Review | 'Born To Die', by Lana Del Rey

Born To Die
Lana Del Rey
Interscope Records
Four out of Five Stars



I first heard about Lana Del Rey in December when it was announced that Dan Radcliffe would be hosting Saturday Night Live. I had never once known that a woman (tentatively) named Lana Del Rey existed, let alone possessed such raw and beautiful talent. To be frank, I disliked her performance on SNL and was reluctant to listen to studio versions of her music since I'm a big supporter of "If the singer sucks live, they suck. Period." But after watching a couple other performances and listening to 'Video Games' about fifty times, I purchased Born To Die as my first album on my Kindle Fire.
The three most striking songs actually appear mid-album. 'Video Games', 'Diet Mountain Dew', and 'Dark Paradise' triumph over the other songs, but not by much. They all provide a tender look at Del Rey's solemn yet anomaly-like heart and soul. Del Rey presents a vulnerable yet passionate look at love and reluctance and temptation, three concepts of life that seem to harm people the most. Songs like 'Blue Jeans', 'Off to the Races', and 'Carmen' provide a very direct message that is both risky and wondrous at the same time. The title track serves as an anthem of living and loving as a human, and experiencing the faults that are entitled to one's presence on this planet before they pass on. Other songs sort of melt together with aforementioned tracks, such as 'National Anthem' and 'Radio' and 'Carmen.' The final three songs also seem to blend together very well. Although some critics bash the album for its repetitiveness, I praise the catchy hooks of Lana Del Rey's breakthrough record. Lana stated that she doubts that she will even produce a subsequent record, and I actually would concur that that would be a rather wise choice; not in the sense that I hate this record or anything, but in the sense that Lana Del Rey incredibly brilliantly conveyed her messages to the audience and needs to more proof that she has come into her own as a phenomenal vocalist.

Book Review | 'The Night Circus'

The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
Doubleday
380 pg., U.S. Hardcover
Five out of Five Stars



Oh, my Dumbledore. This book was just...too much for me to handle. But I did handle it, and I'm glad I did.

For those who don't know, The Night Circus follows Celia and Marco, along with their comrades (Circus 'freaks') as they compete in a 'game' created by Celia's father and Marco's mentor. As the game ensues, Celia and Marco develop a romantic bond so dangerous, it poses the greatest threat possible to the Circus and its players.
I'm giving this book five starters really for only one reason: Morgenstern's writing style. Sure, the plot was gorgeously crafted and the characters presented in a wondrous way, but Morgenstern's intricately written sentences were what really did it for me. Had Morgenstern's writing style not been as great, I probably still would have given the book such high praise, but the style really was fitting with everything else going on with the story.
Next in line on the Hierarchy of WONDER is the plot. I thought the plot was incredibly original, and I loved the way the time periods switched, and it was done in such a smooth way that was easy to follow as one perspective transitioned into the next one.
The characters (people I hope are glorious) were not as strong as I hoped they would be. I thought every character seemed almost the same, and not enough raw emotion was implemented as all the trials and tribulations of being apart of the Circus approached each character. I thought the darkness of the story never really moved; it was just very still and dry. I would have loved some happy moments with the characters where we didn't have to worry about anything, and there were SOME, just not as many as readers might hope for.
Overall, this book truly was amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone asking 'what book should I read?'

Book Review | 'The Scorpio Races'

The Scorpio Races
Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press
404 pg., U.S. Hardcover
(A generous) Three out of Five Stars



I'm really sorry, Maggie Stiefvater, but this book was a colossal disappointment.

Going into Races, I was expecting a thrilling tale of suspense and ravenous horses and character development, but I got none of that. At least, I--Riley Peek--did not. I'm sure many, many other people love(d) this book, but I just do not concur with that opinion.

First let's look at the plot:

Apparently, every November a race between water horses takes place, but I honestly was not captivated by this concept at all. I thought that I would be, but I wasn't. In my most 'humble' opinion, the plot was an attempt to rival the brutality of the Hunger Games, but failed. Sure, the concept could potentially have been WONDERFUL, but I just wasn't convinced that the threats were real to the characters.
I will say, though, that I was able to discern the supremacy and importance of the Races from the way characters reacted, which is ALWAYS good! I just wasn't entirely pulled in to the storyline.

Now let's look at the characters.

The story (primarily) follows two racers: Puck Connolly and Sean Kendrick. Kendrick has competed before, Connolly has not. Kendrick and Connolly, however, do not seem to be two individuals to me, but one entity that just has two families. Stiefvater's way of splitting the perspectives was very, very difficult to keep up with to the point where I just forgot that the chapters alternated perspectives between Puck and Sean. If there is anything I do enjoy about the characters, it would be the angst that they possess and the ways that they exert it. I think that they were very true teenagers and characterized in a very proper way, the characterization was just not upheld as much as it could have been.

I honestly do not want to bash this book, I really wanted to love it! Perhaps my expectations were just held too high and were just mitigated after reading the book. I tried my best to point out both flaws and successes in the story, it was just very hard!

I definitely will at least look into Stiefvater's next release, The Raven Boys, and will read the Shiver trilogy, but will learn to lower my expectations and hope for a fun plot!

I'll deeply consider reading the sequel to Races, as well.

Film Review | 'The Descendants'

The Descendants
George Clooney, Shailene Woodley
Directed by Alexander Payne
2012
A-, 4.5 Stars

The Descendants is the story of Matt King, a man who is the descendant (hence the title) of a Hawaiian princess and her husband from the mainland. King is entrusted with the family's property and is in charge of dictating what the property becomes when the time is right. King's wife, though, has been in a terrible boating accident and knocked into a coma. As Elizabeth King slowly lets go of life, King (with the help of his two daughters and a rude teenage boy called Sid) discovers that she had an affair with another man whilst being married to King. He embarks on a journey to rebuild his relationship with his family and find the man who stole his wife from him.
This film was seriously a tremendous film. I know that a film with Academy Award nominations is expected to be phenomenal, but this film truly blew me off my feet. The characterization of Clooney's character, as well as Woodley's, triumph high above the rest of the characters, but the character that I find most enticing and most interesting is that of Elizabeth King, played by Patricia Hastie. As the story unfolds, the intimate exposition of Elizabeth King unfolds, and the audience is exposed to her biggest secret that she kept hidden from everyone, save her eldest daughter (Woodley) and her two best friends. Watching Clooney's character interact with the unconscious Elizabeth King is so moving; the audience is able to discern Matt King's true emotions being forced out of his heart and into the open air, and we watch as he desperately hopes to repair his relationship with his family and wife, but struggles with the confusion of his wife's betrayal.
The plot was rather character-centric. It actually is a very simple plot: man goes on hunt to find man who sleps with wife. There. That's it. No cracks to fill in between. The thing that makes the plot so intense, though, is the presence of characters such as Brian Speer, Speer's wife, Elizabeth King's father and mother, and even the youngest King daughter, Scotty. The characters add so much depth and complication to the way the plot is executed, and the view cannot help but be vacuumed into the silent moments of raw sadness and, at some times, euphoria.
On a rather personal note, there is a scene in the film in which (spoiler alert) King and his daughters bring an urn full of Elizabeth King's ashes to the ocean and scatter the dust in the water. When I was nine-years-old, I was swept into the world of cremation via the death of my grandmother Marilyn (Sue). It was very hard for me to endure fictional characters do something that I, myself, had assisted with nearly six years in the past. That did, however, make it all the more easier to connect with the moment and the emotion of the characters. Being in that situation, it isn't exactly expected of you to cry your eyes out, but to accept the loss of a loved one and oblige to that person's wishes to be set free into the 'Great Unknown.'
Overall, the film was a delightful, powerful, and emotional trip across the Hawaiian Islands that are the King family. The Descendants definitely has my vote for Best Picture.

The Woman In Black Review

Hey, Stefanie here!
Okay, so Riley and I went to see "The Woman in Black" last night. And let me just say, my head was in my hands for most of the movie. But that's okay, because I still heard everything that was going on (also Riley gave me the Cliff's Notes later)!
For all you die-hard horror flick fans out there, this movie will probably be about a seven on your thrill-meter. It's got lots of freaky stuff, like cemeteries, creepy old houses, and high tides that are really good for drowning in.
But for the DanRad fans that don't like horror and just want to see him wearing his oh-so-hawt 1800's garb (like me!), this movie probably isn't for you. Sorry to say it guys, but every time there's a good three minutes of silence, something will pop out. Just like every other horror movie. Eet eez (Phlegm!) gonna make you spill your soda everywhere if you're not careful.
Wikipedia reports, "The Woman in Black is about a menacing spectre that haunts a small English town, foreshadowing the death of children." Very true. But it's a bit more than just that.
In terms of the plot, it was about as good as any scary flick can get: something bad is happening, our protagonist doesn't realize it, then goes to figure out what happens. A few scary things go down, and BAM! Our protaggy figures it out. They attempt to calm whatever is happening/solve for the problem. Then some more freaky-deaky stuff, and the thing stares at us eerily so they can make a sequel. The end! The actual substance of the plot was very well-developed, though. I had a thorough understanding of town of Crythin Gifford, as well as eerie Eel Marsh House. The history that they portrayed was very rich, and I had to write down my address multiple times so that I could remind myself that I lived nowhere near that town. Maybe I'm just being dramatic, but it kind of made me feel like I should never do some kind of reenactment of that time period. Ever. It might bring that creepy Woman back. *shiver* The acting was also fabulous, and it really does achieve it's intended purpose: it makes you afraid of the dark.
Unfortunately, I can't give out much more without you guys screaming spoilers. *sigh*
Overall, Riley liked it, and I just liked DanRad (c'mon people, he holds a child. What's more adorable than your favorite Boy Wizard holding a child?). It's a lukewarm horror story, but still good for a fun night out. My rec for those of you that only do romcoms? Skip the theatre, and get it on DVD so you can fast-forward the scary stuff and pause on Dan's close-ups.

The Stiefvater Secret Project Is...

For a while, New York Times-bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater has been teasing a new project, besides The Scorpio Races. On February 2, 2012, Stiefvater took to her blog to announce The Raven Boys, a new fantasy story taking place centered around two characters called Blue Sargent and Richard Campbell Gansey III. The synopsis Stiefvater provides states:

Filled with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, The Raven Boys introduces readers to Richard “Dick” Campbell Gansey, III and Blue Sargent. Gansey has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on the hunt to find Glendower, a vanished Welsh king. Legend has it that the first person to find him will be granted a wish—either by seeing him open his eyes, or by cutting out his heart.

Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. But she is too practical to believe in things like true love. Her policy is to stay away from the rich boys at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The boys there—known as Raven Boys—can only mean trouble. When Gansey and his Raven Boy friends come into her life, Blue realizes how true this is. She never thought her fortune would be a problem. But she was wrong.

Stiefvater also provided the cover for the book.



Are you going to check out the book when it hits shelves September 18?

New 'Hunger Games' Trailer Released

Yesterday, Yahoo! Movies surprised the internet with the new Hunger Games trailer that was expected to premiere during the Super Bowl. (Sorry for the late post) Watch the new clip after the jump.