Slutty brownies, Father's Day weekend and an emo Nicole

This week I may have forgotten to be awesome, John would be disappointed.

So I've been feeling a little depressed lately, guys. Since this week seems to be a free week I guess I'll tell my fellow nerdfighter's about it.

My work week has kind of sucked, and so has one of my friend's so I had the idea to have a crappy week party at her apartment the other day. It included Slutty Brownies and kool-aid, which unfortunately made us both sick as dogs. But we did watch P.S I Love You and ugly cried so that was fun. I guess.

This weekend is Father's Day, and I plan on locking myself in my room with a small mountain of food and a box of tissues. I lost my father two years ago to cancer so my plan is to become a recluse and let myself write, read, sleep, etc. to try to keep my mind off of everything that's not happy about the holiday. I'm sorry if I just killed this Thursday for everyone. I've had a long week and I'm trying not to project on to this blog.
But the good thing is that I'm thinking that next week will be a good week. I hope you all have good weekends!

DFTBA,

Nicole

I wish I was in Bali.

Prometheus: A Review

I honestly had no idea what to write about this week, so I figured I'd review the most recent film I saw: Prometheus. I will try not to spoil the film for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but I'll give hints about the plot and the themes it relies on.

So, here we go...

There are two ways to go into the theater to view Prometheus as well as two ways to judge/rate it: 

1. You can go in viewing it as the first (hopefully) of a series of prequels to the 1979 film Alien.
2. You can go in viewing it as a stand-alone film.

To be honest, I don't recommend the second option, and I'll explain why throughout the review. In the end, while a set of sequels to Prometheus might not occur, it cannot be viewed as a stand-alone film due to the way the story progresses. 

The film begins with a montage of beautiful scenery on a planet (whether it be Earth or some distant planet, it doesn't matter; form your own opinion on that) that seems untouched by living creatures. Then we see something happen. A sacrifice? A form of creation? A catalyst for evolution? Who knows, but you see it and you're instantly intrigued, thinking: What the hell just happened? Well, that question isn't answered right away, so you just keep it in your mind. 

The film then changes location to the giant ship Prometheus where a robot named David (brilliantly played by Michael Fassbender) is keeping the ship in working order and learning all he can while its crew is in cryogenic sleep. When they all awaken soon after, it is revealed to the crew what their mission really is (two years after agreeing to join the mission). They are attempting to make contact with humanoid aliens that have left their mark throughout the ancient world. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) are the ones hoping to make contact, while Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) so obviously believes she's in charge of the mission. To be fair, she has reason to believe this since her father was the founder of the tech company (Weyland Corp.) funding the whole thing. 

Not long after this, they arrive on the planet to find monuments built in a long valley and choose to go out and explore one of them. This is where they find the room shown in the picture (right).

And, I guess you could say everything goes downhill from there... In Alien fashion, ordinary organisms turn into the stuff of nightmares and the ship's safety is compromised repeatedly. Not only that, but the robot David is often found in the middle of the chaos acting innocent... 

The motives of all the characters are one of the most intriguing aspects of this film, but that's not the only thing keeping you in your seat and munching on popcorn. The implications of the discovery of possible alien life are greater. Throughout this film, the meaning of life and its origins motivate decisions and drive the plot to its open conclusion. 

As a prequel, it ties in well with Alien by examining questions that many fans might've been asking for the past thirty-three years. This promotional image (below, left) hints at the answer to one of the most puzzling parts of the 70s film: The Space Jockey.

 

Do we get answers? I can say that we don't get answers as to the Space Jockey found in the 70s film, but you do learn what the creature is. 

In the end, die hard Alien fans might be disappointed by the revelations about the franchise's universe  scattered throughout this film. But, there's still much more to learn. All we can hope for is a sequel that answers more of our burning questions, and the questions that have been plaguing Alien fans for decades. 


As a prequel, this film astonishes fans and newcomers alike with interesting questions (which rarely get answered) and complex themes that leave audiences pondering and guessing long after they've left the theater. It is visually stunning and has just the right amount of suspense to show a change from the 1979 film that "started it all," while also giving a great balance of horror/suspense and sci-fi. All in all, it deserves an 8 out of 10.


As a stand-alone, there's no real sense of understanding, which leaves audiences confused. But, it's visually stunning and raises interesting philosophical questions about the meaning of life and its origin. It tests beliefs and challenges the viewer to think outside the box. All in all, it deserves a 6 out of 10. 

I am lost. Not sure how to open this. I AM CRAIG!


Nicole asked if we have read any of the books she listed. I have not read them, sorry. :(

Rachel wanted to know our favorite (other than Harry Potter) and hated movie book adaptations. My favorite movie adaptation if from a book I haven't read: Hearts in Atlantis. I don't know if you are counting those *shrugs* And I haven't really seen a movie book adaptation I hate to be honest.


Shelby wanted to know what constitutes a true fan. You bring up good points, Shelby, but as usual the truth resists simplicity. We should all be respectful of ech other and not just discredit people without a lot of information about that person. There are so many kinds of fans that it's hard to put a good finger down on the subject. There are the fans who get a little too crazy and sit in there favorite artist's shower recording them brush there teeth and collect there nail clippings and there are the fans that are okay with the artists work but doesn't give a crap about the artist. Two ends of the spectrum. Both valid fans save one is a bit too excited and the other could be a better fan. We can't discredit either of them when they have something to say though. That doesn't mean they are right, but we can't. Sometimes though: people are just asshats. They either want to stir the pot or don't view you as an authority on the subject. All we can do is try to not step on toes. If you do let them step on your toe back. And if they stomp ask if they are satisfied. If they try again laugh in there face and call them a sad human being. We just need to try not to let things get out of hand.


Yes, my metaphors do suck. Thank you for noticing.
Craig

P.S. I give Linnea permission to go ahead and post. I notice she has hers fired up.

Summer reading

Bib-li-o-phile  [bib-lee-uh-fahyl, -fil]

noun a person who loves or collects books, especially as examples offline or unusual printing, binding, or the like. AKA Nicole

This is my bookshelf..kind of.

First off kudos to you Craig, because this is one of my favorite subjects in the world, and any time I get the chance to recommend or dish to someone about a book I've read I love it. 

So my custodial job at school tends to have a lot of down time and I've had some spare money from time to time since I've been working this summer and I've given in to my temptation's and I have bought myself about four new books. I know at the time of buying them that I didn't need them, but at the same time I did/do even if my summer reading list is already as long as my leg, but they were titles that I didn't see myself finding again for awhile. When I find some down time I always whip out whatever book I'm reading the time and the last book that I just finished this past weekend was Bossypants by Tina Fey and it was amazing! I started The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett Monday and I'm more than half way through and so far it's pretty amazing, it's definitely not your everyday story but I think that's why it's so good. 

So I guess I'll leave you guys with the rest of my Summer Reading List:

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett (I started it, but never finished it)
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
• The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
• The Great Gatsby by the great F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Diary of Anne Frank, I've read it a long time ago, but I want to read it again.
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman 
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave 

Have any of you guys read any of these before? If so could you tell me what you thought about it? I would really appreciate it. 

Also, do any of you know about the website Goodreads.com?  If you have an account on there we should be friends! This is me!

Until next time, DFTBA! 

Nicole

P.S Sorry about the wonky way my writing came out, I blame the background color (my background colors are usually white or something else that is easy to to see over. 

What makes a true fan?

First off, I need to answer some previously posed questions...

 I'd like to mention to the bloggers I'm writing with here that I enjoy critiquing stories, so if any of you would like me to critique or give feedback for a story/chapter you've written, I'd be happy to! So, that basically answers Linnea's question about sending one another our chapters or stories for editing/critique.

To answer the "what are you reading" question, I have to say that it's now quite difficult to answer. I am technically reading the 1,000 page World Without End by Ken Follett. I read his novel Pillars of the Earth a few years ago and loved it. This is Pillars' companion, set in the same priory town but two centuries later. I'm really enjoying, apart from the plot mimicking Pillars in almost every way. Which leads to the part that makes the question difficult to answer. After the epic finale of Game of Thrones (Yes, I mentioned GoT again), I realized that I really need to finish the third book in the series. I started it, but got terribly frustrated with one character's chapters, so I stopped. But with the hints dropped in the finale, I need to read it. So, my dilemma is: Finish World Without End, or start reading A Storm of Swords again...? *sigh*

Now on to the point of this post...

After seeing many fans posting rants about the differences in Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games television and film adaptations, it got me thinking: what makes a true fan? Obsessive fans spew their purist opinions about the screen adaptations and claim fans who liked them aren't true fans. They begin melodramatic rants about how fans shouldn't support the directors, screenwriters or showrunners because they are ruining the source material. Should these people be called true fans? Many GoT fans understand that George R. R. Martin trusts the showrunners of the HBO series with his baby, the novels. He knows they'll change things, but trusts that they'll make it work. Most Hunger Games fans understood why things were taken out or changed in the film to make everything work on screen, and even accepted strange casting decisions because of Suzanne Collins' support of those decisions. 

As fans, shouldn't we trust the author of the books if they have faith in those working on the screen adaptations? Are these so-called "true fans" really true fans if they can't even trust the authors? I don't like being told that I'm less of a fan because I enjoyed a film/TV adaptation of a beloved book. I like them because I can view the two formats differently and understand that the written source is only limited by the imagination of the author, while the film or show is limited by budgets, special effects and time. If all fans can see the two formats in this way, fan communities would be a lot better to be a part of.

Well, that was the post for Tuesday! See y'all next week...

DFTBA

Monday hath come once more! 
 And Craig, the Lord of Mondays has come with it!


 I really enjoyed reading your answers to my question last week. Now would be the time to do what I told you I was going to do and give you my answer...... *thinks*........ *brain dies* Well if anything this will help me out a lot hahah. Or even just doing the hardest thing ever and just writing without any thought of publishing. Just writing to write again. I wrote a lot more when I didn't realize my own limits and didn't have a soul crushing dream looming over me hahaha. And I should not always try to do everything at once.....



BOOKS! The books that I am procrastinating on reading are as follows and I list them even though one will make y'all mad at me.
1: Monster Blood Tattoo book III: Factotum. It's a really good series of books so far but I get to the middle of Factotum and stop reading x.x
2 and 3: The Saga of Lartin Crepsly book II and III: I just havent been reading them x.x
4: The Fault in our Stars *braces for onslaught of hatred* I will get around to reading it!


I am just awful at when it comes to getting things done to be honest. No matter what it is.


Sorry but this one is going to be a bit watered down it seems. That also happens to me. As a wise man once said "Don't forget to be awesome"

EEK! I missed my day!

I'm so, so, so, so, SO sorry for missing my day. I really don't have a good excuse. I got caught up in a Glee marathon last night and woke up this morning thinking, "Oh my god! I was supposed to post last night!"