Disaster films: San Andreas

Dear Bookworms,
I recently watched the movie San Andreas with my family, and I found it to be a wonderful movie. It exceeded my expectations and inspired me to write, so I thought I'd write a review of it. (Yes, something other than muses and zombies!)

Plot (pacing): 
The pacing of the film felt very natural. The set up didn't take too long but emphasized the importance of the earthquakes, giving meaning to some of the concepts that would be introduced further on in the plot. The middle built up towards the finale of the 2nd act, (using the 3 act format) and the ending was not only well played out and one of the tensest moments in the series, but it threw a surprise in that I didn't see coming,  and definitely appreciated, and it reminded me that the finale doesn't have to be the biggest event, just the most personal.

Characters: 
I won't go into much detail in this, but through most of the film my mom was commenting: "That's what you should look for in a guy!" I think they balanced the heroism of the men with the intelligence of the women, and gave each a chance to save the other. I found that none of the main characters were 'just plot devices' and each of the characters had a unique role to play. Unlike most disaster films where the children just give the main characters something to fight for and the audience a sense of danger, the kid in this film actually had a very important role in the survival of the main characters.

Disaster Scenes: 
The main reason that anyone watches a disaster film: the scenes. This film had incredible jaw-dropping cinematography, and while it was noticeable that a few scenes were CGI, the disaster scenes were usually visually realistic. It wasn't just earthquakes, there were...well, I don't want to spoil anything, but it showed some epic shots with a great deal of variety in the destruction.

Accuracy: 
There are two sides to this one. On the side of science I've heard that this film had some scientific inaccuracies. I'd have to agree. Here's the thing: writing isn't about accuracy. Writing is about telling your story, and entertaining the audience. If they wanted accuracy they could go watch the History Channel. Though I'm honestly not sure if that would be any better. :) (I've seen some good stuff on the History Channel, but also some REALLY bad stuff.)
On the flip side, their portrayal of human reactions to traumatic situations seemed to be rather accurate. (I cannot fully say, this is just based off of what I've heard.) The way they showed blunt force trauma and how humans respond to stressful situations seemed to be more accurate than most films I've seen. So, spot on.

Story Telling Elements: 
Finally, the different elements in this movie were fantastic. They had tension, of course. What disaster film would be complete without it? They also had romance, but it was in its place. The romance was secondary to family. The main romantic interest was more focused on saving his younger brother than on saving the girl. That didn't mean he didn't care, of course he did. But his first priority was his brother. As it should well have been. Finally, it included a lot of something that several disaster films don't have: humor. I understand, if life as we know it is coming to an end, there's not a lot of chances for snarky one liners. But then a movie becomes bogged down and the audience loses interest in the story, and also looses sight of how terrible these events are. By adding in some more light-hearted moments, the narrators were able to pull the contrast on the darker moments and show them for what they were without being graphic. Excellent story telling.

Honestly, I don't know why this movie was as poorly rated as it was. Sure, there's some brief swearing. If I was in that situation, I'd be swearing too. Probably a lot more than they did, and they kept within a PG-13 rating. Anyway. Any other movies you want me to comment on? Anything you want me to write about? Please let me know!
Scribe ergo quae vidiste vivere!

What do you think about Christmas movies?

 Hello Bookworms!
Alright, I haven't yet finished the Silmarillian, it could be a while. However, for Christmas-or more specifically the first full day of winter-I am addressing something that my sister brought up. It can be generalized as one simple question: What defines a Christmas movie? From that question, my sister claims that her favorite Christmas movie is Marvel's Iron Man 3. I shall endeavor to explain why she thinks so; also, I would like to get several opinions on whether she is right. Mainly, I would like to ask you the question: What is a Christmas movie?
Before I get started, I would like to agree with my sister: Iron Man 3 is a Christmas movie. However, I will let you come to your own conclusions.  I won't be able to thoroughly delve into it, but I shall do my best to explain the main points.
SPOILERS!!!! If you haven't watched Iron Man 3 and you don't want spoilers, Don't Read Yet!
Starting with simple easy requirements which need no explaining. Snow: Check. Presents: Check. Christmas time: Check. Tree: Check.
I have two main points,  first of all, Christmas spirit. As I am unaware what most people define as Christmas spirit, I am forced to resort to my definition: something which captures the essence of Christmas and all that it means. For me, Iron Man 3 does just that. For me, Christmas is: sentiment being appreciated when the gift isn't, feeling like no one understands what is really happening and what you see as important, people from your past who you really don't like, flames and destruction, erupting into fits of anger, feeling like the day will never end; ah yes, Christmas. For those of you who don't have an explosive Christmas, be glad.
My second point is that, while the specific details of the plot are unique, there are underlying story arcs from a story which is commonly agreed to be a Christmas story: A Christmas Carol. (I'm not sure who first noticed it, I heard it from my sister, and she heard it somewhere else) Tony is pretty obviously Scrooge, and instead of not appreciating Christmas and being stingy about money, he doesn't appreciate those around him and is focused on his suits instead of Pepper and Happy, among others. There are two ghosts of Christmas past; Mia, who is the 'ghost' of his past opportunities, and the young kid, who is the 'ghost' of tony when he was young: an unappreciated genius whose father wasn't there for him. The ghost of Christmas present is, strangely enough, the Mandarin, acting as simply a jolly old fellow who likes to drink and party, and doesn't have much in the way of wit. The Ghost of Christmas future is Killian, who shows Tony what his life would be like without the people whom he cares about, and inadvertently making Tony realize what he really had. "You're wrong, she was already perfect"(Tony, battle on the ship). Finally, Tony uses the suits which had been for himself, to help others, and is also willing to give them up.
So, this is my explanation of why Iron Man 3 is not only a Christmas movie, but also my favorite Christmas movie. Please let me know what you think in the comments, and I would love to hear what your favorite Christmas movies are. Habent sua fata libelli!

Plot summaries, the Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Hello Bookworms!
How time flies when you're hard at work. That's not the actual saying, but it might as well be. It's true! When  you are working hard on something, making sure you do everything just right, you use up a lot of time! So, I need to start scheduling my time better. Now, time to talk about a movie. There will probably be spoilers, but I'll try to avoid the main ones. (As if I'm good at that!)
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So, I finally  got around to seeing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty this week. Honestly, I wasn't planning on it, but it came on while I was waiting for another television show. So, I will keep this brief and to the point. The movie as a whole wasn't one of those "Brilliant, edge-of-your-seat action types with tons of comedic references", but it was well done. The basic premiss was more about normal life, and how "It's not so much about that character, but about how the seemingly unimportant things we know end up making us amazing" (Esther). The scenery was amazing! Iceland and Greenland, the Himalayas, excellent.
The acting was good, I especially loved hearing Patton Oswalt as Todd, hearing about all the places Walter was going. Of course, I couldn't help but think about Agent Koenig! Brilliant and hilarious!
My two favorite scenes would have to be when he actually jumps onto the helicopter and then seeing his face when he realizes, "Wait, this is real! I'm actually doing this! What was I thinking?" And when he out-drives the volcano. I loved that scene! (Yes, a bit of a pyromaniac) So, have fun watching it! Definitely a family movie, really well done. And come on, who doesn't dream like that?
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So, please keep reading my blog, thank you! Please join the site, and PLEASE comment!
Habent sua fata libelli
Oh, and shouting back to my twin sister Elenore Jane! Check out her blog,  http://winterripple.blogspot.com/

Plot Summaries, Warm Bodies.

Hello Bookworms!
Today I am first explaining what plot summaries are. It's basically when I review the entirety of a show, movie, or book, examining the fundamental aspects of whatever work I am examining, all from a writing perspective. I am hoping to be doing more of these later on. Anyway, today I am posting on a favorite movie of mine, Warm Bodies. Please keep in mind, I haven't seen the movie in a few months, so I am going on memory. Anyway, enjoy my analysis!
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Some people like the movie for the romance. Some like it for the zombie apocalypse setting. There are even a few people, (like my sister) who like it for the social commentary. All of these are brilliant reasons, and I fully agree with all three of those ideas. However, my favorite aspect in the whole movie is the undertones that I recognized before my sister. (Yes, there is sisterly rivalry!) That aspect, is the subtle details that lead me to realize the entire plot was Romeo and Juliet in the zombie apocalypse. (I'm really surprised that no one had tried it earlier.) If you didn't see it before, that's ok. Most people didn't notice it. Anyway, right now I am analyzing it from several of those views, along with looking at my own list of 'necessary film criteria'.
I will be skimming over the romance, as I'm only good at writing it, not analyzing it. They did a good job with it, but when you're following the plot of the bard, it's hard to go wrong. The main point is, (from someone who has never read the play, (I'm getting around to it!) and only seen about ten different adaptions) They seemed to keep the main aspects. Except the part where they both end up dead, but in all fairness he was dead already.
From the aspect of a zombie apocalypse, it was slightly confusing. According to accuracy it didn't do so well. But, for changing the nature of zombies, (as several people do these days) they did it well. The idea of there being two stages of zombies was completely inaccurate, but I don't see any other way to still keep a real villain. I'm not sure if people become zombies only if their brain isn't eaten, that may very well be accurate. Still,  for the most part they kept to the main concept as well as they could. So far there is no confirmed cure for zombies, they are generally viewed as evil by nature. Still, they did a brilliant job keeping the scariest sides of zombies. (Although they sense humans by more than their smell.)
From the view of a social commentary, this was fascinating. The main concept I could find was that modern society was causing the destruction of humanity, and spurring on the zombie apocalypse; taking this view, the cure was unity between people, families, and society in general. So, yes. Please spend more time with people, and prevent the zombie apocalypse!
From the story of Romeo and Juliet, I have nothing to say, except to point out the few references I could see. R. stands for Romeo, Julie stands for Juliet. Perry represents Paris, and Marcus is a reference to another of the Bard's characters. (I'm sorry, I don't know who!) Oh, and then the scene on the balcony.
Anyway. Now, it's time for me to analyze a few small things that I feel all stories need.
1. Character developement.
They did a good job with this. Not only did they visibly show R's development, but they also showed a slight change in Julie's mindset of depression, to that of wonder. Never underestimate character development. It's what makes the whole plot mean something.
2. Mid-range-predictability ending.
Some people write these stories, and you know exactly where they're going, and exactly how they are going to do it. This isn't good. But, the other is worse: having an ending that there is no way to predict. The best way to write a startling ending is to layer it in. If you read or watch something a second time and you think, "There's no way I could have seen this coming!" Then it's a terrible ending. They did it right. You kind of knew where they were going with it, but you didn't see exactly how until it actually happened. You knew that they would likely live, but you didn't see her dad changing quite like that. You knew the societies would come together, but you didn't see her dad having a part in that.
3. Humor.
One of the reasons I hated super-hero movies until a little while ago was that all those super-heroes were too strict, rigid, and single minded that they never seemed real. Their conversations were superficial, and they always seemed to grasp the devastation at hand without ever stopping to think, "This is funny, I should laugh!" Luckily, this movie allowed you to have your laughs, and also your epic danger of the world moments. Actually, it had a lot of laughs. That was really good!
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Anyway, thank you for reading that randomness, I hope that you keep reading my posts! I'm hoping to post tomorrow about a book idea I had, but we'll see.

Plot summaries, The Lizzie Bennett Diaries

47 VIEWS! Thank you, people who like my blog! I can't believe it, I have had 47 views on this blog, today! How does that happen?!
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Hello Bookworms!
Ok, so that was an interesting rambling I just did there, but yes. After getting no more than 15 views per day on the excellent days, I just got 47 views today. Thank you, you just made my month. Oh, and this is the 30th post! So, today I am covering an online YouTube show that I just watched, The Lizzie Bennett Diaries.
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Ok, so The Lizzie Bennett Diaries is a modern edition of Pride and Prejudice. (If that wasn't obvious from the name.) If you aren't familiar with the plot of Pride and Prejudice, then it's a good place to start. If you are and you didn't like it, that might be because of the plot, or it might be due to the writing style of Jane Austen. (Don't get me wrong, she was a great writer for her time, but sometimes writing styles change, and the books don't.) If you are familiar with the plot, and you did like it, you will probably like this one too.
The whole show is a video diary of Lizzie's life, and is told almost entirely from her perspective. (Her sisters and friends do highjack the show once or twice, but it's almost always to clarify an error.) Lizzie Bennett is attending grad-school, and is filming the video diary as one of her many projects. The show seems to center around her life, and her involvement in her sister's lives. Her sister Jane is sweet and wise, and is falling in love with a rich young doctor-in-training, Bing Lee. (Clever!) Her other sister, Lidia, is basically what you would call a 'teenage rebel'.(Basically, what Pride and Prejudice's Lidia would have seemed like in that era.) Then there is Lizzie herself, who is always standing up for her family, but sometimes when it isn't needed.
I liked this show, because it all seems real. The actors and actresses all know how to show exactly what reactions real people would have to everyday life. Plus, having siblings, I know the arguments people can have over misunderstandings. It's kind of nice seeing yourself reflected in other people, and seeing how they would respond to the problems you go through.
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I know, not much of a description. But still, life will always be crazy. Just hope to keep up! Thank you again! Habent sua fata libelli!