Hello-Hello! I finally put this review on the world wide web after an unexpected leave of absence from book blogging. I prioritized reading and book pictures. ^^
Below is a sneak peak of my Why LA? Pourqoi Paris? review.
Enjoy!
Have you ever been to Paris or LA? I can proudly say that I have. Only to Paris… And by being in Paris, I mean that I spent a maximum of an hour or two there. The majority of that time, I was in a bus station taking a break – bathroom and gas tank refill. It was a beautiful dark station with amazing bathrooms. Yes, I had to pay 50¢ (euros) for the toilet. Besides the station, I had the chances to see La Seine, the river that crosses Paris, and a few random buildings from the bus window. Now, you understand why I need to go back there?
Speaking of which, this book was a great catalyst to remember my love for France and French culture. With the American culture, I am well acquainted already. Wink-Wink. And regardless of my previous knowledge about these amazing cities, Diane Ratican’s travel guide poked my interest in them again...
Hello-Hello! Another day, another minute, another second... Time passes by and these week's songs are a bit thematic, I might say. To quote one of my favorites comics of all time, W.i.t.c.h., "The end is a new beginning." I am going through a break up with my... myself.
(Ha! I've gotcha there, didn't I? ;])
Have you ever had a feeling that something is going to change in your life and that change is going to come from you? Well... That's me right now. Sadly any change in one's life, no matter how good it is, comes with side effects like an atrocious reading slump.
I am searching and mostly waiting for an epic book to appear out of nowhere or my bookshelf and slay that... slump.
Until then...
Naruto Theme - The Raising Fighting Spirit
Anne-Marie - Ciao Adios
Selena Gomez - Bad Liar
Meghan Trainor - I Deserve Better
Happy Summer Everyone!
Play it [them] on REPEAT!
And before I go, I want to make an honorable mention to Marina Kaye - On My Own. You know... It matches the theme of the week. ^_^
Hello-Hello! Doctor Who just premiered last weekend!!! Wait... Wrong post. Then... Is this the post about the Bunny who was forced by freshly resurrected Jesus to lay chocolate eggs - aren't they made of plastic now? - and then to hide them - no reason behind that - for children to find? At least in Romania the EasterBunny brings real presents like Santa. Hmmm... Don't think so. I am mixing Christianitywith Pop Culture.
Oh! Look! I used the "question inside a question" concept, literally.
I should probably look at the title of my post and stop babbling. :D
It's... A BookTagrelated to Easter.
I was sort of tagged by Abi from What Makes A Good Book. (<-- link to original post and blog.) Well....... She tagged "anyone who wants to do this tag." And I said, "Why not?"
Let's get started!
1. Rabbits- A book that you wish would multiply- So a book you want a
sequel to (that doesn't have one)!
Let me check my Goodreads... The first book which comes to my mind is:
It is a standalone I read recently. A sci-fi fantasy well done. I need more from that world and those characters. For more information on this book, check out my review -->HERE<--.
2. Egg- A book that surprised you
For this one, I have two books. A recent release (Letters to the Lost) and an older one (An Ember in the Ashes). Before starting these books, I was skeptic with low expectations and barely remembering their synopsis. Thus, I got gladly surprised. If you want, you can check my review on Letters to the Lost here.
3. Hunt- A book that was hard for you to get your hands on
Basically, almost all the books I put on hold from my libraries on OverDrive. As of right now, I am number 268 on 43 copies for this book (I already read 32% of it):
4. Lambs- A children's book that you still enjoy
I did not like books and reading when I was little. Shocking! I know. I liked the stories to be told to me by my grandmother. Sooo... I searched in my memory, on Google and Goodreads and I decided on this:
5. Spring- A book with a cover that makes you think of spring
Even the book itself has lots of spring and fairytale elements.
6. Rising from the dead- A book with a deceased author
Mostly all Romanian authors I read and other classics... Which are very few. Or I can put one of those ancient Greek works... Well, I am choosing two books:
Camil Petrescu The Last Night of Love, the First Night of War and Three Plays by Aristophanes: Staging Women
7. Baskets- A book that is in your Amazon cart or on your wish list right now
I wish the Romanian and English speakers (Romania, U.S.A., and/or U.K.) to finish translating this series cause my French is bad. I will have to use Google and a dictionary if I want to finish this series. COME ON! In Romania, they stopped at book seven while in USA only the first two books are translated. Really! Really! Really! You cannot do this to me. Publishing companies from Romania and USA get your act together. I need this series finished.
8. Candy- A book that is sweet
Is love considered sweet? Then, I pick this one:
9. Peeps- tag people!
Are you feeling compelled to do this tag? Consider yourself tagged, mate.
Hello-Hello! Today I am bringing you another foreign movie. It is called - hence the title of this post - La belle et la bête or Beauty and the Beast. I know that a lot of you are excited - myself included - for the upcoming Disney live action adaptation musical of Beauty and the Beast to hit theaters on March 17, 2017.
So, I thought it will be a great idea to talk about the French adaptation from 2014 since March is almost here and February is also the month of love in lots of cultures.
Yes, you "heard"/read me right! It is a French movie. And yes, the whole cast is talking in French, despite Vincent Cassel playing the beast.
Some of you will say, "Duh! He is a French actor. What is your point?" Well, my point is that until 2014, when I saw this movie on a plane, I did not know that! Shocking. I know. Thus, I am assuming that other people know him more for his English movies like Black Swan and Jason Bourne.
Anyway, back to the French La Belle et la Bête!
Let me tell you this: This movie is freaking amazing!
I've watched it two or three times already. Ignore the cheesy poster because I couldn't find a better one to depict how epic this movie is.
Did I forget to mention the Beast's cape?
First, let's talk about the visuals!
This film deserves to be watched for the special effects only. They are that incredible. I mean, just look of a couple of concept arts I put throughout this post!
The fairytale atmosphere was successfully created. As a viewer I was mesmerized of how real everything felt. Vibrant colors. Breath taking images. I loved that there was no overuse of the dark filter (excuse the lack of better technical terms) to depict the era of the story or the darker themes. Everything feels and seems real.
The storyline. Well... You know the basics -ish! It is more based on the real Beauty and the Beast than the Disney version. Of course, there are lots of twists.
Belle is from a big family. She has two brothers, two sisters, and a father. Her father is a merchant who loses everything and the family is forced to move in the country side.
And...
Go, watch it!
I do not feel like spoiling you so I am going to say the minimum minimorum.
We have a more mature love story and not the cute-roses-and-doves type going on. I was able to sense the sexual tension between the protagonists.
Also, we get to see in detail why the prince became the beast in the first place.
So, what are you waiting for, beside finishing to read this post?
Go watch it!
Another contributing factor to this epic retelling was the acting. The actors were able to make the story flow and feel real. Nothing felt forced. I was able to connect and feel.
The feels! Let me tell you: The Beast has the most intense facial expressions I have ever seen!
I know. I know. I am using too many exclamation points because I am that exited to talk about this movie. :D
The music is the secret ingredient to complete the fairytale atmosphere.
What can I say? I love instrumental music especially movie scores. Consider my opinion biased about this topic. ;)
Just think of it! How cool is it to have the "story as old as time" (quote from Disney's Beauty and the Beast) told in its original language?
It is romantic.
It is sexy.
It is the language of love.
L'amour!
The movie has its flaws and some small plot holes.
Nothing is perfect!
Do not let small details to obscure the overall story.
More concept art
More concept art
I hope you enjoyed this post.
And I hope I was able to convinced you to watch the movie.
