It’s that wonderful time of the month again: Fandom of the Month delivery time!
As you can remember, I posted about my first delivery a little while ago on the blog. I was so excited to see that it was Doctor Who themed, and I was equally as excited to see this month’s: Harry Potter! It was like kismet with our first Geek Girl Brunch having the same theme just this past weekend (post for that coming very soon)! I mean, my nails even matched, people. It was meant to be.
For as long as I can remember, watching movies has comforted me in my most trying times. Whether it be illnesses that won’t quit, breakups, or bouts of homesickness…cinema has always been my savior. If I popped in the right DVD (or VHS if we want to go waaaay back), a smile would immediately cross my face and for those 90-120 minutes, life would feel right again. Or at least, I would forget about all that was ailing me and be transported to a warm and fuzzy place.
These are the ones that just do it for me:
1. 10 Things I Hate About You; a huge smile erupts on my face when I see that this movie is playing on Netflix (ps; it is NOW) even though I own it. There’s just something special about scrolling through your viewing options and seeing one of your favorites show up. Like a little packaged surprise! This movie reminds me of high school, which was a turbulent and hormonal time sure, but also such a carefree one. It was also the first time I ever saw Heath Ledger (& I’m pretty sure everyone else’s too), and he quickly became one of my absolute favorites. Plus, THAT scene. You know the one. You’re just too good to be true…..CLASSIC.
2. That Thing You Do!; I’m sure you’ll see a theme with this list. I’m a sucker for 90’s teen flicks. This one is just so special to me though. I love all music-related films so I was really excited for this movie to come out when I was a teen. So much so that I bought the soundtrack before the movie had premiered and listened to it on repeat so much that I knew every word to every song by the time I actually saw it in the theater opening day. It’s such a sweet, sweet story and never fails to get me in a better mood. AND, it’s pretty much impossible not to sing along to the main theme. Try it. I dare you.
3. Empire Records; yep, keep those teen flicks rolling. This is honestly the first time I realized I had a favorite movie. I watched this movie so often that I could spit back every piece of dialogue (and still can). In fact, I still use quotes from it on a daily basis anytime I see fit. If you are able to recognize said quotes, you will instantaneously be in my inner circle. You have been warned. Also, if you are in the NYC area next month, make sure to check out the 20th year anniversary (!!!!) of the film at Rough Trade in Brooklyn which will be turning their store into the beloved Empire Records. I so wish I could go!
4. The Lord of the Rings trilogy; it was due to these films that I truly realized I was a fangirl. I lived, breathed and ate every piece of this fandom during its entire run and had all the collectors editions of the films. I grew to love this cast like they were my buddies and still squee pretty hard when I see a group or pair of them together randomly. It renewed my faith and love of the fantasy genre and helped me start reading again after a long dry spell in college. Needless to say, when it’s on TV, I need to watch it. Fun fact: my LJ username was HobbitLuv for a bit. Yeah, it was legit guys.
5. The NeverEnding Story; when something is good, it never gets old and this movie is the perfect example. My cousin gave me a VHS tape with this movie and Romancing The Stone when I was a kid. I never watched Romancing the Stone passed the first viewing, but my heart just could not get enough of The NeverEnding Story. It filled it with just the perfect pinch of fantasy, romance and utter wonder. Till this day, I’m still on the fence as to whether watching Atreyu’s horse, Atrax, sink into the Swamp of Sadness permanently scarred me as a human being. That, my friends, is what a true film should make you question. 😉
Honorable mentions: The Secret of Nimh, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Swingers, The Sandlot, Fight Club, The Harry Potter series, Almost Famous & Kill Bill (1 & 2).
Another new feature on the blog for 2015!
One of my “resolutions” for this new year is to read more books. My good friend Aurora just told me that she was able to read 30 books in 2014, and I would love to be able to do the same. I started the year with one of the most fun books I’ve read in a very long time: Ready Player One. Now this had been a book I had been recommended constantly, and I actually bought it back in September! I didn’t start reading it until October, and then actually forgot about it until this month. Once I started getting the ball rolling, I finished the book in 2 days. It was one of those books you cannot pry yourself away from, and often made me lose precious hours of sleep (but so worth it).
So what is it about anyways? The book sleeve touted that it was the adult’s Harry Potter, but I would have to disagree. Ready Player One is set in a dystopian-esque future where the majority of the population has decided to immerse itself fully in a virtual reality simulation called The Oasis in order to escape their foul and depressing reality. The creator of The Oasis, James Halliday, was an 80’s pop culture geek who decided not to leave his fortune to family or friends upon his passing, but instead made it a contest: unlock 3 secret gates in The Oasis, and win it all. Some of the most talented gunters (those that study all things Halliday) are the main characters in this story and it follows their adventures to find the gates, defeat them, and all the obstacles that get in their way (mainly “The Sixers,” a big-time corporation that aims to use Halliday’s fortune for evil).
The book is peppered with a bunch of geeky pop culture references, which made me smile from ear to ear. I also loved the eventual theme that you cannot run away from your reality, and that despite how bleak it may seem, life is really worth living. I actually think it would be a great read for individuals that are suffering from depression, adolescence or just going through a rough period in their life. It just so happens that I have been down in the dumps, so getting this message was a real punch in the gut. Sure, it is a fun romp, but it has some pretty deep themes running through the story, which I really appreciated.
If you are an 80’s kid, definitely check out this book! Another reason to do so is that it may be made into a movie. There are some obvious copyright issues that are standing in the way (think of the challenges needed to complete and clear those gates), but that hasn’t stopped me from researching dream casts and possible directors (did someone say Nolan???). Honestly, if they have a tough time casting, I’m willing to volunteer to play Art3mis. Just sayin’.
Have you read Ready Player One? If so, what did you like about it?
What are you reading now? I’d love to get more suggestions to my growing list!
I figured this should be a thing, right?
I get excited about a lot being a fangirl, so this new feature naturally popped up as an option. Similar to things I need, this will be a list of things I’m looking forward to within my fandoms. Hopefully there will be some overlap with all of yours as well. 😉
It’s JJ, it’s Star Wars. What else could be better? Seems like it will be at select theaters only this Friday. I will just sit back and allow the Internets to give it to me the lazy way though. What are your expectations? I’m personally a huge Abrams fan and bow down to all his work, so I have extremely high expectations and know he will deliver.
With my time here nearly finished and my wedding geekery post coming tomorrow, technology permitting, there’s one other thing that September’s brought with it since 2008. Tomorrow night (Tuesday!) at 10 PM on FX, the Sons of Anarchy ride again. If you’re a fan of the Reaper Crew, tomorrow night’s season premiere comes with a bittersweet note because this is the show’s final season and the finale date has even already been set (Dec. 2). Through its run, the show has had a little bit of something for everybody when it comes to guest casting, featuring rocker Dave Navarro, Disney star Ashley Tisdale, “Pensatucky” of “OitNB” Taryn Manning, Danny Trejo, real bikers including Sonny Barger, and a handful of FX favorites in roles you might not expect to see them in, to this year’s additions of shock-rocker (do we still use that term?) Marilyn Manson, Lea Michelle and Annabeth Gish.
After an explosive finale to the penultimate season, pushing the ever mounting body count even higher (and I won’t spoil the major deaths there, though one of those ones there at the end felt very overdue to everyone in my household, and… We’re not the only ones still mourning the loss of Opie, are we?), the series’ return tomorrow night is titled “Black Widower.” The episode is set to pick up with Jax in jail, ten days after the deaths and events of the season finale. It’s been a strange trip, full of loss and violence and peppered between with lightness, surprising humanity and humor. There are undoubtedly more losses to come in these final thirteen episodes, and I couldn’t be more excited to see where it all winds up.
Will Jax make it out alive, will he suffer his father’s fate, or will he make himself a martyr for his club and his boys? Will Gemma finally have to answer for her years of villainy? Were you as curious as I was how many body parts Otto could stand to lose before he finally went on to be with Luanne again? Are you as hopeful as I am that this premiere will include the seemingly prerequisite shot of Jax’s bare backside? Will Wendy somehow wind up with her son back? And can we please get Ray McKinnon back as that weird-o US attorney? Every weird thing he said and all those meaningful glances left un-answered. Will you be tuning in to keep up with the final ride for the Sons of Charming, CA?