My Shelf: The Period Pieces

This blog post is going to be really boring...

It's just me going through my DVD collection and talking about shows I own and why I like them. I'm making this so I can reflect on things that make me happy. But if you'd like, you're welcome to read, and if you'd like to share some of your favorite feel-good movies please post in the comments.

Now...

Lately, I've been adhering pretty close to my night shift schedule even on the days I don't work.

(Right now it's almost Five O' Clock in the morning so I should go to beds soon.)

One of the downsides to going to sleep in the morning is that, by the time I get up in the afternoon, most of everyone else's day has already over. So, when me and my sister/s want to do something fun together, it's usually something simple like watching a movie and washing each other's feet (I believe the correct term is pedicure), or usually we make yummy food (cream cheese rangoons are my favorite).

A lot of the time our exchange goes something like this:

Me: "You wanna do anything tonight?"

Debbers: "I have to do [homework etc.]. Go pick a DVD."

Me: [Hesitating] "You know what I'm going to pick..."

Debbers: "That's OK. Just pick something. "

I go through my DVD collection and select  handful. I try to pick out a variety.

Example:

-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,
-Monsters Inc.
-Hunger Games
etc.

But really, like, most of my collection is made up of period pieces: comforting and re-watchable films. The kind of show you can put on in the background when you have to study or clean, or you can have a movie night and allow it to hold your attention for hours at a time.

They're perfect for when you're sick, or you have a lot of free time, or you're experiencing discomfort associated with a certain period of the month you need a pick-me-up. They're so versatile Much of the time these are what I end up picking.

With many of these stories, I've endeavored to read (or listen to) the book versions of the story before watching the films. In this post, I'll try to talk mostly about the movie versions (No promises though...)

Northanger Abbey (2007)

 This one is special to me because it's the first one I saw with my friend Britt. It brings back a lot of happy memories that I've tried to recapture and share with my family. It's one of the shorter of the films (feature length film, a lot of them are actually mini series).

What it's about: A girl from the early 1800 learns the difference between fantasy and reality in the big city (Bath, England), and in a big creepy mysterious house where she gets invited to stay.

Discussion: It seems like the common consensus among Austen fans is that the main character, Catherine Morland is a moron for getting so caught up in her fantasy novels.

I personally give her more credit; she's presented as ignorant from want of experience, not stupid. Also, she's presented as really competent in the world, despite her inexperience.

The irony in this is that a lot of people today read and watch Jane Austen's stories out of the same type of fantasy-seeking behavior, and often themselves get carried away with it!

Also, most of the books she's reading are psychological thriller/horror novels...so she's pretty hardcore!

Assets (aka other reasons you should watch this movie):

 JJ Feilds facial expressions:

Lizard People:

Catherine's Cheesy/Cute fantasy sequences:

Emma (2009)

I watched this one with my older sister Red, and she watched the whole thing! (It's a mini series, and Red doesn't have the attention span for a lot of shows, so that's quite an accomplishment ;)

What it's about: It's about a rich lady tries to play matchmaker with her friends and family and does it very badly because she has zero intuition about human nature.

Discussion:

I really did not like Emma's character when I read the book.

Emma is like Galinda in Wicked:

Emma: "Harriet, now that we're friends I'v decided to make you my new project."

Harriet: "You don't have to do that."

Emma: "I know. That's what makes me so nice!"

(To her credit, the point of this story is that that kind of frivolous mentality is hurtful and damaging.) I didn't feel like Emma had quite learned her lesson in the book, but I think she did in this movie. 

I didn't pick up on the social commentary aspect of it until I saw this film. The economic disparities between Emma, Frank, and Jane was the most interesting aspect of the story to me.

 I also like that Emma he's one of the few Jane Austen heroines who has no economic or social incentive to get married, and who ends up being with a guy because she chooses to, not because expected to.

So go Emma!

Assets:

Baby!Jane Fairfax

(dawww!)

Adult Jane Fairfax

(Perfect casting is perfect)

Facial Expressions

Witty Banter:

Proof Regency Women Got Pregnant:

North and South (2004)

What it's about: A girl becomes a socio/political activist after being uprooted to an industrialized part of her country and witnessing the economic disparity among the business owners and the laboring class.

Discussion: The writer of this story, Elizabeth Gaskell, was a bestie of Charles Dickens, so social justice is a big part of the story (Also, death is treated as a fact of life.) Despite all the depressiveness, this mini-series is positively squee worthy for three major reasons:

• Thornton Oakenshield before the beard:

(In his spare time, likes fruit-baskets, reading, and studying ancient philosophy.)

(also, an emo mamma's boy)

Margaret "I've got more balls then anyone else in this story" Hale:

("Never mind I'll do it myself!")

Prolonged (one sided) sexual tension:

Assets: (aside from what's mentioned above)

No one will appreciate who hasn't read the book but this guy: 

Is Nicolas Higgins, the union leader and Margaret's bff. Also plays in Downton Abbey, the only character I loved from that show.

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

What it's about: A girl from a middle class family decides it's OK to marry a really rich guy, even if he said something that was mildly insulting to her that one time at a party a while ago (seriously, it is that lame)

Discussion: The plot for this one isn't great. The stakes (The girl cannot inherit money from her dad once he dies becuz she's a girl) are not eminent. The real fun in this story is the characters and the family dynamics. As a member of a family with a lot of sisters, I guess I relate to it on some level (even though my sisters are NOTHING like the Bennett girls). The Bennett family is fun to watch esspecially after their cousin, the male heir to the Bennet fortune arrives:

Assets:

Socially Awkward Mr Darcy

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

What it's about: See above.

Discussion/Assets: This is the preferred version for Austen purists and women who came of age at or before 1995 for two main reasons; 1) it's a mini-series so its super long and has more dialogue from the book 2) Colin Firth is in it.

(I feel really, really sorry for that man...)

Also...

Mr Wickam is devilishly charming and good looking

I'm not going to say the acting is bad in this one (because it isn't) but I will say that they put a different, less sympathetic spin on characters like Charlotte Lucas, Mr Collins, Mom and Dad Bennet, Mary Bennet etc. More reflective of Elizabeth's unforgiving mindset at the beginning of the story than how people behave in real life.

Persuasion (1995)

(When crisis arise, Anne and Fred take charge)

I was talking with my aunt about this one and it was funny that she had a completely different take on what the story meant than I did. If you happen to have a different one, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

What it's about: An old maid gets a second chance at love...if only her ex-fiance will ask her again.

Discussion:

A lot of this story deals with regret. Eight years ago Anne made a decision not to get married because her BFF/mentor told her it was a bad idea for both her and her intended. This decision, while a reasonable one, did not make Anne happy.  She's trapped in a web of her own making and the only way out is marriage.

My aunt says this story is about how you don't have to be ashamed of doing what your mentors tell you to do, even if it is ultimately a decision that makes you unhappy, because when your mentors have your best interests at heart.

I see it as a story about how there are uncertainties even in the most cautious and calculated decsions in life.

 In the novel, this is reinforced in the last paragraphs of the book, where Austen notes that life as a Colonels wife is hardly more secure than life as the nobleman's daughter. Her husband could be called away at any time, life at sea is dangerous and people die every day. (Hardly a romantic ending, but in Austen's world true love doth NOT conquer all.) Luckily, in this adaption, Anne proves she is totally up for that challenge, following him out to sea.

Good on you, Anne!

Assets:

Amanda Roots facial expressions

(all two of them, seriously it's so cute...)

Ciaran Hines tortured face 

(Baby don't hurt me...don't hurt me no more...)

Prolonged Sexual Tension:

Persuasion (2007)

What it's about: See above

Discussion/Assets:

(Nope, I was totally not looking!)

To be honest, I think these two versions are very similar. And both very good. I think Anne gets more dialogue in this version, more facial expressiveness in the other one.

She also gets to re-set her nephew's dislocated shoulder in this one, which is cool.
:)

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

What it's about: These girl's dad dies, and their step-brother is a scumbag and won't provide for them like he promised. So they have to move to the beach, where their distant relations resolve to help the older girl's find rich boyfriends.

Discussion: Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and won an academy award. She did a really good job on the adaption, and her character Elinor is awesome (is one of my favorite heroines). However, her boyfriend Edward is a wuss and I don't know what she sees in him at all. Perhaps regency virtues are sometimes so far removed from what would see as honorable today, or maybe Edward really is a big fraidy-cat and Elinor is just into that type of guy...

Also, her sister Marianne should not be allowed to pick her own boyfriends.

Assets:

Alan Rickman Reading Poetry

Also, the Dashwood brother is played by the same guy who plays Hugo Horton in Vicar of Dibley.

Sense and Sensibility (2008)

What it's about: See above.

Discussion: This one begins with a sex scene. Aside from being hard to place ("What?! This didn't happen in the book!!") my dad happened to be in the room at the time and it was super awkward. I fast forwarded a little bit, and I later pieced together that it was Howard Stark seducing Colonel Brandon's niece.

Assets:

We get to actually see a little more of what is happening on Colonel Brandon's life. A lot is just suggested in the other version. I really like that he had a warm, fatherly relationship with his niece and was super supportive of her. He even looked happy with the baby, which surprised me, but it made me like the character even more.

Jane Eyre (2004)

What it's about: An orphaned girl who was subject to psychological torture as a child grows up, gets a job, comes to terms with her less than ideal childhood, and eventually moves on with her life.

Discussion: This one is a mini-series. My sister Keamy can't watch it because the first episode deals with some seriously sad stuff from Jane Eyre's childhood.

(Kind of like Jean Valjean, but she never stole the loaf of bread. Also...typhus and tuberculosis and red rooms!)

I personally find her story the most inspirational of any on my shelf. Jane Eyre is one female hero I'd love to be like.

Ann Dibb even used her as an example in her conf. address on the 13th article of faith.

(It starts at about 06:20)

Assets: 

• Jane's monologue: Fantastic Acting Is Fantastic

• Mr Rochester being a sly little flirt: 

("No Jane I totes cannot walk by myself, you need to put your arms around me. Like that, thanks.")

• Its also the only version that did any justice to St John Rivers' character. 

Mansfield Park (2007)

What it's about: A young girl is adopted as a foster-child and grows up with her wealthy cousins. Ends up the least screwed-up of the siblings.

Discussion: There's a really interesting example of nature vs. nurture in this story, unfortunately this movie doesn't have enough screen time to explore it in detail. It doesn't go into a lot of detail about Fanny Price's journey, or why she is the way she is, but it was still really sweet and I was still rooting for Fanny and Edmund to get together (like I was in the book).


Assets:
Rose  Billie Piper:

Peggy Carter as the extremely likable, but ultimately scheming and cold-hearted Mary Crawford:

Jarvis and Blake Ritson:

Wives and Daughters (1999)

What it's about: A girl who is a doctor's daughter has to grows up and deal with her dad's remarriage and her new step sister. Also, she has a huuuugge crush on a nerd.


Discussion: Another story by Elizabeth Gaskell. The book is horribly long, the mini-series is more reasonably paced. Also, is there a term for a female bromance? Because that's what Molly and Hyacinth have.

(^^^Looked it up, it's called a "Womance" bahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha)

Assets:

Nerdy love:

Smart Alek Prof. Dumbledore:

Commodore Norrington BECKETT (how could I have made such a mistake? It's not good business!)/Mr Collins as a romantic figure:

(Whut?)

And the most sweet/awkward reunion scene ever:

(Seriously, even my dad thought it was cute)

Cranford Seasons 1 & 2

What it's about: A clique of women who live in a town have a hard time dealing with change. There's also a doctor, a Gypsy boy, a rich elderly lady, the guy who manages her estate, a lady who makes hats,,,yeah this one's all over the place

Discussion: It's kind of like the hobbit, it's a good story, but only if you forget about the source material.

Really this film is loosely based on a handful of Elizabeth Gaskell's short stories, only one of them actually takes place in the fictional town of Cranford. They did a decent job of tying a variety of stories together, but because they tried to romantacise everything the kinda lost touch with the point of the story.

Assets:

 Thomas William Hiddleston

• Doctor Harrison deals with life and death.

I'd really like to tell you all about the book versions, because they're so much better
and I really don't want to forget them either.

But that's a topic for another post.

Filming "The Hobbit" Starts Valentine's Day!

FINALLY! after years of bickering the filmmakers are finally ready to move forward.
Let's take a look at what they've got for us so far...
The Cast:
Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins



Yup, there's a definite resemblance to the old Bilbo. I haven't seen this guy much, I know he played Dr. Watson a version of Sherlock Holmes (Watson is my fav. character in those stories so I might end up watching it) and he's a comedian who does the UK's "Office" (I don't watch The Office...either version. However, the little snippets I have seen are pretty funny)


The Good: Bilbo will most likely be a funny, witty, out of his element hobbit who eventually discovers his heroic qualities. This is good. The hallmark of "The Hobbits" appeal, for me, is this guy's character arc. Particularly after the dragon is killed and everyone gets gold fever. Bilbo is the only one willing to do the right thing, even if it means betraying his friends.

The Not As Good: Unlike the hobbits of LOTR, Bilbo becomes an action character. With the help of the ring (yes, it's lowercase in this book!) Bilbo is able to take on a group of Shelob's spawn. (think ROTK Sam/Shelob fight scene on steroids) I have a hard time imagining that from this guy. I will refrain from final judgment until I have seen the finished product.
I find it funny that this is the guy from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" in which the main character is also whisked away from home on a grand adventure.


Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield

(Noble face, Blue eyes and a prominent nose, consistent with other adaptions of Thorin...you know you want to see this guy in the blue hoodie ;))

This one is a bit of a shocker for me. Kinda like when I went to see Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for the first time and OH MY GOSH. OH. MY. GOSH. MR. TUMNIS IS HOT! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? (Apparently because filmmakers did not want us to see a little girl enter the home of a middle-aged, male, stranger. While I can agree with their logic, it was still a bit of a shocker.) Here, I think, it's for a slightly different reason.


The Good: All we have seen of Peter Jackson's Dwarves is pretty much Gimli. One Dwarf can't, and shouldn't, represent the entire race. Dwarves need their prideful, snobby, good looking heroes as well as their gruffy, loyal sidekicks. Since there are thirteen Dwarvish members of Thorin's Company I think they are going to emphasize how each is different. I think this is good, the group's dynamics are an interesting part of the book (they frequently disagree on a correct course of action it will be fun to play up that side, especially when Bilbo has to take over leadership after Gandalf leaves)

The Not As Good: This incredibly hot guy will most likely be covered in a prosthetic face and beard. :(
He better be a pretty good actor, because what is the freaking use of hiring a good looking actor like this and covering him up?

Alterations from the book:

Ok, so in the book Gandalf spends all of ten seconds filling Bilbo in on where he went after leaving the company. The Necromancer (who turns out to be Sauron) is gaining power. Gandalf and his groupies (Gandalf's "cousin" Radagast, Saurman, two unnamed wizards, Galadriel etc.) get together to expel him from his current home.
This will be a MAJOR part in the movie(s). I don't object to including it, but they are making a whole other movie so they can do it.
They will also be including Frodo and his parents (what. the. heck.)

No I'm not sure if this is the actual actors who will portray them, but certainly looks like it.
Please, this is "The Hobbit" not LOTR part 4.




This may not end up in the movie, but there is a rumored sub-plot in which a female Wood elf named Itaril falls in love. While I applaud their attempt to bring us a wider variety of female actiony elves, I could only see this contributing to the story if she dies in the battle of five armies. If they wrote this character only to have her ogling over some other elvish hottie like Orlando Bloom I will be severely disappointed. If they are going to add a love story to The Hobbit, make it an interesting one (Elves and Dwarves are supposed to not like each other. If they REALLY want to make this interesting, she should develop an interest in on of the prisoners, preferably Thorin)

Other possible changes: Bard the Bowman is likely to be a VERY small part as both Jackson and Del Toro have said he is not cinematic enough. BOO!
The Arkenstone-heart of The Lonely Mountain is a big part of Bilbo's evolution...that has been omitted from a previous cartoon adaption. I haven't heard if they will include it here.

Because "The Hobbit" is a more child friendly read, several inhabitants of middle earth are portrayed differently in each book. Stone Trolls and goblins are sentient, The Eagles can also talk A shape-shifting, nature loving Bear/Man tentatively takes the Dwarves in, And although they are good-looking, Wood Elves (the kind that live in Mirkwood, Legolas' kind) were born in middle earth and are not, NOT the angelic beings of middle earth (as they are portrayed to be in LOTR) All these fantastic elements that make "The Hobbit" fresh and unique will wilt if they stick to the depiction they used in LOTR.

In Tolkien's novels, we see the world through the hobbits eyes. While this is a bit of a hindrance in the LOTR, it also made it easier to adapt to a movie. But his perspective is what defines "The Hobbit".

With all the alterations to beef up LOTR, I hope they don't make "The Hobbit" all about "The Ring"