The Hawkeye Initiative is highlighting the ridiculousness of how women are portrayed in comics by rejigging the art to feature Hawkeye. Brilliant.
The Muppet Christmas Carol is not only the greatest A Christmas Carol adaptation, it's also the best Christmas movie, IMO. Here are 25 reasons it rocks.
Should I read Beautiful Creatures? For some reason it's passed under my radar until recently, but now the internet is kinda exploding over the movie trailer. The cast is great but the story doesn't totally grab me from the trailer alone. Bit over paranormal romance TBH, though it's good to see the guy as the mortal for a change.
Another trailer that's making the rounds is the one for Warm Bodies. When I first heard about it I thought it was just cashing in on Twilight (with zombies) but it actually looks kinda good. The comments about R having the kind of face that could mean he's in his 20s, but could also mean he's a teenager, are particularly funny in light of the author's minor tantrum over the fact that his book isn't YA, even though it looks like it is to a lot of people.
Then there's the City of Bones trailer (what is the, Trailer Week?). I wasn't a massive fan of the book, but the movie looks pretty good. The cast looks right - even Jamie Campbell Bower. I wasn't convinced when they cast him, but judging by the trailer he does a good job as Jace.
I'm not fussed on Sookie's new "love interest" for the next season of True Blood. I guess this means they're not using Quinn, which I can't say I'm sad about. I never really liked him in the books. But ugh, enough with the faeries! Just have hot vampire sex with non-amnesiac Eric already!
Holy amazeballs, you guys, I am SO excited for The Amazing Spider-Man. When the new film was first announced, I was kinda like, "Already?! Didn't they just make Spider-Man?! I feel so old." But now I'm just excited. I LOVE Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield already, so a movie with both of them in it will pull me in, anyway. But how great do they look together?! And how great does Andrew fill out the Spidey suit?! I just want to squeeze that butt... you know, just to confirm that the suit works and is, like, protective and stuff. Yeah, that's it.
It's rare that a movie is better than the book it's based on - especially an amazing book like Never Let Me Go - but I think this one might just have done it. Well, it was at least as good as the book... beautifully shot, brilliantly acted and wonderfully told. It hit all the right marks, and was just as heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching and just generally wrenching as the novel. I'd normally do a detailed comparison of the changes from book to movie, but I don't think I can do it this time. It would be a shame to pick it a part, as it's such an emotional experience. Plus, it's incredibly faithful to the book - there were a few changes, but they were mostly pretty minor and worked well in the film. I seriously can't fault it.
Did I mention how brilliant the acting was? Andrew Garfield, holy moly. I loved him before, but wow. He perfectly captured Tommy's vulnerability, sensitivity, hope and heartbreak. Man, the heartbreak...And Carey Mulligan! She did such a wonderful job of bringing Kathy to life, conveying so much emotion in just one look that I felt for her even more than I had in the book. Keira was also great as the nasty Ruth, who I actually managed to feel sympathy for at one point. The child actors were also amazing - not only did they look a helluva lot like their adult counterparts (young Kathy especially looked freakishly like Carey), but they could also actually act. This was so important, as their story does take up a large part of the movie, and without this strong foundation it wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful later on. As it stands, it's probably the most powerful film I've seen in a long time.
It was easy because it's superbly written and compelling. I couldn't put it down and got through it in two sittings – if you don't count the number of times I had to set it aside for a few minutes, just to catch my breath. It was very, very hard at times to keep reading in anticipation of the distressing events to come.
We’re told at the beginning that the setting is “England, late 1990s", but you immediately know that there’s something unusual in this England, with the casual mentions of “donors” and “carers”. The narration is set up as a kind of conversation between the protagonist, Kathy, and the reader, so there's an assumed knowledge of her world and her place in it. Of course, we have no clue, but it infuses the slow build to the big reveal(s) with a kind of dread as we, like the characters as children, have been "told, but not told".
The plot centres around Kathy’s relationship with her two best friends, Ruth and Tommy, and their complicated love for each other, made even more delicate by time - when it’s wrong, when it passes, and when it’s very, very limited. The characters seem very much aware of the shadow of time looming over them, but that doesn’t stop them from making mistakes, from hurting each other, and from holding back from what they want. For all their love and creativity, these things, more than anything, are the most forceful evidence of their very real humanity.
This is not what you would describe as an enjoyable book. I don’t think it’s giving too much away to say that it’s a tear-jerker – and then some. In fact, in certain places, it’s downright unpleasant. But that just shows how powerful it is. You really FEEL for the characters so that, on more than one occasion, I actually felt that my own heart was breaking.
Rating: 4/5
Talking Points
The story stays with you for long after you've closed the book (warning: it is a mistake to finish this immediately before bedtime). At first I thought it was extremely depressing and sent the message that life was pointless and death inevitable. It certainly makes you consider these things. But after thinking about it I came to realise that it's actually about the opposite: yes, death is inevitable, but that just makes what you do with your life all the more important. You have to seize what you want now and not wait until it's too late.
On a slightly shallower note, I hated Ruth. Kathy obviously loves her dearly, but she spends a lot more time focusing on her less than admirable traits and actions. Which is understandable, given everything that happens. Ahem...
A lot of reviews - especially regarding the movie - have brought up the issue of why nobody tries to escape their fate. The thought did cross my mind, but I think when you consider the fact that they've been brought up their whole lives with their destiny/purpose drilled into their minds, it is realistic that they don't really consider running away. They have no families (except each other), nowhere to go, no real preparation for the outside world - no options, really. I said it was sad, didn't I?
Not having much medical knowledge, I'd like to know how the third and fourth donations were possible. It wasn't a majorly important point for what the book was trying to achieve, but it did make me curious.
Eye candy Again, having already watched the movie trailer prior to reading the book, I had Carey Mulligan as Kathy, Andrew Garfield as Tommy and Keira Knightley as Ruth stuck in my head. Which was pretty much perfect anyway, because I LOVE Carey and Andrew (to be honest, they're what attracted me to the book/movie to start with) and I don't particularly like Keira, so that worked for Ruth. The only thing that bugs me is Carey's weird mullet 'do in the trailer/stills, but she's so gorgeous I'll let it slide:
On a related note, this little clip made me so happy and (almost) pulled me out of the utter sadness I felt after finishing the book. Just. So. Adorable.
