Really? We couldn’t have gone with five, what with it being day five and all?
Fine.
I promise nothing. I don’t pretend to have taste in music that the kids these days call “cool” and “hip” (now get offa my lawn, punks). I don’t like artsy or obscure music. I like stuff I can sing along with, that picks me up or makes me feel something, but that I don’t have to like, y’know, be in that place to like, get it, man. And honestly, a lot of what I love right now is songs that were on the radio years ago, but that I hadn’t heard in years. Now I can get them on my phone. YAYS!
Videos? Why not?
You all know I like Marianas Trench. Well, those of you who have been here for a month or two. You know about Ever After and Sing, Sing (and yes, I’m counting that as number 1 and 2, just try to stop me). There aren’t music videos for those ones, but a lot of my favourites were, in fact, singles. I know, so mainstream. This was the first song of theirs that I heard and loved:
Good to You:
Did anyone else think, “I’m singin’ to Nelson. Ain’t I, baby?”
…though for sheer entertainment value, I’d recommend this one, because LOL, the old school 90210, infomercial and GAP commercial.
Hey, remember this song from a few year ago? I’d forgotten about it. Stupid camera noises… I hate when videos interfere with the song. I do love the concept of this video, though.
I’m going to share this one because I’m pissed I can’t get it on iTunes. I mean, I find the song confusing and don’t understand why people want to steal each other’s pens*, but Amy Lee’s voice = eargasm, so I let that slide.
Speaking of Slide (ooh, segue!), I’m kind of loving me some Goo Goo Dolls right now, too. Here’s my favourite, Black Balloon. Another note about this song: it contains what I consider to be the only acceptable use of the word “womb” in all of ever.
Um… *flips through phone*
Oh, here’s another one from quite some time ago (and by quite some time, I mean I was in high school):
Well, that was weird.
And how about another song that was popular Way Back When? 1994, around the time when I was first going, “Holy crap, music is AWESOME.”
I think that’s enough, if you count the sub-links.
What’s that? That was only nine?! OK, how about the last song I bought? Great for when I’m out walking with Jack.
I had no idea they were Canadian until I saw them there snazzy tuxedos. 😉
BOOM, done.
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*Yes, I know what they’re really saying. Mondegreens are a specialty of mine, though. 🙂
Some of you know that Empire Records is one of my all-time favourite movies. It captures something about the nineties that other movies seem to have missed, an atmosphere that I guarantee you’ll never find in new movies when that decade becomes “retro” and a cool time period to set movies in.
And I’m not ashamed to admit it, I adore Lucas.
But as I was watching last night, I realized that there were things that I, as a writer, could learn from this movie. No, it’s not perfect, but it does a lot of things very well. The first one that struck me was character introduction.
This isn’t a movie with a small cast. It’s not Game of Thrones huge, but it’s a day in the lives of the people who work at a record store, on a day when absolutely everyone is working. So do we open on a scene with everyone running around, doing their thing?
Of course not. The introductions come quickly so we can get to the story, but each character has a moment (or a scene) where we meet them and learn the basics; depth and details come later, but we get enough to push them into our brains and stick a pin in them until we get back to it. Now, I’m talking about the fan edition; forgive me if anything doesn’t line up with the original cut.
First, there’s Lucas. We learn that he’s closing the store, and he’s been instructed not to touch Joe’s (the manager) beer, cigars, or drums. A moment later we cut to Lucas touching all of those things, drumming away on the piles of money he’s been instructed to count twice. But count it twice he does, which tells us a lot about Lucas. We also learn something when he discovers that his beloved Empire Records (an independent store) is set to be turned into a big chain store (booooo!), and he decides to take a big risk to try to save this place he loves.
Lucas may have impulse control issues and/or an odd way of respecting authority, but he wants to do the right thing. This in just a few minutes, and from him closing the store. Not the most exciting set-up, no danger or explosions or fights, but we’re thrown into character and story right away, and want to know what happens.
Boom. That’s exactly what all writers are told to aim for in the first few paragraphs, isn’t it?
Other characters trickle in the next morning. Joe, the grumpy manager. Frustrated, beaten down, but it’s quickly apparent that he cares for the kids who work for him. We get Mark, who’s obviously not all there (hi, drugs!), but he’s funny and seems like a good guy. AJ: artistic, confused, and lovesick.
Next scene, Corey and Gina on their way to work. Corey: perfect, organized, efficient and infatuated with a much-older pop star who she plans to seduce later that day…
Because it’s REX MANNING DAY, folks!
Rex is clearly a bit of a douche. This creates tension as we wonder what in the world the sweet, innocent Corey wants with him, and how that’s going to pan out. Bleh.
Gina: Corey’s polar opposite, except that they’re both pretty (of course).
Other employees filter in (Burko and Eddie are really the least-developed ones, but we still get a feel for them*), adding to the cast in little bits, allowing the audience to adjust and get to know them a little before we’re overwhelmed with more people. And while this is happening, of course, there’s a plot developing.
Several plots, actually.
And this is another thing I think is interesting. You have this plot concerning what’s going to happen to the store after Lucas screws things up. This affects everyone. But the subplots are thick in this one. AJ wanting to tell Corey he loves her. Debra tried to kill herself, and everyone’s worried about her. Rex Manning is a douche, and just makes everything worse in the store (and adding conflict is a good thing, right?). And we also have Warren the shoplifter.
Gina hates Debra, Debra hates Gina. Gina is jealous of Corey but tries to hide it; Corey seems perfect on the outside, but we all know that can’t be right. Everything is coming to a crisis point.
It could be a huge mess, but every sub-plot is tied in to the others, adding to them rather than taking screen time away from them, and everything builds toward the climax and a satisfying resolution. Subplots add depth to a story; keeping them tight and intertwined keeps them from slowing the plot down.
So there’s two things, and plenty of evidence that I can’t just sit and enjoy a movie. There are other lessons, I’m sure. Dialogue is one:
Aah, I love it.
So, what movies have you learned from? Jae, I know you always find lessons in movies (everyone else, have a look!). Anyone else have one movie you just adore and want to share with the class rest of us? Or are there movies/books/shows you thing didn’t do character introductions well, throwing so many people at us that we can’t really tell them apart later on? Share!
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*However, their hairstyles are never adequately explained. Come to think of it, everyone’s hair is pretty greasy… this may be the film’s primary downfall.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of JuNoWriMo. I don’t know if I’ll make 50,000 words, but I’ll try. If I do, I’ll have about half of Torn re-written, which wouldn’t be a bad thing. It’s a story of adventure, questions about whether love can last when it happened too quickly (seriously, why is this not addressed more in YA literature?!), kidnappings, poison, revenge… and the return of two of my favourite secondary characters from Bound, who just happen to be mer-folk. Yay! Missed those guys.
In honour of their return, I’m going to leave you guys with this song by Great Big Sea (and if you’re not familiar with them, you’re missing out). This song is perfectly Newfoundland: the accents, the music, the theme, and the fact that the whole thing is basically a set-up for the kind of off-colour joke your grandpa might tell after a few too many drinks at Thanksgiving. The mermaids in this song aren’t quite the same as mine (mine have grey skin, not blue, and legs aren’t an issue), but I think they’d love this song anyway.
I’m posting the live version because these guys are fantastic in concert, and the banter is adorable. Also, the mermaid dance. I LOVE THESE GUYS. Below it you’ll find the studio version, which sounds better but is notably lacking in both dances and banter. Take your pick and make your click. 🙂
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And with that, I leave you. I’ll be around, but please yell at me if I’m posting here more than 3x a week and not making my JuNoWriMo daily goals. I do procrastinate like that, you know.
I like to try to leave you guys with a little something positive to take into your weekend when I can, so here’s a song from WAY BACK in 1993 (holy crap!) that makes me happy. Something for all of the grammar and spelling geeks out there. Seriously, read the lyrics, the song is too funny. I’m partial to “I told her affection has to F’s, especially when you’re dealing with me.” 🙂
(there is an official music video for this, but it’s weird and has nothing to do with the song, so… yeah.)
Underwhelmed
(C. Murphy/Sloan, lyrics from sing365.com)
She was underwhelmed
If that’s a word
I know it’s not
‘Cause I looked it up
That’s one of those skills
That I learned in my school
I was overwhelmed
And I’m sure of that one
‘Cause I learned it
Back in grade school
When I was young
She said, “You is funny”
I said, “You are funny”
She said, “Thank you”
And I said, “Never mind”
She rolled her eyes
Her beautiful eyes
The point is not the grammar
It’s the feeling
That is certainly in my heart
But not in hers
But not in hers
But not in hers
But not in hers
But not in hers
We were talkin’ about people
That eat meat
I felt like an ass
‘Cause I was one
She said, “It’s okay,”
But I felt like
I just ate my young
She is obviously a person
With a cause
I told her that I don’t
Smoke or drink
She told me to loosen up
On the way to the L.C.
She skips her classes
And gets good grades
I go to my courses
Rain or shine
She’s passin’ her classes
While I attend mine
While I attend mine
While I attend mine
While I attend
She wrote out a story
About her life
I think it included
Something about me
I’m not sure of that
But I’m sure of one thing
Her spelling’s atrocious
She told me to read
Between the lines
And tell her exactly
What I got out of it
I told her affection
Had two F’s
Especially when you’re dealing with me
I usually notice
All the little things
One time I was proud of it
She says it’s annoying
She cursed me up and down
And rolled her R’s
Her beautiful R’s
She says I’m caught up
In triviality
All I really wanna know is
What she thinks of me
I think my love for her
Makes me miss the point
I miss the point
I miss the point
I miss the point
I miss the point
I miss the point
I miss the point
I miss the point
Hey mister…
(Note: For anyone not familiar with the term, the “LC” is the liquor commission. The booze store. It’s funnier if you know that.)
(Further note: I’ve seen people say that the girl in this song must be a non-native English speaker because of things like “you is funny.” Clearly they’ve never been here. Sloan is from Nova Scotia, but “you’s funny” is something a lot of people here in NL would say. A lot of Eastern Canada, definitely. Ever heard of “I’s the b’y?” Exactly. Not to perpetuate stereotypes, not everyone does it and even people with great educations do it in casual speech. Jut throwing my two cents into the “foreign girl” debate. I know plenty of people with horrible grammar/who can’t spell who grew up with English as their first and only language. NOT JUDGING.)
…means nothing to me, really. It’s a long weekend, but AJ is working, and the weather’s crappy.
Still, it’s going to be a good weekend. I have at least one evening to myself, which is good. I have a couple of characters I left in a fun-but-awkward position and haven’t had time to get back to them. I always feel terrible when that happens. I’m hoping for a few thousand words this weekend, at least, but we’ll see.
I don’t have much else to tell you, except that I hope you all have an amazing weekend, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, and I hope your weather is better than mine. 🙂
I’m going to leave you with a song I’ve discovered I can’t listen to in the shower, because I’m clumsy. Singing in the shower is one thing (and I do), but dancing is quite another, and I can’t help wiggling my butt to this one.
(Give ‘er at least a minute, but the end is the best part. And how fun is this lyric video?)
Warning: rant ahead. These are my own initial thoughts and impressions, though I doubt I’m alone in my observations.
Remember when Brave came out? I don’t. I don’t pay much attention to movie releases. But I do remember the first time I saw it, after it came out on DVD. I was blown away. It was funny, and heartwarming and a little frightening at times. It was a story about love, but not about finding a prince.
And Merida. Kicked. ASS.
Here was a princess I could get behind. One who pushed against the expectations that strangled her, who embraced what freedom she had and used it to ride, to shoot, to live in the beautiful word around her, to climb fecking mountains when the mood struck. Her little rebellions were believable in the context of the movie, and when she felt helpless, she went out and tried to figure it out on her own. Sure, that backfired spectacularly and she came off looking like a total brat a few times, but that was part of the charm. She was real. And she sure as hell wasn’t the Disney princess type. She was athletic. Her legs were strong, her boobs those of an actual teenager and not a twenty-something playing a teenager, her stomach strong, though not tucked into a perfect hourglass figure.
And her hair. That wild, frizzy, breathtaking, defiantly red hair that captured everything that she was. You could tell just by looking at her that this isn’t a girl content to sit and brush her hair and pretty herself up and sit around doing princess things. She was as wild as her hair, as frizzed-about-the-edges, as passionate as the colour and as unpredictable and defiant as every randomly-bent corkscrew.
I case you haven’t guessed, I cheered. I fell in love with this strange, kind of odd-looking girl who was allowed to screw up and make her own mistakes, who learned something about herself, who changed her world, and who did it without the help of a prince.*
Did you see this?
Merida is taking her place in the Disney Princess line-up. They just had to change a few things about her.
Now, before anyone accuses me of overreacting, I want to say that I’m aware that some changes are due to a shift in the style of the art; 3D animation deoesn’t translate directly to 2D drawings very well, and stylistic changes are necessary. I’m fine with that. The movie would have been just as enjoyable in a more classical animation style. Whatever. I’m also mostly ignoring the fancy-schmancy dress, because Disney is always altering the ladies’ outfits to make them look good together. Because why not.
It’s the other changes that are pissing me off. Did you notice the different body proportions? There’s less of her. Her waist is smaller. Her boobs are still small (thank goodness), but the neckline of that dress sure is showing them off better. Her thighs and butt look downright dainty. Her distinctive face shape hasn’t changed, but her lips and eyes are emphasized to make her look prettier. *squints* Does this girl even have freckles?
And her hair is still wild, but do you see it? It’s not “girl who just finished a physically demanding and spiritually rewarding adventure” wild. It’s sexy wild. It’s controlled wild. It’s pretty. As noted above, this is partially due to the shift in art style, but it’s more than that.
Yes, it bothers me. A lot.
I have no problem with girls wanting to look pretty. I do it myself, once in a while. But here’s what I see in the new Merida:
She’s lost her big, powerful lower-body muscles. This new girl doesn’t need ’em, and they were just making her look fat, right? God forbid a girl should be strong instead of sexy.
The dress. I know, I said I was fine with it, but I don’t see how the lower neckline was necessary except to make her look prettier. Again, pretty is fine, but Merida is a girl who wears clothes because she can move in them without falling out. That v-shape at the neckline on her original dress was functional. Now it draws attention to her bust. Sure, change her outfit, but not in a way that re-defines her character.
Facial expression. Merida in the movie is expressive. Her jaw drops, her lip curls, she snarls, she cries, she rolls her eyes, and she often looks goofy or unattractive doing it. This new girl could do all of those things, but you can bet she’ll look camera-ready when she does. Every expression will be effing adorable and pretty.
Does this new Merida have adventures? I’m sure she does. But I suspect she has safe, approved adventures, and if she gets her face dirty or messes up her hair, it’s going to look good.
Someone posted this picture in a discussion of this on Facebook and said, “Well, she looks like that in the movie, too:”
If you’ve seen the movie, you know what the problem with that argument is. Merida wears this outfit for a tiny portion of the movie, and it’s very symbolic. This dress squeezes her into a more-feminine shape that’s not her own. It makes her look demure and smooth, and it stuffs her into the shape of what her society expects a princess to be. Notice that it also covers up the hair that basically defines her character, trying to make her look the way they think she should. They way that will sell her to the visiting suitors, hiding who she really is to make her visually appealing. It leaves her passive, unable to move freely, able only to be acted upon, to be chosen, to be pretty, to be acceptable.
In the movie (yay!), Merida busts out of these constraints. Literally. She gets frustrated when she can’t be her own badass (and yes, disobedient) self in that dress, and literally rips it to make it suit who she is and what she needs to do. It’s a brilliant and cheer-worthy scene. She becomes her own self again, she takes action, and her actions change the very people who wanted her to fit their standards.
Boom. That’s my girl.
Merida is a different kind of princess. She’s not beautiful in a traditional way. She doesn’t behave herself, she doesn’t let people control her. She knows she has value outside of being pretty and good, and she’s willing to fight for the right to just be who she is. Disney’s make-over tells us that all of that is well and good for a movie, but if she expects to fit in with the real princesses, the ones who matter, she’d better make herself fit our society’s expectations of what a princess is. Be yourself, Merida, but be better- and by better, we mean be what you’re not. Sexy. Pretty. Made-up. Easily controlled. You have no value if we don’t think anyone would want to screw you.
So yep, I signed the petition at change.org, much good it will do anyone. Please, Disney, let Merida be the wild, strong, brave girl who’s a role model for girls who need to feel OK about not being what everyone expects them to be. Don’t tell kids that Merida is better when she’s thinner and sexier and fitting in.
(for a more professional article, see the Huffington Post piece here)
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*Nothing against princes, mind you, I just think there should be more girls who are complete and happy without ’em.
I’m going to be honest: I had no idea what to post today. Much as I would have liked to post pictures of something uplifting like signs of spring, I have none to show that aren’t man-made, and how depressing is that? I thought about bumping Tuesday’s post up to today, but that just seemed like cheating. Random facts about myself? Who cares, right?
But today demanded something, if only because this blog has reached 100 followers, and we need to party.
Not a huge number by most standards, no. But I didn’t expect more than about five, so this is big. And I’m blessed with some of the best blog readers around. Really. I never expected to have people commenting on my posts the way you do, and I love it. You always have something to add, or some way to make me smile, and I appreciate that. There’s no reason you all should want to be here reading my ramblings and word-vomit on a regular basis; I’m nobody special, especially when it comes to the writing stuff. I’m an amateur, a nobody, but you folks encourage and inspire me every day, here and through your own writing.
I’m going to stop before I tear up. What I’m saying is, thank you. All of you, whether you comment or lurk. I’m glad you’re here.
*AHEM*
So, what to do today, besides get disgustingly mushy over a group of people who are mostly strangers to me?
A party needs music, right? And music is important to writing. THEME BONUS!
I know from reading your blogs that many of you have songs that in your minds represent your characters in some way. Many of you have entire play-lists devoted to each of them, a feat which requires more attention and organizational skills than I possess. There are several songs that remind me of my characters, too; I won’t go into all of that here, but I’ll share one that gave me a strange experience, and that I continue to love. It would be great if any of you wanted to share your own songs and experiences in the comments (and no judging people based on music they love, please. I hate that.)
Let’s rewind back to November. There I was, typing like mad for NaNoWriMo, trying to get a first draft of Torn out into the computer. I’d just got my iPhone back in the summer and was LOVING it. You see, I’d never had a working iPod or MP3 player, so having all of my favourite music at my fingertips was just blowing my mind. Yes, I’m easily amused. I was having fun buying songs I liked on the radio and then exploring more from those same artists.
I had a few Marianas Trench songs already, and spent some time listening to iTunes song samples for others. Hey look, there was a song called Ever After! How nice. Sample was interesting, I bought the song. Because, hello, affordable music.
I listened to it. I freaked out. Seriously. If you remember looking out your window one day late last November and seeing something weird flailing about, that was me. I was out there. Freaking.
Why? Because I could have sworn the song was about Aren. Not just about him, but about the story I’d written, the one I was working on, and (just to really melt my brain), a couple of lines that could symbolically reference something planned for book 3. The emotional tone is bang-on for the character. Not only that, but “Ever After” is one of the threads that runs through Bound and ties things together, thematically speaking.
HOLY CRAP.*
It’s kind of a weird piece in some ways. It’s one of these songs they do that takes bits and pieces of others on the album and smooshes them together to make something that works. I kind of love that idea, but that’s not the point. The lyrics probably don’t mean much to some people, and to others they’ll mean something that, oddly enough, is not related to my effing books (I know, shut up about it already, right?)
It’ll never be a single, that’s for sure. But it opens an album that’s been getting me through a lot of writing sessions. I don’t know why I find this music so relaxing when most of my real-life stress is caused my yelling and whining, but I do. 😉
Want to hear it? You don’t have to, it’s OK. But if you’re curious, here you go. Oh, and fair warning, there’s a CUSS WORD. I have a strange and disturbing kind of love for the way Josh Ramsay says f*ck, but some of you might not appreciate it so much. 😉
There you go. Probably means nothing to you, right? That’s what I thought. I love that about music, though. It’s a different experience for every listener, and meanings change based on our own experiences, mind-sets, and emotional states. A song that makes you think of a book you’ve read or a character you’ve written might make me think of something from my childhood, or someone I knew in high school. Maybe you love it, and I get nothing out of it. There’s so much room for interpretation. Also, music is kind of a mystery to me. I appreciate it, I like what I like, but as to how it’s written or why the sounds work together? You might as well ask me about astrophysics. I have no clue. But I can still appreciate it, even if my musical preferences aren’t impressively obscure.
So there you go. One song that would have caused me great embarrassment if I’d been in public when I first heard it, and that continues to give me chills.
Your turn! One song, one character, and tell us why you make that association. Also, some good party music, if you’d like to throw that in there. Bring your best party hat, fancy cupcakes, whatever your drink of choice is, and let’s celebrate you guys. Because you’re the most bestest. 🙂
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*CRAP is not the word that was in my mind, I’m just trying to keep it civil, here.
I was in the local book store a few weeks back, chatting to the owner, and he asked where I’m from. “I know it’s not Newfoundland!” he said, and laughed in a very friendly sort of way. Newfoundlanders are usually pretty good about not holding it against you when you say you’re a mainlander, even if you turn out to be from Ontario like I am.
No, I don’t have the accent. But then, my husband only does sometimes, and he grew up in St. John’s. The kids sometimes do, too, especially when they say things like “Jeez, b’y!” (which is really adorable, BTW), and they’ve only lived here a few years, total.
Want to hear a couple of great accents? Here we have Rick Mercer (oh, the videos I could show you) interviewing Allan Hawco, who is the writer, producer, and star of Republic of Doyle. Just listen to these guys.
(And look at that scenery. This makes my heart ache for St. John’s, and I’m only 4 hours away. I don’t know how the rest of you can bear it. And also, Allan Hawco with no shirt on, also lovely scenery, just saying,)
It just doesn’t get better than that, guys.
It’s not just the accents, either. The words and phrases people use, as I think I’ve mentioned before, are like nothing you’ll here anything else. Here’s Allan Hawco again (ain’t he adorable?) to teach us a few important terms:
Love it.
Know what? Here’s another little piece of the Rick Mercer Report. It wasn’t shot in NL, but come on, I found a video where they laugh about the world’s largest testes. This is my blog, I don’t need more reason than that. 🙂
I know, I know. Dirty habit. But really, what better day to review “Life of Pi” than March 14, Pi day? I would have bumped the Engrish post, but it was kind of a belated blogiversary gift to Jae at Lit and Scribbles… So here we are again. Hi there.
When I heard they were doing a film adaptation of “Life of Pi,” I cringed. The book is never as good as the movie, of course, but this went beyond that. It had been a few years since I’d read the book, but I remembered it being captivating. Mesmerizing. Unfathomably beautiful. Absolutely impossible to bring to life on-screen (yes, I think about this when I’m digesting a book).
But it happened, and the reviews were good, so we went to see it when we went to the city in December…
I was blown away.
I don’t know how they did it, and I don’t want to analyze it. I’m content with “it’s magic.”
My husband hadn’t read the book. He also loved the movie, which surprised me. Often when we leave a movie based on a book, I feel like I need to fill in the blanks for him, and he has questions that the book answered (hello, Hunger Games!). The ambiguous ending of this one was no worse than the book, though, and everything they used in the movie worked well.
Maybe I’d have been less impressed if the book was fresher in my mind; distance does make movies more enjoyable for me. But there you go: gorgeous, moving, inspirational movie, and recommended right here by one person who has read the book and one who hasn’t.
Just be warned: if you’re anything like us, you’ll start yelling “No, Richard Parker!” every time you see a tiger. Possibly forever.
Long story short: 5 stars, two thumbs up, the book was still better but the movie is fantastic (in my opinion)
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disregard the prologue 