So as I mentioned earlier, I am always very late to catch up on things that people have seen or read a long while ago. Which explains why I only just saw the movie Argo.
This movie opens in Iran at the United States embassy; it is being seized by violent Iranian protesters during the height of the Iranian Revolution. Meanwhile in America, the CIA is busy trying to get the Americans hiding in the Canadian ambassador's home back home to the good ol' USA. This is when Agent Tony Mendez comes in to save the day. They come up with a brilliant plan to sneak into Iran safely and sneak out with their lives. Within a matter of days, they come up with and publicize a fake movie, ARGO, that they will pretend to film in Iran in order to get the Americans out. As Agent Mendez risks his life and goes to Iran, they go through a series of turbulent events that make your heart race and your toes curl up.
I thought that the movie was excellent. It was very good at making the audience hold their breaths as the characters overcame obstacle over obstacle. The actors were very well selected and the characters were portrayed quite well. The graphic scenes of the horrendous things going on in Iran at the time were very authentic and helped me to visualize just how terrifying it must have been for everybody. I do have a bone to pick with the plot of the movie itself, however. I do agree that coming up with the whole 'fake movie' idea was brilliant and pure genius, but honestly, the whole movie is simply them creating a fake movie, going to Iran, and getting the people out. Literally, that is all that happens in the movie. I understand completely that it was the whole intention of the movie, however I wished for a little more denouement. What happened to the movie, for example. But other than this, I thought it was definitely a movie worth watching; it was also quite informative and taught me quite a bit about what happened during the Iranian Revolution.
P.S. I love you Ben Affleck (:
Hey Y'all. First off let me apologize for the lack of posts lately... I have been so busy with summer school. :\
Anyways, one of the books that I got a chance to read was:
Rebecca ~ Daphne Du Maurier
True, it was a requirement for our summer reading list, and yes, I acknowledge that in the beginning I thought the book to be incredibly dull. But as I read on, I found that the book was a lot more intriguing than I thought it was. WARNING: the following may reveal some important plot points... but you find out near the beginning anyways.
The book opens with our main character, a shy girl who is paid to be a companion to an unpleasant woman, Mrs. Van Hopper. They are vacationing in Monte Carlo when they run into Maximillian de Winter, a wealthy man, owner of the famous Manderley Mansion. The young lady (who, by the way, remains nameless throughout the entire novel) and Maxim get to spend their mornings together in Monte Carlo, and inevitably, she finds herself swept off her feet by this much older man with money, possessions, and a complicated past.
Rather abruptly, the two decide to get married and with that, Maxim takes his bride to live with him in Manderley. The young woman feels quite out of place at her new home; everybody seems to be comparing her to Rebecca, Maxim's first wife, who had drowned not a year ago in the nearby sea. Rebecca was a charming, beautiful woman whom everyone missed dearly, and it was very disconcerting for Mrs. de Winter #2 to see that everywhere she turned there were memories here and there of Rebecca in the mansion. Everything is kept the way that Rebecca used to run it; it feels to her as though she is merely a visitor in Rebecca's home. And to top it all off, Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, despises her. Simply because she is not Rebecca. And so, the Rebecca that seems to haunt the mansion and everyone in it begins to haunt her too.
I rather enjoyed reading Rebecca. I have to admit that in the very beginning I often rolled my eyes and wondered just how boring this book would get, but as the plot got more and more complicated and situations became twisted, everything got so much more interesting. The book has an eerily beautiful mood to it; almost creepy, but still beautiful. I've got to say, the only thing that bothered me was the fact that the second wife's name is never mentioned in the book. Not once. Mrs. Du Maurier seems to taunt us by describing the name, but she never reveals it. I suppose this is because she wants the name Rebecca to ring out when you finish then novel. Rebecca and only Rebecca... o.o
I would definitely recommend this novel to people who like a mix of mystery, horror, and romance. This is the novel you want to curl up with by the fireplace on a rainy day.
P.S. There's a movie in black and white too. If you want to watch that (:
Unfortunately, I happen to be very slow to catch up on trends, hence the late book review. -.-
Recently I finished reading the famous:
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky.
Overall, I thought that the concept of the book was very relatable. It was a short, sweet, and sad story. The book is written as letters to an anonymous pen pal.
The story is about Charlie, a 15 year old shy, awkward boy just starting high school. He is fighting through the stress of the suicide of his best friend, his first love, and his own mental illness. As he struggles to get through high school, two seniors, Patrick and Sam, come to his side and takes the vulnerable boy under their wings and befriend him. They show him around parties and help him to get used to the real world. Time goes by and Charlie becomes a stronger person leaning on his friends. Charlie's final letters close with a feeling of hope and determination for the future.
The characters in the book are very interesting, making the book enjoyable to read. Although I wouldn't give it as high a rating as most others, I thought that the book was overall okay. One thing that I thought I would've liked better was a more concrete plot. Overrated, but enjoyable.
So I've been reading classics lately, and one that I came across was:
The Call of the Wild: by Jack London.
I normally think that classics can be a bore, but this book was definitely an exception. The book is written from the perspective of a dog, Buck. He is a physically impressive dog who lives the good life in sunny California. His luxurious world is turned upside-down when he gets stolen and put into dog slavery. For him, this means pulling a ridiculously heavy sled through miles and miles of frozen ice with little or nothing to eat. To top it all off, he gets frequent beatings. Buck is completely bewildered until he begins to adapt to his surroundings and learn from the other dogs.There are no rules or morality of any kind. He lives with a kill-or-be-killed way of ruthless thinking.
As he becomes stronger in this new environment, he works his way up to the leader of the pack; and as he makes the long, never-ending journey, he finds friends to support him.
I thought that this was a very interesting book, and very well-written considering that it was written from the perspective of a dog. I happen to love adventure novels, so this book was perfect for me. The only thing that I may have to criticize is that as the story progressed, some things were repeated so many times that it became slightly boring. (for example, the beating of the dogs... although I suppose that it was somewhat significant, I thought that it was described to a great detail over and over again.) All in all, I thought that the book was great; definitely worth a read!!
So I'm back from watching another amazing movie that I just felt I needed to share with you guys.
It's called The Magic of Belle Isle, starring Morgan Freeman. (You can't go wrong with a Morgan Freeman movie. You just can't.)
The movie is about Monte Wildhorn, an old, grumpy, alcoholic man confined to a wheelchair. He used to be an incredibly talented author, but after losing his beloved wife to cancer and after taking up drinking, he gave up writing. Hoping to recapture his creativity, he rents a small cabin on beautiful Belle Island for the summer. He just happens to rent the place next to a friendly family next door--A very stunning single mother and her three young daughters. As he strikes up a tender relationship with the family, he finds the inspiration he needs.
Oh goodness, this movie was absolutely touhing. I thought it was a beautiful movie, how Monte touched the lives of so many people. It was really amazing to see Monte change from a bitter old man to a friendly companion; The movie was definitely worth watching.
It was a cute story, with cute kids. Hope you find the time to see the movie someday~~!
Hey Y'all!
So I've decided that since I enjoy drawing so much, I might as well set up a whole blog with all my drawings on there.
http://thedrawingdreamer.tumblr.com
There's the link to my drawing blog; hope you enjoy! :)
*As a sidenote, I won't be posting my drawings on this blog anymore; it's going to be strictly writing! So if you're wondering, "Hey Sherryn, where's all those awesome drawings?" They're going to be on the link above. Thanks for sticking around guys!!
So. I thought I'd share with you another art creation of mine ^^
I drew up an Seahorse in the shape of an S and it turned out a lot cooler than I expected, so hope you enjoy~~ hehe
