Project Disney- Tarzan

 

Project Disney: The plan is to tackle all of the Disney films, re-reading the classic stories and tales that inspired many of them and to look at how the changes the filmmakers made, the new elements they introduced and the essential elements they kept. We will, of course, be talking about the films as movies as well, saying why we enjoy them and what some of our favorite moments are, but our focus will be on looking at them as adaptations. For the films that are not drawn from any one work we’ll be looking at some of the possible literary influences that we see in the stories. I am participating in Project Disney inspired by Picture Me Reading!

This week's Project Disney is Tarzan based off the book Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan was actually the first movie date my husband (at the time boyfriend) had many moons ago. How sweet!  Also.. Phil Collins does the music.. man he does some good Disney songs.  he should do the music for all the movies.  I haven't seen Tarzan in a long long time so I am so glad I took the time to watch. 

The film starts out with Tarzan's parents and Tarzan are on a ship that is in a terrible storm where they get marooned on an island. They build a hut in a tree and settle in.  Of course disaster strikes and Tarzan's parents are killed. At the same time the apes in the forest (Kala and Kerchak) are morning the loss of their new born which has been killed by a tiger (Sabor).  Kala hears the cries of a baby the hut and heads that way.  She finds the baby Tarzan and adopts him.  Kerchak of course is very unhappy and tells her no though she defies him and keeps the baby.  In the book the beginning of the story is much different.  John Clayton, a.k.a. Lord Greystoke and his wife Alice who is pregnant go to the Congo to investigate the illegal recruitment of natives.  On their way the crew of the ship has a mutiny and maroons them on and island in Africa.

While on the island Clayton makes them a house of sorts to protect them from the wild animals that are in the jungle. One night an ape (the apes in the book do not talk it's gorilla sounds but of course Disney had to make them speak for film purposes) attacks husband and wife which makes Alice lose her mind.  She does give birth a few months later but unfortunately is never actually back to her normal self.  Now... as for the apes they are a much different story.  They are much more wild then in the film.  Kerchak and all the apes sometimes go on these rampages if they are angry.  They hit everyone in site.  Kala and her baby were in his way when he was going on a rampage.   She tries to jump out of the way but drops her baby and it dies.

Kerchak then goes to the cabin he had seen and breaks in.  Clayton is of course not ready for the attack because he is mourning his wife.  Clayton is killed.  When Kerchek goes to kill the baby in the crib Kala grabs him and trades her dead baby for him.  Kala names the baby Tarzan meaning "pale one".

Next up Disney shows some fun adventures Tarzan gets into. He plays with the other apes and elephants. The jungle is much more dangerous in the book.  Tarzan has no weapons at first and has to use his hands for everything.  Eventually he does find a knife in his father's cabin and learns how to use it which helps him handle the wild animals of the jungle better.  In the movie Tarzan has a spear out of no where and uses it.   During the scene in the film where he kills Sabor he does do his trade mark yelling which he does several times in the book.  The sounds is so terrifying in the book it scares people and animals alike.

Gun shots are now heard in the film.  Tarzan goes to explore it and we find people!  Clayton and the Porters are now introduced.  Jane Porter is the lead lady.  I really love her in the film.  I think she is cute.  Jane is chased by a bunch of monkeys and Tarzan helps her get away from them.  There is a little scene where Jane starts teaching Tarzan her language.. it's kind of funny to hear Tarzan mimicking her English.  The apes meanwhile are looking for Tarzan and discover the human's camp.  Tarzan stay at the camp and learns to speak with Jane and the other humans. Jane tells Tarzan to take them to the apes whom the humans want to study.  Tarzan eventually does.  In the book no one is there to study gorillas. Tarzan actually meets humans because some local natives move into the area Tarzan and his ape family live.  An arrow actually kills Tarzan's mother and so Tarzan tracks down who sent the arrow. Tarzan enters their village and the natives think Tarzan is some evil spirit. Tarzan actually learns about the human race from his father's cabin where he spends a lot of time teaching himself how to read.

The Porters actually end up on the island because they are going on a treasure hunt.  Another mutiny happens so they end up on the same island as Tarzan. This part of the book was great to me.  Tarzan discovers one day that the cabin has been gone through and writes a sign on the door telling them not to touch his stuff. The Porters though never realize that Tarzan is the same man as the one they keep seeing because of Tarzan not speaking they think they are different people.

Tarzan in the film now wants to discover who is he really?  A man or ape?  In the film Kala takes Tarzan back to his father's cabin where he ponders life and then leaves the cabin in his fathers clothes. Tarzan at this point knows he wants to go with Jane to England.  In the book Tarzan rescues a sailor and nurses him back to life.  It is during this time that Tarzan discovers who he really is. The sailor arranges for Tarzan’s finger print to be matched with the baby’s print on Lord Greystoke’s diary, officially proving his lineage.  Tarzan now knows that he is not an ape though the Porters have by now already left for England.

In the movie little does Tarzan know that Clayton was scouting out the gorilla nest and was on their way to capture the gorillas.  Jane and her father have been captured also. A fight of course breaks out. Then Tarzan and Jane get to know each other.  She is going to head to England but changes her mind and stays in the jungle with her father and Tarzan. The book is far different and kind of upset me.  Jane and Tarzan get to know each other here and there.  It is a little bit of a case of instant love.  But still beautiful.  Tarzan is out rescuing that sailor I mentioned above but the other sailors presume everyone is dead.  Jane can't get them to wait any longer for Tarzan because everyone wants to head back.  Jane leaves Tarzan a note asking him to meet her in Baltimore (she is American not English).  So Tarzan makes his way there only to find out Jane doesn't like him as much outside the jungle. She accepts Clayton's proposal (he is a nice guy in the book) and so Tarzan is just left there!  That is the end of the book!

Really I like this movie and really enjoyed the book as well.  Be sure to check out my other Project Disney:

 Snow White
Cinderella
Peter Pan
Treasure Planet
Sleeping Beauty
The Great Mouse Detective 
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Princess and the Frog
Pinocchio 
Fantasia 
Beauty and the Beast
Lady and the Tramp
Alice in Wonderland
The Rescuers
The Rescuers Down Under
Tangled
Oliver and Company
Mulan
The Little Mermaid
Bambi
101 Dalmatians
Frozen
Fantasia 2000
The Jungle Book
The Emperor's New Groove
The Sword in the Stone
Aladdin
Atlantis
The Aristocats
The Lion King
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
Robin Hood
Hercules
Pocahontas
Dumbo
The Black Cauldron 
Mary Poppins
Lilo and Stitch 
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Make Mine Music
Fox and the Hound
Melody Time 

The Lego Movie-Video Game Review

 

The Lego Movie Video Game

As some of you may know who follow the blog that I love Lego video games.  They are really quite enjoyable.  There is running around.. collecting and building items.  I wasn't actually planning on playing this one because typically a game based off a movie just isn't any good.  They are usually rushed. So they graphics are bad.. the story line is bad. It turns out that my library started loaning out Xbox One and PS4 games and this is one of them.  So I said.. well why not.  I am so glad I took a chance on this game!

Turns out this game is just as fun as the other Lego games.  I was a little disappointed that the non-game scenes were straight out of the movie.  I mean STRAIGHT out of the movie.  I wanted those scenes to be a little more unique.  So I would usually just hit Y and skip those scenes since I've seen them before. What makes Lego games funny is that they reenact a scene from a movie in a funny way.  This one totally bypassed what makes Lego games great.  I liked the fact that you get to play as practically every single character from the movie.  You even get to dance to the song "Everything is Awesome" but pushing buttons (similar to the button pushing in Rock Band).

The game was a little glitchy too.  Which is another reason why games based off movies can be bad.  They are rushed out.  I hit one part where one of the characters I needed didn't appear.  I needed a character who could jump high and grab something and no matter what I did I couldn't get them to spawn.  It was annoying.  Eventually I googled it and found a way to get that character to appear by going to the character wheel and making them spawn that way.  It is so good there is that option because I was so far in the game there was no way I was going to start over. 

Overall it was a fun game.  It wasn't that unique from the movie though ... I would recommend if you haven't seen The Lego Movie don't play this game.  Or you are pretty much going to see the whole movie. I give this game 7 out of 10

Sunday Post

Let's chat about what's going on this week... on my blog.. on other blogs... on the internet... and just everywhere!    I link up my post to Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Reader.

This week was a good week. The weather is still warm. I am so glad most of my TV shows are back.  Sleepy Hollow, SHIELD, Big Bang Theory, just all the shows!!  In the summer I end up watching all kinds of crappy reality shows so I am glad these are back.  I have also been playing a video game called Destiny and been having a good time playing it.  I do have a lot of complaints about it too... but it's still fun. Review to come on the blog soon.

On the blog:
- I finally get back to the movies-  The Maze Runner- Movie Review
- I review a book that was so relaxing- Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
-I talk about Formatting old posts... worth the time?

Around the Blogospere:

-Five Places We Do Not Want to Work.. for all the geeks out there.
- For those of you using Blogger for your blog I know it can be tough to find tips and tricks for your blog. This blog always has Blogger tips.  Here is one to add color to your blogger comments (if you use that comment system).
-If you like Halloween there is a fun blogging event that happens every year that you might want to check out:


Internet:
 I like when there is a positive message comes from a funny video. This video is from the American Heart Association and features Ken Jeong. Watch it.. learn from it..

Books Books Books... Went to the library this week and checked out a few books. One being Top Secret Twenty One by Janet Evanovich. I have been looking forward to read this one for a while now!

Formatting old posts... worth the time?

Blogging is hard right?  We have to come up with book reviews, participate in memes, comment on comments on our blog, visit other blogs... none of this even includes the technical side of the blog.  Some of you may know I switched blog templates a couple months ago and have contemplated going through all posts and adjusting the formatting to match the new look.  Of course I have years of book reviews and memes and all sorts of posts that now no longer match the blog look.  So... I have been pondering whether or not to go back and fix these posts. I just feel like this could take forever.  Plus.. does anyone really notice??  I suppose possibly if someone happens to look at an old blog post they might notice that there is a difference.  The coloring will be different.. my rating system was even different.   Is it even worth going back???

I have created new meme pictures even.  I use them in my current posts... but these I will for sure not go back and fix.  I mean... who looks at old Waiting on Wednesday posts? I also highly doubt these show up in Google search, and if they do well... oops.  I have seen people go back and fix posts after switching from Blogger to Wordpress.  Though I think this is to line posts up with the new look rather then change the actual look of the post.   I just don't know if I want to spend the time doing this.

 

I have also seen a lot of talk about labels lately.  When I first started blogging way back when... I thought the labels helped SEO.  I just guess that the labels were what helped google find a post.  Then this past year I learned that SEO doesn't actually have anything to do with labels ( Nose Graze talks about labels/tags here which is where I have been learning a lot about it).  Seriously you guys.. I have a lot of labels.  A LOT! I have debated going through and deleting a bunch but I am sure it doesn't really matter if I don't have all these labels on the homepage.  I think the labels do help linkwithin find similar posts but that is about it. 

 

I guess the point of this post is that in the end we each need to just figure out whether or not we want to take the time to go back and fix it all.  It sure is a lot of work and I suppose I would rather work on newer posts and newer topics then go back and fix everything.  Though I will admit that the rating system not matching does bother me... just a little bit.  What about you guys??  Would you/have you gone back and fixed old posts???  

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt- Review

Title:  Going Vintage
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Pages: 320 pages
Publication Date: March 26th 2013 by Bloomsbury
Source: I won this book from Pink Polka Dot Books
Link: goodreads

When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List: 1. Run for pep club secretary 2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree 3. Sew a dress for Homecoming 4. Find a steady 5. Do something dangerous But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

I have been wanting to read this book for a really really long time. I actually won it last year from another book blogger but never made the time to sit down and read it. I recently had some family health issues and wanted to read something cute and comforting.  I remember first learning about this book.  A young girl who wants to go back to a simpler time... gets rid of technology and all the stuff we have to deal with today.  I thought "YES.. I want this too".  So I dove right on into the book.

Let's be honest here.. this is a simple book.  There isn't an elaborate story line.  It is just a simple story of a teen going through a break-up with a boy.  This girl then decides to try to do some things she found on her grandmother's list that she wrote in the 60s.  Mallory (the main character) wants to give up social media, cell phones, ext. Trust me I understand this.  When I was stressed recently I didn't want to look through facebook.  It can be fake.  No one posts on there what is really going on.. every one is all smiles.  Then on the other side.. I only see negative stuff on the pages I like.  Someone was shot and killed, there was a fire, war.  So I avoided facebook. 

What I really liked is that by the end of the book Mallory realizes that even though there was no technology or texting the same problems existed.  You can move yourself into a different time but the problems are still there.  You can't just think because there wasn't facebook that people still didn't have issues. There is a semi-love triangle in the book though it wasn't that bad.  For once I wasn't grossed out.  And there really wasn't that love triangle drama teens books usually have.

This is a cute fluff read...  so people will either like it because of that or loathe it because of that.  It was perfect for me at this time.  I was stressed and didn't want to read something deep. I sometimes want to go back to a time without technology.  One thing I would miss though is texting.  My mom, dad, sister and I text each other daily.  DAILY.  I love them for that.  I can talk about the most boring things with them.  But otherwise... sometimes I do need a break.  Check this book out if you just want something feel good.

The crystal ball says:

Sun is shinning!!!  Great day to go outside and read this book.

The Maze Runner- Movie Review

The Maze Runner Moive

 

I made it out to the Maze Runner movie this weekend.  We skipped the IMAX showing for it because I didn't really think this movie was IMAX worthy. I almost wasn't going to go and see this movie .. only because I didn't love The Maze Runner book.  A friend of mine really wanted to see it so I went ahead and attended.  It didn't disappoint. 

 

I really enjoyed the movie and perhaps that is because I went in with low expectations.  I had heard the movie was supposed to be released in February and got pushed back all the way till September.  If you have no idea what this is about.. basically some teens find themselves in a maze with no memory except their names.  They come up in a cage and then are left in the middle of a maze to fend for themselves.  Once a month the cage will come up with a new member and some supplies.  We follow a character Thomas as he enters the maze and what happens after that. 

What I enjoyed most about this film was seeing the maze come to life.  The CGI was really well done.  The excitement was there.. I felt like I was in the maze. I thought the movie was well paced unlike the book.  In the book we don't get any answers about what is going on till the end of the book and in the movie the answers are presented in a reasonable amount of time.   The one thing this film will probably remind people of is the large number of dystopian movies that have come out lately.  Hunger Games/Divergent.  

I will say I haven't read past the Maze Runner.  Though I was interested at the end of the book and this movie about what happens next.  I still may pick up the next book before the second film comes out (if it gets made).   I give this movie a B. 

Maze Runner Book Review

Sunday Post

Let's chat about what's going on this week... on my blog.. on other blogs... on the internet... and just everywhere!    I link up my post to Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Reader and Stacking the Shelves.


Back in action on blogging.  So this week I should get up a new Project Disney!!  Yeah.. I know you guys have been missing that feature right???  I have been working on my goodreads group.  Just when I think I have co-mods to take over some I realize I have to get some work done in the group still.  Sigh. But that is what Bloggiesta is for right?  Getting blog and book stuff done.   I got to see the Maze Runner this weekend so be on the lookout for the review on this movie Monday. 

It's time for pumpkins!  I can't wait to go to the store this week and buy some.  I did grow some in my garden this year but they didn't grow very large.  I got about 3 mini ones. My garden was actually not successful this summer but it was my first one and I still loved it!

I've been trying to get my Colorado Book Month off the ground.  It is tough to get book bloggers from a state involved.  I always have such a good time participating in the Utah Book Month so I am trying to get one going for Colorado.  I have only found a few bloggers though in the community.  Maybe there just aren't as many here as I think there are. My husband even created this fancy graphic design for me!

On the Blog:
-Top Ten Authors I need to Read
-Fall Bloggiesta

Around the blogospere:
-I love this feature by Where the Reader Comes to Write.  She finds items that she thinks a book character would own.  So fun!
-How to remove Linkwithin from the homepage.  This is seriously a great tip!!
-How make a book-blogger mad.  Um.. the Notebook Sisters come up with the best posts. 
-Where to put your books when you run out of room.. on the cat of course. 

Internet:  I love this video so much!


Books Books Books:

Well I put some new books on hold at the library.  Last week I took all the books I had on hold off hold.  I just felt overwhelmed and wanted to start over.  So I am back at getting like one book at a time rather then like 5 books at a time.  I did watch Austenland this week.  What a terrible movie!  I thought it was going to be cute and heartfelt instead it was goofy and just plan not that great.

Fall Bloggiesta

Happy Bloggiesta! I almost missed it this time around but here I am. I really didn't feel like I have alot to get done on the blog itself.  I had a new template done recently and have been contemplating on whether or not to go back and fix all the book reviews and posts to match the new blog design.  But honestly that is going to be a LOT of work.  I have been blogging for years so to go back and correct formatting just seems daunting to me.  Perhaps if I was a huge blog I might. 

Sooo..

- Participate in mini-challenges.  I usually learn a lot from these.
-Visit blogs participating.
-Back up Blog... I actually haven't done this for a while now.
-Read! One thing I am behind in is reading.  I mean.. this is a book blog afterall!
-Update Blog Roll

OK... so that is all for now.  I am hoping around to other blogs to see what they have on their lists to give me ideas to add to mine.  That always happens.  Good luck everyone! 

Top Ten Tuesday-Authors I need to read more from!

It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the wonderful blog at The Broke and the Bookish! This week's topic is Top Ten Authors I've only read one book from but need to read more.  There are quite a few authors I need to read more books from.   I recently too all the books I had on hold at the library off hold and have been trying to just start over with a clean slate.  It's been fun too. 
 

First up The Frog Princess by ED Baker.  I read this cute book for my Project Disney The Princess and the Frog. It is the first in a series and seriously it was a fun and wonderful book.  I would love to finish this series.

I loved the book Horns by Joe Hill.  I also love his graphic novel series Locke and Key.  So surprisingly I haven't read any of his other books yet.  I do own NOS4A2 but just haven't made the time to read it. 

I read A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and loved it so much.  Plus all I hear about is people talking about how much they love Ness' books.  I need to read another one!

 

My book club picked Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler and I enjoyed it so much.  Plus she is s a local author from my state.  I just never made the time to read another one of her books but would love to pick one up. 

 

Courtney Summer is another author I really enjoyed reading.  I read Cracked Up to Be and thought it was great.  I follow her on twitter and instagram and just enjoy her to much! 

Next up... I love a comfortable mystery.  I read Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen and loved it.  It was a few years ago and I never continued in the series.  I wish I had.  So fun and good.

 

I read Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradly.  I can't believe I have only read book 1 in this series.  It was really good.  I just never continued.  More books just fell in the way.  I noticed that I tend to put mysteries to the side.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter was a fun book by Seth Grahame-Green.  I never read any of his other books though which I bet are just as neat!!

Well... that's my list for now.  It just makes me realize so many books so little time.  What about you?? What's on your list?

Sunday Post

Let's chat about what's going on this week... on my blog.. on other blogs... on the internet... and just everywhere!    I link up my post to Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Reader and Stacking the Shelves.

Some of you may have noticed that real life took over.  So I didn't get much reading done or blogging done. I haven't been able to make it to the library but the good news about that is I am going to be able to read up on some of the books I already own.  I have really enjoyed visiting all the blogs I follow though.  It is a nice distraction.  I am looking for some feel good reads.  So I started reading Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt. It's a book I have owned for a long time but kept pushing back for reading since I had other books to read from the library.

On Instagram I sometimes see a hashtag #100happydays and have been curious about what this is.  So today I finally sat down and checked it out.  Looks kind of neat.  For 100 days you take one picture a day of something that made you happy.  I think this is a great positive thing to do.  Too often do I go through my facebook feed and only see negative or sad stories.  It is why sometimes I avoid watching the news in the evening.

Did you guys hear??  October 1st Gilmore Girls will be on Netflix!! YEAH!  For those who have never watched you probably should.  Rory (the lead character) loves to read books.  So much so that there is a group on goodreads that read all the books that she reads in the show. 

I love that Fall is here.  We actually had to turn on the heat yesterday and today.  But it is supposed to be in the 80s again this week.  Scarecrows are out in the yard too!  In fact, maybe that will be my first picture for #100happydays on instagram! How are you doing this week?

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix - Review

Title: Horrorstor
Author: Grady Hendrix
Pages: 240
Publication Date: September 2nd 2014 by Quirk Books
Source: ARC from Edelweiss
Link: Official Site, Goodreads

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Columbus, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring wardrobes, shattered Brooka glassware, and vandalized Liripip sofa beds clearly, someone or something is up to no good. To unravel the mystery, five young employees volunteer for a long dusk-till-dawn shift—and they encounter horrors that defy imagination. Along the way, author Grady Hendrix infuses sly social commentary on the nature of work in the new twenty-firstcentury economy. A traditional haunted house story in a contemporary setting (and full of current fears), Horrorstör comes conveniently packaged in the form of a retail catalog, complete with illustrations of ready-to-assemble furniture and other, more sinister accessories. We promise you’ve never seen anything quite like it!

This book! I love it. I knew when I read that this book was a horror story taking place in a store similar to IKEA I was in. I mean.. just look at that cover!

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril IX

Honestly... I love Fall... I love Halloween!!  I love it all!  I love the colors... so whenever R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril IX comes around I get super excited. This fall I am going to try a Pumpkin latte that everyone loves from Starbucks... I am going to go and pick pumpkins from a pumpkin patch since mine didn't grow like I thought they would.. I am going to take a hay ride and I am going to read and watch movies!! 

Here are the categories to choose from:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above. That is what embodies the stories, written and visual, that we celebrate with the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event.

RIP IX  runs September 1^st through October 31^st. 

It’s hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings .. so clever!  There are only two rules:

1. Have fun reading (and watching).
2. Share that fun with others.

There are several different options to chose from so be sure to visit their site to discover which one you would like to join up with.  This is what I have picked:

Peril the Third or, the One Book Only option:
We all want you to participate. This Peril involves imbibing just one R.I.P.ping read.

I need to read the last Sookie Stackhouse book so... this will be the time. 

 

Peril on the Screen:
This is for those of us that like to watch suitably scary, eerie, mysterious gothic fare during this time of year. It may be something on the small screen or large. It might be a television show, like Dark Shadows or Midsomer Murders, or your favorite film. If you are so inclined, please post links to any R.I.P.-related viewing you do on to the Review Site as well.

I need to finish Supernatural, and I am not sure what else I am going to add..  But this is the time to get started on catching up on some shows! 


Are you going to join up this year???