Coraline

Last night I went to see the film Coraline for Greg's birthday. When I was little I had always wanted to read the book Coraline but everyone told me it was to scary. When the movie came out, I was hesitant to see it for two reasons. The first was because I still wanted to read the book and I feared the film version might ruin it for me, the second was that I thought the film might not be very good. The trailer seemed a bit goofy and weird to me.
It turns out I was wrong, I throughly enjoyed the movie. It was funny, cute, a bit creepy and visually nice as well. I thought it had some cool ideas and got me thinking about my own stories. It also had some great characters. I love stop animation and the director, Henry Selick seems to be a master. He also did Nightmare Before Christmas and I think he worked on James and the Giant Peach.
When Coraline moves to a new house, nothing seems to be going her way. That is, until she finds a doorway that leads to an alternate universe in which everything is perfect. She cannot wait till night when she can creep back to her "other" world. But is everything really as perfect as it seems?
The film was superb and I recommend everyone see it for it is a real treat.

Drawing of the Day: Miles and Flora

I recently finished the book " Turn of the Screw" for school. I really enjoyed the book, although it was rather dense at some points. It had a neat story, and really intriguing characters. Turn of the Screw tells the story of a governess of a country house, plagued by supernatural visitors. I began my book report, but it wasn't going quite right so I decided to start on the title page. I decided to draw the two kids, Flora and Miles with the house in the background. They are supposed to be 8 and ten, but in the drawing they looked a lot older. I decided to re-do it, but I still liked the original drawing a lot. 

Drawing of the Day: The Queen of Diamonds

As I'm sure you know, I'm a huge Alice in Wonderland fan. I just love the story so much! There are so many unique things and characters, for example, the Queen of Hearts. Some time ago, I came up with three characters that related to Alice in Wonderland, but were uniquely my own. The were the royal family of Diamonds. The three of them, Queen, Princess, Prince. Where they are from (Wonderland) the title of Queen goes to the youngest child, instead of the oldest. I came up with a interesting story concerning the three siblings. They each had a power, one could grow roses with her mind, another could levitate objects and the last could see glimpses of the future. I drew them many times over the past years. There were versions where they were older, younger, in different clothes, or faceless. I was looking through an old sketchbook and I found one of these drawings. I made me want to draw this family again, so thats what I did. I present to you now, the family of Diamonds. 

Drawing of the Day: Jane Eyre

I was given the movie Jane Eyre on my birthday by my grandma Marilyn. I never got around to watch it until, today, when I wanted to watch something new and romantic. I'm not going to go into how I liked the film, I'll save that for another post. I will say that while I was watching it I was inspired by her drawings and decided I wanted to draw a nice face myself. I would have done a self portrait, but that would have meant looking away from the screen at a mirror, so, I decided to draw her instead. Of course, it doesn't look exactly like her, but I think it will do. I guess it just feels rather like her. I like the way it turned out, it still had my style, but it felt a little more realistic as well. This drawing I suppose is all thanks to Marilyn Neuhart. If not for your gift, I would never have watched the amazing film, and thus I would have never been able to draw this portrait. This is my Jane Eyre. The girl who started out with so little, and ended up with so much.

Drawing of the Day: Pendragon

I recently finished the ninth Pendragon book, Raven Rise. It was a really really good book and I never wanted to put it down. I'd read in the car ride to school then have to put it away once we reached school. On one occasion, while we were watching slides of art in Main Lesion, I found my hand reaching for my bag and pulling out my book. I hid it under the desk and read away. During another Main Lesion when I felt that it would not be a good time to read, I starting drawing the major characters of the book. It took me three days to complete, then I went home and did it in color. It turned out just the way I wanted. Everyone looked how I imagined them and it was in all a lovely piece. The order is Courtney Chetwynde, Mark Dimond, Patrick Mac. Then on the next row Telleo, Bobby Pendragon, Alder. And on the bottom row Neeva Winter, Saint Dane, and Naymeer. I decided it to it in a pattern the girls in the left column the major character from that territory in the center and the traveler who was there to help that person. It's not completely accurate, but that's okay. I think it looks right and thats what matters. I have to wait a year till the next Pendragon comes out. Until then I'll be early re-reading all the books to freshen my memory so that when the adventure of the travelers continues, I'll be ready.

Hobey-ho!

Twilight

I heard about the book Twilight some time ago, but I never decided to read it until recently. My friend Lindsay had recommended it to me so I asked her to borrow it. I started it on Tuesday of last week and I never wanted to put it down. Everyday on the ride to school I was glued to the pages. When school ended I read every morning and every night before I went to sleep. I finished it yesterday morning. It was an amazing book! Although not a lot happens you can't stop reading. Something about it just makes me want to keep reading it forever. Maybe it's because I feel like I can connect to the main character, Bella, on more ways than one. Or maybe it's because you can't help but fall in love with the character Edward while you're reading. It could be something else entirely. Either way it is one of the best books I've read this year. I could sit for hours just reading, the whole time a smile on my face. That's saying something when the reader is smiling while reading. I wish all books did that to us. Twilight tells the story of 17 year old Isabella Swan who leaves sunny Phoenix to live with her father in Forks Washington. She hates the little green town, and the only thing that keeps her sane is the mysterious and beautiful Edward Cullen who goes to school with her. Soon Bella finds that she is completely captivated with the strange and gorgeous boy, but is there more to Edward than his beautiful appearance?

I highly highly recommend Twilight to anyone wanting a good read. It in the top five of my favorite books and I eagerly wait my chance to read the rest of the series. It is a really wonderful book.

Great Expectations

Last night I watched Great Expectations with mom and Greg. I was looking forward to seeing it for many reasons, the first because I love Charles Dickens stories, and second because there were actors I liked in the film. It was a very very good film. It was beautifully shot and the lighting was amazing. Your eyes never got tired watching the movie. The story was excellent as well. The acting was also very superb. Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow were both marvelous. Their characters were realistic, you liked one moment, then disliked them another. In all it was a film that I would love to see again. It was well made and beautiful. I highly recommend it!

The Hours

I recently saw the film "The Hours." It was very good. The  Hours tells the story of three women who all are living lives they are not extremely happy with. It shows the lives of all three women, Virgina Woolf, Clarissa Vaughn, and Laura Brown. It was a beautiful film to watch and the acting was very good. Nichole Kidman is wonderful! You can barely tell it is her!! I highly recommend the film to anyone who wants to see a great bit of filmmaking!

It was very very good!

Atonement

Ever since it came out, I've been eagerly awaiting the day when I could see Atonement. I finally did, and I can tell you, it was well worth the wait! It was absolutely amazing! Atonement tells the story of 13 year old Briony Tallis, who accuses her sisters lover of a crime he did not commit. Once she realizes her mistake, Briony must seek forgiveness for her childhood misunderstanding, causing her to lead a life of atonement. The film was beautifully shot and directed which made it very nice to watch. The lovely English setting also contibuted to the brillence of the film. The acting was also amazing! James McAvoy and Keria Knightly worked so well together, they playe their roles perfectly. Saoirse Ronan was also amazing. She was perfect as the role and young Briony. You really felt compassion for her throughout the whole film. Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave were also very good! In all it was an absolutely wonderful film. I highly recommend it! It is one of my favorite films! I loved it!

Pride and Prejudice

After seeing Becoming Jane, I realized that I love these types of films; love stories, period pieces. I recently saw Pride and Prejudice and LOVED it! I particularly wanted to see it because it was a Jane Austen novel. It was the Keria Knightly 2005 version, and I highly recommend it. The cast is very good and the film it self is beautiful to watch. Keira Knightly does a wonderful job. It is a perfect part for her. Everyone else is brilliant as well. For anyone who likes love stories, you'll really like this film. It was very good.

Becoming Jane

Yesterday I went to see Becoming Jane with Ventana. From what I had seen in the trailer, it looked very good, and I wasn't disappointed. As the story unfolded, I experienced this beautiful love story that kept me thinking long after it was over. Though I loved the film, it also made me very sad. It is not only a lovely story, but it is also beautiful to watch. The direction, landscape, and costumes are very pretty. The acting was good as well, especially Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy. I HIGHLY recommend seeing Becoming Jane, it is a very very good film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (no spoilers)

When I was in second grade my mom and I began reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone for the first time. I soon fell in love with the books and read the 2nd, 3rd and 4th books
with my mom. I waited eagerly for the 5th and then the 6th books to come out, the two quickly becoming my favorites. Then two years past, and though I still loved Harry Potter, it was replaced at the top of my list with other books. The 5th movie arrived, and with it my old fascination for the books. I began to re- listen to books 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 on tape. Then it arrived! The day, or should I say night, we had all been waiting for. My friend My (left) and I (right) went at midnight to buy the long awaited 7th book at Barnes and Noble. We dressed up, and counted down with all the other Harry Potter fans, and finally, the 7th book was ours to read!
My and I stayed up till 5 in the morning reading, then fell asleep. I finished the book 5 days later, it was the fastest I ever read a book of that size! I absolutely loved the book, even though book 6 is still my favorite! It was so different from all the other books because it was the last one, and that made it very unique. Though I was glued to its pages, I still missed some things; key details that I will have to re-read. And I will always have my Mugglecast (HP podcast) to listen to even when the frenzy has finally worn off. The series is over but two characters will always be in my heart; Harry and Luna, I love you both.

Mugglenet
Mugglecast