My review of ALIEN: CONVENANT (** contains mild spoilers **)

** Contains Spoilers **

Alien: Covenant - A Review

Source: IMBb - Alien: Covenant

I went with a friend to see Alien: Covenant last night, and we were surprised to find it was more of a comedy than an actual scary movie. I don't think they intended it to be funny, but we laughed a lot. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the film - that will always happen for me when there are so many stupid characters who do dumb things and therefore end up dead.

The whole movie plotline wouldn't have even existed if not for one very idiotic decision early on that set the spaceship on an unplanned course. "Oh yeah, let's go check out this mysterious planet that is just PERFECT, but that we somehow never found before when we scanned everywhere for suitable planets." The captain was warned not to divert from the planned course, but he just took it under advisement and went ahead anyway and did a dumb-arse thing.

So, that set the tone for the entire movie - lots of stupid decisions, like "Oh I'm just gonna go do a pee, I won't be long." YEAH RIGHT. YOU WILL BE VERY LONG. YOU WON'T BE COMING BACK FROM THAT PEE.

Basically I was disappointed, particularly thinking about the original movies and how epic they were. And I'm sorry, but this new "bad-ass lady" character can't hold a candle to Ripley.

[SEPT UPDATE] Cephalopod Book Club & Goals [OH, AND NETFLIX!]

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!! Two months in a row - this is a record (at least in the new incarnation of my blog where I've been lucky to update every 2 months ;) ). Maybe it's a sign that things are picking up and I'm finding a bit more balance? Ha. One can only hope!

~ The Cephalopod Coffeehouse Book Club : September Edition ~

I'm now reading Book #6 of Poldark, which means I have finished Book #5 (the only Sept book finished so far!). Naturally my review is going to be about Book #5.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any more dramatic and shocking... This is what I wrote the very night I finished this read:

"I shouldn't have finished this book tonight because how am I going to sleep?!? Many emotions are swirling around... but mostly sadness and, the main one, FURY! I had no idea I would end up abhorring three different characters in this one book. George Warleggan, damn you to hell. But not before you get damned, most putrid Whitworth. You are the scummiest scum the pond ever saw. Oh, and Elizabeth. Congrats, lady, you finally made my sh*t list.

     Heartbreaking end to this book in so many ways. I must read on fast to get some good news to make up for this!"

This is the blurb from GoodReads:

"Cornwall 1794. The birth of a son to Elizabeth and George Warleggan serves only to accentuate the rift between the Poldark and Warleggan families. And when Morwenna Chynoweth, now governess to Elizabeth's eldest son, grows to love Drake Carne, Demelza's brother, the enduring rivalry between George and Ross finds a new focus for bitter enmity and conflict."

Currently Reading: Winston Graham's The Four Swans (Poldark, #6)

~ Do You Have Goals? : September Edition ~

I do. But nothing's happening with them! Therefore, nothing to see here. Moving along.

~ NETFLIX list: September Edition ~

I thought I'd add one little "segment" to this post, because I have been spending my time watching some shows on Netflix - quite a few shows, actually. I know, I know, this is not creatively productive. But at least I'm somehow involved in something creative, even if it is as a spectator at this time. ;)

Soooo, these are some of my favourites watched on Netflix lately (some I'm still in the midst of watching):

I got particularly addicted to The Good Wife and have watched all seven seasons. It was so hard to say goodbye, wahhhhh. But I really loved how they did the last episode, with "he who shall not be named (due to spoilers)" returning for that episode. This definitely wasn't a "happy" series, but it was excellent and despite the criticisms of the last one or two seasons, I think they did it very well. I was sort of hoping for a really bleak outcome for one of the main characters, though - guess I'm a bit twisted that way.

Oh, and Marcella?? Eight episodes of pure genius, and my heart practically stopped in that very last scene. Wonderful show.

Movie Mayhem! $10 movies

My mobile phone service provider has this really cool deal where you can get $10 movie tickets. In Australia, that's a great discount, since movie tickets cost well over $20 each these days. I went to two movies today (yes, a bit over the top of me!) and ahead of the second movie I bought a 'small' popcorn...for $7.80 or so. But anyway, moving on.

These are the movies I've seen since early April, not long after I first signed up for this rewards program:

  

Insurgent - I am really liking how these movies are going, but having read the books, I'm curious how they're going to handle book three. I guess time will tell! But for now, the movies are pretty enjoyable. The people behind these productions have really brought the story to life, and I will definitely be buying the DVDs at some point!

Avengers: Age of Ultron - I wasn't all ga-ga over the first Avengers movie. I enjoyed it, sure, but unlike most people I didn't walk out of the cinema thinking it was the best movie ever made. I'll still happily see all these movies at the cinema. With this one I believe there was some controversy over the treatment of the Black Widow character? But as someone who hasn't ever been a comic book reader, this was lost on me.

San Andreas - As soon as I saw the short for this, I knew I wanted to see it. For some sick reason, I love disaster movies - Deep Impact is one of my all-time faves, and I even like cheesy crap like Armageddon (though Deep Impact is a way better movie, I must say!). With San Andreas, I wasn't at all surprised by the scene at the end with the big American flag unfurling (reminded me of the similar scene in Armageddon, actually). It's basically a requirement of cheesy disaster movies. All in all, though, I was entertained, and in some ways, pleasantly surprised, by this movie.

Cinderella - I love a good Cinderella movie. But I suppose after seeing one like Ever After and having it become your all-time fave, it's hard to move on to another one. Especially as Ever After is the only one that has the hotness of Dougray Scott in it. hehe. This was still a cute, magical movie. But I just couldn't believe Cinderella never snapped after how amazingly horrible her step mother was to her!

And just today, I saw these two:

Jurassic World - I always get nostalgic when a new Jurassic movie comes out. I saw the first movie when I was in my first year of high school, on an excursion. It was so amazingly epic that the movie made a serious impact on my life. While the later movies might not have had such a strong impact, I still have loved them all. This one was good, too, though I have to agree with a large part of this article regarding the comparative sexism in this one. Still, for a bit of dumbed down action that wasn't nearly as philosophical as the original movie, this one did all right.

Pitch Perfect 2 - Obviously these movies have a certain type of stupid humour, but at least they're not as stupid as Dumb and Dumber, or certain other movies I can't even remember right now. I've never really got into Glee and I'm not really into musicals, but I enjoyed Pitch Perfect when I saw it for the first time recently. So I figured I'd give this one a go too! I was entertained, and that's all I asked for.

So yeah... that's been my movie watching lately. I love my mobile service provider. :)

On DVD: FRINGE

Source

Earlier this year I bought some seasons of Fringe on DVD. I'd never seen the show before, but I had read some good reviews. I wasn't disappointed as I started to watch season 1. If you're not familiar with the story, this is the summary from IMDb:

"The FBI teams up with a formerly-institutionalized scientist - who was performing experiments on the fringe of real science - and his son to investigate weird crimes that are seemingly part of a larger pattern, and may be connected with a global company called Massive Dynamic."

I have just this morning finished watching season 3, and as usual it ends on a cliffhanger that makes me want to start the next season asap. This show has great, quirky characters, which lend humour to much of the show, but it also has high drama, and of course sci-fi / action goodness to keep one hooked.

If you like sci-fi in a contemporary (most of the time) setting, I definitely recommend this show.

Underrated Treasures blogfest ~ LIFE

Woohoo, it's time for another Ninja Captain blogfest!! These are always pretty epic, but the ones that involve music, movies, books, etc., are definitely amongst my faves. ;)

So what's this one about?

Everyone has a favorite movie or band that no one else has ever heard about. For whatever reason, they remain undiscovered and underrated. Now is your chance to tell the world about this obscure treasure! 

On Monday, September 22, post about your favorite unknown –

MOVIE – BAND/ARTIST – TV SHOW – BOOK

Post about one or all four – dealer’s choice! - Alex J. Cavanaugh

Now that that's out of the way, here is the most underrated TV show I can think of:

• TV Show - Life with Damian Lewis & Sarah Shahi.
  
  Pretty much any time I mention this show to anyone, they're like, "Huh?" It's a police procedural type show, but that's definitely not the main focus. The main focus is Lewis's character, Charlie Crews, who at the start of the series has just been released from prison after 12 years of false imprisonment. The crime he was jailed for was the murder of a fellow cop and his family, who also happened to be his good friends.
  
  Though Charlie was innocent, everyone (including his wife and his former partner on the force) believed he was guilty. So he lost everything, and also had a very crappy time as a cop in jail. After Charlie's release, he has a new (surprisingly Zen) outlook on life. He is given a detective job, a huge payout, and a new chance at life. He buys a mansion, an orchard, and a series of very fast cars. Nothing much seems to faze him. But underneath the surface, something explosive is brewing. Because Charlie knows he was set up, and he's determined to figure out who did it, and why.
  
  Charlie's new partner on the force, Dani Reese, is a shamed detective who is in a similar boat to him, in that nobody wants to work with her either. I just love the relationship that develops between these two. It's both hilarious and sad, but they are good for each other.
  
  To summarise ... this show is just bloody good, and I highly recommend it if you like quirky dramas that are absolutely gripping as well.

Movie Monday #1 - IF I STAY & PREDESTINATION

I'll probably never post another Movie Monday post, but in case I do, I thought I'd make this #1.

This weekend just gone I saw two movies. I saw the first one because it was the $10 movie of the week (usually tickets cost $18.50 or more). It was IF I STAY (which I'd been looking out for for quite a while). I haven't read the book, though it's been on my TBR for ages. But I absolutely loved the movie. It was tragic, it was romantic, and it had a bunch of people sitting around a fire playing the Pumpkins' classic "Today", complete with cello.

Colour me totally sold on buying this on DVD when it comes out.

I also saw PREDESTINATION, which I had heard about from a colleague and really didn't want to see. But another colleague had free tickets, and she is always kind enough to share her freebies with me. So I knew I had to go. Still, I was grossed out by the very premise, and the movie itself didn't fail to give me that "ick" feeling. This movie was weird, and intriguing, I suppose, but there's no way I ever want to watch it again. ;)

Conclusions?

I will buy the IF I STAY soundtrack, and I will read the book someday soon

(which I planned to do anyway).

And as for PREDESTINATION, I will always remember it as the movie that got me to exclaim, "What the fuck?!" as the credits began to roll.

UBUNTU bloghop ~ Nelson Mandela and his fellows

Hi everyone. Today I'm taking part in Michelle Wallace's UBUNTU Blog Hop - a celebration of Michelle's 3 years blogging, and also of the African concept of Ubuntu:

"In Africa, there is a concept known as UBUNTU – the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievement of others." – Nelson Mandela.

In the time since I signed up for this blog hop, I went and saw the movie MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM. For that reason I feel it's quite fitting that we started off this hop off with a quote from the great man himself.

To tell the truth, I'm largely ignorant of South African history, so I really can't vouch for the accuracy or authenticity of the film I saw. But I can say that I thought it was a great film, and a worthy tribute to the amazing Nelson Mandela.

One thing that occurred to me while watching the film was that Mandela didn't do the amazing things he did all on his own. First off, he wasn't jailed on his own. Secondly, he left behind a whole bunch of people who fought on without him.

Don't get me wrong - Mandela was an inspirational, awe-inspiring man, an unforgettable role model even before he went to jail. But when he was first incarcerated, it might've been easier for those he left behind to just give up the fight. Obviously their lives wouldn't have been easy by any means if they had, but surely to them the idea of going on without Mandela there with them must have felt pretty damn terrifying.

But those people, including Winnie Mandela herself, didn't give up. They continued to fight for their freedom and basic rights, and for that reason I think they were pretty amazing human beings as well.

Thanks Michelle for introducing me to Ubuntu, and furthering my cultural education. :)

Novel Films II & In Your Pants blogfests

Today is the start of the Novel Films II Blogfest, hosted by Madeleine from Scribble & Edit. Madeleine ran the first Novel Films Blogfest to celebrate her blogiversary last year. This year she's decided to run a slightly altered verison of the 'fest. Click the link up there to find out more about this blogfest.

I'm going to post on just one day, which is one of the options for participants, and I'm opting to just share a list of movies I've seen that I've also read the novels for. So here goes:

Looking for Alibrandi - This is an Australian YA novel that came out while I was in high school, and our English class (and most in Australia, I'd guess) studied it. To be honest, I can't remember the book that well, but the movie is a favourite. I do remember that the book didn't have a quite as "neatly tied together" ending, and I sort of prefer that.

Breakfast at Tiffany's - In high school one of my best friends was an Audrey Hepburn nut, and insisted it was the only way. Well, this year or last I finally got around to watching my first Audrey movie, Tiffany's. I also read the book, and I'd say that it's hard for me to pick which I like better, as they're different to each other but each good in their own right. But if I was held at gunpoint and asked to choose, I'd choose the book.

The Bone Collector - A friend and I saw this movie at the cinemas when it came out, I think (it's been so long, argh!). I always loved the movie, and it's fixed in my DVD collection. But recently I read the book for the first time, and was startled by some of the differences. Namely the, uh, terrorist subplot that's completely missing from the movie. And Amelia's different surname! I really enjoyed both "versions".

The Black Dahlia - One of my friends is a huge James Ellroy fan, and that's how I first got my hands on a copy of The Black Dahlia. I read it not realising it was based on a true story. Then the movie came out and I saw that, but only on DVD. I thought it was all right, not too bad really, but the book is just creepier, more tragic, more "gritty". That's my sadly faded memory of it, anyway - it's been a while since I read the thing.

Chocolat - I read the book years ago and only have vague recollections of that experience now. I know I enjoyed it. But the movie is one that I revisit every few years, and enjoy immensely each time. It's a bit like eating craploads of actual chocolate without even having to actually crack open a block - you're drinking it in directly from the TV screen. Oh, and there's Johnny Depp.

Memoirs of a Geisha - To be honest, in this case I don't have any strong memories of either the book or the movie. I'm probably drawing all the memories I do have from the book, though. I know the book was fascinating, but I remember feeling confused at beginning and end as I tried to figure out whether this was actually fiction or not.

The Hunger Games - I read the book first, but only just (it was 2012). For everyone else it was way old news. I loved the book, and feel that the movie did a pretty darn good job of living up to expectations. I look forward to the other movies as well, though at least for #1 the verdict is: book wins.

The Ring - I only recently read the book, and loved the sheer wackiness of the plot, which was markedly different to the American movie version. The movie takes a relatively small aspect of the book and conjures up a whole new reason why the crazy dead chick is doing what she's doing. I haven't seen the Japanese movie, but the American one got major points for scaring the crappola out of me. The book, however, wins huge points for being plain weird and wacky.

The Princess Bride - This is yet another case where I only recently read the book for the first time. I have long been a massive fan of the movie, and reading the book didn't change that at all. But I loved the book as well, so I guess there is no clear "fave" winning out here. I will go on loving them both possibly equally. :) 

Twilight - I remember starting to read this book and thinking, "WOW, this is bad ..." and actually goggling at certain parts that were just so bad. And yet I read the book in a day or less, and the entire series in four days (unheard of for slow-reading me). I saw the movie and laughed at the parts you weren't meant to laugh at - my mates and I continue to take the piss every time we watch it. But we watch it quite a lot, which has gotta tell you something, right? This movie's got pull. I have yet to re-read any of the books, but I'm sure I will someday.

War of the Worlds - This is another book that I only recently read. I saw the Tom Cruise version of the movie when it came out, and I vaguely recall enjoying it, though the fact that I can hardly remember any of it may not be a good sign. But I read the book and loved it, and so I think we have a definite book winner here.

Also today is the "In Your Pants" blogfest, which is probably the easiest 'fest I've ever participated in! You can still sign up if you are interested in an activity that takes hardly any effort at all. ;) The rules of this blogfest are as follows:

What are you posting? 

The current book title you are reading and then add 'in my pants' afterwards.
That's it. Simple, fast, and will be super easy to read everyone elses too. Feel free to add links or picture to the books so others can find them.

When is it happening? 

September 2nd 2013. 

So, (one of) the book(s) I am currently reading (well, one of them), is

The Grimm Fairytales In Your Pants

It's a pretty scary read. ;)

Teensy tiny little writing slump?

I have actually set myself a little goal, and it is to get my novella ("Lost, Missing, Gone") polished up in time for QueryCon 2013 in September. I set this goal the other day, and even publicly recorded my goal (which I just wrote as "gole" ... wow, I'm going good ay?) over at Misha Gericke's Five Year Project blog. I haven't actually started polishing it yet, well not since I settled on it for realz as a goal - a single goal I will concentrate on to the detriment of all other goals. It's been polished previously, but more in a proof-reading sort of way than anything else. But at least I've chosen my single project, right?

Oh, wait, I have other stuff to get done - namely stuff for my musical collaboration reciprocation (I owe Billy some GarageBand files and two in particular) - and I also wanted to get a short story of mine polished enough to submit to a magazine by the end of this month of August. But I've been watching a lot of Gilmore Girls (yes, I do love that show) and that's just kind of taken up all my time. ;)

I've probably lost my writerly mojo a little bit ever since June (and BuNoWriMo) ended. At least I managed to get those 50k written, and then I moved house. Not long later, I also managed to add to those 50k until I was done with the story (in very rough draft form). But I'm sure the writing bug is going to come back and bite me in the butt at any moment. After all, I can feel the creativity bubbling away inside me. It's just not spewing out just yet. I guess you could say I've had a little break, and that little break may continue for a few more days. But I do hope that Gilmore Girls breaks its hold on me sometime soon.

Will I have to wait until I've finished all 7 seasons? (I'm on season 4 right now)

What's keeping you from your goals, if anything?

The Secondary Characters bloghop

Today is the Secondary Characters Bloghop, hosted by Rachel Schieffelbein, Theresa Paolo, Kelley Lynn, Jessica Salyer, Jenny Morris and Suzi Retzlaff. You can win critiques by participating, so get on over to the linky if you haven't already and slap your name on it! 

Now to my favourite secondary characters. It's hard to choose one or two, so I went with a larger number! And this was also just off the top of my head! So, with that said...

My favourite secondary characters (of the moment):

• Vera's dad in Please Ignore Vera Dietz - I love his little charts. The little dad interludes brought a bit of extra lightness and cuteness to what was at times a really sad story
  
  
• I could name countless awesome secondary characters from the Harry Potter books, but for now I'll just say I love Neville - he's one of those characters who undergoes an amazing transformation
  
  
• Speaking of amazing transformations, can anyone say Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from Buffy / Angel? It was so amazing (and pretty tragic) watching him change from the absolute blithering weakling we first meet to a deadly, hardened warrior with serious war wounds
  
  
• Joel Tuck from Dean Koontz's Twilight Eyes (my favourite Koontz book), who is a gentle (dangerous) giant...with a third eye:
  
  
• From the TV series Medium, which I only just recently finished watching (sniffle! argh! noooo, what now?), I'm guessing Bridgette counts as a secondary character - she's the middle daughter played by Maria Lark, who was just the cutest little girl at the beginning of the series. Such a funny actress even at the age of 6!
  
  
• Neale from The Lifeguard, one of those tween scholastic books I read as a pre-teen (and still re-read sometimes these days!). Neale was troubled but sexy (and, eventually, sweet)
  
  

I think I could go on (and on, and on...), and I've probably forgotten some of my most favourite secondary characters, but this is the list as it stands in my conscious mind right now! :)