I Am Number Four (the movie)

I Am Number Four (the movie)

If I hadn’t read the book before seeing the movie, I probably would have had a lot of questions about what was going on.  There are things that the movie doesn’t really explain, like why the kids need to be killed in order.  And they don’t really go into any detail about the home planet of Lorien or how Number Four starts developing his powers.  For me, those were the most interesting parts about the book.  There’s also a lot in this movie that isn’t in the book, but seems like it will come up in the sequel.  Either that, or they’re just making stuff up now.  If I get around to reading the sequel, I’m sure I will also watch it.  But I can’t rave about either of them.

As for the film and the acting, the main characters were my least favorite.  A slow and boring stock love story with really corny acting (at least they leave Sarah behind at the end) is pretty much only redeeming for teens in the eye candy aspect.  I’m a little too old for them.  I did, however, thoroughly enjoy and approve of the performances of Teresa Palmer (Number 6) and Callan McAuliffe (nerdy best friend Sam).  First of all, Number 6 is totally BA, and I’m glad they introduced her early on in the film (as opposed to in the book).  The complete opposite of Sarah, she is so much more fun to watch.  Secondly, with McAuliffe, what a novel concept actually casting a teen actor as a teenage character!  He actually looks like the guys I went to high school with and is absolutely believable in the role.  I’m sorry, but I don’t recall anyone I ever went to school with looking like Alex Pettyfer.  I found myself much more interested in the movie when Six or Sam was on screen.

If you’re looking for something brainless to watch and you’re not into physical comedy, this might interest you.  While it’s really slow in the middle, the end is filled with explosions and fighting and stuff like that.  Just keep a gag bag nearby for the lame love story.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Peter Pan

Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, read by Jim Dale

I imagine that almost everyone knows something about the story of Peter Pan.  Even if you’ve never read the book, you’ve probably seen one of the many movie versions that have been made over the years.  So I’m not going to take a long time to describe the story.  Peter Pan is a boy who will never grow up. One evening, he takes 3 children – Wendy, John and Michael – to Neverland with him and they help him defeat the nefarious Captain Hook.  The end.

This is the first time I’ve ever “read” this book.  I put “read” in quotation marks because I actually listened to it on CD.  I tried reading it once before, but the language was so heavy I didn’t make it very far.  So several months later I decided to let somebody read it to me.

The pros:

• I don’t have to wallow my way through older English.
• I was sick in bed, and this was a great way to spend 5 hours not being able to do much.

The cons:

• Being read by Jim Dale, all the voices he did for Peter Pan reminded me of voices from Harry Potter.  Captain Hook sounded like Severus Snape; Wendy sounded like Hermione Granger; Smee sounded like Seamus Finnigan.

Overall, I enjoyed the listening experience.  Having seen several film versions of Peter Pan, I appreciated reflecting on them as I listened to Barrie’s words and seeing how they were incorporated into each movie.  Ones that stuck out in particular for me?  Dustin Hoffman’s obsession with “good form” in Hook (1991).  The banter between Jason Isaacs and Jeremy Sumpter in the 2003 version of Peter Pan.  Some of the brief stage scenes as depicted in Finding Neverland (2004).  And I even feel that the 1953 Disney version stayed true to much of the story, even though none of them encompassed the blasé references to killing and death.

And now I’m in the mood to watch one.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com

How to Train Your Dragon (The One You’ve Probably Heard Of)

How to Train Your Dragon (the movie)

So as I mentioned in my previous post, I checked this movie out before I realized it was a book first.  You’ve got my thoughts on the book.  Here are my thoughts on the movie.

I could tell from the cover that the movie was not going to follow the book.  Toothless is supposed to be the size of a terrier; instead they made him the size of a horse.  But since I didn’t feel one way or the other about the book, I was more open to the changes they made for this movie than for something like Harry Potter.  Truthfully, I didn’t think the book would make a good movie as it was.  I liked some of the changes that they made very much.

I liked the movie Toothless a whole lot more.  He was adorable, and the kind of creature you’d expect from something entitled How to Train Your Dragon.  The development of the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless was likewise more what I expected.  I was a little surprised with the changes that was made to the Viking village–this movie seemed to tell the story that would lead up to the Cowell’s book, not something that was adapted from it.  But Cowell was working with the screenwriters, and I agree that it still kept the spirit of the book.  In fact, it may have improved it.  The biggest detriment to this movie was listening to Jay Baruchel’s voice for 98 minutes.  It’s really one of those voice that just grates against the eardrums.  Toothless’ expressions are a wonderful distraction.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

James Cameron Beat Him to the Punch

Was anyone else confused when the movie Avatar was announced, and then when it came out and it WASN’T the Nickelodeon anime version?  I certainly was.  I guess James Cameron has better people working for him then M. Night Shyamalan.

← A couple of weeks ago, a patron recommended that I watch this movie.  I finally did last week.  If you look on any movie rating site, you’ll see that it got HORRIBLE reviews.  Well, I didn’t read any reviews before I watched it.  And before I give my two cents, I’d like to give you some background as to why I decided to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last fall, I read these books,
The Lost Scrolls →

They’re supplementary to the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.  I had never watched an episode of the series when I picked these books up, but I still enjoyed them.  Each book is an overview of one of the four nations of the earth – Water, Earth, Fire, and Air and they also have some short episodic stories in them.  As an anthropology minor, I found it really interesting how these books were written like ethnographies.  So having enjoyed these books, I decided to give the movie a try when it came with a recommendation.

Basic breakdown of the plot: the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender is broken up into 3 books and lasted 3 seasons.  The movie The Last Airbender encompasses Book 1: Water.  The avatar is supposed to be a powerful element bender who keeps all of the nations in balance.  But the last one disappeared for 100 years and the Fire Nation is trying to conquer the world.  Two Water Nation siblings, Katara and Sokka discover the avatar, Aang frozen in an iceberg near their home.  But he’s not all-powerful yet.  He’s only 12 (well, technically 112), and he needs to master all of the elements before defeating the Fire Nation.

The movie was terribly written. The horribly unnatural dialog made Orlando Bloom’s performance in Pirates of the Caribbean look Oscar-worthy.  But just like the Pirates phenomenon, I found this movie highly entertaining.  It’s never going to win any awards, but it’s visually stimulating and I got caught up in the story.  It’s a strong tale that shines even through bad story-telling.  And Noah Ringer’s performance as the lead character was enthralling. Apparently he got the part because he filmed himself doing some moves, and had shaved his head and inked some of the tattoos on his head (IMDb) and sent that to Shyamalan.

Once I read that, unfortunately all I could think of was George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development.  But unlike Michael Cera, this kid has got some serious skills when it comes to combat.

A lot of the fan criticisms about this movie deal with divergences from the TV show.  I totally understand where they are coming from.  As a Narnia-phile, I refuse to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader because of how much they’ve changed and manipulated the story.  BUT knowing that the original is almost always better than the remake, I’ve started watching the series to see what couldn’t be put into a 2 hour movie.  I began watching them on Sunday… and now on Tuesday, I’m halfway through book/season 2.  Yeah, it’s a great story.

Images gleaned with the help of Google.

Two Snaps and a Lightning-Shaped Scar

Tonight, I finally saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.

And the post title pretty much sums up how I feel about it.  If you remember anything about the early 90′s show In Living Color, you know that this is a good thing.

I am highly pleased that they have decided to take the time to unfold this book over two movies.  There was no way everything could have fit into that 2.5 hour time space.  And what they did include and what they cut still pieced together a highly respectable film.  Best one yet.  It seems as though every other Potter film they put out seems to be a good adaption.  I’m fond of 1, 3, 5, and now 7.1.  Hopefully 7.2 still counts as an odd number.

Things I loved:
- The romantic tension between Ron and Hermione.
- Dialog pulled directly from the book (e.g. Fred and George’s exchange after George is cursed).
- Draco’s clear discomfort with Lord Voldemort in power.  Very well executed, Mr. Felton.
- Harry trying out the wand that Ron won.  That’s probably my favorite scene.

Things I wished they had done differently:
- Included Dudley’s acknowledgment of respect for Harry as he leaves.
- Made patronuses look more like animals.  Could anyone tell that Kingsley’s was a lynx?
- Shown Kreacher become happier with Harry Potter and co.
- Shown Luna’s paintings of her friends.  This was one of the most heartwarming parts of the book, and I was sad to not see it.
- Not put Ron in so many mismatched patterns.  Plaid, argyle, AND checkered flannel all at once?  The poor kid.

Truthfully, those are the only things that jump out in my mind.  I was totally caught up in the world, and I bought into almost every moment.  I really don’t want to wait until July to see the last part.  It’s going to be epic.

Things I hope they include in the final film:
- A really good retelling of Snape’s memories, and not mere flashes like in The Order of the Phoenix.  They were worth an entire chapter in the book; give them the decency of a few minutes.
- The redemption of Percy Weasley and his exchanges with Fred: word for word, please!
- Oliver Wood returning for the battle, mostly because he has a really pretty face.

Image taken from http://www.stampers-den.ca/blog/?p=1066.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (the movie)

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (the movie)

So I read the book and watched this movie months ago.  July it looks like.  Here’s that review if you don’t remember it.  I drafted a review for the movie, but I guess I never got around to doing it.

Try as I might, I didn’t like the movie.  I didn’t really like the book either, so I guess that didn’t give it much to go off of.  Some substantial parts about the book were changed, mostly the quest for Where’s Fluffy?  In the book, they find the band relatively early on.  In the film, the characters are driven by a quest to simultaneously find Fluffy and Norah’s friend, who has wandered off in a drunken stupor.  I am bummed that we never get to hear what Where’s Fluffy? sound like.  I also have a tough time with Michael Cera as the leading man.  After having read the book, I just don’t think Cera can pull off the kind of guy that Nick was supposed to be.  On the contrary, Kat Dennings’ Norah was superb.  And I’d like to be her friend.

The best part about this movie is that it can be summed up in 5 minutes.  Lead actress Kat Dennings made a puppet version of the film.  This is why I want to be her friend.  This version is available in the DVD extras, as well as on YouTube.  I’m so glad I took the time to peruse the extras.

So here’s the link to the YouTube version.  Save yourself the time.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com

Barely Remarkable

Unfortunately, these sentiments sum up how I felt about the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

I will keep this post brief, as the best part about finishing up this leg is that I can move on to The Deathly Hallows, which I intend to do for an hour or so before turning in tonight.

This film reminded me of how I felt after watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; I question what they changed and removed and added.  Why did they leave out the battle at the end of the book?  Why did they burn down the Weasley’s house?  If I remember correctly (which is entirely possible that I don’t), the Minister came to call at Christmas, not Death Eaters.  And why, for goodness sake, was the light emitted by Snape’s avada kadavra BLUE?!  Everyone knows it’s green.  That’s just a gross, gross oversight that should have been caught in editing.

However, I say “barely remarkable” because there are some aspects upon which I must remark.  The chapter about Aragog’s funeral was excellently executed by all and I’m glad they kept most of it in.  It must have been a lot of fun to act out as well.  And throughout the film, Tom Felton’s performance was great – more believable and true to character than Harry and Hermione for the most part.  It’s hard to believe he was that same little boy from Anna and the King.  And Ron was an utter dolt in this film.  Some say that’s a detriment and a mischaracterization, but I think it was perfectly true to form.  He’s a dolt in the book, and Grint was able to portray that rather effectively.

Alright.  On to the finish!

Images found with the help of Google.

Speak (the movie)

Speak (the movie)

Did you know they made a movie off of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak?  I didn’t until I was searching the library catalog for the book.  So after reading it, I promptly ordered it and watched it.  Sorry I haven’t gotten around to reviewing until now.  I couldn’t decide if I wanted to continue reviewing film adaptations of books I’ve read, and I think I do.

Overall, I was very pleased with this adaptation of the book.  While some things were altered, they mostly stayed true to the story.  There are some things that are more easily done in book form than film, such as some of the descriptions of the physical and emotional changes that Melinda experiences throughout the school year.  But there are some things that are much better captured on film than on paper, such as the range of emotion’s Melinda’s art expresses.  A young Kristen Stewart (now of Twilight fame) portrays Melinda and she does a fabulous job.  Her narration is spot on.  I loved her voice.  There were times that I felt she was acting a little too mature for the character.  I thought that Steve Zahn was an interesting choice for the art teacher… there’s something about his voice that doesn’t inspire academia in my mind.  However, upon further reflection, he does a very good job at portraying an artist who doesn’t really want to teach, but has to to pay the bills, which is what Mr. Freeman is.  I was also grateful for a redemptive moment at the end with Mr. Neck.

This film will never be a blockbuster.  But for Anderson’s readers, it is a treat.  And if you’ve never read the book, I don’t think that watching the movie first will ruin it for you.  But both are pretty short.  If you’re interested, take your pick.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (the movie)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (the movie)

Okay, so I went to go see the film adaptation of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (The Album of the Soundtrack of the Trailer of the Film…)

It did not save the book.  If you read my earlier post about the book, you’ll know my feelings about it.  But this movie is not the book’s fault.  I am usually disappointed with Hollywood movies, especially when it comes to kids’ movies, especially when it comes to book adaptations.  I don’t like Hollywood because people have run out of stories to tell so they just rely on special effects to supplant any plot or character development.  I have thought that it would be interesting for Hollywood to just take a year off, not make any movies at all, and spend that year actually looking for a good story.  I think that would be a very helpful experiment to the industry.  In the meantime they could just re-release classics so that the new generations could be exposed to them.

But I digress.

I understand that books don’t usually fit into two-hour time blocks for movies and that certain cuts have to be made (like not mentioning anything about the biker brawl with Ares).  I don’t understand why other little things need to be left out, like Annabeth’s baseball cap.  That was her thing in the book – in the movie, her hair is all over the place.  Seriously, if I were in battle, I wouldn’t want my hair in my face.  I can’t imagine the daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom in battle, wouldn’t think to tie her hair up.

This movie was also meant for a more mature audience than the book.  In the book, Percy is twelve.  In the movie, he’s seventeen.  Now, that makes sense in many ways because seeing tweens fight epic Greek sword battles against each other wouldn’t be cool.  But younger readers will not connect with this movie very well because it’s geared toward a much older audience, and in some very uncool ways.  Seriously, Grover needs to not have become obsessed with women, and the whole Lotus Casino drug trip was not okay with me.

The acting was not stellar either… but they didn’t have much of a script to work with or much of a standard to meet.

I’m not bitter, really.  A mid-afternoon $2 movie is a great way to spend a day off.  I’m just saying that I will probably never have a desire to watch this movie again.