Monday, March 17, 2014

Monday Maunder: At The Movies (1)


I obviously spend most of my time talking about books around here.  Afterall, it is Tif Talks Books.  However, I am also a huge fan of movies and there have been a couple of films that I have watched over this last week that I want to chat about here.

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE

In case you missed it, last year I read Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones during DWJ March over at We Be Reading.  This book quickly stole my heart and it ended up on my growing list of favorite books of all times.  It struck a chord with me and even after a year has passed, I still frequently think about Sophie and Howl, the main characters in this story.  As March approached and Kristen from We Be Reading announced that she would be hosting DWJ March again, I knew that I had to get my hands on this movie in honor of her event.

This animated movie was directed by Hayao Miyazaki, a man well known for his animation in Japan.  He worked in conjunction with Disney and big name actors lent their voice to the picture, including Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Josh Hutcherson, and Billy Crystal.  I found that I quickly fell into the story, reminding myself of what I loved about DWJ's amazing story and feeling comfortable with voices that I already knew.  I loved Billy Crystal as Calcifer and even despite my dislike for Christian Bale, his voice was quite appropriate for Howl himself.  It didn't follow the book exactly, but I was not surprised.  Few movies actually do.  But, I did feel that it was an accurate representation filled with wonderful animations of the characters and worlds that I grew to love in the book.


THOR:  THE DARK WORLD

I was unfortunately not able to see the sequel to THOR in the movie theater, but we were able to get our hands on a copy over the weekend to finally catch this much anticipated film.  I really enjoyed the first version and not just because of Chris Hemsworth!

Personally, I am not a huge fan of Natalie Portman, so I could take her or leave her in this film.  Hemsworth was his wonderful self, as usual.  It was Tom Hiddleston that I think was the stand out in this one though.  Hiddleston, playing Loki, was funny and brooding and heartbreaking.

THOR:  THE DARK WORLD was a fun watch, even if I still have a preference for the first one.  Hiddleston stole the show and I cannot wait to see more of his talent in the future!!


HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

I end with this one because I just finished reading this book to my children this afternoon.  My son and I have previously read this story, but it was my daughter's first time hearing the story in its entirety.  I probably should have waited a bit longer to read this one to her, but they both begged and pleaded and I gave in.  At this very moment, my kids are camped out on the living room floor watching the movie.  It's so magical to have them experiencing one of my favorite books.  I can almost imagine what it was like for myself experiencing it for the first time as I watch them.  (Yes, I know the movie is not as good as the book, but they are both super fun and will always hold a special place in my heart!)


I sign off this week with my reads for the week ... I finished Insurgent by Veronica Roth and am now in the midst of Allegiant.  I am not flying through the rest of this trilogy like I did the first book.  After I finish my current read, I will then move on to some library books:  Chew, Volume 1 by John Layman and Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones.

What are some of your recent reads or films?  Do you have any thoughts or comments to share on the titles I've discussed here?

14 comments:

  1. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Thor: The Best Little Thorhouse in Texas (not its real name -- stole it from someone else's website because it made me giggle uncontrollably). It finally made me see the point of Tom Hiddleston as Loki.

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    1. Jenny @ Reading the End ... LOL!!!! I have not heard that before, but it makes me laugh! And, I agree. Loki was the point of the show!

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  2. We just watched Thor: The Dark World this weekend! I agree, Hiddleston was awesome as Loki. I love him. Portman's character was ridic in this one. She is literally a plot device.

    I recently watched an anime called Paprika and thought it was awesome.

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    1. Tasha Brandstatter ... Yes!! Portman as a plot device is the perfect explanation!

      I haven't watched a lot of anime. I might have to check it out.

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  3. I probably could have started a movie blog just as easily as a book one. :) I want to try and get out to the movies in the next week or two. I haven't been out in forever and sometimes it's just fun to go to the theater. Now to decide what to see ... maybe the final Miyazaki film? Speaking of, I'm so glad you liked the Howl movie. :)

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    1. Kristen M. ... I really, really love movies, though I don't watch them as much as I used to now that I have kids. Before kids, my husband and I used to go the movies almost every single weekend. Love, love, love them. Keep me posted on what you decide to see.

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  4. I'm still trying to get my review of the new Thor movie written a posted. I'm aiming for Wednesday. I really enjoyed it.

    Most recently (and this has been reviewed), I went to see Veronica Mars in the theater on Friday. I loved the TV show when it was on 10 years ago, and this was exactly what I had hoped for from the movie.

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    1. Mark Baker ... You know, I have never seen Veronica Mars, but it seems like something that I would enjoy. Maybe I should see if I can get the old episodes from the library???

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  5. Haven't seen the latest Thor movie, but I admit to having a soft spot for Loki. Glad to hear your daughter is enjoying Harry Potter! How cool that you and your son are able to share it with her!

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    1. Alexia561 ... If you already have a soft spot for Loki, then you need to watch the latest Thor movie! I think he is even better in this one!

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  6. I liked the first Thor movie even though a lot of people didn't. But this new one was way better. And yes, mostly because of Loki.

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    1. Charleen Lynette ... You know, I still kind of prefer the first one. Is that crazy?!?

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    2. Eh, not crazy. I'm a sucker for origin stories. But I just thought the Thor-Loki dynamic post-Avengers was brilliant.

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    3. Charleen Lynette ... I won't deny that, but I really am a sucker for the origin stories too!! :)

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