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Finding Faeries

~ My continuing mission to explore … magic

Finding Faeries

Tag Archives: Narnia

Books vs. Movies

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by Kathleen Palm in Thoughts

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

acceptance, Book Thief, books, books to movies, fiction, Harry Potter, movies, Narnia, Stephen King, thoughts

“AH! They’re making one of my favorite books into a movie!” I know I’ve joyfully screamed that phrase numerous time, sometimes accompanied by wild flailing.

After the excitement comes the fear, the worry … favorite characters, worlds, story … will I love it? Will it be what I want it to be?

And we begin pacing, chewing on our fingernails. What if it fails to impress?

I have heard so many people complain …

The movie wasn’t like the book.

Scenes were missing …

The story wasn’t right …

It just didn’t do a good job.

What were those movie people thinking?

I too am guilty of movie judging. And I can tell you the exact moment when I quit.

After seeing the movie ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’, I exited the theater so upset at all the things they changed. All the mistakes ran wild through my mind. During the movie I grumbled, pulling on my HP nerd power to figure out exactly which scenes they cut, how they totally messed up the story … and how this movie (because of a new director) looked so different from the first two.

And then later that evening, I wanted to slap myself. I had just ruined my HP movie experience with all my nerdiness. I had just sucked away all the joy I could have had sitting in that theater with my popcorn. I love Harry and all his gang. I love Hogwarts. What had I done?

That’s when I vowed to never judge a movie by the book, to accept the movie for what it is … an adaptation. And I have found a new love for movies that differ from the books that inspired them. I enjoy having a different experience with each.

Overall, the Harry Potter movies and books give us the same feelings, the same bigger picture, but separately they give us a little something different. If the two experiences were exactly the same … what would be the point?

The Last Unicorn movie had been one of my childhood favorites. Seriously, I had it memorized. Magic do your will!

Same with The Neverending Story. Atreyu!

So when I discovered the books as an adult I was really excited. The Neverending Story was so much more than the movie, which gave us one slice of that book. I was thrilled to read the rest!
The Last Unicorn, however, was exactly the same. Exactly. Hmmm. I was disappointed.

What’s wrong with changing the end of a book for a movie to surprise us? Knowing exactly what will happen is boring.

I flat out refused to see The Golden Compass movie because of my love for that series. I knew they couldn’t put in that movie what those books held. I did years later watch it and I enjoyed it for what it was, but no … they didn’t capture the essence of that book.

I love The Lord of the Rings … both versions, both experiences.

Now, The Hobbit had me confused. They reached the halfway point of the book in the first movie. How would they get two more movies out of the second half? By adding all sorts of scenes, by golly! Fun scenes. Action-packed scenes!

Well, okay then.

I think the Narnia movies took that series to a new level of cool. The books are fabulous, but as they are written for kids are fairly simple. The movies impressed me.

Percy Jackson … the books, the movies, it’s all fun.

If you’ve never read The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brain Selznik … read it. It’s just … well, read it. The movie? Hugo. Just as fabulous with a bit of added humor.

The Shining … Stephen King’s horrific tale is one of my favorite horror books. Everyone knows Jack Nicholson as Mr. Torrence, but that movie, as scary as it is, tumbles far from the book’s path. Even Stephen King was slightly disappointed enough to create a mini-series for TV, which follows the book well and is GREAT! I finally found it on DVD! Eeek!

I have read The Book Thief a couple of times. All the love for that story! I gifted a copy to my mom! It’s SO fabulous. So I bought the movie … and haven’t gotten the chance to watch it yet. So stay tuned for me hopefully screaming in joy with that experience. *crosses fingers*

And with the release of the movie Divergent, we face it again. No, I haven’t seen it, but I did like the book! But I plan on watching without dwelling on the book version.

Anyway, let’s not fight, kids. Let’s embrace all the different forms of the stories we love. We can all live happily.

Unless, well … poor acting, script writing … you know. Overlooking that might be difficult.

Forget, for a moment, of our need for everything to be perfect. It can’t be. As we do in life for EVERYTHING … people, jobs, relationships, accept things for what they are. Like it or don’t, but if we let go of all our high expectations for it to fill this mold in our heads, sometimes we might just find contentment.

The Magic of Fiction

03 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by Kathleen Palm in Thoughts

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

adventure, books, Dr. Who, fiction, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, magic, magic of reading, movies, Narnia, stories, TV

Certain places call me, attract me, well, to be honest … I need them. And it’s not the ultra-cool, local bar. Heck, I’m not sure there is one around here.

There are people, who I long to visit, to follow on adventures, or just plain life. And they’re not my fabulous set of BFFs that live down the street. Yeah … friends? Funny. I’d have to talk to people.

No. I’m talking about fiction. And that might make me a sad hermit with social issues. OR it might make me awesome. Or a bit of both? I can handle that.

Books, movies, TV … stories take us places. That’s why we read and watch!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I workout. It’s an obsession. When I am on my rower or elliptical, there would be nothing sadder than me going nowhere on my machines staring into space. I would read, but I have a fear of falling off said machines and trying to turn the page would probably cause my death. And that would be bad … right?

Anyone? Well, someone would miss me. Probably the kids and hubs when there is no dinner or clean clothes.

Never mind … let’s get back on track.

So I watch movies and TV shows to entertain myself, possibly taking my mind off how tired I am or that I would love to collapse on the couch. Choosing movies to keep my brain occupied, while I burn off the tons of chocolate I ate the day before, is quite the process. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to watch and other times it’s more of a this-will-do scenario. But I have noticed trends, places I have to return to … characters and adventures I miss.

Hogwarts, Narnia, the Enterprise, Serenity (yes, I own the entire TV series on DVD), the Ingalls log house (another entire series I own on DVD), the TARDIS, the Millenium Falcon, Middle Earth, the Black Pearl, Camp Half Blood, and The Overlook Hotel. (A big THANKS to Mr. King for writing a sequel to that one!) TV, books, or movies, I go back to these worlds with a smile, knowing what I will find.

FABULOUSNESS!

I love them all, the magical worlds of fiction waiting to take me on journeys.

The end of the journey causes problems. When the Hogwarts Express arrives to take everyone home for the summer, my heart breaks. When the end credits role, I hum to the music, letting all my joy at the world I was allowed to visit sink into my soul. After flipping the last page and closing the cover, my finger traces the title. My mind lingers on all the emotion at saying good-bye to my friends. How many times have I called out to Kings Peter and Edmund, to Queens Susan and Lucy NOT TO GO IN THERE … THAT WILL TAKE YOU AWAY FROM NARNIA! But they never listen. When they tumble out of the wardrobe, I sigh. It can’t be over.

Can the TARDIS come back now? Doctor?

Beam me up Scotty, I want to explore strange new worlds.

Cap’n Mal? I’d love to help you rob that train.

Frodo, let me carry the Ring. Or better yet, I’ll go slay orcs with Legolas and Aragorn.

The Overlook can’t have exploded. I like it there. It’s creepy. Well, except for those hedge animals … they can burn. *shudder*

I don’t want to leave! *bangs on wardrobe doors* For Narnia!

I’m left wondering when I can return.

And there’s the magic. Not an if … but, when. All my favorite characters, the adventure and fantastical places wait for me on shiny discs, in words written forever in black and white, waiting for my imagination to bring them to life.

Recently I journeyed through the wardrobe to free Narnia, went back through the tunnel to meet Prince Caspian, and traveled through the picture to voyage on the Dawn Treader. At the end of each adventure, I sniffed back a few tears.

Now, after facing Voldemort and saving the Sorcerer’s Stone, after slaying the basilisk, I am ready to face the dementors with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. After watching Harry grow up and save the world, I’ll soon grab those books from their spots on my shelf, so pay attention to my ‘currently reading’ status on Goodreads. How can I stay away?

I CAN’T! Don’t make me.

We never have to leave. It’s hard when the story ends, but we carry pieces of the stories we love with us forever. All my favorite characters make me better, allowing me to view the world differently. The best tales change us, open our eyes. And lucky us, we can go back whenever we want.

Just like magic.

Where do you love to go? Who can’t you wait to visit again and again? I’m getting on the Hogwarts Express … wanna come?

Let the Journey Begin

10 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by Kathleen Palm in Thoughts

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

books, DrWho, fantasy, HarryPotter, life, magic, movies, Narnia, writing

My first blog post …

Wait for it … *chews fingernails* *closes eyes*

Hold, please …

*opens eyes* *blinks in astonishment*

Huh.

Well, the world didn’t implode, explode, or any other kind of ‘plode. I thought for sure, my venture into the world of blogging would end us all.

Welcome to my little world, which I have named Finding Faeries, because I do believe in faeries … I do, I do. I am on constant alert for magic. As cliche as it sounds, magic is everywhere. So, you, lucky readers, my new best friends, can share my strange view of the world.

Oh, come back! There might be cupcakes after the meeting …

My life as a stay-at-home mom consists of my husband and two kids (who need to driven everywhere and signed up for all the things), cats, grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, cleaning, reading, and writing. I know, sounds truly exciting, I sense you perching on the edge of your seat. And what is so magical about this terribly normal life?

You’d be surprised.

It’s all about perspective. Look on the bright side, everything happens for a reason, stay positive, it’ll all be okay … yes, I’m one of THOSE people. My husband would like to strangle me on occasion, but the fact that he hasn’t speaks volumes. Deep down, we all want to see the light, the good … no matter how dim and dark life can seem and, believe me, I visit that place every once in a while. So step back into the light, don’t give up the search for the fantastic.

I shall embark on this new writing journey, a road covered in shadow. With my light of believing, I will follow and discover where it leads. What can you expect to find here, in my universe?

Well, my inspiration comes from everywhere. Strange, but completely normal events spark an idea, a thought … kinda like magic.

My life: Husband, kids, cats, chores … it can be tedious and frustrating, but only if I let it. Mostly, I find the daily grind hilarious. I’d even go as far as to say magical.

Stories: For me, books and movies hold power, transporting me anywhere and everywhere, giving hope or just a fun ride, possibly changing what we think or believe forever. Magic (sensing my theme?).

My imagination: The magic of creativity is endless. I write, edit, tiptoeing out into the world of hoping-to-be-published (also known as the world of getting-rejected). The way this process has changed me, made me who I have become, as well as boggling my mind, and I look forward to sharing the heart aches and soaring joy.

So I invite you to come with me in my search for faeries. I promise to be completely myself and won’t apologize for the odd, stray thoughts that so often roll around in my brain. Warning – my mind will take the occasional stroll into the dark and scary shadows (I do love Stephen King). I love fantasy, magic, paranormal, and horror. I promise to share any fabulous books and movies I find, for not doing so would be mean. I am a Trekkie, Whovian, Harry Potter nerd, Browncoat, and am becoming a Sleepy head. I am not ashamed to refer to Little House on the Prairie, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or anything Narnia related. So if you like all or some of these, can I get a Woo Hoo?

So this is me.

Hi.

Nice to meet you. Thank goodness for computers and the Internet so I can remain on my couch and avoid being social.

Imagine …

The TARDIS has materialized before you …

Scotty offers to beam you up …

The wardrobe door opens …

Your ticket for the Hogwarts Express arrives …

As the conductor for my favorite train says, “Well … You comin’?”

Sharing my search for magic in everything.

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Kathleen Palm, Author

Kathleen Palm, Author

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