Les Miserables film review

              
                   (FYI - Even though I would have written this anyway, I am including it in my World Literature Assignment since I have to write a Movie Review).
WARNING: Spoilers

                On New Years Day, I went and saw the film based on the musical of Les Miserables(which, in turn, is based on Victor Hugo's amazing novel). While I have not had the opportunity to watch the musical(though I had listened to several of the songs), I had loved the book and the songs I'd heard, so I was definitely looking forward to seeing this rendition of one of my favorite stories.

            The story revolves around former convict Jean Valjean who was thrown into prison for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread and his subsequent escape attempts and watches as, after he is set free, as he tries to become a better, Godly man in the dark times of France. Along with Jean Valjean, Les Miserables follows an array of characters such as the prostitute Fantine, her daughter Cosette,  a band of revolutionary college students, and, most importantly, the poor and destitute of French society as they all try to survive and make better lives for themselves in a world that only cares about itself.

            I had been looking forward to this movie ever since I saw the first trailer back in early 2012 and it definitely did not disappoint! The film, from what I can tell, did wonderfully in translating the state musical into a larger set for a movie- the songs were really well done and the setting for them all looked realistic. The film really starts up well with Jean Valjean and the other convicts pulling a great ship in by ropes while singing the opening number which I really loved the sound of- the effects are amazing and I loved how well they had everything set up. The plot progresses nicely and while it didn't include everything from the book(which I didn't expect, it being based on the musical and the book being a whopper in length), I loved that they incorporated elements in the book that were left out of the musical into the movie, such as Enjolras's death scene. While in the musical, he is killed while waving the red banner of revolution on the barricade, in the novel he is shot in an upstairs room with Grantaire who had requested to be shot with him- I found the scene in the novel to be very poignant so I was very happy to see this change from the musical in the film.
                Since I wanted to be surprised, I didn't listen to all the songs from the musical, and I'm very glad I did- I was able to enjoy the songs I hadn't heard yet quite well(and I was impressed with the beauty of some of the songs) as well as enjoying the songs I'd already heard, especially "One Day More" and "Do You Hear the People Sing"(both versions). The large musical numbers were almost all amazing, especially the beautiful ending. They did it perfectly!; I loved how they handled the sadness, and relief, during Jean Valjean's death scene(as well as seeing Fantine and the bishop make appearances to guide Jean Valjean to heaven) as well as the happiness and joy of all the characters who have died in heaven singing on a gigantic barricade about climbing to the light. "Do You Hear The People Sing(reprise)" is one of my favorite numbers from the musical, so I was very happy to see how well they did it in the film(in fact, the ending had me nearly crying, which is a pretty great feat, since I don't cry that often while watching something).
         Another section I really enjoyed was the battle at the barricade and the scenes revolving around it. This part had been one of my favorite sections of the novel, and the despair and desperation, as well as the reckless bravery of the revolutionaries, is very well depicted and having seen the disgusting living conditions or the poor and destitute in the film, you want them to win in their endeavors even though it is obvious that they will be hopeless against the mighty French army.
            While I enjoyed the majority of this amazing film, there were definitely some things that didn't need to be shown. I of course understand the need to show the prostitutes and the gross scum who go down their to 'get some' since it highlights poor Fantine's descent and the lengths she went to take care of her daughter; however, there were things that were forced into the film in an attempt to be funny that really, truly didn't need to be there- I mean, did we really need to see the whole 'Guy dressed up as Santa with the Prostitute thing'. Seriously? You cut out really beautiful lines in some of my favorite songs(especially A Little Fall of Rain) and add THAT? Oh well, it was only a few scenes- the rest of the scenes did deserve to be in the film. And the Thenardier's were really hilarious, especially the whole "Colette' thing XD.

          While all the actors were amazing, Hugh Jackman really stole the show as Jean Valjean- I'd seen Hugh in X-Men as Wolverine and I already knew he was a good actor, but seeing him in the trailer, I was pretty sure he'd be able to pull off the role. And he did! He brought the character we all love from the novel to life splendidly and we really get a sense of his character's kindness and his struggle with his past. Since he did such a good job at making the audience fall in love with his character, you actually feel very sad when he dies, yet you are happy since he did live a good life and his one regret(not having been able to bring Cosette to Fantine in time) is reconciled in his soul and he is reunited with everyone who has died(as well as the bishop who made him a Godly man) in heaven. Even though Mr. Jackman is amazing in every scene he does, his best were the ending where his character dies, his scenes with Fantine(he had really good acting chemistry with Anne Hathaway), and his interactions with a young Cosette.
         Even though Hugh Jackman was my favorite part of the film, I also really enjoyed several other of the characters, especially that of Eponine who is one of my favorite characters in both the book and musical, was beautifully played by Samantha Banks. I'd already loved her as Eponine(having seen her do the role on stage in the 25th anniversary), but she did even better here. Samantha really grasped Eponine's sadness, strength, and bravery as she plays the character and we really feel bad for her and wish things could have been different for her. Her performance of Eponine's singing parts were amazing- she is a very talented singer and definitely my favorite female singer  in this movie. I only wish we could have seen more of her- she is an amazing character and Sam is very good, so I was sad when they cut some of her parts out. Though they did show her awesomeness in the little we do see her and for that I am grateful.
I was also impressed by the characters of Enjolras, Gavroche, Javert, and young Cosette. From the trailers, I didn't think Russel Crowe would do very good at Javert(since his singing didn't seem all that strong), but I was pleasantly surprised at how well he did the role. While he his performance isn't as good as Norm Lewis's, he definitely holds his own and did fantastically with his character's conflict/guilt(It was a nice touch having him place that ribbon of the revolution on Gavroche's dead body-very sad and reflective) and his suicide song; I loved how his solos of Stars and Javert's Soliloquy were mirror-like images of each other with him walking along the edge of a roof/wall.
           While I loved the little girl playing young Cosette, I wasn't too impressed with Amanda Seyfried who played Cosette as a young woman. While I do like Cosette as a character in the book and musical, I just didn't care too much for Amnda's performance. I'm not sure if it was the writing, directing, or what, but it really left something to be desired.
       Anne Hathaway was really good as Fantine and did "I Dreamed A Dream" the best that I've ever heard it. While not as obsessed as a lot of people are with her, I still really enjoyed her performance(especially her scenes with Jean Valjean) and I loved the beautiful, bloody gash she left on that assholes's face(I'm happy they followed the book in that scene as well) >:D.
               And Eddie Redmayne also surprised me as Marius. I didn't think he'd be that good, but he was wonderful as his character, especially in the song "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables" which I think really captured his talent.

         So, even though there were a few things that weren't needed, the film is definitely a masterpiece of filming, acting, and singing and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the book, the musical, or just musicals in general.
Just a word of warning- this is NOT a kid's, or family, movie so I wouldn't take little kids to go and see it(since they might be disturbed by certain scenes). However, if your at least fourteen/fifteen, and you've seen about the same level or inappropriate content, then you should be okay.
Now, I just have to involve myself in a production of this musical sometime and get the role of Eponine ;) :)
May the Force be with you..Always :)
Jedi Shena Tokala signing off.

My Christmas, New Years Resolutions, and this Year's reflections

So today is the last day of 2012. And believe it or not, this year has been quite amazing! :D I thought last year was awesome and this year definitely is equal to it :) (I'll go into that further below). 

So, before 2012 ends(which kind of stinks since 2012 looks so cool), I thought I'd do a post on my Christmas this year :) 

                              My first Christmas celebration took place at my Dad's sister's house. Since we were having a surprise birthday for my Paw Paw(he was born on the same day as my sister; this was also his first birthday party ever), we decided to have Christmas with my Dad's side of the family earlier then we normally do. We went to a nice restaurant for the surprise party  and I got to see several members of my Dad's family, including two of his cousins who I haven't seen in years(they are both really cool!). The above picture includes everything I got in my stocking(actually a little felt bag). In the bag there was - A pen, a flash light, another small lighter, Rubix cube, a cupcake shaped container(I forgot what's in there), and two chocolate Santa's.

                         As gifts, I got a hoodie, a pink scarf, a C3PO bobblehead, a Barnes and Noble gift card, another gift card, money, and lottery tickets(don't worry, I don't play the lottery).

  These pictures are NOT the original ones. I took pictures on Christmas but for some reason they were gone. So I had to re-take them :P.

                               I had Christmas with my family on Christmas day(of course); thankfully this year, I only had to work during the Christmas Eve service(Acolyte) instead of both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day like last year. I had a pretty good Christmas this year! :) In my stocking I got - The Hobbit, Childhood's End(a science fiction book that was recommended to me), Anakin Skywalker TCW action figure(new outfit), socks, an orange, head phones, a couple odds and ends, chocolate bars, one of which is Japanese (I had another one of those yellow bars- remember these are remakes)

                                  As gifts I received - Jedi Apprentice: Deceptions, Jedi Apprentice: The Followers, The Last of the Jedi: Dark Warning, Junior Jedi Knights: Kenobi's Blade, Young Jedi Knights: Shards of Alderaan, Young Jedi Knights: Diversity Alliance, Young Jedi Knights: Crisis on Crystal Reef, The Essential Reader's Guide, Star Wars Insider Magazine(with an article on Obi-Wan!), the first season of Merlin, Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 2 A Star Wars t-shirt, another navy blue shirt, and a blue plastic lightsaber for my Obi-Wan(TPM) cosplay for the Rebel Legion :). There was one more book which hasn't come in yet, but once it does, I'll have the entire Young Jedi Knights series :). My sister got The Avengers film and the lego games for LOTR and Harry Potter years 5-7; I played the LOTR one and it was pretty fun! :)

                                 As always, Christmas at my Nana and Grandpa's house was really fun! :D(my Mom's side of the family; this year we had an Asian food theme). One of my cousin's(the only one older than I am) wasn't here this year since he went on a cruise with his family, but we did do a Christmas play this year. And I have to say, it was pretty good! :) Oh, and it involved the director going on a cruise and a funny version of the Twelve Days of Christmas :D. I also made white chocolate fudge and brought it down- it turned out pretty good :).
In my stocking I got- Les Mierables(the novel, with a Star Wars bookmark in it), the Les Miserables soundtrack  some sort of hair gel, socks, chocolate, music-themed pen, hair things, chapstick, a ball of something for baths, and a fortune cookie(wrapper pictured).

                               For gifts, I received - Jedi Apprentice: The Only Witness, Jedi Apprentice: The Threat Within(my aunt said it hasn't come in yet but I'll get it when it does), and book themed pajamas. I now(technically) own the entire Jedi Apprentice series! Goal complete!! :D

 

          Now that Christmas is over, It's time to think towards 2013 and what I hope to accomplish :)
So, here are my New Years Resolutions
1: Get a role in a film/TV/theater production (one I hope for is the lead in the film of my book series*both of them*, Elphaba in Wicked, Abigail Williams in The Crucible, and Eponine or Cosette in Les Mierables)
2: Have my re-write of book one edited by the editor and sent to the publisher(and maybe get published); also start editing the rest of the series(DAUNTING....)
3: Study for my ACT
4: Get several more belts in Taekwondo(I'll be testing in January! :D I should have tested back in July or August but I missed them both since I was gone). I also want to do some tournaments and improve on some of my kicks.
5: Work on bettering myself and getting rid of my OCD habits.
6: Finish Angel, Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Merlin; also start Firefly, Robin Hood, Lost, Star Trek, Battlestar Gallactica, and several animes.
7: Read many, many books :) Especially several classics and the newest Gatekeepers book! :D
8: Go see Attack of the Clones 3D, Revenge of the Sith 3D, The Hobbit part 2, Thor 2, Iron 3, and other movies :). I also want to rent The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider Man, and Man of Steel(once it comes out on DVD).
9: Meet some of my online friends(some of them again) :)

Now, 2012.
This was definitely a wonderful year- I got to have the time of my life at Celebration VI, meet several of my online friends, I became closer to many of my online friends through messages/emails/comments, I finished my re-write and now I just have to finish the second read-through, I got to meet Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Lanter, Tom Cane, and Drew Karpyshyn(I got to have conversations with DBB and ML- they were both so sweet and nice :D; I also met Ashley Eckstein), I finished Buffy the Vampire Slayer(amazing show), I started Once Upon A Time, I've gotten better at acting/writing/singing, and I started Taekwondo :D
My only regret is that I haven't done any big acting thing :( Hopefully I can do that this year! :D

So, onto 2013!!!! :D :D I hope you all have a good year!! :D
Love you all :D And May the Force be with you...Always :)
Jedi Shena Tokala signing out 

Books of 2012

I've done this the last two years, so I'm going to continue it :) 



How many books read in 2011I only read about a hundred this year...again. (embarrassed) . 

How many fiction and non fiction?
Mostly fiction, though I did read some non fiction for school


Male/Female author ratio?
About the same. 


Favorite book of 2011?
     I didn't read anything super-de-duper amazing this year, but I still read quite a few amazing books this year. Here they are- :) (not in order) 
The Taking - I listened to this with my Dad on a trip to see his parents and I loved it!(he'd already read it). It was so creepy, and science fiction-y, and epic with great characters. I loved Molly :) :) 
The Crucible - One of the best plays I have ever read. The beautiful language sucked me in and part way through I already knew I wanted to portray Abigail Williams in a theatrical production sometime. 
Darth Plagueis - Such a good Star Wars novel! Definitely one of Luceno's best! I loved learning more about the Sith, Plagueis and Palpatine, and the Force. A wonderful read! 
Last of the Jedi books - I finished the series this year and I loved it- SO good and sad! Perfect ending! :D <3 span="span">
The Son of Neptune/The Mark of Athena - I really enjoyed the next two books in the Heroes of Olympus series(A whole lot more than the first one) and while it isn't as good as the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, it is definitely getting good. 
Rebel Angels/The Sweet Far  Thing - While I liked A Great and Terrible Beauty, I found these two novels to be even better. I loved the characterization of the main four girls and the boy characters(YAY for good characters who aren't stereotypes!!) 
The Sound and The Fury - Definitely one of the best of the classics I've read. William Faulkner is a very depthful author and writes characters very well. I'm very honored to have my writing compared to his. 
Leviathan/Behemoth/Goliath - An amazing trilogy!! :D I loved both the girl and boy character(very strong and well done; they felt like real people) as well as the plot. I definitely recommend them :) 
Bloody Jack 
Witch and Wizard trilogy(well, the second and third book anyway; I read the first last year) 
Unwind 
Citizen of the Galaxy
I, Robot 



Least favorite?
Maximum Ride: Nevermore was the worst- SO disappointing, definitely the worst ending to a series ever.  The Snowball Effect was pretty bad and boring- the characters were annoying and bland and most of the plot was just blah 
Enclave just didn't impress me- I also didn't like the fact that Deuce was sort of attracted to a r@pist.  Divergent was very disappointing, I was hoping for much better.
The Amber Spyglass  was also a let down- the first  two were so good! 

Newest?
The Mark of Athena

Longest and shortest book titles? 
The Cold War: A History in Documents is the longest. Unwind is the shortest. 

Longest and shortest books?
Hmmm, the longest would probably be one of the Gemma Doyle books or Goliath. The shortest would be one of the books for school or The Modern Magi. 

How many books from the library?
Most were from the library 


Any translated books?
The Ramayana, Fruits Basket Manga, The Endless Steppe, and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl 

Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author?
Jude Watson I suppose. 


Any re-reads?
No 

Favorite character of the year?
Deryn Sharp, Prince Aleksandar of Hohenberg(Alek), Gemma Doyle, Kartik, Ferus Olin, Trever Flume,  Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Quentin Compson, Jacky Faber, Molly(The Taking), Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Palpatine, and Plagueis

Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?
Scotland, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, the former Ottoman Empire, Japan, Russia, England, India, and other fantasy worlds. 

Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation?
The Leviathan trilogy and Unwind 



Which author was new to you in 2011 that you now want to read the entire works of?
Scott Westerfeld(I've already read his Uglies series and Leviathan trilogy), Libba Bray, William Faulkner, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur Miller

Which books are you annoyed you didn't read?
The rest of the Star Wars books I have not yet read, some of the classics, and other novels

Did you read any books you have always been meaning to read?
The Amber Spyglass, the rest of the Last of the Jedi books, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, The Son of Neptune, The Taking, Bloody Jack, and I, Robot

What books are you planning to read in 2012? 
A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Children of Hurin, the rest of the Star Wars books I need to read, and several science fiction/fantasy novels :) 

My Summer Vacation Day 12

Sorry for not writing about my vacation in so long- I had a weird thing going on regarding pictures, but I think it has been fixed now. Also, since I am nearly done with it(after this, I only have to write about one more big event and a few other small things; so basically, one post). 

On this day, we went to the park of Magic Kingdom. It was a cloudy, rain-filled day like all the ones before it, but I'd have to say, it was probably the least-worse. 

                       I remember quite a lot from my last visit, but for some reason, I forgot that you get to ride a train to Magic Kingdom. I thought it was a pretty cool idea, especially for the little kids looking forward to visiting.

                                   Magic Kingdom would have to be my second favorite park after Epcot- I love the rides and it's fun getting the different character's autographs.
                        There are several sections to Magic Kingdom and while we didn't get to everything we wanted to do, we did manage to visit each section and do something in each one.

                                   Everything in this area was decorated up with orange for Halloween

                                                               Cinderella's Castle

                                              Me in front of the Castle. I really wanted to touch the rock of the walls but, if I remember correctly, it was impossible to reach them(unless you did some weird climbing).

                                          Me pulling the sword in the stone out. I am KING ARTHUR! XD

                                After taking some pictures, we quickly got fast passes, and began riding rides. The first one we rode was Prince Charming's carousel(or something like that), which is basically a Merry Go Round. (I think the above picture is cool).

                                       After we rode the Merry Go Round, we went to the Winnie the Pooh ride. The stuff you can look at while waiting to get on the ride is really cute. The ride, while kiddy was nice(especially considering the fact that I love Winnie the Pooh).

   
                                                         Heffalumps and Woosels!! :D

                                           After the Pooh ride, we did the Peter Pan one. It was kind of similar, though I did like the Captain Hook and the crocodile XD.

                           "It's a Small World After All"; this was a ride I remember from when I was little.

                                 The Mad Hatter Tea Party ride. My sister and I really like rides like this and we always want to spin the cup(or whatever it is) as fast as possible. Of course, we couldn't go as fast this time since our brother was riding with us. :P Though, we did got pretty fast.

                                           The Dumbo ride. My sister and I liked being up in the air so we kept our part in the air pretty much the entire time.

                              My sister isn't partial to roller coasters(she wants to ride them but she gets motion sick), but she did go ride the Barnstormer with me(which I remember riding last time). Even though it wasn't as big as other coasters I've ridden, it was still pretty fun and fast. 

                         We kept getting into line for Merida(from Brave) but it kept raining and whenever we got to the beginning of the line, they'd close it. We got frustrated and left. Around this time we went and had lunch at a nearby restaurant(Star Cafe, I think it was called) and I got a hamburger with a gluten free bun. The bun was surprisingly good, and I wish I could have another one like it. 

                                We went to Tomorrow land and did several things and went on several rides. We went on the Carousel of Progress which was pretty neat- it showed a family in different stages of technological age - it was really cool to see how people lived back then.

                Another thing I did was ride the in the dark roller coaster "Space Mountain." It was a really cool ride and the lighting inside was totally sci-fi and epic(it gave me an idea for a movie)!! :D However, at the end, I was reading signs and I forgot what the first one said, so I went back through the crowds and down the moving strip(I forget what it's called) However, one of the security guys told me I couldn't go back, so I explained why I was doing it and he told me what the first sign said. Annoyingly, the guy followed me the entire freaking way out of the ride. -_-. Was that really necessary? 

           We also did the Lilo and Stitch ride and while I had fun on it, I was in a bit of a bad mood so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. 

                             The Buzz Lightyear Ride. Like Toy Story Mania, I wasn't too fond of this ride either.

                                    After waiting several times in line, we finally were able to go in to see Merida. The girl dressed up as her played the role well and I thought it was funny when she got onto her bear-formed brothers.

                                                 My brother and sister did this car race while I rode Space Mountain.

                                          After we finished with Tomorrow Land we went to where the princesses were doing autographs. From the signs, it looked like we'd only get to see one but we were happy to see that there were three(Cinderella, Belle, and Rapunzel). Before us in line to see Cinderella was this little boy and it was so hilarious to see how they were interacting- the woman playing Cinderella was very nice to him XD.
As a child, Cinderella was my favorite Disney Princess and even though she isn't my top favorite anymore, I still really like her.                                      

                                      Belle!!!!! :D I've always loved Belle; she was a cool girl who wanted adventure, loved to read, and cared more about how a person was than how they looked which reminds me of me a little. And watching OUAT has only made me love her even more(she's wonderful on that show). 

The woman dressed up as Belle was really good in the part- one thing that I got really excited about was that she asked what kind of books we liked to read(I told her Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and she said she liked Sleeping Beauty). It was quite funny since I'd been having the conversation in my head BEFORE it happened, which is something I like to do. 

                                         The three of us getting autographs and a picture with Rapunzel.

                                           
                                                 After getting our autographs, we quickly looked went through the Swiss Family Robinson tree house and rode the Magic Carpet Ride(below).

                        Since Ariel from The Little Mermaid is my sister's favorite Disney Princess, we had to go over and get in line. We barely did so, before they shut it for the day. It was sweltering while we were in line, so I was glad for the shade. When we finally got to see Ariel and Eric, my sister said what she'd been planning on saying to them, which was basically that Ariel was still her favorite and that she'd said that when she was little(the woman dressed up as Ariel thought that it was sweet). She also told Eric that he was her favorite prince since he had a personality, unlike the other ones(he thanked her for it and Ariel said he was her favorite too). They were both very nice :)

                                     After seeing Ariel, we went on a boat tour and the guide made it seem like we could die on the trek down the river; she also made several jokes, most of which were funny.

                                             After that we rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride- it was nice to see our Pirate friend Captain Jack Sparrow again :)

                                        Since we'd gotten one the last time, my sister and I got chocolate covered, Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream- it was very delicious; I wish I could eat Ice Cream more, it's my favorite dessert. When I was done, my Dad took my sister and I to the Haunted Mansion ride. It was pretty funny and nicely creepy(I was one of the few that didn't scream when the lights went off and a voice started talking). 

                 When we were done, we met up with my Mom and brother and together we headed to the Hall of Presidents. It was such a cool place, with several paintings of past Presidents on the walls and different objects that once belonged to a few of them. There was soon a show, however, so we definitely went in there and watched it.

              Being a History buff, I absolutely loved the show- it was so cool seeing how the US has progressed over the years. My favorite part, however, was when they had ALL the Presidents on the stage. A reader would announce the name and, one by one, they would nod. Every so often, a President would get a round of applause, especially the more recent ones(we definitely clapped for our favorites, such as FDR, Carter, Truman, Clinton, Obama, Ford, Kennedy, and Eisenhower). :D Then, a figure of President Obama came up and gave a speech which had me really excited!! :D

                                   Painting of Former President Jimmy Carter. It was really cool seeing him in a picture since I'd recently met him. :D :D :D :D

                                  On our way back, we stopped by Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen and got their autographs. The two of them were very nice and we talked for awhile. The film takes place in New Orleans so they were all excited about that and we talked about what my sister and I had liked about the city(and the food of course). It was also neat since the woman dressed up as Tiana knew about a place in her state and was saying that she'd(her character) had thought about opening a restaurant there. I really liked the two of them :D.

                              Since I was tired after a long day, as were my parents and brother, we wanted to leave. However, my sister wanted to stay and see the show, so we had to wait until it was over. After seeing Fantasmic, this one wasn't as cool, I kind of fazed out while watching it. 

I had a wonderful time at Magic Kingdom, even with the drama, and I hope to visit again someday.

One more post and I'll be done with my vacation log :D

Thank you for reading and May the Force be with you. :)

Jedi Shena Tokala signing out.