Firstly, to make sure that we are all on the same page, here is the trailer for the film I’m talking about:
Okay, has everyone watched the trailer? Then I’ll get to the Random Review.
I adored Shorts. I kept finding myself laughing out loud. These days, that is a big thing for me. I’m even declaring this film okay for my Mum to see. That’s right, you heard me. (No, Mum. The baby doesn’t get eaten by a crocodile.) On the whole, the film was sort of structured like Pulp Fiction for kids. Yep. It was not in direct chronological order. But that’s okay. It worked out just fine. The characters were constantly surprising me. Just when I thought that I had someone figured out, they would turn another facet to the light. Mind you, this didn’t stop things from getting terribly silly from time to time. That’s why it’s so fun.
And the music ruled! Why can’t I find a soundtrack, Mr. Rodriguez? Why? The Vig and Deb? Can you keep your eyes peeled for this one?
So, to sum up: It was a tangled, hilarious, mass of silliness and action with really fun music. See it!
1) Been to the cinema and seen Twilight. I quite enjoyed the film. The line? Not so much. It wasn’t a “queue” some much as a crowd contained within ropes. I’m five feet tall, and I am not a fan of crowds. You can imagine how I might have been a bit…uncomfortable. I’d love to see it again when the theater isn’t full of people who scream when people appear on the screen. Makes it a bit difficult to hear, you know? Ah well.
2) Celebrated twenty years of friendship with one of my best friends by…
3) Going to the City Theater production of Snow White done British Panto style. Here is the review that I sent to Seeaplay.com. –
“I love Panto, so imagine my glee to find some locally. The City Theater production of Snow White was full of the requisite bad puns, pop culture references, a Dame, candy, audience participation, and (of course) a pantomime horse. I would like to make particular mention of the pair of dancing Golden Monkeys, and the wonderfully over the top acting of The Dame, The Queen, and Rosemary Thyme a.k.a. Muggly.
As you may imagine, I had a great time.”
Honestly, it was a hoot and a half. I will gladly drive back up to Sacramento to see another such production. If any of you folks leave near enough, and you like this sort of thing, give it a try. Heck, they even used the Doctor Who Theme on piano at one point.
So, that’s what I’ve been up to. What about you lot?
Once upon a time, when I was a youngling, I encountered a writer by the name of Alexander Key. (Not the writer himself, mind you, just his books. Though…come to think of it, I did write him a fan letter once. I imagine that was before he passed on.)
Anyway, I adored his books and I read everything I could get my hands on. The Case of the Vanishing Boy, The Magic Meadow, The Golden Enemy, The Forgotten Door, Escape to Witch Mountain, Return from Witch Mountain, etc. I loved them all. Books were my friends, and really, Mr. Key’s books spoke to me in a way that few others did. Perhaps it was the element of hope and understanding of differences that he deftly wove into his stories. People who didn’t fit in eventually found a place that they belonged and others like themselves. His books seemed to say that there were good people out there that would help you get where you needed to go. All very comforting when you were a strange as I was as a child. My particular favorites were the Witch Mountain books. Just imagine my delight when I discovered that they had been made into films!
Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) Opening Segment:
I adored the 1975 version of Escape to Witch Mountain for all that it wasn’t quite the same as the book. In the book, for example, Tia couldn’t talk like everyone else. Only Tony could hear her. Stuff like that. I must have seen that film over a hundred times. (Just ask my sister, she’ll tell you.) I was obsessed.
The film version of its sequel, Return From Witch Mountain, is one of the closest adaptations that I’ve seen. They did an excellent job bringing it to the big screen. It was great to see the events I’d imagined unfolding in front of me. Hmmm…I wonder if this spawned my lifelong interest in Book Adapatations. You can check out the trailer for this film below. (Mind you, the trailer narration is a wee bit on the…hokey side. I warn you now.)
Return From Witch Mountain Trailer:
Beyond Witch Mountain (no YouTube, sorry) was all Disney. It was one of those Wonderful World of Disney TV movies. It wasn’t bad. The person they got to play Deranian (the baddie from book one, and apparently for this tv film as well) looked a lot closer to the description from the first book. They had different actors for Tia and Tony, which surprised me, as I recall. I wish I could find it on DVD. All I have is an old copy on VHS. Anyway, it way okay. It detailed the story of the two kids returning to find another missing member of their people. They enlist the help of their old friend Mr. O’Day and off they go.
And then came the Purple Monstrosity. In 1995, Disney came out with a version of Escape to Witch Mountain that looked like a very loose adaption of the previous film written by people who didn’t even know that a book existed. (You can watch it here if you’re feeling brave.) Suffice to say…I absolutely loathed it. They had taken this book that I loved and made a mockery of it. Just thinking about it makes me shiver. Quite the immediate and visceral reaction, wouldn’t you say?
So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I am very cautious when it comes to Race to Witch Mountain which is due in theaters in March 2009. I’ve been following its process ever since I heard about it. I questioned the casting (The Rock? That kid from The Seeker? He’s already been in one travesty of a book that I loved…) I agonized about the story. And now…the trailer is out. Behold!
I have to say, in all honesty, that if I can just forget about the existence of the original book for the space of the film…well…it looks like fun. I tried to suspend my disbelief for The Seeker, for Christopher Eccleston’s sake if nothing else, but it didn’t work. That film adaptation just wasn’t that good on its own two feet. I have seen how bad adaptions can be, but I have cautious hope about this film. They may have managed to take it far enough away from the source for me to enjoy the film as a separate entity. I don’t know. Rest assured, I’ll let you know what I think of it.
Oh! And just for fun. Have you heard of the Blair Witch Mountain Project? You can see it here. It’s sort of a spoof of Blair Witch and the Witch Mountain movies, featuring the original Tia and Tony.
Escape to Witch Mountain is one of those books that sticks with you. I think that it’s time I read it again.
(Yes, Alexander Key is still my favorite author. I have a quest to collect all of his books. Some day I will manage it.)
Okay. I couldn’t resist. Here are a couple of videos that my fellow Twilight fanatics might enjoy. Firstly I offer eight whole minutes (and a few seconds) of footage from a film festival in Rome. Yes. It’s the part where Bella first goes to the Cullen’s house. (You may now squee.) The second video is the music video for Paramore’s song “Decode” from the Twilight soundtrack. (Which becomes available on this Election Day.) If you are like me, you will be glad to see a wee bit more of a certain scene that takes place in Port Angeles.
This is the second part of my obsessive compilation of information about Twilight. This time I’m focusing on the film (imdb) that is due in U.S. theaters on 21 November. Mostly, this will consist of video files, I admit. I do not expect to encounter too much complaining about this, however. I will continue adding to this post as I gain new information.
I recently threatened to compile all of the Twilight-related goodies and information that I’d run across for a friend. For some reason…she didn’t seem all that upset about the idea. It then occurred to me that I know of at least one further person who is as obsessed with this series as I am…so, I’ve decided to post the information here for all and sundry out there.
Hey…it’s my blog. I can use it to compile information if I want to. I’ll even start at the beginning for those of you who still haven’t read the series. (Mind you, that means that this post will be full of spoilers. Consider yourself warned.) Let’s get started, shall we? (I will add information to this post as I encounter it.)
The Twilight Saga is by Stephenie Meyer and currently consists of four books:
* Twilight
* New Moon
* Eclipse
* Breaking Dawn
Someday, with luck, this series will grow to contain Midnight Sun as well. This book is currently on hold, but is Twilight from Edward’s point of view rather than Bella’s. You can read all 264 pages of the manuscript on Stephenie’s website here. (The problem arose when someone with a copy of the manuscript set it loose on the internet. Stephenie was so demoralized that she stopped working on the project, but in deference to her fans she posted it on her website. That way they could read it legally. I’m sure that I am not alone in wanting to smack the person who caused this project to be put on hold.)
Stephenie’s Official Website contains all sorts of nifty extras for the Twilight fan. (Twilight fans are most often called “Twilighters,” by the way.) These extras include: Outtakes from the books, extra scenes from the books, and even playlists made up of music that Stephenie associates with the books. (There are other things, too, so be sure to surf about her website, too.)
According to SciFi Wire, Disney is making yet another attempt to re-imagine “Escape to Witch Mountain.” You’d have thought that the last attempt (the purple monstrosity) would have cured them of this, but no. “Race to Witch Mountain” is described thusly:
“Andy Fickman is on board to direct what is described as an action thriller, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb. The adaptation, written by Matt Lopez, revolves around a pair of paranormal-powered siblings (Ludwig and Robb) who, with the help of a Las Vegas cab driver (Johnson), go on the run from a diabolical group of men who wish to exploit their abilities. Hinds will play the nefarious leader of the pack.”
Argh! Did they even read the book or are they working from the film again? …And “The Rock” is playing the Mr. O’Day character? Who’s playing Uncle Benet? Vin Diesel?
Today I was watching High School Musical (’cause everyone I’ve spoken with loved it…Yes, Mom. It’s safe for you to watch.) and something occurred to me. You know you’re getting older when you are watching a film like that and you think that the guy who plays the Coach is cute. That’s right, I’m starting to think that the parents are attractive. As far as the kids go, I thought that the “Composer” of the musical was cute as a button. It was a fun film. I see why everyone likes it.
Anyway, here’s today’s Good and Bad:
Good: My two big errands today were accomplished successfully and with a lot less stress than I thought.
Bad: My Kitty-Girl is very old, and she’s starting to have trouble keeping her food down. I need to take her to the vet and have her checked out. I’m very worried about her. I wonder how many cat years 16 human years translate to.
