I have been awful about updating this month

There's really no excuse for it, other than the fact that my computer did kind of die. Okay, not kind of. It completely died. And I had to pull a Dr. Frankenstein to get it up and running again. I'm not the most computer literate person on the planet. I have a habit of breaking computers. Often. DVD players, too. I'm not really sure why, but if I get a month out of them, that's pretty lucky.

And aside from the computer issues, I started watching seven hours of Boys Over Flowers a night. First of all, if you know me at all, you'll know that I don't even have the attention span to watch a two hour movie. I watch the same movies repeatedly because I can't stay focused long enough to watch one I haven't already seen. So for me to be able to watch this show for seven hours a night...That means I'm really emotionally invested in it.

I watched one episode of Ouran High School Host Club on Netflix (Operation Haruhi and Hikaru's First Date) because I didn't feel like putting the DVD in. And then Netflix decided to recommend Boys Over Flowers to me, so I thought, okay. I'll give this a try. Whenever I get tired of American TV shows/movies, I tend to move onto media from other countries.

Boys Over Flowers...I believe was a Japanese manga? I could be wrong. And then it was made into a Korean TV show. The show is about a girl who gets a scholarship to an elite school for the rich and fights (and eventually befriends/falls in love) with the school's most influential student, who happens to be a bully. It's 25 episodes, I'm on episode 15 so I don't know how it ends. But it's really cute. And I'm so invested in the romantic triangle. It's not even a triangle at this point, now it's become a square. All the characters are so likable that I can't choose sides. I hate getting like this over a show, but I definitely do like the love story.

You can see why I'm MIA, right?

There's also the fact that this blog still isn't set up the way that I want it and people are still going to Melo instead. Which is not what I want people to do because Melo is unreliable. I'll get back on track as soon as I finish the last ten episodes of this show.

It is not about dragons

So...It's not a good month to be a Silent Hill fan?

I usually try to put some effort into my posts, but I'm watching the season (series?) finale of Alcatraz and I love Sam Neill, so there just isn't time. Especially since my computer has a mind of its own and doesn't want to work correctly.

This news is a few days old, but Amazon has stopped selling the Silent Hill HD Collection (it's under review) and the other Silent Hill game that was supposed to be released tomorrow has been delayed indefinitely, with no real explanation why. What happened? This month should have been great for the series, especially since Silent Hill Downpour was such a great game. How did it go downhill?

I own the HD Collection, but I was so busy playing Downpour that I only found time to play ten minutes each of Silent Hill 2 and 3. From what I saw, it wasn't that bad. I've read about framerate issues...I did see some slowdown, but nothing worse than what I experienced in, oh, I don't know...Dark Souls. And people weren't outraged by that, they kept on playing it anyway. There are complaints about the textures and how everything looks "too clean." Admittedly, it does. But that itself wouldn't be enough for me to disown the game all together. And of course, there are the new voice actors. People have complained about them since the collection was first announced. I don't think they're that bad. I really like Troy Baker as James. I also liked Guy Cihi. And I think Laura Bailey (I'm assuming it's Laura Bailey) is a major improvement as Angela.

So imagine my surprise when I found out that fans were so upset with this collection that they actually got Amazon to stop selling it. Again, I only played it for ten minutes, so I really don't know the extent of the issues. But based on what I played, this was a huge shock. I'm still in a bit of a state of disbelief. How could Konami release the game if it had so many problems? Didn't they test it first?

I'm going to say something, and I swear it's not me being a Silent Hill fangirl because I would be the first person to point out any flaws in the game if I played through it and noticed them. Part of me does believe that the HD Collection has some issues. Many games do this gen, game developers have gotten lazy. But I have to wonder if maybe fans of the older games are exaggerating just how terrible the HD Collection is because of how angry they are about the new voice actors. They've had it out for this collection since it was first announced that the old voices wouldn't be in the games. I'm skeptical about their motives.

For Amazon to stop selling the game, I would think it would have to be so bad that it's completely unplayable. From what I've seen, however brief it was, that is not the case. I'm going to try to make time to play through more of the games so I can see for myself if it gets worse. If it is as awful as everyone has made it out to be, I'm really disappointed that Konami would take two games that fans of Silent Hill love so much and not handle them properly.

Wicked

I went to see Wicked last night. And before I say anything else, I have to mention that I hate The Wizard of Oz. Absolutely hate it. I love old movies, but that one has always bored me and every time I tell someone that, they treat me like I'm a leper.

The Gershwin Theatre...Is huge. It's the biggest theatre I've ever been in. I thought the Majestic was big (for a Broadway show), but it can't even begin to compare. Then, when we got to our seats and I saw the set, I was amazed. It has to be the most elaborate set on Broadway. It was really incredible to see. I couldn't even fit it all into the picture I took.

 

The show itself was mostly good. The actors have beautiful voices and I was happy to see Richard H. Blake in something again (I saw him in Legally Blonde: The Musical three times.) The dialogue was funny, I laughed a lot. And the lights were mesmerizing. I don't know where my obsession with lights comes from, but I couldn't take my eyes off them last night, I have never seen anything like that before. And I really love some of the songs, I had already heard them a few years ago after an episode of Ugly Betty where they went to see Wicked. I immediately downloaded the soundtrack.

 

All of that being said, there were some parts of the show that were not interesting and I found my mind wandering more than once. "I could be at the Majestic seeing Phantom of the Opera right now." I actually thought that at one point. Honestly, I think a lot of my problem was that, while this wasn't The Wizard of Oz, it still revolved around those characters, made multiple references to lines from the movie and even touched on its plot. Wicked is supposed to be what "really" happened. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had never seen The Wizard of Oz. I just couldn't separate them last night and that took away from my overall enjoyment of it. But it IS a good show, there were a lot of great things about it. The problem lies with me, not Wicked. And despite my issues with The Wizard of Oz, I still love live theatre and everything that goes into it, and those actors are amazingly talented.

 

Oh, and if you ever want to scare your kids, Wicked will do it.

 

After it was over, we went out to eat and then back to my cousin's apartment. We went up to the roof and my obsession with lights took over again.

 

As a sidenote, some genius decided it would be a good idea to drive into the city instead of taking the train. I think that is the dumbest idea ever. Why would anyone drive in the city? But as if that decision wasn't bad enough, they then decided instead of driving to the theatre, we would take two taxis. It's scary enough trying to cross the street when a taxi is around. I've seen how they drive, they're crazy. But as terrifying as that is, it's even worse being in the car with them. I never, ever take a taxi anywhere. If I'm in the city, I walk. Because that's what you do in the city, you walk. In most cases, it's faster. After last night, I will never get into another taxi as long as I live. The driver almost hit a truck four times because he kept trying to cut it off. I thought we were all going to die. I'm not being overdramatic either, it really was that bad.

Silent Hill Downpour Review

This post does not contain ANY story spoilers.

 

In Silent Hill Downpour, you play as Murphy Pendleton, an inmate being transferred to another prison when his bus crashes, leaving him stranded and looking for a way to escape the nightmarish hell he finds himself in. Murphy's crime is a mystery at first, you learn more of his background as you progress through the game.

 

Downpour is not really linear. You're free to wander around and explore, doing sidequests along the way to your overall goal. I only did a few sidequests on my first playthrough because I was too terrified to spend time doing anything unless I absolutely had to. As for the areas that you are required to visit, I explored everything thoroughly, watching the lights flicker on and off, listening to doors slam shut behind me as the tension built and I felt my heart begin to race. Every second I spent examining the environment made me feel more unsafe than the previous. I knew it would only be a matter of time before an enemy would attack and all I could do was wonder when it would happen and what would trigger it. That is exactly the feeling I am looking for in a survival horror game and Downpour nailed it. I think if I were Murphy, I would sit in a corner and sob. I could never get through something like this.

 

I crawled through most of the game. You would think, since it's so scary, that I would run through the rooms just so I could escape. No, I was always afraid to smack into something or that something would jump out at me. I also had to psych myself up whenever I would open a door because I was so afraid to find out what was behind them.

 

There's more to a game than its scare factor though, right? So let's see how well Silent Hill Downpour does overall.

 

What you should know before playing:

 

*The main focus (as far as dealing with enemies goes) is melee or fleeing. You will rarely ever have a gun with you. Don't worry though, there are plenty of melee weapons at your disposal, ranging from fire axes and crowbars to chairs and knives.

 

*Rain plays a very important part in Downpour's gameplay. If there's a monsoon outside, you should probably seek shelter until things calm down.

 

*If you get stuck, listen to what Murphy is saying. He'll sometimes give you clues as to what you should be doing.

 

*Amazon offered a pistol and a baseball bat as a pre-order bonus for Downpour. This was not an exclusive bonus, anyone can use it on the lockers you find in the game. For anyone looking for the codes, here they are.

 

Normally, this would be the point where I would point out everything I loved about the game (I like to give the good news first because it's almost always proceeded by very, very bad news), but I think I'll start with the issues the game had first, followed by what I loved and then some tips to help you get through Silent Hill.

 

What I didn't like:

 

I'm starting with the negative aspects first because, honestly, there aren't many. And the things that I do consider to be negative are so minor they're almost not worth mentioning. I feel like I had to really look for things to complain about with Silent Hill Downpour just so it wouldn't seem like I'm supporting the game based on its name alone. If it wasn't great, I would admit it. In fact, I had built it up in my head so much that I had expected to be completely let down. That was not the case at all.

 

First up, the one issue that really does need to be discussed. Slowdown. It gets a bit better later on in the game (or maybe I just got used to it), but around the area where you encounter your first enemy, it's awful. Based on that one part, I really thought the game would be unplayable. Hopefully a patch will be released soon.

 

Silent Hill Downpour doesn't have save points, it autosaves for you. My major concern here was that I would end up running out of first aid kits or ammo (as it turns out, I didn't even use a gun until the last 20% of the game) and I wouldn't be able to reload an earlier save. When I'm playing a survival horror game, I always make multiple saves just in case I screw the game up so badly that I can no longer continue playing it. Autosave prevents that. I also thought it saved at the wrong points. There's one particularly difficult section towards the end of the game that I got through only to have to hit a button prompt that I missed. The game didn't save before the button prompt and I had to do the difficult section over again. But it had no problem  saving when I would open doors that were already unlocked and led to a hallway where absolutely nothing happens.

 

Murphy will get stuck on invisible edges. If you've played Fatal Frame, you know exactly what I'm talking about, it happened with Miku all the time. Murphy also stopped running sometimes, even while I was holding R1 down. Whenever that would happen, I would have to stop moving him all together before I could get him to run again. There are certain points in this game where not being able to run is likely to get you killed, so I found this to be particularly frustrating. (It was not an issue with my controller, it happened with both of them.)

Will you try to help him or provoke him?

One of the major aspects in this game was supposed to be your ability to make choices, whether they're "good" or "bad." You're only asked to make three throughout the entire game, so I felt like this wasn't nearly as important as it was made out to be, although it does have a significant impact on which ending you get. I just expected it to come into play more than it did.

 

What I did like:

 

Murphy is like Nathan Drake, he keeps a journal and he can climb rock walls. I like the idea of him keeping a journal because all of the files and maps you collect are stored there. They found a new way to actually incorporate the files into the game, rather than just having them in the menu for you to read whenever you want. It's a really minor detail, but I'm a big fan of minor details so it's important to me.

 

Without spoiling the story, at a certain point, you will be able to hear music from some of the older Silent Hill games. It's a nice throwback and I was happy they were included, especially since Akira Yamaoka did not work on Downpour. I wish he had. That being said, the new soundtrack is different from the others, but it still does its job. The game was incredibly creepy thanks to the soundtrack, sound effects and the overall atmosphere.

 

If you look in the pause menu, you'll notice you can check your statistics. This allows you to see the exact percentage your health is at and how much of the game you have completed. I like having a real number to look at, rather than trying to gauge how much health I have left based on the color of the avatar in the menu. This is much more precise.

 

Downpour has a really strong story. It's the first game in the series to bring me to tears. Murphy is an interesting main character and it's easy to empathize with him.

 

The sidequests, while I did not complete many of them, are a nice addition because it extends the length of the game. It gives you more to do and now that I know what to expect, I won't be such a coward next time and I'll complete more of them. One of the few I did complete was the movie theater sidequest and I definitely recommend doing that one. It was very well done.

 

Tips and tricks for survival:

 

*Your health will always regenerate to 40% and if you die, it is fully restored. If your game saves and your health is low, it's probably worth taking a few hits and dying so that you can come back with full health. Try to be smart when fighting, run around a bit until your health is back up to 40%, then go back to the enemy. It will help you save your first aid kits.

 

*I took refuge (in what I assume was a subway) when it started downpouring. My game saved and I decided to take a break from playing. When I turned it back on, it was no longer raining outside. I tried this again later on, and the rain stopped again. I'm not sure if it automatically stops raining when you enter a new area or if quitting the game magically changes the weather, but either way, if you're looking to dry off, this will help.

 

*You can reload your game after the credits to get multiple endings. You cannot get every ending this way, but I was able to get three. Keep this in mind in case you get the "fake" ending I got the first time. You will not be happy with that one, reload your game and get a real ending.

 

Verdict:

 

Silent Hill Downpour is a proper survival horror game. You're not expected to fight every enemy you come across (in fact, you're rewarded for not doing so). The puzzles require you to think. This isn't like Resident Evil 4 where all you're expected to do is find two halves of a plate and insert them into a door. Your hand isn't held throughout the game, but you're still given enough direction so that it never becomes frustrating. I appreciate the extra challenge, I like being forced to think things through. Downpour expects you to be smart and really study your surroundings. The atmosphere is exactly what you would expect from a Silent Hill game, and this ranks right at the top of my list, along with Silent Hill 2, 3 and Shattered Memories. Vatra did a really nice job creating a terrifying atmosphere and I hope that Konami allows them to work on the next Silent Hill game, too.

You're going about this the wrong way

About a year ago, E.L.F. had a sale and I ordered a ton of products from them. I would say I probably ordered about a good...33% of the makeup on their website. And ever since then, I've been getting e-mail from them about "special offers." Every. Week. It's not just once a week. They send me reminders. Like this.

Final notice!!!

Oh, no. E.L.F., do you have any idea what this reminds me of? I'll tell you. But it's not pretty.

There was an episode of Tabatha's Salon Takeover where Tabatha went to Touch of Elegance and the owner of the salon, Debbie, would constantly send out coupons with discount offers to potential clients. They said things like, "I'm confused." As in, why aren't you taking me up on this offer? That's what E.L.F.'s "Final notice!" reminds me of.

Constantly bombarding people with coupons and discount offers gives off the impression that you're desperate. You are willing to do anything to get people to spend money on whatever it is you're selling.

Admittedly, I get a lot of e-mails from MAC about free shipping and Sephora is always sending me e-mails regarding their Beauty Insider program (but I'm a V.I.B., so I understand that). However, they don't ask me multiple times a week to spend $25 on their products and then offer me six free lip products in return. It screams, "PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!"

I don't want to give them my money. E.L.F.'s makeup is very affordable, so you can buy a lot with $25. But I already own so many things from them. I don't need more. I don't even use most of what I have. (E.L.F. is very hit or miss. There's a huge post about everything I bought from them and what I would/would not recommend.)

Take a note from Tabatha, E.L.F. E-shred your coupons and stop flooding your customers' inboxes.

Have you ever thought about what you would do during a zombie apocalypse?

Of course you have.

I know what you're supposed to do when Z-Day arrives, I read the Zombie Survival Guide. Grab a crowbar, hop on a bike (because it requires no fuel and it's quiet) and find the nearest two story house, where you'll proceed to chop down the staircase and hope that you have enough supplies to keep you going until help arrives. It sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

If there is anything that The Walking Dead has taught me, it's that I'm overconfident and naive.

The zombies are easy enough to deal with, assuming you don't run into a large group of them. They're slow. You can outrun them. I'm pretty sure I would never have to worry about a zombie killing me.

The other people are the real trouble. Because when a society crumbles and things become that chaotic, all bets are off. Anything goes. People can do whatever they want without facing the consequences of their actions. People who have been nice and law-abiding all their lives will be overcome by the stress of the end of civilization as they know it, and they'll do things they never would have done otherwise.

I have no doubt in my mind that another person would eventually kill me. I know, who would kill someone with such a sunny, wonderful disposition? (Are you laughing along with me?)

I don't believe in the death penalty. Eye for an eye...Aren't we taught as children that two wrongs don't make a right? How is it okay to kill someone because they killed someone else? Aren't we trying to teach people that murder is wrong? That's a very hypocritical way to go about proving it, don't you think? What right do we have to take another person's life? No more right than they do.

This is the mentality I have. And it's exactly why I would never survive, in a zombie apocalypse or otherwise.

Last week's episode of The Walking Dead dealt with this subject. I felt like I was watching 12 Angry Men, with Dale starring as Juror #8. (Chris Hardwick even mentioned this on Talking Dead. I felt validated by the man who used to host Singled Out.) He immediately became my favorite character because he was the only one who didn't want to kill Randall. He's the only person who seems to have retained his humanity through this ordeal. And I agreed with every word he said, regardless of how dangerous it may or may not be to let someone like Randall live. 

 "He could be an asset. Give him a chance to prove himself.
 "So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt? If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead, there is no civilization.
 "You're talking about this like it's already decided. This is a young man's life! And it is worth more than a five minute conversation. Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with them? You saved him. And now look at us. He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?
 "Not speaking out, or killing him yourself. There's no difference.
 "You once said that we don't kill the living. Don't you see, if we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead. And this new world is ugly, it's harsh. It's survival of the fittest. And that's a world I don't want to live in. And I don't believe that any of you do. I can't. Please. Let's just do what's right.
 "Isn't there anybody else that's going to stand with me?
 "Are you all gonna watch, too? No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a party to it.
 "This group is broken."

This is probably debatable, but I'm going to say Dale was the voice of reason.

I could never sit back and watch another person be killed. Even if I didn't have to watch, just knowing it was happening would make me sick. That's not something I would ever be able to erase from my memory. I don't think it's something I would be able to live with.

So when the apocalypse comes, you're probably better off not having me with you. I'd just slow you down anyway because you KNOW I would be bringing all three of my cats along, too.

Will it be lack of marketing or the fans who cause this game to fail?

It didn't take me very long to become optimistic about Silent Hill Downpour. Just a matter of a few days. I went from not caring about it at all to having it be the only thing I can think about. I want this game to do well. That's what I keep thinking.

 

The problem is, Konami isn't really marketing it. When I was watching The Walking Dead on Sunday, I saw the commercial for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. That's being released this month, too. And while Silent Hill and Resident Evil have always been two very separate series, they did attract the same group of people. In a month of big releases, Downpour really could have used some promotion to begin with. But now, to go up against Resident Evil, which is its direct competition...That's worrisome.

 

Let's be honest though. Even if Konami did market Downpour, it would still have another obstacle to overcome. The fans.

 

We are killing this series, little by little. The reason Silent Hill 4 isn't being released in the HD Collection is because the fans openly despise that game and Konami didn't think we would want it. They hear what you're saying and they take it into consideration. Why do you think the past several games have all been created by different developers? Why do you think they included the option for the original voices in the HD Collection? They are trying to please everyone.

 

Earlier today, I made a post on Tumblr questioning the hatred for Silent Hill 4. I was told the reason people don't like it is because it's not a "real" Silent Hill game. I'm aware that SH4 was meant to be something else entirely, but putting that aside, let's think about this. Silent Hill 2 is generally regarded as the best game (storywise) in the series. It has no ties to the first game. It doesn't reference the original story, it has all new characters. Is that a real Silent Hill game? If so, why is Silent Hill 4 any different?

 

I'm not trying to be antagonistic, mind you. I have a genuine concern for what we, the fans of this amazing series, are doing. We're undermining something that we love so much.

 

I'll be the first to admit, I'm guilty of it. I had my mind made up about Silent Hill Homecoming before I even played it. There was no way that game was going to live up to the first few games. The fact that they changed the controls and the camera made me believe they were aiming to turn this series into an action TPS rather than continue on as survival horror. You know what though? The fact is, Silent Hill hasn't completely abandoned its roots and even the worst game in this series is still superior to other games (no names mentioned). Homecoming isn't a BAD game. It's definitely not my favorite and I question where they were going with it, but it's not terrible or unplayable.

 

Not to speak for everyone, but I think that we all tend to be territorial when it comes to this series. This is ours, we love it and that's why people are so vocal about their disappointment with the newer games. The fandom is very passionate about Silent Hill and they want it done right. When it became more action oriented, it was almost like a betrayal. As if Konami decided to market to a different group of people, when we were the ones supporting them all along. How can you ignore the needs and wants of the fans who have been there since the beginning?

 

I don't think they're intentionally trying to run Silent Hill into the ground. Do you think they want to disappoint you? Of course not. They're trying. That's why, again, they keep switching developers. I personally think that's a terrible idea. They should let one group stick around for more than one game, that way they're able to take the criticism they received from the previous game and improve upon its flaws for the next one.

 

Silent Hill doesn't sell as well as other games. How long will developers continue to put time and energy into this series? It doesn't make money. People don't seem to care about it. The people who do care about it spend more time pointing out what they hate about the games rather than trying to find things they enjoyed about them. That's not exactly motivation to continue working on these games, is it?

 

The thing that makes Silent Hill different from other series are the fans. They're intelligent. They have real discussions about the symbolism behind enemies and the storylines. Silent Hill draws emotion from you. It makes you think. That's what is so great about it. It would be awful to lose this series because it doesn't sell enough, and it would be even worse if we were the cause of it.

 

I really hope that everyone plays Silent Hill Downpour with an open mind instead of judging it based off a few videos and reviews that were published by people who would probably rather be playing a completely different type of game. (Whether it be an RPG, FPS, etc.)

 

If we don't start supporting Silent Hill, it may not last much longer.

Let me just attack you with this health drink

I wasn't planning to buy Silent Hill Downpour. From the information we were given early on, it appeared to be another Homecoming. Homecoming, to me, was very bland. It wasn't particularly scary or interesting, it didn't make me want to play through the entire game to see how it would end. And it was mostly fan service. Pyramid Head, Robbie the Rabbit. The way the real world changed to the otherworld was very similar to the Silent Hill film...And why they would do anything based on the film rather than the actual source material is beyond me. You're creating a game that is already part of a game series. Why are you bringing the movie into it?

 

The more I thought about it though, the more I knew I couldn't ignore Downpour. I love the Silent Hill series. As a fan, I need this game. I pre-ordered it and since then, I've been getting progressively more excited about the game's release next week. I've also decided to stop being so negative about it. I thought Silent Hill: Shattered Memories was going to be awful when it was announced. I was so against that game. Imagine my surprise when I played it and it was actually pretty amazing. It's one of my favorites in the series now. If Shattered Memories turned out well, there's still hope for Downpour.

 

In my excitement, I thought it would be a good idea to attempt playing Homecoming today, in preparation for Downpour. I haven't played anything even remotely survival horror-ish recently and I could use the practice. Well, practice didn't help. Because when I went to attack one of the nurses, I hit L1 rather than L2 and ended up using all my Health Drinks instead of slashing her with my knife.

 

Oh, you thought this was going to be a post about Silent Hill? It's not.

This is a post about how in 2012, there is no reason console gamers should not have the option to fully customize their controls.

 

Every game implements different control schemes. Resident Evil 4 expects you to aim with the left analog stick (unheard of) and shoot with the square button. The Uncharted series has probably the best (and most used) combat controls, using L1 to aim and R1 to shoot. And then there's Silent Hill Homecoming, which is almost there, but not quite. Homecoming requires you to hold down L2 to get in the combat stance and R2 to shoot. Do you understand what a tease that is? It's very close to the L1/R1 control scheme that so many other games use and that's why I was so easily thrown off by it. Not to mention that holding down those buttons is not as easy as holding down L1/R1, it's very easy for your fingers to slip off of them.

 

Switching between games becomes very confusing when you constantly have to change control schemes. It would be better if we could customize the controls to suit our personal preference instead of having to adapt to clunky controls that have no possible reason for existing other than to annoy the people who are playing these games.

 

How long do you think it will be before game developers realize this and allow us to decide which buttons we would prefer to use while we're playing?

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I was so excited when Pandemonium arrived in the mail yesterday, I've been waiting months for this book to be released. It did not disappoint me, I stayed up until 5:00 this morning, when I finished reading the very last page. It was impossible to put the book down.

 

Pandemonium (the sequel to Delirium by Lauren Oliver) tells the story of what happened to Lena after she escaped into the Wilds and what is happening in her life currently, now that she has joined the Resistance. There are no chapters, instead, the book is broken up into segments of "Now" and "Then." This never becomes confusing, thankfully.

 

In the "Then" portions of the book, Lena recovers from her escape from Portland. She learns to adjust to life in the Wilds with Raven and Tack, as well as other "Invalids" who are staying at the homestead where she was nursed back to health.

 

The "Now" segments show Lena as an undercover member of the Resistance, posing as a DFA (Delirium Free America) member. The face of the DFA campaign, Julian, is kidnapped, and Lena is taken along with him. At first, she despises Julian because of what he stands for. His father is using him as a way to have the cure for the disease (love, for anyone who hasn't read Delirium) administered to children at an earlier age. The longer they're locked up together, the more they begin to confide in each other. Neither of them have been cured, although Julian believes Lena has at first because of the scar she bears.

 

I thought one of the most interesting things about Pandemonium was the fact that the society itself is opposed to the DFA. They don't want children to be cured before they turn eighteen because there are too many complications. The DFA argues that it's best to destroy the disease before it has a chance to grow, likening it to the tumors Julian had to have removed. Even though both sides are for the cure being administered, they're still at odds and I think that's very relevant to real life and our own political system. Everyone thinks they're working towards the greater good, but no one can really agree on what it is, or how to achieve it. Instead of the goal of peace and a safe environment being met, it's causing a rift between everyone.

 

For some people, the first 100 pages will probably seem to move at a slow pace, especially if you prefer a lot of action in your books. Personally, I thought it was fine and couldn't tear my eyes away from it, but if you are discouraged by it, don't worry. The story really picks up after that.

 

I thought everything about the plot of this book was very obvious. But I also pay close attention to details (it comes from reading so many Hammett stories), so that could be why I was able to predict the outcome. Even so, even knowing what was coming, it didn't soften the blow that came with that last page. It was heartbreaking. I'm really beginning to wonder if Lauren Oliver will ever write a book that doesn't crush me, and I mean that as a compliment. Her characters are so well written, and you actually FEEL for them and what they're going through. She did a really wonderful job writing this sequel and I'm anxious to see how she concludes this trilogy.

 

And this is where some of us will part ways. If you have read Pandemonium, feel free to continue on to the part of this post where I spoil the book. If you haven't read it, go and buy the book, you won't regret it.

The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories

I haven't read this book yet, as it just arrived in the mail yesterday. But I was really excited for it because I'm a huge fan of pulp detective fiction. Especially Dashiell Hammett, and this book includes The Maltese Falcon as it was originally published in Black Mask.

The book has over 1100 pages, so it will definitely keep me busy for a while. If you're interested in noir, here's the list of stories and novels included.

Come and Get It by Erle Stanley Gardner
Cry Silence by Fredric Brown
Arson Plus by Peter Collinson
Fall Guy by George Harmon Coxe
Doors in the Dark by Frederick Nebel
Luck by Lester Dent
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Ten Carats of Lead by Stewart Sterling
Murder Is Bad Luck by Wyatt Blassingame
Her Dagger Before Me by Talmadge Powell
One Shot by Charles G. Booth
The Dancing Rats by Richard Sale
Bracelets by Katherine Brocklebank
Diamonds Mean Death by Thomas Walsh
Murder in the Ring by Raoul Whitfield
The Parrot That Wouldn't Talk by Walter C. Brown
Let the Dead Alone by Merle Costiner
Knights of the Open Palm by Carroll John Daly
Waiting for Rusty by William Cole
Rainbow Diamonds by Ramon Decolta
The Ring on the Hand of Death by William Rollins Jr.
Body Snatcher by Theodore A. Tinsley
Murder on the Gayway by Dwight V. Babcock
The Key by Cleve F. Adams
The Bloody Bokhara by William Campbell Gault
A Taste for Cognac by Brett Halliday
Sauce for the Gander by Day Keene
A Little Different by W.T. Ballard
The Shrieking Skeleton by Charles M. Green
Drop Dead Twice by Hank Searls
The Sound of the Shot by Dale Clark
Flaming Angel by Frederick C. Davis
Odd on Death by Don M. Mankiewicz
Those Catrini by Norvell Page
Smoke in Your Eyes by Hugh B. Cave
Blood, Sweat and Biers by Robert Reeves
The Black Bottle by Whitman Chambers
The Corpse Didn't Kick by Milton K. Ozaki
Try the Girl by Raymond Chandler
Don't You Cry for Me by Norbert Davis
T. McGuirk Steals a Diamond by Ray Cummings
Wait for Me by Steve Fisher
Ask Me Another by Frank Gruber
Dirty Work by Horace McCoy
Merely Murder by Julius Long
Murder in One Syllable by John D. MacDonald
Three Apes from the East by H.H. Stinson
Death Stops Payment by D.L. Champion
The Color of Honor by Richard Connell
Middleman for Murder by Bruno Fischer
The Man Who Chose the Devil by Richard Deming
Beer-Bottle Polka by C.M. Kornbluth
Borrowed Crime by Cornell Woolrich

This describes Times Square perfectly

"The photograph I saw of Times Square was taken at night, but it could have been high noon: I've never seen so many lights in my life, could never even have imagined them. Lights blazing, glittering, lit up in crazy colors that made me think of those spots that float across your vision after you've accidentally looked directly at the sun."

- Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Rock of Ages and Phantom of the Opera

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the city. This is how it all started.

Every time I'm in Times Square, I go straight to George M. I can't even think of Broadway without this man coming to mind, he's a huge part of its history. Hence the nickname "the man who owned Broadway."

Here's another picture of the George M. Cohan statue with the new (kind of new, anyway) Phantom of the Opera billboard in the background.

Tuesday started off with dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner. It's the first time I've ever been there and not enjoyed it. Here's a tip, don't show up with only one other person. Essentially, what happens is you end up eating with a bunch of other parties of two. Everyone is right on top of each other and that is definitely not something I enjoy. It made it hard to concentrate on the waiters and waitresses singing because all I could think about is how I was pretty much sharing a table with strangers. The tables are not connected, but they're tiny and right next to each other. On one side of the table is a long booth/bench type of seat, and on the other side are chairs. You practically have to climb OVER the table to get to the booth seat because there is no room in between them, unless you pull the table out into the aisle.

I made a point of getting a better picture of Parsons this time. 

As a huge fan of Project Runway, I felt this was necessary.

I have this obsession with the billboards and lights in Times Square. It makes me feel like a tourist even though I'm not. There's just nothing like it and I'm always in awe of it all.

So when I see a billboard for something I love, of course I have to stop and take pictures of it. How can I possibly ignore Anything Goes?

On to the point of my outing to the city on Tuesday. I went to see Rock of Ages.

I am not a fan of 80's music by any means. With the exception of Journey, I don't care for many 80's bands. I do, however, love live theatre. It's always amazing to see all the work that goes into it. Rock of Ages did not disappoint me. It was actually a lot of fun.

The audience got very involved in the show. They were clapping along to the songs, almost like it was a concert. The lighting was incredible, probably the best I've seen in any Broadway production. That actually made it feel like a concert, as well...As did the people going back and forth to their seats with drinks. It was Tequila Tuesday and there was a bar right behind the last row. The problem with having a bar IN the theatre is that some people have a bit too much to drink. And then they get loud. And someone has to escort them out. Yes, that actually happened.

As for the show itself, it almost seemed like (for the first act, at least) they wrote a list of songs they wanted to use and then added a sentence or two between every few songs so that there would be some sort of dialogue. Like an afterthought because they had to.

Some of the humor was crass...I wasn't offended, but I don't find that sort of thing amusing, either. My favorite comedians were Abbott and Costello, I was raised watching their films and they were always very clean. I'm more of a fan of that type of comedy, I don't think you have to be dirty to be funny.

Rock of Ages breaks the fourth wall quite a bit. Most of the time, it didn't bother me. However, when Lonny handed Drew a playbill for the show, that took the joke too far.

 

The cast is really talented. I was pleasantly surprised. Dan Domenech, Jeremy Woodard and Emily Padgett all have great voices and I would love to see them in other shows in the future. Cody Scott Lancaster is the standout as Franz. And then...There's Josephine Rose Roberts who plays Regina. I actually had to look in the playbill because she reminded me so much of Diana Degarmo when she was playing Penny in Hairspray. (That's a good thing. I loved Diana in that role. And that's really saying something because I rarely ever think anyone is a good replacement for Kerry Butler.)

The finale song is the best part of the entire show. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but it was so upbeat and the perfect way to end it.

If you're looking for something fun to see on Broadway, Rock of Ages is probably a good choice.

And now, having seen it, I have to wonder WHY Tom Cruise was cast as Stacee Jaxx in the movie. He's too old. I doubt he has the voice for it, judging by Jeremy Woodard's performance. Hollywood destroys musicals. 

Moving onto Wednesday.

Look what I found in the Hard Rock Cafe.

 

Luckily, there was an hour wait there so we went to dinner at Planet Hollywood instead. The first thing I noticed was this.

I love Jimmy Stewart, in case you didn't know.

That paled in comparison to what I saw next though.

 

THAT IS JAMES CAGNEY'S SUIT IN YANKEE DOODLE DANDY. James Cagney is my favorite actor. Yankee Doodle Dandy is my favorite movie. He plays George M. Cohan in it. It was one of those moments where I was awe-struck because...He wore that. That's as close as I will ever get to that incredibly talented man. He won an Oscar for his performance in that movie. (Well-deserved, mind you.) I never expect to stumble across anything related to James Cagney, so I was really happy to see his suit in Planet Hollywood.

After dinner, we went to Starbucks. I got a Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino. There are tables in the middle of Times Square outside of Starbucks, and I've never taken the time to sit there before. I always walk through Times Square, and I've taken enough pictures of everything, but I never stop and take the time to really LOOK around and take it all in. It was beautiful. The weather was perfect, the sky was clear, and everything was illuminated.

 

You know I took pictures outside the Majestic. It doesn't matter that I already HAVE pictures of it, I constantly have to take new ones.

 

Inside, I took a picture of the stage. I actually took about ten pictures of the stage, but they all looked terrible. I'm going to blame it on the lighting.

 

The Overture will forever be my favorite part of Phantom of the Opera. When the orchestra is booming, the chandelier is coming to life and the theatre is going back in time and becoming pristine and beautiful once again. It sets the tone for the entire show and it's an experience that you just can't get from watching a video of it.

The cast, it goes without saying, was wonderful. As was the show itself. I think everyone knows how I feel about Phantom of the Opera, it's my favorite musical. The costumes are gorgeous, the songs are lovely, I don't need to elaborate on this subject again.

I will say for the 7,000th time that Hugh Panaro was perfect as the Phantom. He was just as perfect as the first time I saw him, in fact. The rest of the cast did very well, too. And Trista Moldovan nailed the Final Lair sequence. For me, that was her shining moment.

Speaking of the Final Lair. I had a huge, satisfied grin plastered on my face during that number. Words cannot even begin to describe how happy I was to see Phantom of the Opera again without having to look at those stairs they used in Phantom 25. "Christine, Christine...Let me see her..." Oh come on, Raoul. She's right there, there's no gate to stop you. But there WAS last night, and I've never been so happy to see it before in my life.

There was something I noticed at the end of the Final Lair, though. It seemed like Christine hesitated to leave the Phantom after she returned his ring. I could have imagined it because of Phantom 25. I hope it wasn't intentional.

Afterwards, I went to the back door (it's around the block) to wait and see if Hugh would come out since he didn't last time. He did not. The only cast member who did was Trista, and she was very nice.

 

On the way back to Penn Station, right near the door I waited at for an hour before anyone came and told everyone that Hugh would not be coming out (I don't blame Hugh, I'm sure he was tired or had plans and that's completely understandable), I found a sign at the theatre where Kerry Butler's new show is going to be. I didn't have time to take a picture of it though because I had to [practically] run to catch my train.

Overall, it was a fun, tiring two days.

This wasn't supposed to happen yet

I'm not finished setting this blog up. I still had things to do.

There are over 200 posts here that I transferred from my old blog. I fixed the dates on them so that they would be posted on the dates they were originally posted, but clearly...They haven't been HERE that long because I only made this account last month.

I wanted to play around with the colors some more. Personally, I'd make this entire thing pink and yellow if I could, but I don't want to scare anyone away.

I've just decided to switch over all my links from Melo to Blogger so that people will be directed here instead of the old blog...I didn't want to do this. Because as I said, I'm not finished setting everything up yet. I wasn't even finished transferring my posts. But something happened that made me change everything over.

Melo crashed. Again. Melo is so unreliable that I made an account on Blogger, just so I would have a backup of all my posts in case it ever crashed for good. It's been about five days now.

I was forced into this.

Hopefully, anyone who followed me on Melo had it bookmarked and doesn't realize I've added the link to Blogger on Twitter/YouTube/Tumblr. Because I don't really WANT anyone to see this just yet.

But. If you're one of the people who noticed the new blog. Hi. What do you think I should do about these colors?

Olive oil and honey hair mask

First, I would like to say there are a LOT of things you can do with olive oil and honey. Look it up. It will save you a ton of money on beauty products.

Second, I decided to test out a hair mask yesterday because my hair tends to be dry and not very shiny. It's naturally curly, which means I'm pretty unfortunate in the hair department to begin with, but because I heat style it on a regular basis, that makes it worse.

I looked for a hair mask recipe using olive oil because I knew that olive oil was really good for hair. A lot of the recipes I found included honey. Honey is a humectant and it helps retain moisture. And if you needed another reason to use olive oil and honey in your hair, it's all natural if you make your own hair mask whereas something you buy in the store may contain chemicals. And even better, this saves money because it uses ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

Here's the recipe.

Three tablespoons of olive oil
Two tablespoons of honey
Put them in a bowl together and heat in the microwave for twenty seconds (or until the honey liquefies)
Mix together

Simple, right? Once it's all mixed together, you obviously want to apply it to your hair. DO NOT APPLY IT TO YOUR ROOTS. It should go without saying, but you do not want to apply oil to your roots. Let it sit for fifteen minutes, then go in the shower and shampoo your hair, making sure to get all of the mixture out.

In case you are concerned about putting honey in your hair, I'll tell you now. It will be sticky. My hair was really stiff and I was horrified at first because I didn't think it would ever come out. But it came out easily in the shower, I didn't have any problems. It left my hair shiny and soft and it looked healthier. So, it will be fine. Don't worry. :)

I'll change my mind again tomorrow

I think I take Long Island for granted. 99% of the time, I hate it and think, "This place is as boring as it gets." Probably because the shadow of the city is looming over it and really, how could anything compare to Manhattan?

But every now and then...Usually once every few years, I'll look around and think, "It's not so bad." This normally happens during Fall when the leaves change colors and the weather is perfect. Not hot, but not cold...Chilly, with that bite to it.

I was walking around my shabby little town this afternoon because I had to go to the bank. I'm not sure "town" means the same thing to everyone, so allow me to explain what it means here. It's not the town as a whole, it's the place where there are a bunch of stores, delis, bakeries, boutiques, banks, etc. The church is there, the middle school is there. Not EVERYTHING is located there, I don't live in a rural community, it's not deserted. But this seems to be where everyone gathers.

So that's what I mean when I say "shabby little town." The stores on this one particular street. Today was the first time it didn't appear too terrible. I always compare it to Babylon's town because it's SO nice there. Not the actual town, just you know...Their street with all their stores. In comparison, my town isn't all that great. But on its own, it's nice. It's home.

I'm also beginning to realize I take the LIRR for granted. I've never considered how lucky I am to be able to get on a train whenever I want and go to the city. Because I've always lived on Long Island, the railroad has always been here. I can't really imagine what it must be like to live somewhere else and not have that option. I know a lot of friends who live out of state have mentioned how fortunate New Yorkers are to have public transportation everywhere.

There's really no point here. Other than I sometimes have to remind myself that Long Island isn't that terrible.

Hana, the e-book companion to Delirium by Lauren Oliver

When I first read Delirium, one of the questions I was left with at the end of the book was, why didn't Hana leave with Lena? Hana was the one who went to illegal parties and concerts to begin with. She had [unhappy] tears in her eyes the day of her evaluation. So why didn't she try to escape into the Wilds?


Lauren Oliver's novella seems to answer that question.

Major spoilers after the jump!

Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary

When the 25th Anniversary DVD of Phantom of the Opera was announced, I was really excited. I had seen Phantom on Broadway and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. The 2004 film didn't even come close to capturing how amazing the musical is. Phantom 25 was going to be a recording of a live stage performance, so it had to be great...Right?

The DVD was released in Europe before it was released in America, and someone was nice enough to upload the show (in parts) in November. I watched most of it, except for the very end of the Final Lair sequence. With the exception of a few minor details, everything seemed to be fine and I was happy enough with it.

 

That all changed when it arrived in the mail and I finally watched the ending. But let's save that for later. I want to give Phantom 25 praise before I get into what I disliked about it.

 

Sierra Boggess (Christine) and Hadley Fraser (Raoul) were wonderful. Ramin Karimloo wasn't bad, either, but his Phantom was a bit too angry for my taste, and I'm not a fan of his voice. He isn't a bad Phantom, but he's not Hugh Panaro and I didn't feel the same sympathy for him that I felt for Hugh's Phantom. I think it's Hugh's voice...I didn't feel one way or another about the Phantom until I saw Hugh playing the part on Broadway. I know he is technically the villain, he kills people, he threatens to kill Raoul if Christine doesn't choose to be with him. But listening to Hugh sing, I can almost see why Christine would love him, regardless of all the terrible things he's done. He has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard. Ramin plays the role differently and it changed the entire show for me.

"Masquerade" (Click to enlarge, if possible)

The costumes for Phantom 25 were gorgeous. Especially during the "Masquerade" sequence. It's impossible to take your eyes off the screen during that song. It may be my favorite part of the entire show (since they ruined my other favorite). It was well choreographed, everything about it was perfect. Every time I watch that scene, and the Phantom comes out as Red Death and throws the score for Don Juan Triumphant, I wonder if anyone has ever not caught it. I don't know why, but I'm always amazed at the ease with which they seem to catch it. What if the person playing the Phantom makes a bad throw? I'm getting sidetracked.

 

The very end of the show, after it was all over, was spectacular. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but it actually brought tears to my eyes. It was incredible.

 

Most of the things I didn't like about this production are minor. I love Sierra as Christine, but she makes me wonder if maybe the Phantom isn't the only one with some sort of mental illness and I constantly found myself wishing she would stand up straight because she's always hunched over. I was really disappointed that they removed the chandelier rising from the stage during the Overture, because that's one of the most incredible moments to witness during the stage production. And then...There's the stairs.

 

The stairs during the Final Lair sequence make no sense whatsoever. And here's why.

 

"Christine, Christine...Let me see her..."

 

Just WALK DOWN THE STAIRS, Raoul. It's not like there's a gate in your way this time. Why are you asking the Phantom to let you see her? She's right there. There's nothing to stop you. I know most people probably aren't bothered by something so insignificant, but for me, this is the second worst part of the entire show. I actually despise those stairs.

 

So if that's the second worst part, what's the first?

 

The ending. It's awful. I'm happy I didn't see it before I ordered Phantom 25 for myself. I now understand why people were saying they set it up to lead into Love Never Dies. I have to ask...Who does that? Who changes the original to fit in with the sequel? That should never, ever happen.

(This is not my gif, I found it in a Google image search.)

Phantom 25 ends with Christine hesitating to leave the Phantom. She then begins singing "All I Ask of You" to him (instead of Raoul) and Raoul has to walk down the stairs AGAIN to get her. I hated it, As someone who has seen Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and thought it was perfect, I felt betrayed by this change. Especially since this is the first time I've actually liked Raoul. I had always wanted Christine to choose the Phantom, until I actually saw it happen here.

 

I really enjoyed Phantom 25 for the most part. It's a huge step up from the 2004 film, and I'll watch it over and over again because it was very well done. I just wish that they would have ended it the way Andrew Lloyd Webber had originally written it, instead of trying to make it fit in with the story from Love Never Dies.

Ludwig Meidner - Apocalyptic Landscapes

I don't understand art. And I don't mean that I don't understand why it exists. I mean, I don't understand it in the same way I don't understand poetry. It doesn't make sense to me. I can look at a painting, or read the words, and it still leaves me confused because I'm not good at finding the "hidden meaning" in things.

 

German Expressionism interests me. It started because of films like Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Faust and Metropolis. The sets were so bizarre, like something you would see in a dream. They didn't look like anything that could exist in reality.

 

My interest in Expressionism led me to Ludwig Meidner's work. I can't sit here and pretend that I'm an authority on it. I'm not. As I said, art is not something I can comprehend. But I'm still fascinated by it. I like looking at his work and I can't explain the reasoning behind it. I read that his Apocalyptic Landscapes predate World War I, showing a city in ruins. That's about all I know.

 

Here are some of my favorites.

The Kindle has its advantages after all

I received a Kindle for Christmas a few years ago, and I was horrified. It was like opening a box and finding a severed head. "Who would do something like this?!" That's how I stared at it when I opened the box. My father would do something like this. I realized it was a thoughtful gift. He knows I enjoy reading and the Kindle allows you to store all your books in one space. That may sound like a good idea to some people, but as someone who loves books, it was the worst thing I could possibly imagine.

 

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved reading. I was rarely at home on weekends to see my friends, but on the rare occasion that I was, I always preferred to stay home and read. When I wasn't home (because I had to spend weekends with my father), I would read in the car. And he would always yell at me to stop because he thought it was bad for my eyes. I didn't care, I still did it.

 

Since I've started posting more about books, I've realized that the Kindle isn't as evil as I originally thought it was. What I've been doing is borrowing library books online and having them delivered to my Kindle. It's not that I don't love going to the library, because I do. I enjoy being surrounded by all those books. It's just that sometimes it's more convenient to do things online. Score one for the Kindle.

 

There's another advantage to the Kindle, since I've been posting more about books. Instead of writing notes down when I plan to discuss a book, I can leave notes and highlight points of interest in the Kindle, which is much less time consuming. I could fold over the corners and highlight sentences in my books, but that would ruin them.

 

The Kindle will never replace my books. I rarely ever buy anything on the Kindle that I don't already own a physical copy of and that isn't going to change. I love turning pages. There's something therapeutic about it. I like to look at a book and see how much I've read by seeing where it's opened to and how many pages are on the left side compared to the right. Sure, the Kindle tells you what percentage of the book you've read, but that's not as satisfying.

 

Even though I prefer "real" books, the Kindle is no longer a severed head in a box. It's more of a picture of a severed head in a box. Still kind of horrifying, but slightly more tolerable.