A Word From ~ Aldous Huxley

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"In fact," said Mustapha Mond, "you're claiming the right to be unhappy." 

"All right then," said the Savage defiantly, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy." 

Page To Film :: Brave New World

Welcome once more bibliophiles and film buffs alike to the latest installment in my ongoing and completely irrelevant project, Page To Film!

Today's adaptation casting is for none other than the classic Dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley, "Brave New World" (only took five years ...).

I remember reading BNW my senior year in high-school and just being blown away by what I still believe to be Huxley's prophetic vision of the future.

The struggle of the main characters to choose between the pain and complexities of a life of meaning or else sacrifice their humanity for a counterfeit existence of stability captivated my naturally cynical heart. 

The foreboding conclusion still haunts me with each re-read and it remains in the top 10 of my most favorite books of all time.

While I am aware that a potential re-make is on the table and those currently rumored to be attached are Ridley Scott(!) and Leonardo DiCaprio (meh...), I will construct this casting as if no such project exists and will reflect only my own casting opinions and not that which I think would be most appealing to Hollywood.

<<>> Cast <<>>
{warning: mild spoilers below}

(Reservation and Post-Reservation)

John the Savage

Tom Hardy

If there's one word to describe John, it's intensity.
You need an actor who could really swing from John's highs to lows convincingly - whether whipping himself in moral self-cleansing, whispering Shakespearean sonnets in admiration, or verbally warring with Mond, there has to be always a slow burning fire behind John's eyes, a restrained passion waiting to be provoked into a fierce blaze.
Were either Kenneth Branagh or Christian Bale a bit younger, they would have been my first choices. As it is though, I settled on Hardy because he seems to be the most easily believable in the role, more than able to convincingly portray the wide spectrum of emotions John feels as the tormented advocate of humanity.
Plus Hardy cleans up real nice even while maintaining a rough, restrained countenance that I imagine a "savage" such as John would have. 

Lenina Crowe

Emily Blunt

Two Reasons why Emily Blunt should be Lenina:
1. She's gorgeous 2. She can act
Longer explanation: Emily has always struck me as someone who can really sell a complex female character. Lenina is not an especially likable character but with such abnormal "quirks" such as dating only one man at a time, you sympathize with her and pity her life of shallow pleasures and self-inflicted ignorance. That being said, I hate the idea of a helpless, victim Lenina; she has to be played as being powerful, but with a power of seduction which she uses not out of ambition, but of fear/defense.
I think Ms. Blunt would be the best choice and would ground the character who too easily could be (badly) played by a swoony, doe-eyed broad with immpressive measurements but no acting chops.

 Bernard Marx

Giovanni Ribisi

Bernard's character always was the hardest for me to reconcile as a reader.
Maybe it was because I identified with him more than I liked - a restless outsider in the beginning who questions the status quo, and later as a man who, as his 15 minutes of fame dial down to nothingness, desperately courts the favor of a society he once felt mistreated him.
I felt almost betrayed by his about-face - duped by the superficial questioning that so quickly turned to pandering when he had the prestige and accolades to satisfy his ego.
Ribisi seems a good choice to work that angle of fluctuating sense of inferiority/superiority. I also wanted Bernard to be more slight in stature and less intimidating - playing off the rumor in the book that he was actually a mistake, an Alpha with the physical characteristics of Beta due to some chemical-conditioning oversight before his "decanting" or birth.

 Helmholtz Watson

Henry Cavill

"Did you ever feel as though you had something inside you that was only waiting for you to give it a chance to come out? Some sort of extra power that you aren’t using..."
 Helmholtz Watson is the Man's Man of BNW society and yet, like Bernard, he has begun to question its validity.
Unlike Bernard however, Helmholtz's convictions are not tied up in the conditions of his acceptance - while Bernard questions a society that has ignored him, Helmholtz questions a society that has welcomed him with open arms, indulged his every pleasure, and yet left him empty.
I like the idea of Cavill as Helmholtz because he is very much an "Alpha" in looks and presence (amirite ladies? ^-^) but he also has an intelligent air about him and would be believable as an inhumanly perfect, dogmatically resistant, budding intellectual.

Mustapha Mond
Ben Kingsley

In this day and age, only the great Sir Ben Kingsley could do all proper justice to a film portrayal of Mustapha Mond. Although both understanding and sympathetic, it is Mond who is ultimately the enabler of the BNW society, the censor of humanity, and supreme controller of the world.
Having satisfied the masses with diversion and security at the cost of all personal freedoms, Mond acknowledges the shallow and meaningless existence of those who live under the dominion of the caste society of BNW. He argues however that such a sacrifice of individuality must be made to preserve the human race and achieve stability. I'm convinced that Kingsley would be nothing short of brilliant in this role - the role of a benevolently restrictive leader would suit him like a glove.

Fanny Crowe
Amanda Seyfried

Fanny is the archetypal "it" girl within the BNW society.
Beautiful, superficial, and completely satisfied with her role as sexual object, Fanny is concerned for her friend Lenina when she is not promiscuous enough and cautions her against being too "anti-social". Seyfried plays shallow well (see: Mean Girls) and would be a smart choice for a sexy futuristic gal-pal.

Linda
Mia Farrow

Mia was one of the first persons to come to mind when I imagined what Linda might look like. Although I know in the book she is described as fat and ugly, I rather liked the idea of a more fragile Linda - one who, due to her hard life after being lost and abandoned, is considerably older in looks than her former lover back home. I like the idea of her sticking out like a sore thumb not so much because she is unspeakably ugly, but because her looks have degraded in a manner no one in the "non-savage" society would recognize as normal and so would label such proof of natural aging as "disgusting". And of course it goes without saying, Ms. Farrow is an incredibly talented actress and would do excellently.

The Director - aka Thomas "Tomakin"
Liam Neeson

Director of the Hatchery and Conditioning Center in London, Thomas is a bigwig in the BNW society. I can't help but think that Neeson would just nail the rigid, bullying bureaucrat schtick and oh how satisfying would be his downfall when his shameful secret is uncovered for the whole of society. And I love this pick even more when I imagine how he would handle his character in relation to the character of Linda.


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<> Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more! <>

A Word From ~ e.e.cummings

i will wade out
                        till my thighs are steeped in burning flowers
I will take the sun in my mouth
and leap into the ripe air
                                       Alive
                                                 with closed eyes
to dash against darkness

Just a 'lil bit a'nothin'

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Fun video that came via my wonderful monthly frankie newsletter. ^-^

Enjoy!

~ A Song to Carry You Through the Day ~

"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

p.s. If I could go back and speak with younger me,

I would tell us to be less afraid and also to take the time to master the cello. ^-^

/ Slanted Mansion /

Hiya kids! Breezing through just to show you a new favorite site of mine that steals plenty of time both while reading and then daydreaming after the fact. Thanks to the beautiful people at  frankie magazine I became acquainted with the Slanted Mansion and it's been a whirlwind romance ever since. In a nutshell it's a place where creative people interview/photograph creative people in their creative places. Everyone wins.
Proof of awesomeness ~ Exhibit A:  

{^my favorite interview/'mansion' so far}

Do look them up. 

It's a guaranteed visual feast with fun characters and interesting stories to boot.

More of the same...shenanigans...

{Best Bro photo-bomb: "Sorry...he doesn't always act like this..." ^-^}

I started my collage collection some four years ago for no other reason than it gave me something to do. The first victims of my stainless steel fury were old Anthroplogie catalogs, hand-me-down National Geographic magazines, and whatever other object filled zines that might or might not have been sent to the previous tenant.

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Some of the scraps I freed from the page are marked by true affection, while others are merely half-hearted efforts to be less wasteful. When I first began, some of those chosen scraps were carefully arranged on a 2x3 foot cardboard sheet and then glued; now a vibrant and complex visual symposium of the many components of myself. That piece of work will probably never be shared here. It's large and confusing and frankly a little worse for wear. But maybe one day when I'm gray, I'll take it out and explain away the mystery to those dear ones huddled near.

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But these days, every third Blue Knock Sunday, I'll rummage through my stuffed closet and pull out my collection of paper scraps to fiddle with. Only this time around there is no gluing and the subject is rarely anything related to me.

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{Not sure where I was going with this but yes, the crease was intentional}

{The girl looked suspicious by herself; thus, the protective and protected rat}

{Surprise ex spotting...how embarrassing...*laughs*}

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Obviously I have no reason to take myself too seriously...I am, after all, just layering paper...but sometimes layered paper can tell a really good story.
Or inspire them.

Dreams of Eames...

Earlier this week, while valiantly fighting off a savage stomach bug, I had chance to catch up on some much needed rest and watch a few documentaries via PBS (God bless those people, wouldn't know what I'd do without 'em).

One such visual and intellectual morsel was "Eames: The Architect and the Painter".

Highly -highly- recommend catching it while it's still available to stream. I had never known much about the Eames legacy outside of a few (though admittedly very cool) chairs. Now I am much more enlightened. :)

One particular point of Eames-ness I became acquainted with and further fell in love with: The Eames House (aka Case Study House no.8).

Behold what mid-summer scented flights of fancy are made of:

{via Wikipedia}

{via the LA Times}

{both via cyberquirky.org}

I -have- been converted to the color block/Mondrian window idea...tempted to go at mine with some festively colored cellophane and masking tape...

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Thanks for being so awesome Charles and Ray...

Social Media: It's all Propaganda!

I'm a sucker for good satirical propaganda, and poking fun at social media is also a good way to win points. Turns out Justonescarf has got me covered on both counts.

Check out the fun:

Google+

Facebook

Twitter

Brilliant!
If you know of other similar posters, or dabble some in the genre yourself, be good to your fellow citizen and share in the comment section!
...but not too loud now...you never know who's listening...

Friday Morning Failure...Hello there July

Trying some new stuff, failing at most of it.
Where's a girl to find a stencil/graffiti mentor here in the wilds of Suburbia?!
Got the ideas, the execution is what's lacking.
*sigh* Ah, well. Next time...

More of an "Altered Art" kinda gal...

I love old stuff.
If you've spent more than five minutes reading my posts, you might have picked up on that.
But something else I love (and my mother makes fun of me for) is taking old stuff and rejuvenating it in a sense.
Making it new, improving it.

However I'm not the type that buys 50+ year old stuff, chops it up, glues it back together, then points dramatically and declares it to be "progressive".
Mine is more of a subtle approach.
Case in point:
The sixth most awesome thing I've ever made in my life. Behold...

Before...

(courtesy of WittyVintage via Etsy)

After!

(courtesy of my imagination)

I'm kind of in love with the thing actually.
Oh the joy and ease and satisfaction of altered art...<3

I Spy (1965) || Reimagined

So I've been on this early-to-mid-60's movie/show prowl and have discovered a true treasure:

I've been absolutely taken by this thoroughly entertaining series, and really what's not to like?
Thrilling tales of espionage colored in that gorgeous 60's style, bubbling with witty banter, and held together with two dapper leading men(*gasp*)!
How could they have ever convinced themselves to end it?

Frankly, I think the lack of spy stories in today's entertainment world is quite lamentable.
The James Bond franchise is really the only one I can think of off the top of my head, and likely the only effort worth mentioning.

Dang it, Hollywood...Bring it back!
Do we really need another CSI or other formulated crime show?

So to motivate the biggies in the industry, I've provided below my personal casting choices for Kelly and Scottie for a (highly unlikely?) reboot:

Kelly Robinson (1965) : Robert Culp

(Oh yeeeaaahhhh....)

Kelly Robinson (20??) : Ryan Reynolds

(Finding a picture of this man wearing a shirt is one of the single
most amazing feats I've ever accomplished...)

Alexander "Scottie" Scott (1965) : Bill Cosby

(It's so weird admitting to yourself that you
find "Dr. Huxtable" to be sexy...)

Alexander "Scottie" Scott (20??) : Dulé Hill

(Funny as heck and pretty dang cute too...)

The choice of Kelly was very much a resemblance thing (seriously, am I the only one that is seeing this?!), Scottie less so (other considerations were Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mos Def, Taye Diggs, Harry Lennix, Blair Underwood, & Terrence Howard).
However, I really think both Reynolds and Hill have the acting and comedic chops necessary for the respective roles.
But then...what do I know? I'm just a silly, old soul of a girl. ;)

Alexander Scott: Has anyone told you how good you look in that?
Kelly Robinson: Why, no...
Alexander Scott: Well, if they do, smack 'em in the face real fast, because they're not your friend.

Man I love this show...<3