One Word: Beautiful

I have seen the 2012 adaptation of one of my favorite musicals, Les Misérables (which is based on the book by Victor Hugo), and the one word I would choose to describe it as, is beautiful.  I know, "beautiful" may not be the word that comes to mind for some people when they think of this film, if they have seen it.  It's very gritty, and is a painful reminder of the darker side of life.  The story of Les Misérables lifts the veil on the harsh reality of the have-nots.  That's why it's named Les Misérables; it tells the story of the miserable.  

This film was so emotionally intense I felt stressed after having seen it.  The emotions the actors and actresses displayed were so powerful and felt so real, it had an emotionally draining effect upon the audience.  I really liked the look and style of this film.  I felt as if I were watching the theatrical musical on screen.  I also felt as if I had gone back in time, as if I were really in Paris.  There was quite a lot of atmosphere, and there was definitely a sense of heightened realism there.  

I loved the casting choices, for the most part *cough* Russell Crowe *cough* *cough*.  I would say Anne Hathaway's performance as Fantine and Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean are oscar worthy performances.  They really gave it their all.  Everyone, well...practically everyone (Russell Crowe, I am looking at you) gave it their all, really.  It was fantastic.  Yes, there were some things that could have been handled a bit better, like the CGI.  I won't pretend that this film hasn't any faults.  For example, the "shaky cam" worked brilliantly for some scenes, but not for every scene it was used.  Not all of the dutch angles were necessary.  They could have used more sweeping shots of Paris, too.  There were a lot of close-up scenes, but I was fine with them.  I liked how they just let the camera roll, letting the actor or actress act to their full potential.  It was very powerful.  The decision for the actors and actresses to sing live was brilliant.  That was an excellent decision.  They decided to experiment, and in my opinion, the experiment was successful.  Live performances are so much more powerful, so much more in the moment.  Another thing I liked were the scenes in which Javert was walking on the edge of the building upon which he was singing.  I thought that was quite brilliant.  Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham-Carter were great as Thénardier and Madame Thénardier.  They really brought the film to life whenever they were on screen.  I liked Amanda Seyfried as Cosette, too.  Some people don't like her singing, and think she has strange vibrato.  I actually really liked her singing.  It was pretty, and girlish, which is how Cosette's singing ought to sound, I think.  Eddie Redmayne as Marius also did a great job in portraying his role.  I think he was a good choice to play Marius.    

This film did not disappoint me.  For the most part, ahem Russell Crowe.  I describe this film as beautiful, because of how artistic it looks, and how real it feels.  One particularly beautiful, no, not beautiful, gorgeous scene was in the beginning, when Jean Valjean tears the yellow ticket-of-leave, and pieces of the ticket float up into the air with the sweeping music in the background.  I think that was one of my favorite scenes.

Now for Russell Crowe as Javert.  Was he really the only actor they could have chosen to play Javert?  Really?  I don't understand.  Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be so hard on him.  Still, I wish they could have cast Javert differently.  He did not display much emotion, and his singing was pretty mono-tone.  Javert is supposed to have enough passion that he hunts a man for stealing a loaf of bread.  That's how obsessive he is capable of being.  The Javert that I see when I look at Russell Crowe, is not passionate enough to be able to be that obsessive.    

Anyway, enough of all the Russell Crowe bashing.  I guess when I'm watching the film I say to myself in my mind, "Hey, he's not so bad as everyone is saying".  Then I go and listen to my favorite portrayal of Javert, Philip Quast from the 10th anniversary of Les Misérables, and I realize how mediocre Russell Crowe is as Javert.  

Any.  Way.  What did I think of the film overall?  I thought it was excellent!  I was impressed by how different it felt, and how emotional it was.  I nearly cried three times throughout the film.  My friend's older sister said she cried when she went to see it.  I am definitely going to buy this film on DVD when I can, so I can watch it again and again.  

Update:  I forgot to mention how good Isabelle Allen as the young Cosette and Daniel Huttlestone as Gavroche were.  Both the young Eponine and the grown-up Eponine were good, as well.  Basically, everyone was good.  It was a good movie.  A really good movie.  Except the people sitting behind my friend and I kept kicking the back of our seats.  I told my friend about it afterwards, and she said that they had kicked the back of her seat as well.  Kicking seats aside, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this movie.  

Les Misérables

Les Misérables is one of my most favorite Broadway musicals of all time.  In fact, it's my second favorite musical, and would be my favorite musical if The Phantom of the Opera had not taken that spot on the list of favorite musicals I keep in my head.  So as you would imagine, I am very excited to see the film that came out on Christmas day.  I'm going to see it with a friend some time this week.  I can't wait!

The Lord of the Rings

Since I am going to go see The Hobbit this weekend (I'm extremely excited!), it seems appropriate that I talk about the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  

I was first introduced to The Lord of the Rings:  The Fellowship of the Ring when I was little.  I thought of it as one of the "grown-up movies" I liked to watch.  Some of the other grown-up movies that I enjoyed watching were The Sound of Music, Pride and Prejudice (1995), The 39 Steps, and The Lady Vanishes.  There were two certain scenes in The Fellowship of the Ring that were particularly frightening to me, but all I would have to do was cover my ears and hide behind a pillow.  That would usually do the trick.  Sometimes, if I were ever afraid of a scene in a movie, I would run out of the room, and come back when it was over.  At other times, I would fast forward through it, while closing my eyes, or get someone else to fast forward it for me.  I used to call fast forward "rewind".  I don't know why, perhaps it was because it was easier to say.  I still say rewind instead of fast forward by mistake every now and then.  Whenever I try to say fast forward, I end up saying "rewi - fast forward".  

Anyhow, The Lord of the Rings:  The Fellowship of the Ring is one of my top favorite films.  I loved it when I was little, and I love it now.  I love it for the atmosphere, the scenery, the characters, and most of all, the story.  The special effects are also very impressive.  They're still impressive, even though The Fellowship of the Ring came out in 2001.  Gollum still looks real to me.  Peter Jackson did an amazing job of capturing in sweeping shots, New Zealand's grand scenery.  The music is beautiful as well, and seems to hold the spirit and personality of the story by J. R. R. Tolkien.  From the Shire to Rivendell, this film is visually stunning.

The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers are, in my eyes, amazing films, but there is something more profound about The Return of the King.  Towards the end of The Return of the King, the characters reach a heightened emotional state.  The Return of the King is a film that brings me to tears.  The ending is the moment that makes me cry.  It is an extremely emotional and heart-felt ending.  And I'm not someone who cries that easily.  Still, the ending of The Return of the King manages to bring me to tears every time I watch it.

When Frodo turns to smile at Sam as a final goodbye, it's as if we see a glimpse of the innocence he had before everything was changed.  We're reminded of the beginning of the first film, when the characters' lives, at least the hobbits', were more simple and more pure.  To me, it's a heart-wrenching bittersweet ending, yet it doesn't leave me feeling empty.   

I will watch The Lord of the Rings again, again, and again.  And I hope I will love The Hobbit just as much!  I know I will, especially since Richard Armitage, one of my favorite actors, is Thorin Oakenshield!  I can't wait to see it!  That is, if the world doesn't end on Friday.  Hopefully the world will live to see past December 21st. ;)

Oh, and I forgot to mention who my favorite Lord of the Rings character is.  I love nearly all of the characters, but I especially love Samwise Gamgee and of course, Gandalf.  Every moment Gandalf is on screen is memorable, but one of my absolute favorites is when he says, "Is it secret, is it safe?!"  That moment sends chills down my spine.  It's so intense, and immediately it sets the dark mood the film is about to take on.  There is so much atmosphere in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  And because atmosphere is my favorite aspect of film, or books, or anything really, it wasn't hard for me to like this trilogy.  Many of my favorite quotes from The Lord of the Rings come from Sam.  He is a very important and lovable character.  He has so much personality.  When I was little, my favorite character was Arwen Undómiel.  I remember thinking she was so cool, and I still think she's pretty cool.  I was always interested in warrior-like female characters as a kid.  That was probably why Mulan was my favorite Disney movie.  I looked up to her and wanted to be able to fight like her.  I would try to imitate her kung fu moves, and act tough.  This inner desire I had to act tough must have lead me to being a tomboy when I was in the third grade.  During third grade, I was only friends with boys, and played sports with them during lunch.  By fourth grade, a group of girls converted me, turning me from a tomboy into a girly girl.  Well, not exactly.  I'm not a tomboy anymore, but I'm not really girly either.  At least not that girly.  When I was nine years old, my family and I went to Ireland to visit my cousins.  I ended up spending more time with my boy cousins than with my girl cousins.  I felt guilty for doing this, though.  My aunts must have told my girl cousins that I was about their age and that we would spend time with each other.  They must have been disappointed, and perhaps a little lonely when I watched Star Wars with the boys rather than play with them.   

My admiration of Arwen was similar to my admiration of Mulan.  I admired her skills at horse back riding, her bravery, her spiritual strength, and her pretty black hair.  She was practically my hero.  I used to rewind and watch the scene in which she's riding away with Frodo, trying to get away from the black riders, over and over again.  

The part where she speaks Elvish always gives me chills!  The elvish language is so cool!  I always found it fascinating that J. R. R. Tolkien made up an entire language for his books.  I once met a Lord of the Rings fan who knew Elvish.  She had taught herself Elvish, and could both read and speak it.  I wish I could know Elvish too!  Perhaps someday I'll teach it to myself, though I must continue learning Gaelic first.  I have a lot to work on.  Gaelic is a beautiful language.  German, Hebrew, and Gaelic are three of my most favorite languages.    

Nick Pitera

Since April, I have been a fan of Nick Pitera, who is a singer on YouTube.  Although he is an incredibly talented singer, singing isn't really his job; he works as an animator at Pixar Studios.  He's worked on "Brave" and the Pixar short, "La Luna".  He once auditioned for Glee, but I don't think Glee is good enough for him.  I think he should be on Broadway.  He has a very impressive vocal range - he can reach both high notes and low notes, which means he's able to sing both the female and the male part of a duet.

I love his cover of the songs from The Phantom of the Opera, which is my favorite Broadway musical.

I also love his cover of many of the songs from Les Miserables, my second favorite Broadway musical.

He's great at acting and performing, as well.  This is a Disney song medley he made.  He acts out every character, whether it be the hero or the heroine, or the villain.  And it's all sung by him!

This is his tribute to The Lion King musical, which is based off of one of my favorite Disney movies.  At the end he's singing on the stage at The Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco (he made this when The Lion King was showing in San Francisco).  The Lion King is also a favorite Broadway musical of mine.  I love the culture, the songs, the atmosphere, everything in this musical.  It's so cool how the costumes are artistic and made to represent aspects of nature, or animals.  It's a magnificent musical, and in my opinion, one of the best.  The costumes are breathtaking.  They're beautifully made, well thought out, and very detailed.   

I really like his version of "Someone Like You", by Adele.  He sings it in his low voice.    

"Better Days" is Nick Pitera's first original single.  This is the music video:

I like "Better Days" - it has a beautiful sound, and a hopeful message.  I'm looking forward to hearing more of his music in the future!

A True Artist

I think this might be my favorite out of all of Jessie J's concerts.  I love the glittery golden dress she's wearing, and how her spirited enthusiasm radiates about her on the stage.  She puts all of her heart and soul into this performance, as she does with every performance.  I don't think she stopped devoting all of her energy to her performance until after the concert was over.  She's a true artist!  She's where she belongs, performing for an audience.  It's clear that she truly loves her fans, and you can tell by her smile that she loves when the audience participates in singing the songs.  She is such a talented singer.  Her vocals are incredible!  She has so much control, and there is so much power in the volume she projects.

Here is the live performance of "Laserlight"and "Domino" from this concert, which took place at Camden Roundhouse in London.  I like this version of "Laserlight" better than the original.  To me, it has a nicer sound, and I like how she sang the notes here.

And here is the live performance of "Who You Are" at Camden Roundhouse.

A song I have been listening to recently by Jessie J is "Technology".  Here are the lyrics:

This song is about how the people of the present day world are steadily becoming more and more engulfed by technology.  We seem to be spending more time facing a screen than looking at a real person.  It's ironic that I'm saying this, when I am looking at a screen while typing this.  It's as if our world has been transported onto a screen.  Since we are social creatures, this lack of face-to-face contact is damaging to us both mentally and emotionally.  We are losing contact with the real world, and are instead living in a false, fragile, and superficial world, where things are no longer real.  In a way, technology is replacing people.  Jessie reflects on this in a clever way through this song.  Here, in this video, she sings a live version of the song.  She explains the meaning of this song before singing it.  I like the outfit she wears in this video.  It's a nice violet color, and makes me think of abstract art.  After she sings a bit of "Technology", she sings some of "L.O.V.E." as well.  "L.O.V.E." is on her album "Who You Are".  

My Harry Potter Fandom

It all started in fourth grade.  One school day during lunch, I walked into the library, in search of a book.  I had seen the first and second Harry Potter films in first grade, but I don't recall really making the connection when I came across a row of Harry Potter books on the shelf.  My memories of watching the first two Harry Potter films were slightly blurry, and only certain scenes came to mind when I thought of them.  I hadn't really understood what the Harry Potter films were about, or who the characters were.  In first grade, I only really took in the atmosphere of films, and certain scenes would leave an impact on me and stay in my mind, but I never completely understood what was happening in them.  So I didn't really make the connection between the books and the two films I had seen before.  So, in a way, my discovery of Harry Potter did not begin with seeing the first two films in first grade, but when I began reading the books in fourth grade.  I checked out Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and began to read it.  Immediately I was swept away by the story, the characters, the atmosphere of the series.  I read book after book, so that by the time I was in the fifth grade, I had come to the fourth book in the series.  For some reason, I never finished the fourth book.  I started reading it, but I found it less interesting than the previous ones.  Not soon after I had started it, my dad bought me the fourth Harry Potter movie as a surprise one day, having caught on to the fact that I was obsessed with Harry Potter.  I watched the movie, and after I had seen it, I didn't feel like reading the book, since I already knew what would happen.  So I skipped the fourth book in the series, and moved on to the fifth book.  By sixth grade, I was finishing reading the sixth book.  I remember very vividly (spoiler alert if you haven't read the sixth Harry Potter book before) when I read the scene in which Dumbledore dies.  I was sitting in my car, waiting for my brother's art class to finish, when I read that scene.  That was one of the few times a book has ever made me cry.  I couldn't believe it had happened.  Professor Dumbledore was a well beloved character, and would be painfully missed in the next book.  Not long after I had finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I excitedly moved on to the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is the last in the series.

I loved all of the Harry Potter books dearly, especially Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which opened this whole new world of fantasy and imagination for me.  You know how reading a book takes you into a world which you have trouble leaving when you have finished reading it?  I didn't want to leave the world of Harry Potter when I had finished reading the series.  I had Harry Potter in my mind almost all of the time.  I went through an incredibly long phase of being obsessed with Harry Potter.  I had read all of the books by J. K. Rowling (except for the fourth one), seen and loved all of the movies with Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasely, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.  By the way, I used to think her name was pronounced Her - mi - own, instead of Her - mi - nee.  When I began to get into watching the films, I realized her name was not pronounced like that.  So from then on, I pronounced her name differently in my mind when I read the Harry Potter books.  Her character never felt exactly the same for me after the change in pronunciation, though.  It's funny how much a name helps to create a character. 

When I was younger, I would often wish I could receive the letter of acceptance to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  I even designed the kind of wand I would want to have, what sort of owl I would like, and what house I would be in.  I've always wanted to be in Ravenclaw, but I think it more likely I would end up in Hufflepuff.  I decided I would want to play Quidditch, and fly on a broom.  I even imagined meeting Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.  As Harry Potter grew up and the films continued, I grew up.  It was as if the Harry Potter series grew up with me.  This made Harry Potter a large part of my childhood.  When I turned eleven, the letter never came.  To this day I still wish I could go to Hogwarts and be a witch.

The world of Harry Potter never left my mind.  I'm not "obsessed with it" any more, but the story, the characters, are all in the back of my mind.  I would say despite not reading a Harry Potter book for a long time now, and not seeing any of the films in a while, I am still an expert on the subject of Harry Potter.  Watching any of the Harry Potter movies, even a short scene from it, will bring it all back to me.

Once Upon a Time: Favorite Moments #1

I've decided to begin a series in which I will discuss my favorite moments from season one, and perhaps the current second season as well, of the show Once Upon a Time.  The moments I will choose to talk about won't follow any sort of pattern; they will be chosen from various episodes, most likely out of order. 

One of my favorite episodes from Once Upon a Time, is called "Hat Trick".  It was episode seventeen of season one.  I thought the episode was brilliant from beginning to end, but what really struck me was a certain quote.  I thought the conversation between Emma Swan and Jefferson was very well written and thought out;  it left a strong impression on me.  I always agreed with this idea, this philosophical perception of reality vs. fantasy.  So to hear it being spoken aloud in this show made me so happy, I felt like squealing and jumping up and down at the same time while watching it.  I was practically fist-pumping the air when this dialogue began.  This is the quote I'm raving so much about:

Emma:  "They're just stories.  The mad hatter is in Alice in Wonderland, a book.  A book I actually read - "
Jefferson:  "Stories.  Stories?  What's a story?  When you were in high school, did you learn about the Civil War?"
Emma:  "Yeah, of course."
Jefferson:  "How?  Did you read about it, perchance, in a book?  How is that any less real than any other book?"
Emma:  "History books are based on history."
Jefferson:  "And storybooks are based on what, imagination?  Where's that come from?  It has to come from somewhere.  You know what the issue is with this world?  Everyone wants a magical solution for their problem, and everyone refuses to believe in magic.  Now get it to work."
Emma:  "Here's the thing Jefferson.  This is it.  This is the real world."
Jefferson:  "A real world.  How arrogant are you to think yours is the only one?  There are infinite more.  You have to open your mind.  They touch one another, pressing up in a long line of lands, each just as real as the last.  All have their own rules.  Some have magic, some don't.  And some need magic...like this one."

I love this moment.  It's like the characters actually turned around and analyzed themselves, or the whole concept, the whole idea this show is based on.  It almost felt as if they were "breaking the fourth wall" in that scene.  It made this world feel so real, as if it could be happening right now, in our world, so that one forgets that Once Upon a Time is just a T.V. show, and not really happening.  Moments like this make me love this show more and more.  For me, this was definitely one of the best moments from season one of Once Upon a Time. 

Big White Room

This is one of my absolute favorite songs by Jessie J.  I think it's one of her best.  The live version of this song, which is on her album "Who You Are", is amazing.  Her vocals are very, very impressive.  "Big White Room" has a beautiful and therapeutic sound.  It's one of the first songs by her that I heard, when I first discovered her music.

Note:  I forgot to mention what the meaning of this song is.  "Big White Room" is about when Jessie J was in London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, when she was eleven years old.  She was being treated for an irregular heartbeat.  A friendship grew between her and a boy she shared the room with.  One night she woke up to see the boy praying to God that he would live, as he would have an operation the next day.  The next day, he passed away.  Here is a quote from Jessie J about this song:  "He died the next day so I said to my mum 'but God didn't save him'. I was so angry and it really confused me. I always wanted to write a song about the experience, but I knew I had to be of an age where it wasn't tacky or depressing and had a lightness to it."  Jessie decided that the live version sounded best, and as I stated above, it is on her album "Who You Are".  This is a very emotional and meaningful song.  "Big White Room" is the first song Jessie J wrote.  

Domino, Cold War, and Happy Ending

I just can not stop listening to this song.  It's addictive!  It's so energetic and cheerful, I just want to blast it on a radio or my iPod and jam out to it, and "dance like nobody's watching".  But I won't, since that would be a little really embarrassing...I mean, imagine how ridiculous that would look.  As you can tell, I am far too self conscious to ever be brave enough to do that and not give a hoot about all the strange looks I would get.  Still, it's tempting to do that with some songs.  And this is one of those songs.  It's like every beat demands you to get up and start dancing!  

"Domino" is more carefree and less serious than some of Jessie J's other songs, but I like it just as much.  When I first listened to it, I wasn't sure if I liked it, but it wasn't too long before it grew on me.  Below is the music video for "Domino".  I lost count of how many different outfits she wears in the course of this video a while ago.

Regarding the outfits she wears in this music video, I would say I like most of them.  If I were asked which is my favorite, I would say the one with the decorative butterfly mask (Is that what it is?  Well, I think that's what it is...).

I've heard that some people think she sounds a bit like Katy Perry in this song.  To them, I say psh.  In no parallel universe will Katy Perry ever be able to sing as well as Jessie J.  As Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind would say, don't make me laugh.  (Apologies to any Katy Perry fans reading this who were offended by that true statement - ehm - I mean, personal opinion.  Okay, okay.  Sorry.  But seriously, Jessie J is a better singer, I don't care how much a fan of Katy Perry you are.)

Another song I've been listening to recently is "Cold War" by Janelle Monáe. There is so much meaning behind this song, on more levels than one. It gives me chills when I listen to it. There's also a lot of emotion present, which becomes especially clear when you see the tears form in Janelle's eyes as she sings. This song has the ability to strike a tune with our emotions, and our thoughts, as well. There's not much else for me to say, except that this is just a really good song.

Yet another song I have been listening to, is Mika's song, "Happy Ending":

These are the lyrics:

This is the way you left me,
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No Happy Ending.
This is the way that we love,
Like it's forever.
Then live the rest of our life,
But not together.

Wake up in the morning, stumble on my life
Can't get no love without sacrifice
If anything should happen, I guess I wish you well
A little bit of heaven, but a little bit of hell

This is the hardest story that I've ever told
No hope, no love, no glory
Happy endings gone forever more
I feel as if I'm wasted
And I'm wastin' every day

This is the way you left me,
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No Happy Ending.
This is the way that we love,
Like it's forever.
Then live the rest of our life,
But not together.

Two o'clock in the morning, something's on my mind
Can't get no rest; keep walkin' around
If I pretend that nothin' ever went wrong, I can get to my sleep
I can think that we just carried on

This is the hardest story that I've ever told
No hope, no love, no glory
Happy endings gone forever more
I feel as if I'm wasted
And I'm wastin' every day

This is the way you left me,
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No Happy Ending.
This is the way that we love,
Like it's forever.
Then live the rest of our life,
But not together.

A Little bit of love, little bit of love
Little bit of love, little bit of love
This is the way you left me,
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No Happy Ending.
This is the way that we love,
Like it's forever.
To live the rest of our life,
But not together.

This is the way you left me,
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No Happy Ending.
This is the way that we love,
Like it's forever.
To live the rest of our life,
But not together.

This is the way you left me,
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No Happy Ending.

It's a beautiful song, both in the way that it has a beautiful yet sad message (perhaps bitter sweet, as well), and sounds beautiful to the ear. I've listened to it numerous times. My impression is that the lyrics speak of a heartbreak. It's interesting how the message of "Happy Ending" is sad, yet the sound of it is happy and uplifting. But then, all of Mika's songs sound happy and uplifting, which is part of why I enjoy listening to his songs so much!

A Contradiction

I take an interest in evaluating things - especially people.  Today, I'm going to evaluate an aspect about myself.

I am a contradiction.  One side of me is quiet, shy, thoughtful, reserved, and unassertive, like Jane Bennet.  The other side of me is more like Elizabeth Bennet.  The Elizabeth Bennet part of me is talkative, spirited, and of a more open temper.  This part of me is also cheerful, energetic, and hyper...perhaps a bit like Emma Woodhouse?

I call these contradicting sides of me the "Melanie side" and the "Scarlett O'Hara side".  Half of me is like Melanie Hamilton, the other half of me is like Scarlett O'Hara.  

Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Hamilton
in Gone with the Wind.

I feel that the Melanie side of me is what most people see at first.  When people come to know me well enough, the Scarlett O'Hara side of me is revealed.  Because of this, I feel like the Melanie side of me is on the outside, and the Scarlett O'Hara side of me is on the inside, though in truth I think they're both a part of me.  Most people think of me as someone who is shy, timid, and nice.  The problem with this, though, is I end up being tactless more often, since I'm so used to others assuming I'm always polite.  Politeness seems to be associated with shyness.  My great grandmother was like Melanie Hamilton in the way that she was gentle, kind, selfless, and pure of heart.  As a result of this association with my great grandmother, I have always liked the character of Melanie in Gone with the Wind, despite her one sided nature.  Scarlett O'Hara is more complicated.  She has more layers and more faults, which make her appear human and "three dimensional", and people can relate to her.  I don't completely agree with this idea, however.  I think Melanie is also a complicated character, but this is harder to see because of her subtlety.  I'm not even sure if her character was meant to have complications.  It's an idea of mine, and even if the writer of her character didn't intend it, that is what I perceive.  It's open to interpretation.  Now I'm contradicting myself again!  This is another way I contradict myself - there are usually two different ideas in my head at the same time.  This is why I do not do well in debates, despite how much I love them; I always come up with another idea that opposes the first idea I had.  I also have trouble with not wandering to different topics in discussions...

...where was I?

Melanie Hamilton and Scarlett O'Hara are like two opposite elements of human nature.  Melanie seems to be the opposite of Scarlett in every way.  If I were to express their differences using color, I would paint cool colors to represent Melanie, and warm colors to represent Scarlett.  Whenever I watch Gone with the Wind, I find myself relating to and sympathising (Living in America, I presume I'm supposed to spell sympathise with a z, but I prefer to revolt and do it the British way.  An s looks better, anyway...) with both Melanie and Scarlett.  Underneath the English-like coolness and reserved attitude (the reserved attitude is known to be present in English culture), I am more like Scarlett, and the Irish in me comes to life.  Irish women are known for their fiery temper.  They are strong and spirited, which I believe was present especially in the time of the Celts, and the Pre-Celts, as well.  Pre-Celtic and Celtic culture perceived women as equal, and they were very powerful and full of spirit.  This reminds me of the women in Spartan culture.  Spartan girls were trained physically for fitness as well as the boys, and Spartan women had more rights and were more equal compared to Athenian women.  Of course not all Irish women are as I have depicted, but in my eyes, those that are shy are most likely spirited beneath.  Who knows?  They could just be hiding it.

Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.

One of the things I identify with the Scarlett O'Hara side of me, is the desire for vengeance.  I'm a very vengeful person.  Even if I accidentally hit my elbow on a wall, I will hit that wall back - and I have pretty sharp elbows, let me tell you.  I know, it sounds a bit nasty, and maybe a little intense...but I can't help it.  Vengefulness is a part of my nature, and my personality.  It's debatable whether or not it is a flaw, but flaw or not, I will always have it.  No matter how contradictory, it is how I will always be.

Once Upon a Time

As of late, I have been really enjoying a show by the ABC (American Broadcasting Company).  As you can tell from the title of this post, the show is called Once Upon a Time.  Once Upon a Time has been a favorite T.V. show of mine for a long time now.  It's the kind of show that you easily grow fond of.  I came to know of it because I had seen the trailer for it when the show had just begun, and was instantly captivated by its enchanting atmosphere.  Being a fan of folklore, I was easily drawn in, and I was not disappointed when one day I decided to give it a try.  After seeing the first episode I knew I would love this show, and I have loved it ever since.  Usually I watch quite a few episodes before deciding whether or not I like a show, but with Once Upon a Time, I didn't have to.  And that's always a good sign, when you know you like a show just from watching the first episode.    

This is one of the trailers from when Once Upon a Time was first being introduced. 

I love how they have their own take on the original stories and twist them so that they somehow connect with each other.  It's very cleverly done.  I like what they did with the character of Rumpelstiltskin, for example.  It's extremely interesting to watch the twists and turns in the story unfold.  Part of the fun for me, when I first began watching this series, was guessing who was which fairy tale character.  For instance, when I saw a man walking down the streets of Storybrooke with an umbrella, I immediately guessed that he was Jimeny Cricket, and sure enough, later in that same scene he mentions listening to one's conscience during an exchange with one of the other characters.  This is an example of how Once Upon a Time leaves clues in places for the viewer to pick up, when guessing which fairy tale character a character was in their past.  

It's true that the fairy tales in this show are inspired by Disney's versions of the stories, ABC being owned by Disney, but since I grew up with Disney and love many Disney films to this day (particularly the classics and those that were made during the 90's, otherwise known as the Disney Renaissance), this isn't an issue for me.

One element that I find fault with in this show is the special effects.  Let's just say the special effects could....well....you know, be improved.  Because of their poor quality, the suspension of disbelief in this show suffers whenever special effects are being displayed on the screen.  Another fault may be that from time to time this show is slightly cheesy, just slightly, but I find that this contributes to the personality of the show.  It makes Once Upon a Time endearing.  Because of this, the occasional cheesiness is not a flaw in my eyes.    

I mentioned before that I become annoyed when villains are given tragic backstories in order to make them appear sympathetic. Unfortunately, Once Upon a Time does this a lot with their characters, as in the cases of Captain Hook, Rumpelstiltskin, and the evil queen from the story of Snow White, to name a few.  Surprisingly, the various tragic backstories don't bother me too much, and overall I think they are done well.  The backstories all seem to follow the same pattern.  Every character in Once Upon a Time, good or evil, has someone in their past that they cared about or lost.  Relationships seem to be a major theme in Once Upon a Time - relationships the characters have with the people in their lives, relationships with magic, relationships with the past, the relationship with themselves as an individual (their past self when they were a part of the fairy tale world vs. their present modern-day self), and many more.  This is something interesting that I have noticed.

Once Upon a Time does an excellent job of having their viewers constantly guessing who is who and what will happen next.  The premise is interesting and has so much potential, which has been proven true.  This is because of the talent of the creative writers, who continue to impress me with each new episode.  Once Upon a Time just seems to get better and better the more it progresses. 

I look forward to the next episode with anticipation!

P. S.  If I were asked which character is my favorite, I would choose Snow White.  I love all of the characters (each character is so well developed, after all) but Snow White has always been my favorite fairy tale character, and I like how she is portrayed in Once Upon a Time.