The Book of Life

The Book of Life directed by Jorge Gutierrez and produced by Guillermo del Toro

Review by Katie Rose

                The Book of Life is a recently released film that has been truly underrated. Colorful, creative, and unique, this children’s movie tells a magnificent tale of self-discovery and love.

V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue

Review by Katie Rose    

                Remember, remember the fifth of November…….perhaps an unfamiliar phrase for those who live outside the UK, but for those who live in it represents a holiday. Other than simply calling it “November 5^th”, it is also known as Bomb Fire Day. This holiday exists to commemorate the time when a man named Guy Faux attempted to blow up the British Parliament.

Elementary

Elementary Produced by CBS Television Studios

Review by Katie Rose

                There have been seemingly an endless amount of Sherlock Holmes remakes ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the novels back in the 1800’s. In the last few years there seems to have been a resurgence of Sherlock fever. However there is one, I believe, that is the best. That is the TV show Elementary. I can practically hear the outcry of offended voices saying “ BBC’s Sherlock is a hundred times better than that American crap!” (I have literally heard this), but I believe that Elementary not only does a better job of representing women, but of bringing a level of diversity to television that is extremely rare. I don’t want to spend my review comparing Elementary to BBC’s Sherlock, but that show is the reason so many people refuse to give Elementary a chance, so I feel like I have to at some points.

The Corpse Bride

The Corpse Bride  Directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson

Review by Kaite Rose

                 Well it is October, so I have to do at least one Halloween classic!  The Corpse Bride is one of my all-time favorite movies. Considering the glory of stop animation combined with an all-star voice cast, and of course coming from the mind of Tim Burton, there really is a lot to love here.  What I love most about this movie, however, is the characters! And the music is pretty snazzy too!

Fever 1793

Fever 1793 By Laurie Halse Anderson

Review by Katie Rose

 

                I JUST finished this book, and I was so excited about it I had to move it to the top of my review list! It is another historical fiction, but it is also a children’s book. In any country’s history, there are horrifying events that occur, and then are forgotten. Sometimes they are deliberately ignored to undermine the suffering of those who were persecuted….and sometimes they are forgotten because people simply did not want to remember. The story of the yellow fever outbreak of 1793 is one of those instances.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame  Directed by: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Review by Katie Rose

 

                I know, another Disney film! Well, in my personal life, I just moved to a foreign country (hence my lack of a post last week), and I find in times where so many things are changing, it can be helpful to go back to the familiar. Therefore, there will be Disney! So this film is the highly underrated Disney classic, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, based off the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. It takes place in the city of Paris circa 1482. It has a male protagonist, the unfortunate and deformed Quasimodo, who has been shut up his entire life due to his appearance. There are themes of race, emotional abuse, sexism, and corruption in religion in this film that make it one of the darker, and more deep films Disney has ever produced.

Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Review by Katie Rose

                Not all character start out as heroes. In fact, some of them begin their stories so deep in violence and their own horrible deeds they do not believe they can ever be redeemed. But it is those who think they are beyond saving that are usually the ones who have the potential for it. That is the story of Katsa, the main character of this young adult fantasy novel.

The Forgotten Seamstress

The Forgotten Seamstress By Liz Trenow

Review by Katie Rose

                A mixture of the no- so-distant past and the present, The Forgotten Seamstress tells the story of two women separated in time, but intimately connected. This story fits into the mystery genre, but it is really more about emotional connection and life.

The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora

The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora by Stephanie Theadora

Review by Katie Rose

 

                Phew! This one has a long title! Despite that, the novel itself is not terribly long. It tells the story of a great woman in history who you probably never heard of. I certainly did not when I read this book. Maybe she got one line in a text book you had in high school world history, but chances are that is not the case.

Chocolat

Chocolat Directed by Lasse Hallström

Review by Katie Rose

 

Chocolat is an interesting one. Why? Well because it is one of those very rare specimens that I actually prefer the movie over the book. Shocking, I know! I will explain why I feel that way at the end of the review; however since I think the movie is better, that is what I will be talking about here.

Chocolat is about a French woman named Vianne and it takes place in 1959. Vienne is part of an ancient line of South American women who are called by the north wind from place to place. Her father married her mother when he was in South America, and brought her back to France. Called away by the north wind, however, she eventually ran away with the young Vianne. They moved across Europe, never settling. Vienne and her daughter Anouk now live the same lifestyle. Vienne makes a living as an expert chocolatier, and opens up shops in whatever town she and her daughter land in.

Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Review By: Katie Rose

                In the world of young adult literature, dystopian futures are in. The Hunger Games and Divergent are just two examples of dystopian stories that have soared to fame, and have even earned themselves movie adaptations. Both stories feature young women caught in a struggle for justice and freedom in a controlled and depraved future. However, this surge of dystopian young adult fiction has been around for a long time, and these two stories are certainly not the first to focus on the life and struggles of a young girl. Gathering Blue was published in 2000 by Lois Lowry, the writer of the beloved classic, The Giver.  The two stories take place in the same world, but in different villages that are both authoritarian societies that use fear to control the masses.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Directed By: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Review By: Katie Rose

                For those of us who are super Disney nerds, there are terms for different eras of Disney animated movie making. There was the Golden Age, which was 1940-1958, and includes classics like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Then there was the Disney Renaissance, which ran from 1989-1999. Those are all the films I grew up with such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. Then something happened. Disney branched out from their normal story telling style, and even animation styles, and created a wide range of films that were financially not very successful. There are many different names for this period of movie making (including the unflattering “Dark Ages”), but I prefer to call it The Experimental Era.  Despite that lack of money that came from these movies, many of them were very good! The one I want to tell you about is my favorite from this time period, Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Child of the Morning

Child of the Morning By Pauline Gedge

Review by Katie Rose

 

                It is no secret to people who know me that I have a mild obsession with Ancient Egypt. I have several books I plan to review for this blog that are about some of the most powerful female rulers in history, and they all come from Egypt. The first one I have decided to share is about the greatest female ruler of them all; Hatshepsut. Egyptologists agree that Hatshepsut was one of the greatest pharaohs who ever ruled Egypt. Yes, I said pharaohs. Hatshepsut is unique in all of Egyptian history in that she ruled Egypt not as a woman, but as a man. She ascended the throne as a male ruler despite being female and portrayed herself as a man throughout her kingdom to legitimize her right to the throne.

The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Review by Katie Rose

                The Turn of the Screw by Henry James takes you into the realm of horror. This is not like most modern day horrors, however. It lacks all the blood, gore, and cheap frights that characterize most horror stories. It is more old-fashioned.  Well it should be! It was, after all, published in 1898. Usually I hate horror stories. I scare really easy and my over active imagination can keep me up for weeks with images inspired by whatever horror story I have foolishly allowed myself to intake. There was none of that with this story. This is perhaps because this novella is more psychological than murderous.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Review by Katie Rose

         The Book Thief was one of the very few books I had to read for school that featured a female lead character, and I am very grateful that I did. Although this book technically fits under the genre of historical fiction, it also can be considered a "coming of age" tale. "The coming of age" genre is almost completely dominated by stories of young boys coming into adulthood. Stories of young girls learning the same thing are rare. One of the reasons I was able to connect to this story as much as I did was because it was about the struggle of a young girl as opposed to a boy.