Again, it’s a little late for me to be writing a review since the movie came out in 1998 and the novel came out before that but again, I found the novel and decided I would read it and see if it was anything like the movie.
It wasn’t and I was a little disappointed.
I just finished reading it and I kept wondering when it will start to sound like the movie.
It never did.
The Owens sisters are only accused of being Witches- not actual witches. They are indeed orphans and were raised by their aunts, which only brought the rest of the people in the town to think they were just as ‘weird’ as the aunts. It is true Gillian, the youngest was a free spirit who fled the aunts house at an early age but she eventually returns to the house to help her elder sister Sally, who returns to the house after leaving to be with her husband. In the novel it’s the other way around. She stays in the house with her husband and family and it’s only after he dies, does she leave the house.
Sally’s daughters are much younger in the movie, and nearer to the same age. In the novel, Antonia and Kylie are three and a half years apart, both in their teens, and are nothing alike, nor do they bond until much later in the novel.
Gillian only returns to Sally’s new home in New York and does not return to the aunts’ house. Sally has nothing to do in the death of Jimmy Angelov (Hawkins in the novel) but they do bury him in the backyard, under a lilac bush in the novel, a rosebush in the movie.
Detective Gary Hallet makes his appearance much later after the death of Jimmy, yet does fall in love with Sally but the way they fall in love is much different. It is said in the movie that Sally sent for him, because she performed “Amas Veritas,” a spell to ask for a man who possessed qualities that were unnatural and no man could have all of them. In the book, love just happens between them.
And yet the final narration by Sally at the ending is exactly the same in both versions.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Jones almost meets expectations
OK, OK, I know what you’re thinking—it’s ridiculously late for me to be writing this but I just found the book at the bookstore and I thought I would go ahead and read it and see how accurate it was to the movie starring Renee Zellweger.
It wasn’t.
The movie is great but it also adds a lot of information that isn’t in the book.
A lot of information.
I read the entire novel in about two days and found that many of the plotlines were accurate, but I found them scattered throughout the novel. The entire plotline with Bridget and Mark Darcy is completely changed around and in fact, Darcy starts a relationship much earlier in the book than in the movie. Actually, the majority of the plotline of Bridget and Daniel Cleaver is much different as well.
Magda, Bridget’s married friend, plays a much larger role in the novel than in the movie as well. Shazzer is known as Sharon for the most part during the novel and only referred to as Shazzer in the movie. This complicated things for me since I had never heard her called that. The Shazzer in the novel also barely says ‘fuck’ which is one of her favorite words in the movie.
Its not like I expected the movie to be exactly like the book but the book was so perfect that had they written the movie just as the book, it would have been much better and a much more funny movie.
It wasn’t.
The movie is great but it also adds a lot of information that isn’t in the book.
A lot of information.
I read the entire novel in about two days and found that many of the plotlines were accurate, but I found them scattered throughout the novel. The entire plotline with Bridget and Mark Darcy is completely changed around and in fact, Darcy starts a relationship much earlier in the book than in the movie. Actually, the majority of the plotline of Bridget and Daniel Cleaver is much different as well.
Magda, Bridget’s married friend, plays a much larger role in the novel than in the movie as well. Shazzer is known as Sharon for the most part during the novel and only referred to as Shazzer in the movie. This complicated things for me since I had never heard her called that. The Shazzer in the novel also barely says ‘fuck’ which is one of her favorite words in the movie.
Its not like I expected the movie to be exactly like the book but the book was so perfect that had they written the movie just as the book, it would have been much better and a much more funny movie.
We The Living Rocks Summerfest
I attended Summerfest, the biggest festival in the nation, for the first time in about six years to see We The Living on June 29. I had been anxiously waiting for this day and willingly shelled out the $15 to see JP, Jasper, Matt and Ben since I had wanted to see this quartet once more after seeing them earlier in the year. I immediately fell in love with their music and, if I could remember their set list past the first three songs, I’d definitely be writing a much better review for them. All I can tell you is that it was fantastic, and I wished their set could have been longer than 45 minutes.
For the first time, they played a new song from their recently cut album “Depths of the Earth” which we can anxiously anticipate to be finalized and released soon.
They played all the favorite songs of the crowd and, even though they played at 10 p.m., it wasn’t a deterrent for those of us who had to be up early the next morning. I would be lying if I didn’t leave the concert with a huge smile on my face and beaming over how great the concert was since We The Living never fail to impress me. We The Living next play at Warped Tour on August 1. If you’re willing to shell out the 40 bucks it costs to get in, most definitely do it since the guys are worth it; and there’s other good bands playing during the same day as well.
For the first time, they played a new song from their recently cut album “Depths of the Earth” which we can anxiously anticipate to be finalized and released soon.
They played all the favorite songs of the crowd and, even though they played at 10 p.m., it wasn’t a deterrent for those of us who had to be up early the next morning. I would be lying if I didn’t leave the concert with a huge smile on my face and beaming over how great the concert was since We The Living never fail to impress me. We The Living next play at Warped Tour on August 1. If you’re willing to shell out the 40 bucks it costs to get in, most definitely do it since the guys are worth it; and there’s other good bands playing during the same day as well.
Alkaline Trio has no Agony or Irony
I’m not the average listener where I’m not overly fond of Alkaline Trio’s ridiculously dark songs, which is why I really like “Agony and Irony,” the trio’s latest album, released on July 1.
“Calling all Skeletons” takes us back to the old times, before all the extra crap that the guys had put into their songs. Agony and Irony has nothing but guitars and drums, which only make the guys’ voices sound that much more amazing.
“Help Me,” an uppity song has just enough darkness to remind us that it’s Alkaline Trio. It’s totally corny but ridiculously catchy.
“In Vein” was first heard in part on “The Hills” and I became entranced with the song from the very beginning so being able to hear the entire song just made it better. It bring Alkaline Trio back to their dark side and the lyrics are just perfect enough to bring us to that place.
“Over and Out” is just sad… I listen to it because the words are just so perfect. “’Over and out,’ he said/ With a .45 to his head/ The war has taken everything from me/ it’s all I’ve seen…” makes me wonder if they’re talking about the current war, which would make the song much more deep and perfect.
“I Found Away” starts with an Australian reciting some lines with an echo then starts the song. Again, it’s very catchy but it yo-yos between dark to light, making it sound much more like the rest of the album.
“Do You Wanna Know” and “Live Young, Die Fast” come next. Both make me want to sing along but I don’t because I just sit there and listen to the words. Neither of these songs are different than other things the guys have done, but they’re just so deep and the guitar and drums seem to be weaved into the song, as if those two entities are heard separately than the songs.
As if the album were getting too sappy, “Love, Love, Kiss, Kiss” brings us from that thought.
“Lost and Rendered” makes me think of “Crimson,” their previously latest album in the sound that it reminds me of the songs I’ve heard from that album—this comes from the girl who has just a smattering of their songs, without actually having full albums of any of their stuff.
“Ruin It” and “Into The Night” finish off the album on a good note, pulling the listener in only for the CD to restart, much to the delight of many. These last two songs are polar opposites of the beginning two songs, but in a very good way. They are much darker and much more deep, and as always, they finish their albums with a bang.
“Calling all Skeletons” takes us back to the old times, before all the extra crap that the guys had put into their songs. Agony and Irony has nothing but guitars and drums, which only make the guys’ voices sound that much more amazing.
“Help Me,” an uppity song has just enough darkness to remind us that it’s Alkaline Trio. It’s totally corny but ridiculously catchy.
“In Vein” was first heard in part on “The Hills” and I became entranced with the song from the very beginning so being able to hear the entire song just made it better. It bring Alkaline Trio back to their dark side and the lyrics are just perfect enough to bring us to that place.
“Over and Out” is just sad… I listen to it because the words are just so perfect. “’Over and out,’ he said/ With a .45 to his head/ The war has taken everything from me/ it’s all I’ve seen…” makes me wonder if they’re talking about the current war, which would make the song much more deep and perfect.
“I Found Away” starts with an Australian reciting some lines with an echo then starts the song. Again, it’s very catchy but it yo-yos between dark to light, making it sound much more like the rest of the album.
“Do You Wanna Know” and “Live Young, Die Fast” come next. Both make me want to sing along but I don’t because I just sit there and listen to the words. Neither of these songs are different than other things the guys have done, but they’re just so deep and the guitar and drums seem to be weaved into the song, as if those two entities are heard separately than the songs.
As if the album were getting too sappy, “Love, Love, Kiss, Kiss” brings us from that thought.
“Lost and Rendered” makes me think of “Crimson,” their previously latest album in the sound that it reminds me of the songs I’ve heard from that album—this comes from the girl who has just a smattering of their songs, without actually having full albums of any of their stuff.
“Ruin It” and “Into The Night” finish off the album on a good note, pulling the listener in only for the CD to restart, much to the delight of many. These last two songs are polar opposites of the beginning two songs, but in a very good way. They are much darker and much more deep, and as always, they finish their albums with a bang.
Death Cab impresses listeners
This review should have been written a long time ago for “Narrow Stairs” Death Cab For Cutie’s new album. I got this album when it leaked… because I wasn’t patient enough to wait until it released even though I bought it later anyway…
The album starts with “Bixby Canyon Bridge,” in which I fell in love with from the very beginning. It has a sound that is perfectly possessing that I couldn’t help but listen to it repeatedly until I thought it was probably time to go to the next song.
Next comes the first single, “I Will Possess Your Heart,” a song which pissed me off for the first four minutes until lead singer, Ben Gibbard actually started singing. The song was so perfect for the last four minutes that it completely negates the annoyance of the first four. The song is supposed to be an egregious “screw you” to the radio stations, but when hearing it on the radio, they cut out the first four minutes.
“No Sunlight” has a feeling that is really not what you’d hear from a DCFC album but it’s ridiculously catchy that you can’t help but sing along. The same is with “Cath…” which reminds me a lot of what I’ve heard on “Plans,” their most previous album.
“Talking Bird” and “You Can Do Better Than Me” are the least interesting songs on the album. I’m sure some would say they’re both very interesting but I’ve not been able to make it through “Talking Bird” and “You Can Do Better Than Me” is so short it’s easy to sit through. “Talking Bird” gave me the feeling that there was no effort put into the song… that it was just something the guys came up with in the spur of the moment to fill in the CD.
“Grapevine Fires” has to be one of the best songs on this album. It’s so perfectly put together and the words are so deep that I can’t even sing along. I just listen to the words and feel for whoever it’s about.
“Your New Twin Sized Bed” makes me think of “Brothers on a Hotel Bed.” It doesn’t sound much like it… it just makes me think of it. The song is very good and it’s like a conversation being played out with music, which is very much the Death Cab way.
“Long Division,” “Pity and Fear,” and “The Ice is Getting Thinner” finish the album, leaving the listener wanting more with deep lyrics and even deeper messages.
The album starts with “Bixby Canyon Bridge,” in which I fell in love with from the very beginning. It has a sound that is perfectly possessing that I couldn’t help but listen to it repeatedly until I thought it was probably time to go to the next song.
Next comes the first single, “I Will Possess Your Heart,” a song which pissed me off for the first four minutes until lead singer, Ben Gibbard actually started singing. The song was so perfect for the last four minutes that it completely negates the annoyance of the first four. The song is supposed to be an egregious “screw you” to the radio stations, but when hearing it on the radio, they cut out the first four minutes.
“No Sunlight” has a feeling that is really not what you’d hear from a DCFC album but it’s ridiculously catchy that you can’t help but sing along. The same is with “Cath…” which reminds me a lot of what I’ve heard on “Plans,” their most previous album.
“Talking Bird” and “You Can Do Better Than Me” are the least interesting songs on the album. I’m sure some would say they’re both very interesting but I’ve not been able to make it through “Talking Bird” and “You Can Do Better Than Me” is so short it’s easy to sit through. “Talking Bird” gave me the feeling that there was no effort put into the song… that it was just something the guys came up with in the spur of the moment to fill in the CD.
“Grapevine Fires” has to be one of the best songs on this album. It’s so perfectly put together and the words are so deep that I can’t even sing along. I just listen to the words and feel for whoever it’s about.
“Your New Twin Sized Bed” makes me think of “Brothers on a Hotel Bed.” It doesn’t sound much like it… it just makes me think of it. The song is very good and it’s like a conversation being played out with music, which is very much the Death Cab way.
“Long Division,” “Pity and Fear,” and “The Ice is Getting Thinner” finish the album, leaving the listener wanting more with deep lyrics and even deeper messages.
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