Summer of Covers

One band that I have been following a little this summer Our Last Night. I posted their cover of "Stay" earlier this month and have been listening to it shamelessly nonstop. They have been doing this Summer of Covers deal where they cover well-known pop songs and mix it with their own style. 

So, I have been pondering (yes pondering) about different covers that I have come through the past few years and they all have something in common, authenticity. To me, covers only sound admirable if the artist doing the cover sticks with their original style, otherwise it sounds fake. Many people try to sound like someone else, try to look like someone else, try to act like someone else yet there is only value in the authentic (the only point of Sarte's philosophy that made sense to me).

Without further adieu here are some of my favorite covers by some of my favorite artists

Our Last Night - Mirrors (Justin Timberlake)

Marina and the Diamonds - Boyfriend (Justin Bieber)

Birdy - Skinny Love (Bon Iver)

Yael Naim - Toxic (Britney Spears)

Ed Sheeran/Passenger - No Diggity/Thrift Shop (Blackstreet/Macklemore and Ryan Lewis)

I hope you enjoyed these nuggets. Personally I enjoy all of these covers much more than the originals. I  apologize for the plethora of links I have just been spending too much time thinking about covers in general, so this should ease my frontal lobe.

~~~

"I like the way you work it, no diggity."

Review: The Hobbit

Since I have been on so many planes this summer, I have managed to finish the book! This will prove to be a thoroughly nerdy post. Please prepare accordingly.

As a huge fan of the movie trilogy directed by Mr. Peter Jackson, I was psyched to here he was creating a film out of The Hobbit. Now many people believe that you should try and read books previous to seeing the movies, yet mi amigo pointed out something that made much more sense. People who read books before watching the movies tend to be disappointed at the short-comings of detail (which occurs naturally due to the difference in possible lengths for each) BUT if you see the movie first you will be impressed with the movie, THEN you read the book and you are even more impressed with the new knowledge of all the extra details (given that both are well made in the case of The Hobbit, yes, opinion, I know). 

I thought the movie was incredible. I heard complaints about the frames/second (I have little to no knowledge of what that entails) but I thought the picture looked solid. Also I heard complaints about the amount of singing in the movie. At first I enjoyed the singing a lot, then I read the book and saw that they are singing constantly in it and people were being ridiculous and just need to enjoy it (music will be posted below). 

This post is mainly to discuss the book though. I thought they did a wonderful job creating a film corresponding to the first third of the book. They did change quite a bit regarding major plot points. (This next section constitutes as spoilers, be warned). First of all, there is no such thing as the white orc in the book. Thorin's father and grandfather were not killed by this white orc, his father is actually imprisoned by the Necromancer. But I assume that this plot point in the movie will be used to create an epic and dramatic scene during the battle (which will probably be the entire last movie) between Thorin son of Thrain and Azog the white orc. Also Thorin is not nearly as broody in the books, he is much more light hearted and dwarvish than portrayed in the movies. I think this was smart direction to go in for the film because of the added plot points that give reason for Thorin to be so angsty. A second one being the rift between the wood elves and the dwarves of The Lonely Mountain. Apparently they created this idea from vague notes made in the encyclopedias. But there is no mention of any bad feels between Thorin and the wood elves (until mid book when they hold them prisoners for hanging out in Mirkwood). One more difference that I want to point out is the minutivity (made that one up..) of the Necromancer story line. As the beginnings of it appear in the first movie, it seems to hold a lot of weight in the plot. In the book, Gandalf merely mentions that he had a counsel with the White Wizards in the south and drove him more east so evils in the forest should subside. In the film, it is obvious that it will take up quite a few scenes and I predict that there will be quite the battle between Radagast and the Necromancer but we shall see.

The book was one of my favorite reads in a long time and my embarrassing emotional attachment to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy just made it all the more beautiful. I could go on and on but instead I will post a few videos that portray what I believe to be, the heart of the movie.

"The Pity of Bilbo"

dar8tb comments, "same music plays in LOTR when Frodo voices his regrets and gandalf says "so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." Its a quote about conquering evil with one simple act of courage. Here, it not only carries on that idea to the movie, but also that by sparing gollum, one act of courage, Bilbo saves Middle Earth by letting Gollum live, who stops Frodo from screwing up the mission on Mount Doom."

I am definitely going to be checking that out the next time I revisit the series. I also love the music that plays over because it reminds me of who Bilbo used to be, a comfortable hobbit that lives quietly in his hole. And it also reminds the audience that he isn't a cold killer, he is just a mere hobbit on a wild journey.

"Misty Mountains Orchestral Cover"

"Misty Mountains Cold" (original)

Just a brief note, the way they sang with the hint of the dwarvish accents was perfect. And I am pretty sure I teared up a little bit too much during this part of the movie. *sigh*

I could go on, but I shall stop now, expect reviews of the next movies and expect them to be quite lengthy, for this journey has just begun my friends.

~~~

"There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after." -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Summer Camp

So I have recently returned from a summer camp trip in Washington, WHICH WAS THE BEST. I got to see all of my friends from far away places, and a few from not so far away places. I got to hold so many babies (see picture below), which, happens to be one of my favorite things to do. I got to fellowship, pray, and sing with all my girls and everything about it was perfect.

Now I am home in California for a bit. I was very sad to leave Washington and all of my friends there but while I am home for this next month I am getting in as much beach and family as I can, while I can. Overall my trip just reminded me of how blessed I am to know such incredible people and to be able to call these people my greatest friends. Being able to hold little Kayla (above picture) and little Charlie (I'll have a picture up for her too) just reminded me of the preciousness of life. This sounds bland, but it was truly an amazing trip.

Also one of my friends posted this gem and I wanted to share

One thing that I learned at camp is that we all have so much to be happy about. And just because one, two, three things in your life suck doesn't outweigh the hundreds of things in your life that are good. From now on, I am making it a point to smile more, and to outwardly show my happiness. The sun keeps shining and so will I.

~~~

Review: Indie Game

I just watched this movie about an hour ago and feel the need already to write a review. This movie (documentary) was fascinating to me especially because both of my brothers and a few friends of theirs are programming a game together. The reason I loved this movie so much, is it shows that a very technical thing (programming) is a form of art and expression. Yes there is art in the game, but when combined with the story line and programming, is a masterpiece. 

The trailer:

Now this movie was created a few years back and now all of the games that were shown in the film all became very successful. The question I have, is it worth it? They say that creating games is their passion, yet it seems so stress filled and seems to slowly drive them mad. I can only assume that since I am no artist by my own standards, I don't really know what it is like to obsess over my work so perfectionally minded (yes that is a made up word but you get my point).

Also, it is amazing to me that these huge games are created by only a few people. Something so huge is created by two or three people working their tails off and going mad and in the end something really cool is created. I admire their hard work.

Nothing much else too say, just that I strongly recommend this movie and I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

~~~

Also I had In-N-Out today, I MISSED YOU SO MUCH CALIFORNIA.

Review: The Probable Future

In order to describe and review things in an orderly fashion, first comes a summary of the plot, then comes thoughts, and after is reflection.

This is a story about a long line of women known as the Sparrows. The line started with a young child that came out of the woods in the year 1682, she did not speak any definite language and had only three possessions with her, a bell, a star necklace, and a silver compass. She had long dark hair and beautiful pale skin. The town of Unity named her Rebecca Sparrow because the sparrows would flock around her when she went into the woods. One day, a man saw her walk over broken glass and not bat an eye despite her bleeding feet. Rumors began to circulate and soon all of the boys in the town began to shoot arrows at her for fun and were astonished because she did not let out any screams. It appeared as though Rebecca Sparrow could not feel pain. The washerwoman that had taken her in passed and she inherited the estate (not much of an estate just a shack, land, and the hourglass lake). She was accused to be a witch by a jealous woman (won't say why) and was dawned with garments with stones sewn in the hems and thrown into the lake. From then her line lived on through her daughter all the way to modern times to Jenny and her daughter Stella. 

All of the Sparrow women were born in March and, on their 13th birthday, received a gift based off of their temperament, the following is a list with each (this isn't a spoiler it says it pretty early in the novel).

Rebecca Sparrow could not feel physical pain

Sarah Sparrow did not need to sleep

Rosemary Sparrow could run very fast

Leonie Sparrow did not get burned by fire

Constance Sparrow could stay underwater without air

Sophie Sparrow could see through the dark

Hannah Sparrow could find anything that had been lost

Coral Sparrow could predict the weather

Elisabeth Sparrow could turn anything into a meal

Amelia Sparrow could ease childbirth with the touch of her hand

Elinor Sparrow could smell a lie

Jenny Sparrow could see what people dreamed

Stella Sparrow could see how someone would die

The story is mainly about the last three, when the youngest receives her gift she saw how a woman would be murdered and desperately asked her father to tell the police what would happen, which he did, he was just really drunk and not taken seriously. When the murder actually happens the police go strait to her father, Will Avery, and he is the primary suspect due to his knowledge of how the crime happened before it happened. And the story is about how Stella and her mom go back to their hometown and revisit their history while the story of the case is on in the background.

That is as much background and summary I can give. Now onto thoughts. Well, I thought it was one of the best books I have ever read. The character development is flawless, in the beginning I found myself hating almost every character but as the story progressed and as the people grew and matured I fell in love with each and every one of them. 

One thing to note that I wasn't expecting, was how little the actual plot mattered. It wasn't a chase to find the murderer or a stressful courtroom setting, it was just something that happened and caused the Sparrow women to revisit their past and renew broken bonds. This story focuses on very little things that seem to symbolize a lot. For example, the impossibility of a blue rose, the pain that lies in the depth of the hourglass lake where Rebecca Sparrow drowned so long ago. This is a story about love, family, and history and how we as individuals choose to define those aspects in our own lives. We can choose to ignore any one of the three but in its absence we are still defined. 

Drawing from here

For the reflection I wanted to discuss loss. Loss doesn't play a huge role in the novel but it is still there. When someone passes away or chooses not to be a part of your life anymore there is a grieving process. And the way the book describes this, for me, is as follows. When you lose someone, such a deep sadness follows, and this sadness arises when you think, feel, see, or hear anything that is beautiful. Because anything beautiful will remind us of something that was beautiful yet is no longer. And it is ok to be sad for awhile, but it is also ok to to take the sadness and choose to grow wiser, and choose to strengthen yourself, as the characters in the novel did. 

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, it is beautifully written and is a easy read as well (not too long). Even though it took me six months to finally finish (between the philosophy and psychology reading) it was still worth it. Now that it is summer I will be reading a lot more, my next journey shall be The Hobbit. It may take me awhile to read so please have no expectations of a review soon.

~~~

"Above the stone wall, there stood one of the wild peach trees, possibly descended from one that had been set adrift long ago in the shipwreck, so close to sore. Or perhaps this tree had grown from a love token, tossed aside when it was no longer needed. The air itself smelled of peaches, here and all over Unity; when the breeze came up, petals fell like snow. If a person didn't move, if she was completely still, the petals streaming over her, catching in the hem of her clothes, in the strands of her hair, white as snow, quiet as snow, silent and fleeting and drifting down from above to cover her and carry her home" 

--Alive Hoffman, The Probable Future (315-316).