Iron Man 3

My Rating: 3/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Kids-In-Mind: 3.7.4

I'm a bit conflicted about this movie. There were several things I liked and several things I didn't. It was definitely very exciting, but therein lies it's downfall (in my opinion). To me it seemed like the action sequences often overwhelmed the plot. There were some good slow introspective moments, but I would have liked to see more. One problem I have with Iron Man is that I simply don't understand his character's motivations. It's one thing to have a complicated character, but it's nice to at least to know where they're coming from. I've understood a lot of villains more than I do Tony Stark. I think the distance this creates between character and viewer detracts from the movie. Granted, this one did show Tony as more vulnerable than the other two, with him frequently left in danger without a working suit, but I think they should have taken this even farther and showed better what was going through his head. The beginning of the movie actually did a pretty good job of showing Tony's state of mind, but as the movie progressed it got more and more confusing. The end bothered me most of all, and not just because I don't get what's going on in Tony's head. Mostly it just seemed too easy to me. (Spoilers here.) Both Pepper getting miraculously cured and Tony getting the shrapnel taken out of his chest seemed rather improbable. It was also rather unclear to me where his character is headed now. It seems that, by blowing up his suits and getting the shrapnel taken out of his chest, he is moving away from his identity as Iron Man, but the last line of the movie is "I am Iron Man." Obviously this is supposed to be ambiguous and interesting, but I just didn't get it. People who understand Iron Man better than me will (and apparently do) love this movie, but honestly it sailed right over my head.

The Beyonders

My Rating: 3/5

Goodreads: 4.34

I just finished this series a couple days ago. Overall, I was pretty impressed. I liked it a lot better than the Fablehaven series, mostly because it was a lot more original. The world of Lyrian and the different creatures were quite fascinating. The characters could use a little more depth, but even though I couldn't relate to them as much as I like to, they were likeable enough that I could get into their story. I was a bit surprised that I didn't mind the shift between points of view in the last book, because I usually don't like that when I'm attached to the main characters. In this case, however, it worked, since the lack of attachment I had to the main characters allowed me to care more about the other characters. This did turn out to be a bit of a bad thing due to the number of characters that died in the end, but at least I cared that they died (if that makes sense.) If you like children's fantasy, this might be a little intense for you. I'd say this is more of a teen series, despite the young age of the two main characters. It's pretty epic, but not quite as epic as a lot of adult fantasy novels (particularly Brandon Sanderson's). I'd say it's worth a read, even though it's not necessarily on my favorites list.

The Power of Fantasy

I once did a research paper on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I realized then how fantasy can easily be underestimated. It is often dismissed as fluff or escapism by those who read more "serious" fiction. But I believe fantasy can be incredibly applicable to real life and influential for those who read it. While the "classics" are all well and good, their influence is somewhat limited because they are targeted towards a specific audience (often academics). Most fantasy, on the other hand, is directed towards anyone with a long enough attention span to read it. The best fantasy, therefore, is both entertaining for most people and applicable. With the original worlds and cultures of fantasy books, the characters need to be more human in order to give the reader something to relate to. And the more relatable the characters, the easier it is (for me at least) to really delve into the story and find something personally relevant in it. My problem with many of the classics is that the characters are so alien even if the setting and plot are more realistic. So fantasy really has an advantage because the characters have to be "real" enough to hold the reader's interest. And simply because it's more interesting. Simply put, good fantasy is powerful because it can engage the reader's mind with the new worlds and magic systems but still feel real with realistic characters, even if they are facing unrealistic problems.

Children's Books: My Favorites

After my rant about how awesome children's books are (see the post "On the Virtues of Children's Books"), I thought I might give a list of my favorite series/books. I'll try to keep them in the order of most favorite to least favorite, but it does tend to change a lot. These are either books I've loved since childhood or that I've discovered more recently and really enjoyed.

1. Septimus Heap by Angie Sage
2. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
3. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
4. Alcatraz Smedry by Brandon Sanderson
5. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones
6. The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas
7. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling 
8. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
9. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
10. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

I could go on, but these are all great books if you like children's fantasy. I've obsessively reread most of these, and I will probably go on obsessively reading them as I get older.

Clara

So I've finally decided what I think of the new Doctor Who companion, Clara. It took me a while because at first (in "The Asylum of the Daleks") she reminded me way too much of Amy, who I was never very fond of. But after watching up to "The Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS," I think she's a much more interesting character than Amy. And not just because of the whole dying-over-and-over again thing either. Unlike most of the Doctor Who companions, she actually seems to understand that being with the Doctor is more than just an adventure, it's dangerous. In the episode "Hide" her willingness to wait instead of following the Doctor into danger and causing more problems (as Amy would) shows that she is a more mature character who looks before she leaps. I find this an admirable trait. While recklessness and courage are fun in the right time and place, too much of it gets annoying. Clara's hesitation to throw herself into danger shows intelligence which is balanced out by her curiosity. As seen in "The Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" (spoilers ahead), Clara has enough intelligence and curiosity to do something none of the other companions have done: look for and find the Doctor's name. Even though she does not remember it, the fact that she was able to find it in the first place shows that she is unique among the Doctor's companions. I look forward to seeing what happens with her. She may soon be my second favorite companion after Donna.