At the Movies: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Are you a twiggy, college grad guy who’s in a band? Are you by chance Scott Pilgrim? You’d certainly relate to him if not.

IIII got to see a free advanced screening of the movie adaptation of Scott Pilgrim today. Seeing the trailers for this for months, I was really on the fence. It looked like it could be interesting, however at the same time, the flashy style made me leery. How good could a movie with the word “kapow” coming out of someone’s face be? It seemed like it would either be fantastic or complete trash.

It was good. If you can tolerate semi-epileptic action and take the movie with a grain of salt. It’s all in good humor, really. If you’re unsure, go with an open mind. It will entertain and make you laugh if you let it! I mean, the basic story is of a guy named, you guessed it, Scott Pilgrim, who finds the girl of his dreams but much to his misfortune he has to literally defeat her seven evil exes before he can really be with her. It’s based on a graphic novel called simply Scott Pilgrim. Obviously this story is not based in our reality. It’s got the logic of a comic book and that’s something that one has to remember while watching.

But evil exes aside, the main focus of this movie was by far the music. As evidenced by the poster. Scott is in a band called Sex Bob-Omb who throughout the movie are competing in multiple rounds of a Battle of the Bands competition in Canada (where the movie is set, as I kept forgetting). They are trying to be heard by a Mr. G or whatever his name is, a guy who could get them the illusive record deal they seek. And boy howdy, their band, contrary to what many characters in the movie think, does not suck. In a rather long (and unnecessary) opening credit sequence, their main theme plays and it just sounds wild and fantastic and epic and I’m sorry the soundtrack isn’t out right now because I would be buying it on the spot if it was. That song made the minute of epileptic opening credits bearable and even had me tapping my toes to it.

Spoilers are going to happen after this line. Highlight the text to read.

I say music is the main focus and the exes are kind of an afterthought because the majority of the duels between Scott and the exes happen while he’s performing. And if not when he’s performing, then the foes have something to do with the music industry, whether it be as a competing band member or as a manager capable of giving them a record deal. Really, only 2 exes aren’t involved with the music scene (2 and 4). Also let it be noted the first scene includes Scott’s band playing and the (sub)plot that continues through the movie is their attempt to get a record deal to properly compete with rival band The Clash at Demonhead.

Since it seems the movie covered the entire Scott Pilgrim series, it covered a lot of ground in just two hours. Though the pacing was quick and kept us on our toes, the movie did seem quite long come the end. It was done well though, balancing epic fights with romantic drama, each of the exes becoming increasingly difficult to fight and defeat. It led to a great final battle that included not only Scott but also Ramona and Scott’s recent ex, Knives. But I’ve got to ask, did this movie really...end? Scott defeated all of the exes but he most definitely did not defeat himself. Nega-Scott (which I was definitely not expecting, I was expecting some moral dilemma for Scott instead) appears in the wake of the last ex’s vanquishing, gray skinned and red-eyed. The movie ends with Scott saying he talked it out with his double and that they were even “going to have brunch next week.” I know the movie is supposed to be humorous but its blatantly breaking the rules of needing to defeat the villains here. And it doesn’t seem like it was aiming to make a sequel; the end of the credits only offered a pixilated Scott Pilgrim punching the words “the end.” All in all, the movie came to a nice close, throwing back to the 1-up scene in an imperative moment and using Scott’s skills from the ninja video game to defeat the final villain. I appreciated that these things initially taken as pure humor actually had a purpose in the end.

I had no qualms with the talent. I like Michael Cera though I’ve not really seen any of his movies and he seemed to be an excellent Scott Pilgrim. The characters were great, mysterious, odd, over-excited and everything in between and they each stood apart from each other in memorable ways. The same could not be said for the exes, who for the most part just seemed to be over dramatic idiots. But then again Chris Evans was a surprise (he’s a good one in my book) but I admit I was a bit disappointed in his rather brainless performance. Then again, all of the exes behaved in such a similar manner, all angry and willing to kick Scott’s ass…I suppose the whole point of the story was that if each of them couldn’t have Ramona then no one could.

/Spoiler end.

As for the visual style, this movie was certainly taking a leap with its comic book effects on top of live-action shots. Very postmodern, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World looked like a hybrid video game/comic book presented in the form of a movie. I thought it was a novel idea, actually having the sound effects come out of various objects (phone, doorbell, a fist punching someone) but then again rather unnecessary given we can actually hear things in a movie. I’m now starting to wonder how this movie would go over if it were muted… Many other sounds included were borrowed from video games, most obviously Mario and Zelda. Then there were the info boxes for the main cast and some of the secondary characters, stating the name and age and whatever title Scott deemed for them. Titles were added between scenes to note the progression of the story (and I see now that some are borrowed from the titles of the graphic novels). The graphics were really only there to add laughs, but they completely nailed it every time. The theater was often roaring with laughter; I personally could not stop laughing over the pee bar.

I loved the bright colors and the high paced action, and really I wish all action sequences would look like this, minus the flashy-ness. If sword fights looked this epic and this fluid in every other movie, I would just be tickled to death. (Though not all of them need swords on fire or imitation lightsabers, mind you.)

But. THE PIXILATED UNIVERSAL LOGO AND 8-BIT MUSIC WAS BY FAR MY MOST FAVORITE THING.

I liked the movie. 3 outta 4 stars in my book. And its not to be taken so seriously. Seriously, people. It was something different, which is something to always remember! Being different is to be memorable, and taking risks like this is important when being creative.

Also, let it be known that we got one preview for a movie called Devil that seemed interesting, but when the words “from the mind of M. Night Shyamalan” appeared, the entire theater gave a collective “ohhh.” I’d read about this happening on Inception and couldn’t believe it.

P.S. I need to stop doing such giant posts and actually write for my own projects. I just have lots to say on lots of subjects.

Cowboys and Alchemists

Unrelated you say? I think not. Two animes I set my sights on this summer were Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Both of them are fantastic and really have failed to disappoint. FMA ended here in the States on July 23^rd, and Cowboy Bebop reruns should end in the next couple weeks. Both of them had good pacing and provided lots of laughs and fantastic characters. My new favorite anime character (and one of my new favorite characters period) is Spike off Cowboy Bebop.

If you haven't seen/heard of these series, never fear, I don't intend to post huge spoilers.

Cowboy Bebop I think I like because it’s just a good ol’ classic anime. It was new in 1998 and just looks older, which is nice in a quaint way. I’ve been meaning to watch it for years, but whenever I caught it on TV it was already mid way through the season. It’s also got a great soundtrack, my favorite song off of it is Rain by Steve Conte. The rest of the soundtrack sounds nothing like it, but is great regardless, blending country sounds with jazzy music.

The basic story is about a group of bounty hunters running through space trying to make a buck. I like that it’s something of a futuristic western…IN SPACE, and it’s not idiotic. It does have more than a few episodes that are essentially filler, however the episodes that focus on the specific characters and provide us with some back story are really good. The characters seem real. Not only are they funny, quirky, mellow, etc. for the majority of the time, but they can also kick it into high gear in the blink of an eye when faced with each of their pasts. And the English voices don’t bother me! They’re fantastic, actually, except for those episodes where we meet Spike’s old nemesis where I swear half the characters are voiced by the same guy. I’m looking forward to the end to see what happens with all of the character development.

A good example of the scenery: a spaceship paired with a desert railroad. Old and new technology collide!

Generally, after half the episodes I run off to go write afterwards because I love the characters and want to fashion some of my own as unique and as annoyingly, perhaps stubbornly loveable. The world built for the show is pretty neat too, set in the 2070’s where we’ve colonized the entire solar system and each planet has its own people and so on and so forth. It’s familiar enough but also delightfully futuristic and plays to our fantasies of what the world(s) might come to look like. It’s likely due to the far off future aspect and the fact that so many people like it that it’s stood the test of time. Adult Swim plays the whole thing (all 26 episodes) at least once or twice a year.

Psst. Also this movie based on the series was not bad either. You really don’t need much knowledge on the series to enjoy it.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood…my first real exposure to FMA at all. I realize now it was a good place to start. Following much closer to the manga than the first anime series, Brotherhood…in one word was epic. I said so on many the occasion and was often left screaming at my computer when the episodes cut off after 24 minutes. Not enough, Funimation, not enough!

Emotionally charged but not over the top nor uncomfortably dramatic, Brotherhood is in essence the story of two brothers who are budding alchemists (more or less magicians who rely on science to back their skills. Yay science!) who suffer a great loss early on which sets them on a quest to get their “bodies” back when they don’t obey the laws of alchemy. The plot gets much more complicated from there when Philospher’s stones and demons called homunculi come into play. The brothers’ journey gets tangled with the very fate of the state and it results in…epicness.

The story examines the value of friends and family, allies and enemies, and I’m certain there’s not an episode that fails to remind us of the value and preciousness of life itself. It does reference religion a few times and refers to God quite a bit, but not in a manner that is preachy per say, but to reference power over man and the potential terror a god-like being on earth could instill in humans. (Because if there’s one thing that will really irk me, it’s religion in my entertainment. I have nothing against religion, I have my own beliefs and anyone else is free to have theirs, but I’d rather not have them thrown in my face as the key to the plot while I’m trying to enjoy a film/etc.)

This one has a great array of characters as well, each with their own temperaments, desires, and weaknesses. By far my utmost favorites are (predictably) Mustang and Edward. This of course is due to my love of people with power who have a lot to lose. Can we tell I enjoy tragedy? But really, the rest of the main cast is only a half step away from favoritism. I think TV Tropes explains just why the best with the term ‘iron woobie.’

“A Woobie is a character who you like to feel sorry for. … An Iron Woobie is a character who has something noble about his Woobie nature. Maybe they became a Woobie of their own free will from a Heroic Sacrifice for the sake of The Power of Friendship. Maybe just their passive powers of endurance show a Heroic Spirit. …”

It’s like they all friggin’ fall under it, though the term still sounds silly.

Brotherhood is inspiring in like X-ty trillion ways. It’s been a massive inspiration on my latest work because I love the relationships between these people who have been brought together to fight the big bad evil thing at the end of the road. Brotherhood was the right blend of magicky stuff and science and big arching questions that just did the trick for my little geeky mind. Its characters really inspired me, each of them having a back story worth hearing and each of them turning out to be people you really cared about, likely because they were all put down so bad that come the end you want them to not only win but kick ass (of course that’s how it goes, stupid. It sounded better in my head)! Overall it was like an epic, but not so totally spread out as a Lord of the Rings-esque epic. It doesn’t mean to tire the viewer out. I will admit that some of the explanations were so…six feet over my head that I kind of just went with it, and I’m not sure if it’s because the logic was just utter bullshit that it sounded like it would work or if it was because I didn’t pay close enough attention or what. I like the show enough that I don’t want to tear it down. One real qualm? There was so much bloody violence in this! I mean, even when they’re being humorous…

(It's not that it offends me, but there is a ton of blood shed in this series.)

Oh, and let’s not forget about the music! Brotherhood had so many beautiful openers and closing credit sequences. My favorites were the final opener, “Rain”, because it really gets me every time, the desperateness of the situation and the tears and the…yes. You get it. And then the “Shunkan Sentimental” closer, because this was when the characters still had hope that things were going to be okay and the song just fit the feeling so well. But dear God, I cannot stand the English voices after I started watching this in Japanese. They are all wrong in my honest opinion.

Heyy…so I talked about FMA more because it’s done. And Cowboy Bebop’s (reruns are) not. And because there was, like, three times as much material for Brotherhood. …I love them both. So. Much.

On a side note: fuuuuuuu… I really want to do a post about Inception but it’s been a while since I’ve seen it and I’d really like to see it again before doing an analysis or review or whatever the heck you want to call it. Blargg.

Of Princesses and Peas, and also short stories.

The prospect of writing a short story is not difficult. In fact, when I get all weenieish and want to give up/get a story done, I go, "Oh, well I can just write a short story" and be done with it. Although I've never done it. I really don't think my mind works with short stories, because when I start to plot things get out of control and before I know it I've built and entire alien world filled with Pea-people and an army of ninja princesses.

No. I kid.

However, I did write a short story today. Yup. I wrote it because early last week I was poking around on the Merry Fates LJ and saw that one of the three lady authors had posted news about a contest. To win one of four fabulous prizes (including copies of their books), the toll was to write a short story based on Edmund Dulac's "Princess and the Pea" painting. After probably a minute of consideration, I promised myself I would enter, if only to try writing real short stories for the first time (that weren't fan fiction, ha ha ha).

Though it is very different than the traditional story, I enjoyed writing it. So then, without further ado, fiction by yours truly.

Princess, Not the Peas

I sat there, hands folded across my lap as the place wear was set all around me, staring at him from across the table, holding my breath as the dishes were uncovered.

“Pork, greens, wine, and pea soup, my lady,” the waiter hovering over my shoulder announced. At once I shook my head.

“No soup, please,” I said, hardly taking my eyes off the man across the table.

“Certainly, my lady.” In one swift movement the man scooped up the simmering bowl and disappeared.

Dinner was otherwise uneventful. The man across the table, the wonderful, delightful Prince Avargad, held my gaze for the duration of the feast, hardly speaking a word. He spared a nod or two to the woman on his right, his charming mother, and a few yes’s and no’s to his father, sitting at the head of the table. I was alone on the other side of the wooden barrier, like an outcast waiting to be thrown from this magnificent place.

Truth be told, I never felt like I belonged.

Their hospitality was faked. The smiles twitched with disdain every time I spoke. To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t remember speaking more than a dozen words to another human being that day. I often stole to my room and chatted with the cat. Said cat that evidently thought she owned the room, the very bed I had been given to sleep in. At least her eyes weren’t glazed with lurking judgment. As I scanned the faces around the table, I found that eyes either averted from mine, or tore into my gaze like knives.

Unable to breathe, my stomach did a somersault. A strange sensation trickled along my spine, leaving me numb and weightless as though I wasn’t really there at all. I feigned a small cough and brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes.

“Do you need something, my lady?”

My head shot up and caught Avargad’s steely, half-lidded eyes on mine. A smile was painted to the orbs though one barely tugged at the corner of his lips. So willing to leap to assistance, though so withholding of his true opinions, I thought, carefully judging the words that would make up my response.

“No, sir Prince. It’s just my stomach, that’s all.”

“Perhaps you should retire early and get some rest,” he said. “It has been a long day after all.”

I nodded, unable to produce well thought of words in a timely fashion. Then, as I rose from the table, so did he. Not a lock of gold hair fell out of place as he skirted around the table to join me, always insistent that he should escort me everywhere I went. A small, breathless sound escaped me, and I hoped he did not hear. For some reason I spared one last glance over my shoulder, perhaps as an apology for my early departure from the meal, but the Queen gave me a cheery little smile in dismissal. Then, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Avargad’s smile echoed his mother’s and he pressed towards the main hall.

For a long while, the only sound was that of our shoes tapping against the wooden floor. Then there was a gasp and cry—I stumbled over my own two feet and was caught around the arm with such ferocity that I thought it would pull right out of my shoulder. The Prince righted me almost as quickly as I had tripped and then refused to relinquish my arm as he hooked his around mine.

My face was suddenly flushed and I forced myself to look anywhere but at the Prince, whose eyes I could feel weighing down on me from the side. How was I ever going to survive his trials if I kept behaving like such a klutz?

Soon he deposited me beside the door of my room. There was a faint mew inside as the cat sensed our presence. Most of the red had faded from my cheeks, though as chuckled at the cat’s cry some of it seemed to return. Avargad smiled as well, his face made up of twisting lines. He seemed much older than eighteen between the way he spoke and carried himself and the controlled expressions. Never mind his age, I was still his subordinate, given I was a girl who was barely gracing the age of an adult. But how I found myself there, head low and hands folded neatly across my front while a handsome Prince graced my lips with a goodnight kiss, I could hardly recall.

My throat tied itself in knots as the creeping sensation returned. I didn’t dare draw breath until the Prince stepped away. He offered another slanted smile at the lingering pink in my cheeks and then stole around the corner, his figure fading into the shadows in the blink of an eye. I backed into my room without another thought.

This was how it had gone on, day after day, night after night. I was to endure a month-long observation under the watchful eye of Prince Avargad and his family to see if I was fit to be his blushing bride. At first, I had been terribly excited to be chosen. It was all our town could seem to talk about, the fact that a prince was in need of his princess to claim the throne and the innumerable riches of the Litsen family. I had seen other girls whisked away by beautiful carriages time and time again to see if they could stand up to the test. It was both exciting and frightful to see them go, for if they did not pass—which none had—the girls and their families would never be heard from again. People spoke of what great shame fell on the families when their daughters were rejected, so much so that they were forced to move to where their names had never been heard before.

When the carriage arrived at our doorstep and two tall men knocked on our door bearing a regal scripture with my name on it, I remember springing up and clapping, shrieking this, that and the other about how wonderful the whole thing was. I didn’t particularly care for the last girl, Emmamelie, and was unquestionably thrilled she hadn’t succeeding in taking the prince’s hand. Yet, as I was whisked away, the carriage travelling through three towns before it would arrive at the Litsen manor, my fantasies were smashed into the dirt.

At the last stop before the castle, I found myself in an Inn run entirely by ladies not much older than I. Their father had passed away and, though he wished for a son to continue his legacy, he was unwilling to see his business in hands of someone not in the family. His daughters ran the place, and chatted with me in the parlor when I couldn’t sleep that evening.

“Oh, dear, really? You’re off to see Prince Avargad, are you?” one of them inquired with a coy smile.

Three of the four chattered among themselves upon me confirming my status as the up-and-coming Mrs. Litsen. The fourth, a few years older than me but not the eldest of the bunch, lowered her lids and tilted her chin back as she looked at me. A shudder rolled down my shoulders at her expression—she was looking at me as though I was some horse put on the market. Although, looking back on it, what I was to face at the Litsen castle was hardly any different.

“Just keep your wits about you, girl,” the woman muttered. Keeping the dark tone, she soon added, “And if you’re ever offered a dish with so much as a single pea in it, you best reject it if you wish to stay in that place.”

My brow furrowed. “Why?”

She scoffed. “Why? Ask the boy Prince! I don’t know why, but its one of the thousand silent rules he’s made up to pick his bride. Not a one of the girls has rejected the pea-laden meal, and look where it got them.”

The other girls had fallen quiet as well, but after a few pops from the fire, they were up and running their mouths again, one chirping, “I heard that you’ve got to kiss him first. He thinks it as ‘taking initiative.’”

“And make sure to wear ribbons in your hair!”

A dozen ‘rules’ were thrown at me before I felt as though I were drowning in them. I excused myself for bed, and in less than a day’s time I was at the castle and under the care of the seniors Litsen and their only child, the prized Avargad.

I patted the black and white cat on the head as I crossed the room. A ribbon slipped free of my hair and sent the curls tumbling down my back when I approached the vanity. I hardly recognized the woman staring back at me. She looked tired and scared, constrained and quieted. My eyes fell to the floor and I turned my back on it, stumbling on my feet again before I managed to climb into bed. Uncomfortable (though they had promised the bed was made of the finest cotton) as always, I somehow shuffled under the covers and drifted to sleep, quietly and absentmindedly praying that I might not wake under the same roof come morning.

The following day passed just as dreadfully and unexcitingly. Four individuals were seated at the table again. A dozen hired hands rushed this way and that bearing countless hot plates of food. Three dishes were uncovered before me: lamb, a pasta entree I had never known, and casserole.

“…and the pea casserole.”

I could feel heavy eyes on me once again, as I had for the past seven days and nights. A knot swelled in my throat and my heart sped out of nowhere when the words, “Thank you, sir,” tumbled from my lips.

Gripping my fork with delicately gloved fingers, I made sure to clear the casserole in its entirety first. The entirety of the meal was scrumptious, but the casserole was by far the best dish.

Then as we all commented on the grand meal and bid each other goodnight, the Prince escorted me to my room once again. We were only just around the corner, out of the sight and earshot of the king and queen, when the Prince took my hand and stopped. He pressed his lips to mine, jarring my mouth open in favor of his tongue before his hand slipped away from mine. His opposite hand cupped my jaw but soon craned around my neck. He had produced a dagger in the other.

“I’m so sorry, my dear, but I detest those inferior vegetables and simply cannot forgive a woman who would willingly consume them!”

Just as I saw his hand rise and the intent in his eye to drag the knife across my neck, my eyes flashed open and the scene dissolved. I was still lying in my bed atop the five mattresses piled high. Something swished across my neck and I nearly screamed, until I realized it was just the cat and her languid tail flicking back and forth.

Struggling to catch my breath, I realized what I must do. Though I would miss the pleasant company of the cat, I wouldn’t spare the rest of them another thought as I planned to make a break from the castle. Someone would find me soon enough. Someone would whisk me home, where I would tell them of the horrors of this place. Of the king and queen who paid their son no mind, and the young boy Prince who sent his brides-to-be to jump through impossible hoops. No one would marry the treacherous Prince Litsen, who stalked ladies with his narrowed eyes and crooked smile.

As I slipped out the door with a bag of my things hanging off my shoulder, I felt the very breath in my lungs dissipate and the color in my face drain entirely. Said Prince stood across the hall from my door, arms folded and head bowed, and he glanced to me without moving an inch. With such dark rings under his eyes, I almost mistook him as a ghost.

“Sir,” I choked.

“What are you doing up?” he said.

I didn’t hesitate. “I could ask the same of you!”

“I couldn’t sleep so I came here, thinking thoughts of you would calm my mind.”

I wondered if the lies tasted bitter on his tongue. He was waiting for my excuse.

I wouldn’t grant him the favor. Instead, “I have a question, sir Prince.” His face smoothed out expectantly. “Where are all the other girls? The women you rejected as your brides?”

The smile that unfurled on his face was haunting. “They’re not with us anymore, this is true.”

My jaw slipped open. Had he killed them all? Who knows how many women he had called on to be his bride, how many of them had met their fate—

“Oh, please,” he laughed, “your face is priceless! What, do you think I’ve gone and killed them all?”

“It’s what you said--!” I shouted. He clutched his sides to keep the laughter from exploding out of him. I could hardly breathe, I could hardly even stand given my knees had started shaking, and he was laughing near maniacally before me.

“They were all politely dismissed. I couldn’t have them, you see, when all of them were so…brainless.”

The word was so loaded I was left waiting for his punch line.

“You see,” he began, straightening to full height and beginning to pace around me, “they each accepted any old thing I said as pure fact. They hardly offered a second thought to my speech. I need to be sure that the girl I choose is…sensible and smart, you see. I can’t have a woman who would be willing to believe anything; no…then her imagination might get the best of her. What if she had a dream that I was some evil spirit? How could I be certain she wouldn’t be out to call me a monster or even kill me on a whim the next morning?”

I tried to swallow, but the knots in my throat wouldn’t let me. He was, more or less, speaking of me.

“So my dear, how about we go for a stroll to clear our heads?”

Avargad offered me a hand. I stared at it for an eternity. I ran in the opposite direction as fast as my feet could carry me.

New Books!

As my mom aaand thousands of other people say so frequently: I like new books.

So, with no plans for this particular Friday, I set out with a small list of books and the hunt was afoot. Alas, though I went to four bookstores, it wasn’t until I broke down and went to Half Price Books that I actually found any of the books I was looking for (at a price I was willing to pay, at least). College students don’t have money. I’m allowed to be nitpicky about cost.

Out of four books, I got two. One, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, was a suggestion of a friend. Its also some critically acclaimed piece of literature that I’ve yet to read. The other was City of Ashes, the second book of the Mortal Instruments series. It’s got potential, although I didn’t like how the first ended, I liked the mythology enough to give it another shot. (The illusive, need be fair priced Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Hunger Games remain on the list.)

In addition to getting new books, I found that paroosing around bookstores and reading the back cover synopses offered lots of inspiration. After coming across stacks upon stacks of Twilight books, I kept thinking, I can do this. I can write, hell I can write better than a lot of the people published. I also find it said that about half of the YA fiction is flooded with vampire novels. It’s sad that vampires are now overrated. It makes me want to write something that throws back to how they used to be or how they should be (monsters, truly dead beings with rotting flesh, etc), but at the same time the new vampires do have a certain amount of charm. But the nice gentlemanly vampire has been done and its time to move beyond it.

So yes, reading the synopses of non-vampire books, I was constantly drawn to a number of books… The cliffhangers and mysteries the synopses provide really do get you/me/audiences. I truly appreciate those authors who are striving to be different. Though not so different as to be unfamiliar, Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver) is one of my new favorites because she does turn the werewolf lore into something her very own. I think this is really necessary for the paranormal stories today. It’s not enough to have a brooding vampire or a hunk of a werewolf hanging around. They need to be really, completely different from anything we’ve ever seen! We need wonder and mystery—vampires and werewolves were thought up because we used to be afraid of the unknown and to create said myths were ways of coping with the unknown.

In short, book synopses often inspire me, especially if they’re from an author I’ve never heard of. Makes me think I’m perfectly capable of doing the same and inspiring someone else.

Hello there. I am a film student in college (a really terrible film student). I am an aspiring author. I also like science and think I've got killer humor. I might be in over my head.

I am here to share what inspires me with others. I am here to remind myself of what inspires me so that on those down and out days I will be able to look back and say, "Hey now, I do remember that!" Also, I intend to find the epic in everyday life. Join me!

Books: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

So, I've been on a bit of a reading streak this summer. After a whole year of college in which I might have read a whole two books on my own time (one being Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater...and oh yes, rereading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling), I have been running through books like its no body's business.

I think this is due in great part to my determination to be a writer and to get something actually written before I get out of college. Everywhere you look you see published authors telling apiring novelists TO READ. It's actually important. It's more important to read within the genre you're hoping to get published in. Just sayin.

Since summer started up I reread Eclipse, then A Great and Terrible Beauty, City of Bones...

The last thing I tackled:

Who knew our 16th president was a vampire hunter? Who knew??

What humored me the most about this was just the entire seriousness the author stuck to. I was constantly left laughing at among other things, the book jacket.

"Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time--all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation."

Now see, if I had read that first, I would have probably been less disappointed when I actually started reading this book. I knew it was historical fiction. However, by some stroke of genius, I didn't realize this thing was going to read like a textbook.

Never the less, it was still a great story. I didn't really get into it until 100+ pages in (but trudged through it because I didn't want my $10 to go to waste) and was somewhat disappointed because I had higher hopes for it (meaning again I'm an idiot and didn't realize it really would be written as a BIOGRAPHY). But after we really got into Lincoln's life it did make a turn for the better. I just found the beginning chapters a bit dull between Lincoln running here and there and getting a vampire, not getting a vampire...

It took me 3 days to read, not particularly difficult. It alternates between Grahame-Smith dictating about Lincoln's life and the president's journal entries, which are more than likely fabricated. I find it a bit hard to believe that this vampire tale is actually true...surely if it was we would see backing in the journals of the other political figures. However, if you keep an open mind its still a nice read. A bit gory of course, but I enjoy the paranormal violence.

But, again, the biography aspect virtually killed any and all writing I had been doing. I don't think I wrote at all in the three days I read this because it just lacked voice. So I'm going back to young adult stuff... Freaks by Annette Curtis Klause is the next thing I'm hoping to read. What I've read of her stuff has been good, I really enjoyed the book of Blood and Chocolate.

P.S. I really friggin hate the interent some days. I had a whole post written up and then it decided to die. Hey. Hey Mac. I thought you were supposed to be SUPER AWESOME? Good thing this blog has an auto-save feature for drafts...who wins now Super Awesome mac? Hmm?

P.P.S. I got a MacBook Pro for school last summer and it has actually been Super Awesome except on like, 3 occasions. I used Windows since I was 3 years old. I like them both.