...ignorance is most certainly bliss.
That's all.
That's all.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
- Berlioz was a music critic
- Uruguay became totally independent in 1828.
- Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was known for his progressive policies.
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Been rewatching Sherlock BBC (season 1). I like it even better this time around...21st century setting, fantastic music, wonderfully choppy dialogue, and Benedict Cumberbatch. You can see him thinking. You can see it in his face. That's chiefly how he reminds me of Jeremy Brett. Cumberbatch, of course, plays Holmes much like he was in A Study in Scarlet. There's a brilliant balance between genius and childishness, especially at the ending of "Study in Pink". He can't resist the temptation of proving himself right or, at least, of proving he's insusceptible to the killer's best spiel.
Anyway. Yes, he's eccentric. But I like his eccentricity. If he weren't a stoic, he'd have a hard time being himself--people make fun of him as it is. Obviously, not a good idea to be quite so stoic as Sherlock. Still, I relate to him because he is himself and he is different than everybody else and he doesn't let it bother him. That takes a lot of guts.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
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| Gen. Santa Anna. "Quite a character." |
Latin American History...summaries on General Santa Anna, Benito Juarez, and possibly Juan Manuel de Rosas. And then the names/nationalities of all the dictators ("caudillos") who started out good, turned bad, and were overthrown. And some battles.
US History...summaries on the Republic of Texas, Mexican-American War, and Abraham Lincoln. Pre-Civil War and Civil War eras. Not too bad.
Modern Conflicts...summaries on African conflicts and a couple of other topics we haven't covered yet. Then about two dozen separatist movements in Africa and the Americas and probably Asia. Then some names of political leaders. I'll be lucky if I remember the separatist movements.
The lowest test score is dropped, but I'm one of those irrational people who attends every test and wants to earn a lowest test score of A+ (ha!).
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| A secondary character from the books. |
As an aside, my brains are overflowing with ideas for my historical fantasy/adventure trilogy. To be more specific, it follows the early reigns of three queens of a (fictitious) country--grandmother, daughter, granddaughter--at the very end of the monarchy. They each have different personalities, different strengths, different people to deal with.
It's not real historical fiction, but roughly speaking, it extends from the late 1700s to the mid 1800s, though more in the psychological than literal sense. Some might call it "alternate history", but it's not meant to replace or speculate about real history. As an author/reader who loves anything like historical fantasy or steampunk, I've been debating on how to balance history with fantasy, even considering the coexistence of smartphones and horse-drawn carriages... In the end, I resigned myself to a strictly historical-based setting. For this series, at least. ;)
Saturday, 25 February 2012
The Idiot (1958), based on the book by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Synopsis
My overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars
This was one of those films that you don't completely enjoy but finish it anyway. It's even more unusual because it's two hours long yet only covers the first half of the story (if that). In some ways, it might be for the best--the first half makes for a better ending than the second half, though if you haven't read the book it will seem exceedingly abrupt.
What I loved about this adaptation is Prince Myshkin. He's practically perfect casting (apart from the "crazy eyes", a common attribute in this movie). Just as in the book, Myshkin is the driving character in the story, and Yuriy Yakovlev is able to capture his whole range of personality--naivete, pity, nervousness, and grief. In the book, Myshkin becomes weaker and weaker towards the ending, but had they filmed the second half, I think Myshkin would certainly have come across as likeable as he is at the start.
Another pro is the fact this movie is in Russian. Having tried to watch the War & Peace miniseries a couple of weeks ago, I can vouch that watching Brits portray Russians is as distracting as watching Americans play Austrians. So The Idiot, fortunately, is in Russian with decent English subtitles, and the frequent overacting is sometimes a bonus for non-Russian speakers who can't understand the nuances.
At the same time, the overacting is a con. PEOPLE SCREAM A LOT IN THIS MOVIE. It gets wearisome.
There's a couple instances of nasty name-calling--other than that, it's a family-friendly film. Just as in the book, Myshkin stands out as an humble, forgiving character when everyone else is swallowed up in their bitterness. The proposal scene was particularly well-done. The sets are very dark, and practically every house is decorated in red--think the Nautilus submarine, only darker.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this film unless you are looking for an adaptation of the book. It's incomplete and very slow-paced. However, if you're bored, or simply interested in watching a Russian-language film, you might find The Idiot worthwhile.
Synopsis
My overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars
This was one of those films that you don't completely enjoy but finish it anyway. It's even more unusual because it's two hours long yet only covers the first half of the story (if that). In some ways, it might be for the best--the first half makes for a better ending than the second half, though if you haven't read the book it will seem exceedingly abrupt.
What I loved about this adaptation is Prince Myshkin. He's practically perfect casting (apart from the "crazy eyes", a common attribute in this movie). Just as in the book, Myshkin is the driving character in the story, and Yuriy Yakovlev is able to capture his whole range of personality--naivete, pity, nervousness, and grief. In the book, Myshkin becomes weaker and weaker towards the ending, but had they filmed the second half, I think Myshkin would certainly have come across as likeable as he is at the start.
Another pro is the fact this movie is in Russian. Having tried to watch the War & Peace miniseries a couple of weeks ago, I can vouch that watching Brits portray Russians is as distracting as watching Americans play Austrians. So The Idiot, fortunately, is in Russian with decent English subtitles, and the frequent overacting is sometimes a bonus for non-Russian speakers who can't understand the nuances.
At the same time, the overacting is a con. PEOPLE SCREAM A LOT IN THIS MOVIE. It gets wearisome.
There's a couple instances of nasty name-calling--other than that, it's a family-friendly film. Just as in the book, Myshkin stands out as an humble, forgiving character when everyone else is swallowed up in their bitterness. The proposal scene was particularly well-done. The sets are very dark, and practically every house is decorated in red--think the Nautilus submarine, only darker.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this film unless you are looking for an adaptation of the book. It's incomplete and very slow-paced. However, if you're bored, or simply interested in watching a Russian-language film, you might find The Idiot worthwhile.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
See this?
This is no mere notebook. This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance. In all gravitas, this is the rewrite of Rosamunda, my historical fantasy book. Those papers tucked in the back cover are the first draft (2/3), saved for reference. I've tried before several times to rewrite it, but now my writer's block is finally gone and this is the real deal. <3
My sibs deserve some credit, by the way. My brother gave me the "finish the books you started!" lecture that I needed, and he helped brainstorm a name for a character in the sequel (it's gonna be a trilogy!). My sister commiserates with me when I have author's angst and listens/contributes patiently to my chatty character analysis & plot twist discussion. And she's a fan of my steampunk protagonist. Which book I'm also going to start working on again. <3 (I'm also going to try posting more regularly at my writing blog.)
Excuse all the hearts.
Speaking of hearts...some of my latest 'glimpses of goodness'. Yeah, weather often makes it to the list. What can I say--I love clouds.
This is no mere notebook.
My sibs deserve some credit, by the way. My brother gave me the "finish the books you started!" lecture that I needed, and he helped brainstorm a name for a character in the sequel (it's gonna be a trilogy!). My sister commiserates with me when I have author's angst and listens/contributes patiently to my chatty character analysis & plot twist discussion. And she's a fan of my steampunk protagonist. Which book I'm also going to start working on again. <3 (I'm also going to try posting more regularly at my writing blog.)
Excuse all the hearts.
Speaking of hearts...some of my latest 'glimpses of goodness'. Yeah, weather often makes it to the list. What can I say--I love clouds.
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