The Sorcerer's Apprentice novelization

So, I've read a LOT of novelizations in my time. Some are basically the same film you saw like Toy Story, some have a few deleted scenes here and there like Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl while others differ in very big ways like Buffy the Vampire Slayer based off the original script that Joss Whedon came up with.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice falls in between POTC:COTBP and Buffy. I would love to know who's responsible for this. Was it written like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was? Namely, that the night before a particular scene, the writers are off to the side in a bar, typing with one hand and while nursing a beer with the other because that scene has to be rewritten for some reason. Or was it improvised during filming? Changed during the editing? The personal additions or correcting of the author of the novelization?

I guess I'm going with a little of everything.

First of all, Dave's roommate, Bennett, tells him Happy Birthday which I thought it was in that sarcastic way, but it turns out it wasn't. This, I find strange because his mom doesn't mention it at all. Wouldn't you think she'd be like, "You have the big field trip today so wear clean underwear and Happy Birthday"?
Still, it was clear that he had to have a birthday between writing the report on Napoleon when he was nine and when he drew King Kong on the bus when he was ten.
Geez, getting totally embarrassed in front of the whole class on your birthday...no wonder he had issues.

In the book, Tank is Bennett's dog. I'm glad this was changed. It made for a much cuter passage of time to go from ten year old Dave with Tank in bed to twenty year old Tank with Dave is bed especially since Tank seems to have aged a lot better than Buster in Toy Story 3.

Balthazar knew Tesla. In fact, he was a good friend and fellow Merlinian.

In the book, they tried to explain things a bit more, like the different types of magic, including the Forbidden Domain. It was a little confusing because sometimes they referred to it as a place. However, I liked how this was the main conflict between Merlin and Morgana. Merlin felt Morgana couldn't be trusted with it so she kills him. She proves this skill later but Dave has the same power because he gets to be that bad-ass.



Didn't see the words in the film did ya?

"Take Me Up. Cast Me Away."

The book explains how Dave needs the Ring to learn, but it's like training wheels, eventually, you'll need to ride without them. I also liked the double meaning with the Chrysler Building scene which brings us to the Dave/Becky relationship. In the book, at the end of the Chrysler Building scene, they kiss which I'm not surprised they cut. Bruckheimer films tend to use the Ted and Terry rules regarding the hero couple(s): They can't kiss until the last fifteen minutes.

Becky and Balthazar were both characterized a lot better in the film. In the book, Balthazar comes off kind of mean, insulting Dave more than once especially when it comes to Becky. He even says, "She is way out of your league, by the way."
I'm hoping someone noticed Jay's IMDB profile and was like, Yeah, wecan't use that. Confession time: It's one of the few Jay Baruchel films I haven't seen...but I will...eventually.
Anyway, then you have Becky telling him right before the final battle, "I checked 'friend.' I was wrong."
You know what? Even if you did put "Friend" ten years ago, you never tell HIM that! Especially when the world might be ending in twenty minutes or less? Always, ALWAYS lie or do the even cooler film thing, "I'll tell you afterwards." This proves you have faith in him, otherwise...you come off like a bitch. Becky comes off indifferent and kind of bitchy in the book whereas in the film, she was nice, not as smart as Dave but very accepting of things.

Now, about that ending: No Eagle rescue! No reference back to the Fantasia scene earlier?! Okay, I blame the second on the bookwriter. It feels rushed towards the end.

Another nitpick with the film is that Balthazar says he was going to tell Veronica how he felt and give her the necklace. Now, the ending confirms that she knew all along, but it still felt to me like they were "together" before that. Then, the book has this...

Different flashback scene...
Veronica (looking at necklace for sale): A man is going to take that to his home and, after they finish dinner, before they go to bed, he'll give it to the woman he loves. She'll be surprised. Happy."
Balthazar: You don't think that will ever be us?
Veronica: If we don't fight Morgana, who will?

Aww, definitely feels more like a Girlfriend/Boyfriend scene, plus, otherwise, how would Horvath have found out? Or was it just because Balthazar bought the necklace?

Oh, the book, also had Horvath appearing once more in the final battle to block a shot that would have hurt Veronica...

More about Veronica "She came from a noble family. She ran away because she knew she was different, When Merlin found her, she was starving and half-dead. But she had the gift."

Makes me wonder what background Balthazar and Maxim have...

School Supplies

It's a good thing I'm not in school anymore or I'd want to spend all my money!

My Fiction Book Recommendations

Okay, my fiction/non-fiction book recommendations, based on the assumption that you've read Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Little Women and To Kill a Mockingbird:

Abarat by Clive Barker
I haven't read anything else by him but I love his writing process here. He paints and the stuff he paints becomes a story. All the paintings are included with the prose on very nice, glossy paper. I can't wait for the third one.

Vampirates by Justin Somper
Actually, this borders on juvenile fiction depending on your library, but I'm really enjoying it. It's very reminiscent of the conventional stories about going to sea, but takes place in the 26th century.

Nicholas Flamel Saga by Michael Scott
Oh gosh, I love this. Wizardry and sorcery set in modern times, but amongst regular humans instead of set apart in special areas and the little surprises he comes up with although I must spoil one...yes, William Shakespeare was an apprentice of Flamel...and there is a movie, we'll see how well it does.

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
Yes, I might have a thing for vampires and I love how involved his world is. He's made up so many unique traits for his vampires which is hard to do. If you can tell by reading his work that Tolkien was an addict of words, you can tell by this series that Shan loves studying people and what they do and how it affects everyone else. A big theme of the series is: Do we have a choice in our lives or is everything all planned out already?

the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
It was enjoyable as an action series, but what I really loved was the way ancient Greek mythology was interpreted in a modern way, like if Circe was still around, would she still be turning men into pigs or would she have moved onto more manageable animals?

Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley
The stories were okay, but what I really loved was the format and cover which were phenomenal. There were lots of quotes and extras and the covers are extremely pretty with a see-through window like a kid's picture book.

Georgia Nicolson which is great if you like Bridget Jones. She's basically like a 15 year old Bridget Jones except with less sex and more comedy actually although she tends to complain about geekiness like LOTR and Dr. Who. In that same vein, I also really liked The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell which covers Carrie's senior year in high school and was a lot better than I was expecting...WAY better than that second film and actually made me want to read her other Carrie books.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

This was so good: historical romance set among a struggling circus during the Depression. Not only does she have her facts right and make you feel like you were there, but she does include deeper themes of freedom and how far we're willing to get it. There are some descriptions of animal torture though.

An Unfortunate Series of Events by Lemony Snicket
Yes, this is in the children's section but how many kids are going to get puns like "Virginia Wolfensnake" or a reference to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia being a strict interpreter of the constitution?
Plus, it's fun.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
It's a marvelous tale set in Paris that looks incredibly thick and scary but most of it is lovely pictures so that it feels like a flipbook or movie at times. To see some of the drawings for yourself, go here:
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm With a similar feel is The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi. It also has a lot of pictures but is grounded in a less familiar environment full of magical creatures.

The Black Book of Secrets by FE Higgins
I admit it, I'm drawn to books by their cover and when you spot a book entirely black, including pages, it stands out. The story inside doesn't disappoint either. I read the first three books of this series in less than two days and wanted more immediately: creepy historical with some humor here and there...it has a bit of an Addams feel and I love Addams.

I also love Sherman Alexie, Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams and Sarah Vowell, basically all of their works although the last few from Hornby weren't as good as his earlier work. Plus, I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson, fantastic book about her life traveling the world, photographing every moment, in the early twentieth century when so many people told her that a woman's place was at home.

Oh, I also enjoyed The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger which is similar in feel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid but Star Wars oriented and if you like dinosaurs, you have to read Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton. I enjoyed the indepth analysis of animal behaviour in the second one. Also, try The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Plus, everyone should read at least one book by Jane Austen as well as the Sherlock Holmes series.

The Little Things

A couple of weeks ago, I was in one of those moods. It seemed like nothing was the way it should be and my mom trying to tell me it was one of those things everyone goes through and it would all work out in the end didn't help either. Then, we arrived at Animal Kingdom and this appears in the sky.




Yep, I totally got the message.

Swimming

There is a very important skill for everyone to learn:

SWIMMING

Did you know that the two groups at highest risk of drowning are those under five and those aged 15-25?

Those 15-25 have the second highest chance of drowning. 8,000 people die every year from drowning but you don't have to be one of them.

Learn to swim! This is so important but there are adults who don't know how to swim. It's estimated that almost 70% of Black children and 40% of whites have inadequate swimming skills. You might think you don't need to know how because you don't have kids or live near water, but you really never know: flash floods can and DO happen!

It's not expensive. You can contact your local YMCA, community center or pool and most will offer classes for a nominal fee that could even be reduced or free depending on your income.

I don't want this to ever happen to anyone else.
Six teens drown while their family watched helpless because no one could swim to save them