Cool Site: BookLamp

    I recently discovered something for my fellow bookworms! Do you LOVE Pandora? Isn't it wonderful to find new artists that are similar to your musical taste? Well, now you can do the exact same thing with books! *NERD ALERT* Best part about it: it's free! After typing in your favorite book or author, you can find plenty of novels (fiction and non-fiction) that this site thinks you'd be interested in. I know it can be overwhelming to choose a good book. I love the various option this site provides. New authors and classics like Jane Eyre are right at your finger tips. All you need to do is go online or your local book store and dig into that great new novel.

http://booklamp.org/

The Men of Warrior

    The first time I saw the opening seconds of the Warrior trailer, I groaned. "What, AGAIN? Just call it The Fighter, Part II." But then, I saw Tom Hardy. For those who don't know, Tom Hardy is definitely on the list for "Ones to Watch." His scene stealing performance in Inception brought him well deserved recognition. A favorite of mine is his "Handsome Bob" - the gangsta with a "swagger" in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla.  Audiences everywhere will know him as Bane - the masked villain in the upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises.


    Warrior is about two brothers rising to fame as unlikely UFC fighters. One is an ex-marine while the other is a former school teacher. I can't say they are the traditional candidates for prize fighters. Tensions arise as the trailer shows complications in their lives due to this new career. Even more so, as they prepare to battle each other in the end.

    As a companion to the book, the studio is releasing a book of photography.These shots (from NYMag) are not your average publicity photos. The very concepts and movements are borderline artistic. The lighting reminds me of Caravaggio's chiaroscuro lighting techniques. *Holy Cow, an art reference! Ugh, how pretentious.* I could see these images at the Museum of Modern Art. Take a look at these pictures below. I must say they are breathtaking.

Warrior hits the screen on Sept. 9.

The Men of Warrior by Tim Palen is available in bookstores on August 9 in paperback.


 

Harry's Last Spell (Wingardium Leviosa, you say?)

   So, everyone in the entire world knows the story. It’s the striking conclusion that kicked the butt out of The Dark Knight on opening weekend with over $168 million in the U.S in 3 days. (Can we say CHA CHING??)

   There are numerous reviews out there, so I won’t go into epic detail on the series nor the movie. I'll just say my peace in a general analysis. But if you haven’t read the books... Wait, you haven't read the books? WHAT are you waiting for? It will change your life! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II is the end of book 7. The producers decided to split the last book up to give a proper goodbye to the series. This is otherwise known as “Hey, let’s roll in some money by making every last sucker go out & pay to see Harry 8 times instead of 7.” I am without a doubt one of those happy fools.

   I would’ve enjoyed and actually encouraged the films to be longer. The first two films by Chris Columbus will never be called classic achievements in film but they were fun. The third film was fantastic with a new mood set to really show the viewers – this is what Harry Potter should feel like. It’s not your average “kid’s movie.” The fourth by Mike Newell succeeded in continuing the mood of Alfonso Cuarón but greatly added a taste of British humor. The rest of the films were directed by David Yates. Now, the fifth film was completely a mismanaged mess that I still won’t forgive Yates on. The Order of The Phoenix was the largest book in the series and it was one of the shortest films! Neville Longbottom dropped the crystal prophecy not Lucius Malfoy!! Woo okay, I got that out of my system. The sixth film was also cut too short. I felt like Voldemort's story wasn’t laid out properly. I did enjoy the number seven and it may be because I was anticipating the end. I can happily say that movie eight was the perfect goodbye to 10 years of films and 13 years of spectacular novels. 

   Thankfully, we do get to see Harry & friends years later which is either the end of the end or an opportunity for J.K. Rowling to continue the kooky and fantastic work at Hogwarts.  My favorite part has to be when Neville became a BADASS and was the hero we all hoped for him to be. (YES, he’s my favorite character and do I follow Matthew Lewis on Twitter - the actor that plays him? Why, of course NOT!) *Blank Stare*

  I sincerely hope J.K. continues to write. How can she not with the gift of prose, adventure, and ability to speak directly to people of all ages? But then again, when you are richer than the Queen of England  - you can do anything you damn well please.