Great Gatsby Trailer - sparkle sparkle!

Baz Luhrmann's films usually appeal to me because I love theatricality, brightness, sparkle, visual spectacle, and intense over the top emotion. When I was younger, my friends and I would read our favourite books out loud, write movie scripts and then attempt to film them, partake in seances in my basement, and dream about fantasy worlds in which we frolicked beautifully like elves. Drama class was my favourite (or at least tied with English).

Nowadays, going to the theatre or a concert is a rare treat. My friends are writing essays for grad school rather than scripts, and the only acting I do is in class to entertain my cute little students (which is super fun, I must admit). So I rely on movies and TV shows to feed my appetite for sparkly creative things.

I never really understood why The Great Gatsby was considered to be such an amazing novel. It's not one of my favourites (sorry!). However, I am excited about this film version and how Baz Luhrmann will bring it to life. Carey Mulligan is one of my favourite actresses. And even if it turns out to be less than wonderful, I'm sure my eyes will have plenty to feast on - the costumes, the sets, the shininess, oh my!

The Secret World of Arrietty

One of my all time favourite books is The Borrowers by Mary Norton. I've read it many many times and just thinking about it now makes me feel tingly with excitement. 

I love fantasy and escaping into magical worlds that inspire imagination and make life super amazing and sparkly. I think the best fantasy novels are grounded in the real world so that they actually feel almost tangible...like they could almost be true.

The Borrowers is definitely that kind of fantasy novel. It features a world exactly like our own, except there are tiny people called Borrowers living in people's houses and "borrowing" small items like hair pins and toy cups. These little people call big people "human beans" and they never reveal their existence to them out of fear.

Arrietty lives under the floorboards with her parents. She is fourteen years old and enjoys writing in her diary. If I remember correctly, her bedroom is a matchbox and postage stamps are used as paintings. The book is full of little details about the Borrowers' lives under the floorboards and all the little knick knacks they've managed to acquire. 

Eventually, Arrietty's mother allows her to go Borrowing with her father. Arrietty's interaction with the big outside world is a thrill to read about. Ordinary things become fascinating and at times threatening. 

This book is a real gem and great for Anglophiles as it is British to the core. And an extra bonus is that it's several decades old so there's no silly technology. 

Now I want to read the book again, and of course watch this brand new movie version. Amy Poehler did the voice of Arrietty's mother! The film looks gorgeous and the trailer suggests that they really captured the magic and spirit of the novel.