movie thoughts: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Delightfully odd.

That's all I could think while watching 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' this morning, Wes Anderson's adaptation of one of Roahld Dahl's shorter books.  It's the story of Mr Fox (voice by George Clooney) who thought he could settle into a home life with the Mrs. (Meryl Streep) but after 2 years (12 fox years) he can't stand living in a hole in the ground any more.  He moves the family into a burrow under a tree, only a short distance away from three of the largest farms in town.  And from there's it's a slippery slope back into stealing livestock and hard cider.

Even thought you might look at the animated, stop-motion style and think "children's movie", I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone under the age of 13 that gets the very dry humor of Mr Fox.  In fact, I think this movie would work best for teens and up.  Let's put it this way, the dysfunctional family dynamics had me thinking more of Craven's Royal Tenenbaums than Toy Story (that might be because half the voice cast in FMF was IN Tenenbaums...).  The humor comes from dead-panned one liners and strange philosophical moments. 

So don't dismiss this movie as something for kids!  Not only is the casting perfect, but the stop-motion work is beautifully done.  The story is quirky, the humor intelligent, and the movie comes in at a perfect 90 minutes, exactly where it should be.  Some might call this movie *does wavy hand motion* "different" but I think many would just call it fantastic.

Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com

movie/book thoughts: Whip It (2009) & Derby Girl by Shauna Cross

Whip It

Derby Girl

Shauna Cross

This is one of the few instances where I have to say that the movie was better than the book.  Not because they changed any of the plot elements (in fact, the movie is almost scene-for-scene EXACTLY the same as the book) but it's that you have to SEE a roller derby tournament in action to understand it. 

I read Derby Girl after seeing Whip It so in my mind I could easily picture Bliss and the Hurl Scouts skating around the ring.  In the film, they explain how roller derby is played in a simple montage, breaking it down for those of us that are uninitiated into the sport, a scene missing in the book.  I feel as though a reader just picking up Derby Girl would be confused by the appeal of the sport if they had never seen it before.  Cross doesn't take a lot of time to describe the matches, they just sort of happen because it's their existence that is important.  But getting to see Bliss play is way more fun.

I adored the movie.  Sure, it didn't break any ground when it comes to teen storytelling - teen girl is stuck with crazy parent(s) (Bliss Cavener, played by Ellen Paige, has a mom obsessed with beauty pageants), teen girl rebels (by secretly joining a roller derby), teen girl excels at new things and feels accepted for who she is (by the Hurl Scouts), teen girl gets busted (for being under 18), teen girl must return to family (because she can't play without their permission), but in the end, everything works out (um, I'm not gonna spoil it completely!!!).  So, why it's all pretty cliche, it's just executed so perfectly (directed by Drew Barrymore!) that you don't mind that you've heard the tale before - you just want to hang out with Bliss and watch as she grows as a person. 

I definitely recommend the movie!  The book is good, but the movie does it so much better.

Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com

book thoughts: Happyface by Stephen Emond

Happyface

Stephen Emond

Happyface, like Whip It, is another teen story that surprised me.  It's got so many elements that you find in other young adult books, but some how Emond manages to put enough of a twist on the story that I could not put the book down.

One reason is that it's not a normal book.  This is Happyface's journal.  After having to leave his home town after his parent's divorce, the young man decides he's not going to be the quiet kid in the corner drawing pictures, and reinvents himself as Happyface - the happy, outgoing, cool kid.  We follow his journey through his notes and artwork.  Don't be fooled, this isn't a silly story.  While Happyface tries to maintain a sense of humor in his new persona, the story and themes are relatively serious.

What I think I really enjoyed about this book was Emond's writing Happyface as an unreliable narrator.  You don't realize it at first.  When you start the book, it feels very "Dear Diary" and you assume that Happyface is just telling you everything about his life.  But you begin to realize that pieces are missing.  He's not documenting his life for future generations, he's just using this journal to sketch, to vent, to ramble...so bits of information trickles in at a random pace.

I think this is what really drew me into the book (no pun intended).  Suddenly, I realized, maybe Happyface wasn't doing as well as he said.  Maybe things that happened to him and around him were not everything he wrote down.  Because how much would you write down about something that changed your life forever?  You wouldn't need to - your life has changed, why would you have to note why?? 

It's a very fast read, perfect for older teens, especially reluctant reader boys who are trying to figure themselves out.  I really loved this book and the idea behind it. 

Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com

30 Day TV show meme

Day 04 - Your favorite show ever



Oh, like you even had to ask!

Yeah, I resisted it. I had seen the movie and wasn't impressed. And it was on WB. How could it possibly appeal to me?

But for those of you that don't know the tale, I had just broke up with my long-term relationship with X-Files. Very bad break-up. I mean, we still haven't spoken since (well, I saw 'I Want to Believe' but spent most of the movie LOL'ing at it's horribleness). And my friend Becky, also a former X-Phile, told me that Buffy was different - Buffy was better. I scoffed, but she managed to get her hands on VHS copies of the Season 2 Buffy/Angel arc (those VHS boxed sets were WEIRD, just random episodes from the season, huge chunks of info missing if that was all you saw!) and I believe she also managed to get a copy of 'Hush' from a friend. Whoa. I fell, and I fell HARD!

And now, Buffy is my all time favorite show. Yeah, Season 7 was rough, but in the end, both series finales (5 and 7) worked, and Joss stayed true to his mission statement to create a powerful female character (and not just a hokey Girl Power model).

And, like the Beatles, Buffy changed my life. I have made so many friends because of this show. I know I met many of you because I started posting Buffy icons around LJ.

So, yeah. Buffy and I, it's true love, it's meant to be. We've had a few fights, but in the end, it all worked out. We'll be together forever.