Leann+Gavlik+Journal+Page

**//muWrite down your thoughts,comments and critiques on this week's reading/video.//** 

Hints on what to journal on:


 * Did you like it? Why or why not?
 * Can you compare it to something else you have read, seen, or experienced?
 * What makes it work? or not. ex: setting,pace (as in the build up of suspence),any startle factors, surprise ending etc...

5/4/10 The Others- The Others is an entertaining movie, of course I've seen it before so it was nothing new for me. But watching it again pointed out things throughout that I hadn't noticed the first time that pointed towards the surprise ending. I liked this movie due to the simple fact that not many ghost movies are made like this, from the ghosts point of view. Plus I enjoyed seeing this other side of Nicole Kidman, which finally proved to me that she is an acceptable actor because this was way out of her usual realm of talent. To me ghost are real, my house has been proven to be haunted. I have had things thown at me, things move on thier own (which I caught on film actually), heard voices, had things rattle and ring, feel things watching me, and have seen shadows of people. A little creepy to say the least. The scariest thing that happened to me was I had slammed a door and then heard something his it and then the floor. I reopened it and there was a big stone next to my door. It had been sitting on a shelf on the other side of the door but landed on the floor on the opposite side which isn't possible unless it was pushed rather had in the horizontal direction, plus it hit the door before it hit the floor which also does not obay the laws of physics. Whichn leaves me to believe it was the ghost because there is simply no other logical explanation. But it's open to dicussion if anyone has any possible explantions. But back to the movie, the setting (ikn England) added a great deal to the creapy feel of the movie, making everything look dark and dreary. The surprise ending was pretty well concealed too which added to the movie in a big way. I figurede out the end the first time I watched it only about 10 - 20 minutes before it was revealed but the seance scene cemented my assumtion that they were all dead and the ghosts were the living.

wow! I want to visit your house on Halloween!! Ms. Giglio You did a very nice job on your reflection!!! It's always good to re-watch a movie because you always realize that you missed something!!! Good assumption! Nicole Kidman was a really good actress and I also like seeing this side of her as well! -Cathy Cone (:

​5/9/10 Dracula 1-8: The biggest thing that bothered me in this book, that may seem trivial and unimportant, is that the Count goes out in Jonathan's clothes and posts his letters and yet no one noticed that is was the Count and not Jonathan, I mean it's not like they look alike especially when Dracula is described as looking so outlandish and unusual. My favorite part was when Jonathan falls asleep in another wing of the castle and sees the women for the first time. The higherarchy between Dracula and the women facinated me, especially when the Count claims Jonathan as his. My second favorite was when the ship comes in to port with the captain tied to the wheel and no crue in sight, the story of how that came to pass was facinating. I just can't believe that the author did the part with the dog, which I won't spoil for those who have not read this book yet, incase I'm correct in my assumptions. I really liked how the book began from Jonathan's point of view and then switched to Mina's and the others. What I found strange though was that all the men that proposed to Lucy knew each other. That kind of just feels strange to me. I loved the insane asylum part, with the man (Renfield) consuming life. The chain (flies, spiders, birds, cat) just facinated me because I had no idea what the whole point was until you find out that he ate the birds. I just really liked that part for some reason or other. All the talk of the tombs and gravestones from the old mans point of view was insightful, but hard to read at points because brogue doesn't transfer well onto paper. I wish he hadn't been killed though.

** Leann! I love reading yours because they are so in depth and descriptive, and we have basically the same opinions :D I thought it was weird as well that all of Lucy's guys know eachother? Like that doesn't usually happen, most girls find guys in differentttt area codes haha :P I'm not really sure why Count is wearing Jon's clothes?? Idk maybe i'm missing something, but i just don't understand! GOOD JOB! ---Cathyyy Conee (: **

I understand on how you mean that the book is "trivial". I agree about that with suchs things as the recipes. -Bradley Clark

yeah i didn't really understand that either until we talked about it in class today. you make some very good points though. -darren davis

Leann you are way better at doin this reflections than me.... I also find it strange that he takes jons clothes. O well hopefully we find out why.- Jarrod Saxton

once again, leann, very insightful. please feel free to bring these questions up in class. ms. g.

I think he takes his clothes in order to show the people of the town that Jonathan is still alive, because he is dressed in his clothes then people "see Jonathan". -Heather Remchuk

I found that you spent more time reading the trivial things that i have. I like to find out more aboutthis reinfeld since i heard his mention but didnt spend much time reading carefully over it than i did having given it a cursory glance. Very well written leann but, about the clothes part, he wore clothes in case he were seen at the scene of the crime and was spotted running away, seeing his english clothes would point toward jonathan from a behind view :D-joey

5/16/10 Dracula 9-15: Lucy's mother annoys me for various reasons, the biggest one being that she removed the garlic flowers, when they were obviously left there for a reason, even if she didn't know what reason, leaving Lucy open to attack. Although it was sad when she died in her daughters bed. I don't really understand why the maids would go drink wine after finding Mrs. Westenra dead, as well as the wine being drugged. The wolf is another thing, what need was there for the wolf to escape the zoo? I mean I know that the Count apparently has control over wolves, but that still doesn't explain why he used that wolf and not a dog from the streets or something.

Maybe Dracula wants a woolf and not a dog because he probably likes the way of the wolf, the wild within. And i do agree about the annoying mother thing. She does do really stupid stuff. And why the maids would drink i have no clue... ryan mahdy

I can understand why the mother remove the garlic and unknowingly left Lucy open for an attack. Just because she might have thought it to be something to be picked up after -Bradley Clark

I agree with the points about Lucy's mother. She seems kind of dumb to me at somepoints in the book. But also i agree with brads point that she didn't know about the garlic and she accidently left the window opened.-Kristina Burdett

I also dont understand the reasoning for the wine. In a time like that why do they go and drink wine? How does that help anything? Lucys mother also annoys me because she took down the only thing protecting her daughter but she also had no clue what they were for. -Heather Remchuk

very true on every aspect leann, her mother annoyed the crap out of me..i even felt agravated enough to to feel for van helsing, i would have been furious. but, either way...lucy and her mother's character just annoyed me and i am waiting for something better to happen than to follow her repetitive story around. - joey

I agree with you about the her mother not knowing any thing about the flowers but she takes them down. Matt

The wolf is probably there to attack since Dracula isnt. I agree about Lucy's mom! So annoying, but sad that she died. You made a good point with the wine definitely! I agree that Lucy's mother is quite annoying. I don't really understand why she would remove the garlic from Lucy's neck if the doctor put it there. Also, I'm confused as to why the wine was drugged too. -Alyssa Cone

Ms G. is right the people in lucy's life let her down big time she. If I was lucy and could somehow find out I would haunt the hell out of those people. Jarrod S.

5/23/10 Dracula 16-23: Seward's ignorance to the fact that Renfield's condition is somehow connected to Dracula astounds me, I'm surprised he didn't pick it up sooner, cosidering how actively he was involved with the whole Lucy ordeal. On thing I don't understand though is how Renfield's moods are connected to Dracula's actions, unless they have a mental connection but then that leaves the question of how Refield first because to know of Dracula. Renfield's reaction to Mina surprised me, he actually seems to be in love with her. Oh and Van Helsing is annoyingly sexist with his "vampire work is no place for a woman" speil. The part with the white mist leaning over Mina was a little freaky I must admit, I could just imagine acually seeing that myself, especially if I were only half awake. I know I could completely freak out. Why 50 boxes of earth? That's an awful lot of dirt to need. Loved chapter 21, where it all came together, with Jonathan passed out on the floor and Mina drinking from the Count. Poor confused Mina. Just a funny image to me: the Count standing over one of the last of his boxes, baring his teeth while Van Helsing and crue try to place a communion wafer in it. I don't knbow, it just seemed funny to me, the concept of Dracula having to protect something as mundane as boxes of dirt.

I also agree. I had known about Renfield's connection with Dracula ever since he tried to attack Dr. Seward. I found it very interesting that Dr. Seward had been clueless as to what was going on around him. -Heather Remchuk

The reason why Reinfield and Dracula are connected is because he admits to Van Helsing the Dracula would visit him on a regular basis and offered him creatures like spiders and stuff for a reward of telling him clues or something - Rachael Kelly

Ha Ha !! Wow, that is hilarious, i completely blanked out how funny that actually is. Now that you mention it, it does seem pretty stupid that he has to protect boxes of dirt//its so stupid lol..mundane very appropriate word as well. But, i disagree on it being a funny image of the bedroom scene, i found it profoundly offending.-Joey

Yeah i basically haven't caught onto anything going on the book, i think i fall asleep every other paragraph because i'm always like huh? --Cathy Conee (:

i agree with you about why seward didn't pick up on Refield was connected with dracula and also how they have the connection some how.matt s

He kind of reminds me of Captain Jack Sparrow off of// Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest// when he starts saying one of my favorite lines. "I got a jar of dirt, I got a jar of dirt and you can't have it. Wait where's my 'thump-thump'?" But i love all the details you put into your reflective page. Cody Figgeroa.

Haha, that is funny. Dracula having to do so much just to protect his boxes while having so much power. I don't agree with you about the lovinmg chapter 21 thing. i think the count is low for bring mina into a world of darkness and death. And i thought the count was really rude for killing Renfield after he did as much as he could for him. certain things dracula does gets under my skin. ~ryan mahdy~

i think that dracula needs to kill all of them so him and his boxes can be safe together! - spencer flint

6/1/10 Dracula 23-End: Smart idea to use Mina as a guide to Dracula. Why do they split up? That is the stupidest idea ever, even if it does cover more ground, you never split up. I'm glad the three female vampires reappeared again though, they make things interesting and new, instead of talking about the same old people over and over. On the other hand Van Helsing didn't seem to do a very good job of cleansing the castle, he really only blocked the front door, what good will that do when he can climb up walls and into windows? The ending was rather disappointing. With all the rest of the book leading up to the one moment that they capture Dracula, it was rather anti-climatic compared to the rest. I thought something much more interesting would happen, other than them capturing the Count and slitting his throat and plunging a knife into his heart. And then he dies. The end. Hm. The very end was un-needed, te book would have been better if they hadn't added what happened to everyone seven years later. It should have been left to the imagination. The ending would have been better that way.

I agree. I feel like the ending was not as exciting as i was hoping for. I cannot believe how easily Dracula was killed. I would have thought that there would have been more of a chase. - Heather Remchuk

I disagree.. I liked the ending! It made everything happy again, I am happy that Jon finally got away and he got to keep his love Mina, and have a baby with her and like happily ever after that is what I like to hear :) But I totally agree that Van Helsing didn't do a good job but I think it was mainly because of the three vampire women they were secretly holding him back a little bit.. Rachael Kelly

Lol, very nice Leann. You are right on the money, i re read the ending twice to see if i was missing something but, nope. very disappointing as you say. I think the open ended ending would have been a much better use of the authors time.-joey

haha i only read it once, and if i didn't get it then oh well, not worth re-reading :p and Van Helsing was a loser who made me angry i just wanna hit him and say DUHHH! cathyyy<3

I agree with you about the ending where they had what happened to them after seven years it should have been left to the imagniation. because i know i would ponder on wht happen to them all after they killed dracula.matt s

leann, you never disappoint! ms. g.

i agree the ending was bad, but i like to know what happen next. so i am glad that they did put in what happened 7 years later when Harker and Mina have a son. it makes it seem like a happy ending. Mengling Zhao

I would have to agree with the ideal of "spliting up" its very dumb in most horror times. But it makes a climatic sceen at times. -Bradley Clark i also agree that the ending was terrible, there was no excitment whatsoever to the ending, very anti climatic- FLINT

6/8/10 Witches- I'd seen this movie before and it always facinated me because it seems so real and yet it's really actors, although now that I know the story behind it it explains why it seemed so real. The ending was always the best part of the movie. It even scared me the first time I watched it but now, watching it as a adult I like it even more, I actually appreciate the acting skills involved in making that scene what it is. I would have liked if we talked a bit about modern magic practices, like wicca. It would have been interesting to learn about modern witchcraft as well. Sorry, but I don't have much else to say today. Last entry :) Bye now!

waiting till last minute i see leann, naughty naughty..anyways, im sure you will get it done and it will be superb- jeoy :D (((PASTE THIS BELOW UR WITCH REFLECTION!!)))