Beautiful Creatures

I read half of the Beautiful Creatures series last year and really enjoyed it.  My friend Keenan would disagree as she's been having trouble even getting through the first book.  Anywhoodle, I was excited when I read that they had cast some heavy hitters like Emma Thompson, Viola Davis and Jeremy Irons in movie adaptation.  I was fine with the two relative unknowns that were cast for the two main roles of Lena and Ethan.  I was less happy with the casting of one other character, Ridley, but I'll get to that.  I was truly angsty about this adaptation when I saw the trailer and sadly, the movie didn't prove me wrong.

So overall the movie was fine.  I really, truly tried not to sit there the whole time comparing it to the book but then that's just impossible.  The story is this: a girl, Lena, with powers moves to a small-minded, small town in S.C. and becomes outcast, undesirable #1.  The good news is there's a cute, smart, boy, Ethan, with (early)Ginsberg glasses that's hot for outcast witch girls.  Lena is about to turn 16 and when she does, she and her powers will be claimed for either the light or the dark (supposedly based on her true nature). There's a lot more to it but I think the movie didn't really do a great job of getting it all across.  Instead they picked the main plot and stuck with the basics.  But then I guess that's what they have to do when adapting a book for the big screen.

There were problems.  One problem was the accent used by a few characters.  Actually the aforementioned heavy hitters did just fine (it's been proven time and again that the Brits have no trouble with a southern accent).  The kids?  Well actually the girl who played Lena, Alice Englert, did fine but then she's from New Zealand.  The actor who had the most trouble was the guy who played Ethan, Alden Ehrenreich...an American.  His accent was soooo thick and comical that it was distracting.  Plus he tended to get a bit high-pitched and screechy at times, which didn't help.  The actor himself is utterly adorable (he's 23 so it's legal for me to swoon) and pretty much embodied who I thought Ethan was so that's good. 

What did I like? Um, well, uh, mostly the movie worked on the whole but when it's broken up into parts then I get a bit stabby about it.  Some of the choices made by director Richard LaGravenese were a little head-scratchy but most of those were because I wanted it to be truer to the book (like keeping it filmed in SC instead of New Orleans-but I'm sure it was a tax thing).  My biggest issue was the casting of the aforementioned Ridley:

Ridley is supposed to be more teen Lolita than a vampy, slutty 20-something.  Emmy Rossum is a fine actress and was ok in the film but I can't figure out why they went in such a different direction with only one character.  Everyone else looked pretty much the same as the characters were written.  Sometimes I'd really love to know exactly how decisions were made and the motivations behind them but I won't so I'll have to learn to live with that disappointment.

Anywhoodle, see the movie, don't see the movie.  I just don't care.  It's making no money so it's not like there's hope for the sequels to make it to the big screen.  So I'll just keep my fingers crossed that the Hollywood powers-that-be don't hold it against Ehrenreich.  I'd love to see him screech his way through some more movies.

Warm Bodies - Overwhelming sense of Meh.

Warm Bodies was one of those instances where I really hoped the film would be fantastic.  It wasn't fantastic. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't fantastic either.  I've not read the book on which it is based but I have a friend who did read it (Jennifer B., I mean you!) so maybe she can weigh in on this.  I think I'd like to read the book now because I see the potential the movie had so maybe the book still has it.

So the story is this: there are zombies.  One of these zombies meets a girl, falls in love with her at first sight, and kidnaps her.  Then something changes for them and then the world in general.  It's definitely a new spin on zombies and on the theme of love saving the world. 

The zombies in Warm Bodies are a bit different than we're used to and I appreciated that.  The main zombie, "R," (and I'm assuming all the other zombies like him) are self-aware, have internal monologues, feel conflicted about eating live humans, and can utter an occasional word or even a brief sentence.  Also, when they eat someone's brain they get that person's memories, thoughts, etc.  "R" explains that this helps them feel human again.  This is also the only way this movie makes any sense.  It kind of works but it also kind of bums me out as a story telling tool. 

I liked the two main stars, Nicholas Hoult (the kid from About a Boy turned out OK!) and Teresa Palmer (the actress who SHOULD get all of Kristen Stewart's jobs).  They have great chemistry and I was rooting for these two crazy kids the whole time. John Malkovich shows up too but it's pretty inconsequential.

Even before the movie ended I felt like there was something missing.  I'm still not sure what the missing element was but I think it was a possible combination of humor and/or action.  And I don't mean like violent action but just something happening. There was nothing that made it truly special.  Zombies are hot right now and this could have been a really interesting twist on making them a bit more accessible and human but it missed the bus.  So that's why I'm gonna read the book, if my friend Jennifer says I should, because I'm hoping it's got whatever the movie was missing.  The books are always better than the movie, right?

The Twilight Saaaahhhhgaaaahhhh: Breaking Dawn pt. 2 - the quickie review

Honestly I was hoping Tracy would have had the chance to see the final installment of the Twilight franchise this weekend because she's so skilled with the subtleties and nuances of a Twilight film.  Ha!  Nuances of a Twilight film.  I crack myself up.  Anywhoodle, this will serve as a quickie review until she sees it and is able to discuss the film as only she can.

It's confession time, y'all!  I didn't hate it!  I know!  I actually really liked it and, yes, as far as the Twilight films go, this was probably the best one.  Granted that's a relative statement in that we are discussing Twilight films but it wasn't terrible.  It still has all the same problems as its predecessors (bad acting from a mostly wooden cast, weak story, etc., etc.) but there was something different about this one.  Maybe it's because it is the last one so I was feeling kinder and a bit more nostalgic.  Maybe it was actually a better film.  Who knows?  Who cares?  It was fun.

There were a few problems beyond the expected and one specific one comes to mind.  They make a point of introducing us to Alistair, friend to Carlisle Cullen.  Alistair takes off in the book but it's explained.  However, in the movie the character is featured and then gone with no explanation.  Unless I fell asleep and missed it.  Did I miss that part?  Missing characters can be blamed on the director and the editor. So them I say, "Boo!"

Other than that and a couple of other truly inconsequential things, I really did get a kick out of the movie.  This was by far the worst of the four books but they were able to turn it into something I didn't hate.  I still hurl a bit at some of the stuff series author Stephenie Meyer came up with but they did their best with the movie. 

You may have heard there is a twist in the film.  I was able to forget to look for the twist and then was totally surprised when it happened.  It made sense and ended up being fun (after the twist itself was revealed to us). So yeah, it's still a crappy Twilight movie but I will always love these movies and this was the perfect send-off.

Did we see Eclipse together?

Silly me…Did we see The Twilight Saaaaahhhhgaaaahhhh: Eclipse together?  If we did, I apologize for the remainder of this post.  I’m sure we had a fantastic time but, sadly, I don’t remember it.  These are monumental, epic movies!  How could I forget who I saw them with?

Here’s the thing about getting old, your memory starts to go and it goes quick.  Unless something out of the ordinary happened or the situation/setting was different for me, the memory of most events escapes me.  Oddly, the only Twilight installment I remember vividly is the first one.  It is the only one I remember because I was with two people I love and don’t get to see much of and we were in an odd situation.  To steal from Sophia of The Golden Girls, “Picture it…New York City, November, 2008.”  I was visiting my dear friend Ashlee who was in school at Parsons The New School for Design.  After some time in the city, we hopped on a train and headed west. Our destination…beautiful Berkeley Heights, NJ.  I have family in Berkeley Heights and thought it would be fun to visit with some of my cousins while up north.  We chatted a bit with two of my cousins and then Ashlee, my cousin Carly and I went to see Twilight.  It was Friday night, the air was brisk and the line for the theater was long.  Had I not bought tickets ahead of time (I’m somewhat of a planner) we would have had to bag the whole idea.  You see Twilight was pretty big at the time.  Not big enough that my other cousins knew what it was but big enough that I was determined to see it on my mini-vacation.

There’s a bit of an age difference between Carly and me so we didn’t really grow up together.  However we bonded instantly that night over our love for Twilight.  In fact every time a new sequel in the saaaahhhgaaaahhh comes out I feel like I should be back in New Jersey, standing in line next to Carly. I miss you, girl!

My friend Ashlee knew a bit about the Twilight phenomenon but was not a fan.  Actually she probably would tell you that her only experience with it was watching me tear through two of the books during a mini-vacation we took to Myrtle Beach one summer.  I couldn’t put them down.  Of course that was before I had gotten to Breaking Dawn, which I put down a lot.  Once I even threw it across a room.

So that leaves three other movies and my mind was still mostly blank.  My bestest friend, Dana, assures me that we saw New Moon and Breaking Dawn Part 1 together.  I vaguely remember seeing them with her but only because she was living outside of Raleigh, NC at the time and I made trips up there specifically so we could see them.  Other than that though, I don’t remember much about the situation.  I think I remember us driving into Raleigh for a jewelry class and complaining about all the angst in New Moon.

Eclipse is a blur.  I’m pretty sure I saw it with someone but I have no idea who that someone was.  I’m seeing part 2 of Breaking Dawn alone and it seems odd.  Part of the fun of these movies is seeing it with one of your friend and commiserating about how the rest of your life is completely reasonable and logical, but for some reason you can’t let go of these books or movies.  I will probably be seeing it a second time with two of my friends, Keenan and Ann.  They are two of the funniest women you’ll ever meet so I’m guessing we’ll have a fun time.  Did I ever tell you about the time Keenan and I went to see a Harry Potter movie with 200 5^th graders?  See, that’s a situation I remember because it was so out of the ordinary.  But I’ll save that for another time.

Problems with the poster - Twilight 4.2

I was going to present this without comment but I can't help myself.  For some reason this poster just cracks me up.  I don't know if it's because they seem to be taking themselves too seriously or maybe it's that I can't help imagining the three actors and how this photo shoot went down.

If they're lucky someone just superimposed their heads on the bodies of stand-ins.  There isn't much that is more awkward than pretend running. Maybe more awkward is having to do press with your pretend boyfriend who you supposedly cheated on and are possibly back together with now...just in time for press for your new movie.

Also, who are those people behind them?!?! And what's with the wolves?  They're suddenly smaller than they were in the previous movies? 

Trailer Park with a touch of Adaptation Angst

42 - This could be very, very good

Gambit - Let me get this straight...Alan Rickman, Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci in a Coen Brothers' movie?

I think I've died and gone to heaven.  If only it weren't Cameron Diaz.  

Great Expectations - An adaptation but not the one I'm angsty about.

Beautiful Creatures - Here's where my angst about an adaptation comes into play.  I love the YA series, the Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  So you can imagine my excitement when I found out they were making a movie of the first book, Beautiful Creatures. I was terribly disappointed by one of the casting choices, 26-year old Emmy Rossum as a teenager.  Then I found out they weren't actually going to film it in South Carolina, where the books are set. However, I liked many of the other choices in casting:  Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons, and Emma Thompson so I was willing to give it a shot. 

This morning I spotted the trailer and actually squeaked in excitement.  Then I watched it. Meh.  The look of it is very cool.  The accents are a bit thick but I'm probably nitpicking.  I do like the two leads so that's good but I'm still really miffed about Rossum.  Whatever. Here it is:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Instead of dwelling on my disappointment with
Beautiful Creatures, I decided to cheer myself up with the second Hobbit trailer.

I feel no angst about this adaptation AT ALL.

Please to enjoy:

Also there are some alternate endings to the above trailer:

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
Director: Gary Ross
Stars: People who did a fine job but I still think were wrongly cast; and a bunch of other people I thought were going to be fine and ended up being pretty perfect.



Because I've been so hesitant to see this film I thought it'd be cute to include a picture of my movie ticket from yesterday afternoon to prove that I saw it.

Foiled again, y'all

Apparently I paid to see The Lorax and not The Hunger Games.  Plus I was alone so I have no one to corroborate my story.  And I paid in cash so we can't track my movements through my bank account either.  Conspiracy?  Perhaps.  How many other people wanted to go see The Hunger Games but were sold tickets to The Lorax instead?  Idiocy?  More likely.  The ticket person was talking her coworker/friend whilst processing my request so I'm guessing it was a mistake.  You are just going to have to take me at my word.  I actually saw The Hunger Games yesterday.  Guess what else?  I liked it.  This was what I wanted to happen.  I wanted to hate it on the way into the theater but like (not love) it on the way out.  I was never going to love it.



Overall I was pleased at the book-to-film adaptation.  They got the story and the essence of the book onto the big screen.  I was scared that they wouldn't be able to nail the scope of the book.  They did.  I was scared that the essence of the characters weren't going to come through.  They did...for the most part.  I was scared that Gary Ross was going to be a sucky director.  He was.  So thanks for that, Gary.  But aside from some awful directing choices I was happy with the film.

First I'll get my issues with Gary off my chest.  Gary, Gary, Gary.  About a week ago I read an interview on Vulture.com about your use of my two most hated movie-making techniques...shaky, hand-held camera and tight shots.  I hoped it would be used sparingly.  It wasn't. My friend Michael suggested that he should have used it during the games and at no other time.  Michael, who claims to be right about everything, was totally right about that.  Other than that, and incorrectly shooting a movie is big, I was pleased with his work.  All of the actors did a great job with portraying their characters.  I want to think that was due to his direction and that he's better with acting choices than camera technique choices.  Ok, I've beaten this dead horse enough.

Jennifer Lawrence played a very flat Katniss but then Katniss is kind of dead inside anyway and Jennifer Lawrence is good at dead inside.  She's not effervescent in life or on screen so I now get the choice.  Also I kind of get wanting to cast someone in their early twenties to make the kissy stuff not icky.  Had someone younger been kissing on another actual teen I might have been creeped out.  I still think casting actors in their early twenties takes away from the shock value of teen-on-teen violence but I'm finally letting that go.  Until the next installment when our stars are in their mid-20s.  Then it's very possible I'll be bringing all this up again.

Josh Hutcherson is a good actor.  I'll say this again.  Josh Hutcherson is a good actor.  He just doesn't do it for me. And the hair.  Oh, the hair.  Don't people, and by people I mean hairstylists, know that blond isn't all over one color?  People with naturally blond hair have tones and highlights.  Sorry, I'm ranting.  But he was very good as Peeta and played it just right.  I just need to get past the hair.

As far as the supporting cast goes I think they all did excellent jobs.  I still don't understand Woody/Haymitch's hair either but he was great.  I was happy to see Wes Bentley in a decent role again after spending some years in obscurity.  The other tributes were good, especially the creepy chick from Orphan who played Clove. I must say, how good was Lenny Kravitz?  He was sweet and supportive but restrained...just like Cinna.

Speaking of, I need this to happen at some point in my life but preferably not with me heading off to my possible death:

Be like me and go read Tracy's review on Examiner.com.  I make it a habit to not read her reviews before I write my own and it was especially true this time around because she and I had many of the same issues heading into the theater. I'm totally excited to read what she thought and you should be too.

A Very Special YA Supernatural Romance Cross-Post

My friend and colleague (and much buzzed-about YA author) Amy Reeves kindly allowed me to geek out on the Mortal Instruments series over at her blog. While you're there, check out the latest news on her upcoming novel Ripper. It sounds so freaking good. Also, stay tuned for a guest post from Amy here at OMwG!