the papa Viking tells his son, the scrawny kid Viking, presenting him with his very first horned Viking helmet. 'It was half of her breastplate
( Read more... )
I heard they'd changed the book a lot (I'm midway through reading it to the kids and have finished it myself) and they really have. Astrid? Total invention. Ogres? Seriously? And they killed off poor Valhalarama, huh? Not that she ever did anything in the book. Can't think who Craig Ferguson would play - he seems unlikely to be Old Wrinkly (Hiccup's grandfather) so perhaps it's Gobber? Don't tell me! And of course I knew from the commercials that they had embiggened the dragons. Crazy. We're going to take the kids a week from Saturday, when we finally have a free afternoon; I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be like going to a movie I know nothing about. (You might enjoy the book, which is very cute, for the same reason.)
Don't worry, no Ogres in How to Train Your Dragon. (Only in the Shrek preview before the movie. I got side-tracked mid-review talking about something else). Were the dragons a lot smaller in the book? Could they still ride them? I just may seek out this book, after all. I like that the author's first name is Cressida; you don't see that every day! But my early (mistaken) impression was that HTTYD was just another one of those cheesy compendiums that comes with a plastic jeweled cover and tells you, you know, The Real Whole Truth About Fairies. Or Pirates or something. I didn't know the movie was based (even loosely) on a story.
In other silly name news, Hiccup's mom's name is Valhallarama?! Hee hee hee hee. Now that's an epic romance I'd like to see: The Ballad of Stoick and Valhallarama.
Totally hearts your icontinuviellenApril 6 2010, 21:57:10 UTC
Isn't that the most glorious name? I heart Valhallarama. Even if she gets nothing to do.
And How to Train Your Dragon is most certainly not a bedazzled dictionary. It's a very funny, snappy little book with these kind of dreadful, deliberately bad illustrations. I'm actually looking forward to snagging the sequels. The dragons are tiny - I think even the biggest ones are the size of large dogs, so no, no riding. I hear that's really a fantastic part of the movie, though, especially if you see it in
I think it's somewhat hilarious that Cressida Cowell's husband is named Simon. She dedicates one of the books to him, for being such a patient reader, etc... Basically nothing one would imagine the more famous Simon Cowell being. Love the name Cressida Cowell. It doesn't seem like it ought to be real, does it?
I recognize the importance of female characters who defy gender stereotypes by being great warriors or athletes, but I look forward to a day when not every strong girl character *has* to be the toughest and the ass-kickin'est and the best in order to be considered interesting. It should be okay for there to be dimensional girls and women of a milder stripe, too, just like there are tough male characters and milder-mannered male characters
I KNOOOOOW RIGHT? This is so, so irritating to me. I mean, many of my favorite female characters come out of Austen and Shakespeare, and I'm so TIRED of the logic that says that these women are nothing but "weak" characters oppressed by The Man, instead of interesting, complex women doing the best they can in sometimes wretched circumstances. How dare you not throw over the entire system and keep yourself from getting killed, Desdemona! Oh, I forgot, it's because you're so weak and boring. I can't believe you went mad, Ophelia. How weak and boring is that? (Oh, but Hamlet's madness, now: that's
( ... )
I see a lot of it in White Collar fandom, as well. Fans often comment that Elizabeth is a strong female character because she's 'not just a housewife,' and she has a high-profile job of her own. Because it seems like she's too busy to have kids. Because she might even make more money than her husband! Woooo. All of the above are relevant facts about a character, but - what? If she decides to quit her job, she's not a strong woman anymore? If she has a baby? If she makes less money? These are the things that denote personal strength
( ... )
Even Martha is a little bit this way - the way they go out of their way to show how little fear she feels on the moon, by contrast to everyone else who is howling and sobbing and falling apart, as if to say, 'this is why she *deserves* to be one the show and to be the Doctor's friend.'I know what you mean. On the one hand, if one doesn't have a particular capacity for bravery, or at least the ability to develop one in a hurry, one probably *won't* choose to go with the Doctor after one has seen what his life is like up-close. (In that sense, I think the show writes itself into a corner, a bit: I remember reading that some of the older companions got accidentally picked up by the Doctor and then couldn't get back home, or were fleeing something in their lives, which gives a much wider range of possibilities.) (And that's why I've always loved that Donna turns him down, the first time: she's capable and warmhearted and heroic--and she says no, because the Doctor terrifies her
( ... )
Comments 12
Good luck with your trap!
Reply
In other silly name news, Hiccup's mom's name is Valhallarama?! Hee hee hee hee. Now that's an epic romance I'd like to see: The Ballad of Stoick and Valhallarama.
Reply
And How to Train Your Dragon is most certainly not a bedazzled dictionary. It's a very funny, snappy little book with these kind of dreadful, deliberately bad illustrations. I'm actually looking forward to snagging the sequels. The dragons are tiny - I think even the biggest ones are the size of large dogs, so no, no riding. I hear that's really a fantastic part of the movie, though, especially if you see it in
I think it's somewhat hilarious that Cressida Cowell's husband is named Simon. She dedicates one of the books to him, for being such a patient reader, etc... Basically nothing one would imagine the more famous Simon Cowell being. Love the name Cressida Cowell. It doesn't seem like it ought to be real, does it?
Reply
Reply
I KNOOOOOW RIGHT? This is so, so irritating to me. I mean, many of my favorite female characters come out of Austen and Shakespeare, and I'm so TIRED of the logic that says that these women are nothing but "weak" characters oppressed by The Man, instead of interesting, complex women doing the best they can in sometimes wretched circumstances. How dare you not throw over the entire system and keep yourself from getting killed, Desdemona! Oh, I forgot, it's because you're so weak and boring. I can't believe you went mad, Ophelia. How weak and boring is that? (Oh, but Hamlet's madness, now: that's ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment