The Legend of Tarzan dusts off Burrough's book and turns it into a summer blockbuster

This blog is where I write about writing.  When I was a little girl, I always knew I'd be an author.  I just didn't know what I was going to write about!  As it turns out, all of my books are non-fiction on a variety of topics.

Fiction writers have my utmost respect and admiration, because I think conjuring up new worlds that don't really exist is hard!  I'm especially impressed with timeless stories that see success for generations.

Tarzan is one of those books.  AGAIN it has been remade into a movie.  Here is my movie review of the newest interpretation of Edgar Rice Burrough's story:

Movie Title:     The Legend of Tarzan

  

Grade:   B

Rating:   PG-13, 109 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Director David Yates is most known for his work with the last four Harry Potter films.  This time he brings us a new take on Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan. 

One of Hollywood’s first silent films was the Tarzan story, shortly after the original book came out.  While the story is flawed, and many feel like there was no need for a remake, the lush, romantic images in this movie will make you feel like Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bocall could float down the river at any minute.

Did you ever see the 1984 movie “Greystoke”?  I loved it and highly recommend it.  This story...sort of....begins where that movie left off.

Uplifting theme: 

• “A normal man can do the impossible to save the woman he loves.  My husband is no normal man.” - Jane Clayton
• Honor, friendship, loyalty, revenge, respect.
• The value of human an animal life.

Things I liked:

• The musical score sounded very exotic and mysterious from the very beginning.
• Christoph Waltz is fantastic in anything.
• Alexander Skarsgard makes for a perfectly believable Tarzan.  I loved it when he greeted the lions he had known since they were cubs.  So sweet.  Great CGI moment!  As a 6'4" hunk of muscle and abs, Alexander convincingly plays a kind Tarzan who can easily kick butt when needed.
• Margot Robbie makes a lovely, spunky Jane Porter.  She's a British actress playing an American, while Alexander Skarsgard is an American playing a Brit.  
• Samuel Jackson.  Ha ha  He looks like he's having fun.  His character is actually based on a real person.
• Beautiful scenery and settings.
• Tarzan thinks those pincer ants taste like bacon.  Ha ha
• There is a lot of action and movement from start to finish. 
• There are some emotional moments akin to Bambi losing his mother.

Things I didn’t like:

• The movie jumps back and forth in time and could become confusing for some people.
• Sometimes the apes and animals looked real; other times the CGI looked too fake.
• There is a LOT of narration so that the audience can understand what’s going on.  The problem is that the movie almost talks down to the audience.  Show us; don't just tell us.
• Samuel L. Jackson’s existence in the movie is merely for comic relief.  He represents an American emissary, which doesn’t make a lot of sense in the story line.
•  You hear Tarzan's famous yell, but you never actually see Alexander Skarsgard do it.  You also hear him growl like lions and other animals, but again, it's a soundtrack behind him and you never see his face while he's making those sounds.

  Funny lines:

• “I’ve already been to Africa.  And it’s hot.” – John Clayton (Tarzan)
• “I never take the stairs.  I usually take the curtains.” – John Clayton
• “You DO know that the right side of your mustache is just a little bit lower than the left?” – Jane
• “How are we supposed to catch a train going 40 miles an hour?” – Samuel L. Jackson    “Gravity.” - Tarzan

Interesting lines:

• “He’s Tarzan.  You’re Jane.  He’ll come for you.” – Captain Rom (Christoph Waltz)
• “They say an elephant’s eye speaks the greatest language.  Who else can say so much without speaking a word?”  - Tarzan
• “These are what you came for?  What will you do for them? – Chief Mbonga (Djmon Hounsou)

“Whatever is necessary.” – Leon Ron (Christoph Waltz)

* No man ever started with less.” – Jane

• “Your husband’s wildness easily disturbs me more than I can easily express, whereas your spirit…” Captain Rom
• “That woman!”  - Captain Rom
• “What was that?” – Captain Rom’s assistant

“Tarzan, although it sounded different than I thought.  Better.” – Captain Rom

Tips for parents:   

• There is a LOT of violence.  Man vs. man.  Man vs. animal. 
• Some profanity, usually out of the mouth of Samuel L. Jackson.
• The issues of African slavery, mistreatment of the American Indians, and “blood diamonds” are addressed.
• There is a before and after sex scene, but the audience doesn’t see what happens in between.

The Book Thief illustrates courage beyond words

As an author, I simply HAD to see this movie!
Here is my review, as posted on my other blog:  MovieReviewMaven

Movie Title:  The Book Thief

Rating: PG-13, 2 hours 5 minutes

Grade: A-

In a Nutshell:  I had to drive past several theaters near my home to find one that carried this film…truly a hidden gem. The sobering, yet inspiring film is based on the international best-selling novel by Marcus Zusak, The Book Thief , which was on the New York Times bestseller list for 200 weeks.  It introduces a provincial German town and how it experiences the close-up pains of WWII, contrasting life and death, darkness and light, hope and a haunting humanity.  We rarely see WWII movies that illustrate the “other” side of the story: how German families were affected by the Nazis, the Jews who lived beside them in their neighborhoods, and the sacrifices that would be required of them all. 

Liesel is exposed to her first book, ironically “The Gravedigger’s Handbook”, and becomes fascinated with reading and words.  The power of words is illustrated beautifully in so many ways: Nazi propaganda posters on the town’s walls, name-calling by school bullies and Mama, Liesel’s storytelling in the bomb shelter, the eery words narrated by Death, etc.  The film is guided by popularDownton Abbey: The Complete Seasons 1, 2 & 3 (9 Discs) director Brian Percival.

Uplifting theme:  There were actually so many positive messages around every corner that I had a hard time writing them all down in the dark theater.  This movie should have your family discussing many ideas for a long time.  (See list below in the parent section.)

Things I liked: 

I’m an author of 17 books, so you KNOW I liked this movie!  There were so many things I enjoyed, such as the picturesque European streets, the visual contrasts between the stark white snow and the black shoes that crunched on it, the playful use of words and images, and the powerful acting. The lovely Sophie Nelisse (Liesel) was believable and adorable.  Geoffrey Rush (Hans) was a sweet foster papa you wanted to spend more time with, and Nico Liersch (Rudy) was a dear best friend who had the looks that Hitler would kill for…and did.  Roger Allam narrated the film as a character that is unclear until the end.  I loved the anticipation as I waited for his character to be revealed.

The talented Emily Watson (Rosa) played a stern German woman who Liesel describes as being a thunderstorm, but who Death knew had a big heart. I loved the image of her falling asleep with Papa’s accordion.  My German grandmother died when I was just a little girl, so I regret that I never got to know her well.  She seemed to me a typical austere German matriarch, but my father adored her and I knew there was more to her than I understood.  “Mama” in the movie was this kind of multi-layered woman.

Inspiring quotes:

* “A person is only as good as his word.”   - Papa

* “Better that we leave the pain behind, than ever forget the music.”  - Hans

* “I am haunted by humans.”   - Death

* “You’ll meet me soon enough.”  - Death

* “A mother never gives up on her child.” – Elsa

* “Memory is the scribe of the soul.”  (Aristotle) quoted by Max

Things I didn’t like:  The children don’t seem to age during the 5 year period.  I know that’s hard to do in a film, but still…I had my tissues ready and was prepared to cry, but I never did.   Perhaps it was all that German stoicism that prevented me from shedding a tear.

Funny line:

• Liesel asks “What’s an accountant?”  Papa answers “Something we will never need.”
• “He’s the dumbest kid in school, but he shaves.” – Rudy
• “It’s the best thing I ever threw up.”  -
• “Every mother loves her child, even Hitler’s” – Max
• “Words are life.” – Max

Things to look for:

• Wintered old vines growing all over the schoolhouse facade
• Be sure to read the subtitles for song the school children sing
• I’ve always fantasized about having a library like Elsa’s that is so large you need a ladder to reach the books on the top shelves, complete with cozy chairs, Tiffany lamps and a window to look out and see the world in a new way
• Liesel appropriately reads The Invisible Man to Max, the Jewish boy her family hides in their basement
• German Christmas tree with candles on it

Helpful German words to know as you watch the movie or read the book:

auf wiedersehen    -  goodbye

bahnhof                 -  train station

dreckiges               -  dirty 

Frau                       - Miss

Führer                    - leader

gesindel                 - vermin or lowlife

gut                          - good

guten morgen         -  good morning

herr                         - Mr

ja                             -  yes

Juden                      -  Jews

Nein                       -  no

saumensch              -  pig (used as an insult)

und                          -  and

Tips for parents:  While two of the stars are children, it’s not really a film that will hold the attention of young children.  Mature, older children may find it interesting, but the theme is dark and requires some understanding of the dangers of being a Jew in WWII Germany.  There are some scenes with dead bodies, although they are mostly pale, not covered in blood.  There is some violence, bullying, and profanity in German.

The movie presents great topics to discuss with pre-teen children and older ones, such as

• Should censorship of books be allowed or not?
• What do you consider to be “intellectual dirt?”
• If your eyes could speak, what would they say?
• Liesel was a book thief.  How was Hitler one as well?
• Which emotion is the most powerful: love, fear, or hope?
• What did you think when Max painted over the pages of the book Mein Kampf? 
• How did Liesel demonstrate courage beyond words?

I would love to hear what YOU thought about the book or film!

Writing With a Writer

                                                         www.trinaboice.com

                                                            
One of the things I love about writing books is that I get to meet other authors. I especially love getting to know creative fiction authors who think outside of the box. Many of my non-fiction books have become best-sellers, but writing engaging fiction seems way too hard to me.

A good author friend of mine, Steve Booth, has just started a new project that is really imaginative and engages readers in a new way. He's inviting readers to participate in a story as it unfolds online at: http://www.stevenmbooth.com/?page_id=201&cpage=1

Here is what he had to say on his latest blog post as he explains the project:
"Over the last several months, we have been working on a new way to present fantasy material on the web. Of course, there have been many excellent examples of storytelling – eBooks, multi-path stories, even full-blown, immersive role-paying games.

These all fall short, however, when it comes to one thing — engaging readers in the creative (and sometimes challenging) process of writing a story from scratch. What we thought would be very cool, interesting for all, and also instructive, is to actually create, under the watchful eye of an author, a short story, interactively, over a period of several weeks, and to let everyone have a chance to contribute and make suggestions about how it should go. In short — you get to do the fun stuff, and I have to do the work. We call it an ‘eStory’.

Each new iteration of the eStory will consist of two or more parallel story tracks, based on the suggestions and selections made by all those that wish to contribute. Thus, although I have a pretty good idea of where our tale will lead, it is in a very real sense ‘organic’ – how we get to our destination has not yet been determined.

SO… if you’re curious, if you’ve ever wondered how folks come up with these fantastical characters and worlds, please join us on our adventure. We’re calling it ‘The Legend of Talimar’. In addition, it will be possible for anyone to comment, critique, ask questions, and suggest alternative paths that might be interesting to follow.

After everyone has a chance to respond, we will create at least two, or perhaps more alternative paths for the story to take, like the waters in a stream parting around a rock. Later on, the two paths will rejoin the main plot of the story, but in the interim, new and interesting things will be revealed; things no one had suspected; things I never considered, perhaps!

After a number of installments (we're thinking like 10-12), we'll conclude the tale with a really cool climax and finale, and we'll provide some special secrets for those who also want to continue with the follow-on volume, Dark Talisman."

Go support my buddy and check out his fun project at:
http://www.stevenmbooth.com/?page_id=201&cpage=1