And now for something completely different…

I thought I’d take a break from my reviews and make a post about something completely unrelated.

Today is one of celebration and commiseration, tears of joy and tears of disappointment; Results Day. I honestly have no idea how well I’ve done this year. There have been a lot of ups and downs in regards to studying. Hopefully more ups than downs, but again, I’m not entirely certain. If the coursework results I’ve had back so far are anything to go by, I’ve managed a 2-1. I’d be happy with that, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.

It’s also that time of year where I’m sure every student tells themselves “I’ll try harder next year.” I know I do. I plan everything out in my head. “I’ll do this many hours of studying a day. I’ll read  x amount of critical work per week. I’ll finish all my coursework at least so many days before the deadline.” Then the new year arrives. I start out with good intentions, do some wider reading, I’m really interested in the course. Then a couple of weeks in it wanes. As the work begins to pile up I’m less motivated to do it. But this year, I’ll try harder. Really.

But I’m rambling. Back to results. It’s the exams I’m worried about. At the time I felt good about what I’d written, but now I’m having doubts. I’m sure it’s just nerves talking. I hate exams. I don’t see the point in them at all.

[/rant]

They really don’t represent the capabilities of anybody. Being asked to write about at least five texts in three hours without referring to them is unrealistic. Not only do we have to remember relevant quotes from the texts themselves, but also relevant critics. And the topics are completely unknown. True, we can guess what kinds of themes will crop up in exams, but it’s still asking a lot. In what real life situation am I ever going to have to write about a text where I can’t have access to it and therefore have to do it all in three hours from memory. That’s all exams are; memory tests. I’ve never learnt anything during an exam. It’s just regurgitation.

I much prefer coursework. I don’t mind the extra work it involves since I can take my time over it. I can read extra things to fill gaps in my knowledge, or build on what I already know. I can revise what I’ve written to make sure it’s the best way to put what I’m trying to say. I actually learn things when I write essays that I didn’t know before writing them. Exams don’t offer that.

[/end rant]

With that off my chest, I’m leaving in ten minutes to collect my results. Wish me luck!

Film Review: Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Before I went to go see Alice in Wonderland this week I’d heard a few mixed thoughts about the film. Some enjoyed it, whereas some didn’t. I fall in the middle of these groups.

Disney's Alice in Wonderland

The film was entertaining, as any film should be, but it did have a few pitfalls. Some people disliked the plot. I disagree, though I do accept that it’s a generic fantasy plot, and the ending left a little to be desired. But I enjoyed the path the characters took, and especially enjoyed the manipulation of the source material into something new.

The main problem with Alice in Wonderland was the scripting. Lines from the books and the 1951 animated film were thrown in at random, apparently just in an effort to include them. I forget how many times the Mad Hatter asked, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”, and there is an instant near the start of the film where Alice suggests painting white roses red in a throwaway remark that just didn’t fit.

The script even brought down the quality of the all-star cast. Every time any character spoke, it felt contrived and unnatural, and it felt that not only was Tim Burton attempting to include a long list of brilliant actors, but he was also trying to include as many characters from the book as possible, despite their miniscule roles. Examples are the Dodo, Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee, the Dormouse, and the Jub-Jub bird. Johnny Depp was, as usual, a pleasure to watch. His makeup and costume were amazing, but even he couldn’t avoid the problems the script presented.

I think my favourite actor and character was Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. She was whimsical, airy, parody of her own character, and I found it really entertaining. As I watched, I could help thinking that it must have been immense fun to play the part.

My least favourite character and actor was Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska. Her voice was dull and I didn’t feel any emotion for or from Alice. Wasikowska and Depp had no chemistry between them, despite the apparent attempt at setting up a romance between the Mad Hatter and Alice. I have nothing against finding unknowns to play leading roles, but please make sure they can live up to the part.

Overall, the film was good. I wouldn’t say it was amazing, since it could have been much better. The visuals were stunning and very typical of Tim Burton (even down to the spirals), the costumes were great, it had a real who’s-who cast, the story was entertaining, and some of the interpretations were rather clever. It was only a shame that the film was brought down by the script and Alice. I’d still recommend seeing it. Even if it was much worse than it is, I don’t think a Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland should be missed by anybody.

Nearing the End

It’s Wednesday, and the last week of the semester. That means it’s the last week of lectures for my second year at university. I have no idea where the time’s gone.

I handed in my creative writing assignment this morning. We had to select a text and edit it, along with annotated notes and an analysis of why we did what we did. It was quite an enjoyable assignment. Since it’s what I wouldn’t mind doing as a career in the future, it was good practise and it was fun (well, as fun as far as coursework goes). I also got the formative essay I wrote for Victorian and Decadent Literature back today. I got 68, which is nearly a First. I’ve been given some good advice on how to improve, so hopefully I’ll be prepared for the exams in May!

Now I need to concentrate on revising for my French oral exam on Friday. It’s only my MOMD (Module Outside Main Discipline), but it still counts for 20 credits, so I hope I’ll do well. And after that, revision time! I finish exams before the end of May, which is great, and my exams are nicely spread out.

This afternoon I’m going to go and see Alice in Wonderland with the two greatest people ever. I may or may not write a review on it, depending on how strong an opinion I have on it. I’ve heard mixed things about it, and I’m worried that I’ll be disappointed. But I’ll go in with an open mind and have fun.

I wrote this post mainly because I noticed I hadn’t updated the blog for a couple of weeks. My life’s been pretty busy recently, and so I haven’t had much time to read for fun, hence no reviews for a while. I’m about 150 pages from the end of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, though, so expect a review soon!

Confidence in My Abilities

I’m in a brilliant mood today.

Not only is sunshine filling my room, but I got my results back from my Creative Writing assignment, and they were better than I had expected.

I know that I could have worked a lot harder on my portfolio than I did, but at the time I was very stressed and just wanted to get it out of the way. At most I was expecting a low 2-1.

However, when I looked at the results sheet, it said I got 70%, which means I got a First! True, it’s right on the border, but still, a First is a First. I was shaking with excitement when I left the office.

I’ve read through the feedback, and it only served to boost my confidence further. The poetry lecturer here is Luke Kennard, a very talented young poet who’s been published a fair few times. It was really encouraging to know that he thinks my poetry was strong and effective. I was also happy with the comments on my prose, and it makes me realise that I do have a reasonable amount of creative talent.

Now I know what I can do when I only put in what’s required, I’ll try to over-achieve from now on. If all goes well, I’ll be graduating with a First!

Am I getting ahead of myself? No, it’s just ambition. Yay!

Nanowri-FAIL, and November in General

Well, it doesn’t come as much as a surprise, to be honest. I had a very productive weekend when I started Nano, but on the Tuesday after I stopped writing. The workload this month has been just too heavy to even write a few measly words for a novel. I think it’s something I can use in the future, and the opening of it is something I’m using as part of my creative writing assignment.

Ho hum. Next year, maybe. Or perhaps not. I imagine I’ll be in dissertation mode next year. The year after then. When I’m in a job, and have spare time at home without homework. I’m looking forward to a life where I can leave work at work, and make my time spent at home spent living (ie: eating, washing, housework, shopping, and [hopefully] relaxing).

It’s close to the end of November now, which is very scary. Christmas is now officially less than a month away. I’m going shopping with my family tomorrow, which I’m looking forward to, but it doesn’t make the impending doom of Christmas and the end of this semester any easier to accept. I just don’t understand where the time’s gone. November has vanished in a blur of essays, family flying in from the States, and illness.

Anyway, I’ll be posting another post later this evening. I’ve nearly finished a book (shock horror!). I’ve had so little time to read stuff I want to, and even this book is one I bought primarily for my course. But it’s good so I’ll write about it. And perhaps I’ll write a review of Pamela to vent my frustration as well.

Adios, amigos!