Breaking up

If you've been around these parts for a while, you'd know that I have something of an obsession with all things Joss Whedon (except Dollhouse. Never Dollhouse...). BUT.

(And this is a big but. Not to be confused with MY big butt)

As a result of spending the past TWO YEARS blogging about Buffy and Angel over on Snark Squad, I'm a little bit exhausted thanks to all the crap that tends to accompany Whedon's shows. So Whedon and I? We're breaking up for a little while. At least until The Avengers: Age of Ultron comes out next year.

Here's why:


K xx

Movie Monday - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It's no secret around these parts that Buffy is (was?? It's hard to tell post-Snark Squad) one of my favourite TV shows. But some of you may not know that Buffy actually started way back in 1992 with a truly so-bad-it's-a-little-bit-good movie. And yesterday morning, we watched it for Snarkathon (which you should totally join us for).

Reasons why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is awesome:
1. Kristy Swanson. Sure, she's no Sarah Michelle Gellar, but the sass is strong with this one.
2. Lefty's death scene. AMAZING.

Source

3. The training montage. Who doesn't love an inspirational training montage?!
4. Killing a fly with a thumbtack.
5. Paul Reubens. OMG.
6. All the "before they were famous" moments, including Hilary Swank, Ben Affleck, Ricki Lake, and Seth Green (although almost all his footage ended up on the cutting room floor).
7. Luke Perry. By far the best romantic choice Buffy's ever made.

Source

8. David Arquette. Hilarious.
9. The amazingly 90s costumes.
10. The prom dress-leather jacket-boxer's boots outfit that Buffy wears during the big fight at the school dance. (And apparently the guy she's kicking in the face is the only bit of Seth Green that we actually see)

Source

11. Rutger Hauer.
12. The principal issuing detention slips to the dead vampire students.
13. Donald Sutherland. He's paedo-tastic for the vast majority of this film, but it should not be forgotten that a critically acclaimed actor starred in something this bad.
14. The cheerleading uniforms. They feature CULOTTES.

Source

15. The scene on Pike's van. AMAZING.
16. The fact that Buffy gets cramps when vampires are nearby. Hilariously useless Slayer power.
17. The ridiculous "choosing a theme for the dance" scene.
18. It's Joss Whedon (or at least it's his idea. He left the project part way through because they weren't going the way he wanted them to)

Plus, the following quotes:
- "Pike's not a name, it's a fish."
- "Are you...calling me...a man?"
- "Dribble dribble, shoot shoot, get that ball through the hoop hoop!"
- "You bear the Mark of the Coven." "What, that big old hairy mole? Ew, I had that thing removed."
- "You're floating! Come on, man. Get away from here."
- "This is a naked place!!"
- "You ruined my new jacket! Kill him a lot."
- [after losing an arm] "We're immortal, we can do anything!" "Oh yeah? Clap."
- "You got a C-plus? I can't believe I cheated off of you." "Excuse me for not knowing about El Salvador, like I'm ever going to Spain anyway."
- "Okay people, they're psyching you out. Let's not be so defensive out there, Okay? Now what do we say on the court, repeat after me; I *am* a person, I have the right to the ball."
- "All I want to do is graduate from high school, go to Europe, marry Christian Slater, and die."
- "Great. My secret weapon is PMS. That's just terrific. Thanks for telling me."
- "Get out of my facial!"

Have you seen it? What did you think?

K xx

2013 Book Wrap Up

You guys know I love all things books, so when I saw that Emily was doing a wrap up of her 2013 reading, I knew I had to jump on the band wagon!!

1. How many books have you read this year?
At the moment, it's sitting on 168. I'm 98% through another one, and about a quarter of the way through a second, so it'll be at least 170 by the time New Year's Eve rolls around next week!

2. What book surprised you the most?
Probably Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, because it's one of those books that's got a major plot twist that's managed to remain a secret to the uninitiated despite being hugely popular.

3. What book were you most disappointed in?
It's a tie between Buffy season 8 volume 8 - Last Gleaming, and Kelley Armstrong's Thirteen. The first because it was just SO COMPLETELY AWFUL (as I already discussed last week), and the second because it felt decidedly average in comparison to all the other books in the series, and left me feeling like the series deserved a better ending than it got.

4. Did you start any new series?
Did I ever!
- Kate Daniel series by Ilona Andrews
- The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood
- Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch
- Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
- Wilfair series by Alysia Gray Painter
- Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi
- The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken
- The Fifth Wave series by Rick Yancey
- Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray
- The Vicious Deep series by Zoraida Cordova
- Gone series by Michael Grant
- Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness
- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
- Virals by Kathy Reichs
- Matched by Ally Condie
- Finishing School by Gail Carriger
- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
- Ashfall by Mike Mullin

5. Did you finish any series?
Not nearly as many as I started, but I did finish a few. I'm not counting those ones where I'm currently up to date with the published books but there are others in the pipeline!
- Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong
- Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness
- Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray
- Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth
- Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce (reread)
- The Ellie Chronicles by John Marsden
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8 by Joss Whedon et al.
- Harry Potter by JK Rowling (reread)

6. What was your favourite book cover of the year?
I don't tend to pay that much attention to covers, and as a result they don't really play much of a role in whether or not I read something (unless they're half-naked-people covers in which case they tend to go right back on the shelf). That said, the cover of These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is GORGEOUS.

7. What was the best non-fiction book you read?
I read almost no non-fiction this year. I think it's a product of having used my Kindle a lot more, and also frequenting the library a lot - non-fiction usually takes me a while to get through and I like to have it in physical copy. The best one I read was the book based on the gallery I worked on in Canberra, and I feel biased saying that because I'm listed as a contributing author. So I'll go with what I'm currently rereading - Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City.

8. What are you currently reading?
As I just mentioned, I'm rereading The Devil in the White City. I've been trying to do more rereading in the past couple of months, just because it seems like forever since I read some of my favourites. I'm also about to finish Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberley McCreight.

9. Any reading goals for 2014?
I'd like to reach 175 books again, like I did last year, because it seems like a nice round number (I swear, if I could read another 7 books before the end of this year, I would be THRILLED. 170 isn't the same...) and I'm not sure I can successfully reach 200, unless I cheat and read a whole lot of really short books...

Other than that, I have plans to record how many pages I read each day, just for the hell of it.

10. What books are you looking forward to in 2014?
Oh my God, there are so many series that are due to finish next year that I can't wait to get my hands on. Fairlwil by Alysia Gray Painter, for starters. Plus Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, and Clariel by Garth Nix. I'm also insanely excited about Rainbow Rowell's Landline, because of reasons. Plus, Libba Bray's Lair of Dreams.

11. What other books deserved a shout out?
The Wilfair series, which I give almost constant shoutouts to. But you guys, it's just SO DANGED CUTE. Also the Kate Daniels series, J. Meyers' Anywhere, Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, and Sarah Tregay's Love and Leftovers. Yes, the last is a verse novel, which I wasn't expecting and which I still don't know how I feel about. But it was pretty damned fabulous.

12. Your top three books of 2013.
You have no idea how hard this was, you guys. But I think I'm going to have to go with Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, and Garth Nix's Newt's Emerald.

If you want to see everything I've read this year, you can click here. And feel free to add me as a friend on Goodreads too!

Now go write your own post and link up with Emily!

K xx

Best of 2013: Movie edition

This past weekend was kind of busy (and yet I still managed to read 902 pages?!?!?!), so I didn't have a chance to pick a movie. But I figured seeing as it's basically the end of the year anyway, why not just make it Best Of week?!

Let's start with a disclaimer that this list will include neither Catching Fire nor The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. The reasons for this are as follows: I have yet to see the first because it came out when I was in New Zealand and I'm a slacker, and I have yet to see the second because it doesn't open in Australia until Boxing Day. SIGH.

ANYWAY.

Brave

Source

I saw this on the plane home from the US in January, and I honestly can't believe I waited that long to see it. Because it was pretty damned phenomenal. It was funny and exciting and moving, and brilliantly animated. Plus, there were a million sneaky references to other Pixar movies. Which, WIN.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

Source

Yes, this movie was a total and utter cheesefest. No, I don't care if you judge me for loving it. It was hilarious. And fun. And action-packed. And filled with Jeremy Renner. What more do you need in a movie?!

Iron Man 3

Source

There are no words for how much I loved this movie. Tony being his usual sassy self, combined with an epic plot twist regarding The Mandarin, awesomeness courtesy of Don Cheadle, and a nice dose of humanity and mental health problems for Tony following the Battle of New York? YES. SO. MUCH. YES.

Much Ado About Nothing

Source

Oh my God, Joss Whedon. You are a genius. This film was completely and utterly magical. It's a who's who of the Whedon-verse, and they're clearly having an absolute blast doing it. Alexis Denisof, in particular, was hilarious perfection as Benedick.

Sunset Boulevard

Source

This film? Is AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZING. You should all watch it immediately, even if it's a millionty years old.

The Silver Linings Playbook

Source

The characters in this film are all so completely and utterly fucked up. But they're also incredibly human and real. And the whole thing was brilliantly acted from start to finish. Jennifer Lawrence deserved the shit out of that Oscar.

Thor: The Dark World

Source

I took myself to see this at the movies and loved every second of it. I saw it again with Kim while I was in Wellington, and I think I loved it even more the second time around. It was funny and moving and exciting, and just plain old enjoyable from start to finish. I didn't love it QUITE as much as I did Iron Man 3, but it was still fabulous. Plus, Tom Hiddleston. OBVIOUSLY.

So. What are the best movies you've seen this year?

K xx

Movie Monday: Serenity

I honestly can't believe it's taken me this long to cover today's installment. Because it's pretty damned fabulous. Not *quite* as fabulous as the TV series that started it all, but a better ending to things than Fox gave us, that's for sure!!

Reasons why Serenity is awesome:
1. The opening scene with River.
2. Nathan Fillion. Oh captain, my captain.
3. The scene where Mal's talking to Inara on the wave, and the rest of the crew are busy shipping them.

Source

4. Alan Tudyk. Excuse me while I cry all the ugly cries.
5. The conversation between Mal and Wash after the primary buffer panel falls off the ship.
6. Simon and Kaylee. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
7. Gina Torres.
8. River fighting reavers. Holy hell, the choreography in this scene is incredible.

Source

9. Morena Baccarin.
10. The soundtrack. Dear God, the soundtrack.
11. Summer Glau. She. Is. FABULOUS.
12. That during Mal's conversation with Inara on the wave, you can see a bunch of scars, all of which were incurred during the series.
13. Jewel Staite.

Source

14. Badass Inara during the fight at the training house.
15. Sean Maher.
16. The aerial battle between the reavers and the Alliance.
17. Adam Baldwin. Especially his attachment to grenades.

Source

18. The scene between Simon and River after he gets shot. ALL THE UGLY CRYING.
19. Ron Glass. More ugly crying.
20. Mal fighting the Operative above the engine room.
21. Sarah Paulson. She may only be in one scene, but what a brilliant and terrifying scene.

Source

22. It's Joss Whedon.
23. The cinematography is pretty freaking gorgeous.
24. Chiwetel Ejiofor. Goodness, he's fabulous.
25. River as co-pilot at the end.
26. That typical Whedon "Haha, you thought it was all over but I'm about to kill your favourite character with no warning!" moment. Sigh.

Source

Plus, the following quotes:
- "I aim to misbehave."
- "I'm a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar."
- "I don't care what you believe, just believe in it."
- "You take care of me, Simon. You've always taken care of me. My turn."
- "Where are you hiding, little girl?"
- "We're gonna explode? I don't wanna explode!"
- "No grenades."
- "Everything's shiny, Cap'n. Not to fret."
- "She's tore up plenty, but she'll fly true."
- "Bullet in the brain pan, squish."
- "What was that?" "Did you see that?" "Was that the primary buffer panel?" "It did seem to resemble..." "Did the primary buffer panel just fall off my gorram ship for no apparent reason?" "Looks like." "I thought Kaylee checked the entry couplings. I've a very clear recollection of it." "Well, if she doesn't get us some extra flow from the engine room to offset the burn-through, this landing is gonna get pretty interesting." "Define "interesting."" "Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna die?" "This is the captain. We're having a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode."
- "Do you know what your sin is, Mal?" "Aw, hell. I'm a fan of all seven."
- "I swallowed a bug."
- "In all that time on the ship... I've always regretted... not being with you." "With me? You mean to say...as...sex?" "I mean to say." "Hell with this. I'm gonna live!"
- "You wanna run this ship?" "Yes!" "Well...you can't."
- "Don't pay anybody in advance. And don't ride in anything with a Capissen 38 engine, they fall right out of the sky."
- "Shiny. Let's be bad guys."
- "Dear Buddha, please bring me a plastic rocket and a pony and..."
- "Do you know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed."
- "You do that, you'd best make peace with your dear and fluffy Lord."
- "At last. We can retire and give up this life of crime..."
- "Can't stop the signal, Mal."
- "Ain't logical. Cuttin' on his own face, rapin' and murdering - Hell, I'll kill a man in a fair fight... Or if I think he's gonna start a fair fight, or if he bothers me, or if there's a woman, or if I'm gettin' paid - mostly only when I'm gettin' paid. But these Reavers... last ten years they show up like the bogeyman from stories. Eating people alive? Where's that get fun?"
- "Ready to get off this heap, back to civilised life?" "I, uh... I don't know." "Good answer."
- "So...trap?" "Trap." "We goin' in?" "Ain't but a few hours out." "Yeah, but...remember the part where it's a trap?"

So. Thoughts?

K xx

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Best/Worst Series Enders

Time to link up with the Broke and the Bookish again!

I'm breaking this week's topic into two blocks of five, because finding ten for one category or the other was FAR too much like hard work! Let's start with the best, shall we?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Okay, yes. I'm frequently tempted to pretend that the epilogue doesn't exist, because it's kind of cheese-tastic, and the names of the kids make me want to cry they're so awful. But the rest of the book is completely and utterly phenomenal and I love absolutely everything about it.

Timeless by Gail Carriger
I think what I love most about this is that Gail Carriger was willing to put a definite end point on her series. There are so many book series that drag on LONG after they should have been wound up and just continue to get progressively worse (ahem, Stephanie Plum). Carriger took her characters and gave them a final installment featuring all sorts of high jinks and fun before delivering a happy ending. It wasn't a five star book, but it was definitely an excellent end to the series.

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
This book was so full of twists and turns and suspense that I thought I was going to have a heart attack before I finally got to the end. I loved that the ending wasn't perfectly wrapped up - things were left open ended for the reader to come up with their own headcanon about what ultimately happens. Amazingness.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
I was a bit meh about the first two books in the Darkest Powers trilogy, but Armstrong finished it off in fine form. Various characters came into their powers, there were references to characters from the Women of the Otherworld series, and the relationship that develops is so far from insta-love that it's not funny.

The Other Side of Dawn by John Marsden
I grew up reading the Tomorrow series. These books were basically the Harry Potter of my era - one coming out each year or so for the duration of my time in high school. And this one ended things so perfectly. Every time I read it, I spend the last 75 pages or so with tears in my eyes.

And now the worst:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Last Gleaming by Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson and Scott Allie
Oh my God. There are no words for how much I hated this. It's the last omnibus of the season 8 comics, and it. was. AWFUL. It was pretty obvious that Whedon et al had gotten a little overexcited about all the things they could do when they weren't confined by being a TV show, but this was just a trainwreck from start to finish. I literally threw it at the wall I hated it so much.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
I started reading the Twilight books when I was in Central America in 2008, because they were literally the only English books available at the airport in Guatemala City. I got back to Australia about a week before Breaking Dawn was released, and figured that I may as well buy it to find out what happened in the end. I really wish I hadn't, because I could have happily gone my entire life without the caesarean by teeth section. Plus, it was so ridiculously anticlimactic. Another one that got thrown across the room in anger.

Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong
I wanted to love this, I really did. I've spent years reading the Women of the Otherworld series, and loving pretty much every single installment. But this? Was a massive letdown. It jumped between voices so much that it got confusing, plus Savannah's voice was in first person while the others were in third. I think my biggest problem with it, however, was that it's meant to be full blown war in the supernatural community, and yet everyone comes out basically unscathed.

Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith
I adored Pride and Prejudice and Zombies because it was so ridiculously silly, and included Darcy making smutty jokes about musket balls. Also, sweat is referred to as "exercise moisture". But this? Was terrrrrrrrrrrible. It lost most of the humour that had coloured its predecessors, and took itself too seriously. Plus, the writing was decidedly average. Womp womp.

Circle of Flight by John Marsden
I was torn when Marsden started writing the Ellie Chronicles. On the one hand, I desperately wanted to know what happened to Ellie after the war. But on the other, I was scared that it would impact on my feelings about the Tomorrow series. The first two in the series were okay, but I really didn't enjoy this one. It felt formulaic almost the whole way through, and then Marsden dropped a romantic bombshell two pages before the book ended. Um, WHAT?!?!?

What are your best/worst series enders?

K xx

Nobody likes an eager Beaver

That's right, it's time for another installment of Kirsti Has All The Thoughts!! This time around, it's season 2 of Veronica Mars.

Source

• Ugh, Veronica and Duncan are back together? Gross.
• Ahahaha, Charisma Carpenter. WHAT.
• KEVIN SMITH OMG. And he's playing a clerk. I see what you did there, Rob Thomas.
• Logan's fake moustache twirling is hilarious.

Source

• This whole subplot with Wallace's dad is stupid.
• JOSS WHEDON WHAT OMG I CAN'T EVEN.

Source

• Veronica quoting along with The Big Lebowski is awesome.
• Mac and Veronica are my brOTP.
• Alyson Hannigan and Charisma Carpenter on screen together? LOL, AWESOME.

Source

• How the hell did Veronica get picked for jury duty when she's in HIGH SCHOOL??
• TODD FROM SCRUBS.
• Okay, Veronica making Christmas dinner is pretty much perfect.
• Uh, Logan? Why would you watch sex tapes of your dad and your dead girlfriend?
• Lucy Lawless? AWESOME.

Source

• Okay, that's a pretty good departure for Duncan.
• Mrs. Hauser is the actual worst, and needs to be punched in the boob.
• "Why can't the evil just get jobs like the rest of us?" GOOD QUESTION.
• "You're, like, rich dude Kryptonite, Veronica!" Oh, Dick. Don't ever change.
• Michael Cera, LOL WHUT.

Source

• Ahahaha, Veronica hiding in the closet in the principal's office and getting busted by Keith.
• Awwww. Poor Veronica and Drunken Logan's confession...
• Beaver trying to teach Weevil algebra is hilarious. Thank God for Mac.
• I am going to punch the Sheriff in the dick for arresting Weevil at graduation. 
• OH MY GOD, BEAVER. WTF I CAN'T EVEN WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

Source

• Holy crap, that was intense. I can't even process that right now. 
• Hahahaha, Duncan moved to Australia? LOL, OKAY.
• Huh. This whole "Jackie has a kid" plot twist was unexpected. Poor Wallace. 

Who else is on Team Logan Needs a Hug and Team OMG WTF WAS THAT SEASON FINALE ROB THOMAS I CAN'T EVEN?

K xx

A tale of two TV shows

So you guys know by now that I'm all about marathoning old TV shows and telling you what I think about them (see: Dawson's Creek, Dark Angel, The X-Files, Alias, and - eventually, when I get around to finishing it - Sliders). And last week, I finally started two more. Although this time they were two shows I hadn't seen before. And I had completely different - and somewhat surprising - reactions to them.

Show the first? Veronica Mars.

Source

I'm not quite sure how I missed this the first time around, because I loves me a TV show featuring a girl with a secret identity (see also: Buffy, Dark Angel, Alias, Orphan Black). I guess it never really got that much publicity here so I had no idea what it was about?? Anyway, 10 minutes into the first episode, I was totally on board. I mean, Amanda Seyfried as a murder victim? AMAZING. Plus, Veronica is the queen of sassy land. Although I must admit it makes me very uncomfortable that she doesn't put a lens cap on her camera...

I'm currently one disc in and impatiently awaiting more. Like the kind of impatient where you start looking up how much it would cost you to buy the entire show on DVD and save yourself the waiting ($68.97 plus postage, as it turns out). I watched the trailer that aired at Comic Con over the weekend, and despite only being one disc in, I'm still hella excited about it.

Show the second: Dollhouse.

Source

By all accounts, I should have loved this. It's Joss Whedon, starring a billion and one Whedon alumni, along with one Neighbours alumnus, which is just a little bit weird. It's a secret identity-ish thing that dumps the main character into a million different scenarios that she has to BAMF her way out of.

But by the end of the first episode, I wasn't sold. The second episode was more of the same, with a dose of added WTF-ery. By the end of the first disc, I'd removed the remainder of the show from my Quickflix queue, because a) Eliza Dushku didn't quite have the acting chops to carry the show, b) the concept seemed far too much like exploitation, and c) the entire show seemed like a vague excuse to have Eliza Dushku walk around in a lot of really skimpy clothing. In short, NOPE.

Based on reviews I've seen around the internet, the show is a slow burner that doesn't pick up until near the end of the first season, and doesn't get really good until the second season. Even knowing that - and knowing that Alan Tudyk turns up at some point - wasn't enough to convince me to keep watching...

So Dollhouse has been thrown on the great scrapheap of shows I don't care enough to keep watching, along with Sherlock and Mad Men. Sorry not sorry.

Have you seen either of these? What did you think?

K xx

Movie Monday: Much Ado About Nothing

So on Saturday afternoon, I met up with a couple of friends for lunch, far too many macarons and a trip to see Joss Whedon's latest piece of genius, Much Ado About Nothing. I'm not going to do a full in-depth analysis of it on account of a) it's still in cinemas so y'all can go see it for yourself, and b) it's Shakespeare, so everyone knows the deal.

Source

Ten reasons why you should see Much Ado About Nothing:
1. Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker as Benedick and Beatrice. They're both absolutely FANTASTIC, having worked together before on Angel. They've got chemistry in spades, and they're surprisingly good at the comedic side of the story.

Source

2. It was filmed at Joss Whedon's house, which is absolutely gorgeous. And all the actors wore their own clothes.
3. The swimming pool scene. Priceless.
4. Pretty much every single actor involved has worked with Whedon several times before.
5. Nathan Fillion as Dogberry. Hilarious. Same goes for Tom Lenk.

Source

6. The whole thing was filmed in twelve days when Joss Whedon had some time off during The Avengers.
7. Clark Gregg as Leonato. I'm a little sad that Anthony Stewart Head couldn't get the time off to play the role, but Clark Gregg is a fabulous replacement.
8. The black and white works brilliantly.
9. The scene in which Benedick overhears Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro talking about how Beatrice is in love with him. One of the most phenomenal things I've seen in a long time.

Source

10. It never once feels rushed or amateur, despite most of the actors having little experience in Shakespeare, and having been filmed so quickly.

I totally lied, because here's reason 11: Sean Maher as Don John. He's a surprisingly excellent villain. One who likes cupcakes.

Source

So. Have you seen it? If not, are you planning to? Because you really should.

K xx

Movie Monday: The "What I'm excited about in 2013" edition

It's the very last day of 2012, and that can only mean one thing: it's time for me to Kermit flail with fangirly excitement about movies that are coming out in 2013!!

(Note: yes, a good chunk of these have already been released in the US. Australia is behind the times, yo.)

The Life of Pi

Source

I haven't read the book, and with any luck I'll get the chance to do so before I see the movie. Based on the trailer, this is going to be fairly extraordinary.

The Silver Linings Playbook

I haven't really liked Bradley Cooper in anything since Alias. I'm hoping this is the movie that's going to change that. It looks pretty awesome. Plus, it stars Jennifer Lawrence, who I not-so-secretly want to be my best friend. 

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

Source

I mean, come on. This movie looks freaking amazing, in a completely terrible sort of a way. You can't tell me you don't want to see Jeremy Renner playing the medieval baby of Jason Bourne and Dean Winchester. 

Cloud Atlas

This one is either going to be a total mindfuck or a truly astonishing piece of cinema. Again, I've not read the book, and am hoping I get the chance to before it hits theatres. Tom Hiddleston recommended it on Twitter though, so it must be pretty good! 

Iron Man 3

Excuse me while I watch the trailer for the hundredth time and send fangirly emails to Kim. I honestly don't think there's any way it can suck. I mean, it's Robert Downey Jr playing Tony Stark playing Robert Downey Jr playing Tony Stark. It's like Inception, only less confusing and with more superheroes.

The Great Gatsby

Source

I'm actually a little hesitant about this one, mostly because I'm not really enjoying the use of modern music over the trailers that have been released. BUT it worked for Moulin Rouge, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see...  At least I have the advantage of not having read the book a hundred thousand times, so I won't be upset if certain details are left out!

The Wolverine

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I don't particularly care what it's about, I'm just psyched to have another X-Men movie coming out. And Hugh Jackman is always brilliant as Wolverine. 

Much Ado About Nothing

Whedon does Shakespeare in secret on the cheap with all his favourite actors? YES PLEASE OMG THIS NEEDS TO COME OUT LIKE RIGHT NOW. I mean, if nothing else, I want to see it because Wesley and Fred will finally get their happy ending! Also? Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Sean Maher, Tom Lenk, Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker?? It's a Who's Who of the Whedon-verse.

Thor: The Dark World

Source

As if anyone is surprised to see this on here. I loves me a Marvel movie, and considering this one costars Tom Hiddleston, adding it to the list of things I'm excited about was a no-brainer. ESPECIALLY when The Ninth Doctor is the villain of the movie! 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I can't wait to see how they handle the giant clockface that is the arena in this one! I just wish we didn't have to wait so freaking long for it to come out, you know?? 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

HOLY CRAP, YOU GUYS. After the ending of An Unexpected Journey, how can you NOT be excited about this movie?!?!?! I just...I mean...Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug? Having conversation with Martin Freeman?? It's going to be made of win. Plus, DWARFMITAGE.

Basically, it's another year of sequels and comic book movies! I can't wait. What are you excited about seeing in 2013?

K xx

We all have potential for greatness

Twelve years ago today (because I'm old as dirt), I finished high school. Well, technically I finished my last CLASSES at high school and cleaned out my locker and cried a lot because OH MY GOD I HAVE TO BE A GROWN UP NOW (total lie. I'm still not a grown up). I still had to sit all my exams, and go back to school a bunch of times for band rehearsals for speech night and then attend graduation and all of that nonsense. But for all intents and purposes, my high school career finished 12 years ago today.

With the end of high school (which, for the Year 12s of 2012 has just happened), you hear a lot of motivational speeches and stuff about inspirational people. So I figured I'd take the opportunity to share with you guys some of the people that *I* find inspiring. They fall into two categories:

Fictional women who kick arse. Literally. 
- Buffy Summers. This will come as no surprise to those of you who read Snark Squad (And if you don't read Snark Squad, you should really start). Buffy's pretty awesome. She risks her life on a daily basis, she fights to save others even when she's terrified, and even death can't keep her down. Plus, she does it all in heels while being snarky.

- Donna Noble. In everyday life? She's a bit bumbling, a little chubby, lives with her mother, and works as a temp. But when she starts travelling with the Doctor? She grounds the Doctor, helps to save the planet numerous times, and she was the most important woman in the universe.

- Zoe Washburne. Zoe is one HELL of a badass. She's a soldier through and through, loyal to her husband, her ship and her captain. She fights for what she believes in, no matter how terrifying the circumstances. And she deadpans her way through it all.

- Dana Scully. When I watched The X-Files as a teenager, I always thought Scully was really boring in comparison to Mulder. But rewatching it over the past few months? Scully is brilliant. She rescues herself from danger on countless occasions, gets kidnapped by lunatics half a dozen times without developing a serious case of agoraphobia/PTSD, cuts up dead bodies at stupid o'clock in the morning, is WAY more snarky than I remember, and does it all while wearing really unflattering 90s pantsuits.

- Natasha Romanoff (aka The Black Widow). Holy crap, is she awesome. She holds her own against a multitude of superheroes with no special powers other than the ones she's worked her butt off to develop. She's afraid when she needs to be, but won't let her fear stop her. And she does whatever she has to to save the people who matter to her. Plus, she outmaneouvered Loki.

Actual people who are amazing.
- Tom Hiddleston. The title for this post is actually a Hiddles quote. In addition to being a fantastic actor, he worked his arse off to get into Cambridge, he's fluent in five languages (including Latin and Ancient Greek), he once brought soup to a reporter on the red carpet after seeing them tweet about how cold it was outside, and he's quite possibly the most eloquent and well-spoken person I've ever come across.

- John and Hank Green. If you're not aware of these two (John is an award winning novelist, and Hank is his younger brother, and a talented musician), they started vlogging in 2007 as an experiment - for twelve months, they would cease text based communication, and instead record daily vlogs to each other. Five years later, they're hugely popular, and have an incredibly dedicated community. But here's the thing - they engage with their community to "decrease world suck", raising money and awareness for causes all around the world. They're unapologetically nerdy, and their motto is "Don't forget to be awesome."

- Joss Whedon. This one's probably not a surprise, considering three of the characters in the above list have had some kind of involvement with him. Joss Whedon likes to break the rules. The network says his characters can't swear on TV? He has them swear in Chinese. He directs a Disney movie? It includes the phrase "mewling quim". The writer's strike shuts down the whole of Hollywood? He writes and films a musical with three big name stars for $10,000 and makes it available for free on the internet. He's not afraid to kill off the most popular character in a show. And one of my favourite quotes is from him - "Be yourself. Unless you suck."

- Maggie Smith. Did you know that she was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer during the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? She was bald and sick as a dog, but she was determined to see it through to the end and finish playing Minerva McGonagall. If anyone in the world is in Gryffindor? It's Maggie Smith. Also? She's phenomenal as Lady Grantham in Downton Abbey.

- Jennifer Lawrence. She's a brilliant actress, but the real reason I love her? She's kind of a huge dork. She's the girl who waves to the crowd and then goes "Oh shit, I forgot to shave my armpits" (seriously. That happened). She's the girl who's all "Oh, how did I get in shape for this movie? I laid in bed eating French fries." And she's the girl who tells reporters on the red carpet about how much she needs to pee. She's not afraid to be herself, and that? Is awesome.

So. Who inspires you??

K xx

Things I Like Thursday, Volume 6

Seen random stuff on the internet that you find hilarious or just want to share? Head over to Gina's to link up!

So I've decided that I'm going to keep posting these on Thursday nights, even though there's a 99% chance that Gina won't have posted hers before I do now that she's moved back to Arizona. Because posting "Things I Like Thursday" on Fridays makes my slightly OCD brain feel all hinky. So if you see this, then write a post of your own and head to Gina's blog to link up, only to find there's no post to link up with yet? Don't be surprised.

ANYWAY. First up this week, we have this: The ten cruellest things Joss Whedon has done to his characters. I wouldn't recommend reading it if you've not seen 99% of Whedon's stuff, because it's crazy spoilery. But it makes you realise just how much he loves torturing the characters he creates! 

Next up, we have this. It's literally what it says. Just when you think it can't possibly keep going any more, IT DOES. It's pretty ridiculous.

Next, there's this article about celebrities who became famous through being total fanboys/girls. Not surprisingly, my beloved David Tennant makes the list.

You smug but utterly adorable git.

I also very much enjoyed this article called "I'm not a miserable bitch, really: I'm just an introvert". It sums up fairly perfectly my feelings on going to parties and making small talk (except that I would never go to a nightclub, because TOO MUCH NOISE AND TOO MANY PEOPLE AND GET ME OUT).

And finally, we have quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I have EVER found on Youtube. If anyone can explain this insanity to me, please - pretty please - feel free! 

Oh, 1980s. You continue to make absolutely no sense. (Also, I'm sorry about your retinas. I really am.)

Found something online this week that you desperately need to share? Head over to Gina's and link up!

K xx

Movie Monday: The Avengers

On Saturday afternoon, I took myself off to Ikea in search of cheap picture frames. And as a reward to get me through the torment of going to Ikea on a Saturday afternoon, I followed it up with a little trip to the movies to see The Avengers. First of all, going to Ikea on a Saturday afternoon is a) a terrible idea, and b) an advertisement for remaining childless. SO. MANY. SCREAMING. CHILDREN. Anyway, the point is this: if you go to Ikea on a Saturday afternoon, make sure you have a reward planned for yourself so that you actually GO to Ikea as planned.

</tangent>

Source

So considering The Avengers hasn't even come out in the US yet (land of the free, my butt!), I'm going to hold back on all the spoilers (you're welcome - all the quotes are from the trailer) and just tell you why you should go and see it.

1. It's completely and utterly amazing. I loved every second of it, even though I was trapped between a group of 13 year old boys, and a guy who took his shoes off, fell asleep and snored through the whole movie.
2. It's written and directed by Joss Whedon. JOSS WHEDON!!! And don't write it off if you're not a fan of Buffy/Firefly/Angel/Dollhouse - Whedon also wrote the screenplay for Toy Story.
3. Robert Downey Jr. He's brilliant. And I'm pretty sure Joss Whedon should ALWAYS write for him, because the two of them together was solid gold.

Source

4. The novelty of seeing Cobie Smulders in a different role. Thank you to the teenage boys next to me for reminding of this by screaming "IT'S ROBIN SCHERBATSKY!!" every time she was on screen...
5. "Big man in a suit of armour. Take that away, what are you?" "Uh...genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist?" 
6. The Hulk is actually awesome, contrary to what's happened in the Hulk movies made up until now. And Mark Ruffalo is great as Bruce Banner.
7. Tom Hiddleston is once again amazing as the ever so slightly bonkers megalomaniac, Loki.

Source

8. Samuel L. Jackson being a badass. No one does it better than him.
9. "Doctor Banner, your work is unparalleled. And I'm a big fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." "Uh...thanks."
10. Jeremy Renner with a bow and arrows.
11. Scarlett Johansson kicking arse and taking names. Well. Mostly just kicking arse.

Source

12. "I have an army!" "We have a Hulk."
13. Massive explosions and giant alien space beasties.
14. "If we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned sure we'll avenge it."
15. A shit ton of opportunities for bicep appreciation:

Source

Source

Source

16. 36 hours later and I'm still flailing with excitement and wanting to see it again.

If you've seen it, what did you think (HI KIM!)? If you live in America, are you excited about the release?

K xx

30 Days of Books - Day 27

First of all, I woke up yesterday morning to an email from Bloggers.com telling me that I was a featured blogger of the day. Wow!! My phone spent half the day telling me that people had added me as a friend on there, so I'll definitely be spending a lot more time on there in the future. And welcome to anyone who's stopped by from Bloggers.com - thanks so much for stopping by! 

Day 27 - The most surprising plot twist or ending

I had a pretty hard time coming up with something for this topic. I don't know if it's my choice of books, or that I'm just not particularly surprised by twists. Originally, I was planning on writing about Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters, because I watched the BBC adaptation before I read the book, so finding out (I don't think this REALLY counts as a spoiler) that Gaskell died before she finished writing the book came as something of a surprise. 

But then while grabbing the next Harry Potter (18 days until I leave Canberra, 18 days to finish Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows!) off my bookshelf, I found this:

Source

Twilight (aka Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8, volume 7). Yes, I'm kind of a comic book nerd, although I do try and limit myself to Joss Whedon related comics (BtVS, Firefly, Dr Horrible etc). Anyway, the reveal of the Big Bad's identity actually did come as something of a shock to me. And not in a good way. In a "Oh COME ON!" kind of a way.

I'm really hoping the final volume is an improvement on this one, otherwise I'll be a wee bit crankypants... 

K xx

Day 01 - The best book you read last year

Day 02 - A book you've read more than 3 times

Day 03 - Your favourite series

Day 04 - Your favourite book of your favourite series

Day 05 - A book that makes you happy

Day 06 - A book that makes you sad

Day 07 - Most underrated book

Day 08 - Most overrated book

Day 09 - A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving

Day 10 - Favourite classic book

Day 11 - A book you hated

Day 12 - A book you used to love but don't any more

Day 13 - Your favourite writer

Day 14 - Favourite book of your favourite writer

Day 15 - Favourite male character

Day 16 - Favourite female character

Day 17 - Favourite quote from your favourite book

Day 18 - A book that disappointed you

Day 19 - Favourite book turned into a movie

Day 20 - Favourite romance book

Day 21 - Favourite book from your childhood

Day 22 - Favourite book you own

Day 23 - A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't

Day 24 - A book you wish more people would've read

Day 25 - A character you can relate to the most

Day 26 - A book that changed your opinion about something

Day 27 - The most surprising plot twist or ending

Day 28 - Favourite title

Day 29 - A book everyone hated but you liked

Day 30 - Your favourite book of all time