Cameron H.

It’s all relative. The Gulf Stream’s effect on the coast can keep Winters pretty mild. Per NCBeaches’ website, “Locally, particularly off the coast of North Carolina, the Gulf Stream can affect water temperatures, providing warmer ocean waters and balmy days, even in the height of fall and winter.” As someone currently living in the South (not too far from South Carolina), I can totally buy that their Winter’s are pretty moderate. Last year I never put on a jacket once, while this year it’s snowed three times. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Snow is still pretty rare, though. Also, as a former Floridian, Florida can be surprisingly cold. I had relatives from Canada come visit me one winter and even they commented on how much colder it *felt* in Florida than it did in Toronto. It’s not really a temperature thing, so much as a humidity thing. The extra moisture in the air makes it so your clothes are less effective at keeping you warm. As a result, it can get bitingly cold. That being said, because of the Gulf Stream, those types of chilly days usually don’t last for more than a day or two.

Ha! I edited that entire post!

Honestly, it’s a bit confusing. In the movie, Lena says: “When a female Caster turns 16, we face what they call the Claiming. My powers will be claimed for either the Light or the Dark....depending on my true nature. Whatever I'm destined to be....They say that a female Caster's true nature chooses for her. I don't know why.” Which definitely sounds like *all* female Casters. However, later, Macon consoles her when she asks him if she will definitely go Dark, “No, not necessarily. I know your true nature, it's strong.” In order to resolve this seeming contradiction, I went to the Genevieve Duchannes Wiki Page. It says: So I guess that answers that. Point of interest - the Wikipedia also says: So I guess that also answers the question as to whether they had sex or not...yikes.

I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have given up reading these so quickly...

I agree, I don’t think she was really magic. She was just kind of paranormal adjacent. (I quote that “no raisin” line far too often”)

This is all true. I just wanted to clarify, (I think you meant to, Tom) this only applies to *Duchannes* women. All other female Casters are allowed to choose Light or Dark at will.

Hi...me again. In case anyone was wondering, the Daily Beast wrote an embarrassingly laudatory article (link at the bottom) about the differences between the film and book. It has jogged a few of my memories. Here are some of the highlights. I really agree with the change here. In the book, Ethan doesn’t really have a lot going on. He’s just kind of a dude. I love his love of literature, right down to his Allen Ginsburg glasses. As I’ve said before, I think not showing his father was a good call. Seeing his wreck of a father wouldn’t have really accomplished anything other than depress the audience. I think his absence in the movie effectively conveys his dereliction as a father. LOL! I had forgot about this! This would have been TERRIBLE! It would have been straight out of Wacky Races. This is a tough call. On the one hand, this definitely raises the stakes and I think it would have been an interesting dilemma; however, in order for this to have any impact, this would have meant less time devoted to Ethan and Lena’s relationship and more time devoted to family dynamics. Honestly, while I think the book’s version is more interesting, it probably wouldn’t have worked in a two hour film. I think they made a decision and ran with it. Some other differences: • Macon was an Incubus - a creature that feeds off the dreams of Mortals. His alignment is only vaguely Dark, but it’s enough that if Lena chooses the light, he will die. • Link (Ethan’s friend) doesn’t kill anyone. Sarafine stabs Ethan. Lena uses the Book of Moons to resurrect him, but the cost is Macon’s life. • Ethan and Lena spend a lot of the novel speaking to each other telepathically. • The book doesn’t reveal that Link’s mother is Sarafine until the very end. • Lena doesn’t mindwipe Ethan. • Ridley doesn’t bewitch Link into killing Ethan. • The movie doesn’t end with Ethan leaving town. It ends with the Dark Casters disappearing and an ominous hint about... Lena’s 17th Birthday! I don’t know, I’m pretty glad that I’m already on record as not only saying that not the movie better than the book, but that anything “good” in the movie isn’t present in the book. Here’s the link to the Daily Beast article: https://www.thedailybeast.com/beautiful-creatures-14-notable-differences-from-the-book-to-the-screen

Re: Harry Potter and the Sorting into Houses Every character belongs in the exact house to which they were assigned. Honestly, there really shouldn't be an argument about whether Cedric belongs in Hufflepuff or Hermione should really be in Ravenclaw (REPRESENT!). At the end of Chamber of Secrets, Harry is dismayed to discover that the Sorting Hat only placed him in Gryffindor because he asked it not to sort him into Slytherin. Dumbledore reassures him by saying, "It is not our abilities that show us what we truly are. It is our choices." The Sorting Hat doesn't chose your House for you, it just acts as a facilitator so you can make the decision for yourself. For some people, like Malfoy, this is an easy decision. For others, it takes more time and doesn't always make sense - at least, not on the surface. And, I'm sorry to say, this is why can't really game Pottermore either. If you are basing your answers exclusively on "I think this answer is what will get me into this House" then you are doing it exactly right. Your choosing your own House. I would also like to give a recommendation for the Jim Dale read Harry Potter audiobooks. They are fantastic!

I make no promises! My affection for all of you is based exclusively on your Movie picks and how positively you respond to mine. And, not for nothing, but some of you all aren’t doing so hot...

I’m really excited about this! Ive never heard of this and I refuse to watch the trailer. I want to go in completely cold.

That’s kind of what I mean. I feel like this falls into the Dragonheart territory. I get that people’s mileage may vary, but imho, I feel like there are other YA movies that are way worse and way crazier. I also feel like the vibe is really negative on this one and I’m really not sure what it’s done to deserve that. And quite honestly, it’s making me a little protective. I prefer to celebrate the disaster, not kick people when they’re down.

I just finished the episode and I really can't say that I'm completely sold that this was a HDTGM worthy movie. For me, it's solidly three stars - which as they point out - puts it in a realm of being neither good enough nor bad enough. Although, I suspect I liked it more than most :)/> I am utterly shocked that no one brought up the scene where Macon forced Ethan to recite his bleak future for him - culminating with his gruesome suicide. It is an utterly heartbreaking moment. If you don't empathize with his character after that scene, I don't know what to tell you. I would argue that this movie is worth watching for that scene and the scene where Lena makes him forget (and Viola Davis’ subsequent reaction). Speaking of which... It's awesome that Lena makes Ethan forget about her, but while they were together, they were a pretty high profile couple in a very small town. It's also clear, since Amma still remembers that they were together, that Lena's spell is kind of single target affair. I would have loved it had the movie followed Ethan to school over the next few weeks as he gets increasingly frustrated by all the people asking him about the strange girl he hardly knows and insisting that he dated her for, like, three months.

Lol - I got you

Honestly, I have a few ways to explain that away, but I'm sure you're not going to like them :)/> From purely a story standpoint, Lena takes over as our POV character after she has accepted her fate and made her sacrifice (i.e. giving up Ethan). Because of this it, it makes sense to follow that storyline though. And, quite frankly, as I stated above, Ethan experiencing her world as the outsider from a claustrophobic world is far more interesting than her experience as an insider. His imbalance as he tries to negotiate his love for her while absorbing this whole new world is the conflict that propels the plot forward. It forces both him and the audience to ask questions. (Why am I having these dreams? Who is this woman? What is a Caster? What can we do? etc.) The story from her point of view would just be a series of statements. Or at the very least, statements that would lead to questions, which that would lead to clunky(er?) exposition wherein she attempts to explain herself...to herself? (My name is Lena Duchannes, I'm a Caster. What's a Caster? Well, a Caster magical person, sort of like a witch...") Of course, this would be a lot easier if the story wasn't told First Person, but we're living in a YA World, and in the YA World, First Person is King. Which leads me to the more boring, technical reason for this change of perspective. Ultimately, this is an adaptation of a book where Ethan is the narrator. It wouldn't really make sense for them to change that for the movie. It would be like going to see Twilight and suddenly Edward is the narrator. Logistically, that would mean a ton of changes. Additionally, in the movie, as well as the book, Ethan gets taken off of the table at the end. In the movie, he is ensorcelled to forget Lena and in the book Sarafine murders him (Google it!). Now, in the book, when he (*spoilers*) ceases to be murdered, you can have a character fill him in on everything he has missed. It might even work moderately well. But can you imagine how that would play in a movie? Lena takes away his memory and then the screen goes black. After a couple of seconds, he opens his eyes and Lena is sitting on the edge of his bed. She then proceeds to explain to him everything that has happened while he was out of commission. So while it's kind of clunky, considering the "telling not showing" alternative, I think it's forgivable. It also allows her to be the hero instead of him. She doesn't claim herself because he's there cheering her on, she does it for herself. Basically, think of it this way. What’s more interesting: learning through discovery or lecture? And, yes, they could have done this or that or whatever differently and it would have been better. Everything can be improved with a re-write. I'm just saying, for what it is, it's not that bad. Try the YA movie City of Bones where the two love interests find out that they are brother and sister and continue to have the hots for each other anyway.

I’m just saying, traditionally, that’s not the case. I’m sure there is one, but I can’t think of a single instance of a paranormal romance that is told from the perspective of the paranormal creature trying to be with a normal person. And if there is one, I’m not surprised I’ve never heard of it. We relate to the “Muggle” while we long for the extraordinary. If we see the movie from her POV, and still include the romance aspect, then it’s her learning about a boring human and her describing his reactions of her powers - which would dilute their impact. For example: Ethan’s POV: All at once, the sun went dark. I could taste lightning in the air. The hairs on the back of my arm stood on end. My tongue felt dry and heavy. Her eyes flashed. There was a crackle of thunder. Then the sky opened up and I was drenched. Lena’s POV: Ethan kept telling me I could break the curse, but what did he know? He didn’t know what it’s like to be a Caster: to be a Duchannes. How could he? To shut him up, I cast a spell to make it rain on him. He looked annoyed.

Typo. I edited it.

Someone on the episode* also asked why we have to follow Ethan's story, and wondered why the story wasn't told from Lena's point of view. I would say that it's the same reason Twilight is told from Bella's point of view and not Edward's. In most paranormal romances - although, admittedly, maybe not all - the non-supernatural character is going to be your POV character. They are the reader/audience surrogate. As each new mystery of this strange new world unfolds for them, it unfolds for us. Even Harry Potter wasn't raised a wizard. In the first few books, he's essentially a Muggle with magic powers. This allows him to convey the appropriate awe and wonder at the fantastical things that are going on around him. Otherwise, it would just be him going, "I rode a broom today - big whoop." Or, "We planted Mandrakes in Herbology. Snooze. I hate school." The point is, if the POV character is supernatural, then it makes absolutely no sense for them to be constantly thinking about - what would be to them - their mundane world and existence. *I'm so sorry I'm not properly attributing these quotes. I feel like it's rude. I will be happy to edit and do so if anyone can tell me who said what.

I mean, yeah. That's the whole irony with Lena's ancestor. She turns to the Dark to save the love of her life, but because she has to sacrifice her soul to do it, she immediately kills him anyway. This movie is partially about accepting death as a part of life. Much like how we see, or - more to the point - don't see Ethan's father. He can't accept his wife died and it is tearing up - not only his life - but the life of his son. Essentially, paralleling Lena's journey. That is, the actions of a descendent having consequences on the present.

Oof, guys, I'm about halfway through with the episode and it's abundantly clear that none of you have ever spent any time in the South. And, no, Atlanta doesn't count. The accents aren't as terrible as you're making them out to be, towns like that really do exist, and I actually know people who had to participate in a Civil War re-enactments for school credit. A couple of mid-episode corrections: One of the guests (I'm sorry, I didn't catch which one) seemed incredulous that we should view Ethan as a good guy because he's a smart ass to his ex-girlfriend. That's fine, but it's also overlooking the fact that she tells him that the books he reads will send him "straight to Hell." I think it's also safe to assume this is the way she has always been and that she didn't just become a hardcore Bible-Thumper over the Summer. And considering she won't read To Kill a Mockingbird because it's a "banned book," I think she's being sincere and not just telling him he will go to Hell because she's angry at him. I mean, I don't know about you, but I think I'd rather not date people who think the things that give me joy in life are sinful. Also, someone said that they would have liked the movie about Ridley's character. I'm paraphrasing, but it was something like "a good girl struggling against becoming evil." I'm sorry, but isn't that exactly what this movie is about? Ridley is the consequence Lena is trying to avoid. That's, like, the whole movie. I think it would really help to see the metaphors at play in this movie. There are, what I consider to be, clever choices being made. The reason the movie tales place in the South isn't just because, "Gee, this has never been done before" but because a small, superstitious town in the South is the closest analog modern America has to 17th Century New England. The townsfolk reaction to Macon and Lena are essentially the equivalent of the Salem Witch Trials. It's a way to present the same sort of prejudice while keeping the characters contemporary. As Religion - or at least religiosity - plays a major role in the movie, it is important to see who that plays against the overall narrative. Lena's struggle is that her family lines has been cursed by the actions of an ancestor long ago. Because of this curse, she feels like she doesn't have any agency over her life and it is used by the other characters in the movie to leverage control of her destiny. In other words, Lena's journey is an allegory for original sin. Lena's ancestor doing the "forbidden curse" is analogous to Eve eating the "forbidden fruit" - a story that has been used since its inception to keep woman down. In the movie, she is told that she has no choice in her fate. That because of who she is and who her ancestors were, she is predestined to be "evil." In the end, however, through her own actions, she "reclaims" her own identity and agency. She chooses not to be good or evil, but a balance of both. And of course this is important as it relates to the South. You see, Lena and Macon both represent the South as well - it's past and possible future. I mean, you don't just choose the name "Macon" when you could have just as easily named in Chad, or something. By choosing this as his name, the writer is making some kind of statement. Macon represents the Old South. This also explains his accent as being more over the top. He is purposefully affecting the speech of the landed gentry class of former plantation owners. I mean, he literally owns most of the land in Gatlin. Unfortunately, like people who glorify the antebellum South, he still tends to think backward rather than forward. This is clear in the scene where he unironically asks Lena to play piano or fetch tea for Ethan and himself. However, as his infatuation with Google suggests, and like the South itself, he is making an attempt to change with the times - albeit, at a glacial pace. He is a formerly Dark Caster living as a Light Caster. He is a man with a dark past trying to be good. And he is making this choice out of love and hope for the future. Lena represents the South as it currently stands - a state indecisive purgatory. The question is: can she be a positive force for the future, or will she be bogged down by the demons of the past? People are quick to prejudge the South as a bunch of Bible-Thumping, backward facing rubes, but that's an unfair generalization. Ignorance is everywhere. Not just the South. Ultimately, this movie's solution is to make like Kylo Ren kill the past. This is why Macon has to die. Yes, he was trying to change, but his way of thinking has no place in the future. Lena on the other hand, through her own choices, has achieved a state of balance. She can be good and bad. That is, the South can be good, but it also has to come to terms with it's own darkness as well. Whether or not people enjoy this movie or not really doesn't bother me - it's not like I think it's like the greatest thing ever. However, if you're not getting this out of the movie, then I'm afraid you're missing movie's primary message. (I may have more to write about this later. :)/>/> )

Okay, I know we all want to talk about it so let's just get it out of the way..."Ito Eats" is probably the best Elvis song ever recorded. We watched... (Why does she look like she's trying to shoot down enemy aircraft with a ukulele in that photo?)

LOL - Never change, Cam’s Mother.

You know what? I think you’re right. I think what I did was just assumed that if you’re calling someone “mortal” you’re positioning yourself as the opposite. My bad. That was sloppy forum posting I still stand by my main point that Macon isn’t controlling Google searches. Even if it’s not because he’s immortal, it seems like if Casters want to do any research they still have to pour over stacks of dusty, old tomes. I think the convenience of Google would still be appealing to him.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their amazing insights this week! I’m really looking forward to Tom’s pick tomorrow!

Finally! Now we’re getting into the nitty-gritty...

You have nothing to apologize for . Get it all out or it will only eat you alive.