Movie rant

If you look at the movies that will be released this year (and next year), you will see that several of them are the "film-version" of this book or this old cartoon. I'm getting a little tired of these kinds of movies. It is the new trend that has taken the comic book/superhero movie to the next level. If you look at many of the books on the bestseller list or reminisce about the golden age of cartoons, you will discover that many of them have movies in the works.

Don't get me wrong. I don't hate the film industry for making movies based upon books. This often sparks debates and discussions about the book and the film. However, I'm starting to think that people are losing their imaginations. There are many well-executed "fresh" films that don't rely on a previous author's or artist's creation. I think that newer ideas often challenge the actors more as well. They have to bring a character to life and don't get compared to a descriptive character in a book or even worse, a cartoon!

Yet it seems that whenever a book or cartoon is really good, it will inevitably become a movie. This leads to mistakes like The Last Airbender that disappoint avid followers of the original show because the movie pales in comparison. It ruins some films if they do not choose to follow the book in certain places (like the stark difference in the ending of My Sister's Keeper, which makes the film fizzle where the book riled you up into discussion). Childhood favorites like Scooby-Doo that already had multiple TV movies become live-action films that pit the lovable (but annoying) Scrappy-Doo as the villain. Now the Smurfs and Yogi Bear might be next to join the list of box-office duds.

Like I said before, many film-versions of previous works are very successful. There are some genres (like fairy tales) that are ripe for visual interpretation—Cinderella, is one that I think of that has been remade into very different films (like Disney's Cinderella versus Ever After). Other classics like 1984 and The Giver benefit from the film versions because they allow people to interpret very great works all over again.

I suppose that the point of my rant is that while film-versions of existing works are often visually rich and allow you another media to enjoy a favorite book/show, there is something wonderful about a movie that is perhaps inspired by something, but essentially a fresh idea. People will say that "there is nothing new under the sun," but when you take the time to create something of your own, no matter how much it might resemble something else, it is yours. I hope that filmmakers consider that as they go to the drawing board and start brainstorming their newest masterpieces.

Award-winning

Time has gotten away with me and I completely forgot to tell all of you readers out there that Newfoundjoye won an award! (WOOT WOOT!) I feel honored to receive "A Blog with Substance" award. It was a complete surprise, and it comes with a few rules:

1. Thank the person that gave it to you.
B, you rock! Vielen Dank!

2. Sum up my blogging philosophy, motivation and experience in just five words.
Making my opinion heard worldwide (awesome five word summary, eh?–oops, does this mess it up?)

3. Pass this award on to other blogs that you feel have substance.
There are so many, but I'll keep it to three (in no particular order):

• Tin Trunk — Really creative; I love the old ads and such.
  
• Chris Dixon's blog — Inspiring and informational; I always learn something from his entries.
  
• The Average Tween — Hannah's blog is awesome! She's got a great style.
  

DIY | Sheep's head towel wrap

I believe that I mentioned my love of k-dramas before (Korean dramas for those just joining me). Whenever the actors are in saunas, they usually wrap their towels "sheep's head" style. I decided that I wanted to learn how to do it and looked it up online. If you want a new way to wrap your hair after washing it, give this method a try!



Difficulty: Easy
Time: Quick
Expense: Free/cheap
Materials: A few

NEW to DIY entries beginning August 2010: Difficulty—range is based upon ease [easy, average, tough], how much time you'll need to devote [quick, relatively involved, time-consuming], expense [free, cheap, moderate, expensive] and materials needed [a few, many, a lot]

Hot hot hot!

I think that I will always like hot air balloons. I think it is the fact that I also enjoy regular balloons. Either way, here is a little eye candy for your Monday morning (been a while, hasn't it?).

Images via flickr/Lee M and William Powe Photography

Film Review | Dinner for Schmucks

Have you ever wanted a real "laugh out loud" comedy? Like when you watch a funny show at home and laugh so hard that you end up shaking? Then you'll definitely feel at home when you watch Dinner for Schmucks. I've been all over kid movies this summer, but I'm getting a bit more grown with my choices as fall approaches. If you are in the mood for a truly enjoyable film this summer, I recommend that you head to your local movie theater and pick up a ticket for Dinner with Schmucks. Hit the jump for the full review.

Grade: A-

Spice up your study habits

Parody of the popular Old Spice commercials.

Thursday Traffic | 15 July

It's payday, readers! Traffic hardly matters on a day like today. So, what will I be spending my cash on, you ask? Hey, we are still in a recession, I'm being stingy with my money nowadays. Anyways, during my stint in the traffic, I was thinking about the dentist. My sisters have been recently and tomorrow, I will be sitting in the old dentist's chair. I haven't had a dental appointment in a while, so I'm a bit nervous. However, I wanted to say a few things about the dentist.

First of all, being a dentist is not like being a doctor. You are a dentist. You spend your days fixing people's teeth and gums. Your clients will spit and drool all over you and when you ask them questions, they won't be able to answer without slobbering everywhere. No one will applaud when you say you are a dentist like they do if you say you are a doctor.

Second, dentists are expensive and many procedures are not covered by insurance (if you are lucky enough to have it). Also, it's like reconstructive surgery with dentists. They may decide that you should break your jaw and this and that to account for what they think will happen with your teeth. I've seen some people with some pretty crazy headgear.

Third, all depictions of dentists in cartoons are normally as evil villains. In film, they are unappreciated losers. What about being a dentist is attractive–or sexy? Nothing, but at least you make good money, right?

Lastly, dentists can prevent you from getting other deadly diseases. They can tell a lot about your body from your teeth. Although you don't have to jump on the bandwagon with everything your dentist recommends, they are looking out for your smile and body, so that's a win-win situation to me.

So, if you are a dentist, congratulations, you've taken a job that many people probably would not. If you have some dentist stories, let me know about them in the comments. Well, please keep your fingers crossed for my dentist visit. I'll need that for morale. I'm not a big fan of the dentist. I think my sweet tooth explains that reason.

Image via quick internet search