Welcome to Day 2 of Project 14 Lists, created by the one and only Shealea from That Bookshelf Bitch. Project 14 Lists is a 14-day event where the goal is to be as creative as you can be with posting lists. Know more about the details of this event here.
Now despite having a scheduled post for today, I decided to throw caution to the wind and ditch it for the meantime. As I said in my previous post, I want you guys to leave with a smiling face after reading this list. What better way to do that than recommend movies? I know there’s this whole thing with books and movies – the debacle never ends. Yet sometimes it’s nice to just sit down, relax, and enjoy a good movie. Nothing beats an hour or two of anticipation and seeing beauty unveil on your preferred screen. So I thought hey, if I loved a particular book and then I could compare it with this movie, it’s a win-win right? The way this recommendation goes is that I have to have watched the movie and read the book in 2018. Now let’s get onto the list and have some fun!
Also I may have been too relaxed with updating my Letterboxd account with all of the movies that I watched this year. It was a lot. Stats to come.
If you liked Wildcard by Marie Lu but want more of the virtual reality experience, go for Summer Wars (2009).
Wait a minute there B… You didn’t like Wildcard right? Well, yes. But it doesn’t change the fact that I am all about stories that tackles the subject of virtual reality. It’s the real deal nowadays, and both of these stories present societies that incorporated their lives with a virtual world. Both stories also feature a main lead who deliver an impact to the world, causing a string of events to spiral down. Yet in the case of Summer Wars, chaos is unleashed when a virus called Love Machine infiltrates the system because of our main lead named Kenji. It’s thrilling, it’s funny, hijinks ensue with its large cast, it has heart, and it is downright entertaining. Not only that, but the various animation styles mesh well together and it compacts the story further. If you want a piece of virtual reality action, go for Summer Wars because at least this one packs just a little bit more of a punch.
If you were also rendered speechless by the fanaticism of All of This is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor, then you’ll enjoy watching Black Swan (2010)
Both of these stories still gives me the heebie-jeebies when I remember what went down. Though All of This is True is not exactly a psychological thriller, but it delivered a story that rendered me speechless. The same thing can be said with Black Swan and its stunning… everything. The story messes with you – it makes you second guess yourself on where the story wants to go. While I don’t think you should watch Black Swan after reading All of This is True (because why would you want to fry your brain from all that processing??), it is a great movie to watch if you want to see a portrayal driven by being the best. Certain topics such as competition, obsession, and manipulation are both present in these thought-provoking pieces. (Trigger warnings for both the book and the movie: mental illness, self-harm, sexual assault, gore, and suicide.)
If you love the family dynamics and the self-exploration in Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X, there’s no doubt that you should go for Lady Bird (2017).
What I loved seeing in both The Poet X and Lady Bird is the way they find themselves and doing what they want to do. Xiomara finds herself in her poems, while Lady Bird wants to be her own person by proving that she can achieve what she envisions. Both stories also explore the protagonist’s sexuality, albeit what it means to become a woman in the environment that they grew up in. Equally powerful stories in their own right, the experience that these stories offer are heartfelt and worth all the great accolades that they rightfully achieved. I cannot stop talking about what a sensation The Poet X is, and I think Lady Bird also encapsulates that same incredible power.
That’s it for now, folks! It dawned on me that I also don’t watch a lot of fantasy movies. Even my movies consist of mostly historical and/or contemporary stories. Some things just never change. I do hope you enjoyed these recommendations of mine, nonetheless. It was fun to compare and contrast stories on both lists, but it also made me realize that I watched way too many movies and read a lot less this year. I hope to make more of these type of lists in the future (and maybe switch it up and insert some anime in there *wink* *wink*) which I hope you guys will also enjoy.
The Ultimate Fangirl 