BT: Tyrants

This week I read a delightful nonfiction book called Tyrants: History's 100 Most Evil Despots & Dictators. It was written by Nigel Cawthorne. I love reading about political history and I think most people interested in history are strangely fascinated by the seemingly psychotic and infamous rulers of the past, from Napoleon to Hitler.
Set in chronological order, this book covers leaders from the ancient to the modern world. The book was originally published in 2004 but I read the 2012 edition so it was a bit more updated.
Tyrants gives a short biography on each leader covered but mostly focuses on the leadership style, "accomplishments," and crimes. I found it a fascinating read. It gave just enough information to make you want to read more about the people listed. I also learned about several leaders I had never even heard of before. Overall, I liked the writing style: quick and concise. Although, sometimes I wish the author had spent more time on some leaders, and, in my opinion, had left some out. For example, there were only a few paragraphs on Kim Il Sung, without even an individual article for Kim Jong Il. If this book was updated in 2012, then Kim Jong Un was already in power and by that time there had been several books published with more information on North Korea. Although, I suppose it was up to the author's discretion to pick which dictators he felt were the worst. Another thing that was strange was the publishing. There were multiple errors, like letters missing in words, that seemed strange to me. Again, that seems more like a publishing error. I still wouldn't discount this book as having useful information. The author notes that any over-the-top stories about any of the leaders lacking evidence as just rumors and not actual historical fact.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Tyrants. It was interesting and informative. For anyone interested in political history or history in general, this book is a good starting off point for more research. Plus, who doesn't want to know all the ways Elizabeth Bathory tortured her servants or the many creative ways Genghis Khan killed people? Happy reading!

CFF: The Craft (1996)

"We're the weirdos, mister" seemed to be the theme this past year on the Internet. Growing up, I had never even heard of The Craft. The somewhat sudden resurgence of this film on Tumblr and YouTube has gained it a whole new cult following of modern movie audiences and social media users. The 1996 film is more than a fun Halloween flick; it's now a year-round cult classic that has found a place in the hearts of spooky young adults everywhere.

What makes this story about four teenage witches so appealing? The dialogue includes some silly lines and there a few plot holes. The graphics reflect the limitations of the time and sometimes the audio even seems a bit off. But that's what's beautiful about the cult film genre: don't expect a perfect movie. There are some films that have a certain quality to them that make them lovable despite its flaws.

The story centers on Sarah, a new girl at school with a troubled past. She finds herself becoming friends with three outcasts who happen to be witches. The four girls start to use magic to try to make their lives better but get wrapped up in their own selfish desires and lust for power.

The description of witchcraft in this movie was more appealing to me than in other movies. I liked how it was more focused on nature than on devil worship; it seemed more unique to me. The irony of witches who also happened to be students at a Catholic high school was also awesome. It was also refreshing to see a film that didn't try to sexualize the witches. That seems to a predominant feature in a lot of movies or TV shows about witches. The witches in this film were like regular teenagers: they dealt with boys, insecurity, parents, the works.

Probably one of my favorite things about this movie was the fashion. Every outfit used was the epitome of cool '90s style, and I definitely plan on doing a Fashion Victim post on the girls from The Craft. I could go on forever about the clothes but I won't do that here, don't worry.

The unofficial leader of the coven Nancy, played by Fairuza Balk, is also a strangely alluring character. Balk's acting in this film is quite good, in my opinion. Nancy has such great one-liners and her excursion into insanity makes her a scary and fascinating character. She's the witch that wants to be most connected to nature, but she wants to use its magic only for her own gain. Power-hungry and down-right murderous, Nancy is more than just your average high school mean girl.

The Craft is cool because it's a '90s teen film that gained a cult following via the Internet. Like Clueless or even more like Heathers, it's a weird, spooky film that found favor with those who enjoyed films that are creepy with a dash of campy. That perfectly describes The Craft. This isn't a Wes Craven or Alfred Hitchcock horror film and it doesn't have the fine comedic writing of Mean Girls, but it's got enough wicked witchery, snappy dialogue, and '90s teen vibes to make it a cult classic and an overall fun movie to watch. Don't wait for Halloween to watch The Craft, enjoy it now!

BOOK TALK: The Outsiders

In the seventh grade, I had to read The Outsiders for English. After reading just the first two chapters, I hated the book. My wee baby self hadn't ever read anything that violent and sad before and it made me almost sick to read it. But the more I read, the more interested I became, and by the end it had become my favorite book of all time. Then I had to read As I Lay Dying in high school and now there is a bit of a power struggle between the two novels, but still, The Outsiders changed my life and propelled my love of reading and the type of books I like to read.

The story is set in the 1960s and is about the class struggle between the Socs (short for Socials) and the greasers. Socs are privileged, wealthy kids and greasers are kids who live in the poorer neighborhoods and tend to be hoods. The novel is told from the point of view of Ponyboy Curtis, a fourteen-year-old greaser. Although he is a greaser, he makes incredible grades, loves cinema, reading and nature, and doesn't go out of his way to break the law; this makes him generally misunderstood by his two older brothers and the rest of his gang. In the novel, Ponyboy describes his conflict with Socs, and how one night things get out of hand and he ends up on the wrong side of the law.

There are a lot of dynamic elements to the story which make it interesting. But the story behind the writing of the book itself is worth noting. I remember having to read an article about it in English class the year we read the book; I still remember it. I even remember the picture of S.E. Hinton. Actually named Susan Hinton, this author was encouraged to use her initials instead of her real name so people would take it seriously and actually be willing to buy the book. What's more amazing is that Hinton began writing the book when she was fifteen years old. She was inspired by her own high school and things that happened to her own friends. In 1967 Hinton turned eighteen and her book was published, and this young, unknown, female author instantly became popular.

The Outsiders is an overall very well-written book. It appealed to me as a thirteen-year-old and I still love it now. After just re-reading it as a 22-year-old, I will admit that some of the writing can be a bit goofy, but remembering that a teenager wrote it, it makes sense. I personally can relate to Ponyboy in many ways, and I think a lot of people can, which is why the book has such a lasting effect. But his vivid description of his greaser friends could leave any reader identifying with someone in the novel. The book also just leaves you feeling inspired and better about the world. As someone who tends to read darker books, it's refreshing. S.E. Hinton wrote the book, hoping the audience would sympathize with the greasers. But by the conclusion, you feel for both the Socs and the greasers. You realize that everyone has problems and everyone is dealing with their own demons. It's no excuse to justify and allow immoral behavior, but it is important not to generalize groups of people. You need to get to know people individually and judge them by individual actions.

I can easily say that the seventh grade was the year that I was obsessed with The Outsiders. I read and re-read the book and watched the film over and over and over again with my best friend. It completely opened up new genres of books for me and shaped how and what I read. I became more open-minded and more willing to read books that had controversial content to dig deeper and find a message. The Outsiders is constantly argued over by scholars and educators due to its controversial content and is often on banned book lists. However, it still ends up on middle school reading lists decade after decade for a reason. The simple and clever writing style, the relatable characters, the message of hope and friendship mixed with the dark and violent content makes this book stand out. If you didn't have the pleasure of reading The Outsiders as a teenager, I highly suggest reading it now.

Stay gold xx

PS: After you've read the book, watch the DIRECTOR'S CUT of Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film adaptation. You won't be disappointed.

Film Fashion Icons 1

There are a lot of things I love about movies, but I get pretty excited when I watch a movie that has a character with great style. There are a lot of great fashion icons in movies and this post is going to contain three (fourish actually) that I love.

1. Amelie from Amelie (2001)

Amelie is a great film for so many reasons. The cinematography, the writing, the acting - it's all amazing. The characters are all so lovable as well, especially Amelie. This introverted, well-meaning character struck a chord with a lot of viewers, I think, which is why this French film gained a lot of popularity with international audiences. Amelie also has such great style; I fell in love with all of her outfits!

The early 2000s was not a good time for fashion and I can say that from experience. But Amelie made it work and I think it's because her fashion sense was still being inspired by the 90s. Her cute, simple outfits usually included nice blouses, cardigans, knee-length skirts (which, in my opinion, are really hard to incorporate into a nice outfit), and chunky Dr. Marten-esque oxford flats.

Those shoes, though. They make the outfits. As Ferris Bueller would say, they are so choice.
Seriously, you could get a lot of these pieces from any thrift store and put 'em together and be just as cute as Amelie. Heck, even baby Amelie was a snappy dresser!

2. Allison Reynolds from The Breakfast Club

Not including her ~transformation~ at the end of the film, Allison Reynolds has only one outfit in this movie, but it kills. Her heavy, black ensemble actually matches her character development. She starts off in a huge heavy coat and doesn't take it off for a while. And for a while, we don't know anything about her. As we start delving more into her character, she takes off her coat and then towards the end she's in a tank top and her hair is pulled back and we understand her backstory and why she ended up in detention.
This outfit really is an 80s goth dream. Long, black sweater, skirt with grey tights, and converse with tall layered socks. Bam. This could be my everyday look.

3. Susan and Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

This might seem like a weird one but I love period pieces and I especially loves 1930s and 1940s fashion. Now you can complain about hipsters all you want but they did bring back the skirt, blouse, cardigan combo from those time periods and make them acceptable and trendy in modern fashion. Susan's and Lucy's outfits definitely give me inspiration to create outfits that are simple and can be worn to work or school but still look nice. They're versatile.

Seriously, I'm in love with this one on the bottom. Cardigans, dresses, and Peter Pan collars all the way.

So these are just three examples of films that contain a lot of fashion inspo for me. I plan on making a lot more posts like these so I hope you enjoyed this and I highly recommend any of the films I write about as well xx

HALLOWEEN + more updates!

The beautiful holiday has just passed and I wanted to share with you my spectacular costume.

I went as Pee-Wee Herman! The shirt, pants, and coat were bought individually from different thrift stores and I got the bow tie from Halloween Spirit. I was actually surprised at how many people recognized the costume and I wasn't the only who dressed up as Pee-Wee this year!

I also have exciting news for this blog. There will be a new format which includes a weekly schedule of different posts. Now  titled the Ghoul Power Variety Hour, there will be four posts a week each on different subjects. Wednesdays will be "Fashion Victim," in which I will do OOTDs, style posts, or hauls. Thursdays will be "Book Talk," where I will talk about a book I liked that I read that week or just a book I like in general. Fridays will still be "Cult Film Fridays" in which I will review one of my favorite cult films. And finally Saturday will be "Dear Diary" where I will actually blog about my life the past week, do a weekly favorites post, and/or just write about whatever's on my mind. I am excited for this new format. I will be able to write about a bunch of things I enjoy and there will be more variety! Let's do this.