“[He] must be a man of great worth and respectability.
Yes, he is the kindest and best of men.”
-Sense & Sensibility (1995)
Wow, what a week. First David Bowie on Sunday and now we have lost one of the best actors to the same dreaded disease.
Noooooooooo!!!!!!!
Oh Alan Rickman, how I miss you so. We are not ready for you to be gone from us.
Noo!
Alan Rickman was an outstanding actor, no matter what he played you loved him. Part was his looks:
His amazing voice:
And his ability to breathe an incredible amount of life into these roles, so much that they seemed so real.
So I decided to truly honor this great man, I’m going to countdown my top four favorite roles of his.
4) Sheriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
I know a lot of people make fun of Kevin Costner, for his lack of accent:
But I always loved this film. And one of my main reasons were because of Rickman’s incredible portrayal of the Sheriff.
Rickman originally was courted twice to play this, but turned it down until they gave him full control of his character. And he does it so perfectly. Crazy, evil, ambitious, logical, and somehow hilarious.
Favorite scene:
Sheriff of Nottingham: Locksley. I’ll cut your heart out with a spoon.
Robin Hood: Then it begins.
Guy of Gisborne: Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an axe?
Sheriff of Nottingham: Because it’s DULL, you twit. It’ll hurt more.
And being the awesomeness that he is, he went through 10 swords in that film. Just weren’t strong enough for him.
3) Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus from Galaxy Quest
This role is from the hilarious comedy and parody of Star Trek, Galaxy Quest. 18 years ago the TV show Galaxy Quest was the hottest thing on the TV. Since then, none of the actors have been able to find much other work, being forced to be their characters for conventions, commercials, etc. One day they are transported to a real alien ship by aliens who believe their show to be “historical documents” asking for their help in fighting their enemy. They are forced to work together to save these people, in a most hilarious way.
In this film Alan Rickman’s character Alexander Dane the Spockish Dr. Lazarus, is a brooding, melancholy, mess who is dissatisfied with the way his life and career have gone. Sort of like Arthur Conan Doyle hating Sherlock Holmes, Dane feels the same way about Dr. Lazarus. However, as this group has to really fight, Dane proves that he is just as herioc and amazing as his fictional counterpart.
Favorite scene:
[Quellek has been shot, and is dying. Alexander rushes to him]
Alexander Dane: Quellek? [sees Quellek’s wound] That’s not too bad. We’ll get you to the medical quarters, and you’ll be fine.
Quellek: It has been my greatest pleasure to serve with you. I have been blessed, Sir. I… I… I…
Alexander Dane: Don’t speak, Quellek.
Quellek: You’ll forgive my impertinence, Sir, but even though we have never before met, I have always considered you as a father to me.
Alexander Dane: Quellek… by Grabthar’s hammer… by the Suns of Worvan… you shall be… avenged.
A sad scene, but one of the sweetest. He hates that line, but says it to his biggest fan; knowing he would appreciate it.
2) Professor Severus Snape from The Harry Potter Series
This is the one you are probably the most familiar with. In the Harry Potter Series, Rickman plays the crotchety Professor Snape. Truth be told, if it wasn’t for Snape and Draco Malfoy I never would have become a fan of the Harry Potter Series. And if Snape wasn’t played by Alan Rickman, nothing would have induced me to watch or read.
Snape is first portrayed as evil (as Harry suspects him) but in reality is one great, although tragic man. Hurt, abused, bullied and tormented as a youth, his genius unappreciated, the love of his life choosing a popular and way uncooler guy; he was drawn into the false inclusiveness of the Death Eaters. Accidentally putting into motion the death of his love, he turned his back on the Death Eaters and redeemed himself.
However, when a new threat emerges he not only helps Harry by protecting him; although anonymously and ungraciously by Harry, along with becoming a double agent to get Dumbledore his information.
Even more tragic, he is willing to take the place of Draco, protecting him and keeping him from going down a dark path he could not return; dying for him and his students.
Favorite scene:
[Snape blasts Lockhart off his feet in a practice duel]
My favorite Alan Rickman role, and the best Colonel Brandon. This was actually the first film I ever saw Alan Rickman in, and my introduction to Jane Austen. I thank/blame Rickman for starting my life long obsession for the author. Thank you.
Colonel Brandon is one of the best Austen heroes. He has such a sad backstory, but still remains kind and good-hearted. When he was younger he fell in love with a girl, but his father broke them up. He went on to India, but she went down an awful life as she fell in love with a man who left her alone and pregnant. She died young, but Brandon took care of her child, raising it as his own. He then falls for Marianne, not caring that she had no fortune, but instead loving her mind and spirit. And even though she may not care for him, he still loves her from afar and wishes her well. When she is injured and caught in the rain, he carries her to safety. He is such a kind, generous, and one of the most amazing Austen men.
Even though some complain that Rickman was too old for the role, I don’t care. No one could create a more caring, compassionate, brave, kind, strong, amazing character the way he did.
Favorite scene:
[after a reading of Spenser’s The Faerie Queen]
Marianne: Shall we continue tomorrow?
Colonel Brandon: No, for I must away.
Marianne: [Worried] Away? Where?
Colonel Brandon: [Reassuring and playful] That I cannot tell you. It is a secret.
Marianne: [Pauses. Looks away, then looks back] You will not stay away long?
[Colonel Brandon can hardly believe that she cares for him. Shakes head no with smile]
Sorry I missed last week, I had a lot of stuff happening plus my post celebrating Back to the Future’s 30th anniversary and the 4th of July. But here we are with another installment of all things I fangirl over.
Fast & the Furious Franchise
I remember when this film first came out. I didn’t see it in theaters as I was too young, but once they started playing it on TV I couldn’t stop watching it. I loved it!
I would watch it mostly for Paul Walker (still sad about his death) and the awesome looking cars. I may not know that much about them, but I could still appreciate them.
So the first film stars Paul Walker as an FBI agent going undercover to bust racers who have been robbing trucks. I have to admit that I was (and still am) a huge Paul Walker fan and that was the first reason I watched it. Not ashamed.
It’s Paul!
I like Vin Diesel too, but just as an actor. He reminds me a lot of my brother, lookswise.
Anyways, FBI Agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) has a hard time trying to infiltrate the group as it is very tight-knit and hardly ever allows stranger. Him racing against Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel), and completely smoking his car doesn’t help his case.
He does catch a break when he helps Dom escape the police. Being the only one who doesn’t run away but helps him out, brings him into the group.
As he spends more time with these guys, he really gets to know them and like them. In fact he can’t believe there is anyway they could be involved with the robberies, as his objectiveness is thrown out the window for friendship.
He even starts dating Dom’s sister.
Eventually he realizes the truth when he hears about them going into the action, and follows them to help keep them safe. When one of the racers is shot during the robbery, Brian blows his cover by calling a helicopter in.
In the aftermath the rest of the group scatter, with Brian heading out to Dom’s house to get him. Instead of taking him in right away, as Brian still considers him a friend, they have one last race.
It was a fantastic movie!
Then came the sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious.
In this Brian has been kicked out of the FBI for having let Dom go. He has been making a living as a racer, when the FBI ask him to come back and help them take down a drug-smuggler. The have an agent on the inside, Eva Mendes, but need someone to take the job as racer, and with Brian they won’t have to build a false character or worry that their guy will think the whole thing suspect. Brian agrees, but things get complicated fast. He and the FBI agent fall for each other, which is a horrible idea when the guy you are trying to arrest is a psychopath, and another FBI agent hates his guts and is doing everything possilbe to make this hard for Brian.
It wasn’t as good as the original, but I still liked it. Paul was good as ever.
Then the third one came out, Tokyo Drift.
I don’t know what they were thinking! You can’t have a franchise be built on an actor and then suddeny new storyline, new character, new location. This was dumb, and doesn’t exist.
Moving on to number four, Fast & Furious, dumb name but good movie.
In this Dom and the crew are back together and once again robbing trucks. When the heat is on, they disband. However, Dom finds out that Letty was murdered. When he starts tracking down who killed her, he runs into Brian O’Conner. Brian is back to being a FBI agent again, and is trying to take down a drug trafficker. The two team up, and it’s just like old times!
At the end, Brian is suspended from duty and Dom is sentenced to 25 years. He never serves one as Brian, Mia, and the rest of the gang break him out.
In Fast Five, not only do we have the group heading down the Rio, (the year’s theme as tons of things took place here), but the addition of the Rock, Dwayne Johnson.
The group is supposed to do an easy job of stealing three cars from a train, but discover there is a lot more involved. Computer chips, betrayal by a friend, DEA agents, and of course fast cars. The twist end in this is a final scene that shows Letty is alive!
In Fast & Furious 6, the group is scattered, but as always can be brought back together for a mission. In this the Rock asks for Dom’s help in taking down former British Intelligence Special Agent Owen Shaw. He only agrees after seeing the photo of Letty alive. So once again the group is back together for fast cars and butt kicking.
Which brings us to Furious 7. I haven’t watched it yet as I am still disheartened by Paul Walker’s death. But I’ll see it eventually and am sure to love it too.
Hans Christian Anderson
I’ve talked about him before, but I’ll say it again. Just like the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson is one of the best fairy tale writers of all time.
Also being Danish, I feel a lot of pride in my countryman.
So I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I love fairy tales. I read them over and over as a child and continue today.
Or 10th, 50th, 100th….
In fact I am currently rereading Han Christian Anderson’s work.
Anyways, his fairy tales are amazing, and because he is a Christian, they all have a deeper moral or parallel that he is trying to share with children and adults.
He didn’t write as many stories as the Brother’s Grimm, but the few he did are really powerful. Now I’m just going to list off my favorites with a brief note about them. You really should check him out for yourself.
There is the Emperor’s New Clothes, which teaches you that you shouldn’t focus solely on material objects, but need your sight somewhere else. It also shows you that people can be afraid to go against the grain and would rather stick with what’s stupid, than admit the truth.
The Little Match Girl is a tale of a good girl living in poverty and abuse. She is wearing hardly anything, as they don’t have anything for her, trying to sell matches. To keep herself warm in the snow, she starts lighting matches, every time seeing a wonderful vision, until she sees her grandmother and is taken into heaven. It’s about dreams, hopes, and the eternal reward.
The Little Mermaid is one of his most famous works, but I’m not going into it as I have already posted on it in The Little Moreland. The book is much better than the Disney film as it is about true love and being willing to sacrifice yourself for others.
The Nightingale is about a Chinese emperor soon to be dying. A nightingale comes and sings him back to health. At first he wants to imprison him so that he can only sing for him and no others, but the nightingale tells him he can’t sing without freedom. He is let go and comes back to visit him. Someone makes a toy nightingale for the emperor, and soon everyone prefers this electronic and perverted one rather than the original. The real bird is banished, but unfortunately the new one breaks down from overuse. The emperor is once again sick, and the nightingale returns, causing the emperor to realize the true art was best. Not only commentary on art and artists, but original vs. new technology, the way people are willing to trade “old” for “new”, etc. There is a lot to be said about this piece.
Or story in this case
The Snow Queen is probably Anderson’s longest story as it is actually divided into seven parts. Disney based Frozen on it, but it is nowhere near as amazing as the actual tale. This is the story of not only demons releasing shards of hate and evil onto the world, but of the equally evil Snow Queen. When she takes a young boy, Kay, who’s heart has been turned to ice by her and the shards; his best friend Gerda does all she can to find and save him. A powerful story of love, friendship, sacrifice, and bravery.
The Steadfast Tin Soldier is so romantic. A tin soldier is created, but they ran out of tin so he is actually missing his leg. He falls in love with the beautiful paper ballerina, thinking she too is missing a leg like him. A toy goblin warns him to stay away, but the soldier refuses, and is thrown out the window. He does all he can to return to his love.
How romantic
The Swineherd is one of those they get it in the end tales. In this a poor prince wishes to marry the emperor’s daughter. He sends her his finest rose and the best nightingale, but she refuses wanting the status of someone who has money to buy manmade ones, rather than something beautiful and real. She determines the prince unworthy of anything of her. He disguises himself as a poor swineherd and is able to con over a hundred kisses from her as she desires two inventions of his (a musical rattle and pot). When the king discovers this he throws her out, having been disgusted by her behavior. The prince reveals himself and also heads on his way, happy to be gone from someone who would prefer a swineherd with objects than a prince with true love. The princess is left alone to think on her bad decisions and lost status.
Thumbelina is another cute tale about the beautiful girl only the size of a thumb and how she goes from crazy adventure to the next as she has to overcome many obstacles and creatures who want her.
The Tinderbox is an adventure tale. In this a poor soldier is returning from war when he comes upon a witch. She asks him to go into a tree and get her a tinderbox, taking anything else he desires. When he retrieves the tinderbox and asks why she wants it, she tries to fight him and he kills her. Later he discovers that as owner of the tinderbox he can control three monstrous dogs. Now he uses his power to live well, rescue a princess, and battle a mean king.
The Wild Swans is the last story I will write on. In this book we have a widowed king with a daughter and eleven sons who unknowingly marries an evil witch. She turns the boys into swans (by night they become boys again) and banishes the princess. After struggling, Princess Elisa ends up in the land of the fairies were she discovers that she can help her brothers if she takes a vow of silence and makes them shirts out of nettles. A prince finds her and brings her to his castle, the two eventually falling in love. They are to be married, but the archbishop is against it as he believes her to be a witch, a belief that is in his eyes confirmed when she goes to a graveyard to get nettles. They plan to burn her at the stake with her works, but as the are heading that way her brothers in swan form arrive, and she throws the shirts at them, transforming all but the youngest who is left with two wings. The truth is spoken and all live happily ever after.
The rest of his work is just as amazing and definitely worth a reading!
This was a Christian band that I got into when I was a teenager, and I have stayed a fan ever since. They gave great singers, musicians, and I loved that they still rocked out when it seemed that all music was destined to be pop and rap.
The only reason why I wanted to see the remake of Yours, Mine, and Ours, was because there are the band in the party scene.
Some of my absolute favorite songs of theirs are: Bring ‘Em Out, Crazy Love, Every Little Thing, Friend Like That, Live Life Loud, Love Like That, Skeleton, Take Me, Things We Go Through, and Turn It On.
I definitely will be posting on them soon, but you should check them out for yourself.
Now I know Potterhead isn’t the official name for those who are Harry Potter fans, but I have been calling my friends that for years. Now this was a fandom I long tried to resist. When the books came out my parents didn’t want me to read them as they were unsure with how they presented magic and the patronus and such. Later they decided that I was old enough to make my own decisions, but by then I didn’t care. They didn’t really interest me.
And then it was everywhere and in everything. And when things get too blown up, then I’m not really interested. And no I am not a hipster.
I just don’t like doing things because everyone else is doing them. I’m not a hipster, I’m just old-fashioned.
So with all my friends being huge fans, and everyone I came into contact with loving it, it became almost like a game, my resisting peer pressure.
It was funny two how they were always discussing whether I was a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, and I had no idea what they were saying.
I did follow the memes though, and found them hilarious. Even though I didn’t understand all of them.
But then I met this guy and we started dating, striking a deal that for every Harry Potter film I watched, we would watch an equal amount of Jane Austen. (You can read more in What’s the Dealio)
We broke up before finishing the series and there I was stuck at film five not really understanding what was happening. I could have just watched the films with my friends and asked them a gazillion questions, but I decided that wasn’t for me and instead read the whole series.
I enjoyed it, and will post my whole thoughts on it later. I have a super long post in the works as a summary of all my thoughts on the subject. I’m will end with two more things, my favorite characters. One of which is Draco.
Boy does he make me laugh.
My other favorite character is Snape.
Not only is he totally awesome, and played by Alan Rickman, but he’s just…i don’t know perfect. He has a sad past, brooding nature, is a romantic, and all around doesn’t care what others think of him he does what he wants.
Snape I love you. I know I’m probanly the only one, but I really wish you and Lily had ended up together and I think James Potter is a jerk. Snape 4-EVA!!!!!
Oh, by the way I did finally find out what house I belonged to (on pottermore). I’m a Slytherin. And proud of it.
I guess my love for Draco and Snape makes a lot of sense now. Nah, I’d probably love them no matter who I was.
I am a HUGE Princess Bride fan. But I actually wasn’t for a long time.
I know crazy right? Well whenever I would flip channels on TV I would always tune in right at the end. For years I would only see the end of the film, and I didn’t quite understand it.
This was back before everything was online so I could either buy it or rent it. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a card to Hollywood Video or Blockbuster.
And my library didn’t have it.
Then one year as I was talking to someone about how I had never seen the whole movie, my mom overheard and was in shock. So that birthday, guess what my present was? The Princess Bride. I watched it and loved it! From Westley,
To Inigo,
Even Vizzini
And who can forget Miracle Max
And let’s talk about the comedy of it all. From Westley never being killed but always threatened
To the fire swamp
There is so much to say, I just can’t get it all out.
This is just one truly amazing film that I could watch over and over and over again.
I loved it and had become a major fan.
I even read the book (which is nowhere as fantastic as the movie, trust me).
In fact whenever I meet another person who loves The Princess Bride, I fangirl crazily with them.
Just kidding. Although I do love that movie something fierce.
So a lot of people knock fashion down. They say that caring about how one looks is a waste of time and that one should only think about who they are on the inside. Now while it’s true that real beauty comes from within, you shouldn’t completely knock fashion.
It’s true. A cute article of clothing can brighten your day. You can feel more confident, more together, and just all around amazing.
And just because you are caring about how you look doesn’t mean you have to buy into the fashions of the day. You wear what you like. No matter what anyone else says.
I pretty much only shop at thrift stores and people love my finds. People might not like what you are wearing and call you crazy, but you know what? All people with great ideas are considered crazy at first.
It isn’t until afterwards that we recognize their genius and abilities.
Now the only thing to remember is to be careful when creating your own style that you still wear things appropiate to what you are taking part in.
Because you might find yourself in a situation that your clothes just don’t fit right.
So today was just full of bad luck. You know those days when everything just seems to go wrong?
So I’m in charge of the layout/design of the history journal and spent over twelve hours working on it. Now it would have been shorter but I had to deal with a prissy InDesign who if I didn’t do everything just right exited faster than a guy does when you bring up the word “feelings”.
Then instead of people actually trying to do work in the 24 hour lab, it was like hook-up central.
Hello!
There was this girl who would laugh like every five, freakin’ mins. because she was trying to catch the attention of some baseball player. It was in that moment I understood shows like Snapped, where you have the perfectly sane person go crazy, because I just wanted to do something to end the laughing.
That’s it! I will end you!
It made me wish I could be like Snape and hit people with books and not get in trouble for it.
Then of course it has to rain on the one day I don’t have any rain gear and on the day I didn’t park my bike under the awning but in the art dept.
Why? Why!
And I’m biking home, and it has a red light for, I kid you not, for like 10 mins. Just chillin’ (literally) in the rain waiting for the light to change. And as soon as I’m like “forget this I’ll run it” (I mean its 1:30 in the morning, no one’s out) a cop has to drive by, so I’m once again stuck out there waiting some more.
janeaustenrunsmylife 