Sunday, July 21, 2013

It's The Veronica Mars Movie Motherload!

If you're lucky enough to live in or around San Diego or you're just lucky enough to have the scratch to travel that far AND you're also lucky enough to have scored tickets to Comic-Con, well, I'm pretty jealous of you right now. Why? Well, because evidently ALL THE THINGS happened this weekend at Comic-Con. Most notably?  

A friggin' Veronica Mars movie sneak peek!!!! Check it and then fangirl the fuck out!!!



Ok, compose yourselves, Marshmallows. Cos you know we've GOT to discuss the shizz outta this thang! So let's begin:


Yeah it is!!!! But...


The boys. Why are they wet? Or more importantly, why are they wet and not shirtless? I call shenanigans!


So, turns out V isn't a private eye like dear old dad, Keith. She's a fancypants lawyer now. Note the businessy blazer.


And even Jamie Lee Curtis has taken a break from sharing her secrets on how to keep your pooper on the regular in order to do an ACTUAL MOVIE! Was Activia one of the Kickstarter backers? Or did Kristen Bell put in a good word for JLC after they played the mother/daughter duo in that movie You Again? Either way, it's Jamie Lee Curtis, y'all!


The Mac is back! And she's got a super sleek, short new hairstyle. I don't know where the girls are or why they're so fancifully dressed though. Is it a reunion? Maybe because shortly after V and Mac's run-in with Dick, this happens...


Yeah y'all, check the ring cos Weevil is MARRIED! WHAT?!?! To who?


Is it Gia? Is Weevil married to Gia? Is he the one that sent her that sweet bouquet? But how the hell would Weevil and Gia get together? Ok, maybe I'm reading too much into this scene. Let's get back to the reunion. Is it a Neptune High reunion?


If so, then why would Piz be there? He didn't go to Neptune. Veronica met him at Hearst College in season 3. So, if this is a high school reunion maybe Piz is there because he and Veronica are TOGETHER!!! *squeeeeeees*


But if Piz and Ronnie are together, what the hello is she doing in Logan's car?!?! I'm so confused.
 

Now that certainly looks like a Neptune High reunion! People fighting! Most likely PCHers vs. the 09ers. *sigh* Just like old times, y'all. :)


Too bad we have to wait til 2014 to finally see it. I. Can't. Wait!!!!
So, what did you guys think? Are you too fangirled up to type right now? Me too! I'm at a Jessica-Spano-on-caffeine-pills level of excitement here!
What are you looking forward to the most? The mystery? The romance? The nostalgia?
And most importantly, which side do you land on: Team Logan or Team Piz? You know my answer. (Piznarski all the way, baby!)
Hit me up in the comments and let me know what you think.

And if you thought the Veronica Mars news ended there you are awesomely mistaken.  V's story will continue on even after the movie ends! In book form!!! Rob Thomas will reportedly be working with Alloy Entertainment writing two books that pick up wherever it is that Veronica's big-screen story leaves off. This is amazing news, seeing as any VM fan worth their salt knows, originally Rob Thomas envisioned the world of Neptune as a novel anyway.
As a book-slut, I'm totally for this idea. In fact, I think it's been a long time coming. I mean, someone really should've offered up this whole book deal as a way to reward hardcore fans for staying the course even through the somewhat-sucky third season. After that, someone should've just decided "hey, let's just write grown-up-Veronica adventures! that would be totally awesome! and plus the fans totally deserve it!"
Why didn't someone think of this sooner?!?!?

Well y'all, this is almost too much excitement for your girl to handle. So I'll end this post with the cutest pic evs! It's the Marshmallow and her Soda Pop! Awww! I am SOOOOO excited for this movie to FINALLY happen!!! And then the books, guys! The books!!!

  

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Behold: The Newest Catching Fire Trailer


Welcome back to the trailer park, y'all. It's been awhile but, boy, have we got some shizz to discuss now. Because the newest trailer for the second installment of The Hunger Games franchise, Catching Fire recently premiered at Comic Con and everyone is fa-reaking out!!!
And now you can too!

If you haven't already, by all means, peep the trailer:



Now, let's discuss the shizz outta this thing!

Ok, so, for the most part the first half of this trailer is just rehash from the previous Catching Fire trailer. Don't try to fool us, Lionsgate. We're not stupid. We have seen this shizz before. The little old man being killed. Gale getting whipped. Prez Snow and Plutarch with the talky-talk business. The riots. The Mockingjay signage. This is old news. We don't care for your rehash. Be gone with your day-old bread-like trailer bits!
The fact is I was all prepared to lose my damn mind over some newness, and you're trying to give me the same trailer as before just in a different order?!? I should call shenanigans.
But! BUT!!!
Then there's the second half of the trailer!
There's the Quarter Quell! And Finnick! And the other victors! And Finnick! And the island! And Finnick!!! AND OH MY GOD I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!

Ahem. Sorry about that.
Ok, you've won me back over, Lionsgate. I'm officially re-psyched for this movie!
November 22nd can't come soon enough! For me at least.
But what about you? What did you guys think of the trailer? Are you glad we FINALLY get to see some of the other victors? Or were you hoping the trailer would be a little more Finnick-y? Were you longing to get a better look at the new arena?
Or did you think this new trailer was perfect and you're too busy hyperventilating to find the correct keys on your keyboard to type a coherent comment?
Umkay. Well, whenever you get your wits about you, be sure to drop me a comment and tell me EVERYTHING on your mind.


Thursday, July 11, 2013

Evil Eva Reviews... Shadowlands

EvilEva reviews ...... Shadowlands by Kate Brian. 
 
Dissecting The Cover:

I might actually like this cover if not for the oddly fancifully-dressed young lady right smack dab in the center of it. I mean, WTF? At no point in this book is Rory super dressed up. (She's also not a brunette.) So I don't get the fancy girl at all. Or the birds. Or the equally inappropriately attired blond (or is she a redhead? or is it that hideous ombre which I blame Pinterest for?) on the back cover.
I imagine the meetings for this cover design (and most YA covers in general) went a little something like this:
"Quick! Get me a teen, a fancy gown, and some random something that will appear equal parts innocuous and ominous!"
I do like the font and the color of the title though. And I like the cloudy, there's a storm a-brewin' background. If only they had stopped there.

Let's Review:

Rory Miller was taking a shortcut home from school when she was attacked.
She would've been killed like the rest of Steven Nell's victims, but she managed to get away.
And so did Steven Nell.
With Rory alive and a killer on the loose, the FBI is afraid he'll come back for her. So they place Rory, her father, and her sister Darcy in witness protection, sending them to the remote island of Juniper Landing, where everything, from the homes to the people, seems a little too perfect.
Rory and Darcy are immediately befriended by a mysterious group of locals and soon enough their schedules are filled with bonfires and parties. But while the carefree vibe of the island helps with Rory's anxieties, she still can't shake the memory of her terrifying ordeal.
Then the disappearances start.
And Rory is convinced Steven Nell has found her once again.
Is it merely coincidence? Or is Nell back to finish the job?
And is that even Rory's biggest problem? Because the beautiful island of Juniper Landing is holding a dark secret of its own.

Here's What I Think:

In a way I feel slightly cheated by this book. Based on the inside jacket cover blurb, I thought Shadowlands would be an on-the-lam, cat-and-mouse, psycho-killer-stops-at-nothing-to-get-the-one-that-got-away type of book.
And while it is partly that, I felt like the main focus was really the island Rory and her family are relocated to, and the weird and mysterious shizz that immediately starts going down once they arrive.
Which isn't that big of a deal. I mean, I like mysterious islands. I watched Lost (until it got all tedious.)
But because of the blurby, false advertising, coupled with the fact that I knew this story would be spread out over three books, I felt like the beginning was a little rushed.
In a way, I guess that's my own fault. I just assumed that the build up of Rory being preyed upon would make up the bulk of the book. But within the first few chapters, Rory's attacked, gets away, the FBI is called, Steven Nell evades capture, and Rory and her family are sent to live elsewhere under semi-assumed names. It's all just a little too much at once. 
And, unfortunately, this was the first of many problems I had with this book. And I HATE saying that because I heart Kate Brian. But Shadowlands and I just didn't seem to click. 
For starters, I never really connected with Rory. I mean, sure, I felt bad for her. She just went through this terrible, traumatic event, she's forced to leave her home and everything familiar for some unknown location, AND she's still being pursued by some whackjob. 
I get it. That majorly sucks. However, it's no excuse to abandon any kind of a personality. And I felt like Rory didn't really have one. Her character just fell flat for me.
In fact, most of the characters seemed one-dimensional. I found that I really didn't care what happened to any of them, I gave less than a shit about their well being, and whenever they seemed to be in perilous danger, I might have actually stifled a yawn.
Which is complete madness because normally Kate Brian is a wiz at character development. Unfortunately, the characters of Shadowlands seemed to be suffering from a terrible case of the blahs though. (Except Olive. She was by far the most likable. I mean, she plays guitar, hates running, and dresses like a vaguely emo Claudia Kishi! Get me a "wild" BFF charm necklace that I can bestow upon her STAT!)
Another problemo I had with this book was its Big Bad. Or rather how the seemingly incompetent FBI "handled" him. Which was incompetently.
I mean, I'm pretty sure if a serial killer was fo sho after you, the FBI wouldn't merely shove you in an SUV and have you rely solely on GPS technology to get you where you're supposed to go.
I'm fairly certain you would be escorted in some fashion to your new location by someone that actually works for the bureau. I would really hope they wouldn't leave something that important up to your dumb ass.
I'm also fairly certain they wouldn't let you keep your first names and simply change your last name. I mean, this "Steven Nell" fellow is supposed to be some kind of criminal genius, having killed at least 14 people and evading the law for years, but he's suddenly gonna get tripped up because you changed your last name from Miller to Thayer?!? Even though you're STILL a family of three comprised of a father named Nick and his two daughters, Rory and Darcy?!? WHAT?!?! No! Just..... no.
So, ok, technically my problem was more with the dum-dum FBI rather than with Steven Nell.
Really as far as Big Bads go, he's not too shabby. In fact, he practically seemed plucked right out of an episode of Criminal Minds. Which is to say, he's a total creep.
Most of the chapters are told from Rory's POV, but a few give us insight into the completely twisted, disturbo mind of Steven Nell. His chapters made me super uncomfortable. It's like that feeling you get when someone's breathing down the back of your neck. *shudders in revulsion*
Ok, so, by this point in the review you're probably thinking, "Damn, bitch! What did you like about this book? According to the Scale of Judgment you gave it a solid 3, which makes it Mildly Amusing. So where's the Mildly Amusing part?!"
Well, calm down, y'all! I'm getting to it.
What I DID like about Shadowlands is that it involved a mystery! I LOVE mysteries! I get super excited when a mystery starts to unravel. I love rustling up suspects, dodging red herrings, examining clues, identifying shady behavior! It gives me such a rush!
However, this mystery was kind of an unsolvable one. Or maybe I'm just an idiot. Either way, I didn't figure out the M. Night Shyamalan-ian twist at the end. I knew something was rotten in Denmark though, so I put on my Nancy Drew cap and got all thinky on this bitch!
Which, sadly, yielded zero results.
I like to think that's not my fault though.
I felt like the book was layered in too much random weirdness: point A not really connecting to point B, and point B only connecting to point C by a very thin, loose thread.
I think Kate Brian layered this book with too many twists and turns but didn't provide the reader with enough lil' bread crumbs to actually figure out what the fuck was going on.
But even though Shadowlands and I didn't totally hit it off, that doesn't mean I'm giving up on this trilogy.
Now that I know what's going on in Juniper Landing (more or less,) I'm hoping all the twists and turns and random weirdness  of the first book will be explained more succinctly in the sequel, HereAfter. (Available October 1st!)
Maybe I can get some of my mystery-solver street cred back. ;)

Swoony Times:

There really aren't any swoony times to be had in this book. And rightfully so. I mean, something super traumatic just happened to Rory. So, of course, she's still raw and vulnerable and scared out of her mind.
Not that that keeps her from noticing the boys Juniper Landing has to offer. I mean, she's still a teenage girl after all.
There's the dark-haired, cocky, popular pretty boy, Joaquin. He immediately takes a liking to Rory even though she totally throws 'I'm just not that into you' vibes his way.
But Darcy is seriously (and somewhat embarrassingly) smitten with him.
Rory's more into Tristan, the mysterious, blond, man-of-few-words type.
Nothing really comes of either coupling, but hey, it is a trilogy. Maybe some major makeout seshes and copious swoony times are on the horizon!

Bonus Shizz:

Nice Digs!
Even though Juniper Landing seems seriously shady, I couldn't help but be taken in by the descriptions of the beachy atmosphere!
Rory and Darcy have a pretty sweet set up; a cozy cottage complete with window seat, winding staircase, floor to ceiling windows and easy access to the beach! I mean, if ya gotta hide out from a psychotic serial killer, it might as well be in a quaint, postcard-perfect beach town, am I right?

Mystery!
From the jump there seems to be something majorly up with the folks of Juniper Landing. I mean, we are almost at Stepford levels of bizarre here. And even with the hundreds of thousands of hours I've logged solving mysteries alongside Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars, Isabel Spellman, and Jessica Fletcher, I couldn't make heads nor tails of what exactly the eff was going on.
So the ending was quite a shock for me.
You bested me this time, Kate Brian, but I'm not willing to give up my magnifying glass just yet. You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be sharpening my skills before the sequel comes out. ;)

Cliffhanger!
I know cliffhangers aren't for everyone. I know there are some people that reach the end, see the cliffhanger, and immediately start f-bombing it up while stomping around their house for like, a week, grumbling under their breath and throwing their hands in the air.
I'm the opposite. I LOVE cliffhangers!
In fact, if I know going in that I'm reading a trilogy or a series, I kinda just expect them.
I like to refer to this as The Alias Effect. If you watched the show (and why wouldn't you? It was AWESOME!) you know why.
If you didn't watch it (I don't know that we can be friends anymore. Especially if you're not at least willing to Netflix that shizz.) Alias pretty much couldn't end an episode with anything other than a cliffhanger. I don't care if it was the third episode of the season or the season finale; they were gonna leave you heart-pounding, mind-blown with maybe a little bit of pee in your pants. Because, with an ending like that, you gotta stick around and see what happens next! JJ Abrams was super crafty like that.
And even though I felt like I was slogging through some portions of this book, Kate Brian reeled me back in with that ending. Guess homegirl knows a thing or two about The Alias Effect herself. 

If You Liked That, Try This:

Private by Kate Brian. 

The Scale of Judgment Says:

...... 3.
A little more mystery, a little less "mysterious island," please.  



******