The Invention of Lying (Movie Review) TBR on October 2, 2009

Rating: 5/5!!!

Age R: pg-13

Release Date: October 2, 2009 (Friday!)

Synopsis:
In an alternate reality, lying -- even the concept of a lie -- does not even exist. Everyone -- from politicians to advertisers to the man and woman on the street -- speaks the truth and nothing but the truth with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards. In a world where every word is assumed to be the absolute truth, Mark easily lies his way to fame and fortune.

Thoughts:
Hilarious. I haven't laughed this much with any other movies this year. This movie is just friggin' ingenious. WATCH IT!
I only watched the teaser trailer (I hate watching clips because it ruins the movie for me) so I did not expect the heavy emphasis on religion. Gosh there was this one particular moment that was just TOO funny. I had to try really hard not to laugh because even after people stopped laughing, a minute or so later, I was still laughing. Basically, if you're really religious and just don't appreciate/like jokes about religion. This is not your movie. I'm sorry.
I love Ricky Gervais the creator of THE OFFICE!!!!! How could I not watch this? How could I not watch it knowing it was set in a parallel universe where no one can lie? How can I not watch it when actors I love (Ricky Gervais, Edward Norton, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Jennifer Garner) come out in it? If you find yourself asking those same questions then you'll love this movie. You will especially love it if you like the kind of humor in The Office, Arrested Development, The Informant and basically all other comedies with smart jokes not ridiculous jokes. I get that ridiculous jokes are super funny sometimes but there are other kinds of comedy out there folks.
There were times when the movie got kind of boring but very few times. Overall you'll love it. Trust me, it's worth a watch. It's just so dang creative and funny, do I have to say anything else?!

Quote/s:
On an advertisement at the side of a bus:

"Pepsi. When they don't have Coke"

It's sad but it's true!

Outside of a church:

"Where you can come think about the man in the sky"

I can't remember the exact words for that but it's something like that. Again if this offends you, this is not your movie. Sorry.

Sweetness:
Check out Ricky Gervais's site, it's obviously funny. :)

Soundtrack:
I can't find the soundtrack but I loved it! I'll update when I find it.

Update (I'll keep updating):

Sitting by Cat Stevens (Elvis Costello cover)
Catch the Wind by Donovan (sounds like Bob Dylan but is not)
Mr. Blue Sky by ELO


Trailer:



YOU WILL ENJOY WATCHING THIS MOVIE IF YOU LIKE/ARE INTERESTED IN:
-Ricky Gervais
-Arrested Development
-The Informant
-Extract
-The Office

Folks rave about The Invention of Lying:

"Ricky Gervais does comedy like no one else!"
"'The Invention of Lying' is one of the most original comedies this year."
Gerrad Hall / Reelz Channel

"Ricky Gervais proves his genius once again!"
"Laugh out loud funny!"
Rashan-Rashan Lindsay / Made In Hollywood

"'The Invention of Lying' is very funny!"
"Jennifer Garner is charming."
Josh Horowitz / MTV News

"Ricky Gervais at his best."
Mitch English / "The Daily Buzz"

"Ricky Gervais creates another brilliant comedy."
"An outstanding cast of comedians make this film one of the most unique comedies of the year."
Jim Ferguson / ABC-TV

"Wickedly funny!"
"A comedy with lots of heart!"
Mose Persico / CTV, Montreal

"'The Invention of Lying' is original and very funny!"
"Ricky Gervais is hilarious!"
"Ricky Gervais leads a top-notch cast in this clever film."
Suzanne Ellis / CityNews.ca

"Very, very funny!"
"Ricky Gervais is hysterical!"
"Pure enjoyment from start to finish!"
Steve Gow / The Movie Network

"Hilarious!"
"Ricky Gervais is brilliant!"
Taylor Kaye / Astral Radio

"Ricky Gervais is a comedy genius."
Brian McKechnie / CityNews.ca

"Ricky Gervais is at the top of his form - again!"
"A classic tale of 'no good deed goes unpunished'!"
"A romantic comedy with a twist."
"'The Invention of Lying' is the most imaginative comedy of the season!"
Richard Crouse / Canada AM

"You'll love 'The Invention of Lying!'"
Planet Maurie / 999 Virgin Radio

"You'll love Ricky Gervais!"
Danielle McGimsie / eTalk Daily

"Thought provoking and funny."
James Rocchi / MSN.com


Are you convinced yet? You know you are ;)

Song: Eet by Regina Spektor

Yes another lovely RS song :)

Song: Blue Lips by Regina Spektor

blue the color of our planet from far, far away

Love those lines.

I also love these:

He stumbled into faith and thought,
"God, this is all there is?"

Man I LOVE this song the most off her new album. It's just so dang incredible.

Dandy Books

Dandy Books is a meme I began about books that are on my TBR list. They are mostly older books not necessarily from the current year. Hopefully I can make your list bigger! mwahahaha :D Just kidding. Well, a little bit :) Totally just copied and pasted that from the last Dandy Book ;)

Summer, sweltering, 1996. A book warehouse in western Massachusetts. A man at the beginning of his adult life -- and the end of his career rope -- becomes involved with a woman, a language, and a great lie that will define his future. Most auspiciously of all, he runs across Itsik Malpesh, a ninetysomething Russian immigrant who claims to be the last Yiddish poet in America. When a set of accounting ledgers in which Malpesh has written his memoirs surfaces -- twenty-two volumes brimming with adventure, drama, deception, passion, and wit -- the young man is compelled to translate them, telling Malpesh's story as his own life unfolds, and bringing together two paths that coincide in shocking and unexpected ways.

Moving from revolutionary Russia to New York's Depression-era Lower East Side to millennium's-end Baltimore with drama, adventure, and boisterous, feisty charm to spare, the unpeeling of this friendship is a story of the entire twentieth century. For fans of Nicole Krauss, Nathan Englander, Richard Powers, Amy Bloom, and Lore Segal, this book will amaze at every turn: narrated by two poets (one who doesn't know he is and one who doesn't know he isn't), it is a wise and warm look at the constant surprises and ineluctable ravages of time. It's a book about religion, love, and typesetting -- how one passion can be used to goad and thwart the other -- and most of all, about how faith in the power of words can survive even the death of a language.

A novel of faith lost and hope found in translation, Songs for the Butcher's Daughter is at once an immigrant's epic saga, a love story for the ages, a Yiddish-inflected laughing-through-tears tour of world history forJews and Gentiles alike, and a testament to Manseau's ambitious genius.

Genova gives us a hauntingly accurate portrayal of a young woman's descent into Alzheimer's Disease from the prime of life and the loftiest of cerebral heights.
"I live for the capital; that's a fact, isn't it? And the best I can do with this fact is to like the situation. To believe it's meaningful. Otherwise I can't believe it's meaningful to die for." Thus blusters Dorrit Weger, the narrator of Ninni Holmqvist's savagely dystopian debut novel. At the age of 50, childless and her family "scattered to the winds like a dandelion clock," Dorrit has been shuttled from her cluttered farmhouse on the coast of Sweden to a pristine research facility, which operates, as one friend puts it, like "a free-range pig farm." There, in a sprawling complex -- topped by a transparent atrium, open to the passing clouds and the drumbeat of the rain -- human beings are tested, dissected, and eventually killed, their organs donated to needy residents in the "community" outside the unit gates.

The stories in this remarkable collection—including “An Anxious Man,” winner of the National Short Story Prize (UK)—are vibrant and gripping. James Lasdun’s great gift is his unfailing psychological instinct for the vertiginous moments when the essence of a life discloses itself. With forensic skill he exposes his characters’ hidden desires and fears, drawing back the folds of their familiar self-delusions, their images of themselves, their habits and routines, to reveal their interior lives with brilliant clarity.

In sharply evoked settings that range from the wilds of Northern Greece to the beaches of

Cape Cod, these intensely dramatic tales chart the metamorphoses of their characters as they fall prey to the full range of human passions. They rise to unexpected heights of decency or stumble into comic or tragic folly. They throw themselves open to lust, longing, and paranoia—always recognizably mirrors of our own conflicted selves.

As James Wood has written, “James Lasdun seems to be one of the secret gardens of English writing . . . When we read him we know what language is for again.” This collection of haunting, richly humane pieces is further proof of the powers of an enormously inventive writer.

Find any of these interesting? Have you read any of them?

Poetry-Jonas Hyde

Hello folks! Ever heard of Jonas Hyde? Well if you haven't and if you like poetry you should check out his stuff at http://jonashyde.com
It's pretty darn cool.
You may remember how I like poetry all kinds not just old classics.

My favorite is of Hyde's is "Dream"
here it is:

Dream
by Jonas Hyde

Twas a dream I had of you,
which gave me hope and life anew
so place your head ‘pon the pillow,
and know I think,
on this night,
this evenfall,
of dreams you cannot deny,
for I speak to you in your sleep,
whilst my soul longs and weeps,
for you to let me in one more time,
to let me in e’ermore,
my muse,
my love,
you consume me,
make my solitude feel not so lonely,
make my anguish as fleeting,
as the moments that pass,
betwixt damnation and the edge of your starlight,
which illuminates my twilight,
but I can have you ne’ermore,
not by choice,
nor by plan,
but by cause of fear,
and pain born long ago,
so know my love,
as I dream into fore’er,
an eternity I want to sleep,
for I want not to rouse,
until I can wake,
with you.

:)

As you can tell from that awesome site (I love that right sphere with all the links to poems and such) Hyde has written classical poetry, narrative poetry, and even epic poetry (I love epics by the way, especially Beowulf and NO not that stupid movie...if you could call it that).

Song: La même historie/ We're All in the Dance by Feist

In My Mailbox

Thanks to Kristi and Alea for IMM :)

This week I didn't get any books but a few weeks ago I got Penelope and completely forgot to put it on IMM. It was on sale at Half Price Book Store. I got it for a dollar! :)

Penelope Wilhern has everything a girl could want: A wealthy, socialite family, an enchanted bedroom and some of the coolest clothes around. There is only one problem: She was born into a cursed family and has the face of a pig.

Hidden away from the world, Penelope now finds herself subjected to a string of snobby, blue-blooded bachelors in a desperate attempt to find her a husband in order to break the curse. Though she yearns for something greater, what’s a girl to do when faced with a determined mother and her matchmaking sidekick? Hoping to snap a photo of the mysterious girl, mischievous tabloid reporter Lemon hires down-on-his-luck Max to pose as a prospective suitor and infiltrate the family. But when Max finds himself truly drawn to Penelope, he can’t bring himself to expose and disappoint her, so he just disappears. Fed up with this latest betrayal and determined to live life on her own terms, Penelope decides to break free from her family and go out into the world in search of adventure. Hiding her true identity with a scarf, Penelope discovers a wondrous world where freedom opens her eyes to possibilities she never knew existed. Making new friends along the way, she discovers happiness in the most unexpected places.

Non-Books:

I got these adorable tights at Wet Seal. :)
I won these freakin' ADORABLE heels (in black) over at Viva Fashion Blog. You should check that site out it's soo cool and has tons of fashion-y awesomeness. I especially love the notices on sales. Just sayin' haha :) I am actually wearing mine right now. Gosh I love them so much I don't ever want to take them off :D If you want to buy them yourself you can go to Franco Sarto (links to actual shoes) and get them for $95 bucks. They have them in grey and purple. They're suede by the way in case you can't tell. I love 'em!

I just had to buy this movie so my dad can see it. It's SO funny and I love anything of Stanley Kubrick's. :)
I adore this necklace!! I just got it in the mail Saturday. Three days after ordering it on iamsnizzle's etsy. Ya'll better check out her site! She is so nice and sells really cute stuff that's not overpriced. I love it all! :D She shipped super quickly and even included some really cute goodies with my necklace. Gosh I don't want to take it off ever. I'm wearing it now. It's kinda big with I freakin' love. She currently has another bee necklace available so if you love it (you better! hehe kidding...a little) you can buy it. It's $7.00 plus $2.50 s/h if it's being shipped to the U.S if not then there are other prices just check and see :)

This week was pretty awesome I must say. I GOT MY LICENSE!!! on Tuesday (totally failed the parallel parking part because I was too nervous even though I know how to parallel park! I'm sooo good at parking thankyouverymuch) then got those shoes then that adorable necklace then those other things. Totally had something to make my week extra special ;) Hope ya'll's was awesome too :D That definitely is not a word...

If you want leave a link to your IMM's or just let me know what you got this past week and/or how your week was :)

Song: Starting Now by Ingrid Michaelson

Love it! Love her music a bunch :D

Whip It (TBR on October 2, 2009) -Movie Review

Release Date: October 2, 2009 (next Friday! woot!)

Rating: 4.5/5

Age R: PG-13

Director: DREW BARRYMORE!!!!!!!

Synopsis:
Tired of being pushed into beauty pageants by her parents, Texas teen Bliss finds herself after joining a female roller derby team.

Based on the novel, Derby Girl, by Shauna Cross (also screenwriter for the movie).

Thoughts:
You want to watch it. You know you do. :)
I thankfully got the chance to watch this movie yesterday at a screening. I'm so happy I did!
It was good. It was REALLY good. Mostly it was super fun though. It brought pretty much nothing new to the table (somewhat typical storyline) but it was very, very fun and quite hilarious at times. Go watch it, it's worth the ride.
The acting was really good and this pool scene (part of it is on the trailer) was AMAZING! Well done Drew Barrymore, well done! :D Those were definitely my favorite things about this movie.
For the most part this movie is exciting but it did had it's sad moments. There was this one scene that made me SO sad. I got really pissed off with the protagonist, Bliss. tsk tsk
Anywho, this movie makes you so excited and has you cheering on for the Derby girls. By the end it seriously makes you want to join a Derby team. I live in Houston, Texas (the movie is set in TEXAS!!!) and there's actually a Derby team here. I'm so very tempted to try out but I think I'd get eaten alive. Seriously. Those chicks are so dang tough. I'm definitely gonna be a fan that's for sure. Ya'll should do the same in your city ;) If there's not a Derby team then start one!
WATCH IT!!! Then tell me what you think afterward :D

YOU WILL ENJOY THIS MOVIE IF YOU LIKE/ARE INTERESTED IN:
-the following list of actors/actresses
-comedy
-Drew Barrymore (her directoral debut people!)


Check out the awesome cast and their "fake" names. So funny!

• Ellen Page as Bliss Cavendar
• Marcia Gay Harden as Bliss's mother
• Daniel Stern as Bliss's father
• Kristen Wiig as Malice in Wonderland
• Alia Shawkat as Pash
• Landon Pigg as Oliver
• Juliette Lewis as Iron Maven
• Drew Barrymore as Smashly Simpson
• Eve as Rosa Sparks
• Zoё Bell as Bloody Holly
• Ari Graynor as Eva Destruction,
• Andrew Wilson as Coach, Bliss's Coach.
• Jimmy Fallon as the Master of Ceremonies.
• Har Mar Superstar as Coach Jeff.
• Austin Bickel as Riley, Malice in Wonderland's son.
• Eulala Grace Scheel as Bliss's younger sister.^[6]

Got that off Wikipedia ;) Yahoo's list was hard to deal with hehehe

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WATCH WHIP IT TOMORROW BEFORE IT HITS THEATERS ON OCTOBER 2?

Go here and buy your tickets:
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/whipit/sneaks/

you get a free Whip It t-shirt by the way!!!

Song: Won't Go Home Without You by Maroon 5

Love this song. It's sad though :(

Dream Thursday: House on Fire and English Teacher

For more Dream Thursdays check out the menu bar at the top of the blog posts mouse over "Awesomeness" then on the drop down menu that appears, click on "Dream Thursday" :) DT's is a weekly meme I do on Thursdays, sometimes I don't because I haven't had any dreams I can remember.

Yeah this one was crazy odd:

I had a dream that I was inside my house when all of a sudden it caught fire somehow. I don't really know it all happened, just that it did. I somehow ended up atop the roof of some building right outside my house (there's not such building there in real life). The roof was flat and made out of concrete. I am so curious as to know what the fudge brownies I was doing up there. Unfortunately I can't remember.
A while later I heard people calling my name so I looked down then saw my distressed looking mom, dad, and a few others. I guess they were all worried I died in the fire or something. Apparently I wasn't supposed to be up there especially for however long I was there for.
Later on me and one of my friends, Daisy, were in a classroom where our senior English teacher was talking to us. I was laying down on the floor eating something and at some point I spilled stuff all over his floor. I remember feeling really clumsy and asking my friend to help me because I was stuck somehow. Maybe I got food stuck on my face or something. I don't know either way I was having trouble moving my face.

Boring but that's all I remember.

So any interesting dreams lately?

Song: Ojala Pudiera Borrarte by Maná

Translation:

"Wish I Could Erase You"

i wish that i could erase you
from my life forever
so i don't see you again
and i wish i could erase you from the nights
and the days, so i don't see you again
and i wish you'd fade from my dreams,
from my life, so i don't see you again
no, not even in dreams.

how can i erase your life's kisses?
they are tattooed on my skin
i want to immediately forget you
and to erase you from my being
i wish the rain would drown me in its arms
so i don't think of you
or that a miracle will happen,
or something
that will bring me back to you

i wish that i could erase you forever
from my life
so i don't see you again
and i wish i could erase you from the nights
and the days, so i don't see you again
and i wish you'd fade from my dreams,
and that i could cry no more.
and i wish the rain would drown me in its arms
so i don't see you again.
no, not even in dreams...
dreams...
dreams...

I found the translation through google, I'm too lazy to translated it myself hehe but it's all correct. :) Sad huh?

Author Interview with Lee Bantle author of David Inside Out and GIVEAWAY!!

Here we go....

How did you come up with the idea for David Inside Out? What inspired you?

1. David Inside Out is a novel about a teenage boy who discovers that his romantic and sexual feelings are for other boys. While this happened to me, I came of age at a time when gays and lesbians were not open or accepted. My idea for the book was to explore this subject in the contemporary world. Gay/Straight Alliances have been formed in many high schools. Will & Grace plays often on television. The LGBT community is vibrant. So, it’s a different world. Yet, for many, the internal struggle still exists. This book focuses on how one boy got through his struggle.

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

2. I always liked to write and majored in journalism in college. But then I went on to law school. It wasn’t until I was grown and practicing law that I decided I wanted something more from life. I was thumbing through a New School course catalogue when I saw an evening class on writing for children. That intrigued me so I took the course. Then I started going to writing workshops. The more I worked at it, the more I enjoyed being creative. And after lots of rejections, Simon & Schuster bought my first novel, Diving for the Moon. I have been writing ever since (along with still practicing law – because children’s authors don’t make much money.)

What constantly makes you smile?

3. White water rafting trips. Cocktail parties. Good reviews (but only if they’re honest). Having the jury come in with a verdict for my client. Searing fresh scallops from the farmer’s market and eating them right out of the skilletpan.

Know a good joke? :)

4. This joke comes from the novel I am now at work on: The Memoirs of Odell P. Livingston, Grade 6 about a biracial boy in the Age of Obama. It is sixth grade humor (which always works for me):

Odell: Why did the chicken cross the road?

Jimmy: I don’t know. Why?

Odell: For a Chinese newspaper. Do you get it?

Jimmy: No.

Odell: Neither do I. I get the Daily News.

Do you read much? What's the last thing you read? What's your favorite book?

5. When I was a kid, I used to go to the library once a week, check out ten books, read them all, and then get 10 more. Back in the day. The last thing I read is After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson. Touching and haunting with great characters. Other books that I have loved this year are The Absolutely True Dairy of a Part Time Indian, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Out of the Pocket. A list of my favorite books (and lots of other stuff) is on my website: leebantle.com.

Are you also a TV addict? If so what are some of your favorite TV shows?

6. I do enjoy TV. But I am like a four-year-old child who wants to read the same picture book over and over. I watch the same shows again and again, particularly Will & Grace and Sex and the City. I can say the lines before the actors do – but they still make me laugh. As for current shows, I like 30 Rock and anything with a lefty political spin (Daily Show, Bill Maher, Keith Olbermann). Also old movies on TCM.

Is there anything else you'd like to say (about your book or anything at all)?

7. My writing advice Top Seven for aspiring authors:

7. Make sure every sentence sets the scene, reveals character or advances the plot.

6. Find the humor. Everyone wants to laugh – even in a tragic story.

5. Be diligent. Writing something good is lots of work. Push yourself.

4. Have garlic and sausage pizza on hand at all times.

3. Create scenes. Write dialogue. Don’t tell us what happened. Show us.

2. Revise, revise, revise. Get some feedback. Then pick yourself up off the floor and revise some more.

1. Find your voice. All it takes is being real. Even when that means writing about the most personal things, the thoughts and feelings you think only you have had. You’ll be amazed how many people you touch.

Thanks so much for answering my questions! I especially loved the The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Will & Grace answer. I LOVE that book and that show. I'm in love with Jack. I kid you not. He's just so great and funny! He can be kinda cruel sometimes but it's okay because deep down inside he's full of awesomeness. :)

Giveaway!!

Okay now in order to win yourself a copy of David Inside Out follow these rules:

-comment with your thoughts on the Q&A +1 (must do this in order to be entered!)
-if you leave a comment on my review of the book +2
-old follower +3
-new follower +2

Deadline: October 5 midnight central

It would be really helpful if you left me a way to contact you in case you're the winner. If you don't then you better remember to come back on October 6 or 7 to see if you won.

Good luck! :)

David Inside Out by Lee Bantle

Rating: 3.8/5

Age R: 15+/Rated-R for sexual situations

Release Date: May 2009

Synopsis:
David Dahlgren, a high-school senior, finds solace in running with the track team; he’s a fast runner, and he enjoys the camaraderie. But team events become a source of tension when he develops a crush on one of his teammates, Sean. Scared to admit his feelings, David does everything he can to suppress them: he dates a girl, keeps his distance from his best friend who has become openly gay, and snaps a rubber band on his wrist every time he has “inappropriate” urges. Before long, Sean expresses the thoughts David has been trying to hide, and everything changes for the better. Or so it seems. In this thoughtful yet searing coming-of-age novel, Lee Bantle offers a raw, honest, and incredibly compelling account of a teenager who learns to accept himself for who he is.

Thoughts:
I really liked this book, I thought the main character was interesting and I liked him. At times I felt extremely sad for him because of the things he had to go through. Other times I wanted to yell at him and say "Why are you doing that?! You know this will only lead to heartbreak!" or something along those lines. Sigh. He's human though so of course he will do something stupid. Everyone does. This is the main reason why I liked him so much, he wasn't your average cookie cutter protagonist.
I don't know about you, but I did not like Kick and Sean. They were a-holes. Sean was way more of a butthead than Kick though. Those characters remind me that some people deserve a big kick in the face. I'd tell you why I feel that way but I don't want to give away spoilers. Sorry. You're not supposed to love them or anything so it's not something awful.
I didn't completely love this book because it was so short. I understand that the length may not matter at times but for this book it did because the story could have been so much better with more details. I didn't get to find out as much as I wanted to about David. Everything seemed to happen quickly and not necessarily in a good way. Then it just ended. I wanted more! Some of the characters just didn't seem that real to me which kind of irked me. If I had known more about them it most likely would have helped, especially with the protagonist.
For it's few flaws I still really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it especially to those who would not mind that things that I didn't particularly like. Go read! :D Before that though read those quotes. The last one is my absolute favorite.

Quote/s:

"We didn't say anything for a long time, but that's what made it special. Just Mon and me, side by side, listening to a few chirping birds and watching the world go by."

"1. Do not look at male bodies! Especially ------'s. Practice mind control. Think of Halle Berry instead.
I opened the drawer, found a fat rubber band, and put it on my wrist. Then I snapped it. That would do the trick.
2. No more solo sex. Unless you think about girls.
3. Hang out more with real men. Like -------. Bonus points if ------'s dad takes you fishing again.
4. Fall in love with a girl."


"Hormones are ruining my life."

"Did you ever want to be a woodchuck pawing away at the cold, crumbling earth, burying yourself for a long, long sleep? Disappearing so no one could see you or touch you or hurt you?"

YOU WILL ENJOY READING THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE/ARE INTERESTED IN:
-homosexuality
-coming out
-humor
-sad stories
-short reads
-Lee Bantle (also author of Diving for the Moon)

Interested in the book? Buy it here (Amazon) or your local bookstore.

Be sure to come back in an hour to read the Q&A and Giveaway with the author, Lee Bantle
:0 <--that's you gasping

Dandy Books

Dandy Books is a meme I began about books that are on my TBR list. They are mostly older books not necessarily from the current year. Hopefully I can make your list bigger! mwahahaha :D Just kidding. Well, a little bit :)

Here's the list for this week:

The candy became an obsession between two outcasts—one who only wanted to fit in, the other who knew she never would.
Urban legends, rumors, lies, myths, mysteries, fairy tales. Stories, in all their magical forms, bound them together.
“Satin Chocolate–Covered–Chicken Bones,” “Astro Pop,” “Fun Dip,” “Thrills.” The candy stories—outrageous, twisted, hysterical— were an escape from a harsh reality and revealed a startling truth.

Darkly lyrical, sensual, suspenseful, and disturbing, The Candy Darlings is a celebration of friendship, story, and the power of each to help you define yourself—or simply survive.

RD: September 2006
The World According to Garp is a comic and compassionate coming-of-age novel that established John Irving as one of the most imaginative writers of his generation. A worldwide bestseller since its publication in 1978, Irving's classic is filled with stories inside stories about the life and times of T. S. Garp, novelist and bastard son of Jenny Fields—a feminist leader ahead of her time. Beyond that, The World According to Garp virtually defies synopsis.

RD: April 1978
At Mt. Douglas (a.k.a. Mt. Drug) High, all the girls have feathered hair, and the sweet scent of Love's Baby Soft can't hide the musk of raw teenage anger, apathy, and desire. Sara Shaw is a girl full of fever and longing, a girl looking for something risky, something real. Her only possible salvation comes in the willowy form of the mysterious Justine, the outlaw girl in the torn skirt. The search for Justine will lead Sara on a daring odyssey into an underworld of hookers and johns, junkies and thieves, runaway girls and skater boys, and, ultimately, into a violent tragedy.

RD: August 2008
In this rich new novel by the beloved bestselling author of "Talk Before Sleep" and "The Pull of the Moon," a reunion between two sisters and their mother reveals secrets and complexities in the lives of the women in a family. Ginny Young is on a plane, going to visit the mother she hasn't seen or spoken to for thirty-five years. She thinks back to the summer of 1958, when she was twelve years old and a series of dramatic events divided her family, separating her and her sister from their mother, seemingly forever. Moving back and forth in time between the girl she once was and the woman she's become, Ginny confronts painful choices in a woman's life—even as surprising secrets are revealed about the family she thought she understood.

RD: May 1999

From the acclaimed author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans, a moving new novel that subtly reimagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love.

As a child, Kathy-now thirty-one years old-lived at Hailsham, a private school in the scenic English countryside where the children were sheltered from the outside world, brought up to believe that they were special and that their well-being was crucial not only for themselves but for the society they would eventually enter. Kathy had long ago put this idyllic past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham friends come back into her life, she stops resisting the pull of memory.

And so, as her friendship with Ruth is rekindled, and as the feelings that long ago fueled her adolescent crush on Tommy begin to deepen into love, Kathy recalls their years at Hailsham. She describes happy scenes of boys and girls growing up together, unperturbed-even comforted-by their isolation. But she describes other scenes as well: of discord and misunderstanding that hint at a dark secret behind Hailsham’s nurturing facade. With the dawning clarity of hindsight, the three friends are compelled to face the truth about their childhood-and about their lives now.

A tale of deceptive simplicity, Never Let Me Go slowly reveals an extraordinary emotional depth and resonance-and takes its place among Kazuo Ishiguro’s finest work.

RD: March 2006

If you've read any of these, what did you think? If not, which ones are you interested in?

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac Movie

Did you guys know there was gonna be a movie adaptation of Gabrielle Zevin's Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac? I did not know this! I just found out that Anton Yelchin is going to be in it woot!! I can't wait! I'm a huge fan of his ever since Alpha Dog then Charlie Bartlett then Star Trek. I should really watch more of his stuff hehe

Release date: Sometime in 2009

supposedly anyway IMDB changes all the time so who knows *shrugs*

Myrtle Beach Resorts

Oh gosh I could really go to a resort right about now!! I talked about this before and it seems like I will for a while. Besides, I'm bored and procrastinating.

If I lived in South Carolina or anywhere near there I'd go to Myrtle Beach. They have some resorts there called Myrtle Beach Resort and it just looks amazing! That's definitely where I'd like to go if I were on vacation. Aren't there some chocolate turtles called Myrtle? I dunno but sounds familiar. I could really go for some chocolate right now. I bet they have some at those Myrtle Beach Resorts hehe The Myrtle Beach Hotels are right by the seaside and it just looks absolutely lovely. I want to go now!!! And I bet it's not scorching hot like it is here in Texas :( I miss the wind, it's becoming a myth to me. Winter you are so far away!!!

Don't you just want to dive in? Either the ocean or those cute pools hehe

Well homework is calling so ciao! Man I love to spell ciao it's so fun! hehehe

Song: Uprising by Muse and the making of Uprising

Awesome video and song!

Had to post this up since the Letter Garden loves it a bunch too haha :)



so hilarious! I LOVE Muse woot! :)

Extract (Movie Review)

Rating: 3.7/5

Age R: Rated-R for language, sexual references and some drug use.

Release Date: September 4 (limited)

Synopsis:
Joel is one step away from selling his flavor extract factory and retiring to easy street when a freak workplace accident sets in motion a series of disasters that put his business and personal life in jeopardy.

Thoughts:
Not as awesome as Office Space. I liked it, I really did but I was really hoping for it to be funnier. It wasn't. It did have it's moments that for sure, especially that ending. Gosh the ending!! Kinda sad but oh so hilarious.
What was especially funny about this movie were the extremes the main guy goes to in order to make his boring life better. It's hilarious what his best friend (played by Ben Affleck) thinks up. As you can tell from the trailer (below) every time his wife has put on her sweatpants, it means he gets no sex. He's unhappy. New hot girl at work gets him interested in her and hey maybe he can sleep with her but there's just no way he can cheat on his wife right? Trust me there's more to this story but I really don't want to give anything away. It's not predictable though so that's good.
This movie is definitely worth a watch especially if you're a fan of Jason Bateman, Mike Judge, Office Space (more stuff below). I would suggest you at least rent it. I wouldn't really recommend paying that much for it to watch it in theaters (theater tickets are expensive man!).

Trailer:



YOU WILL ENJOY WATCHING THIS MOVIE IF YOU LIKE/ARE INTERESTED IN:
-comedy
-a HILARIOUS (albeit a bit sad) ending
-Mike Judge
-Office Space--the comedy style is similar
-Arrested Development--ditto
-The Informant (Movie)--ditto. My review.
-Jason Bateman (I wuv him! And I love Arrested Development and really hope the movie comes out!)

Song: Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1(Overture)

I LOVE their new album!!! Can't wait to see them October 14 iiiiiiii!!! hehe

In My Mailbox

Thanks to Kristi and Alea for IMM. :)

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s revengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two– the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander–survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

The fateful tale of Selene and Alexander is brought brilliantly to life in Cleopatra’s Daughter. Recounted in Selene’s youthful and engaging voice, it introduces a compelling cast of historical characters: Octavia, the emperor Octavian’s kind and compassionate sister, abandoned by Marc Antony for Cleopatra; Livia, Octavian's bitter and jealous wife; Marcellus, Octavian’s handsome, flirtatious nephew and heir apparent; Tiberius, Livia’s sardonic son and Marcellus’s great rival for power; and Juba, Octavian’s watchful aide, whose honored position at court has far-reaching effects on the lives of the young Egyptian royals.

Selene’s narrative is animated by the concerns of a young girl in any time and place–the possibility of finding love, the pullof friendship and family, and the pursuit of her unique interests and talents. While coping with the loss of both her family and her ancestral kingdom, Selene must find a path around the dangers of a foreign land. Her accounts of life in Rome are filled with historical details that vividly capture both the glories and horrors of the times. She dines with the empire’s most illustrious poets and politicians, witnesses the creation of the Pantheon, and navigates the colorful, crowded marketplaces of the city where Roman-style justice is meted out with merciless authority.

Based on meticulous research, Cleopatra’s Daughter is a fascinating portrait of imperial Rome and of the people and events of this glorious and most tumultuous period in human history. Emerging from the shadows of the past, Selene, a young woman of irresistible charm and preternatural intelligence, will capture your heart.

Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee (Signed!!)

Dredging up the past can knock the present right off balance.

The world expects perfection from seventeen-year-old Shawna Gallagher, and for the most part, that’s what they get. She dates the right boys, gets good grades, and follows her father’s every rule. But when her estranged lesbian mother dies, it’s more than perfect Shawna can take. Suddenly, anger from being abandoned ten years ago is resurfacing along with Shawna’s embarrassment over her mother’s other family. As she confronts family secrets and questions from the past, Shawna realizes there’s a difference between doing the perfect thing and doing the right thing.

Shawna’s honest and relatable voice will draw readers in and hold them until the last page in this coming-of-age story. Jeannine Garsee has delivered a compulsively readable second novel, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson.

I won Say the Word over at Jeannine Garsee's blog. I LOVED it when I read it and it's now one of my favorite books. :) Check out what I thought about it.

Non-Books:

I bought that lovely necklace from BellaLili's etsy. I LOVE it!!! Other than it being my favorite color it's just so adorable and just awesome! :) Check out her etsy there's just no way you won't like something. ;)

Take care folks and be sure to let me know what you got this past week! If nothing (if I weren't a shopaholic I would almost always never get anything) then tell me something awesome in your week! :D

Giveaway Winners!

For the Jewelry Giveaway:

There were 27 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Juju from Tales of Whimsy<------ CONGRATS JUJU!!!!
   
2. Wrighty
3. Wrighty
4. Mrs. Magoo
5. Mrs. Magoo
6. ShootingStarsMag
7. Mrs. Magoo
8. Liz
9. The Tote Trove
10. Mrs. Magoo

For the James Patterson giveaway:

There were 135 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Linna <------CONGTRATS!!
2. Kate <-----CONGRATS!!
   
3. Dani. <----CONGRATS!! NEW WINNER!!!
   
4. ...MY NAME IS ELENI AND I AM A BOOKAHOLIC...
5. heatherzilla
6. Froggy
7. Mary Ann DeBorde
8. Erika
9. Sushi
10. Perla

CONGRATS Juju, Linna, and Kate! I shall be emailing you in a jiffy. :)

Edit:
The other new winner is Dani since Kate already won elsewhere and is being kind enough to offer it to someone else :D Thanks Kate!! :)

WWYCOA: New York, I Love You (Trailer)

WWYCOA: Why won't you come out already-meme featuring movies I can't wait for!



I LOVE Anton Yelchin, Ethan Hawke, and Natalie Portman so I definitely can't wait. I also ADORED Paris, Je T'aime :) Look out for my review of that movie a post below this one :)

To be released October 16, 2009!!!!!

The song on the trailer is Phoenix's 1901. I LOVE them, especially Lisztomania :)

Paris, Je T'aime/ Paris, I Love You (Movie Review)

Foreign Film (France)

Rating: 5/5 ADORED IT! :)

Age R: pretty much for all ages but it's Rated-R for language and limited drug use. There's also this scene where a couple is making out, some might find that pg-13-ish

Release Date: 2006 in France and 2007 in the U.S

Directors:
Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gerard Depardieu, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Nobuhiro Suwa, Alexander Payne, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles and Gus Van Sant.

Synopsis:
The whole movie is composed of 21 different pieces of stories. They're all directed by different people and are super awesome! Some more than others. I'll talk more about that under "thoughts."

• Montmartre (XVIIIe arrondissement) — by French writer-director Bruno Podalydès. A man (played by Podalydès himself) parks his car on a Montmartre street and muses about how the women passing by his car all seem to be "taken". Then a woman passerby (Florence Muller) faints near his car, and he comes to her aid.

• Quais de Seine (Ve arrondissement) — made by the husband-and-wife team of American screenwriter Paul Mayeda Berges and Indian-British director Gurinder Chadha. A young man (Cyril Descours), hanging out with two friends who taunt all women who walk by, strikes up a friendship with a young Muslim woman (Leïla Bekhti).

• Le Marais (IVe arrondissement) — by American writer-director Gus Van Sant. A young male customer (Gaspard Ulliel) finds himself attracted to a young printshop worker (Elias McConnell) and tries to explain that he believes the man to be his soulmate, not realizing an important fact. Marianne Faithfull also appears briefly in the film.

• Tuileries (Ier arrondissement) — by American writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen. A comic film in which an American tourist (Steve Buscemi) waiting at the Tuileries station becomes involved in the conflict between a young couple (Axel Kiener and Julie Bataille) after he breaks the cardinal rule of avoiding eye contact with people on the Paris Metro.

• Loin du 16e (XVIe arrondissement; literally: "far from the 16th") — by Brazilian writer-directors Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas. A young woman (Catalina Sandino Moreno) sings a Spanish lullaby ("Qué Linda Manito") to her baby before leaving it in a daycare. She then takes an extremely long commute to the home of her wealthy employer (whose face is not seen).
  

• Porte de Choisy (XIIIe arrondissement) — directed by Australian director Christopher Doyle and written by Doyle with Gabrielle Keng and Kathy Li. A comic film in which a beauty products salesman (Barbet Schroeder) makes a call on a Chinatown salon run by a woman (Li Xin) who proves to be a tough customer.

• Bastille (XIIe arrondissement) — by Spanish writer-director Isabel Coixet. Prepared to leave his marriage (Leonor Watling), a man (Sergio Castellitto) speaks to his wife (Miranda Richardson)
  

• Place des Victoires (IIe arrondissement) — by Japanese writer-director Nobuhiro Suwa. A mother (Juliette Binoche), grieving over the death of her little boy (Martin Combes), is comforted by a magical cowboy (Willem Dafoe) <--loved him on The Boondock Saints my favorite movie!!!

• Tour Eiffel (VIIe arrondissement) — written and directed by French animator Sylvain Chomet. A boy tells how his parents, both mime artists (Paul Putner and Yolande Moreau), meet in prison and fall in love.

• Parc Monceau (XVIIe arrondissement) — by Mexican writer-director Alfonso Cuarón. An older man (Nick Nolte) and younger woman (Ludivine Sagnier) meet for an arrangement that a third person ('Gaspard'), who is close to the woman, may not approve of. The film was shot in a single continuous shot. When the characters walk by a video store, several posters of movies by the other directors of Paris, je t'aime are visible in the window.

• Quartier des Enfants Rouges (IIIe arrondissement) — by French writer-director Olivier Assayas. An American actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal) procures some exceptionally strong hashish from a dealer (Lionel Dray).
  

• Place des fêtes (XIXe arrondissement) — by South African writer-director Oliver Schmitz. A Nigerian man (Seydou Boro) is in the Place des fêtes. He asks a woman who comes up to him (Aïssa Maïga) for a cup of coffee.
  

• Pigalle (IXe arrondissement) — by American writer-director Richard LaGravenese. An aging couple (Bob Hoskins and Fanny Ardant) act out a fantasy argument for a prostitute in order to keep the spark in their relationship.

• Quartier de la Madeleine (VIIIe arrondissement) — by Canadian writer-director Vincenzo Natali. A young backpacker tourist (Elijah Wood) encounters a vampiress (Olga Kurylenko).

• Père-Lachaise (XXe arrondissement) — by American writer-director Wes Craven. While visiting Père Lachaise Cemetery, a young woman (Emily Mortimer) and her fiancé (Rufus Sewell) are on their honeymoon, they have an argument and Oscar Wilde plays a part here hehe (Alexander Payne).

• Faubourg Saint-Denis (Xe arrondissement) — by German writer-director Tom Tykwer. About a blind man (Melchior Beslon) who makes a mistake dealing with his girlfriend, a struggling actress (Natalie Portman), this causes him to think back on their relationship.

• Quartier Latin (VIe arrondissement) — written by American actress Gena Rowlands, directed by French actor Gérard Depardieu and French director Frédéric Auburtin. A separated couple (Ben Gazzara and Rowlands) meet at a bar (run by Depardieu) for a drink before something happens. I won't tell you what.
  

• 14e arrondissement (XIVe arrondissement) — written and directed by Alexander Payne. Carol (Margo Martindale), a letter carrier from Denver, Colorado on her first European holiday, recites in rough French what she loves about Paris.

I got those from wikipedia I changed them as much as I could without spoiling it for you like they do.

Thoughts:

Tour Eiffel is my absolute favorite! I love it so much!! You'll fall in love with the adorable bespectacled boy with the too big backpack speaking about how his mime parents met and fell in love. The story is heartwarming and will leave you smiling for quite a while.

Montmartre This one is quite funny but I didn't love it too much.

Quais de Seine This one is quite cute. The clumsy girl (thinks these crude guys are a-holes for good reason) and the cute nice guy (friend of the dork crude guys) meet.

Le Marais A really cute guy (hehe) speaks to another who he finds interesting and attractive (he is) about love and soulmates but there's a little problem. So awesome the ending though!

Tuileries SO FUNNY!! Really sad too though.

Loin du 16e Gosh this one is heartwarming too and sad. I have got to memorize that song though which won't be too hard since I'm fluent in Spanish hehe

Porte de Choisy This one was pretty amusing but I didn't love it too much.

Bastille Tsk tsk to the man and awww for the end.

Place des Victoires Loved this one too!! And gosh SO sad. I was seriously about to cry at some point.

Parc Monceau This one was nice but eh...

Quartier des Enfants Rouges Entertaining I suppose but not much happens. Not as much as I would like anyway.

Place des fêtes Another favorite!! So sad and incredibly lovely! :)

Pigalle Interesting very interesting. People should try this. Maybe not in the same way but smart idea hehe

Quartier de la Madeleine Oh gosh!! The way this one was directed and the special effects...wow! Loved it!! Kinda funny too hehehe

Père-Lachaise This one's a cute one.

Faubourg Saint-Denis This one was really good!! I'm a huge Natalie Portman fan so maybe I'm being biased. No, no I'm not, it really was good. :)

Quartier Latin Made me sad. :(

14e arrondissement Gosh I wanted to cry and be her best friend even if I'm younger than her and that does not usually happen for some ridiculous reason!

Sorry I can't tell you more but I really don't want to give too much away.

Trailer:


Soundtrack:

1.	La Même Histoire (03:39) Composed by Elizabeth Anaïs / Christophe Montieux, performed by Leslie Feist
2.	Les Lumières De Paris (01:31) Composed by Pierre Adenot
3.	Gogol (02:02) Composed by Jason Beck, performed by Gogol
4.	Run To The Mosque / Resolution (02:22) Composed and performed by Craig Pruess
5.	Que Linda Manito (01:00) Anonymous composer, performed by Catalina Sandino Moreno
6.	Interlude (00:20) Composed by Pierre Adenot
7.	French Kiss (01:26) Composed by Pierre Adenot
8.	Un Éléphant Me Regarde (02:22) Composed and performed by Antoine
9.	Paris S'éveille (00:44) Composed by Pierre Adenot
10.	Katoucha (03:38) Composed and performed by Seydou Boro
11.	Bob Et Fanny (01:16) Composed by Pierre Adenot
12.	Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye (03:04) Composed by John D. Loudermilk, performed by The Casino's
13.	La Vampire (06:14) Composed by Michael Andrews, performed by the Paris Studio Land Orchestra
14.	Caravane (01:56) Composed by Pierre Adenot
15.	Les Fantômes d'Oscar Wilde (03:48) Composed by Pierre Adenot
16.	True (04:34) Composed and performed by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil
17.	Love's A Bitch (02:10) Composed by Pierre Adenot
18.	Carol (05:43) Composed by Pierre Adenot
19.	Paris, Je T'aime (03:43) Composed by Elizabeth Anaïs / Pierre Adenot, performed by Elizabeth Anaïs
20.	We're All In The Dance (03:39) Composed by Elizabeth Anaïs / Christophe Montieux, performed by Leslie Feist
21.	Le Tourbillon (05:21) Bonus track: composed by Serge Rezvani, performed by Miranda Richardson

I love the soundtrack it's super lovely and I can't stop listening to it haha :) I love Feist especially since she's one of my favorite artists!!

YOU WILL ENJOY THIS MOVIE IF YOU LIKE/ARE INTERESTED IN:
-Paris
-love stories
-sad stories
-awesomeness!!!!
-loveliness
-New York, I Love You (to be released in the U.S October 16, 2009 look for the trailer here in an hour) It's an upcoming movie from the same producers as Paris, Je T'aime :) Can't wait!!!!
-any of those actors and/or directors

TRUST ME, YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS MOVIE! :)

You're welcome.

Yes I just said that.

You will love it.

I'm telling you.

Ok go watch it! Right now! If you have Netflix you can watch it there online or buy it on ebay, borrow it from a friend, run/fly to the nearest movie rental place. But please watch it! :)