To be quite honest, I'm not much of a movie person. Now TV, that's an entirely different story. I like it when there are short bursts of a story that have a follow-up every week. And I tend to be pretty picky when it comes to movies; in fact the last movie that I actually went to see in theaters was the last Harry Potter movie.
I could probably wax on about how much I love Harry Potter and how sad I was that it was ending, but I doubt anyone would care. From a movie standpoint, I thought it was quite good. I feel like the Harry Potter series always did a pretty good job of translating the story from book to movie. Of course as a hardcore fan, I was constantly nitpicking about the fact that they left out a certain scene or line, but I still feel the movies are a great representation of the books.
It was a bit odd having the seventh movie split into two parts, and the wait in between was almost unbearable. However, it was definitely worth the wait. From what I remember from my first viewing experience, it started off slowly then took off with a bang and didn't slow down until the end. It was an excellent tribute to the story that millions have grown to love and cherish. I will admit that I cried at the end when that iconic music started playing and the screen faded to black for the last time.
One interesting experience that I had was taking my little brother to see it. Up until that point, he hadn't really been into the series; he had seen most of the movies but was more of a very casual fan. Reading the books definitely helps understand the movies, and since he hadn't done so, he was asking me questions throughout the entire film (which got quite irritating). However, he's reading the books now, so my job is done. I think it's interesting that a lot of people have trouble understanding what's going on unless they've seen the books. While the movies do represent the books well, they do miss details that can be found in the books.
It was a fantastic movie and an unforgettable experience - not just the last movie but the entire series. And I'm pretty sure I spent more time talking about the books than the actual movie in this post.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Writing Process
Writing the memoir wasn't as difficult as I thought it was. Coming up with the topic was the hardest part, but once I got that chosen, it was pretty easy from there.
I'm sure I had other defining moments in my life, but the one I chose stood out. For one thing, it did happen rather recently, and I had a lot of emotions behind it, so I knew it would be easy to churn out a lot of writing. Although I knew the emotions behind it could possibly hinder my writing of it, I decided I would try to go for it and really try to reflect on the events, rather than let my emotions rule the writing.
As far as the writing process itself went, it wasn't very hard at all. Once I got started, it was kind of hard to stop. Part of the reason was that I hadn't really written anything about the experience and so it all came pouring out. However, I was able to go back in and really look at certain events and reflect on how they affected me. I went back over parts and elaborated on my feelings and how it related to me in general now.
While it was difficult at times to keep writing, due to the emotions that were brought to the surface, it was good for me to get out of my system and it forced me to take a step away from the situation and really focus on what was important. And to be honest, that's the fastest I've ever written four pages of a paper before.
I'm sure I had other defining moments in my life, but the one I chose stood out. For one thing, it did happen rather recently, and I had a lot of emotions behind it, so I knew it would be easy to churn out a lot of writing. Although I knew the emotions behind it could possibly hinder my writing of it, I decided I would try to go for it and really try to reflect on the events, rather than let my emotions rule the writing.
As far as the writing process itself went, it wasn't very hard at all. Once I got started, it was kind of hard to stop. Part of the reason was that I hadn't really written anything about the experience and so it all came pouring out. However, I was able to go back in and really look at certain events and reflect on how they affected me. I went back over parts and elaborated on my feelings and how it related to me in general now.
While it was difficult at times to keep writing, due to the emotions that were brought to the surface, it was good for me to get out of my system and it forced me to take a step away from the situation and really focus on what was important. And to be honest, that's the fastest I've ever written four pages of a paper before.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Childhood Memory
It's hard to pick out just one childhood memory for a couple of reasons. For one thing, most of them come in little pieces; it's hard to remember all the details. A lot of the events tend to merge into one. Another reason is that there is so much to choose from, and trying to sort out what is most important to you.
Being an English nerd, a lot of my favorite childhood memories involve me reading books or playing pretend and making up my own stories. There is one of those memories that will always stand out to me though.
In the summer before I started third grade, I accomplished something that made me very proud. It was a summer evening, the kind that made you nostalgic for your younger days when looking back. I had spent a lot of time reading that day, but I always went out at dusk, which was my favorite part of the day. However, that day I was outside in order to get my mom to come back in so I could tell her something.
I remember standing in the kitchen while the sun slowly made its way below the horizon, its last few rays peeking through the window and highlighting the room. I held up a very heavy book and proudly proclaimed that I had finished reading it. It was the fourth Harry Potter book, with a whopping 400-500 pages in it. At eight years old, that was the biggest book I had ever read on my own. Not only was I proud that I had finished it, but I had finally made it through all the books that currently existed in the series.
This memory stands out for a couple of reasons. In my class at school, I was known as the best reader in the class, so this was something to add to my repetoire. For another, I had started the series only a few months earlier and it had captured my attention very strongly in that time period, so I was glad to be caught up.
It also stands out, especially now, since I know how the series impacted my life and my childhood. I spent days longing for my letter to Hogwarts and dreaming of casting spells and sending letter by owl. It wasn't the first time that I fell in love with a book series, but it was the one that would hold onto me for a very long time to come. So even now, when I think about summer days in the past, that one will always be one of the first to jump into my mind.
Being an English nerd, a lot of my favorite childhood memories involve me reading books or playing pretend and making up my own stories. There is one of those memories that will always stand out to me though.
In the summer before I started third grade, I accomplished something that made me very proud. It was a summer evening, the kind that made you nostalgic for your younger days when looking back. I had spent a lot of time reading that day, but I always went out at dusk, which was my favorite part of the day. However, that day I was outside in order to get my mom to come back in so I could tell her something.
I remember standing in the kitchen while the sun slowly made its way below the horizon, its last few rays peeking through the window and highlighting the room. I held up a very heavy book and proudly proclaimed that I had finished reading it. It was the fourth Harry Potter book, with a whopping 400-500 pages in it. At eight years old, that was the biggest book I had ever read on my own. Not only was I proud that I had finished it, but I had finally made it through all the books that currently existed in the series.
This memory stands out for a couple of reasons. In my class at school, I was known as the best reader in the class, so this was something to add to my repetoire. For another, I had started the series only a few months earlier and it had captured my attention very strongly in that time period, so I was glad to be caught up.
It also stands out, especially now, since I know how the series impacted my life and my childhood. I spent days longing for my letter to Hogwarts and dreaming of casting spells and sending letter by owl. It wasn't the first time that I fell in love with a book series, but it was the one that would hold onto me for a very long time to come. So even now, when I think about summer days in the past, that one will always be one of the first to jump into my mind.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Book Reflection
A book that I read recently was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It was a book I had heard much about and had always wanted to read. Thanks to finals and my very busy summer job, it took me a while to finish, but I enjoyed the entire thing.
Before reading the book, I knew it was one of the classics and generally considered a very popular book. I had also heard that the main character was a strong female character, which definitely caught my attention. I was a little worried that it would be difficult to read, being written in an older time, but it turned out my worries were pointless.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the book. I've always loved reading about people growing up in different time periods, and learning about the culture and ways of life back then are always interesting to me. Jane Eyre is a fascinating character and it's neat to see how she changes over the course of the novel. Her life is anything but easy, but she shines as a very strong character, as she makes her way through life and overcomes challenges.
Throughout the novel, she is presented with obstacle after obstacle, many times with things that make her life very difficult. She stays true to herself and her values, even when this means she is driven into destitution and forced to beg for food and work. She's not afraid to work her way through life, and never depends on anyone but herself. Jane makes her own decisions when it comes to love and what she's going to do with her life. She knows who she is and never pretends otherwise.
My attention was always captured by this book and the plot kept me intrigued. Jane is definitely a strong character and although romance was a large aspect of this book, it wasn't the only focus. Jane's character is explored and developed very deeply. She stood up for herself, handled things on her own, and made her own life and future. I can definitely see why this is such a popular and well-loved book. My only regret is that I hadn't read it any sooner.
Before reading the book, I knew it was one of the classics and generally considered a very popular book. I had also heard that the main character was a strong female character, which definitely caught my attention. I was a little worried that it would be difficult to read, being written in an older time, but it turned out my worries were pointless.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the book. I've always loved reading about people growing up in different time periods, and learning about the culture and ways of life back then are always interesting to me. Jane Eyre is a fascinating character and it's neat to see how she changes over the course of the novel. Her life is anything but easy, but she shines as a very strong character, as she makes her way through life and overcomes challenges.
Throughout the novel, she is presented with obstacle after obstacle, many times with things that make her life very difficult. She stays true to herself and her values, even when this means she is driven into destitution and forced to beg for food and work. She's not afraid to work her way through life, and never depends on anyone but herself. Jane makes her own decisions when it comes to love and what she's going to do with her life. She knows who she is and never pretends otherwise.
My attention was always captured by this book and the plot kept me intrigued. Jane is definitely a strong character and although romance was a large aspect of this book, it wasn't the only focus. Jane's character is explored and developed very deeply. She stood up for herself, handled things on her own, and made her own life and future. I can definitely see why this is such a popular and well-loved book. My only regret is that I hadn't read it any sooner.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
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