The Dark Knight Rises-Catwoman

Yesterday I went on a date and I got to see The Dark Knight Rises. While [T]he date was a bust was the start of something great, at least [and] I got to see the newest Batman film. The film was ok. Just ok. Way too long, yet on the top of my head I can't think of anything to cut out. Bane wasn't a terribly scary villain. However, I also acknowledge that a new villain will never outshine Heath Ledger as Joker. The main thing I want to talk about is Catwoman.

Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises,
played by Anne Hathaway. 

When I was a kid, I loved Tim Burton's Batman Returns mostly because of Catwoman, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. I know the character has appeared before this, and that she is always evolving. I get it. But TDKR’s Catwoman is not so much a cat. Just a lady cat burglar named Selina Kyle.

Catwoman in Batman Returns, played
by Michelle Pfeiffer

No whip, no claws, no crazy meowing, no licking herself. Even the Batman: Arkham City Catwoman is more Catwomanish. I liked Anne Hathaway’s acting, and I think her looks were perfect for the role. But other than her little cat ears that go over her eyes when she needs them, what is so “catish” about her? Sure, maybe the way she seduces and then strikes. But is that enough? She doesn’t have to be crazy like Michelle Pfeiffer’s character, though it give a much more interesting aspect to her, especially concerning her relationship with Batman.

I wonder why they decided to make her less cat like? I wonder why they decided to go so far away from the Batman Returns kind of Catwoman? I think it might be because her mental instability would be too jarring for the sensitive minds of today’s audience. What is the new Catwoman’s motivation? A clean slate. Good enough, though it makes her seem regretful and less badass than she should be. But what about the old Catwoman? She wants revenge on the jerk who pushed her out the window in an attempt to kill her. Don’t we all, Catwoman? Don’t we all...

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft Review

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman

Spoiler Free!

Bree Ogden, Jody Gehrman’s agent, asked on twitter if bloggers would review her book, and I volunteered. Soon I was sent a pdf of awesomeness and I was sent to reviewer heaven.

This book is, as the title announces, the guide book to Audrey’s life as she is introduced to an unexpected magical life. Perhaps best described as a supernatural thriller, it is definitely a coming of age story. It begins the day her journey beings, and that is the day that her mother goes missing. This is the story of Audrey discovering her identity and her new abilities. Instead of other YA lit protagonists who adamantly refuse to accept the changes associated with young adulthood, Audrey wants it. Now. Not because she wants to be more mature and have all the responsibilities-she wants to save her mother from the big bad that threatens them.

Characters

Audrey is a believable protagonist. Not perfect, but protective. She makes mistakes. A lot of them. Her heart is always in the right place. She has a talent for baking and science, which help her very special talent. Snarky. Intelligent. Fierce. Funny. 

Without her mother, Audrey has to learn from another witch, Sadie. Sadie is cool, beautiful, and has a thing for animals and plants. But she is not the same type of witch as Audrey. It’s slow going, especially considering that Audrey was not raised with the knowledge of her mother’s hidden past. And really, nothing is known about Sadie other than she just showed up...          

I like Meg, the little sister. Instead of being the secondary character of blah place-holding, Meg has her own unique characteristics. White-blonde hair, beautiful, seductive, and she's in a band that leaves audiences rapt. She’s not pinned as the annoying character, the sweetheart that everyone loves, or the obvious character to be killed off dramatically. I would have to say that she’s probably more emotionally complex than Audrey.   

Other Things...

The “Canadians had only slight accents” bit made me giggle, eh?  

The cover is gorgeous! Not really sure where to place Audrey in that red dress, but I will let it slide.

The incantations are not corny but still mysterious and believable. The way that Gehrman writes the alchemy that goes on inside of Audrey is rich with details that make it so convincing.   

I kind of wish she wrote in her book more. Even if she just mentioned that she was writing something down in there. She writes down spells and recipes (like one for a killer chocolate cake) and other “How To” lists.

Maybe it is because I am, in fact, not a teen, that I saw the big reveal a mile away. I’d like to ask some teens one day if they saw the trope before the big moment.

The ending has so many loose ends, making it not enough of an ending for me, but it definitely sets itself up for a sequel, which I would be more than overjoyed to read.

Judgement!

I would love to do a book club with this book in the future. It does not have the crass and crudeness that this conservative community might run in fear from while making the cross symbol with their fingers. Okay, it has witchcraft, and that might get them in a tiff, but its good witchcraft! Overall, it is a fantastic book that I highly recommend.

Jody Gehrman's  blog is over here, and her website is here. 

   

The author is giving away free copies of her book every dark moon, the next being August 16-18, so get in on it!

Catfish Review

Spoiler Free!

A little while ago I was watching a DVD (might have been Paranormal Activity 2) with someone and the previews for Catfish came on. We both thought it looked pretty cool-documentary style (more on that in a minute) horror about meeting someone you met online in real-life. I had my fingers crossed for the person to be a serial killer. 

The previews lied-it's not a horror movie. It's a...sad but sometimes funny film.

Painting of Abby's mother, Angela.

Yaniv (Nev) Schulman

   

It starts with Yaniv (Nev) Schulman getting a painting in the mail from a little girl named Abby, who is a prodigy artist. This painting, of one of his photographs of two dancers, sets off a pen-pal relationship. It's very cute and lovely. And then social networking becomes involved. Everything is peachy and he begins to friend all of Abby's family, including Angela, her mother, and Megan, her sister.

Message from Meg

Things roll along and he and Meg become close. They've never met at this point. Things get more involved. They start to fall in love.

And then he catches her in a lie. And another. And a few more. He doesn't know how to feel anymore, so he decides to go meet her, face to face. After all, he has feelings for her still.

The reveal was pretty good, I'll give it that.

Documentary?

Some quick Googling will bring up some different opinions about the authenticity of this film. To me, I don't particularly believe that it is real. That three friends would start filming the pre-stages to the entire relationship, the moments with Abbey and her paintings, doesn't make much sense to me. Does it really matter? I still enjoyed it with my doubt.

Final Verdict

It was a pretty good film. Had the warm and fuzzies, sadness, and some funny moments. If you like soft drama documentaries I recommend it. For me, it was a good, non-serious movie to watch. I certainly wouldn't buy it, but worth the watch.

Big Brother 14

I was at someone’s house on Thursday and we were just hanging about and on the satellite listing I saw it: Big Brother 14. No one else in the room had much of an idea of what it was. “It’s like Survivor but they’re in a smallish house and the challenges are fun and there is a lot more lying and deceit going around and sometimes they think they can date each other and it's funny.” It was a hard sell but everyone was nice enough to humour me.

And we had an awesome time watching the first episode.

Boogie!! <3

Dan



Britany



Janelle

 

I don’t really have a favourite HG at this point. Jenn is cool, but I'm not a fan of obnoxious and loud people. But Boogie is a Coach! I can honestly say that I’m 90% sure that one of Boogie’s people will win. If it isn’t one of Boogie’s, it will be one of Dan’s. Brittany is a stupid bitchy blonde who got played and who doesn’t have much of a place as a Coach. Don’t even get me started at the huge joke that is Janelle. I was hoping that Evol Dick and Will (with Boogie, of course) would come as Coaches. Having Janelle and Brittany is a joke. I would HATE myself if I got on Big Brother and got either of them. With Boogie, as long as you listen you have a great chance of winning the social game. Dan is a close second. But the girls? I’d just pack my bag because I could play a better game than them and I can’t stand lying to people.

Jodi

Jodi was evicted first. I don’t feel bad at all because she kept pushing her whole “I’m so FIT and IN SHAPE!” attitude. Sorry, but she has WAY too much jiggle in her wiggle. Normally, I don’t give a shit if someone has some extra pounds. I don’t like people who are deluded. If she was in such great shape the first challenge would not have been so hard for her. Good riddance.

The next episode is tonight, but at my own apartment I don’t have cable (let’s face it, I don’t watch much tv). I can get it through various internet sources, but the power has been going on and off today. In the worst case scenario I can watch it later in the week. Also, I won’t be blogging about BB every week or episode unless something HILARIOUS happens and it’ll be a short post. 

All pictures are from Big Brother Buzz.  

Xbox 360 + Kinect

I know I haven't been posting lately. First and foremost I want to say that I have been working 45-55 hours per week. I basically go home, eat a banana, and go to sleep. But before this started, I picked up something for myself:

I finally have people who will play Kinect games with me! The best person to play with happens to be my little sister, which is convenient since she lives somewhat near my new place. The games I have so far are these:

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012

Kung Fu High Impact

Just Dance 3

The Black Eyed Peas Experience

Kinect Adventures (came with my console)

Yes, a fitness game, and I plan on getting more eventually. There is a gym here that I go to, but with my schedule sometimes I only get free time at night. Do I really want to be walking to the gym on an unlit street at 10 pm at night? No. Anyway, so far we’ve played Kinect Adventures, and despite what people say about games that are included with consoles, we are enjoying it. It was a great introduction to the Kinect. The only other one we have cracked into is Just Dance 3. It’s too bad I don’t have more time to play with her, because everything gets pretty epic. Especially the song where you get to be the Power Rangers knock-off. Hellz yes. And The Black Eyed Peas Experience was bought on a whim because I thought their songs might be more catchy than the ones on Just Dance 3. I’m looking forward to it.

My precious...precious...   

I’m glad I actually have people to play with me. My librarian friends in my last city weren’t exactly the video game type. There were people who should have played with me, but they sucked and I hope they read this and bask in their lameness.

So, 55 hour work weeks. Stressful, but I like it. I came from a city where I was very fortunate to find a part-time job but I could not find another to fill in those missing hours. That city has an extremely high unemployment rate and I feel better having so much work now. Anyway, I have two reviews about half done that I’ll get around to at some point. There is also the little matter of something that I mentioned before with my brother. And I do ask all the people who know me in real-life-if you want to pick a fight with me, do it another time. Picking a fight with me the day before my brother had tumours surgically removed from his head is immature.  

On a better note, want to hear an extremely sexy song? Yes, you do.



$600 Accident

This post will be a little graphic, so if you can't stand a little blood you should probably just leave now. This happened a little while ago, but I thought I would remind pet owners how quickly their beloved pets can injure themselves if we're not careful. This is what happened:

^A cat head...Between the jaw bones...

I'm in the process of moving, so I was in town all day buying new apartment things. I came home to my parents house. It was a long day. I had just gotten out of the shower and I turned on my laptop. As it was booting up I heard my mom screaming that the cat was choking on something. Not to be mean to my mother but she totally overreacts. This cat likes to eat tuffs of hair off the floor that is left behind from one of the other many animals in the house so he has been dryheaving like crazy lately. We thought it was just him hacking up a hairball. We finally found him and he was freaking out. It took me and my little brother to hold him down so my mom could pry open his mouth.

"There's a needle in his tongue!"

And there was. She tried to pull it out herself but couldn't do it. And then my mom just stood there and started to cry and she sobbed that he was going to die. My brother is too young to know what to do. I did something I didn't know I had in me-I had to direct everyone. I told my mom to call a vet that is closer than our usual one and get them to accept him right away. My brother stayed with me in the room. After about 15 minutes she didn't come back up. This was an emergency that couldn't be put off until the next day. I told my brother to get the cat carrier and then to get my purse and check that it had my wallet with my debit card and my cell phone. He was really fantastic through the whole thing-I'm super proud of him. He didn't freak out, which is excellent because my mom was barely functioning. And he listened to me and did everything as quickly as possible. Cool kid.

When he was gone the cat was cuddling with me and shaking. It was a sad moment that I'll never forget because I couldn't just fix him. Then he threw up blood and saliva on my hand, one of the most disgusting moments of my life. Then he cuddled with me more and spat more blood on my t-shirt. I thought with all the blood that he was going to die in my arms. Even with these thoughts and all the blood on my I kept calm for him. When my brother came back the cat kept looking at us and making weird movements with his jaw, and that made the grossest noise I've ever heard. My brother kept asking what that noise was and I had no idea.

With no word from my mom we put him in the carrier and brough him downstairs. No one was just accepting him-they kept giving my mother different vet numbers. WTF vets? It's an emergency. I had to tell her to tell them that he was coughing up blood. This isn't a "My kitty-witty is in pain" (like he stubbed his paw or something) kind of situation. We got in the truck and we passed my father who had my older brother in the van with him. They turned around and the cat went in the van with my older brother and I. The cat was really quiet, and he's a very vocal cat. We ended up going to our usual vet that is an hour and a half away, and we made it there in thirty minutes, which must be a record. My brother has a history of totalling cars, almost killing himself once, but he handled that van like a pro and we didn't even get pulled over.

When we got there he had some x-rays, but by looking down his throat no one could see the needle. It became a "Are you sure?" situation. Please remember that my t-shirt under my sweater had blood splattered all over it still. And my hair was still wet and dishevelled (I can't even brush it when it's wet). My brother, a mechanic, was in his dirty work clothes. We didn't do this for fun, jeeze. It turns out that through the eye of the needle was still white thread. Fatty probably found the string, which was connected to a sewing needle, and ate it. That gross sound we heard was the needle pushing through whatever is between the bones of his jaw. It was peiced through his tongue at one point, still visible if you opened his mouth, but he pushed it himself right through. Gross.

Instead of going through his mouth and pulling it out the way it went in, they sedated the cat and made an incision on the outside and just pulled the needle, complete with thread, right out and stitched him up. They gave us the needle after in a little jar too. One thing we can't figure out is where that needle came from. No one here actually sews. And the type of needle is short and thick, more like a quilting needle. The fat troublesome cat is always on the kitchen table when you aren't looking, so yeah, that's probably where he found it. But why was one just randomly out? We think it may have come in with all the new stuff we bought, and some of it was second-hand work clothes. Some stores use sewing pins on tags. Even before this I hated it when stores used pins to attack tags, and now my hate is perfectly capable of setting them on fire. The needle is currently MIA (not surprising in this house). When I find it I might post a picture of it.

Anyway, the vet looked at my brother, and said in a low voice, "So...about the cost..." and he then quoted "a few hundred." My brother laughed, saying that it sounded like he was going to say several thousand! We're big animal lovers here, and seriously, "several hundred" isn't an issue. I was totally prepared to pay for it.

In the end it cost a little more than $600 to fix him up and to buy the pain killers and the antibiotics. As my brother was saying after, it was an accident. A mistake. A mistake that cost $600 and pain to a poor little animal. Old fatty is totally fine now. Same grumpy, tubby male. The vet assistant had to pick him up to weigh him and she commented that he was like a bag of potatoes! He weights 17 lbs, btw. After the surgery the vet asked how long the cat was breathing with his mouth open after the needle went in. My brother and I looked at eachother and we laughed. He sits around breathing with his tongue hanging out all the time. He's goofy. To see how fat he really is, I'll leave with more of the x-ray:



Fatty-fat-McFat-fat-cat.



USB SNES Controller+Exciting News!

I wonder why I would be needing a USB SNES controller? Hm...?

I've been writing my new manuscript furiously lately, and my pinky, index, and middle fingers of my left hand are all messed up. It doesn't help that my actual job keeps me on the computer for about 6-7 hours a day. The three fingers are getting so bad I'm going to see a doctor about it, meaning that it has to hurt pretty badly before I have to beg someone for a ride into town. I finally got an old horror SNES game on an emulator on my PC. I don't do any gaming on the PC, but using the keyboard all bloody day is seriously damaging all my fingers. I figure it'll be less pain inducing. I haven't played anything in weeks and I really need to breathe once in a while.

When it gets here I'll be posting a review of a game I've wanted so badly for years. Hint: it was never released outside of Japan.

Extra news: I have been working with a library to get a teen book club going, and it sounds like I might take over the adult book club that has recently fallen apart because they lost their leader. Can you imagine? Me, in charge of impressionable minds! World domination is almost in my grasp...or I'll just corrupt them all and send them home for their parents to deal with. Ha. Of course my little sister, Little Bunny, will be in the YA club, and together, let's just say our weirdness is infectious.