Mini Movie Reviews- Brave and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

It's been a quite a good weekend for movies. Not only did Brave come out, which I have been waiting for since the teaser trailer but so did Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter which looked pretty much epic. So I went to both over the weekend and wanted to share my thoughts on them.

I did the midnight premiere of Abe Lincoln. I’d seen both trailers but I still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The trailers made it look kind of serious but the premise was so silly that I wasn’t sure if this movie wanted you to take it serious or not.

Turns out that it did.

Don’t get me wrong, it knew it was a satire on historical fiction and would nod at its roots sometimes but for the most part, we as the audience were totally supposed to take Lincoln serious as he hunts down the creatures of the night. And it worked. Through some amazing choreographed fight scenes, great special affects and gorgeous settings, this dark historical incites excitement while mixing in Lincoln’s political roots. One second he’s a badass chopping off a vampire’s head and the next he is giving speeches about freeing slaves. It does have some rocky transitions as Lincoln grows older but for the most part it is a fast pace thriller with plenty of surprises and some seriously scary vamps.

Next up was Pixar’s latest Brave which I’ve been brimming with excitement over. Being as this is the first time Pixar has tackled a movie about a girl and it was set in Scotland, I knew from the second the teaser came out that I needed to see this one. I’d read some earlier reviews which praised the look of Brave but stated that it lacked heart.

Brave confirmed why I don’t ever listen to reviewers. This movie blew me away with its wild beauty, its free spirit and its touching and gorgeous storytelling. It has everything that we’ve come to love about Pixar movies but this time it has given someone for the girls to look up to.

The voice acting was spot on, the jokes were great and the animation and design was breathtaking. I thought the story of a girl and her mother trying to see eye to eye was a perfect route for them to go and the main character Merida was as wild, charming and lovable as every other Pixar character I’ve seen. My husband (who is trying to get in to computer animation) marveled at her hair which took three years to create and looked incredible. Brave had me laughing at the right parts and tearing up at the others as it weaves a magical tale about fate. This is a must-see for everyone and one I’ll definitely be re-visiting, probably in theaters!

Do you plan on seeing either of these movies?

Cover Alerts!

Several new covers have splashed onto the web that you should know about! Check out these beauties.

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45. 

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . . 

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow. 

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Destroy Me comes out October 2nd 2012 by HarperCollins.

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Reminiscent of the movie Sliding Doors, Pivot Point is about a girl who has the power to Search alternate futures. When faced with a life changing decision, she lives out six weeks of two different lives (in alternating chapters), both holding the potential for love and loss, and must ultimately choose which path she is willing to live through.

Pivot Point is out  February 12th 2013 by HarperTeen.

Altered by Jennifer Rush

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe? 

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities. 

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Altered is out January 2nd 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

PAPER VALENTINE, in which a girl haunted by the troubled ghost of her best friend finds herself sucked into a darkly mesmerizing string of murders, in which a serial killer who leaves a paper-heart 'valentine' on his victims' bodies draws ever closer.

Paper Valentine is out January 8th 2013 by Razorbill.

What do you think of these new covers? I'm so in love with Paper Valentine. I think it is gorgeous and just a little bit creepy like all of Yovanoff's work!

A Fairy Tale in Photos- Cinderella

I'm looking for something fun to do on Fridays and I figured that this might be something interesting. As you all can probably tell by the theme of this blog, I really love fairy tales. I've been looking through Deviantart and thought it might be fun to pick a fairy tale and showcase pictures I like from it.

This week, we are going from rags to riches with everyone's favorite abused girl, Cinderella. So strap on a pair of heels and get ready for the pumpkin carriage!

Malro-Doll

CanDaN

ElenaKalis

Blasteh

Julie-de-Waroquier

KayleighJune

BirdSophieBlack

krawuzi

mnmjen

irishelysia

Carol-Swirl

SKMayor

XnebulaX

SeparateFromTheHead

chelseydagger

margheritadolcevita 

NotBlackEnough

ClarissaSchwarz

Nitemare-Photography

Sho-Cosplay

petitpomme

So there are some of my favorites for Cinderella. I'm particularly fond of the little girl underwater and the closeup of the shoe with the horse and its rider in the background. 

Which are your favorites?

Several Awesome Movie Trailers and (finally) Some Mortal Instruments Casting News

So you know a little bool called The Mortal Instrument series? I thought I'd catch your attention. Well, you know how we've been waiting forever and a week for some movie news? We finally got some in the form of a new cast member.

French actress Jemima West has been cast as Isabelle Lightwood, the whip wielding bad girl with a tongue as sharp as a sword. I have to say, I think she looks good for the part. I'll be interested to see how she brings Isabelle's toughness to the screen.

From an article in Hypable, Cassandra Clare is quoted as saying:

She’s beautiful (like whoa) and really talented. You can see her as Vittoria on The Borgias right now. She had a lot of Izzy’s toughness and directness in her audition. I like her.

Cassandra Clare also says that Alec Lightwood has been cast and that "he is British and someone well known" but that won't be released until later.

So TMI fans, sound off! What do you think?

In other news, the movie trailers have been rolling out and there have been some fantastic movies on the rise. Check out a few of my favorites so far:

Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2

Obviously this one is going to be here. I've stuck with it this long so I'm not going to give up on it now. Want to know something else as well? I recently read an article that said that Lionsgate bought the rights to the Twilight franchise and some people are whispering a reboot in the near future (already). I'm really not sure how I feel about this...

Comes to theaters November 16, 2012.

Pitch Perfect

This looks like a funky take on Glee and I am so in love. Seriously, the chick that calls herself Fat Amy had me cracking up the entire time in this trailer. This is a must see for me. I'll be right outside the theater door 30 minutes earlier to check out this one. I love me some Anna Kendrick!

Comes to theaters October 5, 2012.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

I love Tim Burton so I know I'm going to like this film anyways. But the trailer looks so cool. It looks dark and action packed and everything I was hoping for.

Comes to theaters June 22, 2012.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Holy cow does this look amazing or what? It's got a stellar cast of young actors and actresses and it looks like it captures that feeling of youth. I am so stoked for this one!

Comes to theaters September 20, 2012.

Wreck It Ralph

This looks so cute! I love all the references to games I know and the idea of the villain not wanting to be bad anymore. I hope Ralph finds a place where he gets to be the hero. I'll definitely be tuning in for this one.

Comes to theaters November 2, 2012.

The Great Gatsby

This captures all the glitz and glam of the novel and spins it out of control. The stakes are high, the colors vivid, the acting amazing and I'm pretty certain it's going for to be epic. Can't wait!

Comes to theaters December 25, 2012.

There's my list of must see movies coming out in the near months. What do you think? See anything there that you have to see too?

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi Cover Reveal!

Today, the cover for Tahereh Mafi's second novel in the Shatter Me series was debuted. Take a look at the gorgeous cover for Unravel Me and marvel!

There is no synopsis yet but it's going to be a continuation of Shatter Me. I can't wait to find out what happens to Adam and Juliette.

I've got to say, I'm in love with this cover too. I've never been shy about not loving the first cover for Shatter Me because it just wasn't anything special in my book. This totally didn't match the awesomeness that was underneath. This cover seriously blows my mind. It's so simple yet is breathtaking. Check out the release of Shatter Me in paperback next to Unravel Me!

In case you are wondering, I love these so much that we can totally go steady. The first book is killer, the author is amazeballs and Unravel Me is something that you need.

We can all get our grubby little hands on a copy of Unravel Me on February 5th 2013 thanks to HarperCollins.

Do you guys love it like I do?

Waiting on Wednesday: Everbound, The Nightmare Affair and Taken

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where you can post about upcoming books you're looking forward to. This is a wonderful chance for blogger to show off what's coming out soon that they are excited about! Every week my wishlist balloons thanks to this awesome meme.

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Two months ago, the Tunnels of the underworld came for Nikki Beckett. That night, Nikki's boyfriend, Jack, made the ultimate sacrifice. All Nikki wants is to save Jack before it's too late. All Cole wants is to find his queen - and he thinks Nikki is the one. Both determined, both desperate, Nikki and Cole form a tense alliance, leading them on a dangerous journey to The Heart of The Everneath.

Everbound is out January 22nd 2013 by Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins.

Hello gorgeous cover! The last cover was awesome and this one just goes to show that lightening really can strike twice. I'm so in love with this cover and really loved the first novel Everneath. Can't wait to get my paws on this one!

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

16-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Dusty is a magical being who feeds on human dreams. 

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. The setting is Arkwell. 

And then it comes true.

Now the Dusty has to follow the clues--both within Eli’s dreams and out of them--to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

The Nightmare Affair is out  March 5th 2013 by Tor Teen.

What an awesome premise and I'm obsessed with this cover! Can't wait to find out what's really going on behind the doors of Arkwell Academy!

Taken by Erin Bowman

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends...and he’s gone. 

They call it the Heist. 

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Taken is out April 16th 2013 by HarperTeen.

I'm addicted to the fact that this one is about an older male protagonist. I can't wait to find out what the Heist is all about.

What are you waiting on?

Let's Chat About... Cosplay

I've always been the type of fan to become obsessive in my devotion. My fandom burns hot, strong and for a long time. As a result, I've always been into cosplay. My husband and I love dressing up as a favorite things during Halloween but we'd always said we'd like to go to some kind of convention. Well, this year we decided to actually make good on all this talk and have settled on Megacon as our destination.

Megacon is held in the middle of March in Orlando so it's only about 2 hours away. It's a three day event and we've been discussing how to go about getting our cosplay on. Since neither of us can sew, we've chosen three somewhat uncomplicated characters to go as. We're going to buy most items and alter them to make them right for our characters. I figure that since we can't make elaborate clothes, we can dazzle everyone with our accurateness! Over the last few days, I've been spending my down time combing the web for wigs, shirts, pants and a lot of advice so that we can get what we need. The characters we choose are:

Buffy and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer- He's not too excited about this one since he hasn't actually watched the show. However, my honey has the body type and hair to make a good Spike and both costumes shouldn't be too hard to make. I'm going to try to get him to watch a few Buffy episodes with Spike in them so he can understand why I love them so much!

How you can be Spike and Buffy to:

Spike- For Spike we are going to go with the classic red and black look (tight black shirt, red button down open, black pants and black belt with a silver buckle). It shouldn't be too difficult to find all of the things accept for the duster. Luckily, I've found something like it on Amazon.com. All we'll need to do is run it over a few times to make it look worn:

This is $50 and it looks almost exactly like Spike's duster.

Buffy- I've decided to do this comic book version of Buffy, I'm even going to print out the logo and put it on my shirt. I'm going to couple it with a black leather jacket and try to make Buffy's scythe too! This outfit should be realitively easy to make and inexpensive. I'm going to add her cross necklace that she wears on the show.

The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler (Doomsday episode) from Doctor Who- This one was a no brainer for us. We've been spending our time watching this show together for the past few weeks and neither of us can get enough. I love these two characters together so I'm excited to try to look like them. Plus, we get to buy a mini-Dalek and Sonic screwdriver which are bonus points!

 How you can be Rose and the Doctor too:

Tenth Doctor- My hubby decided on the brown suit. I've been searching for suits and things on Amazon and haven't found anything spot on. However, if you are willing to spend some money, you can buy the whole thing here for $262. This includes shirt, tie, suit and coat.

Rose- This is Rose's doomsday outfit. There are some quite extensive sources out there that have a lot of info on the clothes the companions wear in the show. So far I've found similar gloves on Etsy:

I also found a pretty awesome black leather jecket that I can tweak to look more like hers on Amazon.com:

Then all I need is a pink shirt that is curvy at the bottom and some black looser fitting pants. Plus a wig since I'm naturally a medium brunette.

Dr. Horrible and Penny from Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog- Another no brainer since we both love this one too. My hubby actually looks the most like this character so he is super excited. Plus, we are going to make a death ray which he is really in to.

How you can be Doctor Horrible and Penny too:

Doctor Horrible- His outfit has been pretty easy to find once I figured out that his coat style is called "howie". I found a good coat on Amazon.com and all we'll have to do is print out the logo on his pocket on iron-on paper to attach it:

Also on Amazon.com are a good pair of welder glasses that just need to be spray painted:

All we'll need is a good pair of gloves, khaki pants and rubber boots.

Penny- I've decided to do Penny when she dies so I can add a little interest to the outfit. I'm going to make a piece of metal coming out of my belly. I haven't found anything for her yet but I'll need a cardign, dress, belt, heels and a red wig.

As you can see, none of these costumes are super exciting for me. Without my hubby near me, I'll probably look like a girl with a stake, a girl with blonde hair and nifty arm warmers and a girl with a shard sticking through her stomach but I'm okay with that. They are all easy things to find.

Have you ever cosplayed before? I'm so in love with what people can do and I can't wait to be among the outfits myself in March! If you have cosplayed, what have you done before or what would you want to cosplay?