FEBRUARY BRUSH SET

Brush Set #003, February 2011 photoshop CS4+

Based off urban city streets, this set of brushes is much more blocky than the last two. 3 to 4 large masking brushes are included and all cityscape outlines and above 900 px resolution.


BLOG IN 140: INTERNET

Internet was down all weekend. Posting will commence soon. Rewatch: Devil's Whore. OMG

SPRING! REWATCH

Pride and Prejudice 1995
We are going to forget that its snowing/sleeting outside, dear reader. We are. I'm valiantly trying, I can assure you. We are going to forget that we still have a week in February. We are going to fail to remember that spring isn't official until March 20th. That groundhog in Pennsylvania said spring was going to be early, and we are going to listen to him.

With that in mind, I did something this last weekend I've been waiting to do for a good three months (and will most likely do again since it did snow today). I rewatched Pride and Prejudice. You know, the eight hour one...that one with Colin Firth...that one that was my first introduction to costume drama. And its kicked off a firestorm of rewatching for me.

I'm not sure why, but spring is where my traditions are. I wait with breathless anticipation to spring clean, to wear flip flops too early, to smell air that isn't crip with cold. In other words, it isn't spring unless I've spring cleaned every nook and cranny of my room, reorganized my books, and watched the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice. And once that music starts, I'm lost in that Austen world all over again for its full duration.

Part of me unwaveringly believes I watch it every spring, because it was spring the first time I watched the mini-series (over two weeks, the hour before school, on A&E Classroom), the other part tells me it is due to Pride and Prejudice's spring setting and the beautiful film making of this BBC classic. Either way, my system and my pysche couldn't take it anymore, and this last weekend was my unofficial beginning of spring.

And with the unofficial beginning of spring comes my rewatching bonanza. It will start with Pride and Prejudice and quickly spiral into rewatching every mini-series I own, including two version of Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, and two more Pride and Prejudices. But this blog post is not about my envitable BBC binging, this blog post is simply that, for me, despite the snow, it now feels like spring and my favorite spring tradition is underway: the rewatch. Yay!

KEEP ME CURRENT 2.20.11

Nookies, 13 free President's Day books for your favorite e-reader

Borders files Chapter 11, says all stores will stay open

The JE keeps on coming: Interview with Film's New Byronic Hero, Sally Hawkins on serveral films, including JE

New Thor Trailer Hits I said I would love this movie when it was a rumor, and I still haven't changed my mind.

We're going to Grandma's House in 3D Dear Lord.

The Jane Austen Gazetteer Quite fabulous really. I adore the P&P one.

JANE EYRE CLIP 3

Mr. Fassbender, we must stop meeting like this. Soon all your fans will have seen their favorite parts and might not make it to the movie theatre. I think this scene redeems the acting quite a bit. I'm holding off total judgement until I see the full movie. Because I see something in this scene that I want to grasp a hold of. I'm hoping (and what I'm willing in my dreams), is that Fassbender is approaching the whole role with a different motive other than broody, dejected loner. While the proposal scene was poor, they generally tend to be in adaptations. The 2006 versions with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens was gravy, dear reader: they don't make scenes like that often. And most of it was due to Ruth's fearlessness with the role.

MOOD BOARD #2

By the time Gran sent me upstairs to change, the flower shop was only a mix-match of empty vases and she was fiddling with a bunch of half wilted peony. With a slight caress of her caring hands, they would be brought back to their original beauty. That was her gift, to give dying things a renewed energy to live. She never liked anyone to watch her though, especially me.

It would take her all night to refill the store and start the orders for the week. She never asked for my help, it wasn’t her way. I collected the money, made the runs to the bank, and helped refill the store front if there were flowers in the back arranging room during the day. This unsaid agreement suited me just fine. I never questioned why I couldn’t help, or why I was never allowed to go through the port door to the alley garden. It was a secret and I respected secrets.

Excerpt from Wickeds (working title) Chapter 1
Image: Photographer Unknown

JANE EYRE CLIP 2

I don't know...I'm starting to worry...

EXCLUSIVE CLIP: JANE EYRE

I don't know how I feel about this. I want to love it, I really do, but out of context I don't think the scene has the same power it could.

NEW JANE EYRE 2011 PHOTOS

Are you as excited as I am dear reader?!

Clicking on the photo above takes you to the fycd archive tagged with "Jane Eyre".  All photos are high resolution. 

KEEP ME CURRENT 2.6.11

There isn't much on the news front. Some interesting production developments though.

Upstairs/Downstairs will are April 10-24 on PBS

South Riding will air May 1-15 on PBS (info all the way at bottom)

First a new Peter Pan remake and now this: Elijah Wood, Donald Sutherland cast in new Treasure Island

Exclusive new photos of The Three Musketeers I don't think they're THAT exclusive or new...

19thNovels.com A new on-line novel site. Though there aren't that many novels yet, it is the cleanest and easiest online stop I've ever seen. Normally, book sites are messy and I worry that I'm missing large pieces. This is a nice change from all of that. 2nd only to Project G.

FIRST LOOK: NEVERLAND

I might agree with much of what SyFy produces...and changes it's name to, but I love their fratured fairytales. Tinman was amazing and their remake of Alice in Wonderland was great. I have a feeling the new Neverland will be just as entertaining.

DOWTON ABBEY, TWO DAYS LATER

Now that Dowton Abbey SEASON ONE (can you tell I'm glad it is returning?!) is over, and there have been a few days to properly process all the amazing acting, film-making, and writing I think I can, without ranting or fangirling or much extreme favoritism, say that it was brilliant and one of the best BBC dramas I have seen in a long time. In hopes of making this review short, concise, and useful: I am going to give you my top five reasons to watch Dowton Abbey as soon as possible.

5. The wonderfully shocking twists and turns
I do not want to give away any spoilers for these shockers (although, I’ll point you in this direction if you want to know). Needless to say there are surprising relationships, deaths, and even maybe a birth and secret or two that came out of nowhere for this viewer. Some are things you see coming and just want your suspicions confirmed, others are a blindside. Every one, though, was an open-mouth “what just happened?” moment, and I love those moments. Love them. Dowton Abbey absolutely has enough twists and turns to keep you more than interested for hours.

4. Reflection of the time
There is something so refreshing about the strongly female cast and their actions and motivations. While the men have control of Downton upstairs and down, the women challenge constantly their constraints: Sybil is openly in favor of women’s rights, the Dowager Countess openly willing to challenge the entailment, and Mrs. Isobel Crawley's position as a knowledgeable nurse highlights the intellect of the early 20th century woman. As a reflection of pre-WWI female sentiment, Dowton Abbey left a smile on this view’s face. Likewise, as a reflection of the pre-WWI period, it is simply lovely.

3. The character relationships

I dare you to watch Dowton Abbey and not fall in love with John Bates (Brendan Coyle) and Anna Smith (Joanne Froggatt); or shake your head every time naïve Daisy (Sophie McShera) brushes off poor William (Thomas Howes); or not start to wish Mary and Matthew (Dan Stevens) would just get together already. The complexity of Dowton Abbey lies not in its story, or setting, but in its moving character growth and relationships. Every character – and I am not exaggerating – has a moment where you will hate them, and then in sheer wonderment, not two minutes later, you will fall in love with them and then root for their success. This includes the relationships the Crawleys have with their servants: the loyalty Sir. Robert shows to his cook, for instance, is simply wonderful.

2. The acting, OMG the acting
I will be the first to say I don’t like Mary or Edith. I think they are mean, petty, and just down-right arrogant, but that does not mean that Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael cannot act. The acting is brilliant. I will be greatly disappointed if Dowton is not recognized at the Emmy’s in the mini-series category. Other than Elizabeth McGovern (Cora Crawley), who I did think was lacking, the rest of the cast pulled out impossibly beautiful performances. I sat for hours marveling at subtle, graceful acting from the entire cast.

1. Brendan Coyle & Hugh Bonneville
I know, I know, loving a mini-series for one or two people, telling you to watch for one or two people, seems ludicrous, but my dears it’s true. Since playing Mr. Bennett in Lost In Austen, Hugh Bonneville has become one of favorite actor-father figures and he does not disappoint in Dowtown Abbey. With every movement, every word, you feel the insurmountable pressure Sir. Robert is under, and his true desire to be the best caretaker of Dowton Abbey. Bonneville brings a tenderness, an almost tangible feeling of fragileness, to Sir Robert while also being the backbone of the male characters.

His match is Brendan Coyle. Now dear reader, I am of course bias to Mr. Coyle. He will forever be Nicholas Higgins of North and South, and I, upon seeing him on screen as John Bates, made up mind that no matter what, I was going to like this production simply for his casting. Coyle has this captivating quality. You cannot help, but desperately fall in love with him and then you want so badly for John and Anna to get together. His command of the screen draws you to him every time, no matter who he is acting opposite. And it is easy to love how he plays John Bates, because John Bates is such a likable character. Needless to say, I cannot wait for season two.

Feel like watching a few minutes? Or want to rewatch? PBS is streaming online
See the cast! I promise you, once you see the star power, you’ll be intrigued.
Watch both chats with Huge Bonneville and Dan Stevens
Dowton Abbey PBS homepage

MOOD BOARD #1



“Stop Rodger.”

I froze, rigid this time. My heart stopped and beat twice as fast when it started again. One skinny waffle I could stall, but two Wickeds? I was surprised I was not dead already. Or at least tied up and tossed next to a garbage can, just another leftover piece of trash. The new voice was deep; thunder from the Harrows was not deeper. It caressed my already raw nerves like sandpaper with its sharp intonation of command.

Rodger hesitated, looking back quickly, as though even he did not know we were not alone. My eyes shot back and forth between the two. I certainly had surprise on my side for Rodger, but the new voice was more sinister and sounded like it belonged to a much bigger man. He had stopped the other’s advance. I might have had a martyr complex with skinny before, but I was not stupid – this deeper voice would kill me if it wanted to.
The crowd roared only a street away, firework brusting above us. “Go. Now.” The voice bellowed. It was a warning, but it felt like a command. Somehow, I was still stubbornly stupid enough to want to challenge his authority. No one – other than Gran – told me what to do. Commands were the currency of the Wicked. I loathed them. With the light from the crowd closer, I saw the shadowed features of the larger man raise. I could feel the pain begin eating at the back of my eyes again.

He was saving me; he was giving me a way out, and I was going to stay put stupidly? Nope. Not even close. I did not think about the crowd, I did not look back – I could not – I just started running and I kept running. If there were screams coming from the scene of death behind me, I heard none. I heard nothing. I didn’t take the train home; I just followed the road away from the city till everything turned black as pitch.

Excerpt from Wickeds (working title) Chapter 1
Image: Photographer Unknown