Book report

Title: Coraline
Author: Neil Gaiman
Cover artists: Paul. A Hotaling
Illustrations: Dave McKean
Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK)
                    Harper Collins (US)
Publication date: 24 January 2002
Genre: fiction, fantasy, horror

      Coraline entering a parallel world behind an old door of her new house where she must face her evil parallel mother who is ruler of that parallel world and has a dangerous obsession with her.

When Coraline refuse to becomes the parallel mother's daughter, the parallel mother hostages her real parents in a snow globe.

So, the main story of the book is about Coraline's struggle to safe her parents. She also tries to safe the soul of three ghost children, the previous victims of the evil parallel mother.

       Coraline Jones, the main character is a brave, tough and clever girl. She is young but mature in her age. She's always tried to be calm when facing her parallel mother.

       

       Mr and Mrs Jones, Coraline real parents kinds of busy parents but loves and cares Coraline. Coraline often gets annoyed with her parents because her dad like to make an experiments with food yet her mom doesn't seem to let her "fit in". 

       The cat, a black cat from Coraline's world. The cat like a mentor in Coraline's journey in the parallel world. The cat is very sarcastic though helpful to Coraline.

       The parallel mother, the main villain on the story and the creator of the parallel world. Looks similar to Coraline's real mother but taller and thinner. She has long black hair, pair of black button eyes, pale skin, long fingers with very long red nails.

       The illustrations also greatly contributed to the whole story. It brings the dark, mysterious and odd atmosphere when I read the book. The story teaches us to be calm, brave and clever when facing a danger however we just a small person like a child.

       Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It has interesting and engaging plot and the story is not predictable. I think that's one of the most epic children book I've ever read because the book is so different from the other children book which full of colour and happiness however it has a happy ending like another children book.

  

Movie Review: The Green Mile (1999)

"The lives of guards on Death Row affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape yet who has a mysterious gift. 

      -Chris White-

Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) who is in charge of Death Row in block E Louisiana prison is a nice man, and his staff also compete and humane. Except the arrogant, stubborn Percy Wetmore (Dough Hutchinson) whose aunt is marry to the governor. Paul and his staff duty is to regulate a calm and decent condition in which men prepare to die but Percy is like infection in the ward, he's mean, careless, stupid and troublemaker.

One day, a new prisoner arrives. A gigantic black man named John Coffey (Michael Clark Duncan). He has been convicted of killing and raping two little white girls. But Paul thinks that John is innocent because he's soft-hearted, he's afraid of dark and he's had straightforward gesture not like a man with anything to be ashamed of. Then Paul known John has special gift to make the other people feel the past or future events and to heal any ilness include healing Paul's serious bladder infection. After Paul know the true story behind the arrest of John Coffey, he's struggling to prove that John is innocent.

Taking set in 1935 era. Called green mile because this death row has a green floor. Based on a novel by Stephen King and has been written and directed by Frank Darabot. This movie using flashback plot because at the beginning, the scene was old Paul Edgecomb told story about John Coffey to his friend, Elaine Conelly (Eve Brent) on the nursing house.

It's one of the most emotional movie I've ever seen (but its didn't succeed to make me cry) because the movie contains  lot of strongly emotional scene like when Mr. Jingles, one of the prisoner, Eduard Delacroix (Michael Jeter) rat died because Percy the rotten stomp on it, when Eduard Delacroix death row was sabotage by Percy and when the the true story about John Coffey was revealed.

The Green Mile is a fiction, crime, drama, fantasy,mystery movie. Its has been nominated 4 time for Oscars, won 13 awards and 28 other nomination. Release in USA, 10 December 1999. Got 3.5/4 rating in Roger Ebert, 80% in Rotten Tomatoes, 8.5/10 in IMDb prove that this is a good movie whether its little bit heavy and hard to understand. You also must have long free time to watch it because its 189 minutes movie.

Paul and John

Source: http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-green-mile-1999