My Own Private Multi-Media Review Club

First off  I just have to say that it really bugs me that I am so weak that I allow one person in three seconds to determine my day. Ugh. It can be to make the day better- or to make the day crappy- but it just annoys the heck out of me that I allow someone to have that kind of power over me. Must. Be. Stronger.

With that out of the way, I would like to talk about media. I mean I have opinions on today's media driven world and how we are selectively informed. But that's not what I mean. I want to do a movie/book review all in one. Buckle up:

Movies

Iron Man 3: Awesome. I went last week to the IMAX and saw it in 3D. I am not one who reads the comic books or follows the entire universe of Marvel Comics, so it didn't bother me like it did other people, that The Mandarin was not the same as the comics. I loved it. I loved the movie. I don't want to say too much because I know there are people who haven't seen it yet. But seriously- it was my favorite one so far.

Star Trek Into Darkness. Again, I went yesterday to the IMAX 3D to see it. It was good. Really good. But I think it was mostly because Benedict Cumberbatch and Simon Pegg are in it and well, I love my British boys. The storyline was good but again, die hard Trekkies might not like it. But you have to remember it isn't the same universe as the others. This is an alternate timeline and things aren't going to pan out the same way as before- otherwise it would all be remakes and that would just be silly.

Don Juan: The version with John Barrymore? Have you seen it? It's a silent film and I honestly never knew that silent films could be so emotionally distressing. I was so into that movie that I hardly noticed it was silent. Wow. Now that is acting.  I mean, I've seen dozens of silent films before, but none has ever stirred me like that one did.

Book and Movie

I recently finished reading The Help and immediately watched the movie. I wanted so badly to love them both, but it just didn't happen. I know the subject matter isn't a pleasant one, but I wanted it to end better.It just seemed like she was running out of paper and was in a hurry to finish the book. I wanted a happier resolution for the main characters. No... I wanted a better comeuppance for the villain. And you know the movie is never as good as the book. This one was much the same. Decent casting. Mostly ok screenplay adaptation. Fail on making me care enough about it to want to watch it again.

In the world there is only one book/movie combination that I love. And they are so incredibly different that I think that's why I can. I have a hard time choosing one over the other as to which is my favorite and that distinction belongs to Howl's Moving Castle. The movie based off the book is only a skiff of what the book really is and takes things in a whole different direction taking only small elements of the book. But it's still so awesome. And the book? ugh. I just love that book. I read it last year- the whole series- but I may have to read them again here soon.

Book

To be specific- Audio book. And this actually applies to several books, but I will point out a few.

I am a big fan of audio books as you most likely know. I rarely listen to the radio in my car (and therefore I don't know most hit songs and/or artists). I always have a book in my car that I am "reading." The biggest downside to audio books is having another person's interpretation of how the book should sound. The book I'm reading right now, Palace of Mirrors, is a cute enough book, fresh storyline and a few likable characters (I kind of want to punch the main character in the face). But I cringe every time I turn it on because the reader is soooo awful. Ugh. She's totally ruining the book for me. The book is clearly written for an English/Scottish/Irish accent and the girl reads it in a slow American accent. She tries to do different voices for the characters, as a good audio book reader should do, but one of the main princess characters she reads with a Southern Accent. It's so awful that if there is a second book, I will read if physically and not listen to it because she's just so bad.

Other books that have been ruined by the reader are:

• The Charlie Bone series. I didn't make it past the first book. The reader was horrible.
• Magic Kingdom for Sale Sold series. I had to stop in the middle of the third book because his voices for different characters just got so ridiculous that I couldn't handle it any more.
• Jacky Faber series (Sorry Amy, I know you love these, but her fake Cockney accent is so horrendous I can't take it- and yet I continue to listen to them)

Books that are so amazing on audio that I have a hard time reading them myself without hearing the reader's voice:

• Harry Potter. I am an audio Harry Potter missionary. Seriously. It's the best way to experience these books. If you have not heard Jim Dale read them, you HAVE to. Stop what you're doing right now and go get them from your library. I don't know about the Stephen Fry version (the British version) but seriously, there is no better reader in the world than Jim Dale.
• The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Best one I've listened to in a long, long time.
• Ella Enchanted. I don't know what it is about her voice, but I love this reader.
• The Looking Glass Wars series. Very interesting stories. Good reader.

I know there are a ton more, but my head seems to be stuck in the clouds right now. Stupid head. And I can't think of all the books I want to talk about. If you can suggest some super awesome audio books though, please do! I'm running out of things to listen to in my car and the library selection is limited unless I want to order something in- and I don't plan my life far enough in advance to do stuff like that. Organization? psh, please.