The tale persona

"I really try not to think of writing as a burden at all. My job is to fall in love" - Lin-Manuel Miranda (He for She interview)

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Current obsession - Full review coming up

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(Archetypal Chatterbox) Vintage Movie Review - Gone with the Wind (1939)

GONE WITH THE WIND (1939): The Movie, based on the one of the greatest but controversial American literature by Margaret Mitchell, is an epic romance during American Civil War. It highlights the life of the pretty but manipulative Scarlett O'Hara in the midst of her whirlwind romantic affairs between husbands and her struggle, as quoted, "to never be hungry again" after the Souths were losing from the battle with its Northern counterpart (Scarlett's thriving journey after the war was definitely my favorite part of the story, a lot of lesson learned and a definite girl power moment). This movie was quite extended in length, as in probably around four hours long, but the intensity of its drama has successfully made the time flew as we joined the characters both in their happier and sadder times. Probably, one of the benefits of a lengthy movie is the fact that movie makers are able to explore more on the character development and that is what I see happening with Scarlett as our lead, I hated the character with all my guts in the very beginning but as the story line was progressing, the character became more and more intriguing as it went to a rather grey area between good and bad. I admired her in a way but despised her in another way. My favorite character crown, though, will not go to Scarlett, but instead to Rhett Butler as the male lead character. His strong persona contributed a huge deal to add the story with passionate and spicy romance flair because otherwise, the romance bit will be rather dull and typical. All in all, this is the definition of intense drama. It was greatly captivating and emotionally draining but it is definitely a time worth spending. It might not be for everyone, but for those who love historical drama and romance mixed together, the movie is definitely for you.

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“You will be found” – The Broadway Musical, Dear Evan Hansen (OBC)

Dear Evan Hansen, a musical masterpiece composed by the well-known composer of some notable big screen scores such as La La Land “City of Stars” and the current sensation The Greatest Showman (Benj Pasek and Justin Paul), is definitely worth every praise and popularity as it is proven to be one of the most compelling, moving and heart-wrenching Broadway musicals to date. As it is also directed by Michael Grief (known for Next to Normal and Rent), you’ll be served with an impeccable performance as his approach is usually the combination of, “an astonishing intellectual, dramaturgical rigor as well as a remarkable sense of empathy and emotion”, as quoted from Steven Levenson (playwright of DEH), or in my dictionary “a worth-having sob fest”. Everything about the musical is perfectly crafted and more importantly, it is not only delightful to watch but is highly relatable theme-wise with its teenage anxiety and depression issue, the struggle to fit in and a bit of a love story to balance the proportion.

           Aside from the remarkable work behind the curtain, one of the most significant thing to be mentioned from the musical is the amazing portrayal of Evan Hansen, the timid and anxious high school boy, by Ben Platt. The Tony winner (also from the same show) and rising star Ben Platt, gives just the right amount of a flawless vocal and emotion combo in his performance. Added by the serious and occasional tears and spits, his performance definitely contributes highly to this musical’s impacts toward the audience and the musical current popularity. I would go as far as to say that calling Ben “crazily talented” is pretty much an understatement, there should be another superlative to define how superb Ben Platt is (maybe there is, but I am seriously at lost). It is hard to even hate his character with that abundant amount of talent. The whole ensemble is also not a detail to be missed though, all of them gives an equally engaging and powerful portrayal to their character. From the parents; family-friend, Jared (who is my secret favorite character); Connor; Zoey; and Alana complete each other amazingly, thus forming such a top-notch musical.

           Moving to the main dish of this review, the story covers a very relatable teenage dilemma such as anxiety and depression; the struggle to belong; and crushes and friendship. It is known that fitting in in high school is such a pain in the ass (whoops) and I believe we have been through all that fuss about high school drama. In that crazy survival to not being called “dork, nerd, weirdo, and many more”, some may do anything though at the cost of little or big dishonesty. This is what happened to Evan Hansen, who is still even struggling to communicate with peers in his senior year. His current coping mechanism as suggested by a professional is to write a letter to himself as a means of encouragement to get through the day. Bad luck he has, it is also because of the letter he writes, he is pulled into the trap of spiralling lies that will bring him as a viral sensation while hurting a lot of people at the same time. The story delivers a powerful message of a mess you could get into and people you could badly hurt from a lie you don’t even mean in the first place. His conflicted purpose of providing comfort to the Murphy family regarding their passing son and his somewhat concealed intention of getting close with his crush (which happens to be the daughter and the sister of the previously said family) has mould him into a completely different person. The initially timid boy turns into the speech-giving, leading and confident boy. The loner turns to be the popular and powerful figure admired both in his school and viral media.

           The first time I listened to OBC Recording on Spotify, I was quite shocked to see the very short list of the songs. It only consists of 14 songs in total, as it is listed below:

1.      Anybody have a Map?

2.      Waving Through a Window

3.      For Forever

4.      Sincerely, Me

5.      Requiem

6.      If I could Tell Her

7.      Disappear

8.      You Will Be Found

9.      To Break a Glove

10.  Only Us

11.  Good for You

12.  Words Fail

13.  So Big / So Small

14.  Finale

Another reason why I write all of the track list in this review is probably because almost all songs are special, and it is hard to choose which one is my favorite. I love the fun vibe from “Sincerely, Me” equally as the sad vibe given by “Waving Through a Window and Requiem”. I also worship the intensity of “Good for You” equally as I worship the hopefulness of “You Will Be Found”. You have no idea how amazingly moving the message delivered by all those songs! The songs are also a complete mix because you could dance to one, you could weep with the other, and you could lash out with full outrage with yet another one.

There is so much more in this musical than just a glitter and sparkle, the genius combination of intelligent works of those behind the curtain combined with the sincerity and thoroughly moving performance delivered by the casts successfully made Dear Evan Hansen a must-see show. Final word, it is one of those rare “living to its hype” performances that is definitely not to be missed.

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- Upcoming review

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[Archetypical Chatterbox] Spotlight (2015) : A thoroughly suspenseful journalism story

“If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one,” - Mitchell Garabedian, Spotlight

           Spotlight (2015) is one of that movies that goes down to my re-watching cycle list with its suspenseful and complex storyline, accompanied by the amazing performance of the casts. Throughout the movie, we get to experience the thrilling journey of the investigating journalist team, “Spotlight”, from Boston Globe in connecting the dots to unveil the horrifying truth of a somewhat sick tradition of child abuse inside the Catholic Church.

           We won’t see anything remotely violent or graphic in regards of the abusing issue, instead we’ll be served with a what may appear to be tedious information gathering through various key respondents such as the victims, the lawyers, and the inside informants from the institution. But, the amazingly well-written script, yet again, proves that words could do the amount of suspense effect as the visualization through actions or graphics. From those phone calls, interviews, discussions, and constant pestering done by those journalist were enough to give you all the chills.

           The next thing that also proves the movie’s brilliance was the powerful performance of the ensemble. Some movies usually single out key characters or heroes/heroines to take the lead, but this movies give me the impression that all casts really do work together to tie the movie together. Both major and minor characters are able to highlight their importance as a part of a complex puzzle. I also think that, for me at least, this is the redefining moment for Rachel McAdams from her predecessor roles proving that she is indeed quite versatile.

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[Archetypical Chatterbox - Halloween Read] Stephen King “IT” Novel: It’s all fun and game, until it’s not.

I had sworn to give myself a little break from Stephen King novel after the two long rides I have spent with his novels “11/22/63” and “Mr. Mercedes”, but the hype that has been going on about his newest movie adaptation “IT” back in September successfully toppled that oath. Because I opted to read the book first, it also meant that I did not watch the movie before finishing the book. Not that I mind though, because watching horror movies in cinema has never been my strong suit, so, all is well.

           As everyone might have known, the story was about The Losers – a group of kid misfits in the small town Derry – and their fight with the town monster, Pennywise. The group members were Bill, Richie, Eddie, Stan, Mike, Ben, and Beverly who bonded over occasional bullying by Henry Bowers and his gang, and the fact that they all somehow shared this creepy encounters with the town monster in its different forms. The clown, as the movie poster depicted, could take form in the kids’ worst fear such as a leper, a mummy, a bird, a clown with big orange button, etc. Based on the general overview only, I could say that it ticks all the boxes about a good old boyhood adventure a la Stand By Me - which I love dearly, but with a more thrilling and horror vibe, well, that until it’s not.

           Since the first time I watched Stand By Me, I have been desperately looking for the similar type of story but no avails, until I found this novel. It was not entirely a boyhood or coming-of-age story though, since it has two different time point of view, 1950s (kids period) and 1980s (adult periods). Regardless, their adventures and companionship among the group were my ultimate favorites of all. The next best thing about the novel was the historical flashbacks that could be discovered from Mike Hanlon’s interview with Derry’s senior members. It basically revealed that the clown was a devoted fan of every horrible occurrences in Derry, if not one of the force who drove it. I have to say that reading the flashbacks such as the fire in the Black soldier pub and the slaughter by that guy I forgot the name were sometimes more interesting than some parts about their fights with the monster. The last thing that I like about the novel was probably the fact that the origin and the story behind Pennywise was not exposed so early in the novel just like the rationale of the murder in King’s Mr. Mercedes, so it kept me hooked to read more. However, I should also say that Its motives were a bit vague and unsettlingly weak.

           The huge bold tagline “Derry is It” was thrilling, but I thought the execution of that idea was quite poor because beside the fact that the monster resided all over the town’s drain, it did not give that many reasons (the one that I find strong enough) to give that tagline the thrill I expected it to have. It’s probably a universal knowledge that sometimes monster kills for no apparent reason but I think a novel this thick would offer at least a mind-boggling rationales behind all the killings, floating, and revenge after 27 years. Even after the historical accounts, It was just described to be there. Its point of view near the end of the novel also did not quite describe his rationales on the revenge (beside the fact that It was defeated and instilled fear by the Losers) and his hell-bent willingness to make kids float. I was not even quite sure why it was defeated the first just because of a weird Chud and kids mating ritual – which successfully made my face pale due to utter disgust. Then came the fact that it was a spider and was laying eggs, it became another puzzle with missing pieces. I also expected a little bit details on the poor murdered kids chanting, “we all float down here, you’ll float too” that could be heard on the drains. I mean I thought there would be a more thrilling scene beside bodies floating in the drain.Those poor kids deserved better.  I was quite disappointed because, again, the book was so thick but the plot holes were even thicker. Maybe I wasn’t paying careful attention, but seriously, if the story was mind-provoking enough, I’d be pining over its details.

I probably need to tell you that I stopped reading in a ridiculously near-the end position though, all because of the disturbing sex scene Beverly done with all of the boys. Worst of all, it did not take place in the 1980s, but the 1950s where they were all pretty much just 11 years old kids. The moment I came across that scene, I went down to Google to find any reasoning behind King’s decision to write that horrifying scene only to be disappointed with a lame explanation by King himself. It was straight off creepy, I swear. I tried to continue reading after the scene, but my perception was already tinted with that scene. It stuck like a plaque and I just could not look at the characters the same again. I was a bit sad that I couldn’t push through to discover a probable big revelations but sometimes you gotta stop when you gotta stop. I’ll just watch the movie because I was promised the scene was not included.

           Overall, it was quite okay because the novel gave me a major Stand By Me vibe in most part of the kids’ adventure, but it was a mediocre read. I suggest you to jump on watching the movie right away.

Credit pic: https://img00.deviantart.net/c391/i/2017/221/c/3/it_poster_fanart_by_sixfrid-dbjiauq

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"Love is the ultimate outlaw......I love you for free." - The Quirky Tale of Still Life with Woodpecker by Tim Robbins

Due to the novel's extreme peculiarity, it was almost hard to begin writing the review without sounding like a lunatic. My first Tom Robbins novel has opened an entirely new level of understanding of the insane absurdity in a tale. Yet, no matter how bizzare the story went, it was a crazily fun and liberating experience because sometimes, one might need a break from those heavy-themed litetatures and this book would be a perfect pick for just that particular reason. Reading the book made me feel like I was on a fun road trip with friends, driving mindlessly with a lot of crazy fun in between. There is no summer in my country but I'd have to agree with those who think that this book would be a perfect summer reading. The Hawaii setting in the beginning of the story also helped building that vibe perfectly.

The tale revolved around the life of a princess named Leigh-Cherry who was the daughter of the king and queen of Furstenberg-Barcalona kingdom, King Max and Queen Tilli. Their reign had ended and instead of residing in their homeland, they became a fugitive in the US. The princess had faced typical teenager problems like teenage pregnancy and abortion, which later caused her to swear on celibacy. That until she met this outlaw named Bernard Wrangler (Woodpecker) in a convention. They quickly became lovers despite Bernard's love in blowing up places with his dynamites (literally). These two readheads were head over heels about one another and though their personality clashed in the beginning (outlaw and a law abiding princess) they struggled and moved to the center to find compromise...to make love stay (one of the biggest questions discussed in the story). There were lots or crazy philosophy and conspiracy theories about the moon, lunar and somehow its relation with women's menstruation, the readheads that was believed to be cursed, the planet Argon, the pyramid and its existence both in in a pack of camel cigarette and the dollar, apparently, spluttering around the story which added to the story quirkiness. The ultimate was definitely about love, as one believed love to be the ultimate outlaw (...I love you for free) and the other believed the complete opposite.

The most interesting part, though, was related to the princess complete devotion toward her lover by creating an almost accurate duplication of the lover's prison (you have to find out why Bernard was arrested yourself). She locked herself in the attic, painted the room pitch black, threw the comfortable mattress away, ate with rationed food, peed in a bucket, and accompanied by a pack of Camel cigarette -- she did not even smoke. Her devotion was very superficial and dare I say, stupid if only it was the typical plotted novel. Regardless, it was incredibly superficial, typical plotted or not. But, the highlight, was indeed not that superficial act instead the solitary moment she had during her alone time in which she could sync her body with the moon and understood better about that pack of Camel and the pyramid. Now, though I did not really think those were matter of importance nor did I took it literally, I would say that it was my favorite moment because it gave me the pleasure of understanding more about ourselves during the time when we were alone. Creating the deepest level of intimacy with ourselves until we reached a mind and body synchronisation is not to be overlooked. Hence, this quote expressed by our one and only outlaw, "Funny how we think of romance is always involving two, when the romance of solitude can be ever so much more delicious and intense. Alone, the world offers itself freely to us. To be unmasked, it has no choice.", easily became one of my favorites, among many others.

Most of the time, I found the main male character Bernard to be the most agreeable, apart from his love of dynamite and blowing up places. Sometimes, his beliefs were questionable but most of the time his distinct way in looking at the world earned him the favorite character title. Some of the quotes that I like are, "We are our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves." and "Don't let yourself be victimised by the age you live in. It is not the times that will bring us down, any more than it's society. When you put the blame on society, then you end up turning to society for the solution...". He could be some kind of a life guru, but he was not crafted to be perfect in the story. He was flawed and, as I have said, some of his beliefs and actions were questionable yet I have learned one valuable thing or two by reading his character.

The story ended tragically but happily because, though the once parted lovers reunited in a pyramid (built by the princess new lover Aben F'iezel), they were actually locked inside for some times with only wine and a cake to live on. What happens next and how the story really ends will be for you to find out.

I probably have spoilt a great part of the story but believe me, no matter how much I have let on, you will still find a whirlpool of arbitrary plot twists and bizzare moments to keep you hooked. Some may even sound like a drunk story that do not even make any sense! Most of the time I wonder whether the writer has intended to send some sort of cryptic messages but some other times I just cruised along with the story -- in which I felt more liberated because it magically unlocked a lot of valves in my brain which previously segregated with many aspects of how the story should go (based on my reading prior knowledge) such as certain plot development or theme or logical progression of writing or other structured stuffs. In my case, I chose to be liberated by simply went along and enjoyed the ride. It's different from what I usually read, but it's worth the journey. Just like that fun road trip analogy, it's crazy fun but it gives us lessons to learn from the simplest or the wierdest or even the most superficial things we encounter during the journey.

[Discovered the book through two actors Sebastian Stan and Emma Roberts. Special love for Emma Roberts for making this page called Belletrist that recommend books every months and hold intervew with authors as well. It is my newfound heaven]

credit pic : Pinterest 

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Let there be light – The Broadway Musical “Next to Normal”

 This first Broadway musical reaction post is dedicated to the man who started it all, the one who ignited the sparks of my current ardent love to Broadway musicals ever since I’ve watched his performance on the movie version of Les Miserable. The man who portrayed Enjorlas on ‘Les Mis’ amazingly, the man whose voice has been known to sound like thousands of tiny little angels, and the man who has put the most mouth-dropping and tear-jerking performance of Gabe, alongside the entire original cast of Next to Normal, Aaron Tveit.

The American rock musical written by Brian Yorkey and musically arranged by Tom Kitt’s Next to Normal portrayed a seemed-to-be perfect family; wife Diana Goodman, husband Dan Goodman, daughter Natalie Goodman, and son Gabe “Gabriel” Goodman. This Pulitzer winning musical was opened by the anxious mother waiting for her son who seemed to be having the rebellious teenage phase, whilst imagining possible ways of how the son could be killed. “Just Another Day” was their opening number, in which I believe, showed how each member defined “family” on their own point of view. This song struck a very raw and relatable image, one believed that the family was perfect, one thought it was a whack and tried so hard to hang on, one struggled to hold it together, and one was just in his own zone conquering the world and all.

“We’re the perfect loving family so adoring,

and I love them everyday of every week,

so my son’s a little shit, my husband’s boring

and my daughter’s though a genius, is a freak.”

– Just Another Day (Diana, Dan, Natalie and Gabe - Act 1)

           It seemed quite normal, just another family with teenage children, until the unfathomably painful truth was revealed. Diana had suffered from bipolar disorder for the loss of her son when he was still two years old, Gabe; the same Gabe she anxiously waited in the opening number and the same Gabe who she believed to be having his rebellious teenage phase. Throughout the musical, the character of Gabe, was lurking, messing around and pining into all members of the family’s brain. His character was merely a ghost of memory but a concrete spirit who could uplift and comfort, but also burden and somehow tear the family apart. Diana perceived him as her comfort; he was her light. Dan perceived him as a constant reminder of failure; Gabe was his burden. Natalie perceived him as the unreachable standard of perfect; he casted her an impossible shadow. All of them felt that their feeling was not understood and all of them were hurt and struggling.

           “I am flame and I am fire

           I am destruction, decay, and desire

           I’ll hurt you, I’ll heal you.”

– I’m Alive (Gabe – Act 1)

           You will not find a big dance choreography just like in most musicals, fancy costumes, a happy ending, nor will you find a huge number of casts. Throughout the musical, it would revolve around the four family members and the mother’s psychopharmacologists, around their house during the morning routines, family dinner, and some therapy sessions. It was casual, vivid, relatable, and raw. It pushed me to feel a rapid rush of different emotions even from the very beginning and it has successfully struck just simply every relatable cords about the complexity of a family and I could not help myself but felt immensely obsessed with this musical after the first listen. I was completely awestruck by every part of this musical because though it carried a very powerful and quite depressing theme, but it was not void of occasional humor – though dark and satirical, but effectively lightens the loads. One of my favorite was the parodical piece from “The Sound of Music” to describe the number of medicines Diana needed to take to help with her depression. There were a lot of “in between” feelings, in between the desire to laugh and to cry.

           “Zoloft and Paxil and Buspar and Xanax...

Depakote, Klonopin, Ambien, Prozac...

Ativan calms me when I see the bills—

These are a few of my favorite pills.”

– Who’s crazy, Psychopharmacologist and I (Diana, Dan, Natalie, Gabe, Psychopharmacologist – Act 1)

           Most often than not, we could pinpoint the bad guy of a story, the one to blame and the one to hate. In this musical, however, it was hard to point a finger because the four membered family were all trying to cope. In fact, they were hanging in a thin thread on a high tightrope, in which most of the time, they failed and fell. It might be easier to blame the ghost son though, but then again, he did not exist in the first place. All characters tried to cope in a different way and sometimes, they destroyed themselves. Diana coped with creating an image of a perfect son, who would take her side and danced with her when she was sad; and sometimes she coped with self-inflicted pain with the help of a knife. Dan hung onto the image of the image of his 20 year old passionate wife, desperately reassured himself that there would be time when “It’s Gotta Be Good”. Natalie, the worst of all, resorted to drugs.

           The constant battle of letting go and hanging on and remembering and forgetting was exhausting. It’s a very effective emotion drainage. However, the musical was amazingly closed with a piece of song “Light” in which though it was not the epitome definition of perfect wishful situation; it shredded a piece of light that is just enough to let us know that we’d survive in even the worst situation possible. It has taught me to hang on and kept finding the light of possibilities during the bad days. It has proved, yet again, that musicals, with all its magical wonders have always made me feel uplifted and hopeful.

           “We need some light.

First of all, we need some light.

You can't sit here in the dark.

And all alone, it's a sorry sight.

It's just you and me.

We'll live, you'll see.”

-          Light (Diana, Dan, Natalie, and Gabe, Act 2)      

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Why Bill is the coolest Weasley brother - Pottermore

Here are just some of the ways Bill Weasley shows he is the absolute cat’s pyjamas. Which, in case you were wondering, is far better than the ghoul’s pyjamas…

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[SPOILER ALERT!] Archetypical chatterbox: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

Different from my other review posts, Archetypical chatterbox will going to be a specially customized segment for casual reaction or discussion about movies or novels. By any means, it won’t be as well-researched, well-written and well-thought as the other reviews (not that my other reviews fall under all those categories, but you know what I mean. If not, just give it a shot - it’s free, who cares).

               Speaking of which, I just finished reading the hottest newborn baby by J.K Rowling, The Cursed Child and now I decide to write my thoughts about the play script (I haven’t watched the play because I live in a continent miles and miles away, so it is impossible, plus I’m broke, nah - scratch that, I’m poor). And just as precautions, this thought does not justify anything nor does it necessarily true since it is purely my own opinion and I believe that there are many Potterheads out there who probably have different view. Should you peeps have different thoughts, please feel free to share but no hate please.

               I’ve been a Potterhead my whole life, starting when I was pre-teen till now (I’m practically ancient) and I can confidently say. Always. And to say that I am ecstatic to know about this new project JK Rowling has is an understatement, I am SHOOK, especially with the release of Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them, I feel like I was swept away by the warmth from a full blown Patronus after a nearly-Dementor kiss.

               Speaking of The Cursed Child, I could not really say that I love it, but I don’t despise it either so it’s pretty much a mixed feelings here. I could say that the scenes are always in between a swoon-worthy moments, depressing teenage vibe from Albus (which annoys me SO much, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this annoyed reading Harry Potter after Umbridge, but she’s a villain so it’s understandable) and well, nostalgic of course. But most of the time questions, questions, questions – there’s just too many questions but too limited pages to turn. I am in DESPERATE NEED of a full novel. At this point, I have decided that a play script just wouldn’t cut it, just like the movies wouldn’t ever do justice to the novel.

               Maybe, the fact that I haven’t seen the play contributed enormously to my reaction because it was supposed to be for a play, so I should’ve seen the play before chirping about what I feel. But, I think it could’ve been more, could’ve been better that this. I felt incredibly bad to write this and BEWARE OF SPOILER but this seems to me like it revolves around one teenage guy (NOT SCORPIUS, HE’S A LIVING AND BREATHING FUZZY UNICORN, SO DON’T TOUCH HIM) thinking the world was unfair and decided to play hero to justify himself, and hey there’s this old man who lost their son because of his dad in a Triwizard Tournament and apparently he knew there’s this time turner, how convenient is that? I believe by now you know who did what to save who because of what. Plus, parents chasing around their kids and somehow always fall behind, too much, it’s weird considering they are the smartest bunch around. Also let’s just have a moment to think about how bad is Harry’s parenting. AND more importantly, he shouted at Professor McGonagal to SPY on his kid so that he won’t hang around Scorpius. I mean, dude, she’s your professor, have some respect :(

               Don’t even let me talk about Albus. I don’t hate him, I swear I don’t, I just feel immensely annoyed by his guts and impulse. He NEVER thinks before he does something. At first, I thought, is it because he is a Potter so he thinks that doing big things and having an urge to save the world is in his path? BUT HEY, no, Harry is the furthest thing from that, it was all those miserable things that’s always harshly shoved to his way. I could not justify his action in any way, I mean, I know it’s hard to have a famous dad, and to be the only one sorted in Slytherin and all that regular outcast thingy but what’s so hard to talk. It’s not like your parents ignore the shit out of you, they care and they tried. This complicated relationship Albus and Harry is unbelievable but what I understand is that sometimes one ends up saying things they don’t mean or saying nothing at all because they just don’t know how to act. That is understandable and I don’t blame how the dynamic of their relationship is narrated. I swear the only good thing Albus did was to stay with Scorpius in Hogwarts Express despite knowing he’s a Malfoy. He’s a good kid, Albus, he doesn’t judge others based on their parents’ past but his impulse though.

               The story is almost very predictable it hurts, I couldn’t feel the usual suspense I’ve always felt when I read Harry Potter novels. I mean, shouldn’t he at least think that when people use a time turner, it will create a butterfly effect to the present time? THE PAST IS OBDURATE, IT DOES NOT WANT TO BE CHANGED! So, look at what hits you, chaos. Pretty much expected, but I would be lying if I don’t feel things in the midst of these series of unfortunate events rippled by one wave of one guy’s action. I do feel things because at some moments I was pulled back by memories and feel fortunate enough to encounter some small valuable information that I could not get from the previous novel series. During the second try of the time turner, I got to meet Snape again because one of the alternate universe portrayed the time when Voldemort triumphed. So that’s the moment where I tear a little, a little too much. When I hear what he said about knowing that Harry named his son Albus Severus, I feel like I’m in cloud nine. I’ve missed Snape, and Alan more than I know.

               The highlight of it all, I think, is the Malfoys. I got to know deeper about what Draco thinks and feels the whole time. It is a very exhilarating revelation because I’ve always had the soft spot for Draco especially when he shows a glimpse of himself starting from the Half-Blood Prince. That private but rather heated conversation he had with Harry sent me reeling, I crave for this and I’m happy it happened. Now, now, don’t even let me begin on how amazing Draco’s son turned out to be. The brief encounter the Potters and Malfoys had during the first Hogwarts Express boarding for both Albus and Scorpius on the epilogue of Deathly Hollow had sparked a lot of prediction about the Malfoy family and I’m happy it came true. Better than what I’ve ever imagined, actually. Scorpius is the most adorable geek who ever lived in the current wizarding world - very smart, reasonable and loyal. I feel like I want to squeeze him because he’s just too darn cute. He becomes the voice of consciousness for Albus most of the time but sadly he is not powerful enough to take lead, so his opinion always ended up being ignored.

               The role and characterization seems to reverse and I’m happy for some of the change but somewhat angered by some others. I especially saddened by the fact that there is almost no meaningful interaction between Ron and other characters. All in all, It feels like there is not much to it than just a brief nostalgic trip to the wizarding world of Harry Potter, but then again, I will always down to drown myself among those wizards and witches again. I know that no matter what, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. ALWAYS.

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“I’ve killed you, Scout. I had to” – Atticus Finch                                          A sweet yet rather heart-wrenching nostalgia with Harper Lee’s 2nd novel ‘Go Set a Watchman’

Despite the gyrating controversies around the publication of the second novel by Harper Lee entitled ‘Go Set a Watchman’, the convulsion of joy and giddiness filled with a thousand of nostalgic butterflies is undeniable due my longing to the beloved characters; Scout, Jem , Atticus, Dr. Finch, and even old-fashioned Aunt Alexandra. This 2015 published novel had successfully brought back some precious old friends, and it was not just meeting them again that made me ecstatic but to get the glimpse of what kind of individuals have the characters become years after was the thing that made me incredibly content (read: sobbing) by the time I finished the book cover-to-cover.

           Firecracker of emotion bursting to all directions is, I think, the only perfect expression that I could say about how I actually feel when I read the novel. As I have, and I believe you all have too, the feeling of attachment with the characters after reading the first published novel To Kill a Mockingbird. We all probably are able to affiliate on certain adjectives and description if we come across anyone asking about who Scout or Atticus are. So, it is probably natural if we expect them to stay the same way for it is sometimes painful to see a small pebble of change could break the gigantic wall of perspective we already have about them. I feel practically involved with the characters to the point where I could find my heart summersaulting by any changes and conflicts among characters in the story, and yes it was among the characters hence saying that I’m heartbroken maybe an understatement. I was crushed to pieces and perished to see my castle of formed-perspective being attacked so viciously. Occasionally, I would be smiling during the reading when faced with sweet memories of their childhood, especially in the case of Jem flashbacks (darling Jem who has passed too soon for my liking) and Dr. Finch.  But, most of the time I was frowning and yelling and the other time I was simply left utterly speechless accompanied by hopeless sigh and teary eyes.

           Now, I may seem like talking riddles but if you just pay attention a bit closely, I’ve mentioned changes and conflicts. What really happened? the answer to this is probably the most relatable piece of occurrence that we all know too well sometimes we hope doesn’t happen. The answer is the unavoidable hell of growing up with billion possibilities and new experiences down the road and even endless chances of us screwing up, and, well, of course endless chances of happiness as well. Scout Finch was no longer a little girl who worried about getting pregnant because of a simple kiss nor upset about losing a tire rolling game with Jem.

The novel portrayed a more complex problems of adulthood from the eye of the strong-willed and idealistic Scout Finch. Just like each and every one of us growing up, Scout came back with a new outlook of the world formed by years of living in New York city, far from her home in Maycomb though her personality traits remained the same as she was still brave, strong-willed, outspoken, and somewhat hot-blooded like ever before. Differently, as she has developed her own perspective and identity apart from her previously formed perspective by the years of learning with and looking up to her beloved father, I think she was even more hot-blooded and pretty much seemed a bit too impulsive for her own good. This was the time I was frowning the most for I had an internal battle about this newfound emotional trait my beloved Scout had, one time I thought she was overreacting but in another, I felt that what she did was not out of character thus sensible. Each time she was confronted by opposing values, she became very defensive and by the end she exploded because of the same reason. Easily enough, that explosive of emotion scene became my favorite part of the novel because it was the moment where the plain hard truth was shoved harshly to my head, and just like what Atticus said, “I’ve killed you, Scout. I had too”, I was killed as well. Sometimes, someone ought to splash you with a bucket of cold water just to wake you up and open your eyes, indeed. It was harsh but it was necessary from time to time.

In short, my summersaulting heart and somewhat hyperbole expression of “crushed and perished” were pretty much about how I felt when this dynamite conflict between Scout and Atticus (and a bit of everyone else including Dr. Finch, Aunt Alexandra, and Henry – her lover) blew up right to my face. Thankfully, Lee made it worth it to be murdered because later I was resurrected with a freshly cut layer of new perspective and a meaningful lesson (book can do that, I know, it’s amazing). I believe, it is what Harper Lee always did best and what made me fall in love with her novels in the first place, a simple and blunt narration with an incredibly relatable life lessons.  

Now that I’ve mentioned about the conflict and the Atticus quote, I probably need to elaborate more about what was actually happening according to what I comprehend since I believe there were a lot more to it than what my silly mind can decipher. Scout found that Atticus joined the city council that tried to prevent Blacks to be granted citizenship and the right to work in a state institution and she was outraged because it was Atticus who taught her to respect people regardless their color. I was a bit upset but my high pedestal for Atticus has not been ruined yet, I believed that he has his reason. Atticus has always been a great character for he always been the wisest, the most sound-minded, the best father anyone could hope for. As the novel was always delivered by Scout’s point of view who put her father in a high and mighty pedestal parallel to God who made no mistakes, I admired Atticus and did the same thing. During the confrontation between Scout and Atticus, the truth unravels and I was completely baffled by what Atticus said about the fact that he did not want Blacks, whom he called the backwards, crowding their state institutions and given citizenship freely because they were seen incapable. Here comes the part where I was yelling and screaming and at some point left utterly speechless I need to close the book for a while to take a deep deep breath. This was also the moment where my Atticus pedestal started to crumble to the ground. The intense arguments between Scout and Atticus made me emotionally exhausted and it was when Atticus said, “I’ve killed you, Scout, I have to” and, “But, I love you” that my tears began to fall.

           At last, it was the one and only Dr. Finch who resurrect me from the dead by giving the harsh yet appeasing truth. He said, “…every man’s island, Jean Louise, every man’s watchman, is his conscience. There is no such thing as collective conscious…you are born with your own conscience and somewhere along the line fastened it like a barnacle onto your father’s. As you grew up, totally unknown to yourself, you confused your father with God. You never saw him as a man with a man’s heart, and a man’s failings…you were an emotional cripple, leaning on him, getting the answers from him, assuming that your answers would always be his answers. When you happened along and saw him doing something that seemed to you to be the very antithesis of his conscience – your conscience, you literally could not stand it. You have to kill yourself, or he had to kill you to get you functioning as a separate entity.”. Everything made sense again, everything fell into place, a new place different from before but a place nevertheless.

           I had doubt the first time I read a few pages of the novel, I thought I wouldn’t like it as much as I love the first one. That happens sometimes, especially with my knowledge of a vow made by Lee about not wanting to publish another novel. But I can’t help myself to fall head over heels again with this second novel because it has a bit of everything relatable narrated with an amazing tale telling skill. It highlights matters about family, romance, gender, and the signature race issue Lee always has. And, just like I said, to be able to meet our beloved friends again especially seeing what kind of individuals they have become made it exceptionally worth it to read.

[purplebuddhaproject]

https://www.instagram.com/pbuddhaproject/

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Words

[emmaduerrewatson]

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Mood

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the pop art version of Holly Golightly

by Erma

[keripiktalas]

Now I Know Where to Find The Fantastic Beasts. They're With Eddie 😄

I am still in awe of how magnificent this movie is. It is an absolutely fine treat for moviegoers who seek a magical and mystical wizard story with MAJOR entertainment in it. Definitely worth-watching multiple times.

Fantastic Beasts creates a story that’s both entertaining and original. It has its own thing that is worthy of your attention and time (and money). Its cinematography for example, it is so visually stunning. The style is very much in tune with other Potter movies that certainly reminds me of how joyful Rowling’s wizard world is. FUN FEATURE: It doesn’t require Harry Potter knowledge for you to enjoy it. If you happen to be a Potterhead, though, that’s your bonus.

The cast? Huh. Here’s the thing. When you have an academy winner as the main lead in your movie, it is definitely more than safe to say “he is good”. I’m telling you, Eddie Redmayne really knows where to find his fantastic beasts haha. He told us on Graham Norton show, no? 😜 And yes, I won’t forget about our beloved Flash, Ezra Miller. I don’t meant to spoil anything, but he’s on his zone in this movie. You know… That troubled kid, who is kind of cray cray, kind of schizophrenic? He owns it.

There is a lot going on in this movie. I needed to set myself on the alert mode to keep up. And of course I missed some tiny bits of it 😭 (another reason to rewatch it 😁). However, the director is so cool that he is able to keep it from being over-stuffed. OR it is probably over-stuffed, but in a cool way 😎

Last words: Fantastic Beasts is just as fantastic as its title.👌

Creds to the gif illustators

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Stephen King’s 11/22/63: It’s a tear jerking romance with a lot of dancing, pie-throwing and saving the president along the way.

Don’t be deceived by the red-blood cover page with a piece of an old newspaper about JFK assassination, nor by the endless pages reaching up to a thousand, it may look frightening and intimidating but sometimes things don’t exactly turn out to be like what it seemed it would.

           Shawshank Redemption, Stand by Me, and The Green Mile are the three movies adaptation by Stephen King’s novel that I worship with all my heart. King always astounds me with the depiction about the beauty of people in the most unique way possible; how a cold and lifeless prison cell could create a strong bond between men, how a simple boyhood adventure could form a string of friendship, and how a prejudiced death-destined man could teach you about conscience. The exhilaration that I felt by watching those movies brought me to read one of his novel entitled 11/22/63 published in 2011. Truth be told, I expected a lot of things because it was my first King novel but as a humble silly reader that I am, I found out that it was far from what I’ve expected yet the story turned out to be quite satisfyingly heart-pleasing I could not mourn over my shredded expectations.

           11/22/63 was a history alteration novel depicting an English teacher named Jake Epping who went back in time to save President Kennedy from his assassination back in 1963. Jake was given a mission to save Kennedy by a burger parlor owner Al Templeton because he believed that saving Kennedy would mean the world be a better place if Kennedy escaped from his alleged assassin, Lee Oswald. As bizarre as it is sounded, Jake agreed to continue the mission and stayed some years in the Land of Ago to formulate a plan stopping the murder. Along the way, he also managed to save his student Harry Dunning from his unfortunate family fiasco when his father tried to slaughter the whole family with a sledgehammer.  

           I know, it seemed like a thrilling and patriotic adventure of a man who travelled back in time to do good deeds for the benefit of the mass. I expected the regular King-ish suspense and thriller too, and I was sure that the first half of the book was transmitting some kind of a signal that it would be a thrilling and suspenseful journey. I honestly kept waiting the moment I feel a smidge of suspense at some point but I could not find it until the very end, and that suspense was also not for a completely different reason so I think didn’t count.

Talking about the suspense in the final act, I should say that I was a teensy bit disappointed because it was less from what I had hoped. I was intrigued to see the interaction between the assassin and Jake Epping from the very beginning, I hoped that somehow if there was a string of friendship formed between both would ignite sparks to make the story more interesting. But, yes that did not happened. It did happened in the final act of confrontation but it was again overshadowed by the romance bit. The clash between romance and mission should have been the final built-up of the story but the tragic of romance overshadowed the mission too much.

             The first half of the story was actually pretty bland, it was Jake’s first trial of time travel and it seemed like he was only present by flesh not by mind. He appeared detached, did not interact with anyone out of business and very straightforward in completing the mission. He did not look alive, hence it was one of the reasons I find it hard to keep my interest to continue reading the story. There was not even a glimpse of emotion shown by the character, just a tint of confusion and sometimes anger; but beside that it was almost like reading a boring and long report of a man who travelled back in time. However, the second time he did the time travel, he did look more alive because he started to find something that he loved when he decided to return teaching. If you pay a little bit attention to my title, then I suspect that you all knew the other reason why he looked more alive in his second journey.

           The first perk of the story happened when he returned to his teaching profession as revealed more and more of himself by finding bits of himself in the Land of Ago. His interaction with the school members has given him a bit of color to his previously monochromatic bland depiction. The most profound color then came bursting out after he met the love of his life that went with the name Saddie whom I honestly never thought would be a significant character as I always thought that she would be just another passing name. But, boy was I wrong when I found out that she turned out to be the whole story.

           The whole saving president work was always on process and sometimes the story shifted between prioritizing the love story bit and the president saving bit. But, I could say that the president saving bit was always just the backdrop instead of the main story. No prominent threat nor crisis as everything ran very smoothly. I used to think that it was all a build-up to a grandeur final act but I was kind of disappointed again as the romance took lead in stealing the story’s final act confirming it as a more romance driven novel than thriller or mystery. The romance though was overwhelmingly beautiful but tragic at the same time. You could sense all kinds of emotional turmoil as you could feel the giddy, joy, pain, desperation, regret, rage and a whole lot of other emotions by following the main character romantic journey. It was showered with dancing, pie throwing and laugh but it was also thundered by immense sacrifice, screams of guilt, regret and loss of hope.

           Heaps of surprises and plot twists colored my journey during the reading of this novel. Not only did the story turned out to be far from what I expected, but the fact that it was still pleasingly satisfying stunned me the most as I found myself still enjoying the bits and pieces of its twist and turn. The story made me smile and felt all giddy inside but it made me scream and weep with anger, then weep all over again overwhelmed by the fireworks of bursting colors. It was just that beautiful. I know, I probably did not even make sense right now but let’s just say that it was such a worthy long journey to be part of. Forget about the president saving heroic act, the dramatic bloody red cover, and the gigantic size of the novel, the romance between Jake and Saddie was to die for, to cry for, and to fight for.

           It might be just a mediocre read if it was a time travel story and so will it be if it just another romantic story. But the mix of mystery of a time travel, history alteration, and a heart-shattering romance could bring you to another level of ecstasy in a Stephen King-ish unique style of tale, especially if the story kept surprising you with its edgy and unpredictable turn along the way.

All in all, it was a long ride but definitely a long ride worth enduring.

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FINALLY!!!! It has been an overwhelmingly loooong and colorful ride with this one. I was struggling real hard to finish this book because..well its endless pages and chapters may be one of the reasons. But, more importantly the first half of the book gave me the feelings that the character seemed a little bit detached with his surrounding, though he was supposed to, but it was a real struggle to keep my self interested if the narration tasted bland and distant, just like reading an unabridged diary of an emotionless man who traveled back in time with its little perks of conflicts. I stopped reading the book and cheated with other books for quite some time and finally picked it up again from my shelf last month and I was more than happy to see the character is more involved and the story has more suspense and mystery in it. This is my first Stephen King novel but since I've grown to love some movies adaptation based on his novel I could say that the ending is very Stepen King-ish. It is not that happy jolly ending you expected, it is unpredictable, full of sorrow and it makes you weep but there is just this tiny bit but amazing silver lining that could lift your emotion to cloud (though it does make you weep again in happiness). More detailed review will be available on my tumblr hopefully soon 😀😀😀 Stephen King - 11/22/63 "The past is obdurate, it does not want to change"