- bump my head on a cabinet door corner so hard there was instant tears. I want my mummy!!
- put salt in my tea (and it took me a whole minute to realize that was why the tea was salty…I’ll never be able to enjoy English Toffee Tea the same way ever again).
- shampooed my hair with conditionner and conditioned with shampoo and only realized it after I had done it.
- left for class earlier than I had to because I was mistaken on what day it was. I could have slept in for another hour.
The whole morning’s been hazy as a consequence… perhaps I should get my head checked, literally.
I was over at Enchanted Serenity of Period Films today, and she posted about the 20 minute film “Butterfly Circus” (watch it here). I admit, I tried really hard not to cry. I knew it was going to be some sort of motivational film, I knew something heart-wrenching but triumphant was going to happen, and that when you do that sort of thing in a movie, you risk going on the lame side and instead of making people feel moved, you might end up making them roll their eyes ever so slightly. I’ve never heard of Nick Vujicic before either, so this was my first time hearing about him.
I watched the film with my brother, and we both sort of share the same taste in films, so I knew he was also going to be skeptical about it, too. But we thought, “it’s only 20 mins, let’s watch it since we’ve procrastinated projects all day anyway”, so we watched it. Scene after scene flashed by, and the creator of the film, Joshua Weigel, successfully made me feel somewhat emotionally connected in the span of 10 minutes. But still, you can imagine me, sitting in front of the screen, with my arms crossed, thinking in my head, “yeah, I get what you’re trying to do.” I totally thought I had it all figured out. Then, at the end of the film – one scene, one wordless scene, and BLAM, all the tears started trickling out, slowly. And then, my brother looked down at me and pointed wordlessly, and I opened my mouth to tell him to “Shut up” (I wasn’t thinking straight
) but then saw that he was wordless because his eyes were a little wet, too.
Then we burst out laughing. Who knew the watching of this little film would become a test to see who could resist crying (he won’t admit it, so typical..). I’m such a cry-baby in private, but when people are around I feel uncomfortable about letting those droplets loose. Maybe it’s from years of watching mum bawl at every little remotely emotional scene out there and teasing her about it. I feel so hypocritical
Anyway, watch the movie, it’s only 20 minutes long, and tell me what you think about it! It’s a Doorpost Film Project winner (though I don’t really know what that means to the film community).
Quickly! Must post!
I’m posting this in between classes. I have half an hour! Hence the possible poor quality of the review and the multiple grammatical/typo mistakes…
Last night, I stayed up late to watch the film adaptation of Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle.
It was at around 11:30pm when I started watching it. It was around 2AM when I went to sleep!
It was so hard to stifle my giggles – though I suspect my roommates aren’t so peeved since I saw lights under their doors, too.
Set in the 1930s, Cassandra Mortmain and her family of eccentrics arrive at an old castle, where their father will hopefully be able to write a masterpiece. After 12 years of nothing published, everyone is desperate, especially Cassandra’s sister Rose, who dreams of a better life, of luxuries and love. Cassandra herself vows that she’ll never fall in love. When the landlord americans of their castle arrive, however, her entire life and that of her family whirl completely our of control. Result: lots of giggling moments, lots of touching moments, lots of sad moments, all taking place on a beautiful English Countryside, castle in no-man’s land kind of backdrop.
Cassandra is played by Romola Garai, who I thought played the role to a tee. At least, based on what I remember of the book (I must re-read it!). She was innocent and loyal and helpful and a total romantic, despite being afraid of falling in love.
Rose is played by Rose Byrne. I don’t remember much about Rose from the book, except that she must’ve been very pretty and playful. Despite having forgotten accurately how Rose was like, I love the Rose in the movie. Her character dripped with dramatic flair. Her costume bubbled with eccentricity. It altogether made for some snort-worthy scenes.
Henry Thomas plays Simon Cotton, with the sweet face and the romantic goo-goo eyes. I remember him from Legends of the Fall. And, Marc Blucas plays Neil.
The cinematography was…beautiful, just so picturesque. The music, by Dario Marianelli, was beautiful and subtle and haunting.
There are so many little things that I loved about the movie, and I’m all about the little things sometimes. Like the talk of inheriting a portion of their Aunt’s inheritance, which makes everyone look at the dilapidated wardrobe in the corner of the bedroom. After a moment, Cassie quips, “I hope it’s the door.”
Or having the rich folks over to dinner at the old castle. There is no food, no proper tableware, not even a proper table. Father basically says, “We’ve got doors we can unhinge, don’t we?”
I’m pretty sure I got some tea up my nose during those moments. But, to be fair, if I could’ve hollered healthily at those scenes, such dangerous incidents wouldn’t have happened. But it was midnight. On a school night. Hence the slow suffering snickering.
There are some spoilers after this!
The first scene caught me. Imagine driving up a windy road by a sparkling bay, and there, in the middle of an undulating grass field: an old dilapidated castle that will be your home. It was quite dramatic – the lone tower sticking out, looking haunting and peculiar.
When we meet seventeen year old Cassandra, she’s writing in her diary/journal, and all around her is the usual family havoc: step-mum Topaz, sister Rose and brother (whose name I can’t remember!!??) working with some green scouring powder (?) in the middle of a medieval-like setting. That scene was so lovely and eccentric and funny-worthy. In the middle of this day-to-day normal eccentricity, Cassandra is day-dreaming, and she thinks, “I am never going to fall in love. Life is dangerous enough.”
Then there’s the scene where the two Cotton brothers arrive, and in the rain storm, trying to free herself from constraints of all sorts, is Topaz, naked and exposed to the weather like a mad woman. And when the men arrive into the castle, Cassandra is stark naked as well, in her tub, eating chocolate. And, I don’t remember why, but Rose enters with grand flair, tottering down the stairs like a drunkard. Everyone is so innocent to how crazy they look to these Americans, of which this is probably their first taste of life in England. But, they took it all in stride well enough, with a few moments of awkwardness from the brothers that were misread to be as a result to an electric attraction to Rose.
My favourite scene, and it was around midnight when I choked on my tea, was when Rose and Cassie went to pick up the fur coats from their recently deceased Aunt. They were discussing how hideous the furs looked: Rose’s was bear and Cassie’s was monkey.
On the train ride back, well, by some utterly hilarious coincidence and misunderstanding, the two girls become the prey of a hunting party, mistaken for bears… in England. They caused such a whistle blowing ruckus, and to the mortification of the girls, somehow inspired the hunting instincts of one of the two brothers who immediately launches into a story about the feats of bear hunting.
Okay, got to run. But look – I even put pretty pictures in!
Why am I obsessed with finding out other people’s reading habits and other reading activity particulars? I love this meme.
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I love to snack, but I hate getting the book I’m reading dirty. As a result, I’ll have the book propped up (so that crumbs won’t get stuck in it) and away from anything that splashes or leaves gross stains. I’m pretty good at it now. Reading and eating are two things that I love to do at the same time! Oh wait, I didn’t really answer the question. My favourite reading snack: apples and cheese. (I’ve become a careful eater – no apple juice spittle anymore).
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I’m guilty! But I only do it for books I’m reading for Eng Lit. For example, all my copies of the Shakespeare plays are completely scribbled up. BUT, I DO NOT mark books otherwise. It distracts me if I ever want to read the book again. Now that I think of it though, it is kind of neat when you pick up a random library book and there, in some discrete corner of the book, is a little thoughtful comment… but, if the whole book is riddled with it, thoughtful becomes opinionated.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
I use tissue paper! I use one square of toilet paper. Yup. I have tons of bookmarks but I never use them. Instead, I covet them in my bookmark baggie (that’s pinned up on the wall by my bed, ready for me to use one). I don’t dog ear. The pages will get all bent and uneven, and, though I love that look for used books that I pick up, I don’t do it to my new, in-pristine-condition books.
Laying the book flat open?
Yup. Also been guilty of propping it up against things (hey, when you’re eating cereal in the morning, and the table’s full of crumbs, it’s nice to have something like cereal boxes or water bottles to prop it up). I’m lazy but obsessive for reading comforts.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
I prefer Fiction. I do love reading biographies/autobiographies but I live in fiction land primarily.
Hard copy or audiobooks?
I’ve been a hard copy person for ages, until recently, when I listened to John Lenahan read his book Shadowmagic. It was such a great experience that I’ll try another audio book one day.
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I read until there’s a natural break. Cliff-hangers result in extra accidents during the day. I’m too busy thinking about “What’s going to happen?” and I don’t watch where I put my feet. (Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating)
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
I’m a nerd. Yes I do. I used to even write out a whole list of new words, and I was getting pretty good at using them too. I don’t do it as often these days, but if a word’s meaning is particularly obscured, I’m forced to look it up. I’ve once had an experience of reading an entire passage and thinking I understood what was going on, but when I looked up one or two words, I realize I had the mood of that scene completely wrong!
What are you currently reading?
Demon’s Lexicon. I’m feeling like an ornery swordfighter who is angry at his brother and two annoying people who keep showing up for help.
Check out the first two lines: “The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favourite sword under the sink.” This makes me LOVE urban fantasy. The contrast in the line made me instantly react with a grin and launch into obsessive reading (as a result, I’m halfway through the book by the end of my first day of reading it).
What is the last book you bought?
Uh, I bought a lot. Technically though, it was a textbook for chemistry.
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I can and I do. But if it’s a deeply riveting book, I don’t. Honest admittance: I only read two books at a time if either of them aren’t that compelling to me at the moment. If I get more into one of the books I’ll put the other aside for the time being.
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
I like to read in the afternoon. I like to read right before or during lunchtime. My favourite place to read is in the kitchen. Actually, since I live at dorm right now, I like to read in my room. I have an excellent view of trees and mountains and some ocean bits here and there. It’s great. And I lay back and prop my feet over the heater, and lay my head on the cushiony part of my study chair and just read for hours. Then I get back pain. But it’s blissful for a few hours.
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Stand alones. Some series NEVER end. I like to have endings. I like to see, at least, that the author has planned something epic or great for an ending and isn’t just dragging things on because of fans or money. When the story feels like it should end, end it, or else it gets ruined.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
So far I know I’ve mentioned Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom Trilogy and Shade’s Children more than a few times. I cried for both works. I think the stories are just so great. I love all the characters; I love their crazy, difficult lives and their horrifying, dangerous worlds.
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
Random! I like to tuck books into random places and then run into them again and reminisce about how great they were. I do have a to be read shelf/pile. But that’s about the only order I have.
For people with huge, over reactive imaginations such as me, it doesn’t take a lot to scare me witless! But, of course, what creeps the heck out of me only makes me want to read/watch it more, even if it’s between my fingers and I miss out on the scariest parts (truly, I can think of much scarier torture/haunting/murder scenes than what actually happens). So, when I saw Carl’s catchy R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril (R.I.P.) Challenge (what an awesome name!), and saw how many people were joining, I fell for the hype and joined up.
Here’s an excerpt from Carl’s blog about the Challenge:
I find that kind of melodramatic fear to be a delicious intoxication, one that makes this time of year an especially enjoying time to be a reader. There is enough bad fear in the world: fear of losing one’s job, fear of the state of the world, fear of failure…the list is endless. It is time to reject that fear, embrace hope, and while doing so embrace the fun kind of fear–the kind that had us sitting around camp fires as children, listening to adults tell us ghost stories. The kind that made you want to stay up past your bed time to peek at the late night scary movie on television.
I love that!
So, I’ve got Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book coming in by mail soon. And I’ve read some of Wilkie Collins’ works (has anyone read Heart and Science?) hence the second pick, The Moonstone. And now that the rain thumps down in buckets through the night, and the fog slinks out of the river for a prowl, and those crackly leaves are starting to skitter across the ground like little creatures (don’t you love that sound?), and things starting to die do so in a flash of blazing color – I can’t deny that Autumn is such a great season for readers. That’s the kind of stuff that makes me want to write or read a story with ambience. Anyway, I’m jumping a little ahead of the weather (it’s not that Autumn-y yet). Can’t wait to read these spookers!
By the way, does anyone have some Gothic-ish novels that they really really enjoyed? I’ve been browsing around but some immediate recommendations would be great!
So I’ve finally got around to watching a movie for the “Period Drama Challenge” hosted by Lights, Camera…History! It’s normally not so difficult for me to make time to watch my favorite period dramas, but just as I make the committment to do so, I got swamped in other tasks. Tonight, though, I thought I’d better get going since I’ve got six movies to watch! And, it’s a rainy evening, so I immediately thought of the 2007 version of Northanger Abbey. I’m putting this one down for the Bonnets and Hessians (the Regency Period) category.
“Perhaps after all it is possible to read too many novels!”
The “scatterbrain little creature” Catherine Morland lives more in her novels than in the real world. When she is invited by Mr. and Mrs. Allen to visit the big city of Bath, she is giddy with excitement. Little does she realize the scandals and adventures of the real world are so much less romantic than those that play out in her daydreams.

The 2007 version of Northanger Abbey is a delight. After watching it for the umpteenth time, I still think it’s one of my favorite on-screen adaptations of a Jane Austen work to date (though I techincally haven’t read the actual book). There’s lots of poking fun at polite society, and teasing of Cathy’s innocent and overreactive imagination.
When Cathy arrives in Bath she is immediately preyed upon by the Thorpes, who push themselves into her life, and push certain novels into her hands, among other things. Bath is a dangerous world of impropriety, flirtation, bold gazes and suggestive looks from all sides. Cathy is accosted with bold comments the moment she steps out of the carriage.
There are plenty of dances and operas that provide chances for everyone to meet and for misunderstandings to happen and be corrected. Of course, everyone must be introduced to each other before any real conversational troubles can begin.
Felicity Jones plays a charmingly naive Catherine who becomes a magnet for trouble when she arrives in Bath. I’ve never read Northanger Abbey (though I plan on doing so for the “Everything Austen Challenge”), but I think she did a spot-on job of capturing the innocent, romantic character of a young country girl who has a certain taste for adventure and a curiosity for the intriguing. I love her sincere expressions of horror, especially during those little episodic incidents at the abbey itself, where she had quite vivid and ‘horrible’ dreams.
JJ Feild, who plays Henry Tilney was as dashing as a Jane Austen man can be. Gentlemanly and delightfully teasing, he and Felicity Jones pulled off such a great on-screen relationship. I’m of a belief that, even if the film is terrible in terms of plot, dialogue, etc.., if the on-screen couple works, it’ll still be a pleasure to watch. Feild exuded a very warm and playful charm yet still manages to uphold enough of an enigmatic aura to fascinate Cathy’s imagination.
Carey Mulligan takes on the role of the flirtatious and scandalous Isabella Thorpe, which I thought she played very well. She brought on the coyness with her fan and her suggestive looks, aimed at the wealthy and handsome. On the other hand, oh!, the horrid horrid Mr. John Thorpe, played by William Beck. He was insufferable. If I were in Cathy’s shoes, I’d be peeved by such a man! Especially how he tricked her so shamelessly. Everytime John was quoted to say, Cathy “was the prettiest girl in town etc..” I was thinking, “God forbid!” He was too bold and manipulative. And, he looks like a toad. Sorry William Beck.
Like most Jane Austen movie adaptations, the cinematics were breath-taking. The vast fields of foggy landscape, with the rooftops of the great houses peeping up. The crazed carriage rides across the expanses of land, the private horse races across dewey fields. Not to mention the adorable vine-ridden cottages, chock full of children running about helter-skelter.
I love Northanger Abbey and it’s outright medieval gothicness. And the mock gothicness of many of the scenes in the movie.
Cue Lightning. Thunder. Darkness. Moany wind.
Hear the organ music, jump at the flickering candles.
“Are you prepared to encounter all of its horrors?” Henry asks Cathy before they enter.
Inside the abbey, the rooms are dark and damp looking, with lots of corners for shadows to bounce off of. What looks like a mysterious manuscript of horrors at midnight becomes a laundry list in the morning. There are unused corridors and locked rooms. The place is eerily quiet, and full of forbidden wings. There were a few scenes that reminded me of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, when Belle sneaks off into the forbidden wing, though Cathy sees a stuffed bird instead of a whole line of creepy gargoyles.
And the music! Lots of suspenseful pieces. In one scene, I giggled at the use of the spooky music that accompanied Cathy’s first dinner at the Tilney residence. One must ensure one reaches for the right spoon… or else. There are horrors both in the corrupt and sinful city of Bath as well as the polite and rigid atmosphere of Northanger Abbey.
Then, like a true Jane Austen movie ending, the man on the white horse arrives at the small cottage where the poor girl lives, and everyone in the household rushes about to make things proper for his arrival. I love the scenes where the family members surround the important guest, who sits uncomfortably on a chair, sipping tea. Everyone stares at him – in hostility? in curiosity? – as he tries to make polite talk with the mother while secretly wishing he could have a moment alone with the girl of his heart.
I just love what the directors did in this movie – especially those exciting interludes of Cathy’s daydreams. This movie really appeals to the reader’s heart in many ways. For me, I’m always thrilled to the bone at the thought of adventure and excitement as Cathy is. But, like Cathy, I live in my own little world and, sadly, don’t really have much experience with the ‘real’ world adventures. This is also why I love ‘The Mummy’ so much. Rachel Weisz plays the naive, absentminded librarian Evy, who has never been on a real adventure before but possesses a world of an imagination. Both Cathy and Evy believe that, through the knowledge gleaned from their books, they know what to do when the real situation comes barreling around the corner. A romantic adventure, full of subtle humor and nice things for your eyes to look at, Northanger Abbey is an amusing story to watch onscreen. If you haven’t seen a Jane Austen adaptation yet, do watch this one!
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