When Bad Guys... Stay Bad

This blog post comes somewhat close to the conclusion of the Breaking Bad marathon. And that got me thinking ...did 2 of TV's most recent bad guys try to redeem themselves? And at what cost?

I'm talking about Walter White and Nicholas Brody.

White:
He, a chemistry teacher, did what he did to support his family. He's dying of cancer, and he's worried about what will happen after his death.  But he uses his skills in a bad way: he makes meth. He's untruthful to his family, and when he finally does come clean, his wife Skylar gets involved as well. Walt continues in the process, and he's responsible for more than one death, to say the least.

If you watch the series, there's a sort of an interesting "opposite" parallel concerning White and Jesse, his "assistant." While Walt goes deeper into this problem, Jesse, because of circumstances, grows tired of this lifestyle and tries to come clean at one point. He doesn't want to do it anymore.  Things go from bad to worse for Walt. And, his family isn't doing good either.  Also for Jesse, while we're at it.

Lastly, in the final episode, Walt is at a pretty low point.  He's sick again, and alienated from his family.  His one act for a last chance of redemption is saving Jesse, who's being held prisoner by worse "bad guys." And he succeeds.  Jesse and Walt part on *somewhat* (by that I mean "barely") good terms.  Walt accomplishes this at the cost of his life.

Nicholas Brody.  One must concede, that he does have a harder time on his show than Walt. Captured by terrorists, held for eight years, and "turned" into a terrorist, for all intents and purposes.  Brody has to keep this secret from his family, alienating himself from them.  Long story short.

Carrie Matheson tries to see the good in him, with mixed results. But her plans for him don't go so great. She ends up having him work for the CIA. It's that or go to prison.  Brody picks option A.  At the end of season 2, he will need to prove to basically all of America that he didn't do... a certain thing. Carrie tries to do it for him, as he's MIA.

I remembered Brody saying to Carrie near the end of season 2, "I just want to be a good person again." We see this with Jesse, but not with Walt.

Finally he does this one thing. And it ends badly for him. Brody's family doesn't know.  At least not yet.

Walt's image is tarnished, too.  So, neither of their families know.

So... Just because you do something for a good reason, doesn't mean it's good itself.


Sent from my iPad 2

Catching Fire Review

Okay. I know.  I'm finally getting around to it.  Here it is:

I went to go see catching fire on opening day. I wasn't that bowled over by it. But I couldn't find much to complain about. I thought it was a very solid adaptation, and it is very faithful to the book. Maybe that's why; I knew what was going to happen.

(Unlike that little battle bit in BD2.)

Here's what I really liked...

The world of Panem. We see more of it.  The various districts, etc.

Finnick. Sam C. was good. His character won't be more fully examined until Mockingjay. I just really liked his demeanor.

Johanna.  I loved, loved, loved Johanna. Jena was perfect.  A great mix of (slight) insanity and uncertainty.

I loved the ending sequence with Katniss being told about her district, her last scene.  One unexpected surprise was the morphing of the mockingjay.

The only thing I missed from the book was Plutarch's watch dialogue with Katniss.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to Mockingjay.

PS: a special thanks to The Hob.org for the contest tickets! 

I went to go see it again last week, so here are some additional observations:

-President Snow was very creepy.
-The "documentary" style still kept, in a way (I.e. Caesar's interview)
-same music cues from The Hunger Games were used.
-Haymitch, you can tell, is starting to care about Katniss.

A 2nd thanks to The Hob for the shirt from the contest. :-)

We Fandoms Don't Riot....

Tonight I learned that having two emotional season finales in a row cannot be easily handled. It's harder if you happen to belong to more than one.

Case in point: The Walking Dead. It had been rumored for at least a couple of weeks that one of the major characters from WD was going to depart, and some people had a pretty good idea who it was going to be. People have made these "Internet pictures" saying "If _____ dies, we riot." [Insert favorite character here]

I'd liked how the season had been going. The story lines, plenty of drama, etc. The suspense.
And then came the mid season finale. It was still shocking when it happened, and it was sad. But by the end of that episode we pretty much got what we wanted, albeit with a cliffhanger.

When Herschel died, we didn't riot, we pretty much got depressed. That sums it up.

Fast forward to tonight. Homeland. If you've been watching it this season, you know it's been a bit of a mixed bag. Slow starters. Cliff hangers. Twists. More slow moments. I ended up liking it. It came to a big cliffhanger tonight. But the viewer slowly came crashing down back to earth with 20 minutes to go.

I was just left staring at the screen. What just happened? Did that just happen?

Yeah. It did. Nicholas Brody died. With Carrie- and us- watching it all. No rioting. Pretty depressed. Again.

My Twitter feed seemed to consist of subdued disappointment. And the seemingly collective feeling that Homeland couldn't continue.

Apparently, it can. There'll be a fourth season. But we- the fandom - doesn't think it should be for long.

So... Damian... If you ever see this... Thanks for a great job.

Better Late than Never

Yes, I've been meaning to write more often.  I really have.  Honest.

I did get "Allegiant" when it was released, and I've been reading it here and there.  Reluctantly.  I've been having a hard time with it; namely, the two perspectives.  If I had sat down one weekend and read it straight through, I probably would have had an easier time with it.  Thanks to Amazon, (*sarcasm*) I know what happens at the end, but I'm still going to finish it.  Maybe V. Roth should have just written it in "chunks," like Stephenie Meyer did with "Breaking Dawn." One character talks for several chapters, then the other takes over.  Something like that.

I did start a fanfiction piece for "The Hunger Games."  And I desperately need to finish my Twilight one.

I am absolutely STOKED for "Catching Fire."  I've loved all the scenes and TV spots that have been released.  Although, I must admit, I will have to start a self-imposed spot-fast starting now.  I got my gear from Hot Topic.

And, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I'd won one of the contests that The Hob was conducting.  Yay!  Looking forward to getting the package.

Perspective and Gumbo

Last night was Walking Dead and Homeland. Walking Dead was good; the suspense and questions commence now. I still question whether or not animals are able to transmit the virus.

Best Tweet of the night: (not mine) "#ifDarylCoughsWeRiot"

After that was Homeland. I know the jury's been mostly split on how this season is going, given that Carrie and Brody have two separate story lines; at least for the time being. Saul is being very mean right now. There's a whole camp of Dana-haters, but she's interesting, at least. How else would a teen in this situation react?

We have another session of the mysterious "suits" following Carrie, and finally figuring out what they want. There's a very scary three minutes of thinking Carrie's going to be found guilty of espionage, but--- Oooh, what's this? Carrie's going to see Saul? Showdown!

Wait, what??? It was all a ----??

My twitter-wishes were granted, to say the least. And it reminded me that in film, tv, and books, we aren't always shown every perspective.

And that's what makes it good.

PS: Mom makes a good half-homemade gumbo. Take however many cans of Cambell's Chicken & Sausage Gumbo you need. Add frozen okra. Add some more frozen okra. If you like extra okra. Add some thawed cooked shrimp at the end, and heat it through. It's very good.

Also... Just finished reading "The Boy on the Wooden Box." It was very good; it tells the story of one of the survivors from Schindler's List. I interrupted "Dead Man Walking" for "Carrie's Run," so I need to finish that.

I do have books about the Mossad, and Queen Elizabeth II, that I need to start. But there's probably going to be another interruption for "Allegiant."

Instrumental Work

I have always been rather fond of a good instrumental piece.  I basically grew up with an orchestra in church.  I've taken music lessons off and on throughout the years, although I needed to practice a lot more than I did, frankly.  And I still have a desire to play the piano again.  Guitar, too, for that matter.  Rather, learn how to play the guitar.

So, that being said, there are some instrumental pieces from films that I've grown to love.  

"Bella's Lullaby"- by now it's no secret that I love Twilight.  "Bella's Lullaby" is a very sweet, relaxing piece with a lovely piano solo.  I do wish it was longer, though. "Bella Reborn" (from "Breaking Dawn part 1") has a selection from that piano solo.  And the unique thing is, just before the solo, the strings section sounds like something from a sweeping Western.  (YouTube it, and you'll get what I mean.)

"Soul Inside"- this is from the film "The Host." It's a very lovely acoustic guitar-driven piece.  I've been meaning to get the rest of the score. You might like this if you're partial to the acoustic guitar. 

"Father Christmas"- this is my favorite selection from "The Chronicles of Narnia," and I would still love to hear this live.  This is going on my Christmas playlist.  The only thing is, it segues into a darker part where the Pevensies are being chased by wolves; but it's all one track.

"Nessun Dorma"- technically, this is from an opera, sung by Luciano Pavarotti.  I love it.  One place you can hear it is in "The Sum of All Fears."

"Theme from Schindler's List"- very moving, and thoughtful.  

"Deep Shadows"-  This is a piece, strangely enough, that is not found in any film at all.  It was used in a trailer for "The Hunger Games."  And as it turns out, apparently a bunch of people liked it, and subsequently were disappointed that it wasn't in the film.  Myself included.  (But the artist made it available to purchase online.).  There's another good piece the artist did for the "Catching Fire" trailer.

Do you have a favorite?  Happy listening! 

Two New Arrivals

This previous weekend was pretty busy. Comic-Con was wrapping up, and so we got the new trailer for "Catching Fire." It was really neat; there was a lot of great tidbits in it.... Katniss and Peeta... The new tributes, more of the Capitol, and even a bit of the Games. You could tell the special effects are greater. It was just a great trailer, overall.

And the second arrival... A little baby named George Alexander Louis.

Sent from my iPad 2

Sprouts

I have gone to my fair share of concerts, and attended DVD release parties for Twilight and Hunger Games.... I'm used to waiting in line. (And yes, I'm wishing I could be at Comic-Con...) 

But today was the first time I'd ever waited in line for the opening of a grocery store.  I'd heard interesting things about Sprouts, and this morning I was able to go to the grand opening.  

I got up very early....

5:11am
"I got here about 10 minutes ago and there's about 15- or so people in line. Most of them brought their camping chairs. Weather isn't too bad. I got about 4 hours of sleep."

5:45am
"There's about 15 more people behind me now.  I've been sitting on the ground. Leaning against the row of grocery carts.  Someone near me brought a blanket to sit on and is watching a DVD.  We're lucky it's not raining. Listening to my "Twilight" playlist and have tried to get a little shuteye. Enjoyed part of my PB bagel 'sandwich.'"

6:05a -- 

They are giving out muffins and coffee. Got the muffin [I don't drink coffee, really....] Employees gave out bands for the free goody bag, and there were about 20 or so more people in line. And a local high school band arrived. They started playing early. ** I wondered if they got paid, or at least got free food. **

At around 6:30, people stood up and "officially" got into line, which now stretched to Panera.  

The store opened on time, and the employees welcomed everyone inside, giving high fives.  I went to the bulk section.  It was very neat.  12 flavors of gummi bears? Yes, please.  I eventually made it to the outer aisles, where I found my favorite Annie Chun's seaweed snacks.  Buy one, get one free? Of course!  In all reality, I should have bought more (only bought 4, total).  

It was very crowded, but still fun.  And I swear I ended up in one of their pictures on Facebook.    :-). I'm looking forward to going back.  

Zombies Wear Prada

So I finally finished reading "Revenge Wears Prada."  It was nice.  You get all of your favorite characters, and Andy's in a good place: she gets married, has a baby, and a cool career.  What was surprising was *who* she has that career with.  The only thing I didn't really like was the "smash cuts"- one chapter, she's about ready to have a baby; in the next, the baby's already several weeks old.  I suppose the pacing would have been a lot slower had the author take us through every single important event. 

[SPOILER ALERT]

What I had a hard time with was "discerning" who the "Revenge" part was with.  It's not from who you would think.... at first....  I think it actually comes from a few different people, and it's more along the lines of betrayal. 

However, overall, it's a bittersweet yet satisfying ending.  I would love to see this as a movie, but I don't think it would happen.

***

I went to see "World War Z" on the day it opened.  You may remember one of my posts a few months ago about us fans of the book unsure of what the film would be like, to say the least. 

Here's my verdict: it wasn't that bad.  The worldwide feel that you get from the book's "interviews" is still here.  Brad Pitt's character goes around the world to places that haven't quite been extensively explored in other films: South Korea, Israel, and WHO headquarters.  There are some very cool action sequences involving an airplane, and Israel.  The zombies are fast.  Almost too fast.

How the zombies are finally conquered was quite an interesting twist that I wouldn't have foreseen.  (Yeah, I do need to reread the book.)

Book Find

So... "Revenge Wears Prada" comes out today; it's the sequel to "Devil Wears Prada."  I was just shopping in my area.  I found that Twilight-themed scrapbook paper that I'd previously only seen online, and a store near me got it in stock.

Later on I stopped at Target (more Twilight trading cards!) where I went to the books, and they had one copy of "Revenge." Signed.  Could not pass it up.

 

So now I'm thinking I'll have to get another copy to read, and Mom bursts that bubble, going "Just read it." 

Sigh.  

Until paperback.  

The Hope Bracelet

I finally made this bracelet about a week ago, having been in the planning stage for forever, it seemed like. I had been wanting a blue bracelet for a long time. The blue beads and charms I got from Hobby Lobby, and I still had clear beads left over from previous projects.

Those "gray" beads are actually supposed to be bluish, but they pick up colors from what's around them. I got those from Walmart; really happy with that choice. I've nicknamed them "blue jean beads."

This is a personal piece for me. What inspired this, in part, was a quote: "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly." (A proverb) I discovered this quote a few years ago when, well, let me just say, this was what I needed.

My History of Cooking

Apparently, when I was little, I could crack an egg with one hand.

That's what my mom tells me.

I suppose I got it from my grandmother.  Nan had a long history of cooking and baking.  She passed away when I was eight, and my memories associated with her are baking and being my only babysitter.  Years later, people would still remember things she made, such as a lemon chiffon cake.

The recipe that I most connect her with is Divinity.  Ah, the elusive Divinity.  See how it prowls across the barren landscape... Ok. It doesn't prowl.  But it is very elusive and temperamental. Made from mainly eggs whites, powdered sugar, and (traditionally) pecans.  We did walnuts.  You have to do this recipe exactly right.  Under the right conditions, or else it turns out like rubber cement.  It did, one out of the two times Mom and I made it.

When I was a little older, I would sometimes watch cooking shows with Mom on PBS on Saturdays.  Our favorites were the ones with Julia Child, especially the series with Jaques Pepin. (Those were the best ones.)

Several years ago, Mom found a box of Nan's recipes and took it upon herself to organize and type them up.  That was easier said than done.  Some were newspaper clippings, but most of them were in Nan's handwriting.  Furthermore, the recipes were often in shorthand and sometimes didn't have exact measurements, and Mom had to figure them out.  Mom collects recipes, and I have too, for a while.  Just look at my Pinterest board.

In getting me to try new foods as a toddler, Mom would hide her judgements/distaste of them.  It worked.  I loved sometimes-considered unconventional foods (shrimp pizza, anyone?).  I absolutely love Brussels Sprouts and cauliflower.  I am rather proud, and shocked, that I got her liking seaweed salad at the Japanese restaurant.

The Host

Today I took Mom with me to go see "The Host." I didn't really have any expectations for it. I wasn't all that interested in it until I saw the trailer. As you may remember, I slogged my way through the book.

But now I'd like to give it another try.

Because I liked this movie.

I had misgivings about Saorise as Melanie when I first heard about it, because she seemed a little young, but she's the right age for this role. Diane is really good as the seemingly nice Seeker, and she plays the villain well near the end.

The story wasn't too hard to follow, and the filmmakers handled Melanie and Wanderer's conversations well.

I guess the aliens really liked Ikea. And chrome cars. And white.

Aspects I really liked were the cave sets and desert scenery. The aliens, in their basic form, are actually really pretty. The special effects were decent, and the closing credits were pretty. (Well, they were.) The ending sets the stage for a sequel, which there may be; at least in novel form, for right now.  Mom liked it, too.

PS: tried the Raising Caine's restaurant today. Another pleasant surprise.

Breaking Dawn 2 Midnight Release

As I write this, it's been about a week that Breaking Dawn pt. 2 has been on DVD.  I went to the midnight release party at Walmart.  It was nice.  They gave us cake, and the freebie was a set of mini posters from the previous films. Very nice... One of the nicest promo gifts.  In fact, I tweeted it, mentioning Walmart, and someone replied back.  I had my Breaking Dawn shirt and accessories. Yes, I fan-girl hard.

(Hey, I like blue.  What can I say?)

They also showed behind-the-scenes segments from the DVD. 

Mom was with me, and she snagged another set of posters for me. (she bought an extra DVD!)  She thought I could use them in my scrapbook, but I think I'll frame them in a collage frame.  In fact, I have a bunch of posters that need frames badly.  Sigh.  

I watched the DVD the next evening, and of course, it was good. I also preordered the Target DVD (it came with a fabric poster, and bonus features), and it arrived a few days later. 

So.... will this be my last "Twilight" post?  Maybe not.  But let me close it out with this: 

Thanks to the actors, filmmakers, and especially Stephenie, for giving us the chance to dream about forever.

Oscars and the frosting in the Cake

Mom and I watched the Oscars Sunday night. Wasn't that invested in the nominees this year as I have been others.  Although, it did make me interested in a few of the films, like Argo and Silver Linings Playbook.  I was glad that Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar for Best Actress. Ben Affleck gave the sweetest acceptance speech that included a thank-you to his wife.  Awww...

Was glad to hear that the host isn't planning to host next year.  Good.

So.... One of the snacks I made was a "pre-packaged" whoopie pie, well, pies. It was a Pilsbury mix- make the cake, spoon onto the cookie sheet, bake, then frost and assemble.  They turned out pretty good.  Next time I think I'd use canned frosting instead.  It would be thicker.

Look What I Found

I was at Target the other day, and look what I found...

They come in packages of two, and the other notebook has the mockingjay logo on it.

I was also surprised to find these... and they were only 99 cents. :)

They only had them for New Moon and Eclipse (also found a couple packs from Hunger Games.)

And.... I got a nice deal on this from ebay...

If You Don't Read the Book...

Right now I'm reading "World War Z", a collection of fictional interviews with people after a worldwide zombie apocalypse. It's really good. So much so that I'd recommend it right now to a friend.

I've also got "Warm Bodies" lined up, ready to go. The trailer looks really cute. I know it's not going to be a "serious" zombie movie, and that's fine with me. Sort of like "Twilight" + "Walking Dead." (Speaking of WD, that's what's on the Netflix right now.)

(...I'm not really a zombie fan. But then again, I'm not really a vampire fan, either....)

Back to WWZ... I first saw the trailer sometime in the fall or so, and it looked pretty decent. Then I saw that it was a book, and I picked up said book about a week ago. However... The more I'm reading WWZ, the more I get the sinking feeling that the film isn't going to be like "Contagion."

Mom said it best: it'll be fine if you don't read the book first....

Happy New Year

Yes, I'm still here.  December was just a busy month in general.

(Wasn't that the most boring apocalypse ever?  Wonder if the ancient Mayans could be retroactively sued for... Uh, never mind. False advertising? Kidding.)

Seriously, I had a good Christmas.  It was quiet-- but very breezy.  Mom and I loved our tree; we finally dismantled it the other day.  We got a lot of usage from it.

I got some Twilight-related items, including the throw from Hot Topic with the trio.  Even the wrapping paper, strangely enough, had that "Twi" pattern.

Even though there won't be any more Twilight movies in the foreseeable future (who knows who'll try to reanimate it, ha ha. Get it?), there's a bunch of good stuff coming out this year.  First off... "Warm Bodies," which actually looks really funny. A seriously gentler, romanticized version of "Walking Dead." I know it looks like a Twilight rip off, but I don't care.  In May, we get the last Sookie Stackhouse novel ever. I'm curious to see how it ends, and looking forward to it.  And in November we get the sequel to Hunger Games: "Catching Fire."

A little bit of Twilight News... We're getting an extended version of Breaking Dawn pt. 1 in March!  Still no official news of BD2's DVD.  *Grrr*

I made those Energy Bites that have been floating around on Pinterest and the Internet.  They're actually pretty good.