"Hasta la vista, baby."
I know we've all found an occasion to use this famous quote from the Governator (well, anyone over 20, for sure). Life is full of opportunities to insert a favorite line from a film, song or brilliant mind. Some of my most favorite quotes are from our Founding Fathers. I love the way people spoke in the old days, with passion and fluidity.
Here are some of my favorite (and probably overused) quotes from various sources, and be forewarned- there's a bunch of 'em!
"I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific." ~Lily Tomlin
"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers; and once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." ~Bill Cosby
"The Lord loves a workin' man; don't trust whitey; see a doctor and get rid of it." ~Steve Martin as Navin (The Jerk)
"Faith is a gift from God, but it's also a responsibility. It's not enough to have it. You've got to live it out, even when times are tough." ~Drew Brees
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." ~Robert Frost
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." ~Albert Einstein
"It's amazing the clarity that comes with psychotic jealousy." ~Rupert Everett as George (My Best Friend's Wedding)
"Are you crying? There's no crying! THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL! No crying!" ~Tom Hanks as Jimmy (A League of Their Own)
"I do the very best I know - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end." ~Abraham Lincoln
"I don't condone fascism. Or any -ism, for that matter. -Isms, in my opinion, are not good." ~Matthew Broderick as Ferris (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
"Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit." ~Bill Cosby
"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." ~P.J. O'Rourke
"In case I don't see ya: good afternoon, good evening and good night." ~Jim Carrey as Truman (The Truman Show)
"You're not getting jiggy with some boy, I don't care how dope his ride is. Momma didn't raise no fool." ~Larry Miller as Walter (10 Things I Hate About You)
"We must all hang together, or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately." ~Benjamin Franklin
"A hickie from Kenickie's like a Hallmark card." ~Jeff Conway as Kenickie (Grease)
"You can't handle the truth!" ~Jack Nicholson as Col. Jessup (A Few Good Men)
"I'm your Huckleberry." ~Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday (Tombstone)
"I'm telling you the devil gypped me for a hamburger!" ~Brendan Fraser as Elliot (Bedazzled)
"Mama Cass. Ham sandwich." ~Mike Myers as Austin (Austin Powers)
"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" ~Patrick Henry
"Yo, my brethren. What up with thee?" ~Jim Carrey as Bruce (Bruce Almighty)
"You are too twisted for color TV!" ~Shirley Maclaine as Ouiser (Steel Magnolias)
"Hello, Clarice." ~Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal (Silence of the Lambs)
"You're gonna need a bigger boat." ~Roy Scheider as Martin (Jaws)
"It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care." ~Ron Livingston as Peter (Office Space)
"Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear." ~Rory Cochrane as Lucas (Empire Records)
"Don't mess with the bull, young man. You'll get the horns." ~Paul Gleason as Richard (The Breakfast Club)
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
I swore I'd never do it, but here it is: My Harry Potter Post
I figured the best way for me to go about sharing my thoughts on HP is to just give you guys a list of my favorites from the series. It gets a bit confusing, because some of my favorites from the books are not the same as my favorites from the films. Tricky, isn't it? Nonetheless, here we go:
Favorite Nonimportant Character
It's hard to consider any character nonimportant in Harry Potter, because they all have a purpose or reason about them. One that had very little to give in the way of storyline, yet managed to catch and keep my attention, was Luna Lovegood. She was so odd, but funny and sometimes uncomfortably honest.
I loved her in the books, and thought they made an excellent choice in Evanna Lynch for the films. She portrayed Luna perfectly and beautifully.
Minerva McGonagall
Seriously, this chick was awesome not only in the novels but also in the films (portrayed by the fabulous Maggie Smith). I love that she was strict and somewhat intimidating, but also had a bit of fun here and there. I also admired how fiercely loyal she remained to Dumbledore and Hogwarts.
Favorite mythical creature
Gotta go with hippogriffs on this one. I thought it was great how Buckbeak was a creature that demanded respect, but once he accepted you he was a tender and playful pet. He also saved Harry and Hermoine from Lupin (as a werewolf) and helped Sirius escape. Winner.
At first I jumped to Defense Against the Dark Arts, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I probably wouldn't really enjoy that class, mostly because I'm a chicken, but partly because of the weirdos who passed through that class posing as professors. I think the class I would most enjoy would be Transfiguration with McGonagall. Who wouldn't want to turn stuff into other stuff?
No question about this one, most definitely Arthur and Molly Weasley. I'd have to say they're my favorite family as well. I love how Arthur is infatuated with Muggle objects, and he's got the most amusing personality. Molly is sassy and bossy, but is a wonderful mother to her children, and practically adopts Harry. I would love to spend a day inside the Weasley house with that family!
On a side note, I've seen Mark Williams (Arthur) give interviews, and he seems like a cool, fun dude. Bonus points to the Weasleys!
This one is a toughy because Ron and Hermione are both such great friends to Harry. I sorted it out by breaking it up. My favorite BFF to Harry in the novels is Hermione. She's brilliant, quick-witted, honest and loyal to Harry, although a bit of a prude half the time. If it weren't for her, Harry would've bit it in the first book.
My favorite BFF to Harry in the films is Ron. He's such a dork, and can't help but envy Harry's constant place in the spotlight, but he was Harry's very first friend at Hogwarts and stuck with him through the worst of it all. He's also pretty funny.
Gotta go with Harry's first ever match. Being the youngest Seeker in a century, having just learned how to fly and managing to win the match while nearly choking on the snitch? Greatness. I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed the matches in the novels. It was even better to see the games brought to life in the films (although in the first film they all resembled stick figures on a computer screen - thank God for advancement in digital art!)
Favorite villain(s)
This was another tough one, because honestly Voldemort wasn't my favorite villain. Yeah, he's terrifying. Yeah he's freaky looking. Still, not my fave. Again I had to divide my favorite into film and novel.
Novels: Dolores Umbridge. That chick was psycho. I spent most of the book just waiting for the kids to do anything and everything to piss her off. Plus, she forced the creation of Dumbledore's Army. When twenty-something kids have to form a secret army to fight a tiny little woman, you know she's badass.
Films: Bellatrix Lestrange. Maybe it's because Helena Bonham-Carter already weirded me out, but this character was scary good. Her maniacal laughter and cackling all the time.....creepy. She also killed Sirius, the only good family Harry had left, which makes her a pretty evil lady in my book.
Favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher
Gotta be Remus Lupin. He was kind, honest and the only truly decent D.A.D.A. professor those poor kids had. I loved that he was once one of James Potter's best pals in school, and his immediate need to look out for Harry.
Favorite Member of Dumbledore's Army
Neville Longbottom. I felt so sorry for this kid throughout the majority of the books, and was pleased to see him begin to come out of his shell, gain confidence and turn out to be one of the most important characters in the series. Matt Lewis did a great job portraying Neville, and I can't express how glad I am that he grew up to be a cutie. I was worried for a few years there that he'd never catch up to those teeth.
Characters I'd most likely have a crush on if I were a student at Hogwarts
Obviously, Fred and George Weasley. I have a thing for troublemakers who are also funny, and these two are the epitome. Loved them in the novels and adored them in the films. This is part of the reason I was so upset while reading Deathly Hallows. I know I'll be crying my eyes out at some point during Part Two on Saturday. Sheesh.
Would have to be Order of the Phoenix. Umbridge was so deliciously bad. Fred and George were at their most creative and daring. Bellatrix was there. Dumbledore's Army. The Order. The only part I hated, of course, was Sirius being killed.
By the time we're on year five, the characters are all solidly developed, relationships have been forged, enemies made and the Dark Lord is back. I was swept up in this novel from start to finish.
Most Favorite Character in the Novels (and films)
Surprisingly (even to me), Severus Snape. J.K. Rowling was brilliant in the creation of Snape. Additionally, they could not have picked a better man to portray Snape than Alan Rickman if they tried. The man is a genius. I went back and forth on whether or not I thought he was good guy/bad guy until the very last novel. You hate him so much, but at the same time have to appreciate his ability to confuse you. The way he treats Harry is abysmal, but multiple times he was there to protect the kids from harm. He's the guy we all love to hate.
Well there you have it. Do I share any of your favorites? If not, who would you pick?
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Passing on the reading gene
I love to read; I always have. I remember being a wee little one, even before kindergarten, sitting on the laps of my grandparents while they read books to me. My most dominant memories from both second and third grade are of my teachers reading books to us young pupils.
My mother has always been an avid reader, and fortunately she passed that love on to myself and my sister. During summer breaks we used to trade books every other day. We read just about every young adult fiction series there was: we started out with The Babysitter's Club and Goosebumps, then moved on to Fear Street, Sweet Valley High (followed by SVU), Love Stories, Christopher Pike's Chain Letter books, etc.
Eventually, as I got older, my tastes matured and I began to delve into deeper subject matter, but these series established a love of reading in me, and I hope my daughters will one day look back and have the same sense of affection for similar book series. Of course, it all starts with the "baby" books....
These are some of my most treasured books from early childhood that I have already purchased in the hopes that my girls will love them as much as me:
The first book I remember being read to me.
As a first grader, I thought this was the funniest book in the world.
I don't know anyone who doesn't remember this one fondly.
My third grade teacher read this to my class on the first day of
school, and we begged for it every day for the rest of the year.
I always thought Alexander was being a sissy.
I loved this little bear, and I thought it was amazing when they made a movie version of the book.
I wanted to go there, so badly.
The hubs isn't much of a reader, but his parents read him all of the Dr. Seuss books, which he still loves (and Mimi hopes our girls will love also).
What were your favorite books as a child/young adult?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Literary Lovin'
(Editor's Note: I do, in fact, own the Twilight Saga, and have read it numerous times. That doesn't make it my favorite.)
It's disappointing that kids have no desire to read wonderful pieces of literary art anymore. When I was a teen, I read classics over and over again, astounded at how an author described the characters in such a way that I developed an image of them in my head. The stories unfolded like a movie in my mind, and I cherished them all. Now you can only get a kid to read F. Scott Fitzgerald if their English grade is dependent upon it.
Shameful.
So, in my own form of protest, I've decided to list my ten favorite novels of all time in the hopes that young people will be inspired to go to the library or bookstore and read something other than Harry Potter or Twilight.
NOTE: I'm not including The Bible in this list, because - in my opinion - everyone should own a Bible and read it often.
Also, you won't find The Hobbit, 1984, Animal Farm or Of Mice and Men on this list, because although they're considered classics, I hated them. Every stinkin' page.
So, here we go....
10. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
The book that inspired the movie that started the original vampire craze. No lovey-dovey vampire/human relationships in this book.
9. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
A true story about the incurable Ebola virus. Stephen King himself described it as "one of the most horrifying things I've ever read." The film "Outbreak" was loosely based on this book.
8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Battles of wit between independent Elizabeth Bennet and the charmingly cocky Mr. Darcy. A lovely literary classic, entertaining from start to finish.
7. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Multiple personality disorders, a secret society and extremist organization run amuck in this awesome book later turned into a film starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton.
6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
A story about sisters, feminism, individuality, hardships, love and family.
5. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
A collection of short stories - all entertaining. The movie "A Knight's Tale" is based on one of the stories and two other characters.
Investment banker by day. Raping, murdering obssessive-compulsive 80s music buff by night.
Also inspired a movie starring Christian Bale.
3. A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice
The first novel by Anne Rice's son, a gripping and dark look into the lives of four childhood friends torn apart - and eventually brought back together - by alcohol, sex, homosexuality and tragedy.
2. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Excellently written story of Mary Boleyn, lover of King Henry VII, and the competition with her sister Anne. Not completely historically accurate, but still a wonderful read. (Also much better than the movie, as usual.)
1. The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Bachelor Nick rents a home between two mansions, and after observing the aristocrats inside, becomes wrapped up in a world of unrequited love, mysteries and murder. The Great Gatsby is considered by many to be a fictional examination of the "American Dream" (the 1920s version, that is).
One of the best books ever written, and my personal favorite.
For need of sharing, I've also included a few "honorable mentions" for you guys:
That's all, folks. Now go to your library, check a few of these out and enjoy!
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