Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert

I have been discussing this novel with my fellow classmates all week. So I decided that I should share it with the rest of you as well. Eat, Pray, Love, was one of those inspirational novels that doesn’t come around as often as I would like.

This memoir chronicles the story of Elizabeth Gilbert’s marriage, divorce and her travels around the world, trying to find herself. She spends four months in Italy, eating and enjoying life (“Eat”). She spent three months in India, finding her spirituality (“Pray”). She ends the year in Bali, Indonesia, looking for “balance” of the two and found love (“Love”) in the form of a handsome and charming Brazilian factory owner. 

I absolutely loved this novel. I felt inspired myself! Not only to the cliché that you are the only one to makes your own happiness, and if you are unhappy you are the one to fix it. But how Elizabeth traveled the world, learning Italian and submerging herself into the Italian culture, living in an ashram in India, and sleeping in a wooden hut on the beach on the coast of Bali, and her accounts of her experiences, makes you want to follow in her footsteps. I went to Italy on my honeymoon, and I traveled to all the cities Gilbert herself had been, and I can see why she would want to stay there. It was absolutely breath-taking.

Usually I do not recommend seeing the movie, if there is a book instead. But to really capture the beauty of the landscapes and scenery that Elizabeth encounters on her journey, I would definitely suggest watching the movie–but not till after you’ve read this incredible tale.

Below are some of my favourite quotes from the book. I chose them because they represent a central theme in Eat, Pray, Love; this theme of chaos.

“Maybe my life hasn’t been so chaotic. It’s just the world that is and the only real trap is getting attached to any of it. Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation”.

Il dolce far niente. (Il bel far niente). Literally, “the sweet, or beautiful, (act of) doing nothing.”

The people Liz meets throughout her travels explain to her that the North American culture revolves around chaos, and that we do not know how to enjoy “doing nothing”. I learned in my travels in Europe (especially in Paris), people loved to sit alone or with friends and just do nothing. We took a boat cruise along the Seine River in Paris, and for miles and miles you see hundreds and people lining the river, with their blankets, picnic baskets, wine and baguettes, just enjoy life, and the beauty that is Paris. It looked so peaceful and I became jealous. I am always in a rush to get from one task to the next, never stopping to enjoy life. I read about life instead of experiencing–which I am not saying is a bad thing. I love to read, and travelling is quite expense, so I believe reading about others voyages inspires me and I learn from their experiences. But I am trying to teach myself to slow down, and take in all life has to offer, and to stop rushing through it. Before I know it, it will be all over.

I don’t want to give away too much, but I felt that this is a great read because it helps to show that there is so much more out there then we realize. I could go on and on.. But hopefully you will pick up this novel and find out all the wonders this book has in store for yourself. Enjoy!!

Movie vs Comic

After last nights post on The Walking Dead, I am loving the comic book theme, and I want to continue to run with it.

First off, The Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder. You’ve probably seen the movie, but have you read the graphic novel? I liked the movie, but I really enjoyed the comic. Every part of the movie is in the book, but there is also so much more (like always). You miss the background stories of the characters and most importantly the story of Edward Blake aka The Comedian. This information is vital to the plot line, and I don’t know how they could have cut it from the film (even though I heard that the DVD would have an extra hour worth of footage added).

Also, the most obvious changes deal with the things Snyder had to cut for time, at least some of which are going to be in the director’s cut. In particular, there’s the “Black Freighter” storyline, presented in Alan Moore’s Watchmen, as a comic-within-a-comic, a horror story being read by a young black kid hanging out at an old white dude’s newsstand. (The black kid and the old white dude are briefly seen at the end of the film, clutching each other as New York goes up in a flare of blue. The book includes a number of as-above-so-below scenes on the New York streets, where those characters and others—gang members, a local lesbian couple, a watch seller—play out their own minor dramas and in some cases, worry about the threat of nuclear war hanging over them, or otherwise react to the larger events of the comic. Don’t get me wrong the graphics in the film were awesome. But the graphics in the comic are close in comparison.

If you liked the movie than this is a must-read! I read the comic before the movie, and was a little disappointed (in the film) by all the missing components. So even if you weren’t completely thrilled with the movie do not let that deter you from experiencing the awesomeness that is THE WATCHMEN (the comic).

Another movie/comic book definitely worth checking out is Frank Miller’s Sin City!

In my opinion this is one of the best comic book/movie adaptation ever!! The movie was amazing!! I loved the cinematography throughout the entire film, and the acting was perfect! If you want to know how spot on the movie was to the comic you should pick it up! The comics are a work of art. I could not put them down, they were so enticing!

The film is primarily based on three of Miller’s works: The Hard Goodbye, about a man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time sweetheart’s killer; The Big Fat Kill, which focuses on a street war between a group of prostitutes and a group of mercenaries; and That Yellow Bastard, which follows an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a disfigured serial killer.

ATTENTION! Sin City 2 is in development and it said to be released in 2013!!!!

I hope this will inspire you to pick up one of these graphic novels! What do you have to lose!?! You can complete these comics within a couple hours, and I can guarantee that it will be worth your while to do so! Enjoy!!

Here is a comparison from each comic to film adaptation.

For more comparison shots go to SIN CITY Comic vs Film

Source: The A.V. Club & ComicBookMovie

Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen

I saw this movie recently, and I was absolutely blown away! Maybe it was because I had never heard a peep about it. So I had low expectations and no hype to skew my opinion before I had even stepped into the theatre, but I was enamoured  with the entire film.

If you are a book lover, which I believe you to be if you are reading my blog, then you will be fascinated by this story. I do not want to ruin a single aspect of this film for anyone. So let’s just say there are a lot of famous writers and painters that are displayed throughout the film, and the actors play their roles perfectly. I was in stitches every time a new character was introduced into the plot.

A little about the plot: Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) are engaged, and decide to tag along with Inez’s parents on their business trip to Paris. Gil is a little discouraged about his career change, and is feeling lost in his life choices at the present time. He believe that the era we live in is not exciting enough for him, and he would have preferred to live in the roaring 20’s. Back when Paris was the place to be. With all the legendary literary figures of our time, back in their prime. But after midnight in Paris, things become somewhat unimaginable.

I found this movie to be so unique, not just because of the plot line, but also because this is the first film I have watched and actually thought to myself that “this is a movie directed at a reader” more so than a movie-goer.

Trust me, after you have experienced this truly amazing film, you will want to watch it over again. I know I did!

Enjoy!!