Posts tagged with fairytales
Ugly but true
If you enjoyed the 2012 cinematic hot mess Snow White and the Huntsman, there's been some fascinating—and probably accurate—speculation about the future of the series posted at LaineyGossip...
Princess of Thorns, by Stacey Jay
Stacey Jay's first two novels had plot holes the size of the Grand Canyon, and my hopes for her future efforts were not high. Her third book—a sci-fi retelling of Beauty and the Beast—was much more successful, and her latest effort...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Princess of Thorns, by Stacey Jay
This week's Book Giveaway is Princess of Thorns, the latest book from popular YA author Stacey Jay. I've complained about every single one of Jay's novels, but her last book was a massive improvement...
Happily ever after?
The trailer is out for Disney's upcoming version of Into the Woods. I legit don't understand this movie. If the rumors are true, they're taking out a lot of the depressing bits...
Ah, Stockholm Syndrome...
According to Variety, Disney has hired Bill Condon (of Dreamgirls and both Twilight: Breaking Dawn films) to direct a live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. This seems like a verrrry bad idea...
The Mirk and Midnight Hour, by Jane Nickerson
When I saw the press notes for Jane Nickerson's The Mirk and Midnight Hour, which describe the book as a "haunting love story and suspenseful thriller" inspired by the Tam Lin fairytale, I applauded the author's ambition. She was taking a risk: Tam Lin doesn't have the universal appeal of, say, Cinderella, plus there are already two extremely well-regarded YA versions out there...
The Glass Casket, by McCormick Templeman
McCormick Templeman's novel The Glass Casket swipes most of its most memorable images from various classic fairytales: twin rose bushes, a girl in a red cloak, the titular glass casket. The rest of the story feels equally cobbled together, resulting in an ambitious but flawed mash-up of horror, romance, and magic...
Of Beast and Beauty, by Stacey Jay
Of Beast and Beauty, Stacey Jay's horror/fantasy/sci-fi retelling of the Beauty and the Beast myth, takes its fair share of missteps. The story's mythology is murky, the ending felt rushed, and several of Jay's attempts at poetic descriptive passages sound like something written by an overwrought seventh grader, but I must give credit where credit is due: this is a huge, huge improvement over her previous two books...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Of Beast and Beauty, by Stacey Jay
We weren't impressed by her earlier two books, but we're giving Stacey Jay another chance: her novel Of Beast and Beauty is our current Book Giveaway pick. Our hopes are not high, frankly, but if you're curious about the story at least the price would be right...
Ironic casting?
I can't stand Kenneth Branagh, but THR informs me that Helena Bonham Carter is going to play the fairy godmother in his upcoming adaptation of Cinderella, which I am now obliged to see. The movie will also feature Lily James in the title role (no one cares) and Cate Blanchett as the wicked stepmother. I like Blanchett, but I find the idea of Bonham Carter...
Strands of Bronze and Gold, by Jane Nickerson
In case you were wondering, we didn't actually plan on reviewing two books about twisted relationships between hyper-controlling men and vulnerable young girls this week. This pairing was pure serendipity—creepy serendipity, if that's not a contradiction in terms.
Set in the antebellum South, Jane Nickerson's Strands of Bronze and Gold...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Strands of Bronze and Gold, by Jane Nickerson
This week's Book Giveaway title is Jane Nickerson's Bluebeard retelling Strands of Bronze and Gold. We're planning to review Ms. Nickerson's book tomorrow, along with Wendy Moore's historical nonfiction title How To Create the Perfect Wife. Sadly, the two stories have more in common than you'd think...
The high-end equivalent of a stuffed-animal backpack
While reading the always-entertaining Tom and Lorenzo site, I ran across this collection of Charlotte Olympia shoes, which were apparently inspired by fairy tales...
Two Pinocchios? Why would you want even one?
Last week, NPR posted a helpful round-up of the many current and recent film projects inspired by fairy-tales, ranging from Red Riding Hood to the nine(!) Oz movies currently in the works...
Shopping (for myself)
I've decided to request one of these gender-swapped fairy tale prints from artist Yudi Chen for Valentine's Day. Pretty adorable, huh? I'm leaning towards the "Tarzana and John" one...
Reworking Cinderella
I didn't even realize Disney was making a "revisionist" film version of Cinderella, but apparently the movie is running into problems. Cate Blanchett is still on board as the wicked stepmother, but director Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) has left, allegedly due to "differing views on how to tell the story" between him and the studio...
Cinderella, vastly improved
The always-delightful webcomic Hark! A Vagrant recently re-interpreted Cinderella, and the results are glorious. I hope this is the beginning of an entire series of reworked fairytales...
"Looks promising" is a stretch, but...
The trailer is out for the upcoming movie adaptation of the fairytale Jack the Giant Killer. It looks like the kind of CGI extravaganza I usually avoid, but I like both the cast (Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, and Bill Nighy) and the director (all the non-crappy X-Men movies' Bryan Singer)...
Fairy tales revisited
Slate recently posted an in-depth review of Philip Pullman's new retelling of fifty classic fairy tales, Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, which was written in honor of the tales' 200th anniversary. I'm totally going to buy this book (I love fairy tales), but...
Hansel and Gretel: now with more leather corsets
The trailer is out for the upcoming Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters movie, and it looks truly, impressively terrible. I'm not sure if it will be terrible in a fun Underworld kind of way, or just straight-up terrible in an embarrassingly hokey Van Helsing kind of way, but let's face it: I'll probably see it regardless...
Another (non-princess) princess movie
The rumor that Disney was giving up on princess movies was apparently untrue: according to DisneyFandom.net, the studio is planning to release a film inspired by The Snow Queen in 2013...
80s TV revival?
According to a THR interview with the lead actors, the CW's upcoming Beauty and the Beast adaptation is "close" to the late-80s CBS TV series of the same name, but with some sci-fi (the Beast is the product of a military experiment gone wrong) and police procedural elements (Beauty's a cop) tossed in....
Cinderella goes a little Vegas
Shoe designer Christian Louboutin has created a new (and non-glass) version of Cinderella's famous slipper. The shoe, which won't be available for mass sale, was created in honor of the upcoming Blu-ray release of Disney's Cinderella, and 20 pairs will be given away world-wide this fall. I'm unclear as to how, exactly, the recipients will be chosen...
Sorry, Nordic Ware
Baking Bites gave this Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "cakelet" pan a good review, but I find it straight-up disturbing.
Less is more
I love these: artist Rowan Stocks-Moore has created new, elegantly stripped-down posters for several of Disney's fairytale adaptations, including this absolutely awesome-looking image for Peter Pan. You can see a slideshow of his efforts over on Flavorwire, or check out his Etsy shop, where his prints are available for a mere $20 apiece.
A "kid" movie, appropriate for actual kids?
I thought the trailers looked God-awful, but the response to Mirror Mirror is actually mixed, and includes several downright glowing reviews from some very respectable sources...
Maybe less terrible?
Speaking of upcoming movies, they've also unleashed an "Extended Sneak Peek" trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman. I'm on board with the fight scenes and magic and all, but less sold on the whole "inner beauty" nonsense...
Snow White, by the Brothers Grimm and Camille Rose Garcia
Somebody took a lot of time and trouble to get the Camille Rose Garcia edition of the Brothers Grimm version of Snow White exactly right. The fonts are gorgeous, the page layout is exquisite, and Garcia's elaborate, swirling illustrations are displayed to their best advantage. Unfortunately, Snow White isn't one of those stories that holds up to close examination...
New-old stories
According to the Guardian, 500 "new" fairytales were recently discovered in an archive in Regensburg, Germany, where they had been stored for over 150 years. The stories are part of the collection of folklore gathered during the mid-19th century by historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth in the Bavarian region of Oberpfalz...