Emily Pohl-Weary may not be very well known, even to fellow Canadians, but she definitely should be. A Girl Like Sugar was Pohl-Weary's first novel. Typically Pohl-Weary writes poetry and short stories. I hadn't yet heard of her when I had first started A Girl Like Sugar. But am I ever glad I did finally pick up that book.
A Girl Like Sugar is a story about a young woman, once dependant upon her rock star boyfriend. They lived together through thick and thin. Unfortunately, she lost him at a young age and now she's trying to learn to live again. In something akin to a moment straight from Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990), Sugar Jones's boyfriend returns to her from beyond the grave. Yet, still, she must learn to move on and learn that her life didn't end when his did.
Despite all the thick emotions, Pohl-Weary's writing style made it easy to read and allowed room for wit and comedy. You really get a feel for what Sugar is going through and what she had been through to get where she now is. It's full of scenes and moments from her past. How much she had felt for her boyfriend, and how she still feels is evident on each and every page. But, in some instances, it is the supporting characters that really make the moment. You can see how her friends are coping with the loss of Sugar's boyfriend and in a way, the loss of Sugar in some aspects. But, it gives her room to grow. By the end, you really feel like you've learned something valuable.
I really wish I had been smart enough to buy myself a copy of this book instead of borrowing it from the library. Next time I'm out shopping, I'm going to make time to find a copy. I really suggest you do the same.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Book - Stephen King's Thinner (1984)
Stephen King is one sick son-of-a-bitch, but we love him for that reason. His books rock but some of the chapters can be shortened; like in this book Thinner he kept mentioning "Cary
Rossington was a tit-grabber."..... he said that about 20 times. I think we got it after the first 12. Honestly though, this book was so good, targeting the things that people think about most. Body weight, for some reason, has become the biggest thing on people's minds. I wonder why that is? You know salad is not a food, this coming from a person who thinks pizza and beer is the breakfast of champions. Ha! It's true though.... I should change my eating habits. Anyway, turning someone's fear, like weight, into their biggest nightmare was genius because most people fear weight, like them getting too big and dying fat. No one ever thinks of it the other way around. Though that is what is worse.... starving to death, people do that on purpose. Stupid.
Rossington was a tit-grabber."..... he said that about 20 times. I think we got it after the first 12. Honestly though, this book was so good, targeting the things that people think about most. Body weight, for some reason, has become the biggest thing on people's minds. I wonder why that is? You know salad is not a food, this coming from a person who thinks pizza and beer is the breakfast of champions. Ha! It's true though.... I should change my eating habits. Anyway, turning someone's fear, like weight, into their biggest nightmare was genius because most people fear weight, like them getting too big and dying fat. No one ever thinks of it the other way around. Though that is what is worse.... starving to death, people do that on purpose. Stupid.
Movie - Beetlejuice (1988)
So we all know that I am a Michael Keaton fan, I am also a huge Tim Burton fan (who isn't? No, really I want letters). Beetlejuice was an awesome movie that I still watch all the time, over and over. Michael Keaton's portrayl of a dirty, perverted, scum-of-the-earth, con-artist was dead on. His voice kinda sounded like Rob Schneider's.... :s
The plot was good, the cast was great. Like Winona Ryder, she is a sweetheart and was perfect for this role as a depressed, lonely, friend-deprived teenager. Ahh, life is so hard but, in the real world we get over it. Anyway, this movie was before Alec Baldwin's figure really matured and when Geena Davis stopped aging. Also another psycho mother role effectively played by Catherine O'Hara (she's awesome at that). All-in-all this movie rocked and has been one of my favorite movies since I was 4.
The plot was good, the cast was great. Like Winona Ryder, she is a sweetheart and was perfect for this role as a depressed, lonely, friend-deprived teenager. Ahh, life is so hard but, in the real world we get over it. Anyway, this movie was before Alec Baldwin's figure really matured and when Geena Davis stopped aging. Also another psycho mother role effectively played by Catherine O'Hara (she's awesome at that). All-in-all this movie rocked and has been one of my favorite movies since I was 4.
Book - Stephen King's Pet Sematary (1983)
Almost every horror fan has a favourite Stephen King novel. For me, that novel is Pet Sematary. A gripping tale about a young, rural family and the traumatic veil of death. It starts out when the Creed family moves from the city into Ludlow, Maine. The family befriends their neighbours, Jud and Norma Crandell. The Crandell's have been in Ludlow for years and they seem to know a lot about the area. The story really starts to take off when Jud shows the young family the Pet Sematary one day while they are on a walk. The Pet Sematary, a sanctuary for dead animals made by the children of Ludlow many years ago, is initially what introduces the family to death and it's imminent approach.
Though the story can be quite traumatic, as it features many hard deaths and grim images, it is very complex as well. In the true spirit of any Stephen King novel, it pushes us to the edge of suspense and believability. Of course, few people would see the story as anything but a tale, it brings almost a sense of realism to the monster story. A normal family plagued by ghosts of the deceased. A family within walking distance of an ancient mystical site. Why, anybody who has lived in a similar rural area could easily believe such a thing.
I first read this in high school. It terrified me, simply shook me to the bone. Why? Well, because we know families like the Crandells, we live within walking distance to multiple cemeteries, we live on the edge of a highway. In fact, so much is similar to my own family in this story that it was hard not for my imagination to run wild. Of course, for all intents and purposes, it is just a story and nothing like that could happen to someone like me. It's practically a fairytale. The moral of the story, is don't mess with something you don't understand.
Pet Sematary was such an amazing read. I've read it twice more since my first intital read. It still shooks me by how close, yet terrifying it is. Stephen King is a literary genius. Not many other authors could pull such fear and emotion from me. I literally could not put the book down until I had finished. It was seriously the best page-turner I have read. I recommend that any horror-lover read this book if they haven't already. I can almost guarantee that your local library would carry a copy. Mine does.
Though the story can be quite traumatic, as it features many hard deaths and grim images, it is very complex as well. In the true spirit of any Stephen King novel, it pushes us to the edge of suspense and believability. Of course, few people would see the story as anything but a tale, it brings almost a sense of realism to the monster story. A normal family plagued by ghosts of the deceased. A family within walking distance of an ancient mystical site. Why, anybody who has lived in a similar rural area could easily believe such a thing.
I first read this in high school. It terrified me, simply shook me to the bone. Why? Well, because we know families like the Crandells, we live within walking distance to multiple cemeteries, we live on the edge of a highway. In fact, so much is similar to my own family in this story that it was hard not for my imagination to run wild. Of course, for all intents and purposes, it is just a story and nothing like that could happen to someone like me. It's practically a fairytale. The moral of the story, is don't mess with something you don't understand.
Pet Sematary was such an amazing read. I've read it twice more since my first intital read. It still shooks me by how close, yet terrifying it is. Stephen King is a literary genius. Not many other authors could pull such fear and emotion from me. I literally could not put the book down until I had finished. It was seriously the best page-turner I have read. I recommend that any horror-lover read this book if they haven't already. I can almost guarantee that your local library would carry a copy. Mine does.
Movie - Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Alice in Wonderland has always been a very stoner happy movie, no matter which version you watch. This one was cool though because Johnny Depp was in it. He has been in a lot of muffed up movies but this one takes the cake. Speaking of cake, didn't those little 'eat me' cakes look delicious? Even though he played a messed up looking dude he still manages to be one of the most attractive guys in the media. He also made the Mad Hatter seem very real. Yay!!! You go Johnny Depp.
Anne Hathaway also did an amazing job as the White Queen, she is so cute. I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers. In most movies, Queens or royal figures in general are portrayed as mean and bitchy, so it was a nice change to see a Queen who cared about her land and how it was being treated. Though she and Mr. Depp were very good in this movie I would have to say that the best character was the March Hare. He looked like he has had one-too many coffees in his life. But, what made him so awesome was that he was mental and every time he laughed you had to as well. Just one of those laughs I guess.
Good movie, watch it.
Anne Hathaway also did an amazing job as the White Queen, she is so cute. I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers. In most movies, Queens or royal figures in general are portrayed as mean and bitchy, so it was a nice change to see a Queen who cared about her land and how it was being treated. Though she and Mr. Depp were very good in this movie I would have to say that the best character was the March Hare. He looked like he has had one-too many coffees in his life. But, what made him so awesome was that he was mental and every time he laughed you had to as well. Just one of those laughs I guess.
Good movie, watch it.
Movie - Malice in Wonderland (2009)
"Circles, circles, we all move in circles." This movie, made in 2009, is a modernized adaption of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland novels. Director Simon Fellows took a different direction than the usual talking rabbits, 'drink me' bottles and vengeful Red Queens. Fellows's Wonderland is filled with carnival lights, mob bosses, taxi drivers, DJs and a truck stop brothel. In the beginning of Alice's adventures in Wonderland, it can be difficult to follow the movie. It carried a lot of riddles and nonsensical comments. However, if one has read the original stories of Alice in Wonderland, they would understand that it doesn't stray far from the true story. Instead of the White Rabbit -- literally running late and worried about the time -- we get a taxi driver, Whitey, practically shackled to time and its limitations. Instead of the mad Red Queen, the Queen of Hearts, we have Harry Hutt, a powerful Mob Boss. Despite bright colours and flashing lights and near insanity, the movie strives to show the point that we do run in circles. Everything you started with is what you'll return to at the end. This is part of the reason that despite the riddles and nonsense, you should definitely sit through this movie and watch it from beginning to end. It's the final scenes that will pull the movie together and have it make sense.
I greatly enjoyed the movie for several reasons. Of course, the bright colours and strob lights did help keep my attentions in the beginning. I found that Malice in Wonderland brought the original story, a story I've cherished since I was a child, into a view that I could understand in this day and age. It's more modern, it's easier to understand and it makes sense to today's audience. An audience that reads the newspapers, watchs true crime and mystery television, that witnesses crime in their own home towns. Yet, it would still appeal to the child I no longer am. It still carries the riddles and the simple thoughts of our youth. "What has no conditions, but one condition?" A riddle that follows you from the moment you hear it uttered until the final scene of the movie. Everything in this movie happens for a reason. And not a moment is wasted as you follow Alice through this exciting view of Wonderland. But, don't take my word for it. See it yourself and fall in love with the characters as I have.
Alice in Wonderland was a fantasy movie when I was a child, but Malice in Wonderland could not be classified quite as simply. It still holds true to the fantasy aspects, but it could just as simply be a mystery, a love story, an action. It's a movie that I'd recommend to any one of my friends or family.
Finally, we musn't forget the wonderful selection of actors. Fans of the television series Lost will be delighted to see the lovely Maggie Grace in the truly stunning role of Alice Dodgson. And Danny Dyer's portrayl of Whitey, the anxious taxi driver, is so genuine and believable, you can see why Alice is so taken with him. The supporting cast -- filled out by Nathaniel Parker, Matt King, Gary Beadle and many others -- play their roles with such conviction and believability, it's truly difficult not to adore this movie. I happen to know that Chaz even decided to rewatch the movie the same night. Definitely one of my favourite movies to date.
I greatly enjoyed the movie for several reasons. Of course, the bright colours and strob lights did help keep my attentions in the beginning. I found that Malice in Wonderland brought the original story, a story I've cherished since I was a child, into a view that I could understand in this day and age. It's more modern, it's easier to understand and it makes sense to today's audience. An audience that reads the newspapers, watchs true crime and mystery television, that witnesses crime in their own home towns. Yet, it would still appeal to the child I no longer am. It still carries the riddles and the simple thoughts of our youth. "What has no conditions, but one condition?" A riddle that follows you from the moment you hear it uttered until the final scene of the movie. Everything in this movie happens for a reason. And not a moment is wasted as you follow Alice through this exciting view of Wonderland. But, don't take my word for it. See it yourself and fall in love with the characters as I have.
Alice in Wonderland was a fantasy movie when I was a child, but Malice in Wonderland could not be classified quite as simply. It still holds true to the fantasy aspects, but it could just as simply be a mystery, a love story, an action. It's a movie that I'd recommend to any one of my friends or family.
Finally, we musn't forget the wonderful selection of actors. Fans of the television series Lost will be delighted to see the lovely Maggie Grace in the truly stunning role of Alice Dodgson. And Danny Dyer's portrayl of Whitey, the anxious taxi driver, is so genuine and believable, you can see why Alice is so taken with him. The supporting cast -- filled out by Nathaniel Parker, Matt King, Gary Beadle and many others -- play their roles with such conviction and believability, it's truly difficult not to adore this movie. I happen to know that Chaz even decided to rewatch the movie the same night. Definitely one of my favourite movies to date.
Movie - Batman (1989)
Okay, we all know that Adam West was the original Batman, but he does a better job of being himself on Family Guy. He was a fine Batman and everything, but Michael Keaton was the best Batman ever. Yes, he was only in two of the movies but he was the most believable, a rich man who doesn't act like a rich man is always a superhero by night. It's true, look it up. Read all the original comic books, what do they have in common? Night and no one can know..... you know because it might 'endanger them'. Ha! Ya right. I know about my friends's family and their relations to the Mob but I don't see criminals coming to my door asking to call off their bookies. Their true identity can't 'endanger' everyone.
Anyway, this movie was awesome and Jack Nicholson was a kick-ass, mentally messed-up bad guy. He had the coolest outfits and the funniest lines. "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses?" Nothing like an evil nemesis with a sense of humour and bright colours so that you can pick him out of a crowd. I don't think that anyone, other then him, could have played the part as well as he did.
Anyway, this movie was awesome and Jack Nicholson was a kick-ass, mentally messed-up bad guy. He had the coolest outfits and the funniest lines. "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses?" Nothing like an evil nemesis with a sense of humour and bright colours so that you can pick him out of a crowd. I don't think that anyone, other then him, could have played the part as well as he did.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Crash and Burn's Grand Introduction
Welcome to Crash and Burn's Reviews. I'm Neeni Burn and I'll be running this blog with my sister, Chaz Z Crash. We created this blog for several reasons. One of which is that we adore the media. We spend a lot of time watching movies and television shows, we read a lot of books and comics and we listen to a variety of music. By creating this blog we are hoping to share with you our opinions and experiences with some of the best and worst books, music, movies and more. While I may not always agree with Chaz -- and she may not always agree with me -- we plan to be as honest as we can about every bit of media, as we see it.
We understand that some of you may not necessarily agree with our opinions, but we do ask that you treat everyone as you'd like to be treated. We don't mean to offend anybody and we'd like to prevent any serious arguments. Play nice and enjoy the reviews. Also, feel free to ask us about any movie, book, cd or tv show we have yet to comment on. We'll try to get to as many as we can as quickly as possible.
Thanks,
Neeni
We understand that some of you may not necessarily agree with our opinions, but we do ask that you treat everyone as you'd like to be treated. We don't mean to offend anybody and we'd like to prevent any serious arguments. Play nice and enjoy the reviews. Also, feel free to ask us about any movie, book, cd or tv show we have yet to comment on. We'll try to get to as many as we can as quickly as possible.
Thanks,
Neeni
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