Sorting Hat: Aurora and Diaval

Last post I covered both Maleficent and Stefan. This post will tie up the whole Maleficent 2014 characters.

Aurora: Hufflepuff

Aurora embodies the Hufflepuff house in almost every way. The first quality that comes off the bat is her kind heart to almost everyone around her, even to those who are least deserving of it. She is loyal to her friends and family, even when they wronged her like Maleficent. Maleficent cursed her and has done terrible things after Stefan stole her wings, but Aurora sees past all of that. True Aurora ran from her when she learned the truth, but when Maleficent rescued her, she stood by the fairy's side. She is ready to work hard to help those she cares about.

Diaval: Ravenclaw

Diaval was more difficult for me to sort. I felt he could go either way between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. He like Aurora has a side of loyalty, but he does seem to understand or see things in ways that others often do not. He is able to tell that Maleficent's heart may not fully desire to see her curse on Aurora come to fulfillment, even when she does not see it herself right away. Maleficent finds him annoying when his wits and logical reasoning eat at her mind because she knows he has some fair points. Of course him being a raven, helps him being sorted into Ravenclaw.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Angela's Fireside Common Room: Sorting Hat: Maleficent and Stefan

Angela's Fireside Common Room: Sorting Hat: Maleficent and Stefan: It has been a while, but I had been meaning to this. So the Hogwarts houses in Harry Potter has really been helping us fans out with trying ...

Sorting Hat: Maleficent and Stefan

It has been a while, but I had been meaning to this. So the Hogwarts houses in Harry Potter has really been helping us fans out with trying to pin down other characters and even ourselves and the people around us into a house. So I will start this thing called Sorting Hat. I will express my views on which house certain characters from many books, films, and TV shows belong in. Today I will start with characters from Disney's Maleficent 2014.

Maleficent: Gryffindor

Maleficent of 2014 belongs in Gryffindor House. I know many of you would think Slytherin, but here is why I believe she is more a Gryffindor than a Slytherin. Slytherins are known to be cunning and ambitious. They put their desires before others. Maleficent has done some terrible things like curse a baby and terrorize the soldiers with her fiery thorn walls. She does these things without thought and without even planning it. Everything she did was whatever she wanted to do at the moment. Her desire is to simply protect her homeland: the moors. She has no ambition and not a lot of subtlety. She is ready to die to save Aurora and the Moors. This is why I think she is true Gryffindor at heart.

Stefan: Slytherin

Stefan is a Slytherin and I don't think there is much argument here. It is clear to me that Stefan is a Slytherin because he is cunning and manipulative. He also has ambition to be a king and he will do whatever it takes to become one. This he achieves by tricking his friend Maleficent into drinking a sleeping potion and takes her wings. After Maleficent's bold move on Aurora, Stefan plans out how he will defeat Maleficent. He his patient and cunning. He is ready to sacrifice his friends and later even his own wife for the sake of becoming king and defeating Maleficent.

If you don't agree with me then let me know? Make your case in the comments below. Remember to keep things civil and be respectful of other people's opinions.

Review: Alice Through the Looking Glass

Like most films, this Alice sequel is no exception to mixed reviews. I saw it last night and I have even read the book version of it. I personally enjoyed it. WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!.

Overall I liked it. It had great visuals, strong female characters, and great morals and themes. The only downsides was that I wish there were some more Alice and White Queen moments or at least Alice, White Queen, and Red Queen moments too. They both didn't come to say good bye to Alice in the end. Red Queen had yet to ask for forgiveness from Alice. I always enjoy interesting frienemy bonds.

I loved the themes of the story. There were generally or roughly three. Time, Family, and Gender Equality. Alice returns to London as sea captain, a modern woman, which many of the people of London disapprove of at this time period (1800s). Hamish is the enemy in the real world and Alice shocks both him, her mother Helen, and most of the people of London with her amazing feats, costume, and more. In Underland, she has agency and power to help her friends and possibly change the course of time.

Time is another theme being played and this carries out the dangers of messing with time as equally as they carry out the gifts and lessons of time itself.

Through this particular journey, Alice learns not only the value of time, but the value of family too. There are three central family dynamics in this sequel: Alice and Helen, Mirana and Iracebeth, and our favorite Mad Hatter Tarrant and his father Zanik. As Alice works through helping Tarrant and Mirana find peace and love within their own family, she learns to value her own relationship with her mother Helen.

It is a great sequel, a little more mild in terms of tone, but I still enjoyed it. What did you think about this film?

It is Not Wise to be Late for Tea

Time to pull out the teapots, teacups, saucers, sandwiches, tarts, and all things to go with tea. Alice Through the Looking Glass hits theaters today. So I am sure many of you Alice fans are holding quite a party. Most likely a tea party.

When it comes to parties or anything where a theme can be incorporated my imagination really takes flight and I look forward to bringing those creative ideas to life and for everyone else to get a good kick out of it.

Many films and books really like to makes want to feel like we were actually there. Many things can do this, like setting, colors, symbols, clothing, activities, and of course food.

Alice stories are known to revolve around tea parties, which would mean it would be typical tea party dishes like finger sandwiches, cheese and crackers, and small tasty sweets like scones, tarts, macaroons if it is the French, and all the other delicious tea party treats.

The setting can also have a good influence on the food choices. The Alice books and the Alice films have their setting in the UK. Wonderland is not in the UK, but it has been created through the influence and inspiration of British culture. So for a British tea party, macaroons may not be on the list, but you could if you want to expand it to other European countries. (There's no harm) So the list will be made up of British treats like scones.

Sometimes in many stories like these there are foods that are pulled out from the story themselves. Alice finds cakes that say "eat me" and drinks that say "drink me". These can easily be incorporated. Have tiny cakes that say "eat me" and attach "drink me" labels to bottles of water or something.

The films have used up the colors of purple and white, which can added to your party. Also for music can be the soundtracks of the films and/or songs inspired by Alice's adventures.

Share your cool ideas of Alice themed parties or anything else that you've done with Alice being the central theme. We will see how far down this rabbit hole goes, just remember time is running out to prepare and you don't want to be late for tea. The white rabbit and time himself will not be pleased with you or else it could be "off with your head" for you.

Book vs. Film

Disney's sequel to Alice in Wonderland (2010), Alice Through the Looking Glass is to be released this coming Friday. Many people know that these versions do not follow Lewis Carroll's story blindly. Actually no film ever follows their book a 100%.

Growing up with Harry Potter, Narnia, and many other wonderful fantasy series, I have seen many of them acquire film versions. Like many of my fellow fans, I walked out of the theater mostly disappointed, but there are a few times I walked out really liking it. Then there are some that are in the middle.

Now my view on them have changed. Here a couple of things I have learned:

1. A film cannot follow the book page to page, otherwise we would have a hundred hour film.

2. Films are another platform to tell stories, but they are very different from books from how things are told to the emotions they wish to bring to the surface.

Why I didn't like certain versions? Well, that is obvious because most fans enter the theater and leave disappointed because it was nothing close to the book. Some filmmakers view that when an author signs off their work to become films they believe that the film is the filmmakers' story now, not the author's. In meaning, the filmmakers can do whatever they want with it.

I don't believe that. Films are just film version of the book they were adapted from. It is another way of telling the same story. I am not saying they don't have creative rights to do what they please, but they have the rights to tell the story in a way that will get across to the audience better in terms of film.

One example of this is in Golden Compass. The Gyptians told Lyra that Mrs. Coulter was her mother. Plot twist is revealed, but I would have liked some realization moments and some moments of bonding between the two when they know the other knows the truth. In the film, they let Mrs. Coulter tell Lyra providing a stronger emotional plot twist like in Star Wars V with Vader revealing he is Luke's father.

I have just mentioned a reason why I like some films. Another reason is that some films actually do a very good job in telling the author's story like Twilight (Not a fan, but it makes a point), first three Harry Potter films, and Narnia 1 film. I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them at the moment.

Also some I have just found better then their books like Stardust and Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Books and films are very different ways of telling stories. Books are a little more lenient into adding on to the story with more detailed moments that may not have huge merits to the overall plot, but simply provide amusement or world building. Films cannot do this. They have to take things out to make it into a two hour film or in Peter Jackson's case three hours.

Sometimes a book can tell a story that doesn't have a plot that is fine for a book, but for films. For example Voyage of the Dawn Treader as a book tells a sea voyage adventure looking for the seven lost lords, but as a film this maybe a bit boring and it starts dragging. So they add the seven swords and a green mist villain to make it more interesting. The religious fable Noah's Ark was turned into a movie. People complained because of all this excessive stuff for the sake of drama. The original story as valuable as it is, is just too short to be a film. It needs more to make it a movie and to be interesting. It didn't sacrifice the principles of the story, but just had to add more for the sake of Hollywood.

Film versions must also cater to non-readers as well. Non-readers tend to enjoy film versions that the readers do. Sometimes we must look at the film as is and what they tried to do with the material they had. I tend appreciate the film as is, even though I dislike the various off points it had from the book. Filmmakers should find a way to cater to both non-readers and readers equally.

These are my thoughts on the matter. I hope it has brought some new light to your views on books and films. If not then you are welcome to share your thoughts and I will be happy to respond. Just keep in mind that we are all entitled to our own opinion and I don't want strong negativity against each other. This is supposed to be a friendly conversation. Let the conversation commence:

Welcome!

This is Angela from the Angela's Treenook Blog. That particular blog is for my writing experience alone. This blog is to simply talk. I have been a born a thinker. I think and think. Well, too much thinking. Most of my thinking can range from party planning to underlying themes in a book or film. I often wish to talk to people about them and so I thought that blogging is the best way to do that.

I don't need responses, but responses is great that is what gets good conversations going.

This will help keep those eyeing my treenook blog with disappointment to the lack of progress and news can come here to keep in touch. This will also get my thoughts and words out there and share them with the world.

Upon creating this blog, I created the title through inspiration of the Gryffindor Common Room, so hence the name. I can just picture these blogs as conversations being discussed by the fireside in the common room over foaming mugs of butterbeer.

So, let the blog commence.