Top 10 Favorite Movies and TV shows (3)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Sarah’s Top 10 Movies (In no particular order.)

1. Much Ado About Nothing (2012)
I have never loved Shakespeare so much. Joss Whedon's Much Ado is amazing, I could understand the characters, their actions and emotions were believable, and I just love all the actors because I've seen most of them on other things. A must see movie for any Shakespeare fan or Whedonite.

2. The Boondock Saints
I really didn't think I'd like this movie. But then before I realized it I had watched it ten times in a week. I love the brothers.  

3. Pride and Prejudice (2005)
P&P was my first intro into Jane Austen and the only reason I read the book was because I heard this movie was coming out and I wanted to read it before I saw it. Kiera Knightley is Elizabeth Bennet. I love this movie so much because it feels so real, lively, and believable.

4. Star Wars Original Trilogy
Do I really need to explain this? 

5. You’ve Got Mail
The main character owns a bookshop. LOVE! This is one of my favorite romantic comedy's. Their path to love is just amazing!

6. The Avengers
A superhero movie done by Joss Whedon. Enough said.

7. Casablanca
 I didn't truly appreciate this movie until I was older but it is one of the few old time black and white movies that I own. I love Rick and the side characters totally make this movie.

8. Pirates of The Caribbean
JACK SPARROW!!!!lol Also Elizabeth Swan is one of my all time favorite female characters. Pirate!

9. Tangled
If I hadn't loved Aladdin for the past 20+ years, this would totally be my favorite Disney movie! Great songs, awesome characters and a well done story. This movie has everything!

10. The Fiddler on the Roof
Awesome movie if you can take the three hours to watch it. I love the music and historical setting. And I always find it amusing watching Tevye shimmy.lol

Christina’s Top 10 TV Shows

1. Dollhouse

This show will always have a special place in my heart because it taught me what character development is. I feel like this show is a study in ethics, philosophy, and psychology. Common questions brought up in the show are: What is a soul, and can it be erased? Can a human really sign away their freedom, or is freedom a right? Can a soul be built upon a blank slate? Is the Dollhouse a blessing or a curse? The show is deep, man. I'd love to write a couple of essays on it.

2. Firefly
Every now and then I'll watch the whole series (it's only 14 episodes) in order and just fall in love with Serenity, the characters, and the world. This show is a masterpiece.

3. Doctor Who
This is just a fun, quirky show that likes to, on occasion, rip my heart out, stomp on it, and then step back and laugh. That being said, it is worth it..

4. Primeval
Dinosaurs coming through a portal and wreaking havoc throughout modern day England. What's not to like? I know it sounds dorky, it is sometimes, but you have to give it a chance to understand the awesomeness. I love all the characters on this show. I wish it hadn't been canceled.

5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
This is the show that shaped my taste of books and movies into what it is today. I was a huge wuss before, I cried through anything scary. I was always told to keep my eyes closed whenever one of the vampires had its "game face" on. During the episode Halloween I decided to keep my eyes open and I fell in love. I watched all 7 seasons, watched some Angel, and became a fan of Supernatural. I still don't like things that scare me, but there's not much that does anymore, so it's not a problem.

6. Person of Interest
 This is one complex mess of a show. It really is amazing how many things are connected. I can't wait for the next season to find out what happens next.

7. Haven
I just finished watching season one and I am in love. I love the creepiness of the show and the characters are awesome. I'm a little worried to see where season two takes us, but I'm sure it'll be weird and interesting.

8. Arrow
I wasn't so sure about this show at first, I almost stopped watching it at the beginning, but it's pretty darn amazing. I'm really looking forward to the next season.

9. Castle
This show is consistently good and fun. I've watched it from the beginning and although I don't watch it as faithfully anymore it still has a place in my heart.

10. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
This show takes a couple of episodes to flesh out the characters, but once it does it is awesome. I have come to care for all of the characters in AoS and just.... gosh. It's so great. I need the next season.

The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy #2) by Jennifer A. Nielson

Title: The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy #2)
Author: Jennifer A. Nielson
Publication Date: March 1, 2013
Rating: 3 Stars

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!-Summary from Goodreads

I have mixed feelings about this book… no, that’s not quite right. I think it would be better to say I have mixed feelings about Jaren. As I have said before part of the reason I like Jaron is his attitude, but at the same time that arrogance is what makes me annoyed with him and the book. When Jaron is convinced of something he doesn’t let anyone (friends) or anything (like logic or reason) stand in his way. He is committed to sacrificing himself for the greater good. When his friends try to help him and get into danger themselves, he will sacrifice himself AND the greater good to save them. Maybe this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is stupid on his part. Nevertheless, since he is the main character the end result is that he is right and his sacrifice is courageous, but only because it worked.

This book seems to focus on getting Jaren more friends/allies, and pushing the friendships that he already has to the breaking point. Jaren is a lot more likeable when he allies with people instead of turning them away to work on his own. But Jaren is used to working alone and he doesn’t know how to rely on the friends he has. I hope he gets better at that in the next book.

I know I complain about Jaren a lot, and I had trouble getting into this book, but the truth is that it is a good story. It is written well and has a great plot that continues to push on and surprise me. By the end of the book I was looking forward to book three. I admire and (mostly) like this series, I just don’t think it’s for me. I will always have little problems with the book and it will not be one of my favorites, but I can see how someone else can love this series because it is truly well done.

          -Christina

Stacking the Shelves (2)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews which is about showing off new additions to your bookshelf.

 

     On the top row we have MORE HARRY POTTER BOOKS! I know, I have a hardback set of the series (as does Sarah), plus I have almost a complete paperback set (I still need the 7th book), and then I have extra's of #'s 1,2,4....at least. But whenever I see copies that are even prettier then mine I have to have them. I got those HP books above for a total of $3 at a yardsale.

     The second row is Mark of Athena and the first 3 books of the Infinity Ring. My parents picked those up for Sarah and I, they didn't really know if we had MoA or if we like the Infinity Ring, but for 25 cents a piece they decided to take the risk. My Dad knows what we read and he knows pretty books when he see's them. Thankfully Sarah already owns MoA so that means this one is all mine. My own... my precious! We've never read the Infinity Ring series, but it is written by some familiar authors.

     Sarah found United We Spy for me at a small gift shop in the our library. It's another book that I'm fortunate that Sarah already owns it. I got it for $2!

     In total we got 9 books for $6! I really love yardsales!

Great Expectations (Movie 2012)

     I have never read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, nor have I seen any other movie versions, so I have nothing to compare this movie to. That being said I really liked this movie.

     Like most Dickens movies they did a really good job at showing the grittier and less romanticized side of Victorian England. The whole movie had a dark tone to it and, like many Dickens stories, there were plenty of plot twists and unknown connections between the characters.

     The thing that really made this movie enjoyable was all of the side characters that revolve around Pip, like his brother-in-law Joe and the creepy Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham is my favorite character. Helena Bonham-Carter did a magnificent job playing this sad and disturbed woman, and it wasn’t over the top crazy like it could have been. Pip was a good main character, but he was annoying at times due to his new found wealth and place in society. I couldn’t completely like him because of it, but it was certainly realistic and in the end he did become a character I could respect.

     It’s hard to fit a complex book into 2 hours of film. While it is a good movie you can tell that there’s plenty missing, whether it be the finer details of the characters and their relationships, or what seems like time gaps. It does the best that it can with the time that it has.

     This movie acts as an introduction to the characters and plot of Great Expectations and I’m looking forward to reading the novel someday.

               -Christina

Raging Star by Moira Young Review + Fancast

Title: Raging Star (Dust Lands #3)
Author: Moira Young
Source: Library
Rating: 5 Stars

Her passion kept them alive. Now it may destroy them all.

Saba is ready to seize her destiny and defeat DeMalo...until she meets him and finds herself drawn to the man and his vision of a healed earth, a New Eden. DeMalo wants Saba to join him, in life and work, to build a stable, sustainable world…for the chosen few. The young and the healthy. Under his control.

Jack’s choice is clear: to fight DeMalo and try to stop New Eden. Presumed dead, he's gone undercover, feeing Saba crucial information in secret meetings. Saba hides her connection with DeMalo and commits herself to the fight. Joined by her brother, Lugh, and her sister, Emmi, Saba leads a small guerilla band against the settlers and the Tonton militia. But the odds are overwhelming. Saba knows how to fight—she's not called the Angel of Death for nothing. But what can she do when the fight cannot be won? Then DeMalo offers Saba a chance—a seductive chance she may not be able to refuse. How much will she sacrifice to save the people she loves?

The road has never been more dangerous, and betrayal lurks in the most unexpected places in the breathtaking conclusion to the Dust Lands Trilogy.

First off, I can’t even begin to describe how much I love this series. The writing style is unique, the storyline is awesome and when you add Saba, Jack, Emmi, the Freehawks, it is all so amazing! I first saw Blood Red Road on a store shelf a couple weeks after it came out and knew I just had to read it. It was only my third dystopian book (after the Giver and the Hunger Games) so I had never read anything like it before. Almost three years later I’m finishing Raging Star with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. Though I was sad to say goodbye to some of my favorite characters I was beyond satisfied with the ending.

42 pages into the book I was already in love. The actions and emotions of the book washed over me and pulled me under, not letting me go. I don’t normally react in any way when reading but this time I was laughing out loud, bouncing on the end of the couch pulling the book closer to my face. I would curl up into the fetal position and sigh, trying to hold back my tears and not succeeding. As I was in the living room my sister got to witness all these rollercoaster emotions as well. I think I made her a bit nervous to read it.

Saba spent most of this book trying to be a leader to her small gang but sometimes it just didn’t seem possible. One wrong move on her part and they were looking to revolt. She feels the burden of the mission and is trying hard but on the inside she is starting to crack. You really feel for Saba as she tries to deal with her personal struggles and trying to save everyone around her. 

There were a couple additional narrations added to this book, little splatters of it here and there, and I thought they were very well done. One was Emmi and one was a mystery character that we met at the end of Rebel Heart. I spent over half the book trying to figure out who this mystery character was and as it went on I got more anxious (read the book and find out why) hence the bouncing on the edge of the couch.

My favorite book of the year so far, as well as one of my favorite series, if you haven’t read it yet you need to! If you’ve heard about Blood Red Road but never got around to reading it, now is the perfect time.  Farewell Saba and the gang! You will live forever on my bookshelf! 

                                                                 Fancast                       

Saba (Lyndsy Fonseca)

Jack (Drew Roy)

Emmi (Emily Alyn Lind)

Lugh (Jake Abel)

Tommo (Asa Butterfield)

DeMalo (Ben Mansfield)

Ash (Sarah Carter)

Creed (Andrew Garfield)

There's my idea of who's who. What are your fancast's for this book?