30 days of film challenge - part three

11. film you wish there was a sequel to

You know, I really can't think of a single one. A good film has a self-contained story and will never need a sequel. That's not to say there aren't any good sequels, just none that were needed to tell the full story.

12. sequel that failed to be as good as the first

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

Just wanted to put this one on here for kicks. Seriously though, every single cheapquel made by the DisneyToon Studios.






13. favourite character

Rafiki, The Lion King (1994).

He's crazy, wise, wild and colourful. Perfect.






14. worst character

Dolores Umbridge, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).

She's evil without a cause (bad writing, J.K.!), could have been done so much better and has absolutely no reason for appearing in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Just not interesting.




15. favourite movie quote

'Sméagol don't want fish!'
- Sméagol, The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers (Special Extended DVD Edition) (2003).

This was a tough one, as there are so many great quotes out there. However, this was the first one to enter my mind and has therefore won the prize.

30 days of film challenge - part two

6. scariest film

Jesus Camp (2006).

Enough Said.







7. funniest film

Shaun of the Dead (2004).

British humour at its best. Check out Hot Fuzz too, made by the same team.
True classic.






8. your oldest film (not the one you had the longest, but the one that came out first)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

That's probably accurate, though I can't say I'm sure... I do have older animated shorts on DVD, but I think Snow White would have to be the oldest film I have.






9. your newest film

Rapunzel (2010).

Yes, I know the official title is Tangled now. During the 6+ years it was in production, it was consistently called Rapunzel (Unbraided). Then Disney decides to change it's title a couple of months before its release? Nope, not buying it.
The film itself is absolutely wonderful though. It has everything a Disney film should and is a fine choice to be the 50th Disney Classic.

10. your most childish film

The Brave Little Toaster (1987).

This was directed by John Lasseter, who would later pioneer Pixar and become head of the Walt Disney Animation Department. In fact, this was the film that directly caused Pixar to exist. John Lasseter wanted to create this film in CG (this is eight years before the release of Toy Story (1995)), but Disney refused to invest in such a new and untested method of filmmaking. Lasseter left the studio and started his own.
That said, the film itself is charming, but far too sweet to be enjoyed as an adult (for me at least). Throw in some childhood nostalgia, though, and it's still fun rainy-day entertainment.

30 days of film challenge - part one

Hey everyone,

So I've decided to join the 30 days of film challenge. Thing is, I'm not online every day. Also, I'm far too impatient for these things. So I'll do it in six parts, to be updated whenever the hell I feel like it. Enjoy.

1. favourite film

The Lion King (1994).

Has been since the day I first saw it, will probably be until the day I die. I can watch this film every single day and still enjoy it. Animation has never been this powerful.





2. worst film

Garfield (2004).

I couldn't even finish watching this. Firstly, Garfield is a character that works fot three-panel comic strips; not a ninety-minute movie. Second, every single character is miscast/butchered. Thirdly, Bill Murray? No.




3. cheesiest film

Filmpje! (1995).

Paul de Leeuw. Crossdressing. Sarcasm. Superfluous violence/sex. 'Hoe kan het nou sneeuwen in de cafetaria?' Songs. Murder.
What's not to like?





4. film you cant wait to see

The Hobbit - Part One (2012).

I really, really hope they don't fuck this one up. They especially have to be careful with the Trolls, I wíll be checking whether they freeze in the same positions they had in the Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring.
Still, more Gollum, Sir Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Lee Pace... I'm in.



5. film you can watch over again

Donnie Darko (2001).

Seriously, put this on repeat and force me to watch until I die, and I'll happily live for another week or so. Think about it, that's a long time to spend watching one movie over and over again. Donnie Darko is absolutely brilliant.

Curly 01 - High-flying Adventure

As everyone who knows me should know, I'm a big fan of animation. There's just something about creating life by drawing forms on paper. I've always been fascinated by this particular artform, which fuelled my love for the Walt Disney company.
A couple of months ago, I found an animation programme even I could understand. I decided to give it a shot and try to animate a short clip. It's all very basic and rough, but I'm pretty happy with it. I'm still working on the sequel, though I must admit I've kind of lost interest. It'll get done some day though, and will be posted here once completed.
For now, here's my very first animated short.

Dolen í vad ô nín

These are the times when everything changes.
I’m not talking about the big worldwide changes here (which are obviously occurring as well), but rather the changes in my own life. It’s all on a much smaller scale, but monumentally important to me.
I’m twenty-four going on twenty-five. My time as a student is almost over. I’m in a relationship. It’s time to think about the future.
That’s where the problem lies – the future. I don’t yet know how it’s going to shape up, and I’m not sure how to feel about that. One the one hand, a little uncertainty is very welcome. I like going with the flow and seeing where I’ll end up. On the other hand, I’m almost twenty-five. I’m starting to feel like I need to settle down. Only, I don’t know what I want to settle into.
I’ve always wanted to move to the UK. My studies are almost over, handing me the perfect time to fulfil my dream. Of course, a dream is only a dream when it hasn’t been realised. Once you’ve achieved what you wanted, it’s time to find another dream.
That’s not the biggest problem though. The biggest problem is figuring out what I want to do with my life. I’ve been studying to become a social worker, but there are so many other things I’d like to do. Most of these aren’t profitable and won’t come to fruition anytime soon, but I want to make sure they can (when the time is right).
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and my grand conclusion is that I don’t know. I don’t know what I want to do, where I want to live or where my life is going. I’ll keep thinking about it but in the meantime, I’ll go with the flow. It hasn’t steered me horribly wrong yet and, if I can hold out long enough, my path might just become visible.

Books and covers

They say don’t judge a book by its cover. Logically, that means you should judge it on the content. This post is about reading.

When a book is hard to read, it’s difficult to keep reading. Even if the topic interests you or you really want to know what comes next, reading can be a struggle. There’s a fine line between a book still being enjoyable or agonising to continue.
When a text is hard to decipher, you don’t get the whole story. The excerpts you can make out may be enough to keep you interested for a while, but you won’t be able to understand the full meaning of what’s written.
The question is, when do you stop reading? We all have a boiling point, a time we just stop trying. Even if we try to ignore the problems and try to push on, if the situation doesn’t change, the boiling point is inevitable.
The situation can change in a wide variety of ways. The book can suddenly become more interesting or easier to read. Your reading skills may have improved. Other changes in your life may change the way you see the book.

Keeping the readers interested is extremely important. Therefore, it’s also important for the book to be easy to read. If people can’t understand what you want to say, they won’t stick it out till the end. Both the writer and the reader have to try and understand one another. The writer needs to make sure he writes in an understandable manner and doesn’t leave important details out; the reader should try to understand how challenging it can be to write a coherent story, and put in some effort to keep reading. The situation can always change, be careful not to give up too soon.

I never know whether my writings are interesting, fun, easy to read, or if it’s torture in a can. If you have any comments/tips, please let me know.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken

Hello and welcome to the first post on my new blog! I've been feeling the urge to write lately, so I figured it was about time to start a new blog. The title is a reference to my previous blog, Dreams of a Dead Man. That title is a continuing source of inspiration to me, which is why I've decided to revive it. To distinguish this blog from the previous one, I've added the 'revived' to the blog title as well. I can't really tell what's going to be posted on here. Some random ramblings, some short stories, some thoughts I just had to get out of my head... It's sure to be a wild ride. So sit back, relax and experience the Dreams of a Dead Man.