Book Review; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay

Hi readers, 

It's another short book review today, as I've now got a cold! Good job there's actually not a lot to talk about with this book. So, carrying on from last week with the Harry Potter theme, I thought I'd take a look at the script for the new movie. Many fans will know that this was based on a small book Rowling wrote for Comic Relief and it's title was the same only it had Potter's notes in and is the actually book that Newt wrote. I think that's a really nice tie in. 

The movie, which I have seen and enjoyed, is meant to be the first in a four or five movie series. I guess the other movies will follow in the same vein as this one and I'm looking forward to seeing them. I know that some of the more die hard fans had issues with the movie and the critics did too. I have a friend who refuses to see the movie because it has got nothing to do with the Harry Potter. I can understand that but actually this movie is totally different. Hogwarts and Dumbledore are said like once or twice just to further ground this story in with the magic world of Potter. Even if you have somehow escaped reading and seeing any Potter and you've decided to see this movie it is perfectly watchable without that knowledge.  

To be honest, I wasn't that interesting in reading the movie script of Fantastic Beasts, just like The Cursed Child it is better to watch it then to read it. But I got a book gift voucher just before Christmas and knowing I was going to try and not buy any books this year and with nothing else I wanted, I decided to give it ago as it was just out on the shelves. 

I read it in an afternoon because it is short and the layout as an actual movie script. This would be a great study for someone doing script writing at college or uni - just as I did years ago- or someone interested in how movies get written, because you really get a good sense of how to lay out a script and all the apprehensions that are used. 

Just like The Cursed Child  there is a lack of character and settings description. That's understandable because the visuals are more up to the director and film crew then the writer. You can still get a good idea of the settings and characters in reading the script though but it does really help if you see the movie first. 

The plot is a simple one about people in the magic world fearing the unknown magical creatures and one man - Newt, trying to educate them that actually most of the creatures are harmless. The story is set in the 1960's and Newt has travelled to America to meet a breeder of a certain magic creature and also release a creature back into the wild. However, he accidentally switches suitcases - his suitcase is magical and is a portal to a magic creature zoo! -with a none magic person who then opens the case and some animals escape. Then they have to hunt down all the creatures. 

The human characters are really good and they do develop a little throughout. The magic creatures are more enjoyable though and bring the most humour. I actually hope that we get to see the same characters in the next movie as it feels there is more of their stories and development to take place. I guess we'll have to see. 

Overall, this was a nice read but of course the movie was better! 

Thanks for reading. 

(Image from Goodreads)

Book Review; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Hi readers,

Today's post is going to be a little short as I'm not very well. I've an ear infection and this is the third day I've spent on the sofa doing very little. I'm watching repeats of Ghost Adventures on TV in the background and trying to do little bits of things. Hopefully, this book review will get up today. 

There's been a lot about Harry Potter again recently with a new play, new movie and rumours of a new novel coming. I was caught up in it when the books first came out and I'm still a fan but I'm not that big into it. I enjoy the stories and characters for what they are and like the originality of the magic world. To be honest I wasn't that bothered when this new book came out and actually the only reason I decided to get The Cursed Child and read it was because a friend at my Dungeons and Dragons role playing group told me it was rubbish. 

There are two problems straight a way that fans had with this book;  it's not written by J .K. Rowling and it's not a novel but a play script. I think what people really wanted was a new novel to start a new series of Harry Potter. The plot and characters of this play could easily have been in a novel and a part of me does see that the play's writing would have been better as a novel too.   

I forget who said this quote; 'plays are to be seen and not read,' but it's true, I remember all the times I've had to study a Shakespeare play and how watching it on screen or in the theatre made it so much more better and different from reading the words alone. I would love to go and see The Cursed Child but it's still only showing in London and it's so expensive for tickets even if it wasn't almost sold out already! If it does come to Manchester or I get the chance to go to London when it's on then I really do want to see it. I've heard a rumour there's plans to make it into three movies! What is it with people and movie trilogies? Another rumour is that Rowling is writing a new Harry Potter book, but I'm sure there's always a rumour about that! However, the movies would be a good plan. 

Anyway, The Cursed Child is set when all the characters from the books have grown up, got jobs, married and had kids. There was an end scene in the last book which did this and the play seems to fit on to that ending. The plot focuses on Potter's and Malfoy's sons who have become best friends, despite their fathers not wanting them too! The sons decided to travel back into time to stop Cedric Diggory from dying in the fourth book. Of course, things don't go to plan they change history three times with dramatic changes each time. Then they uncover that all really isn't what it seems when they learn it's not actually Diggory who they have been believing they needed to save. 

I found that even though, Rowling didn't write this, it was well written and the characters are realistic. It fits in well with the Harry Potter world too. I found it enjoyable and fun to read though I got through it fast as it's a play script so lacks in detail and description as scripts do. Still, there was enough there to be able to imagine it all and I totally see it working well as a play. The twists do work well and it did feel very much like Rowling's writing. 

I would say that even if you are a die-hard fan then give it a go. Just take it for what it is and enjoy it. I really hope I do get to see it as a play soon. 

Next week, I'm sticking with the Harry Potter theme and reviewing the movie script for Fantastic Beasts. 

Hopefully, I'll be feeling better too! 

Thanks for reading and see you next week!   

(Image from Goodreads)

Book Review; Joyland by Stephen King

Hi readers, 

So, summer is finally drawing to a close even though in the UK it's not been much of a summer! We've only had a handful days that have been good and all the others have been rainy, windy and cloudy. I don't mind though because I'm not one of the sun and the heat! My favorite season is up next; autumn and already there's Halloween items in the shops! I just can't wait! But I thought I needed a book to end summer out on and since I now have a few books that I've finished reading and are waiting reviews, it was hard to decided. Finally, I choice Joyland, because it just seemed so fitting. 

I found this book at a cheap bookshop in London along with another King novel - Cujo-which I had heard about, but I had never heard of Joyland before. My first thoughts were that it was connect to the movie Adventureland, which I really like and does have a lot of the same themes as Joyland, but they are separate. In fact, Adventureland came out in 2009 and Joyland in 2012. Their time and place settings are also different with Joyland being in 1973 North Carolina and Adventureland being in 1987 Pennsylvania.

Joyland is only the second novel I've read by King. The first was Salem's Lot, which I read last year, but didn't review for some reason. though I have read some of his short stories and I do own a few other books. I think and this is before I get to reviewing the book, that I'm not a fan of King's writing style. I like the idea of his stories and I find his characters interesting, but the way he writes just doesn't grip me. I don't know if that's because I feel his style is stuck in the 1960's and 70's. Which given that most of his novels were written then and/or set then is understandable. Perhaps, it's his use of American language that I just don't get. Whatever it is, the story plot and characters carry things through enough for me to keep reading.

So Joyland, if you've not already guessed is set in an amusement park and I have this interested in such places. I have a lot of happy memories of going to theme parks with my family and friends, but I also have a fascination with abandoned theme parks. - Now that's something I do have a post about on here! I think also having watched Adventureland a few times I was more then eager to read this novel. I actually enjoyed reading it, though I was a little let down by the supernatural/horror as coming from King I expected there to be a lot more! This novel's main focus though is about growing up, love and heartbreak. 

Devin Jones a university student takes a summer job at Joyland park after being encouraged by his girlfriend who is having to move away to do her summer job. Devin is then warned by the park's fortune teller that he will met two children  a girl and a boy. Of course he doesn't believe her and gets on with things, including dressing up as the park's mascot Howie the Happy Hound. He also learns that the haunted house ride is haunted by a young woman who was murdered in there by her so called boyfriend and that people have seen her ghost. The crime has never been solved though. 

The fortune teller's words do come true and Devin meets a girl who's life he then saves and the boy is a medium who lives with his mother in a big house over looking the sea. Devin develops a friendship with the boy- who turns out to be very ill and his mother after helping them to fly their kite on the beach. Devin also breaks up with his girlfriend, which leaves him very heartbroken and though he's made new friends he feels lonely. He decides to stay at the park instead of going back to university in the hope that this will make him feel better. Devin also, with the help of one his new friends figures out who killed the girl in the haunted house ride and confronts them in a finally show down at the end of the novel. 

The story and characters are both well written and enjoyable. There are a lot of interesting characters that appear and they felt realist for the time and place. Devin develops a lot too as we get to see the effects heartbreak can have on a young man and how he overcomes this. The dialogue was also effective, even if they did use a lot of theme park term words that I had to keep remembering what they were code for. There was a lot of nice imagery that came out of the description too which really brought everything to life for me. 

I found the plot simple but mysterious and pacy which meant I did read through it fast. Like I said before though, my only issue is that I just can't get into King's writing style. However, I wouldn't let that put you off if you've not read any of King's stuff before because he's worth reading for his characters, which seem so realistic with their many layers. 

Overall, this novel is a good summer's read or even a autumn/winter read if you are wanting the summer back! I think it's also a good novel for first time or beginner readers of King because the supernatural/horror elements are really minimal. If you like 'coming of age' stories and ones set in the theme parks then it's really good. However, if you're looking for a little more horror and/or excitement then you might end up disappointed. Still give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading!           

If you've got the time, please check out my other blogs:

https://thestoryfiles.wordpress.com/

https://negativitybreakout.wordpress.com/

Also, check out my goodreads page for updates on books. 

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7400715-hayley-hardman

Image from Amazon.uk. 

Additional information from; 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventureland_(film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyland_(novel)

The Stupidest Angel Review - 'First We Feast, Then IKEA.'

Hey readers,

Okay, it might be a little odd to be reading a Christmas story at the start of summer, but in the same way that dogs are for life and not just Christmas, books don't have to be read during the months/season they are set in. In fact I want to recommend this book and more of Moore's as being great for light holiday reading. This is actually the first book I've read by Moore, but I'm looking forward to reading a few more, including a vampire trilogy, which is on my birthday wish list for next month. My boyfriend has recently gotten into these books and he actually read this one in the Lake District and wouldn't stop laughing. So, I decided to read and see what all the fussy was about.

The Stupidest Angel is set in Pine Cove, California and though this is the third book to be set there and contain a few characters from the other two books, its not actually a trilogy. It reads like a stand alone to me because so much of the background information about the characters and there relationships with each other is given. I've also been told that some of the characters appear in two or three more of Moore's books and he's brought them all together in this one it would seem.     

It only took me about three days to read this book, that might be due to the fact its only 243 pages long and the font size is large, but I think it has more to do with the fast pacing and the eagerness to know how things are going to play out. There is a mixture of genres and themes including; Christmas, romance, horror, religion and crime. Normally having so many different things crossing over each other wouldn't work, but it actually does here. I guess because the novel just touches on them each a little and doesn't focus on one thing fully. 

The story is that a young boy, Joshua, witnesses the accidental murder of a man, Dale, dressed as Santa. He is killed by his crazed ex-wife, Lena, after he catches her digging up his pine trees to make into live Christmas trees for the poor. Joshua hurries home to tell his mum what's happened, only to find himself home-alone, so he prays to God for a miracle to bring Santa back to life. His pray ends up being answered by the Archangel Raziel, who has come to town to grant a child a Christmas wish. However, as the title of the book suggests, he makes a mess of things and raises all the dearly departed. Who turn out to be zombies, which go on a rampage around the local church and send the whole town into chaos.  

The characters are really well written and they do feel like 'normal' people. There's a whole range of different persona and some development does appear. There's a lot of characters, so I'm just going to write about my favourite ones; Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland aka Molly Michon. She has a split personality and believes that she is a movie character she use to play before an accident happened. She also has a voice in her head called the Narrator. She has many sides to her and is just a fun character. Roberto is a talking fruit bat who wears shades. I was fascinated with him because though he's an animal he has a great character and I really want to read the other book he appears in now. Skinner the dog is also in this same vein, I just loved the thoughts he had about his owner- Food Guy- and his fear of being baddogged. The undead characters were funny too and I liked how Moore moved away from the seriousness that is found in horror to a much more funnier side. There really is something about zombies having a  'love for affordable prefab furniture' that makes me laugh out loud. 

I really enjoyed this and found it such a light, quick read too. There are other plots going on in the background, but this just have to do with the relationships between characters and the setting up of the Christmas party. I bet that some of the characters develop more in the other books and it'd be interesting to read the other two that connect with this one to find that out. I can't wait for that vampire trilogy though and there's another about Death that looks really good too. 

The movie is coming in December this year!

Images and Links:

http://gcbooks.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/sick-of-the-same-old-christmas-tales-want-something-funny-and-maybe-with-zombies/?blogsub=confirmed#blog_subscription-2

http://www.tsathemovie.com/

http://www.chrismoore.com/

The Hobbit Review - There and Back Again

Hey, this review is slight different because its in video form. You can see it here;

http://blip.tv/tyas/tyas-and-hayley-talk-about-the-hobbit-6475245

Howl's Moving Castle Review- 'You who swallowed a falling star, o' heartless man'

 

  

Today, I'm writing a review about my favourite anime movie, Howl's Moving Castle. I've just finished reading the novel by Diana Wynne Jones and I can't believe how different the plot of the movie is to the book. Jones states that the idea of a moving castle was suggested to her by a boy she meet on a school visit and that she has also been fascinated by fairy stories. The major thing I love about this book is the front cover. The art work really draws you in! It's two-tone purple and green colours, the black bold words and all the images that seem to have been fitted inside the letters. It looks magical and fantastical and very attractive to the eyes of children. The book, like the movie, has an intended audience of kids, but adults can just as easily love it.

The language used in the book reflects that of a young readership and I found it simple and quick to read. There's not so much in the way of fantasy vocabulary, but when it does appear one of the characters explains it. Like 'seven-league boots' which are basically boots that can travel very fast. The imagery is also great, though I had the movie stuck in my head for much of the first half of the book. The scenes with the marsh covered in flowers and the descriptions of the different towns and cities really make the settings come alive.

The description of the characters is also really good, though once again it's hard when you've got the images of the characters from the movie in mind, but the book characters soon take over and they do have many differences. For me the character of Howl didn't come across in the book as good as he did in the film. He's still handsome and vain, a powerful but cowardly wizard, however, he's very childlike and doesn't come across as being heroic. Sophie on the other hand did work for me and there's a lot more about her family background too, which works well to explain on a deeper level why she doesn't mind carrying on her family's business. I was impressed by how Jones used the transform of Sophie into an old woman to allow a different look at the world and the people through older eyes. It's odd to think how true it actually is and how people of different ages look and understand something. Also, Sophie does have some magical powers and though these are hinted at in the movie, they come out more in the book. Michael the other main character in the story does appear the same as well, though you get to see him actually practising magic and making spells.

There's also a lot of other characters and though some appear in the movie they are very different. The antagonist, the Witch of the Waste, comes across as being in the form of a beautiful woman, kept that way by magic and she is also attracted to a fire demon. In the movie she is an older, fatter, wrinkly woman and for me this image just works better. I don't know, maybe it's because she looks more evil witch like? Both characters still have the same goal; to get Howl's heart and the back-plot that goes with the Witch is also the same; Howl tried to court her and then changed his mind about her and she got anger and cursed him.

The movie dramatically changes three of the other characters in the book who are important to the plot. They are the scarecrow, the dog and madam Suliman. Now, I'm not big on spoiling plots, but the next part might contain some.... Now, firstly the scarecrow in the book is actually a golan and has been created of different parts of different men and sent on a mission to collect the missing parts. In the movie he is just the missing Prince. The dog in the book is actually a dog-man, who's been cursed by the Witch and can sometimes transform back into a man again to speak. In the movie, this dog is just a dog owned by Suliman and sent to watch over things. Suliman in the movie is a woman and in the book Sullivan (as it's spelt) is actually a male wizard, who's become lost in the Waste looking for the Prince. Now in both contexts these characters work well, but I can see why they were changed for the movie, because the plot was different and needed the characters to act differently.



The book was published in 1986. And that feels like a very long time ago and actually it was out two years before I was born! The movie came out in 2004 and was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. I've many reasons why I love this film and it's always the first thing I put on when I'm feeling down or ill. The art is awesome, the details in the background are always there and help give more depth to the film. The characters are very addictive. Howl, voiced by Christian Bale in the English dubbed version, is really cute and sexy.  Calcifer, voiced by Billy Crystal and Sophie voiced by Jean Simmons, work well along side Bale.

One of the biggest changes from the book is the steam punk style that appears. Now Jones said this was because of Miyazaki's love of flying machines and that he was interested in the war which appears as a very, very small sub-plot in the novel. Miyazaki made this the actual sub-plot of the movie and it works well because it creates tension/horror, gives the characters something to discuss/do and reflects on humanity. For me the book lacked the tension and this is because the plot is focused on the characters' relationships and developments. I actually love the steam punk style in the movie and think that it adds so much. Now if the book had had some of that, it would have made it even better for me and created a much more fantasy style world.

My favourite scene has to be the one where Sophie starts cleaning and goes on a complete rampage. It makes me giggle every time. It does appear in the book to less effect though. Oh and also the castle is a different shape in the book! It looks more castle like and made out of black bricks. I prefer the Miyazaki version. My favourite scene in the book? It's a difficult one, because no one scene really stood out as the book tends to jump from one action scene to another. With the endings too, I prefer the movie one because you believe that there is a chance that Howl and Calcifer could be dead and that creates a high emotional tone. In the book and granted this is a children's fairy tale story, everyone pairs off and lives happy ever after, rather suddenly at the end. In the movie only Howl and Sophie get together which works better.

Overall, I did love the book, though it is very different from the film. I also found out that Jones has written two other squeals; Castle In The Air and House Of Many Ways. Though I properly won't get around to reading them as I've so many on my list now and I just wanted to read Howl because of the links to the movie. And now I get to move on to Fifty Shades of Grey....




Images from:

http://yabookshelf.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/bevy-of-book-covers.html

http://matttrailer.com/howls_moving_castle_2004

http://www.sheezyart.com/art/view/1344506/
 

Norwegian Wood Review - This Bird Has Flown

The weather is really bad right now. Had about a month's worth of rainfall in the last 24 hours and they say that more is to come over the next few days. Luckily, my town hasn't flooded, which is saying something as the river is only across the street from my house. I heard on the lunch time news that a few towns and villages had been taken over by the rapid down pour. So, I'm grateful that it doesn't look like this will happen to me! I do love the rain though. I like watching it fall and wondering how I can best describe it in a story. The weather can set a whole range of tones and moods, just like nature and the seasons. Which brings me on to this post's subject, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.

Published in 1987 and set in 1960's Japan, this is a tragic love story with two different love triangles. It is also the most recognized of Murakami's work. Now romance novels aren't my thing, yeah I do like some love stories in the horror or supernatural books I read, but I like it to be a sub-genre more than the actual genre. I first heard about NW on a late night TV book show and added it to my list of books that I should read someday. I can't remember what the TV review said as it was about 4/3 years back. I read NW last year-ish and straight away fell in love with Murakami's style of writing. Not being able to read Japanese, I read the English translation of the book. During my MA Creative Writing, I had a class on translation which was very interesting and I realised that most people probably don't think much about the language side of things when they read. It's easy for a writer to translate another writer's work and there's okay money in it, but what got me is that sometimes the writing translator won't stay true to the original work and can try to make it their own. This is a problem I had with the 3rd Murakami novel I read- Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World.

NW is translated (by Jay Rubin, 2000) well and seems to have stayed true to Murakami's style. His writing is so poetic, that after a few chapters you forget you are reading fiction and find yourself believing it to be poetry. This is because he uses a simplistic, yet full of meaning, short and rhythmic vocabulary, which is very readable. The imagery he creates is also amazing and beside from LOTR, I can't think of another book that has blown me away through the pictures that the words can create. I've never been to Japan, but through Murakami I was able to visualise a very clear image of the novel's settings and well, it felt like Japan was on my doorstep instead of being hundreds of miles away. As for the characters, I took to their names well, but that's because I'm use to it from the manga/anime that I love. You also get a clear picture of the characters and their lives. You can deeply connect with them all and sympathize with the events they've had to face in life.      

The themes in NW also fits in with this, as there's love, tragedy, heartache, suicide, solitude, sex and growing up. The narrator of the novel Toru is reflecting back on his college years and the loss of his true love. This comes about because he hears the Beatles singing 'Norwegian Wood', a song about an affair. (Though I've lived in Liverpool, the home of the Beatles for the last 3 years, I'm still not a fan of their music.) So, that explains the title of the novel, but other connects can be made as well. Such as the backdrop for much of the novel is set near Kyoto in a mountainous/forest area and the main female character, Naoko's favourite song happens to be NW. At times affairs do happen in the book and also the song's meaning 'this bird has flown' can be read as someone become free through dying, which towards the end of the book is something that can be sensed. There is also something about the tone of the name that gives it a depressed, dark feeling and that really does linger under the surface of the novel. 

The reason why I wanted to write this post was because I watched the movie of NW today. Though I know it's only been a few days since I wrote about The Hungry Games, my mind is still interested in reviews. I still don't plan to make a large feature about them on my blog though. But it's nice to have more focus to my writing for a change. So, the movie which came out in December 2010, is a good representation of the book, but for me and like The Hungry Games, if you've not read the novel it can be hard and confusing to follow. The film is in subtitles, but there is actually very little speech, which reflections on the main characters' love of solitude and not being able to openly discuss their feelings. Another thing that threw me was the student civil unrest, which is explained in the novel, but not the movie and though Toru is seen to stand against the unrest, he doesn't share his thoughts on it, like he does in the novel. However, this theme appears not to have any meaning in the overall content, rather it's a reflection of the turmoil that is happening in Toru's life.

The main thing that strikes you about this movie is the deep connect to nature. There's so many great shots of the landscape through the changing seasons. This is a much better backdrop to reflect the characters' feelings. The Japanese clearly have a thing about nature and love showing it off in all it's glory. One of my favourite parts was towards the end of the film where Toru goes to stay in a cave near the sea for some nights. The raging sea reflects his anger and loss so well, it was difficult for me not to be crying along with him. When he returns home he looks like the sea has worn him down, as it does to rocks and all the tragedy of his life is reflected in that moment. However, he knows he has to go on living. I like the scenes in the woods too, because of the symbolic meanings of finding solitude and reflection in nature. The woods become something of a secret place for Toru and Naoko. 

The first love triangle is clear from the start with Naoko dating Kizuki and them being best friends with Toru, who is hiding his feelings for her. The second triangle is between Toru, Naoko and Midori. Once again though Toru can't really have Naoko because she's mentally unstable, so he turns to Midori instead. This story does have something of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet about it for me. I guess it's because of the whole tragic love story and the fact that a few characters commit suicide. The movie did capture the 60's in Japan though and I guess when people overall think about that country they still have an ancient image in their heads. So, it was interested to see how 'westernise' Japan was in that era. 

Like with most other Murakami novels there is an underlining confusion for the reader. This isn't really to do with the Japanese setting, it's more how to do with Murakami's style. His characters will say and do things that sometimes don't make much sense or else appear wrong. This happens more at the endings than anywhere else in the books. I got the same sense at the end of the movie that I got at the end of the book. That confused, unsure sense about what the characters were going to do next. There seems to be no real closure or certainty from the characters, though we know this has all been a reflection from Toru, so clearly he has gone on living and coped well with letting go of the past. (I don't think that came across in the movie, though there were a lot of flashbacks). I think one of the reasons why Murakami's novels end like this is because he's letting the reader draw their own conclusions. That said, NW is an awesome book and Murakami is a writer to fall in love with.        

Images from:

http://www.onexday.com/2009/october/30.html

http://moviedroneblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/preview-norwegian-wood.html

http://www.buzzbox.com/news/2012-01-05/haruki-murakami:norwegian-wood/?clusterId=7695650