What I Learned About Myself As A Reader -

     As a reader for many years, I learned that I actually enjoying reading. I remember when I was younger, my parents had to always tell me to read. I gradually started to enjoy books especially books that were well written and had an exciting plot. I still recall the first large chapter book that I enjoyed: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. From the start, I've always enjoyed reading fantasy books. And I'm still drawn to these books. But I've expanded my readings to classical novels, realistic fiction, mystery, romance, and a lot of other types of fiction novels. I still dislike non-fiction novels, but hopefully that'll change in the future. I fall victim to all the popular teen and adult novels. These books definitely affect what genres I read. Comparing this trimester to the last one, I feel like I make more time for myself to read. Once I find a book that looks good, I usually say to myself, "I have to read this book". I buy the book and it usually sits on my shelf for a while. I find myself being overloaded with unread books but I know I'll read them eventually. I can see that I'm more eager to read now compared to years before.
     I also learned how fast I can finish a book. For those books with exciting, "can't put the book down" plots, I'm able to finish the book within a week or two. I'm not the type of person who finishes a book in a day. For me, reading a book too fast means missing a lot of important details. On the other hand, there are those books that can take months to read. This is especially true when there's nothing exciting happening or when an event in the book drags on. I've learned how a boring book makes me just stare at a page a read the words without actually processing them. But I'm not the kind of person who just skips to the exciting part, I have to read the whole book.
     Through the years, I've grown and changed as a reader

Where The Wild Things Are

     I recently watched the movie version of Where the Wild Things Are, and I have to say that I did not like it very much. But in terms of how the film was adapted, it was a successful.
     The reason why I didn't like the film was because the film is definitely a downer compared to the book. There are some fun elements but for the most part, there's this depressing and dark feel throughout the whole movie. Also, the film is boring for the most part. Nothing really captured and kept my attention in the movie. As for the character, Max, he was well played but came across more as dysfunctional then a little kid who's just being a little kid. You can see this when, instead of being sent to his room with no dinner in the original story, Max runs away from home after the fight with his mom. The constant over reactions and pouting made the movie annoying. Some parts of the movie were just plain weird, like the mud ball fight and the characters Bob and Terry, which is another reason why I personally don't like the movie.

     Looking at how the book was adapted into the film, not only did Spike Jonze successfully create a longer story for Where the Wild Things Are but he also managed to add a more complex plot to the overall story. He effectively included more details and added a deeper meaning while staying true to the original story line.
The movie also includes a lot of symbolism which really enhances the story. Max's travel to the island of where the Wild Things live help him realize the mistakes he's been making (his angry outbursts have been hurting his family). The Wild Things represent his family: KW as Max's mother, Bob and Terry as Max's mom's boyfriend, and Carol as Max's wild side. The other not-as-important Wild Things represent other characteristics of Max and the other people in his life (like his sister). KW cares about Carol but is distant from him because of Bob and Terry. Carol believes that KW doesn't play enough with him and the other Wild Things and also doesn't understand Bob and Terry. This is similar to what happened in Max's life before he went to the Wild Things' island. Max's journey taught him a lesson and he was able to see how his wild side, (Shown through Carol) effected the aspects of his life.
     The film was successful in making the characters look similar to the drawings of the characters in the children's book. Although the book doesn't really characterize the "Wild Things" in any way, the film brilliantly made each "Wild Thing" one of a kind. The film was also able to interpret Max's fight with his mom very well.
     Overall, the film successfully turned a regular children's story into a movie with a deep meaning, but I personally don't like the film because it didn't capture my attention.

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Blog Post #5

"By the prickling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."

     One of my favorite book is called Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. The book is about a mysterious carnival that rolls into town at midnight in October, led by the enticing but menacing Mr. Dark. A nightmare comes to life as 2 boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, fall into the hands of Mr. Dark. Lured by what they want most, they encounter countless of disturbing situations. Be careful for what you wish for…
     As for the movie, I was not satisfied. Many things were changed, from the little details to even main events. One of the most important event that was changed was the way Mr. Dark was killed (I will not spoil how he died in the book) and the way the Dust Witch was killed. Another important aspect changed was how the Dust Witch travels to the homes of Jim and Will (they’re neighbors). In the book, she travels via hot air balloon, but in the movie she travels in as a green smog that’s just makes the movie kind of dumb. Because the movie was released in 1983, the visual effects weren't all that great. Despite the changed scenes in the movie, some parts were good. One part of the movie that was similar to the book and well executed was the part where Mr. Halloway and Mr.Dark confront each other in the library. As for the characters, Mr.Dark lacked in appearance. From the description in the book, Mr.Dark is supposed to have black hair and many tattoos all over his body (which gives Mr.Dark the nickname, The Illustrated Man). The movie did not portray him this way. The way Mr.Dark acted in the film was, in my opinion, close to what he is like in the book. (Jonathan Pryce played the role of Mr.Dark) Overall, the movie wasn't as good as the book but still entertained me.
    If I were to remake a movie, I would follow the book. The movie still, might not be the same as the book exactly but I would be sure to keep the main events the same. In the movie, they missed many events important to the moral of the story. This includes the death of the Dust Witch and the ending (how Mr.Dark dies). By remaking the movie with all the technology we have now, we can create a less corny version. It'll be more visually appealing, more realistic, and more accurate compared to the original movie. We can create the hot air balloon the Dust Witch rides in, the mirror maze (the characters see different things in the mirror other than themselves), the age changing carousel, the appearance of the carnival freaks (Mr.Dark's imprisoned workers), etc. The casting would have to be different because the characters that played in the original movie are too old for the role now. I would take out some of the father-son talking from the book because it would just drag on the movie and get boring, but it would be critical to keep the information that the audience needs to know in order to understand the story.

I feel like a new movie needs to be made for this book, it would be much better than the original.

Mr.Dark and his parade.