Life of Pi: Totally Tiny Teaser Trailer

I really hate for two posts in a row to be just links to YouTube videos, but seeing this super tiny teaser trailer for Life of Pi made me so excited that I had to post something.

Life of Pi the movie (directed by Ang Lee) is based of Life of Pi the book, one of the most stirring, emotionally daring, and thoughtfully melancholic pieces of literature that has been written. Ever. In terms of amazing, pseudo-biographies, I'm even putting it above the highly praised Matt Damon: An Unauthorized Biography (yeah, I went there).

Published in 2001 and written by Yann Martel, Life of Pi tells the story of Pi, a well-meaning boy tossed into the sea with a rag-tag bunch of zoo animals as his only companions. Where nothing is as simple or as dangerous as it once appears, Martel crafts a compelling world from the simplest and silliest of constructs. And it's devastatingly sad. Haunting, even.

I'm interested to see what Ang Lee does with the material. He's great at underplaying moments and creating tension through silence. So, as of right now, color me thrilled.

Life of Pi opens in November 2012

Maurice Sendak Dies at 83

(Photo Credit)

My three favorite authors as a child were Shel Silverstein, Bill Peet, and Maurice Sendak. Bill Peet showed me whimsy and silliness, Shel Silverstein showed me true love and dark comedy. Maurice Sendak showed me longing and heart. Though many of his books shaped my childhood education, it’s no surprise that my favorite Sendak book was Where the Wild Things Are, a tale that was about growing up and accepting responsibility as well as

Harry Plotter: Book 5

Ron and Hermione just don't understand.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out in 2003, three years after The Goblet of Fire. The book follows Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they enter into their 5th year at Hogwarts, encountering a lot more than Skiving Snackboxes. With Voldemort’s arrival at the end of his 4th year hushed by the Ministry of Magic and The Daily Prophet, Harry is once again a student at odds with the world. He is treated the same (if not worse) than he was in his second year when people assumed he was the Heir of Slytherin. In this ridiculously long book, Harry and his cohorts wage battles against the forces of evil, be they at Hogwarts (the delightfully wicked Dolores Umbridge) or elsewhere (the unhinged Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and Voldy himself). A lot happens in this book, including the formation of Dumbledore’s Army, a battle at the Ministry, bloody detentions, fifth year exams, and the death of a major character, yet the whole thing feels overly long, stuffed with awkward moments. In particular, Harry being possessed by Voldemort is often likened to puberty, a comparison that no one wants to hear. (Spoilers Ahead)

The seven years at Hogwarts, when viewed together, have a reflexive quality. Each

Harry Plotter: Book 4

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published mid-year 2000, and I remember it being the first Harry Potter novel that I absolutely needed to have when it came out. I was still reeling from the tour de force that was the third book, and I had heard rumors that a character was going to die. Now it seems silly to anticipate a character death, because Rowling ended up playing fast and loose with the murder card as the series continued. Still, it was a big deal at the time. I'm not sure what I was anticipating, exactly, but I know that this would be a different book, a more mature book, a book that I wouldn't be embarrassed to carry around school.

Sh*t gets REAL

And, well, things really do get going in this book, which represents the beginning of the dark years for young Harry Potter. We get a lot in these pages: the Pensieve, the Triwizard Tournament, Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, Alastor ‘Mad Eye’ Moody, the return of Voldemort, etcetera. It’s one of the more densely packed novels in the series. While books 5 and 7 tend to luxuriate in teen angst and desperation, respectively, everything in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire moves by at a relatively fast clip, barely pausing to mention the blossoming [blerg] love stories of Ron/Hermione and Harry/Cho Chang.  So, what are some of the more important or interesting moments? Let’s see… (Spoilers Ahead)

In this book we get very quick mentions of characters that become imminently more

Harry Plotter: Book 3

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published on July 8^th, 1999.  The book is decidedly less childish, and acts as a sort of transition between the wonderment-heavy first installments and the darker, more death-filled final four books. So, how does the book stack up to its predecessors, and how well does it act as the final layer of foundation for the series? Let’s look, shall we? Spoilers Ahead, obvs

(Click to Enlarge Photos)

People should be more worried about Marge. There's a Sirius Black loose.

The book follows Harry as he embarks on his third year of schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He gets off to a shaky start when he accidentally engorges his aunt (which causes her to float away) and flees the Dursleys. However, he’s forgiven for this

Harry Plotter: Book 2

As always, Spoilers Ahead (the book came out 12-13 years ago, so, really, come on!).

"Ack! My wand broke! What a convenient and hilarious plot point!"

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was published in 1998 (1999 in the United States) and follows Harry Potter and his angst-ridden band of miscreants as they embark on their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The plot of the book revolves around The Heir of Slytherin, the final descendent of Salazar Slytherin. This heir opens the mythical “Chamber of Secrets” and unleashes a terrible evil on Hogwarts to rid the school of impure wizards, or wizards with non-magical parents.  The suspects are many, including

Harry Plotter: Movie 1

When Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone hit movie theaters around the world, audiences were expecting a lot. Four of the books had already been released, and the series was only gaining in popularity. Stakes were high, which is why it's such a disappointment how much of a turd this film turned out to be.

Please, Chris Columbus, don't kill the franchise! It's just a baby!

Harry Plotter: Book 1

As I wrote previously, I will be going through the Harry Potter series one book and movie at a time. First up: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’s Stone, but I’m going to go with the American translation for continuity).  My quest in this is to better understand the books and their relations to the film, as well as exploring the omissions of certain facts and events in the films, both good and bad. Spoilers ahead.

The boy who lived and whatnot

Harry Plotter

In the months leading up to the release of the last Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," we here at Tableau Your Mind will be going through the series one book and movie at a time.  Hopefully, we will be able to provide readers with a quick look back over the series, including important things the film left out, ridiculous things the films put in, dropped characters we were sad to see go and characters we were glad to be rid of.  First up in the series: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" the book (American version).  Look for a review in a few weeks when it suits us.