So I've been pretty much AWOL here as of late. Eighteen credits, study abroad preparations, and illness have all taken their toll on me, and I've had basically the worst November of my life. Thanksgiving can't come soon enough. Right now I'm feeling very anxious because I haven't yet found an apartment in France, even though I've written email after email to landlords and building administrators. In fact, I have to go right back to flat-hunting as soon as I've finished this blog post. When you take into account the five exams I have to prepare for, the fifteen-page paper I have to write, and the packing I have to finish before I leave, it's safe to say that the worst of the stress is yet to come. Sigh.
In the meantime, I thought I would share with you some of the few things that are making me happy these days. First, the second trailer for The Hunger Games came out a week ago, and it looks amazing. I've watched it more times than I care to admit, and I'm not even a huge fan of The Hunger Games. However, I think most of my problems with the books were stylistic; Suzanne Collins has a background in television writing, which I think is very apparent in her prose. This can make for a sometimes clunky narrative, and considering Katniss is not the most accessible protagonist in literature, the books have their fair share of odd or cringeworthy moments. Having seen the trailer, though, I will cautiously say that most of my issues with the books will not be a problem for the film. Jennifer Lawrence is a fine actress, and she might help me warm up to Katniss a bit more, get me to understand her motivations. Josh Hutcherson looks to be in top form as Peeta, which makes me incredibly excited; Peeta is my favorite character, and while I never doubted Josh's abilities as an actor, I'm thrilled to see that he is almost exactly like the Peeta in my head. Rue, Prim, and Effie look just like they should. And Lenny Kravitz really does seem to be a spectacular choice for Cinna; it was an odd bit of casting at first, but having seen him in action, he conveys precisely that sense of calm and understanding I liked so much in the book. Here is the trailer, so you can see for yourself:
The Brave trailer was released last Wednesday. I'm not as impressed with this one as I was with the last, but I still am confident it will be a great movie. With a no-nonsense, butt-kicking, redheaded Scottish princess as its protagonist, how could it not be? The trailer is below; I am in constant awe of Merida's hair, especially considering how hard hair is to animate. Just look at those glorious ginger locks and try not to be amazed:
And as always, I'm incredibly thankful for my family and friends. My parents have been keeping me sane, and my friends have stopped me from getting too overwhelmed. Special shout-outs go to Pooja, who brought me food this weekend when I didn't feel up to leaving my room (horrendously bad cold at least), Sarah, who invited me home with her for Thanksgiving and continues to be a great prayer partner, Matt and Andi, who have proven to be excellent Avatar-watching companions, and Jackie, who is a steadfast Skyper and even better friend. Hopefully the next time I update, I'll be talking about the fun I had with all of them instead of the stress relief.
Well, back to looking for apartments and packing for the next few days.
