, and beliefs and their own personal principles. There were no brave and noble heroes, born to save the world / humanity. None of all this black and white, good versus evil picture. We get annoyed and angry and frustrated at the characters, but we never hate them / blame them outright. This is because she led us in to their innermost thoughts and fears and uncertainties so we understand that, even the ‘bad people’ sometimes have no control and no choices of their own. That given the chance to change things, they would have taken a completely different route. That even when we meant to do the right thing, sometimes we end up making a bigger mess. You read about them failing again and again, sometimes it even hurts you. But each one realises the need to keep going, making the best of things. That is what I see in Robin Hobb’s works. Her characters are her greatest strength, not the made up fantastical landscapes or the out of this world magic. These were just her props, the blurred backgrounds in which her characters move in. Although she never entirely omits the chance to make things epic. Not in the form of battles or fights, but just big revelations or achievements. Some milestone reached, or a kind of acceptance to their fate, an understanding of sorts.

Therefore, I confess I was very excited to read her latest book. This is supposedly a continuation of her Liveship Trader trilogy. There were a few people in that series who were ‘late bloomers’, didn’t really caught my attention until it was almost at an end so I was anticipating picking up things from where it was left off. Reconnecting with them. No such luck though, I was surprised when a completely new set of characters were introduced. And that was practically the mood of the book, consolidating the characters. It wasn’t fast - paced, there were no breathless waiting for what would happen next etc. The Dragon Keeper is very character driven. She didn’t even have to describe the setting or explain the natural laws of the place. No words were wasted on explaining a new culture / geography because all that was done in the previous trilogy. I kind of like that whole interconnected-ness of things. The brief mention of familiar locations, appearances of old characters. It reminds that they have played their part and that their actions would have no weight in this new game but they would undoubtedly still be affected by the outcome. Some part of me still hope that she will give a second chance to some of these people. I felt as if I didn’t get to know them as well as I would have liked.

*Is it just me who gets excited when I meet a character that I recognise from somewhere else?? I mean, sometimes authors write is brief mentions about other characters from their previous works, or even works of other authors!!! I love it when I can spot them. Although it does mean that I have been reading too many of the similar books in the same circle of authors and it probably time for me to move on and get a change of scenery. Like how the hobbit and the faun in both Tolkien and C. S. Lewis’ story are similar (not the same person but you can see they got the same idea probably from their group discussions in their Cambridge days). So yeah, imagine Harry Potter making a guest appearance in one of the books you’re reading. I reckon that would be a pleasant interruption. Just to know that they are doing well after whatever catastrophe they’ve been to. (omg, I sound like I’m losing the lines between reality and fiction)

So yeah, back to the book. We see that the restrictions and boundaries were already set up, all we have to do this time is to get to know the players. And as much as I know how important it is for us to connect with them, a little part of me was still disappointed at the calm, even pace of the book and the lacklustre ending. This is probably one of the most (okay, ‘most’ is a pretty strong word) un - epic cliffhanger I have ever encountered. Oh, it definitely left me wishing for more but not because I want to read about their next adventure but more so that this ending is as abrupt as a slap in the face. Tell me, who ends a story in the middle of the conversation??? And I don’t even know who the other person in the conversation is!!! This is so unlike her previous works. Usually, there is a huge build - up and the anticipations always feels like it could kill you. I was fillping through the pages, waiting for the bomb to drop all the time when there wasn’t one in the first place. O_O I have come to expect a certain uniformity when reading. Once recognises the ‘patterns’ seen in different genres of works. So yeah, this was a big jolt in an otherwise smooth running vehicle, like accidentally running over a pothole on the road. =P

However, I have much faith in Robin Hobb. I trust that she knows what she is doing, and I am confident that her next book will deliver what her other books promised. Again, I recommend starting with The assasin’s apprentice from the Farseer trilogy.

*I just recently watched Gran Torino as well. I’ve been meaning to watch it ever since I read about it in TIME magazine. I’m glad I finally got down to it. The movie was a very good potrayal. I do not know about accuracy since I am not familiar with the american culture (the part that is not blown out of proportion by the mass media anyway) but it was still an entertaining hour and a half. It managed to convey its message without any dreariness and with just the right amount of humour to spice things up. Clint Eastwood directed, produced, and stared in this (almost like a one man show).

The hike was fun. We had a mix of scrubby bushland and picturesque cliff views. There was a really steep downhill part where I think I spent almost my whole time on my butt sliding down the slope (which meant we had a tough uphill climb after that). I was practically pulling myself up with my hands. -_-” We were lucky in the sense that it never really did rain until the wee hours in the morning. By that time, we were all safely in our tents and sleeping bags. The waterfall was gushing healthily, compared to the weak trickle it had during the dryer seasons. Although that meant that quite a few people fell into the river while fording it. I myself managed a triumphant crossing in the hardest part only to flounder in the easy bit, leaving me with one soaked sneaker for the rest of the hike back. Admittedly, that was in way better shape compared to Romain who slipped at the waterfall and fell completely in it. All we heard was steph’s scream and Romain disappearing from site. Next thing, he emerged drenched like a cat caught in the rain.

The temperature started to drop when we arrived back at our campsite in the evening. We had a lovely campfire going and it was nice to sit around the warm fire just chatting and joking and telling each other ghost stories. >.< I could just sit there for hours watching the flickering flames and the glowing coals. Had my first taste of toasted marshmallows too.

I am now suffering from extremely sore muscles which I hope will go away soon because I'd like to be able to stand up without wincing like an old lady. =P

Feels like we’re falling off…

]]> http://bubbles.blogsome.com/2009/09/22/the-hike-to-deep-creek/feed/ http://bubbles.blogsome.com/2009/08/30/a-masquerade-and-a-21st/ http://bubbles.blogsome.com/2009/08/30/a-masquerade-and-a-21st/#comments Sun, 30 Aug 2009 05:07:29 +0000 bubbles Randomness http://bubbles.blogsome.com/2009/08/30/a-masquerade-and-a-21st/ Med Ball 09 this year @ Stamford Grand Hotel, Glenelg.

Our dessert which was ‘an illusion of watermelon’. True enough, they gave us ice cream.

Stole Affy’s fan for the moment. And I made the mask myself, as in, I drew the design, and put the whole thing together myself. =)

*******

Went a a joint 21st birthday party the week before. As per usual, there are always videos shown during these stuff, made by friends and family etc. That always makes me thing of home and my family. I’m very glad my mom came over for my 21st last year. Although at that time I probably thought that it was no big deal and it should be no different from all my other birthdays but looking back, I’m glad she was determined to come. I only turn 21 once and that’s a time when you should have a loved one or family to be there to share the moment with.

If it’s worth the price, it’s worth fighting for

]]> http://bubbles.blogsome.com/2009/08/30/a-masquerade-and-a-21st/feed/ http://bubbles.blogsome.com/2009/08/08/to-me-there-will-always-be-too-many-shades-of-grey/ http://bubbles.blogsome.com/2009/08/08/to-me-there-will-always-be-too-many-shades-of-grey/#comments Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:45:13 +0000 bubbles Randomness http://bubbles.blogsome.com/2009/08/08/to-me-there-will-always-be-too-many-shades-of-grey/ I’ve been granted a brief reprieve before the storm.

Med Reveu: The Sound of Medicine brought the house down.

Bleak House ended on a happy note albeit with a tinge of regret. Instead of plunging into Les Miserables which has been waiting for me, I’m going on Deltora’s Quest.

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