Once Upon a Time Review 1/6/13 – Regina tries to change, too little, too late

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

I watched the new episode on Sunday, but with work, vacation plans (more on that later)…I wasn’t able to write until now. From here on out, I’d like to try to post at least once a week!

I am very excited about the new ideas I have in this new year and can’t wait to get started. Even with the brand new year, there is still so much to do and so little time!  ***An update on this later in the week! (or later today, baha!)

Now, what to say about Once? So much happened in the most recent episode!

*Spoil Alert!*

Photo credit: ABC.

This episode remained very much a Regina-centric episode, and who can complain, really? We love our Evil Queen just as much as Snow, Emma and Charming! In the Enchanted Forest flash-back, after being tricked by Snow and Charming, Regina must admit to defeat by the couple, whose army is much stronger than hers. She is then captured and put into prison. Can the Evil Queen really change her ways?

In present day Storybrooke, Cora and Hook make their way quietly into town, but Cora wants to make sure that her child is truly broken, and so will eventually need her. What better way to do this, but to take her son away from her? What a wonderful mother! Heh. She pretends to be Regina and murders Dr. Hopper.

While Emma and company interrogate Regina about the murder, Emma is not convinced that Regina truly did it, until Rumpelstiltskin is able to show them the evidence. In doing so, Emma uses magic! Interesting!

Meanwhile, the Evil Queen in flashback enchanted forest world, refuses to show remorse and change her ways, forcing Snow and Charming to exile her from the Kingdom. And back in the present day Storybrooke, Snow is saddened by the fact that Regina will not change even though she has been given numerous second chances.

Here is where I feel sympathy for Regina and am starting to dislike her mother even more. “You can pretend all you want,” Snow tells her, “But we know who you will always be like.” Has Regina tried to change too little, too late? She is truly trying and now no one believes her!

The end of the episode reveals Dr. Hopper not really dead, but a captive of Hook and Cora.

Thoughts and Observations:

  • No Mulun and Aurora in this episode – but I’m sure there will be much more of them to come and hopefully some new characters!
  • The beginning scene with Charming and Snow in bed was hilarious and the look of horror on Emma’s face. Charming says something like, “At least we can still provide her with a few traumatic childhood memories at this stage of her life.” Bahahaha!
  • Emma’s red leather jacket is gone, her hair is pulled back and she is wearing a sweater and jeans through most of the episode – the result is a softer, more open, motherly Emma.
  • I am a Regina fan through and through and seeing her heartbreak at her separation from Henry and the fact that no one believes her is kind of heartbreaking!

Here’s a sneak peek of the next episode:

Thoughts below! 🙂

Can you guess what color I am?

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

Dusk at Binghamton University’s wildlife reserve.

It’s early morning, and I really should be sleeping, but thought I would post my latest assignment from my writing class. It really is forcing me to stretch back into that creative mold and realize just because I’ve been to a few college classes, doesn’t mean that I am the expert that I think I am – sometimes I forget that we writers can get cocky sometimes. 😉

Anywho…the assignment was to describe a color and do this in the first person. (Pretend we are essentially the color.) The bit I wrote was a broad scope of how one color can be many, but I like the phrases I got here:

I am that periwinkle color of a forgotten sweater. I am royal, I am sweet, call me what you want; pop in your mouth grapes, a plum, hanging loose from the vine. I am everything that you want to go right in your life. Find me on the highway, stripped from its owner; a scarf blowing in the breeze. A dark, bleeding sunset, a midnight sky so inky. I am velvet, I am happy beams of ambrosia, lavender, freesia. The sparkle in a raindrop, no larger than a pin-prick. Find me soaring, the color of wind, grey and regal. Find me goofy. A bulky mauve dinosaur that everyone hates. Flowers in a field of straw, choking out the other plant life. Birthed by two colors, given life from two opposites, warm, cold, light and dark.

What am I?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – An unexpected Pleasure!

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Went and saw the The Hobbit last night and thought I’d post a quick review! There are no spoilers here, except about how fantastic I think this film is, so feel free to read on and get a peek at the music in this gorgeous movie!

When I heard that Peter Jackson was going to make The Hobbit in a 3-part film, I had my doubts. It wasn’t until I re-read the book, until I realized there is so much that happens behind the scenes that J. R. R. Tolkien never expands upon. How creative of Peter Jackson and company to bring a world to life that no one ever has ever seen before!

I was most excited when I read that some of the same people from the Lord of the Rings were going to be involved with the project: Howard Shore, the composer; screenwriter and co-producer, Philippa Boyens, and screenwriter and producer, Fran Walsh, who both had a hand in some great writing in the Fellowship of the Ring. I knew that as long as these fantastic people, (including Peter Jackson, of course!) were involved with the project, they couldn’t go wrong and boy, did they deliver!

The casting was excellent, the characterization of all 13 dwarfs was superb and so creative, they all have their own look and personality, it was done quite fantastically; the scenery was larger than life and the music; oh, the music!

There’s really nothing else I can say except to let you listen. I am such a sap sometimes, and there were a few moments in this film where my eyes teared up just because the music was so beautiful and awe-inspiring. I absolutely loved it!

What do you guys think?

A bit of flash fiction – At the Ball Park

/ Ajmorse / 4 Comments

I have about 5 minutes before I have to shower, dress and get around for work tonight, but just wanted to share something real quick with you guys.

I signed up for an online class called, “Creativity Training for Writers” and although the class is clearly geared for writers who are more or less getting into the craft of writing, it has really helped me get back on track and is slowly curing my writer’s block – which is what I hoped it would!

The creative mind is still alive and kicking, and what a relief it is to get my writer’s voice back! Our first assignment we were given prompts and a limit of 5 minutes, in which we were to create a story finishing a sentence with a twist at the end. It is the closest I have ever come to writing some decent flash fiction and I was rather proud of it:

At the Ball Park

They called it a near miss, but I called it a coincidence. Sandy called it fate and I kissed her nose whenever she said this and she would smile at me with that wide, red-lipped smile; the kind that she gave me even after I had broken her hip and dislocated her right shoulder.

I’d tried to swerve to the right, but I just couldn’t move fast enough. There were so many people in the way and the lane was crowded. I’d hollered, “Get out of the way!” And before I knew it, my brown, leather glove was in the face of the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen with red-brown hair. How was I to know that I would accidentally push her down the ball park stairs?

I’d visited her at the hospital after I muttered my sorrys to her on the gurney as the EMTs rolled her away, but that still wasn’t quite good enough. I gave her the ball I caught though, which was signed by every memory of the team. And when I was leaning over her hospital bed, the ball out-stretched in my hand, she gave me that red-lipped smile and asked me to marry her. Turns out she was a Yankees fan, too.

***Thoughts below if you got ’em! 🙂

Safe and Sound and Reading

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

Spending one of my days off as a couch potato since I don’t feel that brilliant, but FINALLY catching up on a bit of my wordpress reading today. I’ve missed a lot of great posts from some really great people and for that I am furiously reading and liking as many things as I can. 🙂

There are a lot of talented people out there!

On that note, whenever someone has a setting on their blog that has a person sign in before they can comment or like a post, it seems that either my browser, or my internet connection is not letting me like their posts. I sign in, and nothing happens! At first I thought it was Internet Explorer, but I have been using Firefox for a few months now, hmm…any thoughts?

So, there are many, many posts out there that I do like, it just won’t let me! Hmph. Here’s a song to make up for it! I’ve had this song in my head for a few days now. It inspires me to tell a story that is so beautiful and haunting at the same time…

Once Upon A Time Review 12/2/12 – Emma is the True Queen of Hearts

/ Ajmorse / 4 Comments

Wow! Much to be said about the fall finale of Once, and while Storybrooke’s fairytale characters got their happily ever afters, did they really?

Spoilers Ahead, (and soon to be rough waters I’m sure!) Arrr!

Photo credit: ABC.

I said it once before and I’ll say it again, Regina has to be my favorite character in this TV show, and she has also made her way into my heart as being one of the best characters ever written on television. It is amazing to me when you are able to write a character that is so well-rounded that one minute she is evil and you are hating her, and the next you feel bad for heartbreak. THAT right there is the mark of good character building. THAT right there is the mark of good writing. I cannot be more in love with this character, ah, thank you writers!

In ‘Queen of Hearts,’ we learn that Regina’s mother, Cora, was banished to Wonderland by Regina, where she becomes the Queen of Hearts. I mentioned before that the Never World reminded me of the Queen of Hearts, but I had no idea how close I actually was, haha. She really is the new big bad!

While Snow and company try to figure out a way to get out of their predicament, Emma surmises that she, the savior, is really a pawn in Rumpelstiltskin’s plan to break the curse. He admits later to getting her where she needed to be, when he needed it, but her strength is all her own. A fact that Cora learns when she tries to rip out Emma’s heart and finds that she can’t. Could it be that Emma really is the savior after all? Planned or not?

Henry is able to convince Regina to stop Rumpelstiltskin’s curse to let Emma and Snow through the porthole unharmed, and while she gained Henry’s respect and appreciation, what did she really gain? She, who loves her son, a son that doesn’t trust her. This is where I feel sorry for Regina. It really is quite heartbreaking!

Meanwhile, Mulan and Aurora are left in Enchanted Forest world, where they’ve decided to set out on a quest to get their Philips’ soul back. And while Snow, and Emma have finally been reunited with their families…Hook and Cora find another way to enter Storybrooke…soon to be rough waters ahead! I can’t wait!

Observations:

  • Hook’s incredible likability. While he’s scheming and doing things for himself, we are reminded that he is also not a complete monster. He has layers this handsome Hook. 😉
  • I think it was good to leave Mulan and Aurora where they are, as there is a lot that we still don’t know about them. This also gives us more of a chance to see more fairytale characters that we haven’t met yet. (I seriously hope the little mermaid is one of them!).
  • Regina really has lost everything, will it be so easy for Cora to manipulate her back into being our Evil Queen? And what happened between Cora and Rumpelstiltskin?

Ah, much to be learned and viewed and I just can’t wait!

What did you guys think of the episode? 🙂

Once Upon a time Review 11/25/12 – I Will Always Find You

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

Been caught up with a new job (more on that later) and haven’t had time to get much TV watching in – I know, even my favorite TV show! I might be a little bias, because really it is the only TV show I watch at this time, but anyway…wow lots to be said about “Into the Deep!”

Spoilers ahead!

Photo credit: ABC.

Hook pretends to betray Cora and let the captured princess Aurora go, while meanwhile, Snow and company must figure out a way to defeat Regina’s mother, to prevent her from following them to Storybrooke, (something that both Mr. Gold and Regina fear.) Snow gets put into a deep sleep to go meet Henry in this Never World; although it isn’t Henry that meets her there, but Charming.

It just goes to show what these two will do for love. “I had to see you,” he tells her and “I will always find you.” Awww! (The sap in me teared up quite a bit during their scene in the fiery room. No matter where or when or under what circumstances, these two have a love that lasts! This is the true love that all us fairytale lovers dream about! He tells her that to defeat Cora, they must find the magic ink that was used to stun Rumpelstiltskin, which he conveniently left a bottle of in his jail cell.

While Charming is murmuring “I will always find you,” to a distraught Snow, we learn later on that Hook has taken Aurora’s heart to be used and manipulated by Cora. Just when we are just starting to like the handsome captain…hmm, well, we knew he wasn’t perfect.

Some observations in this episode:

  • Belle and Rumple in the diner finally getting that hamburger. He tells her “Condiments are this world’s most powerful magic.” (Hehehe).
  • We love to see Regina, Gold and Charming working together. (I don’t know if I would have trusted the evil duo to put me under a sleeping curse! Such a brave Charming!)
  • Regina’s balance between good and evil. Here’s an evil character where we actually like to see trying to better herself. She is by far the best character ever written for television. (In my opinion at least!)
  • The Never World is as creepy as can be…especially the room that charming is first in…
  • The “bed time story” that Gold tells a sleepy Henry. In the deepest bottomless ocean, there is a rare squid, only found except by a mermaid –  *gasp* could it be our very own little mermaid?
  • No flash back scenes in this episode, and I have to say that is the first since the season began…it would have been a nice to include some Aurora flashbacks, but perhaps there just wasn’t time. Hmm.

Will post my review on the latest episode in a few days or so! I see that it is entitled “Queen of Hearts.” So excited! Were my earlier predictions correct? Hmm…we shall see!

What did you think of this episode? Thoughts below!

Once Upon a Time Review 11/11/12 – Becoming the Wolf and Bad Dreams

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

I enjoyed the Emma-centric episode much more than Red’s for some reason…and I think a lot of that had to do with the love story. Red’s was great too, but the wolf pack seemed to lack credibility. I think if they expanded the flash back through a few episodes, Red’s relationship with her mother, or lack there of, would have made more sense to me.

Disclaimer: Spoilers in this review!

Photo credit: ABC.

In Story brooke, Red gets framed for the murder of Gus the mouse and another man by Spencer/King George as he tries to take his revenge on Charming. For some reason, he has it in his mind that Charming is not as good as every thinks he is and wants to reveal that he really is just a lowly Shepard who can’t lead his flock sufficiently or whatever. Mainly, I just think King George is dumb.

In flash back enchanted forest world, we pick up some time after Snow and Red join forces, (after Red has to leave her village for killing Peter and everyone discovering she is a wolf.) Red discovers a wolf pack and coincidentally her mother is with them, surprise! Granny lied again! The pack teaches Red how to become the wolf and in doing so, she can control it.

Meanwhile, Henry is still haunted by dreams that turn out not to be dreams, but a limbo of some kind. Whenever someone endures a sleeping curse, according to Mr. Gold, they return to that limbo in their sleep and to unimaginable horrors. He does, however, give Henry a medallion or potion of some kind that will help Henry control what happens in that world. On the house! Interesting. But, we are not fooled Mr. Gold! Magic ALWAYS comes at a price!

Henry also discovers Aurora in limbo with him and introduces himself and so the episode ends with Emma and Snow in shock. How can their friend dream about Emma’s son, a person she’s never met?

Some Observations:

  • I personally hoped the dreams had something to do with another big bad…sigh. The queen of hearts seemed like such a fantastic idea! But plus side: Emma and gang now have a way to communicate with Story brooke.
  • Rumple so easily giving up a magic solution to Henry for his problems. On the house he says…but remember how giddy he was to teach Regina her magic?
  • The mob and the whole “Kill the beast” feel to the end of the episode. Where was Gaston?
  • Oh! King George burned Jefferson’s hat, his only hope for a portal to enchanted forest world. Charming almost lost it. Maybe he really is just human after all?

Highlights:

  • Granny with that cross-bow again! She’s so awesome.
  • Charming as sheriff. Still looks good. Yep.
  • Ruby and Gus the mouse scene…I wonder when Red will have some kind of romance in her life?
  • Loved seeing the closeness between her and Belle, too!

I can’t believe we have to wait a whole two weeks just to see what’s going on in this dream world of Aurora’s and Henry! Ugh! Does this mean more flashback world of the sleeping princess? Hope so!

A sneak peek below:

Once Upon a Time Review 11/4/12 – What’s so great about Tallahasee?

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I know this review is a little late…okay it is VERY late, but look forward to a review later this week of the more recent episode…

Beware…Giants and spoilers ahead!

Photo credit: ABC.

Hook and Emma make a climb up the bean-stalk in search of the magic compass, while in the flashback world, Emma falls in love with a fellow car thief, Neil. A man, who, coincidentally turns out to be the mysterious man in the very first episode of this season.

Meanwhile, down on the ground, Aurora is haunted by dreams, a side effect from her sleeping curse. While Mulan honors her promise to Emma, by marking time in the dirt with a stick. If she’s not back in ten hours, cut that bean stalk down!

There was a lot of character juicyness in this episode and there is definitely no way that I can cover it all, but here’s an interesting plot twist: Perhaps Henry’s father is not as bad as Emma believes him to be. Does this mean that Once Upon a Time’s loneliest character might actually get a chance for a happily ever after?

While teenage Emma in the flashback world definitely appeared wise and more grown up behind her years, the love that she had for fellow thief Niel was believable. It is even more understandable now why Emma struggles with trust. A fact that becomes apparent to Hook, who gets left behind with the giant.

Some other observations:

  • Every character that has been through a sleeping curse goes through nightmares, a side effect, Snow says. Of a red room, fire and someone watching. For some reason, all I can think about is the Queen of Hearts. A coincidence that every one else has the same dreams? I think not! Snow said that they go away after a while, but she turned away when she said this. Dun, dun dun!
  • Now, what is in August’s box of tricks? My thoughts: maybe it reveals the future.
  • We will see Henry’s father again!

Highlights:

  • Hook! His pirate-ness. “Waste of some bloody rum, if you ask me.”
  • The love between Niel and Emma. He’s not so much of a douche after all.
  • The appearance of August. I wondered when he was going to make his appearance. (He so did not give that money to Emma, just saying.)
  • I loved seeing some back story of Emma, and definitely makes me feel more empathetic towards her character.

A great episode and now off to this weeks episode! Expect a review for that one in a few days at the latest. Did I mention how much I love this TV show? 🙂

The House On Mango Street

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Every writer has a moment where it all began. That point in their lives, where they were 10, or 14, or 42, where they realized that words can be something more than dots and slashes and letters on a page…that words can take you places.

For me it was a book called, The House on Mango Street, By Sandra Cisneros, which I read in eighth grade. The middle school that I attended had a new eighth grade teacher that year; a man from New York City named Mr. Van Dright. He was a bit unorthodox for an upstate New York school strict on curriculum and following the rules. He had long dark hair and grizzle on his face, who wore a leather jacket and drove a motorcycle when he wasn’t in school, who reminded us often how thankful we were to attend a school that was safe and clean with no metal detectors.

And although this unique teacher from the city was forced to resign before the following year, what I remember most about him was that he was an artist. He had that look in his eye of a person who had stories to tell. He showed me, although he probably doesn’t know it, (a very insecure and shy fourteen year old at the time,) that books and words could be something more, you just had to dream them.

“In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing.” (Cisneros,10)

This is from a passage in the book entitled, “My Name.” I remember him reading it to the class that day. What does that mean, he asked us. A name like the number nine?

Perhaps it was because I was obsessed with names. Wondering what it would be like if I had a different name – to separate myself from the ten other girls named Amanda in my school. (I really did graduate with about 5 of them.) Perhaps it’s because later on in the passage, the narrator goes on to describe her name, “as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth.” (Cisneros, 11)

Up until that point in my life, I’d never given much thought into the meaning of words, how with a simple sentence you can describe your name as muddy and we know how you felt about whatever it is you were talking about.

My own writing as of lately, has become its own kind of muddy and I thought I’d take this time to go back and remember where it all began. How words can have inspiration just by how they sound in your mouth mixed around with a word or phrase that can have nuances of meaning. How something simple can change the way you think and view the world. Muddy. Muddy. Muddy.

Nothing was as clear to me as those words on those pages. I wanted to write muddy too.