Happy New Year!

Okay, since this is New Year's Eve, I'm taking a brief hiatus from Christmas-themed posts. This is a video of actress Zooey Deschanel (FOX's New Girl) and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing together. I've never seen Zooey in anything, but I've seen Joseph in Inception and can't wait to see him in The Dark Knight Rises. He's a darn good actor, and he's not too hard on the eyes, either. Apparently he can sing and play musical instruments as well. Anyway, enjoy the music; it's great!

Dickens on Christmas-Time

Since the Christmas season lasts from Christmas Eve night to Epiphany (the day the wise men came to Bethlehem; this season it's January 8th), I will be doing Christmas-themed posts until then. So enjoy this excerpt from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

"But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas-time, when it has come round - apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that - as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

He Has Come!

God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day,
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray:

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.

From God our heavenly Father
A blessed angel came,
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same,
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name:

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straightway
This blessed Babe to find:

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth efface:

O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.

Merry Christmas - and God Bless us, every one!

The Hobbit Trailer!!!!!

Okay, this is soooooooooooooo much better than I thought it would be! The character list (Frodo? Legolas?) and various other things were rather worrisome and indicated that perhaps Peter Jackson and company would not be particularly faithful to the book. But this! This is awesome.

The dwarves look much I remember they do in the book - rather short and stout and not nearly as fearsome as in their publicity stills. It looks as if there will be a Shire sequence to rival even that in The Fellowship of the Ring, only with dwarves added! And most of the scenes (Galadriel excluded) seem straight out of the book, right down to the dwarves tumbling into Bilbo's house. Martin Freeman is very nearly perfect for Bilbo - though perhaps not quite as Ian-Holm-like as I would wish.

In short, LOTR fans should be positively drooling over this trailer. Here's a question: If there's enough footage to put out this trailer, why do we have to wait until next December to see the whole movie?!!

The Hunger Games Trailer

Well, the reason why I read the Hunger Games trilogy in the first place was because I noticed this trailer for the movie starring Jennifer Lawrence that is slated to come out next year.

I loved the trailer when I first saw it, not least because I love Jennifer Lawrence. She's fantastic as Raven in X-Men: First Class and even better as Ree in Winter's Bone. Here she plays tough, thick-skinned Katniss - a perfect casting if I ever did see one.

Everything looks very close to the book, with the exception of Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. I confess I never imagined Cinna as dark-skinned. Somehow I think the Capitol would not have approved of minorities. The overall fidelity to the book is great, however - I loved the book, and I think it would make a great movie if one or two parts are dumbed down violence-wise.

All the movies will likely remain close to the books, since author Suzanne Collins is in on the writing (thanks to lostdog from The Wind-Up Dog Chronicles for that info). This is both good and bad, since I liked the series until the end of the third book. Unfortunately, while I might go see the first movie and possibly the second, I have no interest in seeing the third one unless the ultimate message of the story is changed. Since Collins will probably not consent to changing that message, I have low hopes for the third installment of the series.

Book Giveaway!

Miriam Forster over at Dancing with Dragons is Hard on Your Shoes is giving away a copy of Jaclyn Dolamore's Between the Sea and Sky. You can access the contest here. I've never read this book, but it looks very interesting. I would imagine the idea came from old saying: If a bird and a fish fell in love, where would they live? Of course, if Esmerine's transformation into a legged human can be permanent, the question is answered and the book loses some of its charm.

While I'm linking to DWD, I'd like to recommend it. Ms. Forster is funny without being crude (at least, the vast majority of the time), and she has some great posts about writing. Obviously she knows what she's talking about, because she's about to become a published authoress.

Pertaining To Mockingjay

(Written by Suzanne Collins. Book Three in the Hunger Games Trilogy.) *Book II spoilers throughout* Katniss Everdeen has a decision to make. She survived the Hunger Games for a second time, with the help of Peeta and other victors. Now she has been rescued by the people of District 13, who have lived underground since the end of the war. President Coin of 13 wants her to become the Mockingjay: The symbolic leader of the revolution. But Katniss only cares about Peeta. Sweet, strong Peeta whose life she had been determined to save during the second Hunger Games, but who was captured by the Capitol. Then he appears in an interview on television and calls for a cease-fire - a sure sign of betrayal to many rebels. Katniss believes the only way she can save him is to agree to be the Mockingjay on condition that he be pardoned after the war. She has no idea what she's about to get into.

Where to start? This is a very, very disappointing Act III to what began as a very good story. The connections between the Capitol and Ancient Rome (something only vaguely hinted at in the first two books) are strengthened. It is well-written, and there's enough action to keep the book exciting. Those are about the only things I liked.

First, Katniss's character devolved into an even worse one than when she started in Book I. This, after growing into a better person in Book II. Throughout Mockingjay, she seems to have become more compassionate and more loving than she had been previously. But three decisions she makes toward the end of the book are, quite simply, cold-blooded and inexcusable.

Second, I did not like the portrayal of District 13. More specifically, I didn't like the portrayal of those fighting for District 13. Gale, President Coin, and Plutarch are the ones in charge, and none of them are ultimately shown to be very good people. President Coin, in particular, is depicted as monstrous (though this is never confirmed explicitly). This is outright slop, and I'll bet it was directed at the Bush administration. With the ending, the implication of the entire series is that no war is justly fought. The rebels had good reason to fight; it was definitely a just war. But the way in which they went about fighting was wrong, at least at the end. Translation: The message is that both sides in war are evil. This is especially offensive given that the story hints at the Revolutionary War - thirteen districts run by an out-of-touch, seemingly impregnable capitol that views the districts as suppliers. Then the new president commits an atrocity like the one Coin ppresumably orders? George Washington would have been horrified. What really ticks me off, however, is that there is absolutely no reason why it should be that way. Story-wise, there is no real reason why things had to end as they did. No reason except one of anti-war, anti-American sentiment.

Then there is Peeta's character. *Spoiler Warning* He has been "hijacked" by the Capitol (I'm sure there's another message in that term, but I can't figure out what it is). Throughout much of the book, he thinks Katniss is evil and tries to kill her periodically. I find this extremely offensive as well. Peeta was the one that no one could touch; the one whose unwavering strength and devotion were lights amidst the darkness. Then, all of a sudden, the Capitol plants these false, evil memories in his mind and he becomes crazy enough to try to murder Katniss in cold blood? Even if his memories could be altered so that he remembers her as an evil being, Peeta wouldn't try to kill her with his bare hands. It's totally out of character. Then he randomly recovers near the end, with very little explanation or description of his journey. Having said that, he loves Katniss as much at the end as he ever did. He remains a bright spot - that wavers somewhat - in the midst of a dark story. *End of Spoiler*

So, basically, this book ends with an anti-war, vaguely anti-American (aren't those terms synonymous by now?) message, and the main character is less likeable than she was at the beginning of the series. However, Peeta remains a strong character (with a blip - but that's so unbelievable I hardly count it), and it was well written from a pure dialogue and description standpoint.

My Rating: T (brutal violence, psychological warfare, sexual references)

Reviews of Similar Books:

• The Hunger Games (book I) and Catching Fire (book II)
• Airman
• Incarceron

Love Dies a Slow and Tortuous Death at the Hands of Hallmark

Hallmark movies. Or Hellmark movies, depending on which title you prefer. In order to enjoy them on any level, you must ignore mediocre acting, writing, storylines, and pretty much everything else to do with a movie. There are typically two molds: 1) Either a Christmas movie of some sort, or 2) a single mother (or father) whose significant other either died or ran out. But sometimes, a Hallmark movie will break out of the typical hum-drum mold and be breathtakingly... worse.

Take the Love Comes Softly series. There have been ten of them: Love Comes Softly, Love's Enduring Promise, Love's Long Journey, Love's Abiding Joy, Love's Unending Legacy, Love's Unfolding Dream, Love Takes Wing, Love Finds a Home, Love Begins, and Love's Everlasting Courage. (I don't really blame Hallmark for the lack of creativity in titles; the book series by Janette Oke has the same problem.) Taken individually, exactly two of them are decent movies: Love Comes Softly and Love's Enduring Promise. The rest are painfully bad, both in acting and in story. But what really makes this series stand alone among other movies from Hellmark is its strangely convoluted family tree.



I dare you to try to understand this
(Click to enlarge)



Okay, so the light blue represents marriages that end with deaths. The dark blue represents children from those marriages. Gray lines are for marriages that are not killed off in any of the movies. Black lines are for children from those marriages. Red is for fiancées that die. As you can see, nearly everybody is married twice (or at least engaged twice), with the paltry exceptions of Drew and Willie, who both die. Wait a minute, you say. What about Erik? I'll get to him later.

First, I have another objection, as Lady Catherine from Pride and Prejudice would say. This is the mysterious appearance and disappearance of convenient characters. First, Ellen's sister is a teenager in Love Begins. In Love's Everlasting Courage, which takes place only about six years after the first one, she isn't even mentioned. Not one word. They could at least have said she married and moved away or something. (Maybe they have a movie for her in the works somewhere down the road... in Hellmark, there is no mercy.) Then there's Ellie King, who apparently is Marty and Clark's daughter. She is slated as the main character in Love's Christmas Journey, which hasn't yet been played on Hallmark. Hm. Where did she come from, exactly? I don't remember seeing her or hearing of her in any movie I've seen.

As far as Erik goes, I'm only guessing that he'll end up marrying Ellie (I haven't seen the new movie). Thus the dotted line and his exclusion from the deathless club. So he might just end up being the only lucky fellow who not only does not suffer the loss of a significant other, but also doesn't die. Ellie, on the other hand, was married to some dude with the last name of King, so that makes her... a widow. In a Christmas movie. See a pattern?

Hallmark must make a lot of money on Christmas movies and the Love series. But, in point of fact, they're becoming ridiculous. The only (and I mean the only) thing that rescued the two most recent movies (Love Begins and Love's Everlasting Courage) from the mediocrity and overall bleah-ness of most of the others was the handsome, good actor who played Clark. Christmas Hallmark movies can be funny, but the world doesn't need 27,000 of them to survive, especially since they're usually a lot alike. Put Christmas movies and the Love series together and what do you get? Well, I guess something straight from Hellmark.

In Relation To Catching Fire

(Written by Suzanne Collins. Book Two in the Hunger Games trilogy.) Having survived the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is now adored by people all over Panem - particularly the citizens in the Capitol. There are only two problems: First, she can't seem to shake the Games from her life. They linger in her dreams and keep her apart from Gale, her old friend who might just be something more. Second, President Snow thinks Katniss is dangerous. If anyone in the districts thinks she was directly defying the Capitol with her final act in the Games, she might just be the cause of a rebellion. So Katniss is left in a position every bit as dangerous as the one she held in the Games - perhaps more so, because her life isn't the only thing on the line.

The first book in this trilogy developed the setting: The way North America will be X years from now. Guessing that the government will have taken over and that people will be grossly self-absorbed, The Hunger Games could be seen as a cautionary tale or a philosophical exercise. The second book delves more deeply into Katniss and, unfortunately, also focuses more on the romantic storyline.

In this book, Katniss develops a strong sense of responsibility and honor. The first book depicts her as pretty selfish and self-centered at times. She has had to fight for her survival and the survival of her family for so long that she has forgotten what it means to be honorable. In the second book, however, she discovers that a lot more than her family and her own life hinges on her choices. Because she has evidently been the cause of uprisings, widespread bloodshed and death might come on the heels of any decision that she makes. Additionally, she develops a high sense of honor and a strong protective instinct that she only hints at in the first book. She will not harm anyone who has helped her in some way, nor will she harm anyone who is too weak to protect him or herself.

Since the focus of Catching Fire is on Katniss and her development (as well as setting the stage for the third book... but I don't want to spoil anything), the book naturally takes a look at her romantic feelings. *Book 1 Spoiler Warning* Does she love Gale? Does she love Peeta? Does the reader need to know every little nuance of her complex relationship with him? While Peeta's sleeping in her bed to comfort her after nightmares is a little sweet, it's also highly dangerous - what is known as "a near occasion of sin." Katniss obviously has no interest in taking the relationship farther than their fake love on the screen and their real friendship off of it. However, it's still uncomfortable. Then there's Gale, who might be a red herring. He completes the love triangle, which is fairly solid from a character interaction standpoint - Katniss is definitely appealing, Peeta is the sort of loving, sweet man that most girls dream of, and Gale has been Katniss's best friend for years. But Gale is in the books very little (at least so far), which makes the love triangle existent mostly in Katniss's thoughts. In fact, it seems to pop up mostly when she tells herself that she won't think about it. This makes the romantic triangle an annoying sideshow that, at times, threatens to engulf the story. *End of Book 1 Spoiler*

The Hunger Games trilogy got off to a fantastic start with the first book. The second one, although it moves Katniss's character farther along its arc, tends to get lost a bit in the romantic triangle and in various other storylines. In short, it seems very much like an intermission between Act I and Act III. Having said that, Act III looks promising, if only because Katniss seems to be moving along from a girl with only the will to survive to someone concerned with honor and the protection of the weak.

My Rating: T (sexual content and references, violence)

Review of the third book, Mockingjay

Reviews of similar books:

• The Hunger Games (Book I)
• Airman
• Incarceron

Black Friday, Captain America, and Tim Tebow

A week ago today was Black Friday. Probably my least favorite day of the year, and I don't even go within thirty miles of a retail store. It's the day that immediately follows Thanksgiving (and just two days before the start of Advent), and the day when people completely lose their minds. What would posses someone to use pepper spray on other shoppers? Trample someone on the floor of a superstore? Leave every shred of dignity behind in order to save a few dollars on things that they probably don't need anyway? In addition to the obvious answer - a materialistic culture bereft of kindness and godliness - there is another that I think plays into the madness that descends once a year: A total lack of respect for mankind. People don't respect themselves, much less each other, so they do ruthless and humiliating things to save a little bit of money.

Just take a few sips of the following tonic to help wash away that Black Friday ickiness - absolutely free! These two men, one fictional and the other very much alive, have a lot in common: They respect themselves and people in general, respect women, and even command the respect of others. The two I'm talking about are Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos, and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), better known as Captain America.

Tebow is the most controversial topic in the NFL right now. Some analysts think he's capable of great things. Others think he'll burn out like a match and go down in history as just another flop. Judging from their lack of public support for him, Tebow's GM and head coach think the latter. But Tebow respectfully disagrees. He has more respect for his critics than to get involved in a cat fight with them. He also respects himself enough to maintain confidence in his ability. He just goes about his business - winning football games - every week, regardless of whether critics have fried him to a crisp. Rogers is faced with a similar situation. Up until he frees the POWs taken by Hydra, there are conflicting opinions about him, too. Sergeant Carter (Hayley Atwell) believes firmly that Rogers is capable of more than just selling war bonds. But Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), Rogers' commanding officer for a time, says that Rogers isn't good enough to take on Hydra single-handedly. Rogers disagrees, but he respects the decision. However, he also has enough respect for himself to go out on his own to rescue the POWs. As Sgt. Carter tells him, he isn't just a performing monkey, and he knows it.

Another similarity between the two is their respect for women. With Tebow it's pretty obvious; much has been made of his virginity. He has never had a "girlfriend" in the unfortunate modern use of the term. Similarly, Rogers has never even danced with a girl, and barely had any conversations with them. He tells Sgt. Carter that he's been "waiting... for the right partner." I don't know what Tebow has said on this subject, but I would imagine he has the same attitude. He's saving himself for marriage - for the right partner.

Finally, both have the ability to command the respect of others. Tebow's teammates truly believe that he's a winner and that, as long as he's on the field, they have a legitimate shot at winning. In fact, they try harder simply because he's playing. He brings out the best in people because they respect him - his work ethic, his unwavering faith in God, and his confidence in himself and his team. To some extent, this is the same with Rogers. Most people respect him because of his prowess in battle. Others, like his best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), respect him because they see in him the heart of the little guy too dumb to walk away from a fight. Either way, Rogers is clearly respected by nearly all who meet him.

Respect. There's way too little floating around in the world today - particularly on Black Friday. Hopefully the kids growing up in the Tebow/superhero years will take lessons from the quarterback and Rogers. Alike in many ways, these two are two of the best role models one could hope to find for the young men of America. Maybe their respect for themselves and others, their respect for women, and their ability to command the respect of others will give these youngsters a counter example to balance out the insanity of Black Friday.