BTM July 2012 83 Coaster-free desk If you’re short of space and need a drink close at hand, DrinKlip is for you. It attaches itself to the edge of your desk; best part, it provides anti-spill protection. Do the jiggy Two students came up with the invention of a fun and colourful food-based musical instrument, the Noisy Jelly. The system enables the sensors to react and produce high- and lowpitched audio signals when touching the shapes. Also this month Elma Bartholomew Why do I feel like the current film scenario is punishment for never completing my reading list as a child? I’m getting a taste of sweet revenge thanks to Hollywood’s lack of originality these days. At least, that’s what I’m choosing to draw from the flood of children’s books adaptations that have been taking over the big screen lately. I remember having to write essays at a younger age on how there just aren’t enough movies for kids to enjoy. Well, I guess those projects did actually get sent to production houses around the world, because that’s all there is to see now. Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy the boom of fantasy movies. All right, I’ll be honest. I love them; I’m addicted to them. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let us also admit that it’s being overdone. Truth is, it’s going to get a lot worse in the next couple of years. Either everyone in the film industry has taken to finding their inner child, recollecting childhood memories, or has simply run out of ideas. Nonetheless, it’s quite refreshing to find more people joining the costume party than Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. For instance, Angelina Jolie seems to be putting her Morticia Addams looks to good use as she transforms, with little effort, into one of Disney’s most iconic villains. The 37-year-old Oscar winner plays the role of the baddie Maleficent in a retelling of the classic fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, with the hauntingly disturbing horns et al. What’s drawing me closer to the movie is that this is probably the only time they show the story beyond the sleeping princess, giving the epic rogue a voice that isn’t all evil. Also, Elle Fanning stars opposite as Aurora. Enough said. Speaking of retelling, I will never forgive Julia Roberts for being a part of Mirror, Mirror. If breaking into a Bollywood sequence existed at the end of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I’m sure I’d have seen more of the book in my school days. After that one, it took a lot of convincing to watch a second adaptation of the fairytale, Snow White and the Huntsman. Yes, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron should be reasons enough. Then again, the rule is quite simple, if Kristen Stewart is in it, I’m not getting the tickets. Thankfully, that wasn’t half bad. The readers’ curse You’ve heard this a million times before; you’ve probably even said it yourself. The book is always better than the movie. It could be blockbusters like the Harry Potter series, The Chronicles of Narnia or The Pirates of the Caribbean. It is a universal truth that as much as we want to visit the Hogwarts museum, love Liam Neeson’s voice and can’t think of Jack Sparrow as anyone but Depp, we all love the pages more than the shots. I personally wish I could sue the person who thought the movie The Three Musketeers should even be named that. On the other hand, there isn’t much to complain about Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Sure, I wasn’t exactly a child when I read that one but who is counting anyway? I’m still not going to dive into The Hunger Games. I don’t like it; sue me. Moving on, I’m happy that Hugo didn’t disappoint. As of now, I’m just hoping they don’t mess up The Call of the Wild. 85 Gadgets x 86 Music x 88 Computer games x 89 Websites x 90 Apps x 91 Movies One Step Ahead, Two Steps Back downtimethismonth
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