The Hunger Games

Adapting a wildly popular book series to film is always tricky. Sometimes it fails miserably such as in The Golden Compass. Sometimes, the series has ups and downs like the Harry Potter series. It's easy to make a film feel like a quick summary of the book, to ignore the complexities of the characters you grew to know and love. I suppose the important thing we look for when watching a movie based on a book series is that the spirit of the books makes it to the screen. There are certain emotional connections that need to resonate similarly between the book and the film. With The Hunger Games, that is absolutely the case.

Water for Elephants

I had mixed feelings going into the movie, Water for Elephants. I read the book by Sara Gruen on a long flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Chicago. I finished it over the eight hour flight, but to be honest, I didn't really like the book. I couldn't see the older Jacob and the younger Jacob as the same person. The old Jacob was whiny and had little of the same personality as the younger Jacob. The writing seemed simple- as if written for a much younger audience. The book gave me something to do for eight hours, but otherwise, was unmemorable. Still, I had a good feelings about the movie. The major themes were visual in nature. I wanted to see this Depression era traveling circus, witness visually the dangers of getting on someone's bad side while on a moving train, and most of all see the training of the very independent elephant, Rosie. All of this had the potential to translate well on film.

Straw Dogs

For years now, I have wanted to see the Original Straw Dogs (1971). For one reason or another, I just never got around to it. This is due in most part to Netflix not having it; a travesty! Anyway, I am a fan of horror. And not just a fan of a certain aspect of horror; I love it all. From the Slasher flix of the 70's and 80's, to the "torture porn" (I hate that term) of late; I embrace it all. Above it all, however, I am a fan of that true horror; the horror that is the deprivation that mankind is capable of. My DVD library is overflowing with early exploitation films, as well as a healthy dose of foreign films in the make of Irreversible and I Stand Alone (Gaspar Noe' is by far one of my favorite directors). Seeing as the original Straw Dogs is supposedly of this mold, you can understand my fervent desire to see it. Low and behold I was presented with a perfect opportunity to view this controversial film (banned in the United Kingdom). This would not be a viewing of the original however; instead, it would be Rob Lurie's remake of said film. I must admit; I am and have always been against remakes of great/ground breaking films. Having said that, I am so lucky to have not already seen the original, for if I had, I would not have had the pleasure of not only sitting through this film, but actually enjoying every moment of it!

Pan Am

One peaceful day while bored on a long flight I decided to flip through a passengers’ cast-off issue of Cosmo. Therein nestled between the makeup and fall fashion ads was an advertisement for the new CBS show Pan Am. Chipper flight attendants in their adorably silly hats stared at me from the page in front of the retro blue logo. I was squatting unladylike in the galley of a regional jet in slightly wrinkled clothes, a bit sweaty and covered in bruises, and with my curly hair sporting unruly fuzzy patches from hitting my head on the overhead bins. The last thing I wanted to see was a show about the ‘good old days‘. I hear about them enough from older passengers. Though flight crews from that time left such an impression that I take it as a compliment when passengers tell me I remind them of the flight attendants of ye olde days of aviation. While watching Pan Am I was struck by how close the show resembled what my imagination conjures up when told these fairy tales. The show is a blend of accurate small details and the barely believable; like looking into a moving Pan Am advertisement.

Caprica Recap - Episode 11

And now for the second episode of the rest of the series, in which we find out what the other characters have been up to. Well, not really, but close enough I suppose. I am very patient after all, which is something that viewers really need to be in order to keep watching this show. Despite the still seemingly slow development of the plot, the things that have happened have been quite interesting. There are lots of small details that do a fair job of building emotion and tension, if not outright suspense. Instead of wondering what will happen next, I find myself wondering how it will happen and sometimes why. This is clearly a show more about thinking than action. Throughout the episode the location and time of events is chronicled, which I suppose gave a good idea of how quickly the events were taking place. Perhaps to quicken the pace? It was interesting to think that instead of all of these things happening simultaneously, there was a succession of events and a clear illustration of cause and effect. It became easier to see how intertwined everything is.

Caprica Recap - Episode 10

Is everyone as excited as me that Caprica is back? No? Well, that makes me sad. I feel like this show has lots of potential and is just floating around in a sea of average. Eventually it'll get to the point, I know it. Every episode I watch is like another step in the right direction. I keep coming back and giving the show another chance to turn on its inherent awesome. I’m more patient than most, but I still feel like the mid-season break was a bad idea. It just seemed to make it easier to forget to watch the show. Though the mid-season finale was pretty explosive, with everything exploding and all, I still had a hard time remembering what was going on. But when I did I also remembered how many great parts there were to this show. Maybe I’m just enjoying rooting for an underdog because there are so few great sci-fi television shows. I really hope this one pulls through.

A movie about garden gnomes...

 I--I have no words...

Best Albums of Summer 2010: Number Two

The National may very well be my absolute favorite band of the moment. I fell in love with The National quickly and passionately upon hearing their “breakthrough” album, Alligator. When I bought it, I let the album play on repeat for twelve hours straight. The National is that easy to listen to. Boxer was another masterpiece. In fact, I recommend a listen to those two albums before getting High Violet. Besides hearing three amazing albums, you can listen as their sound matures.

Best Albums of Summer 2010: Day One

In the world of movies, this past summer was fairly forgettable. We've seen better, and we've seen worse. The world of news has been...frustrating. But in the world of music, this summer has been fantastic. So many amazing albums were released this summer that it felt like my mp3 player was always full and my pockets were always empty. So, I'm writing a series of my five favorite albums of this past season. I've never written about music before, so the writing may be rough. Rest assured, the music is much better than the writing.

Predators

The fearsome warrior creatures in dreads have come a long way. From picking off Arnold Schwarzenegger's elite military team in a Central American jungle to fighting acid-spewing Aliens to fighting the Predalien hybrid thing. And now their lust for the hunt, so insatiable, forces them to assemble a team of the Earth's seven most dangerous humans...and Topher Grace. These people are literally dropped onto a game preserve planet from teh sky. There is no real explanation for that, but then-this isn't a movie for explanations.

Trailer Tuesday

The two trailers today are for Devil and Due Date.  Oooh alliteration. I like it!

Suggestion Box #18: Inception

Suggestion Box #17: The Last Airbender

Toy Story 3

Over the last decade and a half, Pixar has established itself as the most reliable name brand in Hollywood. Every two years or so, Pixar puts out an animated feature that rivals just about any other movie put out that year. In 1995, the original Toy Story set the benchmark for a studio that would go on to produce some of the most acclaimed and highest grossing animated films of all time. In fact, Toy Story 2 is still one of the few movies to hit 100% on Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer. So when they put out a movie, it's pretty safe to walk into it with high expectations. I walked into Toy Story 3 with absolutely sky-high expectations, and I have to say that I was still blown away. The final installment in the trilogy is better than a second sequel has any business being. For me, it's easily the most impacting of three, and may actually be the most complete entry.