A Twist on a Myth

Most people have heard of, if not read during their schooling career, The Iliad by Homer. Even those who haven’t actually read it know the story. There may be some spoilers if you don’t know the story. The Greek myth is about the great Trojan War being started by Paris the prince of Troy stealing the most beautiful girl in the world Helen of Sparta from Menelaus (Though she was actually a prize for him from Aphrodite). In 2004, this epic tale hit the big screen and while a great film was a loose interpretation.

The events leading up to Paris (Orlando Bloom) obtaining Helen is left out of the movie. The reason this was probably omitted was because for the most part the Gods were left out of the film adaption, where as in Homer’s story they were mixed all throughout it. However whether the background was included the film yielded the same result, Helen ran away with Paris and the Trojan War began.

The tension between the Achilles (Brad Pitt) and King Agamemnon is changed a little as well. In the film Achilles doesn’t want to fight for him merely because he is a greedy king fighting only for his own benefit. In the book the conflict between the two over Briseis starts before the war instead of during.

The fight between Paris and Menelaus is quite different as well. In the film Paris backs away in fear of death abandoning his honor for love. Hector (Eric Bana) then kills Menelaus saving Paris and Helen is relieved. In the book, however, Paris is saved by Aphrodite by being lifted inside the walls of Troy leaving Menelaus alive. Helen is angered by Paris’ lack of bravery and honor.


The Prince Hector, Patroclus, and Achilles relationship is thank goodness the same and very well done except… (I know there is always an exception) in the book Hector does get scared and runs away from his battle with Achilles. In the film he shows no cowardice and dies with Honor. The Iliad ends following the funeral for Hector that Achilles allowed King Priam, Hector’s Father, to complete (All warfare was halted). The movie doesn’t end in this fashion. They continue on going clear through the Trojan horse and Troy’s fall. In this ending there are still differences from the classic mythology.

Achilles is not inside the Trojan horse when it goes inside Troy as depicted in the film. Achilles dies long before this right after the death of Hector. Though the way he dies is the same in both versions. Paris doesn’t escape with Helen as the movie shows, I’ll leave it at that and Agamemnon does not die.

Now I recommend both versions, The Iliad, because well it’s a classic and everyone should read it. Besides Greek Mythology is fun and a lot of things we say and reference today relate back to these tales. So, why not? Troy I recommend because while it is quite different from the original myth, it’s a very well made movie with incredible acting. So despite the differences it is enjoyable.

Here is the Trailer :) :



Enjoy!!

(I do not take credit for any of the videos or photos in this post)

Opinion Article

HED: A Desperate Need for Attention
DEK: Westboro Baptist Church’s harsh and controversial messages go too far.
BYLINE: Courtney Colley
WORDCOUNT:580
LIST SOURCE NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS:

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The Westboro Baptist Church, located in Topeka, Kansas is a congregation that travels all over the country to various events such as concerts and even funerals, picketing and voicing their extreme opinions. This group protests things like Jews, homosexuality, Obama (claiming he is the anti-christ), remarriage after divorce and many other things led by Fred Phelps. They hold offensive signs that say things such as “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “God Hates America,” “The Jews Killed Jesus” and many others targeting the numerous minority groups previously mentioned.

These sorts of people are the reason that many have such a strong dislike of religion. Westboro preaches hatred and claims their corrupt ideas to be the word of God. They clearly just have a desperate need for attention. They dress up in their “God hates America” T-shirts, wave their hateful signs, walk all over the American flag and go to largely populated areas to do so. They claim that they are non-violent, but there are more ways to be violent than physically. Their signs and words verbally attack people and that can often be more wounding than physical violence.

Freedom of speech gives them the right to say what they want but the places they choose to voice their opinion at can be insensitive and not appropriate. I have had a few encounters with this group due to one of my friends wanting to go to many of their pickets to photograph for a project. Some of the places I saw them at were a Justin Beiber concert and later a Lady Gaga concert. Lady Gaga wasn’t so bad, she is an adult with many adults attending her concert. She even organized a peaceful anti-protest. Beiber, however, is only 16 years old. He is just a kid, as were the majority of those going to his concert. The crowd was full of kids under the age of 10 who had to see the hateful messages Westboro was flaunting. That is no message that kids should be subjected too. I stood on the sidewalk and heard the questions these little kids were asking their parents, questions that should never be in an innocent child’s mind. The parents were infuriated as they had every right to be.

Westboro’s presence at funerals also should not happen. A funeral is a time for a family to mourn their loved one they lost and to say goodbye. Westboro picketing these funerals sporting signs implying that they are glad the person is dead (and probably in hell) is terrible. No one should belittle or taint the importance of a funeral for family and friends, whether someone dislikes the deceased or not. Westboro members don’t even know these people they are attacking, and that just doesn’t seem right. If they feel it necessary to voice their hatred they should at least show respect and pick more appropriate places to do so, because mourners and friends should not be subjected to their corrupt ideas of religion. The best response that viewers can have would be to voice their opinion peacefully as well. People often get angry when viewing Westboro’s pickets but a stronger defense rather than yelling would be to stage a peaceful anti-protest and discuss views with them calmly. Other than that there isn’t much to be done besides making certain that one voices an opinion of acceptance of all minorities and not hatred towards them.

Sparks are Flying

Nicholas Sparks’ novels have been being made into movies for a very long time now. Six of his novels are currently movies and another one is in production now (The Lucky One) for all you Nicholas Sparks fans.Here is his website for more information. The story that I have chosen to discuss of him is the first movie of his I ever saw. Though I’ve seen most of them and enjoyed them all, the first one I saw has always meant something to me even before I knew it was based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. The movie would be, A Walk to Remember. I had never read a Nicholas Sparks novel before this just seen the movies so when I was trying to decide which one I’d like to read it felt like that natural choice being my favorite. My opinion, I like the movie way better than the book. There are several things in the movie that make the relationship between Jamie (Mandy Moore) and Landon (Shane West) reach much greater depths of love than the novel seemed to allow them too.

How Landon and Jamie end up spending time together: Landon Carter is thrust into Jamie’s world because he gets into trouble, his punishment is to participate in the school play, tutor on the weekends, and help clean the school. All of these things Jamie either participate in or he runs into her at. In the book Landon doesn’t get in trouble, he actually gets elected class president and continues to participate in things like the play because Jamie asks him to and he wants to be nice.

The first date: In the book his first date with Jamie is to a school dance that he only asked her to as a last resort. He couldn’t find anyone else to go with him. In the book he is basically a rider of the cool kid group. Although later in the book he does ask her dad to let him take her to dinner. In the movie there is no doubt he is one of the most popular kids in school and wouldn’t have any problem getting a date. His first date with her in the movie is romantic and he actually likes her when he asks her but must ask her father permission because she is not allowed to date.


Jamie’s List: One of the most important plots in the movie is Jamie’s list of things she wants to do in her life. A large part of their relationship is Landon helping to fulfill them. In the book there is no list, she just mentions once wanting to get married and have a large crowd there.

The story progression: In the book the story seems to drag on and on, it isn’t till the very end that the big realization (that I won’t reveal as not to spoil for people who haven’t read or seen it) happens and then it is very rushed. In the movie it is more spaced out and a lot of the story is still going on even after this realization.

The feeling behind the story: In my opinion the movie does a much better job of capturing all the feeling that this story possesses. Their love seems much stronger and well built in the movie. Their relationship is more unexpected which makes it more passionate. The book while yes they are in love doesn’t seem to have as much depth as the movie captures.

I probably wouldn’t recommend the book just because it really disappointed me. I have talked to people who said they liked it better, but more people have said that the movie and book just don’t compare. I want to read other of Sparks’ novels because I’ve heard he is really good, this book just did not live up to my expectations.

Here is the trailer for the film:



Enjoy!
(I take no credit for the photos or video in this post)

Anne Boleyn or Mary Boleyn?

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory tells the well known story of Anne Boleyn with a bit of a twist that is not so well known. There is another Boleyn girl, Mary, who is the first to win King Henry VIII’s affection. Henry takes Mary as a mistress after his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, fails to produce an heir for his throne. After Mary has fallen hard for the King in comes Anne dark and enchanting to steal him away from more than just her sister but also the Queen forever changing England. For more historical fiction by Gregory click here.

This is another much too large novel that film makers tried to cram into one movie. I didn’t realize this until after later, having seen the movie first and really enjoyed it I went and got the book. The book definitely put all the characters in the movie into a completely different light. Mary (Scarlett Johansson) in the book has two children, a boy and a girl, from her affair with the king. These children become the loves of her life after being pushed aside by her sister and the king. Her strong affection for them is the key to her family using her even more. In the movie she has one child, a boy, and basically immediately shipped away with the child no one in the family showing much concern for either of them. Mary’s detailed plot lines from the book after her and the king break up are chopped from the film.


Anne (Natalie Portman) in the book is much more evil than the film. Often times in the film one feels sorry for her and is rooting for her to overcome all the obstacles in her way to the top. The book though doesn’t sugar coat anything she does. Her actions are terrible and it makes sure that is known, making her much more hated in the book. Now Anne and her brother’s (Jim Sturgess) relationship is one altered in the adaptation as well. He is much more of a main character in the novel. In the film he tries to have an affair with his sister to produce an heir for the king but decides he cannot. In the book the two do have an affair and it results in a dreadful deformed miscarriage, plus he also has a gay affair in the book that is an important plot line but the movie never touches upon.

And finally King Henry (Eric Bana) is as well was made much more lovable in the movie than the book. In the movie he is an elegant, passionate, powerful king who stays handsome and fit the entire time. In the book he is a selfish, ignorant, childish king who by the time Anne really gets to have him is large and unattractive. I much prefer the Eric Bana king though instead of the more realistic version in the book. These are just some of the more important characters and how they were altered. There are some other characters as well that have plot lines in the book that weren’t touched upon for if they were also changed the character significantly. More or less the movie wanted to keep the eye candy appeal going the whole time. I enjoyed both versions this time I think, that could be though because I did see the movie first instead of second, so the book just kind of built upon a story I had already enjoyed.

Trailer:


Enjoy!

(I take no credit for the pictures or video used in this post)

The King's Window

Secret Window a film based off of one of Stephen King’s (view the master of horror’s site here) short stories titled, Secret Window, Secret Garden in the collection Four Past Midnight is probably one of my most favorite movies. It has my favorite actor, Johnny Depp, who portrays the main character of Mort Rainey with incredible skill. I saw the movie long before I ever read the short story and fell in love with it. The story is dark and twisted and unbelievably clever. Plus, wanting to be a writer myself I enjoyed the connection that the story had to the industry.

Secret Window is about an author by the name of Mort Rainey, who gets awakened to a pounding on his door one day. Upon answering it a man by the name of John Shooter introduces himself and accuses him of stealing one of his stories. Rainey compares the manuscripts and almost every word is the same. Shooter turns up time and again thrusting Rainey into a horrific nightmare. Shooter demands that he won’t stop until Rainey fixes his story, fixes the ending. Mean while Rainey already has personal issues he is dealing with, the break up between him and his wife, Amy.


After finishing the short story there were parts that I liked about both and part that I disliked about both. The dialogue in the book and movie are surprisingly similar. Hardly anything was changed with the things that the characters say when it transitioned to the big screen. The changes I did notice seemed to me like they would have been made to make the movie more suspenseful and at times more comedic as well. I noticed that in the book Rainey’s character talks to himself much more than he does in the film. I also noticed that in the book John Shooter calls more than he shows up, where as in the movie Shooter calls only once the rest of the encounters are in person. Both of these things I can see the benefit in changing. It wouldn’t be as interesting to just watch him get phone calls all the time.

I really didn’t like the ending in the book, it was completely different to that of the movie and I honestly thought the movie’s ending was amazing. The ending of the film is what made me like the story so much because I thought how it all came together was very clever. When I finished the short story and it was different I felt like part of the story had been ruined so it wasn’t as effective of a tale as it could have been.

Honestly though, book and movie are very similar besides the very, very end and some minor details that aren’t that important anyways. Which is good, for the most part I felt like I was actually just reading the movie I had grown so fond of. I can recommend them both, but my loyalty remains with the ending of the film version.

Here is the trailer:



Enjoy!!

A Love Hate Relationship

Yes, this week the books up for discussion is the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. A series that people either really love or hate with just about everything they have. I understand those of you who dislike it, and it is okay to voice your opinion that you don't like it and say why, but please no comments that are just insulting. This site is about critiquing not condemning. With that said lets begin.

I avoided the Twilight series for quite sometime simply because the hype about it was crazy. I knew so many people completely obsessed with these books and with all the praise the books were getting I assumed they would not live up to expectations. Finally though I gave into peer pressure and figured I'd see what the big deal was. I ended up enjoying them and read them all. I thought they were good books especially for the age group they target. People say she is a bad writer, but she's not writing for adults so the writing will be more simple.

For those of you who don't know much about Twilight and try to avoid it because of the craziness it brings along with it, I'll give you a little summary. The story is about a girl, Bella, who moves to Forks, Washington a town known for very little sunlight throughout the whole year to live with her father. She ends up meeting and falling in love with a vampire, Edward, who has a very strong desire to drink her blood. However, he and his family only drink the blood of animals not humans. Obviously this relationship just from that brief note has problems and this series follows these two throughout their issues while they try to not let the gulf between them tear them apart.


The films seem to be getting better as they go along. The first film was definitely rough, a lot of things in the novel could have been really neat with special effects. The director, Catherine Hardwicke, likes to limit the amount of technology she uses to enhance a film though. Some major changes in the movie happen mostly during Bella's period of learning about Edward and his life. The movie completely changes when Bella find's out he is a vampire. The movie also rushes the issue of what happens when he goes into the sunlight, he does not grab her and dart up a mountain to show her that he sparkles. The movie also rushes the meeting of Jacob, Bella's best friend. Those are a couple of the major changes from the first novel.

The second two books, New Moon and Eclipse obviously have some changes as well but t get into all them would make this a very long post. Basically these novels like Harry Potter are very large so information comes across very quickly in the movies because they don't have an endless amount of time. The movies really do get better as they go along though, I'll give them that.

I completely understand why people hate these books though. Most of the fans are completely wild and off the wall obsessed with these fictional characters it honestly is ridiculous. I get annoyed with hearing about it and I actually like the story. So there it is my notes on Twilight.

Here are a few videos that are funny, Robert Pattinson (Edward) and his silly fan's request that they need him to bite them:

David Letterman Clip


Access Hollywood Clip


And Tyra


Enjoy!

(I take no credit for any of the videos or pictures in this post)

Time Changes Everything

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is a compelling novel about love, loss, and the importance of time. The story follows Henry DeTamble, a time traveler, through his life. A life that is full of the unknown because Henry never knows when he will time travel, where he will go, or when he will return. If that wasn’t complicated enough he then meets a girl, Clare Abshire, who he wishes to never leave. The driving force in the story is their love which for Clare began when she was only six years old and him when he was 28; keeping in mind that in present time they are only eight years apart. However after Clare became such an important part of his life he began to travel back in time to her when she was just a child. Henry’s life is clearly complex and his time traveling poses a lot of issues to himself and those around him. This story is one of the best I have read in a long time, I couldn’t put it down. It keeps you waiting and wondering throughout the whole thing in a way similar to that of Clare.


The movie version released back in 2009 is very good as well. Eric Bana as Henry and Rachel McAdams as Clare do a great job of bringing these characters to life, their acting did not lack a drop of passion. Due to the lack of time though it could not encompass all the magic that novel did. Basically all the storylines that were outside of the main love story and even some from the love story were cut from the film. There were fragments throughout the film that readers would have caught and been like “oh that is from this storyline…” but the movie doesn’t do more than allude to them and there are some parts that don’t even get that. A few of them I would have liked to keep just because I thought they were important to the power behind the story. The movie really is just a small fragment of the book and there are minor details they change in the parts that they use that aren’t too extreme so they don’t really bother me. My main issue was the cut of several important parts of Henry’s life that in the book really help to form him into the man he eventually becomes and his relationship with his wife into as strong as it is. I highly recommend the book especially to read before to movie, it will provide more of a connection to the characters so even though there is a lot cut out of the film you will still know everything that they have been through and really feel for them.

Here is a trailer for the film version:



Enjoy!!

(I take no credit for the videos or photos used in this post)

Young and Old Under Potter's Spell

J. K. Rowling’s series about the young Harry Potter has cast a spell over people young and old. She got the first of her seven book series published back in September 1998 by Scholastic in the United States under the title, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the same time the second book was released in the UK. In July 2007 the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released selling 15 million copies in the first 24 hours. The series follows a young wizard by the name of Harry Potter as he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and discovers a destiny he as an orphan never believed he had.


Rowling signed over the movie rights to Warner Bros. Studios in October 1998 and the fad grew, to more than just readers. November 2001, the first film hit the big screen featuring Daniel Radcliffe as the star, Harry Potter. Warner Bros. divided the final book into two films the first’s release date is November 2010, and the second finally commencing the series 10 years later in July 2011. In regard to whether or not the change from books to movies was good varies. Rowling’s novels are not small, so to fit them into one movie a lot had to be cut out. Me as a reader knew the details that were deemed unnecessary to include, however my siblings who just enjoy going to see the films and not reading the books often had several questions at the end of each movie. This proves to me that they books were not translated as well as they could be. Editing aside though I believe they stayed very true to Rowling’s original work. I’m actually happy that the final novel will be divided into two segments in hopes that the films will portray the book as well as it possibly can. Of course the pressure is now on for Warner Bros. since it is two movies a lot of the changes they got away with cannot necessarily be shrugged off by saying they didn’t have the time to include it.

This series also inspired video games and a theme park, to learn more about the new theme park visit the site here.

Here is the trailer for the final two Harry Potter Films:



Enjoy!

(I take no credit for the video or pictures in the post)

Two Dead Men to One

The book Dead Man Walking written by Sister Helen Prejean is her true account about the beginning of her pursuit to get rid of the death penalty.She is still working towards this goal, to keep up on her efforts visit her site here. The book follows Prejean as she is spiritual adviser for two different men sentenced to die by the electric chair, Patrick Sonnier and Robert Willie. Sonnier was charged with the kidnapping and murder of two teenagers along side his brother who received life in prison. Willie was charged with the rape and murder of a teenage girl with an accomplice.

The film adaption of these events combine these two men into one, Matthew Poncelet. Poncelet is charged with the murders of a teenage couple and rape of the girl sentenced to die by lethal injection. Many aspects of both Willie and Sonnier are thrown together to make Poncelet from the crimes themselves, to the victims families, to the convict's character and comments in certain situations.

When the movie began I assumed Poncelet represented Sonnier and another man would be along later to represent Willie but as the story began to unfold I noticed the combination of the two men down to one. This large change didn't bother me however; I actually found it kind of fun being able to sit and watch the movie while being able to pick out which traits of Poncelet's story belonged to which real man. Plus I acknowledged that to have the men's stories separately would have made the film much longer and seem a little repetitive to viewers. In my opinion the adaptions and changes they made for the film worked fine and kept the important points from the real life stories. I have no problem having read the book and then watched the film with liking both versions. I think it is an excellent adaptation.

Here is the trailer for the film:


Enjoy!

(I take no credit for the picture or video featured in this post.)

From One Series Comes Another

This post is going to be dedicated to not a book that inspired a movie, but a book series that inspired an entire television series. The gossip girl series written by Cecily von Ziegesar check out her site here, gave birth to the popular show currently running on The CW. Visit The CW’s website here. The stories encompass the world of teenagers on the upper east side of New York City, in other words the rich private school children in the city. Obviously it is a drama. There are about six main characters to follow Serena, Blair, Chuck, Dan, Nate and Jenny. The TV series began with the kids in high school but they are now graduated and gone off to college and still the show is going strong.


I began watching Gossip Girl after its first season because my sister bought the DVDs for me as a birthday present. Till then I had heard of it but not really ever paid attention to it. Needless to say I saw the TV show before I looked into the books. After I enjoyed the show I figured I should look into the books and see if they were just as good. To me I found they really weren’t, I tried to read the first but didn’t really get into it. A lot of reviews claim the story lines are very similar to the books with a few tweaks. One of the things I noticed first that was different was the portrayal of the characters. Some were exactly like their television character while the others were drastically different. These small changes that happened going from books to screen are what turned me off of the books and sad to say I haven’t gone back and tried to read them again.

This just goes to show that characters are extremely important. When reading a book or watching a show or movie you make a connection to the characters in some way, it is what draws you back to the story time and again to see what will end up happening to them. So I had made the connection with the show character first then going back to the book where many of them were different just put me off and I’m sure those who read the books first were a little put off by the show.

Like I said the show is still currently running so here is a trailer for the episode scheduled to air tonight:



Enjoy!

An Ending that should have been a Keeper

Jodi Picoult published her hit novel My Sister’s Keeper in April 2004 through Atria Books. To see the author’s official site click here. In June 2009, New Line Cinema released the film version, to go to its' official site click here. The story introduces us to Anna Fitzgerald who is 13 years old in the novel, and 11 years old in the film. Anna’s big sister Kate has acute promyelocytic leukemia. Anna’s Parents genetically conceived Anna to be a donor for Kate when neither they nor their eldest child Jesse matched her. When it reaches the point that Kate needs Anna to donate a kidney, Anna files a lawsuit against her parents for the rights to her own body. The story follows the family’s struggle dealing with Kate fighting for her life and Anna fighting to make her own choices.

In the novel, the reader hears the perspective of each character due to the clever way Picoult changes view points at every chapter. I think it was this style of writing that helped the film be as artistic as it was. I think it was the artistic style in which the film was made that kept me liking it even though the story was drastically altered. Many of the scenes don’t even involve the characters talking they are just images with music playing. Sometimes they added voice over’s during the music for the characters to share their thoughts and feelings and a lot of the story gets told from flashbacks as well. It is honestly a beautiful film. The main controversy over this film was the major change to the ending. A lot of readers were angered by the change because Picoult did have the perfect ending to the story. One thing people know who read Picoult books is that there is almost always a twist. The film took this away. In my opinion, standing alone they are both good; but putting them together the change in the ending seriously hurts the movie’s fan club.

Here is the film’s trailer:


Enjoy!

A Princess Rich in Film Adaptations

I thought it would be best to begin with a story that everyone will know and recognize. This folk tale is one that still inspires new variations of its’ classic form to this day. There are so many variations of the tale that it has become difficult to nail down just exactly what the original story encompassed in every detail. There are several things that will pop into ones head though no matter how many times the story is adapted when one hears the well known title. There is a girl of low stature, who is left in the hands of an evil step mother and two evil step sisters, a prince, a glass slipper, and the possibility of a life that one has always dreamed of having.




Cinderella has been around longer than many would think. The oldest version of the tale has been traced back to the first century BC. This work of literature is believed to have the most film adaptations attributed to it. Its' main rival would be Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The very first film adaptation was made in France in 1899. Then finally in 1950 Disney produced its’ version of Cinderella leaving us with a classic fairytale princess. After this there were several other versions like Ever After, Ella Enchanted, A Cinderella Story, and even Another Cinderella Story. While the story becomes more modern and as a result more altered it still remains interesting to see just how the screen writers can change the same ole’ story and once again get people out to the theaters purchasing tickets. The newest version’s released date is said to be in 2013 potentially starring Amanda Seyfried.

The Commencing Thoughts

For a long time screen writers have taken the incredible novels cooked up by authors and transformed them into works that can be made into movies. Many different perspectives come into play in situations like this. There is the reader, the watcher or maybe the one who experiences both versions of the story. But no matter which way one experiences the stories there is something to be said from each perspective.

Many claim that the book is always better than the movie, this is often a true statement simply because it is very difficult for movies to live up to the images inside one's imagination while reading a good book . Every once in a while though it is possible see a movie and admit that it really did encompass the essence of the book very well. There are also times though when one will go and see a movie and not really even realize that this story was a work of art before it even reached the screen and that is in fact why it even is a movie today.

It is my hope that this blog will give some praise to the movies that do their best to compete with every readers imagination, give some praise to the novels that originally captured enough readers hearts to get screen writers attention, but most of all praise the authors of the novels who without them and their imagination neither book nor movie would be possible.