My Year in Review

Heeeey all! Wow, it has been a while. Sorry about that. To make up for it, I've concocted a rather long "Year in Review" on art, books, and movies. Let's begin.

ART

Below are a few of my works from the past year, in a semi-chronological order. It's a collection of quick sketches, finished works, and the in-betweens, in pencil, charcoal, and watercolour. They actually roll over a bit into early January, but hey, it's still in the past year.

 

 

 

 

Sorry about the red on these--that's what happens, I suppose, when you use sharpies on a later project and don't get a bleed sheet...

for the painting I referenced for this, click here. And check out her other stuff--it's gorgeous.

Top Ten Books of 2013

#1. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky

#2. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

#3. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

#4. Perelandra, C.S. Lewis

#5. Emma, Jane Austen

#6. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

 

#7. Death by Living, N.D. Wilson

#8. The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

#9. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card

#10. Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Top Five Movies of 2013

Perhaps I should clarify that the following are, of course, only those that I made it to the theater for. I wasn't able to see several that looked quite fantastic, such as The Great Gatsby and 12 Years a Slave. But still.

1. Catching Fire
Dang. This movie. The acting was the best I have ever seen in
a YA book-to-movie adaptation, the costume were gorgeous,
the writing was stellar--everything about it was fantastic.
Definitely not a happy movie, but an amazing thought-provoker.

#2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
I loved this movie so much. Oh my heavens. Yeah, Jackson
and Crew took some heavy creative license, but I thought most
of the changes turned out quite well--with, perhaps, the exception
of the golden statue thing. (AND THAT ENDING. I'M STILL MAD.)
And, surprisingly, I actually really liked Tauriel.

#3. Iron Man 3
It's Iron Man. What can I say. Haha. :)

#4. Captain Phillips
This movie was inteeense, brooo. Tom Hanks was not Tom Hanks,
he was Captain Phillips. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
I much prefer these sorts of thrillers to the horror type.

#5. Frozen
It could have been better, but overall, I really liked this one.
Three cheers for familial love saving the day!
And those songs will not get out of my head. ._.

Maybe not technically a movie, so I didn't count it in the "Top 5,"
but it simply has to be on my "year in review."
After all, it's the 50TH ANNIVERSARYYY.

"The Best Things In Life"

Over the past few days, I've been reading "The Best Things In Life" by Peter Kreeft and, so far, I must say it's pretty fantastic. Having read Plato's dialogues, I've found it interesting to compare Kreeft's Socrates with the original. Kreeft's is a much easier and more humorous read, yet retains Socrates' philosophizing-through-questioning, through which he presents many interesting arguments on topics such as careers, marriage, music, and pleasure.
The following is a short excerpt from the chapter "On Rock...and Music."

"Socrates: Hello, Felicia. I told you we'd meet again. What is that strange device you're wearing today? Is it some sort of medical therapy for your ears?
  Felicia: Hi, socrates. Boy, you are out of it! This is my Walkman.
  S: It does not seem to be walking. Nor does it seem to be a man.
  F: I'm listening.
  S: To what?
  F: My rock.
  S: Oh, dear. Perhaps it is more than medical therapy that you need. You think your rock talks to you?
  F: Rock is music, Socrates.
  S: You think your rock songs to you? Am I wrong to take its stony silence for granite?"