Teaser Tuesday (October 14) - As You Wish by Cary Elwes

What is teaser tuesday?

It's a meme hosted by Should Be Reading and here are the rules: 

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

"And while a leap of faith would be required to presume that the other characters in the film (most notably Buttercup) would not immediately spot the resemblance between Westley and the Man in Black, the audience was free to make the connection (which of course, they did). Still, it had to look right. Despite going to great lengths to create dozens of perfect masks, the makeup department still wound up having to use dark makeup around my eyes in some scenes to create a seamless transition between mask and skin, much like what I understand they do with all the folks who play Batman." 
-As You Wish, Pages 38-39, by Cary Elwes. 

Also, I'm hosting a contest on Twitter for a book of your choice! If you follow me at Twitter.com/Cornucopiaofluv and retweet the contest you're entered to win!   

Movie Review: The Vampire Academy

Based on author Richelle Mead’s worldwide bestselling series, VAMPIRE ACADEMY tells the legend of Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch) and Lissa Dragomir (Lucy Fry), two 17-year-old girls who attend a hidden boarding school for Moroi (mortal, peaceful Vampires) and Dhampirs (half-vampire/half-human guardians). Rose, a rebellious Guardian-in-training and her best friend, Lissa – a royal vampire Princess - have been on the run when they are captured and returned to St.Vladamirs Academy, the very place where they believe their lives may be in most jeopardy. Thrust back into the perils of Moroi Society and high school, Lissa struggles to reclaim her status while Rose trains with her mentor and love-interest, Dimitri (Danila Kozlovsky), to guarantee her place as Lissa’s guardian. Rose will sacrifice everything to protect Lissa from those who intend to exploit her from within the Academy walls and the Strigoi (immortal, evil vampires) who hunt her kind from outside its sanctuary.

Best Bits: I think any movie that starts with "Bad Girls" by M.I.A automatically gets four stars. I'm new to this series, I've been flying through the books, and loving every minute of them. I think this puts me in a unique position with the movie. I don't have a huge set of expectations due to years of waiting for new books. What was I looking for in the movie? The same feel of the book. I wanted something that doesn't take itself too seriously, but still had intense moments. I think this movie did that well. Yes, there were a number of changes from page to screen, including altering some plot points. Some will be a bit upset with that, but it's all in the name of making a movie that flows (this was ingrained in me after watching commentaries from LOTR).

Perhaps the most important parts of the movie are the characterization of, and friendship between Lissa and Rose. The books depend on these things, and the friendship guides a majority of Rose's decisions over the course of the series. I was happy that Rose was sassy, and Zoey Deutch was able to pull it off. Lucy Fry, playing Lissa, was great as well. You feel for her as she's trying to adjust back to life at the academy while other students whisper behind her back. As I've continued on with the series, she has sort of replaced my mental image of who Lissa is.

Nit Picks:  I felt like there was an excess of cleavage for Rose. I'm wondering if this was to play up her curvy figure which is described in the book, but I can imagine that getting in the way of fighting strigoi. I also thought that the actor who plays Dimitri looked old...and I can't even explain it. He's only a bit older than I am, and doesn't look that old in behind-the-scenes photos/other movies. I'm going to blame it on the hair.

If you are looking for a fun, quick movie to watch with the girls, I'd say give this one a shot.

Movies on Monday

Somehow I lost my weekend to movies...but I didn't mind. Instead of doing my typical mini-reviews of books, I just wanted to spotlight a couple of them.

The Lego Movie -

Yes, I did go see a kid's movie with my sister this weekend, and it was awesome! We're nerds, so we actually get the references and in-jokes, and the song was stuck in my head for the next two days. Sure, it was silly and had jokes only kids will find funny, but it also had heart. Plus, it has a ton of celebrity voices, so we had some fun picking those out.

Lord of the Rings: Extended Trilogy -

I make no secret of wishing that I was a hobbit, and I love this series. I'm just now getting around to listening to the cast commentaries, and watching all the special features. This is a feat, because each disc contains a couple of hours of interviews and information...and I only have so much time! I also appreciate that they describe reasons why they have changed things from the book. Much of it has to do with pacing, but I like hearing that they really agonized over choosing what to keep, cut, and re-administer. It reminds me of how passionate the cast and crew were about this series!

Fall Festival: Favorite Halloween Movies & Giveaway

I wanted to start off fall the right way, by talking about Halloween. I absolutely love it, and it's one of my favorite holidays. The costumes, candy, and decorations are always fun. The movies, however, take the cake. Here are my top five:

5. Arnold's Halloween

Alright, I'm starting off this list by cheating. This is, in fact, not a movie. It is, however, from my favorite childhood show. It's probably one of the reasons why I became so interested in mental health...so thanks Nickelodeon! This episode is a recreation of the War of the Worlds radio broadcast that caused panic in 1938 that cause panic. Something similar happens here, but should you want to seek it out on Youtube (or DVD), I won't spoil it.


4. Casper

I first saw this movie as a pre-teen, and after it totally had a crush on Devon Sawa. Those were the days. Now when I watch it I think about how selfless Casper is, and how it shows the meaning of family. Despite the outdated CGI, it's still a fun family movie. 

3. Don't Look Under the Bed

Back in the Day when Disney Channel released decent movies, there was one that actually gave me the creeps (keep in mind this was during the time I was also watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? on Nick). This movie is about the boogeyman and imaginary friends. I know what you're thinking, how did this rank number three on my list? Well, it instilled the fear of creepy dolls in me. Seriously, never again do I want to see a doll's head turn in any direction...ick. Watching it again as an adult I realize that there are some lines that are insanely inappropriate (someone should have caught those), but I will always secretly (openly, now). 











 2. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Everything about this classic is amazing. The music, the comedic moment, poor Charlie's trouble with scissors. It's a classic and it always finds it's way to the TV during pumpkin-carving activities.

1. Hocus Pocus

For a Disney movie, they use the word Virgin a lot. It is weird to remember that this actually a Disney film, because it deals with some pretty adult themes. Now that I'm an adult (in age, not maturity) I can appreciate the humor in a new way. When I used to work at a video store in high-school/college this movie was constantly on from early October until the day after Halloween. I can happily report that no parents ever complained about it.

Wait, you might say. There aren't any scary movies on this list! You would be right, of course. I had the misfortune of watching 28 Days Later and having recurring nightmares about zombies running across my lawn. SO, hard pass to those type of things. For those who can watch them and enjoy them, I tip my hat to you. 

Don't forget to check out Kristen's post at The Book Monsters here!
Check out Giveaway #2 and an author interview with Kim Askew & Amy Helmes Here!
Check out Giveaway #3 and Small-town Fall Activities here! 

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