Children’s Book Movie Fanboy-ing

October 7, 2009

One of the movies I’m really excited to see is Where the Wild Things Are. I saw the trailer maybe a few months ago and got really nostalgic about the book and everything. I used to see it at my old grade school library and I read it a few times. Cute story, but I kinda forgot it through the years. Actually even forgot about the book.

 

And then this trailer pops up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NOkQ4dYVaM
(the video didn’t allow embedding, and I’m too lazy to look for another one )

 

And everything comes flooding back into my head.

 

So of course, the question is: how the fudge do they turn a children’s storybook into a full-length film? All I remembered from the book was that a kid goes to an island full of monsters, becomes their king, misses home, and goes back. I mean not really much material for a movie. But then I just shrugged it off. The monsters in the trailer looked good and looked like how I remembered them. I’ll just hope I really enjoy the movie.

 

Another effect of seeing that trailer was that I developed a semi-obsession  on finding and reading the book again. I still don’t know how to buy stuff online, and anyway it would no doubt be expensive. I don’t think the local bookstores would have it anymore, and if they did I wouldn’t really be able to afford them. The only hope I had of finding it was to raid second-hand bookstores. This was semi-obsession we’re talking about so I only browsed through stacks when it crossed my mind. Second-hand bookstores being what they were, it was a hit-and-miss thing.

 

And today was my lucky day.

 

So I finally have a copy of the book (and also got to read The Velveteen Rabbit in the store, but I only had enough money for Maurice Sendak’s book so I couldn’t bring both of them home) , read it, enjoyed the art, found the story cute, and now find myself really wondering

 

HOW THE FUDGE WOULD THEY TURN A SIMPLE CHILDREN’S BOOK THAT’S MORE OR LESS 10 SENTENCES LONG INTO A FULL-LENGTH MOVIE?

 

It’s kinda stupid, but it’s kind of bothering me.

 

I’d totally slap myself silly if I ever watch the movie and go,  “That’s not what happened in the book!” But I’ve *sigh* been that way ever since I saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It even happened in The Time Traveller’s Wife. But come on, this is a really short children’s book we’re talking about, so yeah complaining about that would be really pathetic and stuff.

Ting is a pretentious artsy-fartsy prick

July 8, 2008

I have got to stop buying classic books at Booksale. Or this probably means that I have got to stop and think if the book I’m buying is at my current level. I just splurged on books again and among the books I’ve bought are Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I don’t think these books are of the kind meant to be read for leisure, like on a commute, or waiting in line.

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Book Splurging!

October 31, 2007

I've gone mad. Mad I tell you, MAD!!!!!! MwahahahaAHAhahAhHAhaHAH! See this kitten? No of course you can't . You're just reading this and obviously there is no kitten to be seen. Just imagine that I'm holding a kitten. It's black all over except for its paws and the tip of its tail which are white. Okay? Fine. Now, see this kitten? Yes, very cute, I know. I have a butcher knife in the other hand and a saucepan on the stove with water just waiting to boil. Yes, I'm going to - no I'm not. I'm not and I can't. I can't do anything that bad to kittens, real or imagined. I'm too squeamish and all warm and fuzzy inside. The worst thing I can ever do to one is to ignore it, something I've done to many kittens I see on the streets.

 

The kittens have nothing to do with what I want to talk about. It just that I haven't done a rambly post for quite some time, I think, and the whole kitten drivel just sort of came out and stuff.  This splitting of posts usually demand of me some sort of coherence with my "writing", if you could call it that. Anyway, what I want to talk about is how I just blew a chunk of my savings and my salary on books. Again.

 
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A post about Book 7, with no spoilers!

July 31, 2007

The damn book was sitting on the ironing board when I got home. There I was, tired and hungry, and my eyes lock on to the infernal hardbound book with the orange book jacket that had a well-known teen wizard printed on it. Yes, there was a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in my house.
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School, Experiencing Princess Princess, Anime fads, The five colors of mana

June 23, 2007

Pardon the crap that will follow. I'm just going to ramble for the sake of posting, which is all I ever do.

 

School's just started and we've been flooded with readings (that I haven't photocopied yet). People who already have copies found that the damn readings have eaten a large chunk out of their money. I spent my money on food and novels. Denial is such a sweet defense mechanism. I just hope I'll be able to scrape a passing grade again . Well, of course this not-doing-anything period  couldn't possibly be good for a secure future but whatever.  If I continue this train of thought, I'll be turning it into another post full of self-pity.

 

Regarding the previous post, I actually found the experience of being a human Bratz doll amusing. There we were just hanging out at the OSAD when Betch suddenly wanted to practice applying makeup on somebody else. The not entirely protesting victim was me. Should I have protested and said no with all my might? … uh… Whatever. The only colors Lizette had were of a reddish hue. Yes, very geisha like. I think. Punch me if I'm not making sense or just being a pretentious prick. They start putting eyeliner (?) on my eyelids and the people watching were complimenting the application of the product. And then came the blush and stuff and the clips. Well, they told me that I looked pretty nice. (I feel pretty… Oh so pretty! I feel pretty, and witty, and -) I hope they meant that. It would be fun if I could really pass myself as a member of the opposite sex … not for drag-queen purposes, just that it makes me a little different from the crowd. (Don't we all want to stand out?)

 

Of course, cameras were taken out and pictures galore were shot. I think I need a camera phone, just to camwhore and practice looking good in pictures. I never really look good in pictures… or is that a too self-depreciating statement? Where's my cutter? Oh yess… Life-bringing crimson, flowing from my empty, human shell… There is no meaning for my continued existence… -cut the emo crap. I'm quite glad that none of the pictures have found their way to the intarnets… Or have they? Are people looking at those pictures and thinking, Ting's wearing make-up, I knew he was queer! Or… maybe not. I don't think the pictures have that strong a hold on me that they can be used as effective blackmail material.

 

I need a job so I can runaway from home.  I'm still in my teens and my raging hormones are telling me to throw out old rules and bind myself  to new ones and call that independence. Yes, I'm a hamster wanting to get out of the safe tediousness of my cage without knowing how much harder it is outside the confines of the plastic prison.

 

Yay! We're descending to incoherence again!

 

I liked Death Note when I first saw it back in November 2006. I liked it immediately. Since I liked it, I introduced Death Note to my friends, who maybe introduced it to their friends too. I was afraid that Death Note would be the next anime fad. I didn't get started on Bleach since almost everybody was going Bleach this and Bleach that. The same goes true for Naruto. My fear didn't reveal itself as simple paranoia, it was quite true. The live-action Death Note movie was released here in the Philippines by 2Rats and Comic Alley along with the first few episodes of the anime. (I was able to watch the anime before the Comic Alley release thanks to Bionic HQ. They used to have a branch near UST but they had to close shop. The only other branch I know of is in Greenhills, Theatre Mall 2nd floor.) I haven't watched the movie yet and I may have lost all interest in watching it. Raito (Light) wasn't good-looking in the movie (though L was), Ryuk looked really fake, and a whole lot of other complaints. Thanks to the Comic Alley release, Death Note was made known to a wider audience. Comic Alley then stocked up on Death Note merchandise. Posters, keychains, necklaces, "Death Notes" (notebooks), pins, and plush dolls (Though I have to admit that the Ryuk and L dolls are cute (imagine if I typed kawaii…)). Pretty soon, everybody was talking about Death Note. I find it annoying that most  people only know of the movie. Basically, what I'm just saying is: I hate it when everybody likes what I like.

 

 

The book I bought is about a kitty that's tasked to save the world. It's not Brian Jacques pirate kitties that stand on two legs, it's a kitty kitty, white with a few black stripes on him. It's cute.

 

So much for a review

 

You know, I should get started on my research about the current human rights situation but joining an RPG messageboard sounds more fun.

 

Speaking of RPG boards, I'm a member of Terisia City but then I just mostly lurk. Terisia is a fantasy role-playing messageboard that's pretty centered on the Magic: The Gathering card game. I don't think you really need to know how to play Magic in order to join, but it would help though. What you just need to know is that magic is fueled by mana which is split into five colors: White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. White is the color of order and it is used mostly for healing and protection, but it can also be used for divine punishment and stuff. Blue is the color of logic and trickery, it is used to gain knowledge and to play tricks on reality, like countering magic spells, or unsummoning creatures. Black is the color that is obsessed with power, users of black mana are willing to do anything for power, raising the dead, summoning demons, sacrificing life, that kind of stuff. They also excel in using fear to destroy other creatures. Red mana is the mana of fire. Stereotypical red mana users are impatient and chaotic, they pretty much want to destroy their opponents as fast as possible using fire, lightning, or simple brute strength. Green mana is the mana of nature lovers. It doesn't have much in the sorcery department except that it can induce rapid growth in its creations and their creatures can rapidly multiply and overrun the opponent. Okay… forget everything. You do need a little M:tg knowledge to join. But if you still want to, go ahead. Terisia isn't just for mage-battles and the like, it also offers romance and a bit of drama. So-and-so's warrior hooks up with Somebody's drow  (dark elf to people who aren't familiar with fantasy races) enchantress and flirting happens in the inn. Oh yeah, Terisia is also the place of general SPAM. Shadow's Bar is the place where most of the veterans just hang around and be retarded. (Note: Shadow's Bar isn't involved in any storyline whatsoever… start a serious, dramatic scene there, and people will just get ticked off). Anyway, I'm just trying to get a few people to revive the city since it's been in a slump since a massive OOC (out of character) flamewar happened due to a few rules constraints. God I probably look like a nerd right now.

 

 (I'd like to bash wannabe Death Note fangirls and fanboys but that would just be plain hypocrisy since I find myself sitting like L)