Pet peeves of a fiction obsessed sixteen year old

I have probably done plenty of these posts that either tell you more about me or more to the point what annoys me, but this time I'm going to make it more topical. I am going to talk about things in literacy, films and music that irritates me to the end of the earth and back again.

1. When people bend the page of their books and/or bend/break the spine on their books.
Okay, I do think I have a slight OCD when it comes to looking after books and if you look at about 95% of my books in my bookcase, despite having read each book several times, you will not find a single break in the spine or a bend in a page. (Apart from the dreaded initial break that you get just from opening it, but even that one is so faint you can barely see it). Literally whenever I see anyone doing either of those things I just want to slap the book out of their hands and repair the damage immediately. This is also why I very, very rarely lend my books to people unless I know they can be trusted to treat it carefully. This is also another reason why I cannot deal with library books and have never ever read a book from the library because they are always so tatty and broken that it just takes the enjoyment out of reading for me. The care of books is something I do not take lightly, my friend.

2. When there is a misprint or spelling error in a book.
This is just careless on the publishers part; although, granted, its a very rare thing to happen and even more rare with printed books. However, I've noticed especially on E-Books there can be careless mistakes and it takes you a few time to read over the sentence to understand what was trying to be said. It's extremely frustrating because the amount of times that a book is read and re-read and re-re-read before its published silly mistakes should be seen and sorted out.

3.When films based on adaptations just get the casting all wrong.
I know that everyone has their own ideas about what a certain character looks like when they are described in a book. For example, when I read a book I imagine most of my characters as cartoons and so I find it hard to describe a character to another person who is not inside my head. However, sometimes I really do question if the casting people have read the books at all; take the new Divergent movie for example, Shailene Woodley and Theo James look nothing, absolutely nothing like how I would have imagined them (you know if my brain wasn't weird and turned everyone into cartoons) I just feel like its disappointing for the fan of the books. I understand that it would be impossible to find an actor that everyone loves and imagines in the place of their favourite character but at least attempt it. Harry Potter is a fine example of brilliant casting and costume; you can just tell that the casting people took the time to read the books and study the characters with detail. I am just left feeling like that in today's Hollywood, film companies are more interested in whacking out as many films as possible without really investing too much time into them.
p.s I'm sure these actors mentioned above are good, I've yet to see them in anything but this comment is made purely on their looks (vain, I know right).

4.When books could have been finished but the author tries to milk it.
This is extremely frustrating when you find a decent new book series, you read the first few and it seems that all of the events have been rounded off well and nicely, however, then the author keeps writing new books with weaker plots. This makes the series loose its integrity and makes the reader get bored and disengaged with the writing. Authors need to know when its best to put a series to bed: know when to quit, go out on a high. Particular examples of this are The House of Night series and The Mortal Instrument series. The House of Night currently has 10 books in the series when realistically they could have stopped writing them at about book 5/6, I really cannot be bothered to continue reading the rest in the series because it is getting boring and silly. The Mortal Instruments could have been finished on book 3, that would have left the reader wanting more but not really needing it, the 4th book was lacking compared to the others and took me a long time to get through it. What I am trying to say is that if you want to write a successful book series then you need to know when enough is enough, you want the reader to want more but that they don't necessarily need to have any more because the story is strong enough without it.

5.When films change what happens in the books in a very sucky way.
Sucky isn't the most sophisticated adjective but it describes what I am talking about in the best way possible. When a film is based on an adaptation, I understand that somethings have to be changed so that they make it cinematically pleasing but when they completely change the way an event happens in the book to something that to anyone who has read the books just does not make sense, then you know you have a problem. Take Harry Potter (probably the first time I am criticising it on my blog, take note because it wont happen very often, haha) in the last film (Deathly Hallows part 2) Harry snaps the Elder Wand in half and throws it away... however, in the book, Harry uses the Elder Wand to repair his old trusty wand and then returns the Elder Wand back to Dumbledore's grave. According to the film Harry no longer has a wand after he does what he does because it does not show him fixing his previous wand. To any fan of the books this will come as a very large annoyance, it would have taken the film makers literally about 2 minutes to show what happened in the book but instead they decided on a scene that is just stupid.

The problems with Twilight (book/film review)

Before I start, I understand that some people may not like the stuff that I like and love Twilight; but that's okay, I respect that you have a different opinion to my own and so you in turn should do the same. Right so now that little snippet is out of the way, on to more pressing matters, like why Twilight is so bad.

Lets start with the books since that is where this whole franchise started from in the first place. I have read the first and last book (Twilight and Breaking Dawn) all the way through and to be fair the last book is not all that bad, but even the best book in the series has some seriously disturbing things in it, but more on that later. I got about half way through the second book (New Moon) and I had to stop reading: it was so boring. Literally, one of the most boring, unimaginative and downright irritating books I have ever had the misfortune to read. I didn't even attempt reading the third book (Eclipse) because many regard the third as the worst book and to be perfectly honest, I don't see how it could have gotten worse than New Moon, but I was not willing to give it the chance.
Twilight- book one- This is the first book in the saga and its pretty adequate to say the least, it is not extremely exciting but neither is it extremely boring. The storyline is weak and the characters lacking but I didn't stop reading which was the main thing.
New Moon- book two- This was the worst book and coincidently the worst film in the series. It took everything in me to get halfway through the book and then I had to give up: something, I hasten to add I never do when it comes to books. The fact that Bella basically had a mental breakdown because Edward left her is utterly ridiculous; Bella is just pathetic and shows how much of a weak character and role model that she is. Take Hermione for example, she continued to fight alongside Harry to find the Horcruxes despite Ron walking out. She, unlike Bella, didn't completely breakdown and become suicidal- trying to kill herself by jumping off a cliff just to catch sight of her beloved Edward.
Eclipse- book three- Cannot comment because I have not read it. What I will say however, is that I know someone who used to be obsessed with Twilight and even she did not read Eclipse, so what does that tell you?
Breaking Dawn- book four- As I said before I didn't mind it, in fact I will probably re-read it eventually, you know when I'm desperate. The main problem with this book is the whole Jacob part: sorry, but he actually imprinted on a baby? What? Why would you even think that that is okay to write? It's creepy, she's a baby, am I the only one who thinks that this is really, really weird and just such bad writing? It really brings down the book as a whole which could have been a fairly sufficient ending to a very, very average saga.

As for the films, well that's a whole new kettle of fish, the cast is appalling and the acting (well if you can call that acting) is rubbish, unmoving and just one dimensional. Robert Pattinson who plays Edward Cullen just looks bored throughout all of the films; he just looks very stiff and I know that this is partly to do with the fact that he is playing a vampire but after reading the books I was so surprised to see how different Edward is in the books compared to the film. I am very much as they say (and I do cringe as I type this, fear not) on team Jacob in the films but certainly team Edward in the books. Its no secret that Pattinson isn't exactly Twilight's biggest fan and to be honest I think (obviously money aside) he regrets being part of this franchise because he will henceforth be known as the 'sparkly vampire' at least he will be in my eyes. Kristen Stewart: well, what can I say about her without being completely rude...probably nothing, so I will leave my opinion about her to your imagination. However, I will give her the fact that she is a lot better in the last film (Breaking Dawn part 2) and if she had done all of the films to that standard then the films as whole probably wouldn't have sucked (ha ha) as much. The rest of the cast, I can see no major problems with and are all fairly decent actors.
A huge problem for me as a viewer about the films is the shocking 'thing' that was supposed to be Renesmee, I know its hard to get a baby to be so animated and she is supposed to be very clever for her age but seriously, it was the creepiest thing I have ever seen. They could have just got girls who looked similar to play the child at different stages of her life because after all we don't all look exactly the same as we did as a baby, but apparently this child does...
I know this is probably the most negative review that I have written, but even I cant deny the success of the franchise, despite me not completely understanding why when there are such incredible books out there that haven't had half as much recognition. However, I don't think that given 5 years it will have made that much of a lasting impression, sorry Twihards.

The Hunger Games: the book VS the film

Seeing as Catching Fire is now only months away I’m going to share with you my opinion on how I thought Lionsgate did (or did not) do justice to the world wide best seller books that is the Hunger Games trilogy. The film was released in March 2012 after much anticipation from fans and critics alike; the books benefited greatly and saw a massive increase in sales and you literally couldn't turn anywhere without being reminded that something big: something that could reach Harry Potter big was about to land on our doorsteps. As a huge fan of the books I too could hardly bare the excitement of one of my favourite books being made into a film with an all-star cast and a very promising trailer: I was not disappointed when release day came around.

Jennifer Lawrence was flawless as Katniss Everdeen the heroine in the book and really captured the character well: she was mesmerising to watch; and if her recent success is anything to go by she will be around for a very long time and Lionsgate were lucky to grab her whilst they could because I don't think that anyone could have fitted the role just as well. Josh Hutcherson who plays the smitten Peeta Melark from District 12 was fairly decent but did not have the same scene grabbing effect as Lawrence. 

In the books the relationship between Katniss and Peeta is poignant and it is clear that Peeta is in love with Katniss. However, Katniss is just playing along for the Games so that she can play off the 'star-crossed lovers' that the Capitol love and gain sponsors during the Games; this aspect of the film was disappointing. There was very little build up and almost no emotion, if you hadn't of read the book, you certainly wouldn't be hoping that Katniss would realise how much of an idiot she is being by faking her love for Peeta.

Another let down was Katniss' relationship with Rue, the small girl who reminded Katniss of her little sister Prim and who was the District 11 tribute; this was hardly developed at all, in the book their relationship and allegiance to each other goes on for several chapters and shows the vulnerable side to Everdeen which is lacking in this film. When Rue got killed, I think that in the film, it was the longest period of time that the two characters spent with each other: this should have been developed more thoroughly to get more of a reaction from the audience over the death of character that impacted Katniss’ life a lot when she was in the arena. It could have highlighted the severity and impact that these games had on normal people; it should have showed you that your innocence could be taken away from you at any moment during the Games and a child you befriended could die so very easily in your arms had the relationship been more developed.

However, apart from those two points, Gary Ross (the director) has done a pretty good job in bringing the text to life. I am somewhat curious to how Catching Fire will turn out seeing as Ross is no longer the mastermind behind it all; I do hope that the new director has taken some notes down from him so that he doesn't lose the integrity of the books that we have all grown to love. In all honesty I don't think that you can get a much better adaptation of a book than this film and if that doesn't convince you: the awards speak for themselves. 

Favourite fictional characters from Harry Potter - Part 1

When I was writing my favourite fictional character in books and another in film and tv I realised that a lot of my favourite characters are from Harry Potter and so I said in that post that I would create an entirely separate post on these characters so that I could have some difference. Sorry for the delay on this post, only I wanted to put a lot of effort into it and with my current situation, it has proved difficult and also this is a pretty hefty post to write.

Anyway, I have already listed why Harry and Hermione are my favourites in this post so check that and then return for the rest!

Ron Weasley, of course has to be up here, because without him there would be no 'Golden Trio'. I feel that in the Harry Potter films that Ron is somewhat over shadowed by Hermione and in the books this is certainly not the case. Ron is Harry's best friend, the first one that Harry turns to when he has a problem (which lets face it is extremely often). He is not perfect and is a jealous character but his loyalty is what shines the best in Ron. I love that he tells Harry when he's being an idiot, instead of just going along with whatever he does just  because he is the chosen one: Ron doesn't care about that stuff. He is really quick-witted and is completely hopeless. I just love him.

Fred and George Weasley, technically this counts as two but seeing as you can't have one without the other (well.........every situation. I also respect the fact that they saved their money and used their witty humours to create their own business and break away from the stereotype of the 'poor Weasleys'. I will never forgive JK Rowling for killing off Fred, if possible I think this might be the worst death ever (in the film at least) I physically cannot watch it without my heart ripping out of my chest)

. I love that despite everything that goes on throughout the books, Fred and George always remain a constant source of entertainment and laughter. They are fantastic and completely make the books, I love how mischievous they are and how they find the good in

(I also love these two so much that I named my own two little hamsters Fred and George and James Phelps actually tweeted me back when I sent him a picture of them both!!!)



Ginny Weasley, yep another Weasley. Now I am going to pretend like film Ginny was never invented because I just do not like the way she is written in the film, nope, nope absolutely not. Ginny in the books is a fearless, independent, slightly sassy, completely brilliant and smart character. Her relationship with Harry is brilliant and incredibly moving, she is solid rock for him through everything, it is not awkward at all. She has inherited some of Fred and George's complete regard of the rules if it means that you can do something good instead which inspires one of my favourite quotes "The thing about growing up with Fred and George is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve."

Next up is of course Albus Dumbledore. No Harry Potter list could be made without including the most powerful wizard of all time could it? Absolutely not. I love that despite the fact that Dumbledore is probably the most powerful (good) wizard in the wizarding world he freely admits that even he makes mistakes and is getting old, I think that this helps him seem more real and more likeable. I for one would love to have him as my headteacher! I also find a lot of joy through Harry and his relationship, it is slightly strange for a normal headmaster and pupil, but then again they aren't really normal are they? Dumbledore also says my favourite quote of all time"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light".


Minerva McGonagall is probably the most badass woman I have ever read. I love her bravery which I suppose is an obvious character trait, as you don't get to be head of Gryffindor house for nothing! I admire that she would put her neck on the line if it meant any of her students would remain safe and I love that although she doesn't say it out loud and in so many words, her affection for Harry is clear and a huge rock for him, although she doesn't just do what it is right by Harry and it teaches him the lessons that need to be taught. I also applaud the fact that McGonagoll doesn't really care if you're pathetic like Neville and see can see the potential. It makes me happy when she says to Neville (regarding his timetable) "It's high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than one she thinks she ought to have- particularly after what happened at the Ministry".

. 
Right now this is all the characters that I am going to do for now, but I will be writing another very shortly with some more of my favourite characters from Harry Potter!
But you can read why I love the franchise as a whole here

Oscar nominations- My opinions

I love the Grammy's and films so I thought I would show you who I think is going to win.

BEST PICTURE
Amour
Argo
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR
Life Of Pi - Ang Lee
Lincoln - Steven Spielberg
Amour - Michael HanekeSilver Linings Playbook - David O. RussellBeasts Of The Southern Wild - Benh Zeitlin

BEST ACTOR
Denzel Washington - Flight
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Hugh Jackman - Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin - Argo
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

BEST ACTRESS
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook (love Jennifer Lawrence!!!!)
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts Of The Southern WildNaomi Watts - The Impossible

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - The Master
Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Sally Field - Lincoln
Jacky Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Brave
Frankenweenie
Paranorman
The Pirates! In An Adventure WIth Scientists
Wreck-it-Ralph

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Chris Terrio - Argo
Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin - Beasts Of The Southern Wild 
David Magee - Life Of Pi
Tony Kushner - Lincoln
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Michael Haneke - Amour
Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola - Moonrise Kingdom
Mark Boal - Zero Dark Thirty
John Gatins - Flight

(i've not seen any of these)

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anna Karenina - Seamus McGarvey
Django Unchained - Robert Richardson
Life Of Pi - Claudio Miranda
Lincoln - Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall - Roger Deakins

COSTUME DESIGN
Anna Karenina - Jacqueline Durran
Les Misérables - Paco Delgado
Lincoln - Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror - Eiko Ishioka
Snow White And The Huntsman - Colleen Atwood

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How To Survive A Plague
The Invisible War
Searching For Sugar Man

(haven't seen any of these)

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays At Racine
Open Heart
Redemption

(haven't seen any of these)

BEST FILM EDITING
Argo - William Goldenberg
Life Of Pi - Tim Squyres
Zero Dark Thirty - Dylan Tichenor, William GoldenbergLincoln - Michael KahnSilver Linings Playbook - Jay Cassidy & Crispin Struthers

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour - Austria
Kon-Tiki - Norway
No - Chile
A Royal Affair - Denmark
War Witch - Canada

(haven't seen any of these)

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
Hitchcock - Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater
Les Misérables - Lisa Westcott

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Anna Karenina - Dario Marianelli
Argo - Alexandre Desplat
Life Of Pi - Mychael Danna
Lincoln - John Williams
Skyfall - Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
'Before My Time' from Chasing Ice
'Everybody Needs A Best Friend' from Ted
'Pi's Lullaby' from Life Of Pi
'Skyfall' from Skyfall
'Suddenly' from Les Miserables

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGNAnna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
Life Of Pi
Lincoln

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head Over Heels
Maggie Simpson In "The Longest Daycare"
Paperman

(haven't seen any of these)

BEST LIVE FILM SHORT
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death Of A Shadow
Henry

(haven't seen any of these)

BEST SOUND EDITING
Argo
Django Unchained
Life Of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST SOUND MIXING
Argo
Les Miserables
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life Of Pi
Marvel Avengers Assemble
Prometheus
Snow White And The Huntsman

Top 6 films of 2012

I went to the cinema more times this year than I have ever before in recent years, so choosing my top 6 films was hard but in the end it was definitely these films.

1. The Hunger Games

This had to be number one, purely because the books are one of my favourite trilogies I am pretty happy with the way they stuck pretty close to the books and I cannot wait for Catching Fire! 

                                              2. Perks of Being a Wallflower 

As a pretty big fan of the book I was curious to see how they could do this without ruining a fantastic book, but it defiantly didn't disappoint and I was so happy that they stuck so closely to the book! I will be buying this as soon as it comes out on DVD!

3. The Amazing Spiderman

I loved this film so much! I adored Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield (and his bum) I thought they played such a good part in this film and it brought back a lot of memories from when I used to read the comic when I was younger!

4. The Avengers

I went to see this film about three times, mainly because I love Chris Evans (Captain America) but primarily because this is such a cool movie and so well done, I love it!

5. Brave

Saw this on a whim because the film I was originally going to see was sold out, but I am so glad it was because I love this film! Its another classic from Pixar and I love Meredith's hair!

6. Twilight Breaking Dawn part 2

This film was completely unexpected as I am not a fan of Twilight but I had to give props to it as this was a brilliant finale and the 'twist' in it was fantastically done, so well done Twilight! (Although I'm not entirely convinced you've made a fan out of me just yet, considering the other films were pretty crap)

My DVD collection

I own a fair few DVD'S a always seem to find myself buying new films so here's my collection 

Like my bookcase, this DVD rack is also a CD holder and is from Argos

(from left to right) Harry Potter collection years 1-7 (Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows part 1&2), The Hunger Games and The Woman In Black

(from left to right) Friends with Benefits, Life as we Know it, Easy A, Just Go With It, Up, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Alice in Wonderland, Tangled and The Smurfs

(from left to right) Wild Child, Juno, 27 Dresses, The Devil Wears Prada, Peter Pan, The Game Plan, The Last Song, The Ugly Truth, The Proposal and St Trinians 1&2

(from left to right) Aquamarine, Marley and Me, The Notebook, John Tucker Must Die, Mean Girls, Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Bride Wars, Confessions Of A Shopaholic, The Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn part 1), Crazy Stupid Love, 17 again and Despicable Me.

Favourite christmas films

Watching Christmas films is an awesome way to get in the festive mood. I basically will watch anything with a Christmas tree in it, but I do have several favourites, ones that I absolutely have to watch every year, or else it doesn't feel like Christmas. 

Elf

Who doesn't love Elf? Probably one of the funniest Christmas films that never gets old and can you believe that it was filmed 10 YEARS AGO?! Crazy!

The Grinch

The Grinch is one of my childhood favourites (I'm actually watching it as I write this). Its a truly heart warming film, which I'm sure everyone has seen. I also feel like a Who from Whoville because I am just as crazy about Christmas as they are, I'd feel right at home there!

"is your refrigerator running?" 

"Well yes I suppose"

 "Well then you betta go catch it!"

Grounded 

Grounded is a relatively new film that I brought about two years ago on a whim on boxing day sales because it was only £2, but ended up quite enjoying it, it is about a group of children who are in an airport travelling alone and they get snowed in and of course get in to all kinds of trouble. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas

This is a film that I watch every single Christmas eve without fail and the past couple of year it has not been on so I have had to watch it online, so this year I have decided to buy it on DVD (it hasn't arrived yet). This film is about Jack Skellington who is king of Halloweentown, he discovers Christmas Town, but he doesn't quite understand the concept of it.

Home Alone

You absolutely cannot have a favourite Christmas films list without including the Home Alone trio, (I know there is a fourth but that sucks, so I will not include it in this list). These three films are about Kevin(1&2) and Alex(3) left home alone or in New York (in number 2) with criminals chasing after them. These three films are just hilarious and I seriously recommend them.

A Miracle on 34th Street

This film will have you cheering on Santa Claus when he gets set up for a crime he never committed just because of selfish people from a rival shop. It will have you wearing your badge with pride with the message "I believe in Santa Claus" it is the perfect Christmas film to watch with your family that will fill you will Christmas cheer.

Warner Brother Studio Tour

I am a huge Harry Potter fan and for my birthday for my present I went to the Warner Brother Studio Tour in Leavesden. I found out I was going as soon as they announced they were opening it up for the public, so I had to wait nearly a whole year before being able to experience the magic first hand, and what a tough year that was! If you are a fan as big as me it is like fulfilling your dreams of going to Hogwarts, even if you're not a huge fan it will still be a very enjoyable day out. 

The entrance before you go into the actual tour 

The Hufflepuffs!

Ravenclaws!

Slytherins!

Gryffindors!

 Teachers and Dumbledore in the Great Hall

 

The Gryffindor common room, where Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean and Neville sleep!

Potions classroom

Entrance to Dumbledore's Office

The Burrow!

Tom Riddle's grave

Diagon Alley

This is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen in my entire life

Of course, you can't go to the tour without going into the gift shop. I brought The Elder wand and Some Gryffindor robes (which are probably my most prized possession). I also brought some posters, sweets, a chocolate frog (which I didn't eat until I had my exam results in the summer, so that meant for a whole two months it was staring me in the face waiting to be eaten, and it was not a disappointment when I finally stuck my teeth in to it), I also brought some key rings.

Click here to find out more and maybe even book some tickets http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/