Movie News and Randomness

Time for another installment of movie news and blather, where I bring you all the movie news that’s fit to print (or at least what I find interesting).  Without further ado or preamble, let’s get right into it!

1. Do you guys cringe every time you see the trailer for The Big Wedding, too?

I just think it looks awful.  I’m embarrassed for it.  I’m embarrassed for me, too, because I’ll probably see it.  Ugh.  Life, you know?

2. Inside Llewyn Davis might be the first Coen brothers movie I actually WANT to see

It boasts a pretty impressive cast and looks like it’s going to be interesting, intriguing, and well done.  I don’t know.  I’m not a Coen brothers fan, but this one looks not awful.

3. Judy Blume’s Tiger Eyes finally has a trailer

You can watch it here.  I can’t wait to see it, but I love Judy Blume and I want to see Willa Holland in something where I don’t want to shake her.  I think it looks pretty great.  I can’t wait for this one in June.

4. The East looks pretty interesting and has my girl Ellen Page in it

It’s getting good buzz, and it’s about someone who goes undercover to investigate a cult and sort of gets sucked into it.  I don’t know.  It’s got Alexander Skarsgaard in it, too, so you know I’m there.

5. Emma Stone is in talks to star in Woody Allen’s next movie

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. (Deadline)

What movies are you excited about this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

Expected Release Date: August 20, 2013

For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now . . . not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?

Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.

And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them . . .

(summary via Goodreads)

Despite the sort of blech-y end to the book’s blurb, I’m pretty stoked about this one.  I loved Myracle’s Shine, and she’s definitely a writer to watch.  It looks to be a pretty solid contemporary YA romance with some heavier stuff thrown in.  Myracle’s a good enough writer that I think this one will be interesting and good escapism.  I’m withholding judgment on the rest of it right now.  Either way, it’ll be a great way to end the summer.

What are you waiting on this week?

Book Review: Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar

For Abbie, her life revolves around three things: art, the ocean, and Kane, her broody surfer step-cousin.  Always out of reach, Abbie watches him and obsesses over him.  But when Kane comes back from a mysterious surf trip to an even more mysterious island, Abbie senses that something is wrong.  Kane carries a darkness that threatens to envelop them both.

It’s hard to summarize Eagar’s brilliant, darkly gothic novel without giving too much of it away.  The book is about a girl with a heightened emotional state, and maybe because of this heightened state (or in spite of?), supernatural events begin to occur.  Readers looking for an intensely atmospheric and engrossing tale should look no further than this one.  Eagar somehow manages to spin a paranormal tale that feels firmly rooted in the real world.  I’ve said it before and it might as well be my mantra: Eagar is an author to watch.

The atmosphere isn’t the only aspect of Eagar’s novel that entraps the reader.  Vivid, authentic characters propel the narrative forward.  Abbie is raw and flawed, and her obsession with Kane is only one thing that clouds her judgment.  Her love of painting distorts reality for her, as she struggles to see beyond the surface of things.  Her creative impulses mirror her other impulses, and readers will find her exasperating as well as worth rooting for.

Kane is harder to like, but because of Abbie’s fixation on him, it’s hard not to see the appeal.  He’s the quintessential surfer with a darker side, and while he’s definitely a selfish, hardened character, there’s no questioning his attraction.  Eagar is especially adept at creating characters who feel undeniably real: they may not be what you expect, and the story is the better for it.

Tension abounds in this taut novel.  Not every reader is going to “get” this one, and it’s certainly not the Eagar novel I’d recommend a person start with, but it has no shortage of merits.  Eagar’s prose is pitch-perfect, lush, and evocative.  There’s never a moment where she’s not in total control of her words, and the story moves along at a great clip as a result.  This is a stunning novel, and one that will stick with you long after you’ve reached the novel’s satisfyingly murky conclusion.

Recommended.

Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar. Penguin Books Australia: 2012.  Purchased copy.

Waiting on Wednesday: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Its purpose is to spotlight eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.

This week I’m eagerly awaiting:

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Expected Release Date: September 10, 2013

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

Or will she just go on living inside somebody else’s fiction?

(summary via Goodreads)

I’m a pretty big fan of Rainbow Rowell’s work, and this one looks to be just as great.  I love the idea of fan fiction as fodder for actual fiction, and Rowell has proven herself to be an author to watch.  It’s older YA, it’s Rainbow Rowell, and it the cover is super great (and looks like it was done by Noelle from GingerHaze?)  Why wouldn’t I be dying to get my hands on this one?

What are you waiting on this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Want to Reread

I don’t often participate in Top Ten Tuesday, but I am today because it’s a choose-your-own-theme week and because I’ve been thinking a lot about rereading.  I’ve been doing a fair amount of rereading this year, which is why my reviews of new books has been so spotty.  For the past few years, I’ve had a strict no rereading policy, but I’ve let up on that for 2013.  As a result, I’m participating in this week’s Top 10 Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and Bookish.

1. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

I’ve long claimed that Frankie Landau-Banks is one of my favorite YA novels of all time, but I haven’t ever actually reread it.  Most of my most beloved novels have been read countless times, but this one hasn’t, for whatever reason.  I have a copy, and I talk about this book often enough, so what’s holding me back?  Am I afraid I won’t love it enough the second time through?  I suppose it’s a distinct possibility, but if the book is half as clever, smart, and thought-provoking as I remember it being, it’s unlikely.

2. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Time was, I used to reread this series nearly every July.  It’s been a couple of years since I reread these books, and it’s probably about time to do so.  I find the books are a certain kind of comfort food, and I usually end up so enmeshed in the world of Harry Potter that going back to regular books is sort of difficult.  I’ll probably save a reread of these for the summer, when I can sit on our deck and sip lemonade (spiked, probably) and while away whole hours.

3. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar

Eagar is one of my favorite YA authors, and unfortunately she’s still predominantly unknown here in the United States.  You can find a copy of this book for your Kindle on Amazon, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a physical copy of the book that doesn’t require international shipping.  One of the most moving books I’ve read in recent memory, Raw Blue sticks with you long after you’ve finished it.  Eagar is an author to check out, if you have the means of obtaining her books.  I should reread this one, because I love it so.

4. The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

The Lover’s Dictionary is one of those books that will present differently to you depending on where you are in a given relationship or life stage.  Moving, clever, and often achingly real, I tore through this book the first time I read it.  I’d like to go back and read it again and really take my time with it.  There’s a lot I’m sure I missed, and being in the healthiest romantic relationship of my life would give me a fresh perspective, I think.

5. Good Oil by Laura Buzo (published in the US as Love and Other Perishable Items)

I read Laura Buzo’s excellent debut when it was still an Australia-only publication, so I’m including it on this list with its original title (which I prefer, for so many reasons).  One of the smartest, most  unique coming-of-age tales, Buzo’s book is a must-read for any fan of contemporary YA.  Heartachey, honest, and funny, this is a book worth a second read.

6. Tighter by Adele Griffin

I remember reading Adele Griffin’s Tighter in something like one or two sittings.  I remember literally not being able to climb off the treadmill because I needed to see what was going to happen next.  The book is incredibly engrossing, tense, and fraught with the perfect kind of twisty, mind-bending suspense that is guaranteed to hook you.  Pairs well with The Turning of the Screw, which is the novel it’s adapted from.

7. Lucy Peale by Colby Rodowski

Lucy Peale is a holdover from my own childhood, and it’s a book that I should own a copy of but don’t, for some reason.  Blame several moves and an occasional book purge.  The book is definitely one I should purchase a copy of, but the fact that it’s out of print has delayed this, for whatever reason.  A book aimed at the middle-grade set, this one focuses on a young girl from a scary-religious family who finds herself pregnant and cast out.  It’s atmospheric, beautiful, and very real.

8. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

By far Niffenegger’s less-popular full-length novel, it’s also the more interesting, thorny one.  It features at least two sets of twins, a ghost, and a very quirky apartment complex in London.  I haven’t re-read it, but I should, because the novel’s twists and turns almost necessitate it.  Dark and completely absorbing, this would be a great fall/Halloween read.

9. The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

The first time I read this book, it took me more than a year to complete it.  It’s not that Shriver’s book isn’t interesting or engrossing, because it is.  Blame it on life stuff and a short attention span.  By the time I finished it, I was cursing myself for waiting so long.  It’s like Sliding Doors in book form without the cute romantic comedy tropes.

10. The Children and the Wolves by Adam Rapp

Dark, dark, dark.  This is one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read, but there’s so much to think about and chew on that reading this slim novel just once doesn’t do it justice.  You have to revisit it and really spend time with the characters, no matter how disturbing they are.

What’s your top ten this week?  What would you reread, given the chance?

Book Review: Me, Him, Them, and It by Caela Carter

Evelyn is sixteen, wants to be valedictorian, and is pregnant.  She’s really a good girl who has been playing bad in an attempt to get her preoccupied, distant parents to pay attention to her.  The result, however, has lasting consequences.  When the baby’s father slacks off, Evelyn is faced with some difficult decisions.

There’s no shortage of teen pregnancy novels, so when a new one is published, it has to stand out in some way.  Unfortunately, Caela Carter’s Me, Him, Them, and It doesn’t distinguish itself as a standout issue novel in any way.  The pronoun-heavy title gives you the gist of the novel, its cast of characters, and hints at how crowded the story will be with its issues.

And it is a crowded story.  Carter attempts to tackle way too much in this novel.  Everything from adoption, sexual orientation, divorce, religion, and race is touched on here, and one gets the sense that Carter was trying way, way too hard.  The result is that nothing has a lasting impact.

A drawn-out narrative doesn’t help matters.  Carter’s story drags on for so long that readers will feel like 9 months have actually passed as they read Evelyn’s self-indulgent narrative.  This book could have benefited from some tight editing and a heavy hand with the ‘delete’ key.

Of course, part of the problem with the narrative is that Evelyn is such a hard character.  Reader reactions will vary with regard to Evelyn’s personality, but many readers will be put off by her selfish, brash approach to life.  There are times where it feels very authentic, but it doesn’t make it any easier to like this heroine.  A cast of flat characters does nothing to help the fact that the narrator is grating.

This might work for teens looking for every book about teen pregnancy they can find (it happens), but there are so many other, better options out there it’s hard to recommend this one.  Overly long and with a lead character many readers will dislike, this is best for readers who can power through to the fairly satisfying, if rushed, conclusion.

Me, Him, Them and It by Caela Carter. Bloomsbury: 2013. Library copy.

Movie Blather & Randomness

Time for another installment of movie news and blather, where I bring you all the movie news that’s fit to print (or at least what I find interesting).  Without further ado or preamble, let’s get right into it!

1. The Great Gatsby Trailers Get Crazier

I’m not entirely sure what it is about the trailers for Baz Lurman’s The Great Gatsby, but each one makes it look a little crazier.  Last weekend, I saw a trailer in the theater for the movie and couldn’t stop laughing, much to the amusement (and bemusement) of my friends.  I can’t wait to see it, but my expectations are that it’s going to be a complete disasterpiece.  What do you think?

2. Carrie Gets a Trailer

So the first official trailer for the Carrie remake is live, and the result is…not great?  It sort of looks like exactly what you’d expect.  I suppose there’s no need to worry about spoilers (and most trailers these days don’t do that, anyway), but it doesn’t seem as though there’s anything to really look forward to.

3. Veronica Mars Movie YAYAYAYAYAY

Since it’s been a couple of weeks since I posted about movies, I haven’t been able to talk about the Veronica Mars movie, which is definitely happening and is likely to be super awesome.  The Kickstarter campaign to raise funding ended last night, and it was record-breaking.  I contributed, and I can’t wait to see the movie when it comes out next spring.  In the meantime, I’ll continue re-watching the series with J., hoping he loves it as much as me.

4. The Conjuring Looks Kind of Scary?

The horror movie The Conjuring is brought to us by the creator of the uber-bloody Saw series (and also Insidious).  Another haunted house story, this one has Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston living in a house unsuitable for pretty much everyone.  Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga play paranormal investigators (based on real-life paranormal investigators).  The movie comes out in July, which isn’t a great sign for a horror movie, but a strong cast might make it worth seeing.

5. The Purge is More HORROR

In that same vein, check out the trailer for The Purge, starring Ethan Hawke (who seems to have found his calling after last year’s Sinister).  This one is all about what would happen if the government sanctioned a 12-hour window for all crime to be legal each year.  Non-criminal citizens are encouraged to lock themselves up in their homes, but who do you trust?  Eh.  We know I’ll watch this.

What movie news are you excited about this week?