Wednesday Reivew: Hunger Games

I've been meaning to write this review for a while. I read the books years ago, not quite when they were unknown, but long before Mockingjay was released. Now I can't say I've been looking forward to the movie. I'm a big fan of books but not so much a fan of the books-to-movies aspect of it. They always screw something up.

Having seen Hunger Games, I'm very pleased to say the transition from book to movie was seamless. I enjoyed it very much, and given that the book was told exclusively through Katniss's point of view, I think they showed what went out in other places (the Capital, District 11 and 12, even behind the scenes at the Games themselves) without taking away from either the single POV or giving away too much from the other books.

Will I watch it again? Possibly. I did enjoy it, but I think they cut out several parts that showed the utter cruelness of the world. We'll see-I might have to be in the mood to watch it again. The big question is will I see the other movies they're already starting?

I don't know. I hated Mockingjay--it was gratuitous and pointless, and I thought she rushed it to make a release date without thinking of either her story or her fans. I enjoyed Catching Fire, so will probably see that.

Especially if Donald Sutherland is in it again! Oh man, was he a great President Snow! Now, granted, I think they did a fantastic job with all the casting, but he was the absolute best of the bunch.

Wednesday Review: Ides of March

March 15 isn't as popular a voodoo day as Friday the 13th but it should be. If your name is Cesar and you're a tyrant that is. This movie had its moments, but overall I found the ending a little flat. I suspect it's because 1) it's based on a play (the real kind not a Broadway musical but a real play) and 2) I'm cynical enough to believe everyone loses their idealistic nature about something sooner rather than later.

Granted, I also think it's probably one of the more honest political films in years. And given the recent protests (OccupyWallStreet or OWS, OccupyPhilly, OccupyBoston) rather apropos.

It'll probably be an Oscar contender but won't get my vote. Because while I think it's timely and decent, it never really moves into "Stays with me afterwards" or "grips my attention" or even "I'm not looking at my watch or checking my email".

An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Based on the play by Beau Willimon.

Wednesday Review: The Help

To be fair, I didn't read the book. The library has 8 regular copies, 2 large print copies, and 1 audio. All of them have multiple, multiple holds and I'm currently 6 of 9 on the waiting list. So this is my review of the movie with as few spoilers as possible.

• Exceptional casting all round. Definitely Oscar-worthy.
• Well done with both sides of the story-meaning I didn't think all whites were cast as racist bitches (though there were plenty! And I hope they all got their just rewards afterwards) and all African-Americans as sympathetic characters. There was (what I hope was) a truthful mix of good and bad, just as there is in real life.
• The main characters were definitely sympathetic and I loved their stories very much. So much so that I wanted more! Almost like a based on a true story film where they tell you what happened afterwards. Truly, I wanted to know if Aibileen reached her dream. Or how Minny fared after she found a family she could love and who loved and respected her in return. And Skeeter, I hope she realized the full extent of her dream.
• I admit it, I cried. Was the movie sappy? I didn't think so, emotional yes, but sappy usually has me rolling my eyes and I was riveted throughout.
• I'd definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the dark parts of the American Civil Rights past with the feel good light of hope at the end.

Wednesday Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Shockingly, I enjoyed this flick. I was a teenager when I saw the original Planet of the Apes movies with my uncle who loved them and a bit of his geeky, sci-fi loving ways rubbed off on me. When Tim Burton did that remake like ten years ago I was excited to see it and horrified when I left the theatre. It was so bad I wanted to find an experimental mind erasing machine and wipe it from all memory! Not to mention the time waste!

But this new movie is not a remake or awful at all. It is actually a prequel to the Heston version. And it has a lot of references to the 1968 version that fans of the original will enjoy. However, the plot implies something different happened to cause the rise of the intelligent ape population on Earth than the original implied but it was still plausible.

More of today's fears, our fears, than the fears of the 1960s. Therefore, I’d give this move 4 out of 5 stars. The action was a lot of fun and the acting was definitely not Saturday sci-fi B movie but much better!

Wednesday Review: Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides

I have mixed feelings about this. I think part of the problem is that I expected more. More of what made the trilogy so exciting, so worth re-watching.

OK, sure Orlando Bloom & Kiera Knightly weren't in it, but where was the mention of them? The off handed remark about their very presence? Not like they hadn't gone through a lot together.

And where was the crew of the Black Pearl? Hello mention! A line, a comment, a reminisce. Nada.

The whole mermaid thing was interesting but cheated, I felt. It was rushed, not very well explained, and overall almost an afterthought.

Anyone else have a comment on it?

Wednesday Review: Thor

Thor. Yum. Nuff said.

Yes it was a coherent story with very few plot holes and yes I think it's appropiate for younger children. But man oh man! Chris Hemsworth is HOT in this movie. I went to imdb.com and saw he played George Kirk (James T's daddy).

He looks yummy with the Thor hair and the scruff. *drool*

Wednesday Reviews: King's Speech

Let's face it, I love and adore Colin Firth. So of course I was going to see The King's Speech. I've seen everything else he's in (including the utterly humorous St. Trinian's and the truly horrible What a Girl Wants.)

This movie did not disappoint, despite my high hopes for Colin Firth and an historical setting. *le sigh* OK, so I may be biased given my Colin love...just a bit. But let's face it, he rocked in this roll. You can see the growth from the quiet Bertie to the King who doesn't stutter when addressing his people on the eve of World War 2. Not many actors can play a roll with only facial expressions (I'm talking the classics like Cary Grant etc.) but Colin always pulls it off.

Geoffrey Rush was, as always, superb. If there's a part he can't play, I've yet to see it. And the same equitable and long suffering qualities you see in pretty much everything he plays (including Barbosa) can be found here. I found it ironic that Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth Bennett in BBC's Pride and Prejudice) was Myrtle Logue, Rush's character’s wife.

(Am wondering if they cast that specifically. I've noticed that several Colin Firth films have either copious references to Mr. Darcy like St. Trinian's or that somehow the writers/directors/actors manage to get a dig in at some movie he did.)

Helen Bonham Carter...she's an actress that has a diverse acting background yet I found to be a perfectly wonderful addition as the roll of the Queen Mum. Granted, I can't picture her as the adorable 101 year old woman with the Corgis in perfectly matching hat, coat, shoes, and white gloves shaking hands with everyone and always with a smile on her face, but as a younger woman, yup. Totally there. Of course, this wasn’t about her, and it’s a shame she’s more background character than anything but the story is about Bertie and Lionel and the friendship there.

Guy Pearce...I kept thinking he looked familiar, that I'd seen him in something. According to IMDB, only this. But I did discover he played Errol Flynn in Flynn. And I'd never heard of the movie let alone seen it. I suspect it'll be bad and a huge disappointment, and filled with half-truths from that biography I read years ago that I can't remember the title of but was subsequently debunked. Alas, if I can sit through What a Girl Wants, I can sit through this. Cause it's about Errol Flynn!

Lots of familiar themes like friendship over class boundaries and the power of other's beliefs in you. But it's a classic for a reason, and that reason is that we all enjoy happy endings, whether it's good over evil or personal triumph over some sort of adversity.

Wednesday Reviews: Black Swan

A study in insanity. I enjoyed it, thought it could be a little shorter in parts, but overall not bad. If you like studies in insanity that is.

And it's easy to see why Natalie Portman won the Oscar. Wow, her performance rocked! (Very articulate I know but alas.) From White Swan to Black Swan and back again, virginal, pure, and kind to dark and manic she embodied each character perfectly.

As I said, I thought it went on too much in places, and the ending was ambigious enough to make me wonder, which is always a good thing. I'd recommend it but not as an absolute must see. It was good, and Natalie Portman was great in it, but I doubt I'd watch it again.

Wednesday Review: Bright Star

Not at all what I envisioned when I started and didn't finish it. It was just that painful to watch. Depressing long before Keats's death, I struggled to sit through the sewing, the awkward conversations, the bad jokes, the horrible scenery.

From the DVD:From Jane Campion, Academy Award winner of The Piano, comes a sweeping love story that will carry you back through time to experience the passion and romance between acclaimed poet, John Keats and his beloved muse. London 1818: a secret love affair begins between 23 year old English poet, John Keats, and the girl next door Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of high fashion. This unlikely pair began at odds, he thinking her a stylish minx, while she was unimpressed not only by his poetry but also by literature in general.

Unimpressive is right! A handful of lines, Keats laughing when his friend insults Fanny, Fanny taking comfort in sewing, and so little passion between the pair I wondered why the movie was billed as a romance.

I like John Keats, well, I enjoy his poetry at least, and it's very sad that such a talented young man died at such a young age. But I don't think this film did him justice in the least. It plodded along.

I'm okay with Keats's death at the end, that wasn't my issue. No, it was the romance, or lack thereof, in the first 3/4 of the movie. Cynical? I don't think so, but maybe you have a different opinion.

Wednesday Review

True Grit. Oh, how I wasn't going to watch you. I was determined to skip you because of the John Wayne version I was forced to watch over and over growing up. I like 2 John Wayne movies, maybe 3 and none are westerns. Still, he's a great actor and no one can compare to him.

That version was alright. It wasn't awful, it wasn't I want to scratch my eyes out like watching even a moment of The Searchers forces me to do. But it wasn't enjoyable.

For reasons I refuse to contemplate and hope I never wonder about again, the Coen Brother's version kicked ass. The girl wasn't as annoying as I recall the other girl being, and while Jeff Bridges isn't John Wayne, and not my favorite actor by a long shot, he embodied Rooster Cogburn.

Would I watch this again? Probably not, I don't write western romances though used to devour them in high school. But if you want the gritty atmosphere of the wild west, authentic dialogue, and true-to-life characters, then here you are. But no...I doubt I'll be reading the book. I watched 2 versions of the movie, what's the point? ;)

Tomorrow's guest: Jean Hart Stewart...stop on by!

Wednesday Review: The Walking Dead

Finally managed to finish the series. I don't like horror, I don't thrive on it, laugh at it, or collect it. I think the last horror movie I saw was Halloween H20...and it was bad. This is my horror level, get it?

But zombies. I wasn't going to watch this, I was perfectly happy ignoring the latest in the zombie trend. But then I heard everyone (and I do mean that literally) talking about it. Not just zombie lovers, but people I wouldn't have thought knew what a zombie was.

So I caved.

And it was pretty good! AMC did a great job with the characterization, with the aftermath, and unlike The Road (2 thumbs down!) they explained the overall world and what happened. Whereas The Road left the apocalypse as a vague explanation you had to guess at and were left wondering if the water they drank and the air they breathed was contaminated or not, The Walking Dead (based on the long-running comic series) created a disease.

A mysterious, deadly, infectious disease, but one that left the survivors unscathed and able to survive without those pesky is-this-safe? questions.

Granted, the sheriff, was entirely too stupid to live, and should have stayed with the always stellar Lennie James, but alas. Because of course I'm going to ride into Atlanta (or any city for that matter!) on a horse amidst a zombie outbreak, with all the cars leaving town now burnt out shells, and not one damn sign of human life.

That's beside the point...it's about the survivors, which all the best post-apocalyptic stories are about. Give it a try, it's worth it.

Hungry for Your Love: An Anthology of Zombie Romance

Wednesday Review: Stieg Larsson

Subtitles can go either way. They make you watch the whole movie, cause you have to sit there and read every stikin' line of a truly wonderful epic (Hero, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Curse of the Golden Flower) but they also sometimes drag on (Inglourious Basterds which I enjoyed but it needed some serious editing).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire were awesome. I haven't seen The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, but once it comes out January 25, I'm there.

I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when it first hit American bookshelves 2 years ago and loved it. I couldn't finish it fast enough, not because I wanted it to end, but because I wanted to know what happened next. Actually, I listened to it. Why? You try pronouncing some of those names and places. It's easier when someone else does.


I devoured the other two in the trilogy just as fast and let me tell you, it's a darn shame there'll be no more in the series. They were just that good.


If you haven't read the books, watch out for those graphic acts of violence, and read for the mystery, the girl, Lisbeth, and the Swedish culture. Fascinating all round!

I don't agree with Hollywood about remaking this already stellar movie. I *heart* Daniel Craig don't get me wrong, but there's no need to make a Hollywood-ized version that will probably add unnecessary things in and take out what made this book and movie so awesome to begin with.

Hollywood, why not try a werewolf story instead? ;)

Wednesday Reviews: The A-Team (movie)

As a child, I was a big fan of The A-Team. Every Saturday I watched it on whatever station it ran. The last season aside, it was a great show I never tired of. It was what it is, and considering it involved mysteries, guns, war, lies, thugs, bullies, and yes even sex, it was still the kind of show that never loses its appeal.

Favorite line? Murdock's: (not quoted but from memory) Those who will be back will be coming back. But those who won't be back, won't be coming back. Now I say this because if you aren't back, then you won't be back. Understood?

(It's the one with the soup kitchen.)

With a great deal of reservation, I watched the trailers for the movie. And fell in love. I HAD to see it, like pay for it in a movie theater which I rarely do ($10 a ticket? Out of your frakkin' mind).

It was so worth it!

In one of the few remakes I can applaud, it took the qualities I loved from the original and modernized them. The humor was there, the comrade between the 4 of them, everything that made me tune in week after week to watch a show whose episodes were so similar that even as a kid I could tell that.

I didn't mind that they took some of the iconic pieces from the show and did away with them. I liked the fact that they added them in! I liked that even the music was used, albeit in a slightly different manner. I loved BA's reasons for not flying. I loved the antagonistic friendship between BA and Murdock. I love Hannibal's plans, and I swear Liam Neeson channeled George Peppard.

Bradley Cooper? Never heard of him before this (I didn't watch The Hangover though I may now) but yum. Just...yum.

All in all, while I'm no fan of remakes, this one was spot on. Two thumbs up, definitely.

Wednesday Review: Kinght and Day

I do not like Cameron Diaz. I really don't. (My opinion but) she can't act and her face is often frozen in one expression no matter the emotion. Despite his personal life I probably couldn't care any less about than I already do, I think Tom Cruise is a fabulous actor.

Knight and Day was a funny and enjoyable movie. The middle seriousness needed to be cut, it wasn't a serious movie. It was all in jest, all tongue-in-cheek and it should have stayed that way.

I was a little annoyed with the parts when either he or she were knocked out and it was a weird drug-induced montage about what happened in the interim, but alas. I guess they didn't want to...slow the story down? No idea, it was weird. However, other than that saggy middle problem, I think the humor was dead on, it played to, off of, and made fun of a great many spy movies.

Probably why I enjoyed it so much. So no, despite my utter dislike of Cameron Diaz, and the fact that the middle needed re-editing, I do recommend this. Just remember to take it as it is and for what it is. Completely irreverent.

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon

This was a cute movie. I almost didn't watch it because I wasn't certain it was the kind of movie I'd enjoy. I love animated movies, don't get me wrong, and the viking history looked great, but it's the very anachronismtic humor in this that originally turned me off. But then everyone at work raved about it. I trust several of them for movie and book recommendations, so took their advice. I'm glad I did!

How to Train Your Dragon is also a book seires (which I haven't read but might) by Cressida Cowell. Thereby proving that more than the Harry Potter series can be made into a good movie. (Yes. I'm looking at you, Percy Jackson! Though I liked the movie, it was so different from the book that they weren't even related.)

So what did I like about it?

It was everything a kid's movie should be: cute, funny, exciting, and yes, even touching. True, some of the characters are a bit cliche and the humor is not entirely original, but somehow the story pulls you in. I found myself rooting for the cliche characters and cracking up at the corny jokes. By the end I was so invested, I almost shed a tear. Almost.

Side note: Kids with trouble fitting in should definitely watch this movie!

And don't forget my Title Contest!

Movie Review: Get Him to the Greek

Funny, sarcastic, with little digs in there about today's world. The whole American Idol dig was superb and almost slipped by me. No worries, I caught it and laughed hysterically. Loved the fact Chief O'Brein (Trek fame) was in there. And how much do I adore Russel Brand's hair? OK, his humor, too.

As a superficial movie, it was great. I think there were several parts where they started to get slightly more emotional and shied away from what would have moved the storyline further. Still, I admit to not watching it for that. I watched it for Russel Brand. :) And I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it!

Movie review: Clash of the Titans (2010)

Saw the new version on opening day. Wish I hadn't. I've said before that remakes are rarely as good as the original. (A-Team is coming out in June, and I might be tempted with that. The trailer looks really good. Course so did the trailer for this.)

I had high hopes I tell you! But I lost valuable writing time! I could have saved myself the money, too, though luckily I didn't pay for the 3D since I've heard it wasn't worth it. Movies made 3D after the fact rarely are.

Clash of the Titans disappoints!

I was a big fan of the orignal; hey I was a kid and I thought all the neat claymation effects were cool. I had really high hopes for the CGI 2010 version and boy was I let down. To begin; the mythology is WRONG half the time. I hate that - don't these people at least go on Wiki and look things up? The guy playing Perseus had no depth. Okay, sure this is an action movie and character development is usually on the thin side but Clash was on the invisible side!

The story of Clash of the Titans (original) centered around a hero's journey to go from simple man to demigod and test the limits of your smarts, strength and determination. The only limit testing in the 2010 version was my patience! Sam Worthington's performance was beyond hollow and bordered on being a cardboard cutout. The kraken special effects even disappointed!

"Release the kraken!" is an immortal line in cinema and the 2010 Clash of the Titans reduced it to "Release me from this seat!"