Snippets from The 2011 Junior Book Crew Part 2

*If you are having difficulty reading any of the essays simply click on the image for a clearer view :)

As per my blog entry on May 18, here is my promised follow up entry to the reviews created by the 2011 batch of the Junior Book Crew.

To reiterate: "the Fully Booked Zine's editor-in-chief gave several of them an exercise, which had to do with being able to write with integrity and honesty, and being able to find something positive in a book that they would not ordinarily pick up from the shelves. They were instructed to be as truthful as possible. The idea was to choose something from their favorite genre, but on a topic they weren't too fond of."
Expect a lot of honesty from this batch of reviews.

Funnily enough, my favorite one is a review on one of the Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lingren. I adore Pippi Longstocking, so why then do I say "funnily enough?"

Well, the reviewer didn't feel the same way. In fact, I could say the reviewer loathes Pippi as much as I love her! Nonetheless "Adrena Lynn's" review was so well-written and so honest that it made me laugh until my sides ached! Since Adrena used a pen name, I will keep her identity secret. Here it is in all its glorious candor:

The next review is by Kirstein Gail Sese, also known as Spring. Spring was not familiar with Tintin until the day she was asked to review Tintin in Tibet by Herge and although she loves children's books she isn't too fond of adventure stories. (Speaking of Tintin, I can't wait for the film adaptation of Secret of the  Unicorn, which is supposed to come out in December 2011)

Spring's essay was very brief, but that isn't to say that it didn't effectively convey how she truly felt about the book. Her review is an example of concise writing. Straight to the point, without frills, but well-written. If you think about it, dailies and publications like Time and Newsweek employ the same kind of writing. They get straight to the point and avoid "unnecessary" details, which lead readers far away from the actual point. Well done, Spring!

The next review is on a compilation of one of my favorite authors Edgar Allan Poe. This review is by Jamiya Doreen Umali (age 15), called Jamie by her friends and family. The editor of the Fully Booked Zine told me that she was pleased to discover that Jamie loves reading classics.

Actually, Jamie is the only one of eight who participated in this writing exercise who professed a love for classic literature. She cited Jane Austen as one of her favorites and horror as one of her least favorite genres. Jamie gamely agreed to read chilling tales written by one of the greatest masters of the macabre, and came up with this essay. For someone who said she didn't really like the horror genre, her essay show that her love for literature and open mind are far greater than her distaste for the genre.

 

The last review is by Daniel Gabriel (age 16). Daniel is a movie buff, but isn't much of a science fiction lover so he was assigned to review the Star Trek Encyclopedia. 

Here is his review, which very neatly points out the longstanding rivalry between Star Trek and Star Wars--even if he's not a fan to begin with, he makes a commendable effort to inform readers on the merits of the book, and why it will appeal to fans and newbies alike. Bravo, Daniel!

THE RING COULD CHOOSE YOU...

Today is the day the highly anticipated Green Lantern movie begins screening in Philippine theaters! Although I'm not a hardcore Green Lantern fan, seeing the trailer made me decide that this is one movie I'm not going to miss. The special effects look great, and I've always found Ryan Reynolds cool, beginning when I first "really" noticed him as George Lutz in the Amityville Horror remake in 2005 (I didn't like that movie much though). 

Trailer 2



Before I go on, Fully Booked has an awesome Green Lantern promo going:

Pretty cool, huh? All you have to do is buy ANY DC Comics Graphic novel, and you're entitled to a raffle stub for a chance to win an awesome Green Lantern t-shirt or poster! Here are the complete mechanics:

Basically, the movie centers on Hal Jordan, who is the second Green Lantern. Alan Scott was first. Before Ryan Reynolds was CHOSEN, there were a couple of Hal Jordan wannabes up for the role, and one of these was Justin Timberlake. I never thought he would be a good actor until I saw The Social Network where he plays bad boy Napster mastermind Sean Parker. Some people joked that maybe he was good because he was actually playing himself though I suspended all judgement since I don't know the guy personally.

Jared Leto was also a contender and so was Brian Austin Green (you probably remember him from Beverly Hills 90210). Green is actually a genuine Green Lantern fan.

This is what Hal Jordan actually looks like in comics:     

Art from the cover to Green Lantern: Rebirth hardcover collection, by Ethan Van Sciver. (2007) from Wikipedia.com

I think Ryan Reynolds is a pretty close match though so is Brian Austin Green in terms of looks (a mask does wonders). However, Green's geeky voice as David Silver in Beverly Hills 90210 is sending alarm signals to my brain. Hopefully, they made the right choice as some hardcore fans out there will be shaking their fists at the injustice of it all. (This is how I felt when they cast Charlize Theron as Aeon Flux. I think she's awesome but for me she just wasn't Aeon Flux material. I was rooting for Famke Janssen! Arg.)

Something else worth knowing is that Geoff Johns, the writer behind several Green Lantern graphic novels (he's done The Flash too) like Green Lantern: Blackest Night and Green Lantern Corps: Recharge is credited as a creative consultant for the Green Lantern movie. This makes me actually want to watch the film all the more as I'm certain that having him on board seals the deal in terms of loyalty to the whole Green Lantern concept.

Another thing I didn't know is that Supe (a.k.a. the Man of Steel) was suppose to make a small appearance. They sliced him out—scared he would steal the show.

Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs) was considered for direction (I wonder how true that is though). I am so curious how that would've panned out though I really loved Casino Royale so "Go, Martin Campbell!"

I am currently reading Green Lantern: Agent Orange, which is pretty much the prequel to Blackest Night. So far, it seems pretty good, but since I haven't finished it yet, I'll have to form a concrete opinion after I'm done. It basically revolves around ol' Hal looking for the Orange Lantern. Something I can definitely say is that Philip Tan did a bang-up job. Awesome stuff!

 
Gonna catch this movie soon! Let me know what you guys think when you're through watching it. I'm especially curious how Green Lantern fans will feel.  Happy long weekend everyone!