Mel™

I've been busy with writing and schoolwork (although guiltily, I haven't really started on anything school-related because I've been spending most of my time typing away drafts and reading fics to rekindle my motivation). It's like being stuck in a ditch, alright, when dissatisfaction creeps in and I keep rewriting my stuff. Ironically, I often refer to myself as someone chaotic, but even I "punish" myself (by rewriting) when the paragraphs aren't in order - when the words used aren't the correct ones, or when the story's lacking in color and is much too bland or whatever.

But yes! I'm currently stuck in the Writer's Ditch. It's just a small update! Two fics will be uploaded here.

A few days ago, I came across a list of novels while clicking through sites and entries, and I happened to see The Devil Wears Prada. I was immediately drawn, so I decided to give the film a shot (not the novel), and boy did it NOT disappoint me! It was an amazing experience, something different from the tragic film I watched yesterday. I like comedy, and romance probably takes the 5th-6th spot (not a huge fan of that genre). TDWP is a mix of comedy and romance, though, but I didn't really mind because I love the characters that were strongly portrayed. Meryl Streep totally nailed her role as Miranda Priestly, an influential and uncompromising fashion designer of Runway (purely fictional).

Miranda Priestly is the antagonist of the film, but I just couldn't not like her, seriously. Her performance is just so phenomenal, it's insane. I wasn't even rooting for Andrea Sachs anymore, at least not as much as I would usually root for a protagonist, but I wasn't satisfied with Andy's character (completely unrelated with Anne Hathaway's performance, she nailed it too). I heard the novel's worse, and the main protagonist likes to whine, so I'm not planning to waste my time on reading that. The novel and the film, they obviously have the same plot (duh) since it's an adaptation, with only little tweaks or something, but I can already tell the movie's a lot, lot better. Okay, maybe not just a little tweaks, because people think that the movie managed to capture a lot more things compared to the novel.

The ending's iconic. It ended with Miranda giving a lighthearted smile/laugh and then immediately changing and telling the driver to, "Go!" She definitely sacrificed her happiness (divorce, her little twins who'd have to lose yet again another father figure) and personal life (something Andy almost followed if she didn't have the Grand Realization of the Century) for success - for the fashion industry or something. Andy hastily left her job without notice after realizing she wasn't being herself anymore, her friendships were breaking apart, she pushed her partner away (ouch), and whatchamacallit, she realized it all, and Miranda admired this strength in Andy's personality (AKA why Miranda smiled in the end). Meryl, Emily, and Tucci definitely carried the movie. They're all amazing.

In the novel, however, people found Andy's character (and even Miranda's) almost irredeemable. I can't really make a judgment since I haven't read that stuff (again, not planning to), but it's all a matter of preference. Some might like the author's writing style or whatever.

I've spent the entire evening watching Titanic and getting all dramatic with my partner, which okay, Titanic's running time (1997) is just around 3 hours and 30 minutes, but I did spend the first 21 minutes or so suffering through the stream's buffering. It was horridly slow, and it took two hours (at least to my knowledge, because at this point I've already lost my sense of time) to fix. It was simple, alright, I just had to restart everything, like the router and my laptop, and after that the stream continued smoothly. It'd be a lie to say that I didn't cry, and it'd be a lie to say that I wasn't privately insulting the fictional characters because some were just big, crappy wackos, it's undeniable. Caledon Hockley and his annoying personal valet named Spicer Lovejoy, for example. It sounds so flamboyant, it's hilarious, you'd never think he's a greedy, first-class dude who's submissive to Mr. Wannabe Brendon Urie (Caledon) because you'd think he's sassy and wore a floral shirt matched with a pink, fabulous thneed, but no, how horribly wrong.

The cast of the film is just chef kiss. They really portrayed these characters so well. If they hadn't, I wouldn't be able to hate Cal or Mr. Submissive Lovejoy, and if I didn't (even the slightest bit) find them irritating, future me would have to borrow a time machine and go back here to slap some sense into my noggins.

The symbolisms and foreshadowing were really cool. Also, I didn't know James Cameron drew the original illustration? Yeah, that iconic sketch where Rose was wearing only the Heart of the Ocean diamond. He directed the movie well, let me tell you, he knows his stuff, and those stuff? Good stuff. I'm guessing most of the sketches present (the one inside Jack's leather-bound sketchbook) were also drawn by James.

I love the perfectly-painted hysteria that draped over halfway through the movie, when the iceberg had already hit the ship; little details do matter, and apparently, so does body language (according to my amazing partner, who spent the entire time basking in the movie's glory and writing poetic observations while the ship's sinking). You could totally see the panic in their eyes, and speaking of little details, I loved it tons when William McMaster started sweating. No, definitely not in that way, but in the That's Really Accurate way. Who wouldn't sweat cold pinballs when the ship you're on is literally sinking? You could present Mr. Wannabe Brendon Urie to me, though, that guy's debatable, he seemed to calm (and annoying) all throughout the movie.

Okay, the entire thing was overwhelming, and I had to listen to Celine Dion's iconic song (My Heart Will Go On) and let my eyes well up for a few minutes so that I'd have enough time to let things sink in. No pun intended. I'm a sucker for all things not-rushed and engaging - Titanic is no exception. Most movies usually last for an hour and a half, but this one kept me on the ship-coaster for three hours. I love that specific quality in a movie or a book, doesn't really matter, as long as it keeps me leafing through the pages - as long as there's enough vigor and momentum to keep me watching; and despite already knowing what's going to happen in the end, I still watched, still grieved with the survivors, still stared at the sinking ship in awe and horror, still felt for the characters. Alas, I couldn't stop watching in time to ward off the dread that comes every time I finish a good book that ends on a horrible cliffhanger.

Make each day count, alright? \o/

Songs I was listening to while writing this entry: youtu.be/TpG3BxRctQ4 and youtu.be/GcNiKCmWdYE