Changing up the Schedule

So after much very careful thought, I have decided to change from posting every week to every other week. I was pretty optimistic at the start to think I could keep up with posting about a different movie, book, and music album every week - but it usually takes me longer to read a book than that(well, depending on the book) let alone reviewing and discussing it. So what I am going to try now is at the end of the first week of the month I will review a music album, the second week/middle of the month will be the movie, and at the end of the month will be a book. For now I am going to take a break to catch up on life and my reading but you can expect my next blog following the new schedule to be on February 7th, 2015.

That's it for now!
~Oriona

Enya - A Day Without Rain - Album Review

Release Date: November 21, 2000

Warner Elektra Atlantic Corp.

Genre: New Age Pop

Enya definitely has a very different yet beautiful style that I have found I enjoy especially on rainy days. There are some songs that are beautiful and uplifting, some that make you feel grounded and close to the earth and some that almost make you want to cry. Although sometimes I find it difficult to understand all the lyrics, her music does speak to a certain part of my soul that still dreams of flying among the birds, getting to touch a soft white cloud or walk through a mystical forest.

1. A Day Without Rain
This beautiful instrumental opening is really a lovely way to start an album I found this song to be like taking long deep breaths in and out and it just makes me feel so peaceful and relaxed. With no lyrics it is hard to know what Enya might be trying to convey with this song but just going by how it makes me feel I would say this song is just peace, tranquility, calm, and a little bit of magic.

2. Wild Child
I really feel like this song is about living in the moment, being grateful for the day and all you have, time is passing, and you can't do anything about the past or future in this moment so you should enjoy it - what a day to be alive!

3. Only Time
This is one of Enya's more well-known songs that she released, and one of my favourites. However, I feel like this song has a deeper meaning than what I have ever been able to comprehend. What I get from it is that time is always passing, I think the song is about love and loss and I think it is really beautiful.

4. Tempus Vernum
In all honesty, this song use to scare me as a child. It reminded me of Lord Frolo's solo song from the Hunchback of Notredame (Disney version). It is just so dark sounding and it's all in what sounds like Latin (not that I really know what Latin sounds like). Not one of my favourites. Thank goodness that on the CD it has a great transition into the next song which is much nicer.

5. Deora Ar Mo Chroi
Again this song is in a different language but nonetheless it is so beautiful and harmonic, to me this sounds what I would imagine singing in heaven sounds like, peaceful and uplifting.

6. Flora's Secret
Although this song is in English, I still have no idea what she is talking about - I feel like I am listening to poetry that is using imagery that I need the aid of my 12th grade English teacher to comprehend. That being said, I still find the words beautiful and the music speaks to a part of me that seems to understand better than my silly brain.

7. Fallen Embers
I remember being home alone and singing this (being one of the songs I could mostly understand the lyrics) and being all dramatic looking out the window. It is just so tragically beautiful - a woman singing to someone she loves but isn't with anymore for some reason.

8. Silver Inches
It's funny to me that it's called 'inches' because the beginning sounds to me like a ballerina tip toeing quickly inch by inch. This sounds uplifting and fun...and I could also imagine one of those old-fashion ball scenes with the people doing the gentle hand-touch dance to this song.

9. Pilgrim
To me, this song is about self discovery; learning who we are through the choices we make.

10. One by One
This is kind of a fun-ish story about people who thought they wanted to be on their own but realised in the end that they were really meant to be together. Don't say goodbye to someone you love.

11. Lazy Days
I used to lay on the carpeted floor of my living room or outside in the grass while I listened to this song and imagine being in a field of sunflowers, with the wind blowing through my hair and the sun shining on my face, warming me.

Clearly this whole album holds a lot of memories for me and it is one of my favourite throwback albums when I want to revisit my child hood. So I may be slightly bias, but here is my review:

Emotion: I am going to give A Day Without Rain a 3/5 because it mostly makes me feel calm and uplifted, but nothing much more than that.

BMR: There's never much of a beat or what I would call rhythm, but it is very melodious and flows like water, which is the type of music that it is, so I will give 4/5.

Enjoyable?: Absolutely, there have been many afternoons for me spent just listening to this album and I think that because its so different and ethereal, it definitely takes me away to a different place that doesn't call for any other entertainment. 5/5

Creativity Another 5/5 because I have listened to many different kinds of music and I have never heard another that sounds quite like Enya.

Message: 3/5 I believe a lot of what she was trying to say had to do with the passage of time - but I wasn't really sure most of the time, and it made it more difficult with some of her songs being in different languages.

Total: 20/25

All in all I do love this album, I recommend it to anyone who wants something beautiful, calming, and easy to listen to with your morning hot beverage of choice. If you guys didn't notice before, you can click on the titles of each song to listen to it on youtube - let me know what you think!

Have a great day!
~Oriona














Sources and Picture Credits:

www.amazon.com/A-Day-Without-Rain-Enya/dp/B000050XEI

www.allmusic.com/album/a-day-without-rain-mw0000105750/releases

The Fountain - Movie Review

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Release Date: November 22, 2006

Warner Brothers Pictures and Regency Enterprises

Starring: Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz

Film Synopsis:

Tommy is a medical researcher studying brain tumours and desperately trying to find a 'miracle cure' for his dying wife, Izzy. Their story is mirrored by the book Izzy has written about a conquistador from the 1500's searching for the mythical tree of life in order to save his queen and country.

Watch the trailer here.

Discussion:

*Major Spoiler Alert*

So the first time I saw this movie, I was very confused about what was actually happening. I could see that his wife was dying, but was kind of thrown by the flashes between him as a 15th century conquistador and a guy floating in space in a giant bubble with a tree. I really feel that you have to watch the entire movie to even begin to understand what is happening. However, to say this movie is about a guy whose wife is dying and he is trying to cure her is like saying the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is about some guys going up a river in a boat.


What the movies is really about is life, death, and love. Some people think this movie is them being reincarnated - I'm not entirely sure of that. It very well could be, and there are some signs pointing to that, but I think that the part that happens in the past is just the story Izzy wrote about a conquistador and his queen -  and that part of the movie is to symbolize and illustrate what is happening to them. It's how Izzy views her illness.

 I am not too clear about the guy in the future but I have a theory that when Tommy plants the tree at the end, he then goes and finds the actual tree of life - that his lab seems to have found - and he becomes immortal. Clinging to the love of his wife and one day takes her whole tree - which maybe he replanted as the tree of life, or took her body to the tree of life OR the tree just became symbolic of her; I'm still not sure. But anyway, he takes his tree/wife to Xibalba (the nebula surrounding the dying star) as a way of dying and being reborn. My other theory is that the guy in the bubble is just Tommy's way of finishing the story. What's more is the whole part with him and Izzy in modern times is the guy in the bubble's memories. That's really all that I find really confusing. It makes sense and then it doesn't. - wibbly wobbly.


Either way, this movie is really stunning visually and I loved all of the symbolism of him just...moving through time and space. It is a story that makes you just sit there and think about how inevitable death is. We are all constantly moving toward it and there is nothing really we can do. What is most important in our lives is the people we love and spending time with them. It's about the experiences in life that add up to who we are in the end. We cherish those memories because one day someone we love will die and all we really have when they are gone is their memory.

Maybe this movie is about reincarnation in a way because energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It simply...changes. The energy that was these two people who loved each other might change one day to be another two people who love each other. Or maybe, it will just be a tree.

Review:

Protagonist: It is kind of hard to pick which version of Hugh Jackman's character is really the one to review, but I decided on Tommy because the conquistador is like the story version of him and the bubble guy is the future version of him(?). I think throughout the movie I just kind of felt bad for Tommy. I mean, the guy's wife is dying and he has the answer for her cure so close to him...just at his finger tips and before he can get the chance to use it, she dies. He was also pretty relatable I thought, because how many people these days have had to watch someone they love slowly die right in front of them and they are powerless to stop it?  He did do a lot of changing in the movie, I think at first the version of him in the bubble with the tree didn't want to face his past but he eventually did and he ended up dying feeling 'whole.' But the conquistador I think took a turn for the worst - he seemed to be a bit greedy and destructive at the end drinking all that life sap. For all that I give the character of Tommy: 4/5.

Antagonist: Time and the disease are really the antagonists in this story. Although the inquisitor was a pretty menacing guy, he wasn't really important to the story. There is nothing that can beat death or fight passage of time - they drive the events of every story really. For that I give them 5/5.

Support Characters: I think of Izzy as a lead/support character. Although she was Tommy's wife and the conquistador's queen, she just had this heir of the mysterious oracle who was helping Tommy learn some divine truth. Which in the end I think he did, using the memories of things she said and her story. The other people in the movie did almost nothing except for Tommy's boss played by Ellen Burstyn - she was kind of like a motherly figure. Being that most of this movie was about Tommy's inner struggle with dealing with the death of his wife and the supporting characters didn't really contribute much, I give them 3/5.

Classic Potential: I am not entirely sure about this one, I think this movie was made a bit before it's time and I don't think a lot of people will get it, but maybe people in the future will see more from it so I'm gonna go half and half and give it a 2.5/5


Acting: Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz are amazing actors and I think they did a really good job, especially at the end when Tommy is sitting on the bed crying and giving himself a crude ring tattoo to replace his wedding band - was really heart wrenching and made me bawl my eyes out. I'm still sniffling a bit while writing this. I think it was cool how they both played multiple characters but those characters still mirrored each other. 4/5

Soundtrack: I just finished watching the movie less than two hours ago when writing this and I can't even remember the soundtrack really, so for that 2/5.

Special Effects: Really good. Like I said before this movie had stunning visuals and symbolism and it was all very beautiful and seamless to my eyes. I give it 5/5


Overall Rating: 25.5/35

References and Picture Credits:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414993/

http://www.dardarkom.com/17922-watch-and-download-the-fountain-2006-online.html

https://magnoliaforever.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/ashleys-top-50-favourite-films-of-all-time/

http://cinema.theiapolis.com/movie-0F4A/the-fountain/gallery/hugh-jackman-in-the-fountain-2006-1086055.html

http://writewithhonour.blogspot.ca/2012/08/the-fountain-2006.html

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/still/00000729/the_fountain24.html

http://fyeahdarrenaronofsky.tumblr.com/post/4966522118/raphmike-hugh-jackman-the-fountain-2006

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/still/00000729/the_fountain15.html

Points System

Okay, so this is how I am going to be rating the books, movies, and music albums I will be reviewing from now on. Each category is rated out of 5 and then totaled at the end for an overall rating.

Books:

Protagonist/Main Character: rated on likability and how well a reader could relate to them. They are also judged on how much character development happens over the course of the book and if they are an active participant of events - or does he/she just sit around letting all the other characters carry her through and basically does nothing but everything 'surrounds' that character. (I'm looking at you, Bella)

Antagonist: Basically judged on how good of a villain they are and how much they drove the plot. Could the story have still happened without them?

Support Characters: Do they give something extra to the book? How do they help the main character and how to they help make the story?

Addictive-ness: How hard was it to put down?

Classic Potential?: Could this book and its author stand the test of time and take a place next to the greats such as Shakespeare, Jane Austin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Homer?







Movies:

Will be rated like books with these changes:
There will be no addictive-ness rating

The Classic Potential will be compared to movies like Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and other movies like that which could never really be remade or topped. Movies that will always be around and enjoyed for generations.

There will also be these categories:

Acting: Did the people playing the characters really make them come to life, or did you just see the actor?

Soundtrack: How well did the soundtrack capture the mood of the movie?

Special Effects (if applicable): Were they well done for the time period of the movies and were they believable?

*I can also foresee other categories coming up with different kinds of movies but I think these are good and can encompass most movies I will be reviewing.


Music Albums


Emotion: Does the album provoke any emotion from you?

BMR: Beat, Melody, and Rhythm - how are they? Does it suit the kind of music? Is it confusing?

Enjoyable? Could this on its own be entertainment? Would sitting in a room listening to this music be enough to entertain someone.

Creativity: How different is this from other music in the media? How did the artist take this genre and make it their own?

Message: Is the artist trying to say something with their music?


These are all I can think of that would cover just about anything, but if there is some other aspect that you would want me to talk about when I am reviewing something, let me know!

~Oriona

Picture Credits:

http://pixshark.com/open-book-magic.htm

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/classic-movies/images/582858/title/classic-movie-wallpaper-wallpaper

http://www.trickntrick.com/2014/03/easy-way-to-make-money-online-listening-to-music/

http://rockyourworld.co.za/inspired-through-experience/listen-to-the-words/

http://welltempered.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/classical-music-how-should-you-listen-try-these-four-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-classical-music-then-tell-us-your-own/

The Celestine Prophecy - Book Review

The Celestine Prophecy
by James Redfield

Published in 1995 by Grand Central Publishing

Book Synopsis:

The Narrator, who is never named, journeys to the country of Peru in search of an ancient manuscript said to contain the secrets and meaning of life itself. When he arrives however, he soon discovers that the Peruvian government is working with the church in order to suppress the information. Now on the run from the government and trying to find his way home, the main character is cast into an epic journey. It is filled with danger and mysterious 'coincidences' that seem to lead him to where he needs to be in order to learn all of the 9 insights of the manuscript.

Discussion:

So I thought it was very cool that the main character was never named. Reading the book in first person almost gives the feel of it being you who goes on this adventure - which I think was intentional. This is another book that has been a favourite of mine for as long as I can remember. I started out with listening to it on cassette tape, then I read it in book form a few times and now I have the full, unabridged version on CD. It is a book that has been quite an influence on myself as a person and the way I think and approach the world. And for as many times as I have read and heard it (I am at the point where I could almost recite the whole thing), I could still read or listen to it again. Besides being a really good read with adventure, romance, and mystery, it has a lot to take away with it too. The insights are applicable to real, every day life and make sense - at least to me. I don't want to give too much away here but I just think that this book was very well done. A lot of these kinds of books that are explaining a spiritual theory are written a lot like text or self-help books and this one is written as an exciting story which I feel helps the reader to understand better and also enjoy reading the book more.

*Spoiler Alert*

Review:

I think there is a reason I have read and listened to this book for the past...10+ years. It is a good book, I am not sure where even to start if I was going to try and criticize it. It has a straightforward plot, it has excitement and intrigue and I found it very enjoyable. But let me rate it and further discuss with my new points system.

4/5 - Protagonist: He was very easy to relate to with the perspective of the book being in first person. Although he seemed skeptical and a bit dense while trying to grasp the insights, I think maybe that this was for the reader's benefit to ensure that he or she would fully understand. That being said, I still found it a bit repetitive and annoying. He did however really develop through the book as he learned the insights; you could see him becoming more 'connected.' He was also very active in what was happening in the book, he actually seemed to be a main player of what was happening in the events of the story.

5/5 - Antagonist: The Peruvian government and the Christian church made a very menacing foe in the story; I felt real anxiety whenever they were close. But it goes more than that, they really drove the plot of the story. At first I was only going to give them 3/5 because I was thinking, 'well, he still would have gone to Peru and learned about the manuscript' - but he wouldn't have had all the vital experiences that really helped him to grasp the insights. For instance, he wouldn't have met Will, he wouldn't have run up that mountain to get away from them and then he wouldn't have had that super spiritual experience that helped him connect to the universe!

4/5 - Support Characters: Literally everyone the main character met was helping him in some way. Even if the characters themselves weren't 'favourable' - they were still helping the protagonist learn something important. But most of the other characters were literally helping him either learn or get to a new place...sometimes both. The reason I am giving only 4/5 is because it was a serious and heavy book and it would have been nice to have a comic relief character.

3/5 - Plot: Like I said before, it has a straight forward plot. Character goes on journey for knowledge and gets it. The reason for 3/5 is because...it's a straight forward plot. Yes, there is danger and he sort of takes a windy path to get there, but at the end of it, he has the information and goes home. I like books to have more intrigue and for me to go 'um..what!? How did that even just happen!?' That was one thing that never really happened in this book. Furthermore there was never a point where the main character reached a really 'dark' or 'low' point where it looks like all hope is lost. I think that is vital to making a story really make you ache in your lit-heart, that's what makes a character really come to life and makes you cheer for them to get back up and keep going.

4/5 - Addictive-ness: I can't quite remember the first time I heard/read this book but I do know that it is a really good read and very difficult to put down once you have started. But, if you had something to do and did put it down, you could be away from it for a while and let what you have read really sink in.

2/5 - Classic Potential: As much as I do love this book I don't think it is going to become a 'classic' and what I mean by that is, it isn't in the same category as Shakespeare, Jane Austin, or J.R.R. Tolkien. It is directed to a group of people that is simply too slim right now and most definitely not in the main stream media. It also didn't have enough of the elements that really make it a great literary masterpiece. It is a good read, a wonderful adventure, and a great book on spirituality, but not a classic. (it will be in my house though).


Total: 22/30


This book has already been made into a movie by the same name which I give thumbs down to because I really don't feel it did the book justice at all.

I do recommend the book however, and I hope you enjoy. If you decide to pick it up, let me know what you think!

That's it for now!
~Oriona




Sources:

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Celestine-Prophecy-James-Redfield/dp/0446671002

Picture Credits:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/354095589425174307/

http://thecelestineprophecymovie.com/dvd.php

Happy New Year!

Okay so I had every intention to do my blog the past couple of weekends but it has been very hectic here so this upcoming Sunday I will be going into the planned blog schedule. When I wrote the first one I was staying at my mom's and taking care of her after she had surgery, and then the following week I came home and then it was holiday shopping and parties. Then there was cleaning to get ready for my friend to come visit in the states and that has been what I have been up to lately. Anyway, I have so many ideas and posts I am working on for book reviews, and it has been a challenge trying to find movies and albums to compliment the chosen books. I also find it hard because a lot of books I have wanted to review have also been converted to film, so I don't quite know what to do about that situation.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that I am still here and looking forward to taking this literary/musical/cinematic journey with you guys :) keep your eyes open for my next book review this Sunday!

That's it for now,
Happy New Year!