Through the Looking Glass trailer

I tried reading this. I really, truly tried. I guess I just didn’t like Lewis Carroll’s style for me to not be able to finish the book. I’d just watch the Tim Burton adaptation instead.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children movie trailer

It’s perfect that Tim Burton picked up this project because of his penchant for unconventional plots and characters. Notably missing from this Ransom Riggs adaptation, however, is what happened to Jacob’s family even before he met the Peculiars (who look exactly like the photographs in the book). I guess the film doesn’t want to start with that sad tale anyway. I wonder if Eva Green will ever be casted for a ‘normal’ role. Haha.

Me Before You review (novel)

I saw the trailer go viral a few weeks back on my FB feed even before I picked up this book last week. It was a reverse comparison then of me thinking of Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin’s faces when I was reading this. Let me post the trailer first before I share my thoughts.

 

As far as the trailer goes, it’s pretty faithful to the text. The lines are almost verbatim, and Clarke and Claflin seem perfect as these two would-be lovers in a doomed mess. Yes, you read that right. The book might as well have been titled “Love Does Not Conquer All” lest you want the trailer to lead you to high hopes of romantic success. Sorry to spoil anyone reading this entry at this point so turn away if you must. Strong emotional reactions from a friend and from the writer under me who wrote an entertainment story about this already revealed to me the plot twist. The trailer made me weep twice, and armed with my knowledge of what will happen in this friggin book, I gathered the courage to read it knowing it’s not gonna be a happy ending.

I still cried a bit.

The romantic part of me was in anguish and frustrated. There are matters that love cannot fix (especially a depressed human mind). Love can be a balm, but daily physical and complicated pain in an invalid’s life can sometimes be unmendable…Will Traynor is always close to death every time there is a medical complication on how his body cannot deal with its injuries. By now, you will get what I mean, so I’d have to see if they stick to the book’s ending in this film. I’ll be both glad and sad if they do.

Now, for a bit of feedback on the protagonist, Louisa Clark. Lou is quirky, which is cute and acceptable. I truly do get the girl-living-an-ordinary-sheltered-life aspect, but yes, maybe her intellectual blandness did need the juxtaposition to Will’s daredevil history for our female lead to come out of her shell and see that the world is a big playground. At 26, she was forced by circumstances to see the world and to actually seek a stable job. So yeah, yeah, it’s a reality that other people influence or inspire us to be greater beings. I guess it’s true, though, how Lou, like middle-class women like me, would actually settle for stable and okay jobs for a time to get finances going before actually taking a leap and dare to follow a dream. I can imagine Will scoffing at this thought because he was a man of privilege where he could do whatever he wants, travel to places on a whim, ya know, rich guy things. Money can be a catalyst to settling or succeeding on an economic level.

Lou did make the most of all her earnings. She even learned how to manage her time properly and even wildly because a clock was ticking. Maybe some women will turn out like her in her shoes. How do you live the remaining time to save the one you love?

Will’s situation is very tricky. There are moral and ethical issues at stake, and I dare not discuss his decisions as a quadriplegic and what people in this state go through lest I become insensitive.

Read the book or watch the movie. This bestseller makes sense and it will push you to make a stand. The most neutral way is to be emphatic. It’s up to you on its moral and ethical bearings.

 

History of Magic in North America trailer

 

I’ve forgotten my Pottermore log in details, but I’ll try again. Are you prepared to know about the magical secrets of North America? 🙂

 

The Game of Thrones S6 trailer

 

First reactions: Looks like Jon Snow’s really dead, Cersei and Jaime Lannister are hooking up/teaming up, from Khalessi the queen to Khalessi the slave, Melisandre is using her sexuality again for something (why does she keep on sexing up people), and my favorite, Ser Davos Seaworth, also known as the Onion Knight, adorably closes the clip. Wait, was that a White Walker that Bran faced?

The Martian

 

If you need a modern-day example of human versus Nature, will-to-live story yet sci-fi exciting, then this is perfect. Adapted from the novel of Andy Weir of the same title, it tells the story of astronaut and botanist Mark Watney and his goal to survive in the Red Planet after being left and thought of as dead by his Ares III crew when they had to abort the mission. Most people, upon realizing they’ve been stranded on an island, hell, an alien planet, would cave in and give up. Not Mark Watney.

I’m gonna have to science the shit outta this planet. – Mark Watney on Mars

I’m not nerdy enough to explain Watney’s scientific calculations and plans, but it’s as simple as this: he needed to find a way to prolong his food rations until the next NASA Mars mission. The catch? That mission will happen in four Earth years while his food can only last him 300 sols or Mars solar days. What did he do? He’s a botanist so he literally crapped a solution in the next few weeks. Why? Human manure + martian soil + leftover potatoes = produce. The tricky part was finding a way to produce water, but with his scientific experiments, it finally worked. With one problem solved and 99 to go, Watney kept on thinking and testing and using himself as a guinea pig to find a way to prolong his life sol by sol. All odds were mostly against him, but his big heart, his tough soul, and his brilliant human mind tested its limits to exhaust all scientific possibilities with a huge amount of wishing and hoping.

I started the film wondering how he’ll get out of this almost impossible situation. I ended up crying with relief and jubilation, cheering Matt Damon on in this very challenging role. I searched for Neil de Grasse Tyson’s tweets if he had anything to say about this movie like in “Interstellar,” but I didn’t. I found, however, an article on Astronomy.com that lauded Scott Ridley for his dedication to scientific detail and intensive research on everything NASA.

“We want to make the film as much science fact as science fiction.” – Executive Producer Mark Huffam

NASA.gov, on the other hand, cited nine technologies that do exist in real life and can be seen as variations or iterations of truth in “The Martian.” Super duper cool.

Damon was funny, brilliant, humble, and relatable. I haven’t seen the other actors in the award-nominated movies yet, but he does seem like a great winner for a 2016 Golden Globe for this. He made Mark Watney an admirable and inspiring soul that even kids should watch to learn how to persevere in desperate situations without going insane (or almost). I don’t recall the character ever really panicky, because there’s always a quiet resignation if an experiment fails. His frustration passes, and he soldiers on. There aren’t over-the-top theatrics because Mark Watney felt real, the way the film “The Martian” made scientific exploration real.

I really like this movie. I should go grab a copy of the book.

P.S.

I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut but I suck at Math and Science. Oh well.