Mel in Movieland | Three new TV shows I am currently watching.

I admit that I am a TV show addict. I have an entire spread dedicated to all the TV shows I am currently watching, so I can track all the episodes I have watched – and still need to watch. It has come to the point that I need to set a specific amount of TV shows I allow myself to watch or it will be too much. According to my spread sheet I am in the middle of watching 30 series and that is pretty much the number I want to stick with. Some of them are already finished (either cancelled or done) and some of them are ongoing (so I have no choice but to wait)

Today I want to spotlight some of the shows I recently added to my spread.

SENSE 8.

This TV show is really interesting and it is has one of the most unique concepts and cast I have come across so far. This story is about eight different characters who are suddenly connected to each other. Every one of them is in a different life situation and that makes them all fascinating. They are able to jump into someone else's life when the situation demands it, and this has saved some of their lives already, because someone is hunting them down. It sometimes makes them look crazy in real life, because they are talking into thin air.   
   

Capheus Onyango, a matatu rider from Nairobi. 

Sun Bak, daughter of a businessman and a rising star in the underground kickboxing, from Seoel. 

Nomi Marks, a transgender blogger and hacker from San Francisco. 

Kala Dandekar, an university graduate working as pharmacist from Bombay. 

Riley Blue, a dj from Iceland who lives in London. 

Wolfgang Bogdanow, a locksmith and criminal from Berlin. 

Lito Rodriguez, a homosexual actor from Mexico-City. 

Will Groski, a police officer from Chicago.

BLACK MIRROR.

This is such a confusing show, because I'm still not sure if I enjoy it, but at the same time I can't stop watching. Every episode is one story, so you can watch them in any order you want. Every setting is science-fiction based and focuses on an aspect of what could happen if the world completely embraces technology. It shows the fine line we could cross between humans and robots. It makes me question and think; it makes me freak out and horrified.

Think about the concept of having a chip installed in your head where you can store all your memories, so you can play them over and over again or even show them on a TV screen. Think about having a copy of your personality ruling your house-hold or being part of an experiment to make the most extreme frightening computer game that can read your biggest fears and use these against you. It's pretty messed up, but I recommend you check it out.

OUTLANDER.

Trigger warning: this show contains violence (like lashes) and rape, in a detailed way. I can handle many things, but or some reason I can never watch lashing scenes. There is something incredibly brutal about it.. and the rape episode made me feel quite horrible too, because it is so graphic. I knew it was coming (I have read the first three books a long time ago), but I wasn't prepared for it.

This show is about Claire from 1945 who is on a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands. When she touches a magical stone, she is transported back into 1743 where she meets Jamie Fraser. He is part of the McKenzie clan of Castle Leoch and he is a wanted man, searched for by Jonathan Randall. He happens to be one of the ancestors of her husband. I really enjoy the way the actors portray the characters (and who doesn't fall for Jamie's accent?) and the storyline. It is time to pick up the books again.

Have you seen any of these TV shows? What did you think?

Beauty and the Beast: the movie (Spoilers!)

Before I start this long post where I will gush about my love for this movie, there is one thing I want to say: I LOVED IT SO MUCH. MY HEART IS OVERFLOWING WITH LOVE. I CRIED HAPPY TEARS AND I AM NOT EVEN ASHAMED ABOUT IT.

Now, on to the more serious business about this review. I will talk about different aspects, so I can show you all the reasons why I love this movie more than almost anything else in the world. If you want to go into this movie without knowing anything, please skip this post :)

The Prologue. 

The moment I heard the beginning tunes of the movie, I had shivers. I'm so happy that they kept true to most of the prologue from the animated movie – but what made me even happier is the fact they included more background story. I LOVED the scene that shows off how prosperous and arrogant the Prince lives before he is punished by the Enchantress. I LOVED how they included her more into the story and how she sets everything in motion. The Prologues is tied into a deeper story about the Prince when we see a flashback to his younger self. I thought it was brilliantly done and it gave the Beast more depth as a character. It also takes away some of the questions the animated movie raised.

The Songs.

I would say that the songs always have been the Heart of the movie. They say so much about every character, from Belle's longing to adventure to Gaston's amount of self-love. And Oh My God, did they blow me away with these songs. All the original songs are there and the new songs they included? Absolutely my favorites ones of all time. I can't pick one I loved the most, but Evermore by the Beast has to be one of the best they have added. I never realized I missed a song by the Beast so much until now. Also, Days in the Sun beats Human Again. Goosebumps every time I hear it and How does a moment last forever destroyed me.

The Cast.

I don't think I could have asked for a better suited cast. Every character is simply brilliant and exactly how I imagined them. Okay, Lumière's French accent might have been a little rusty at times, but Dan Stevens (Beast), Luke Evans (hunk Gaston), Josh Grad (Lefou) and Belle (Emma Watson) stole the show. One thing I always find really important is the Beast's voice and Dan NAILED it. Such a warm voice. Luke pulled off the whole crazy-obsessed guy vibes (and damn, he is gorgeous) without making him look like a card board villain. Emma's personality fit so well with Belle, it didn't even feel like she was acting, and her voice wasn't too bad in the songs. Josh was fantastic and his chemistry with Luke made Gaston's song better than the one in the animated version. It's a shame that they skipped the 'covered in hair' part.

The CGI.

The castle was gorgeous. All the characters like Lumière, Cogsworth and Mrs. Pott were beautiful and I loved the Victorian touch. The Beast was done so well and they really made his blue eyes stand out. He was so detailed and real looking. I recently read the Special edition from Entertainment Weekly where they talked about all the work that went into the CGI. How Dan had to shoot his scenes twice; once walking around with a grey suit on stilts, the second time only his face to really capture his emotions - and it shows!

The Changes.

1. Lefou. I know there was a lot of discussion around his character, but wasn't it obvious already that his character was gay? I mean, look at his admiration for Gaston and how he accepts everything he does. The fact that they put more emphasis on this was the best. I also think they did a great job with his portrayal, especially when he starts to question Gaston's methods. He (and Luke) really gave the movie that something special, with their comical touch.
2. The Enchantress. Like I mentioned in the Prologue, she plays a bigger role now and that was a good move. I've always wondered if she would stick around to see if the Beast was able to change and now we get those answers. The fact that they gave the Beast more background story; sublime choice.
3. Gaston. They changed some of the scenes between him and Belle, which worked quite well. I did miss their talk about her book and how she could read anything with no pictures in it, but I'm happy they changed the scene where he is thrown into the puddle of mud. I don't think that would work with a live version. A lot of people talk about the fact that the Beast was punished, but Gaston never was; and I wonder how they can think like that. Gaston was set on marrying Belle, a person who would never marry him, and in the end he died because of it. How is that not punishment? He could have changed, but instead he was consumed by this obsession with 'conquering' Belle, and it was the end of him. LeFou changed before it was too late for him.
4. The book that lets you travel to another world. It was the perfect way to show what happened to Belle's mother and why they are so different from the rest of the town. They were outsiders from a big city with less small-minded people. That's probably why Belle does read - and why people don't accept it when she is teaching another girl how to read.

The Clothes.

I really loved all the clothes Belle wears and how they made minor changes to make it fit to her personality. Also, credits for making her an inventor! I loved that. A lot of people complained about the dress and while it might not be as gorgeous as the original one, I would still wear it and treasure it. I thought it suited Emma and the dancing scene *swoon*

There wasn't anything I didn't love. I'm sorry for overusing all these words to show my excitement, but the fact that Disney delivered again makes my heart happy. Seeing my all time favorite fairytale and animated Disney movie coming alive like this is all I could have wished for.

Mel in Movieland | Best movies I've seen in 2016.

I'm not only a bookjunkie. If you follow my blog for a while, you also know that I am a big movie/TV show fanatic. I always list everything I've watched in my monthly recaps, but I thought it was about time to highlight the best movies I've seen so far.

Hands down one of the best movies I've seen this year, and in a long time, was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I was blown away by the plot (not that I am surprised, because J.K Rowling is a mastermind), the fabulous casting and all the beautiful details, like the different Beasts and buildings. It is fantastic to explore this side of the Wizarding world.

 was a big fan of Eddie Redmayne and Dan Fogler, but I'm still not on board for the casting of Johnny Depp for Grindelwald.. But I am very happy there will be more movies. After all these years, I am still a proud Potterhead and this movie gave me the same magical feeling.

If you haven't heard yet, Fantastic Beasts tells the story of Newt Scamander, who is the author of the book Harry Potter has to study at Hogwarts. He arrives in New York with a suitcase full of Fantastic Beasts - and then some of them slip away. Newt has to find them, together with Jacob a no-maj (Muggle), Tina Goldstein the former Auror for MACUSA and her sister Queenie Goldstein. Something darker is roaming around New York and before they know it, they are part of it.


Three other movies that definitely did not let me down where the live movie version of Jungle Book, Inside Out and Zootopia. Disney never fails to impress me. What I loved most about Jungle Book were the original twists they used, yet they managed to stay true to the original story.

Inside Out has a powerful message and I love Sadness. It shows different emotions in the head of a young girl. Things are about to get really messy and it is up to Sadness and Joy to fix it.

Zootopia had such a funny sense of humor. A cynical con artist Fox and a rooky bunny cop have to work together to uncover a conspiracy that is about to change their society.


I also finally went ahead and watched Captain America: Civil Wars. I don't know what took me so long, because it was good. I really hope everyone will be friends soon though, because I hate to see them fight. There is tension between former allies Captain America and Iron man – and everyone else has to pick a side.

Not long after it I watched Deadpool and I laughed so hard. It is brilliant and does a great job at portraying the anti-hero. He became part of an experiment that left him with healing powers and he is now on a quest for revenge.


To end this, I'm going to list two feel good movies. The first one is something I was ashamed about, but now I can finally say I've seen The Sound of Music and I loved it. I enjoy musicals and this was just adorable. Maria is so sassy, haha. She leaves the convent to become a governess to the children of a Naval officer widower.

And I was pleasantly surprised by The Intouchables. I tend to stay away from foreign movies (this is French), but I heard good things about this one and decided to give it a shot. It blew me away with its subtle humor. The movie is about a paralyzed man who hires an ex-deliquent as caregiver and the two of them grow really close.



Have you seen any of these movies or are you interested in any of these?

Love-a-thon | Mix and Match. Animation movies.

This challenge is hosted by Hazel and is all about showcasing all things you like that mash-up with your bookish life. I immediately had to think about my love for pretty covers, especially with artwork on it; and that is a perfect connection with my love for animation movies. I also have a weakness for covers from fairytale retellings, my favorite genre with fantasy, and I think animation movies have the same magical feeling as those retellings. So here is my mix and mash between books and animation movies.

P.S. Link up at Stay Bookish in order to be entered in the giveaway for this challenge!
P.S.S It is not too late to sign up! 

I already talked about my obsession for Disney in my top 3 favorite Disney movies and 3 of my favorite forgotten Disney movies. Today I want to talk about all the non-Disney/Pixar animation movies that I have fallen in love with over the years.

Mel in Movieland | TV shows in 2015.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be coming books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

I love TV shows and with Netflix you always have something new to watch. Subscribing to Netflix is still one of the best things I did this year. Today I want to highlight all the shows I’ve watched in 2015 so far.

Orange is the new black. Season 1 to 3. Season 4 will air June 2016.
This series features a female prison. Our main character Piper turns herself in after a sentence for something stupid she did years ago. We see how she tries to survive in a new environment, while she is struggling with her relationship. I hate Piper with a fierce passion, but I love every other character around her. Everyone has these unique stories that are shown with flashbacks and the personalities are so diverse. It’s good!

Mel in Movieland | Three forgotten Disney movies.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be coming books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

It was about time I came back with another edition of Mel in Movieland. I have been so busy that I've been focusing on reviews and discussion posts, but I forgot how much I enjoyed to write these as well. I'm definitely going to pick up this posts again. Disney gives me endless happiness.

Today I want to feature three Disney movies that I love, but I feel they hardly get any attention - or sometimes people don't even know they exist in the first place! Disney is mostly known for it’s Disney princess movies, but what about the others? I highly recommend to check out these three movies if you have never seen them before.

Mel in Movieland | A court of thorns and roses movie casting.

Title: A court of thorns and roses.
Author: Queen Sarah J. Maas.
Expected publication: May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury Children's
Source: Judith was kind enough to let me borrow her copy <3

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world. As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

I started this book the moment I got it in the mail and I couldn’t put it down. Don’t ask if I like it more than Throne of glass, because I have an equal love for both series for different reasons. My review will be up closer to the publication date (okay, let's be real here: it's more the rambling of a raving fangirl trying to sound reasonable), but I already want to show you my ultimate cast in the hope to make you even more excited. I know I can't wait to get a published copies in my hands so I can re-read this. The prose, the world-building, the hot chemistry.. Okay, I'm drifting off. Here we go:

Mel in Movieland | Disney - Pinocchio.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be coming books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

I’m currently watching all the Disney movies together with my blogging friends, called ‘Disney Journey’ and that's how this idea was born. This is also partly inspired by Project Disney from Picture us reading - you should check out their artwork in the trading cards!

Background.
The original story was written by the Italian author Carlo Collodi (real name: Carlo Lorenzini) as ‘Le avventure di Pinocchio’ translated to The adventures of Pinocchio – the setting of the story is in Tuscan. The author died in 1890 unaware of the popularity of his tale. His story has been translated to more than 240 languages, making it the most translated non-religious book. It’s interesting to note that in the first version of the story, Pinocchio dies a gruesome death. He is hanged, but at the request of the editor the author added the last chapters where Pinocchio is saved by the fairy who transforms him into a real boy.

Mel in Movieland | Upcoming movies 2015.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be combining books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

This hardly needs an introduction, but if you are new and you are not aware of this fact: I’m a huge fan of fairytales, Disney and animation movies. So hereby I spotlight all the upcoming movies from 2015 I can’t wait for.

Mel in Movieland | Percy Jackson: The lightening thief.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be combining books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

Information: Director: Chris Columbus.
Released: on February 11th 2010.
Length: 118 minutes.

Storyline (IMDB): A teenager discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods. Zeus's lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Even more troubling is the sudden disappearance of Percy's mother. As Percy finds himself caught between angry and battling gods, he and his friends embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true lightning thief, save Percy's mom, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Rating:
 

Mel in Movieland | Disney - Snow White.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be combining books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

I’m currently watching all the Disney movies together with my blogging friends, called ‘Disney Journey’ and that's how this idea was born. This is also partly inspired by Project Disney from Picture us reading - you should check out their artwork in the trading cards!

Background.
Today it’s up to the first Disney movie, Snow White. It is based on the German tale by the Brothers Grimm numbered as Tale 53. It is one of the most famous fairy tale across Europe. The version from the Brothers Grimm was actually an adaptation from an earlier story called 'Little Snowdrop' by Raphael Tuck & Sons.  Differences are mostly in the riddles and how the Queen dies (chokes on the wedding)

"Tell me glass, tell me true!
Of all the ladies in the land,
who is the fairest, tell me, who?"

In the first edition from Grimm there is an evil, jealous mother instead of the stepmother. The queen never ordered a servant; she takes Snow with her to gather flowers and abandons her. They believe the changes were done to tone down the story for children.

"You, my queen, are fair so true. But the young Queen is a thousand times fairer than you."

Mel in Movieland | Into the storm review.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be combining books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

Here is it! The first movie review I've ever written. I was planning to talk about music too, but to be honest, I wasn't paying attention to that aspect.

Information:
Release Information.
Director: Steven Quale.
Writer: John Swetnam.

Storyline (IMDB):
In the span of a single day, the town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run towards the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot.

Rating:
Based on the fact that I don’t feel the need to buy it on DVD or to watch it again any time soon. It’s a good movie and I recommend watching it if you enjoy disaster movies, but it’s not the most memorable movie I’ve ever seen.

Mel in Movieland: introduction.

I talked about this in my discussion post ‘Other content’ and I took the decision to go for it. It was very important to me to find a way to combine movies with books. I’ve been trying to work this out and here is a little sneak peek for some posts: Disney project –> Snow White in combination with book retellings and other movies, Into the storm (movie) with disaster books and I have several ideas that include animation movies like my favorite movies with non-Disney princesses.

I thought it might be fun to show you the rating scale I will be using. They are not spectacular, but I’m satisfied with the result. The ‘exit’ button is for the movies with a 1 out of 5 rating or even a ‘DNF’ because yes, that happens. The ‘movie premier’ button is for the special movies; my favorites. The ones I want to re-watch right away.


(illustrations are free vectors I found on Google)

I have never written a movie review before, but I’m trying to think of an easy way and I've come up with these aspects: casting, music, special effects, story and ending. It’s definitely a completely different approach then writing a book review. It’s fun, but it will takes some time before I’ve found a way that works for me. I hope you will keep this in mind!

For now I’ve planned to do one/two Mel in Movieland posts every month. It takes more time to write these posts and I don’t want to overwhelm my blog with other content. We will see if this new feature is a success or a failure, but I’ve had a lot of fun coming up with post ideas so far.

Fun fact: I'm going to shorten the name in the title into 'MIM' which is also a Disney character you might know from The sword in the stone.

Do you have any suggestions or things you would like to see?

Mel in Movieland | Books-to-movie, part three.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be coming books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

I know that I'm a day too late, but I had a Sinterklaas celebration yesterday (that is a holiday here in The Netherlands :)) But I still want to share this with you. I have found quite some books which are rumored to be filmed. Here is the list with some possible books-to-movies: (click on the titles and you are taken to IMDb)

-This dark endeavour: The apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein.
-Darkfever.

-Before I go to sleep.
-Daughter of smoke and bone.

-The luxe.

-Unwind.

-My name is Memory.

-Blood red road.

-Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children.

-Pinocchio.

-The Passage. I'm reading this book at the moment and while I think that the concept is great for a book, I'm not sure how this is going to work out on the screen.

-The night circus.

-The giver.

-And this one scares me so much: The book thief. You know that this is one of my favorite books if you've read my review and you also can see that it makes me nervous by reading my Feature and Follow from a while ago.

What do you think about this list? There are some more titles, but I will be using them next week if you find this interesting enough :)

And I've saved the best. There is going to be a television show about Dracula and Jonathan Rhys Meyers is casted as Dracula! *swoon* The date is set on 2013 - ..., I can't wait.

Mel in Movieland | Books-to-movies, part two.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be coming books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

Today I want to feature two animation movies based on The wizard of Oz from L. Frank Baum. I like the musical/fantasy movie from 1939, but I’m a huge fan of animation movies, so this is great. Clicking on the titles will bring you to the website or youtube (where you can see the fantastic trailers!)

Dorothy of Oz.  
There are good voice actors, you can see the cast on IMDb.

Back in Kansas, Dorothy Gale decides to return to Oz in order to help her friends.

Summoned by Glinda, Dorothy and Toto return to the land of Oz. Joined by her old friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Lion, Dorothy sets out on a perilous journey to stop the Jester from using the power of the Wicked Witch of the West's wand to turn the people of Oz into puppets.

OZ, the great and powerful.
Also, I like the cast! Mila Kunis has a great voice. IMdB.

The movie is made by Disney and that says enough for me. I love all their work. The poster is gorgeous!

How the Wizard arrived in Oz and became the ruler. A prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
When small-time magician Oscar Diggs pulls one flimflam too many, he is hurled into the fantastical Land of Oz, where he must somehow transform himself into the great and powerful Wizard - and just maybe into a better man as well.

So, what do you think of them? Are you as excited as I am?

Mel in Movieland | Books-to-movies, part one.

Welcome to my new feature, where I will be coming books and movies! I bet you can guess how I came up in the name, but in case you aren’t; Alice in Wonderland. You can find my inspirations in this post Fairytale news: other content.

Today I want to talk about books-to-movies. If you click on the title, it will direct you to the IMDb website for more information.

When I found out that Jonathan Rhys Meyers is part of the cast from The mortal instruments: City of Bones, I did a happy dance. I haven’t read the books yet (I've started today), but he is a great actor (Tudor love <3) This movie will be released in the USA on 23 August 2013. Two days ago they released the trailer, definitely take a look!

When her mom is attacked and taken from their home in New York City by a demon, a seemingly ordinary teenage girl, Clary Fray, finds out truths about her past and bloodline on her quest to get her back, that changes her entire life.

I recently found out that they are going to film ‘The forest of hands and teeth’, how cool is that? I really think this could work, because the story has a lot of potential. The date is set on 2013. I can’t wait to see the cast, but I heard the awful rumour of ‘Mary’ and ‘Kristen Stewart’. Please, don’t do that to me. I’m sorry for the fans of Stewart, but she is definitely NOT a Mary figure. My review.

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

I can’t wait to see The Hobbit: an unexpected journey! 12 December 2012 is the date I can finally see it. The LOTR movies are amazing and I bet this is going to be a huge hit. There will be two other movies - Part 2: The desolation of Smaug, December 2013, and Part 3: There and back again, July 2014.

It’s so awesome that all the original actors are back into their roles and that the movie is directed by the same director as the LOTR movies. Changing the actors would give the same feeling as changing the covers from a book in the middle of a series (and don’t you just hate that when it happens?)

A curious Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug.

What do you think about the movies? Are you looking forward to them? Come and stop by next week to see more movie news!