Saturday, January 27, 2018

Lovely Books and Things - 1.27.18

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

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Happy things:

1. Announcement of the Oscar 2018 film nominations. I am caught up and have seen the nine Best Picture picks. I plan to see at least 20 more on the nomination list.

2. iisuperwomanii instagram pics. This week featured Sailor Moon and her crew all portrayed by Lilly. Cute.


3. Greg Sestero and Tommy Wiseau (from film: The Room)

If a lot of people loved each other, the world would be a better place to live.
-what Tommy Wiseau would have said at the Golden Globe Awards 2018 per Entertainment Weekly


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For Review:

Happyland:
A Fairy Tale in Two Parts
by Tes Mekonnen
illustrated by Anthony Resto
-Fantasy
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads


The Snow Job:
The Great Game
by Jenni Ferchenko
-Contemporary, Russia
courtesy of Authoright -Thanks!
Amazon | Website


UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate


JANUARY Box includes:
theme: Fearsome Fairy Tales

-The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (OwlCrate edition)
-Letter and sticker from author
-Booklet with author Q&A
-Spireside Candles with OwlCrate designed ceramic burner
-Rapunzel themed bracelet from Authored Adornments
-Sleeping Beauty themed pillowcase from Stella's Bookish Art
-Little Red Riding Hood themed art print by Anne Lambelet

The Cruel Prince
(The Folk of the Air #1)
by Holly Black
-Fantasy, YA
Amazon | Goodreads

Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.



AND watched: in theatre

Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Screenplay: James Ivory
Based on book by: André Aciman
Starring: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg
-Drama, Romance, LTBTQ | imdb | my rating: 5
Oscar 2018 nominee

In Northern Italy in 1983, seventeen year-old Elio begins a relationship with visiting Oliver, his father's research assistant, with whom he bonds over his emerging sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the beguiling Italian landscape.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED this beautiful love story. The location, soundtrack and characters were perfect.


The Room (2003)
Director/Writer: Tommy Wiseau
Stars: Tommy Wiseau, Greg Sestero, Juliette Danielle |
-Drama | imdb | my rating: 3

Johnny is a successful banker who lives happily in a San Francisco townhouse with his fiancée, Lisa. One day, inexplicably, she gets bored with him and decides to seduce his best friend, Mark. From there, nothing will be the same again.

I went into this cold and wanted to watch it before watching The Disaster Artist. Within the first 30 minutes I was hesitant to continue. But kept on going to satisfy my curiosity. When I got to the end I was meh. But since then and since reading the book and watching the movie, The Disaster Artist, I GOT it. I got the appeal and essence of it to the point of setting a date to re-watch it at one of the late night audience interactive screenings.

The Disaster Artist (2017)
Director: James Franco
Screenplay: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Based on book by: Greg Sestero, Tom Bissell
Stars: James Franco, Dave Franco, Ari Graynor
-Biography, Comedy, Drama | imdb | my rating: 4
Oscar 2018 nominee

When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.

AFTER hearing James Franco plug this film, I knew I wanted to check it out. It does well in retelling the book version, but changed certain things and condensed things for film version purposes. There are lots of cameo appearances which were a hoot. I especially loved seeing both Greg and Tommy. Make sure to stick around for all of the end credits for special treats.


AND watched: on DVD

Retro Puppet Master (1999)
Director: David DeCoteau
Screenplay: Neal Marshall Stevens
Based on story by: Charles Band
Stars: Greg Sestero, Brigitta Dau, Stephen Blackehart
-Adventure, Fantasy, Horror | imdb | my rating: 3

In the late nineteenth century, an Ancient Egyptian sorcerer discovers the art of transferring the souls of the dead into inanimate objects.

WATCHED this for Greg who has lots of lovely face screen time. This is not a film I would normally watch but I was pleasantly surprised. It got me curious to try the rest of the puppet master series. The killer puppets were intriguing.

The Walking Dead (2016-17)
tv series, season 7
Creator: Frank Darabont
Based on graphic novel by: Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride
-Drama, Horror, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 5

Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins, and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.

PLAYING catch up with my favorite zombie survivors.

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

:-)
 
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