Scene it Sunday #13 - Red Riding Hood Movie Review

Red Riding Hood
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Release Date: March 11, 2011
Leads: Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons

Set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf, a young girl falls for an orphaned woodcutter, much to her family's displeasure.

It would not be a stretch at all to say that this story was much better suited as a movie than a book. Where the book added nothing new to this screenplay, the movie had better interactions and a more vivid storytelling. (Obviously, as it is visual compared to a book.)

I thought that the character portrayals were spot on, and that Amanda Seyfried did a good job as Valerie - she was less "I don't know" than the Valerie in the book - which was actually a good change. Because I really didn't care for the cluelessness of Valerie in the book, but Amanda portrayed her as more of an innocent clueless than a stupid clueless, which was a great thing.

Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons both did well in their parts, though I have to say that I prefer Shiloh, because he did an awesome job at playing the outcast. And he can say "I'll eat you up" with a completely straight face. (Needless to say, no one can watch that and keep a straight face.)

I really liked the atmosphere of the movie - all of the dark, twisty gothic-y stuff really looked very cool, especially with the hint of the "dark ages" going on. It was really neat.

All in all, Red Riding Hood was an interesting enough movie, but I guess it's just not one for the favorites shelf.

Scene It Sunday #12 - Percy & The Flying Shoes

The Lightning Thief
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians, #1
Release Date: February 12, 2010
Leads: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario

A teenager discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.

Percy & The Flying Shoes, Book Scene -

I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"
He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air...that would not be wise for you."

Percy & The Flying Shoes, Movie Scene -

In the movie, it seems like Percy is using the shoes every time you turn around! He uses the shoes to get the pearl. (Which is a completely made up quest, by the way.) He uses the shoes to fight Luke. He uses the shoes ALL the time!

This may seem like a small thing, but to me it really wasn't. That was a complete deviation from the book, and a bad one at that. It makes no sense to add that in, and obviously it's just kind of stupid. Did they do it just so that Percy could have cool flying shoes? Jeez.

Scene it Sunday #11 - Percy is Undetermined

The Lightning Thief
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians
Release Date: February 12, 2010
Leads: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario

A teenager discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.

Book Scene, Percy is Undetermined -

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."
"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.
I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."
Everybody groaned.

Movie Scene, Percy is Undetermined -

From the very beginning of the movie (as soon as Camp Half Blood happens) Percy is introduced as the son of Poseidon, and he's claimed almost immediately. They put him in his own private cabin, and he never lives in the Hermes cabin.

This is just one of the ridiculous changes that they made in the movie, but it's one of the bigger ones - it messed up Percy's entire developmental arc. In the books, he's shown as a relatively sweet and normal boy, who's obviously a little unsure. But in the movie, Percy is made out to be slightly arrogant, and a "hero". It's a stupid change. (Lets not even mention the fact that Percy is only twelve in the books, and is like 16 in the movies. Or the ridiculous quest. Maybe these will get mentioned at a later date... maybe.)

Did this change bother you? Have you seen this movie?

Scene it Sunday #10 - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Movie Review

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Series: The Hobbit, #1
Source: Bought
Release Date: December 14, 2012
Leads: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage

A younger and more reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out on an "unexpected journey" to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of Dwarves to reclaim their stolen mountain home from a dragon named Smaug.

As you all know, I'm a good fan of LotR - I like it. I do think that the books were SORT of boring, because of the excessive details, but I love the movies. They're pretty much the best, and of course the extended versions are the only way to watch them. But, unfortunately - I didn't love The Hobbit as much as I loved the first trilogy. I think that it's a good movie in its own right, but there are some times when it seemed to just drag.

Thankfully, that wasn't all that often.

I loved Martin Freeman as Bilbo - I feel like he did a fantastic job of playing an unadventurous hobbit with unexpected strength and courage. He did great. I also (of course) love Gandalf, and he's possibly one of my favorite characters in this movie.

But don't even get me started on the dwarves! I have so much love for that ragtag group of fellas, and there'll be no changing that. I liked the way that Thorin was portrayed especially. Some people complained about the amount of "dwarves singing" and "dwarves eating" scenes in the film, but I think those were some of the most fun to watch. The all interact so well together - it just makes me happy! Their playful personalities, coupled with their fun looks and the lack of seriousness in all of them (except Thorin) just made them so fun.

I also loved the animation - the goblin king was perfectly grotesque, and I don't think they could have made him look any more terrible than they did. My only true problem with this movie (besides the boring bits) was the abrupt ending - it was a super long movie, to be cut off by a subpar ending.

All in all, The Hobbit is a good movie, and I can't wait to see the next one - but prepare to be bored at certain parts!

Scene it Sunday #9 - The Great Gatsby Movie Review

The Great Gatsby
Source: Gifted
Release Date: May 10, 2013
Leads: Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan

An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Long Island-set novel, where Midwesterner Nick Carraway is lured into the lavish world of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Soon enough, however, Carraway will see through the cracks of Gatsby's nouveau riche existence, where obsession, madness, and tragedy await.

I have no desire to tell you that I liked this movie, because as made obvious by my star rating, I didn't. Let me just start off by saying that I had just read the book when I watched this, so everything in the book was still pretty fresh in my mind. I noticed everything that they changed. And I hated it all the more for that.

I wanted to like this, I really did. I enjoy Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor (I mean, very few people don't), but he just didn't shine in The Great Gatsby. He failed at playing the part of Gatsby - and it's not really his acting skills that are the problem - the problem is that I won't be happy with anyone as Gatsby. And yes, it is kind of his acting. He's just not "suave" or even "debonair". If he was, he could have pulled this off.

And don't even get me started on the way that Nick was portrayed - I always thought of Nick as kind of a casual observer, watching life but not really taking part in it. For the movie, they made him take part in some - but he was played with such... GAH. They made him into a momma's boy, and I didn't like that. Not to mention the part that they through him into a mental institution... the boy's perfectly sane.

My mother and father, while listening to my ranting about this movie commented that actors from this time "don't know how to play characters from that time period. They aren't suave, and there's nothing about them that seems gentlemanly". I think that they're right, and it was probably one of my biggest issues.

On the other hand, I thought that Carey Mulligan did wonderfully as Daisy Buchanan. She is quite the destroyer, and she doesn't even realize that she's doing it. Carey played Daisy with the perfect disregard for other's emotions - the perfect feel for the character. Her acting was well done.

I don't wish to alarm anyone, but don't expect period music with this movie. I was expecting great music (from the '20's, of course) to play in this movie, but the soundtrack appears to be completely made up of top 40 type music - meaning that it's the new stuff. Rap and pop dominated, and I did watch the special features - it appears that they wanted to make this generation understand the time better.

That backfired, because I'm of this generation and it threw me out of this movie. Top 40 hits should not be played in a classic book to movie, in my humble opinion. All in all, I wouldn't recommend this movie for fans of the book, or even those like me who just "liked" the book. It's not particularly worth the time.

Scene it Sunday #8: Nick is in an Asylum

The Great Gatsby
Source: Gifted
Release Date: May 10, 2013
Leads: Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan

A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor.

Nick is in an Asylum, Book Scene -

Nick lives in Chicago. The asylum thing was made up completely for the movie.

Nick is in an Asylum, Movie Scene -

The movie starts out with a panning view of the outside of an asylum. It zooms into show us Nick's shrink and his file - which was never in the book at all.

I really think that this idea sucks. I mean, making Nick have a disorder of the mind just... makes the entire story kind of meaningless, because there's not a reason that you should be trusting him at all. I don't like it, 'twas a poor choice. Especially because Nick... wasn't insane. Not even a bit. Caught up, yes. But not a speck insane.

Scene it Sunday #7: "In my younger and more vulnerable years..."

The Great Gatsby
Source: Gifted
Release Date: May 10, 2013
Leads: Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan

A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor.

"In my younger and more vulnerable years...", Book Scene -

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone," he told me," just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

"In my younger and more vulnerable years...", Movie Scene -

*Nick is speaking as a green light flashes in the distance. We haven't seen him yet.*

"In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice. Always try to see the best in people, he would say. As a consequence, I'm inclined to reserve all judgements. But even I have a limit."

I must admit, that similar things are said... but by changing the overall passage, I feel like they changed the tone as well. The original version just has a much better and deeper ring, and I wish that they had kept it. Of course, this is just another small thing... that I noticed immediately, and it's driving me crazy!

Scene it Sunday #6: Dan Cody & His Millions

The Great Gatsby
Source: Gifted
Release Date: May 10, 2013
Leads: Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan

A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor.

Dan Cody & His Millions, Book Scene -

And it was from Cody that he inherited the money -  a legacy of twenty-five thousand dollars. He didn't get it. He never understood the legal device that was used against him but what remained of the millions went intact to Ella Kaye. He left with his singularly appropriate education; the vague contour of Jay Gatsby had filled out to the substantiality of a man.

(Ella Kaye was Dan Cody's mistress.)

Dan Cody & His Millions, Movie Scene -

In the movie, it's said that Dan Cody's family took the money - when in reality, Dan Cody had no family, except for Gatsby. (Who wasn't related by blood, just by... I don't know. You know what I mean!)

I don't exactly have very many things to say about this change - it's really a small thing, but the original way just went better with the themes, and it just... it was deeper. Kind of like a betrayal or something. It was a lot more intriguing.

Scene It Sunday #5: City of Bones Movie Review

City of Bones
Series: The Mortal Instruments, #1
Source: Bought
Leads: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower

When her mother disappears, Clary Fray learns that she descends from a line of warriors who protect our world from demons. She joins forces with others like her and heads into a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld.

I'm going to start off by saying that I'm sorry that both of the last "Scene It Sunday"'s have been movie reviews - I promise you that was not how I planned it. I expected to have at least one problem with this movie. But, actually - there was not one thing that I would have changed about it. Not one thing was left out - there were even original lines from the book!

I really liked the actress who played Clary (Lily Collins), and the actor who played Simon. They both played their parts well, and I'm going to tell you that Simon is just as cute and adorable as he was in the books! I wasn't sure about Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace (he's just not what I pictured), but after the end of the movie, I can honestly say that he's won me over. Spot on portrayal! (And what is that accent? It's awesome!)

The atmosphere was absolutely perfect. The blend of elements - the Downworld, and everything else... gorgeous. I didn't expect to like it so much! When we went into the Shadowhunters' club in the beginning, all I could think about was how absolutely stunning it all was - and how much it was exactly what I pictured! Just... ah it's beautiful!

The demon scenes were... to put it bluntly, chilling. I was freaking out a bit when that dog's head split open, I will tell you that right now. Valentine was... weirdly attractive. And I can see that they chose someone who could definitely be charming if he tried. Hodge was also spot on, and Isabelle and Alec were well cast.

I almost died when I saw Magnus Bane - he is perfect for the part! My only real problem is that I question how Simon will look in later movies, because they didn't make an effort to make the vamps look normal - they look pale and sunken in. The werewolves were good - Luke looks just as fatherly as I always pictured him... and Jocelyn really does look a lot like the actress who plays Clary!

The original storyline was kept to, and the OUTFITS. They were absolutely frickin' amazing! All black and gloves and aahhhh. I just - I heart it. All in all, I've gotta say that I really loved the City of Bones movie! I watched it twice within three days, so definitely check it out.

Scene It Sunday #4: The Hunger Games Movie Review

The Hunger Games
Series: The Hunger Games, #1
Source: Bought
Leads: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson

Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete.

 

I'm just going to come right out here and say it. I honestly don't think that the movie is as good as the book was. But to be honest, I never really expected it to be, so I'll just go on to talk about the bits that I like.

I feel like Jennifer Lawrence was the perfect actress to play Katniss - I really think that she does it well. She shows some emotion, but a lot of the time she appears to be very tough and together, which is what Katniss always portrayed to me. There was nothing that I found lacking about her acting skills.

Josh Hutcherson (who plays Peeta), was also a good actor, but I always pictured Peeta a bit different than him, I guess. He just wasn't who I expected, although he does the part fairly well. I missed the interactions between Katniss an Peeta - in the book, they had a lot more conversations and just... you know... togetherness. That was missing from the movie. I think that the director & producers made a decision to focus more on the action, rather than the character development. I think that only people who read the book will be even slightly bothered by that, though.

I liked the bleak look of District 12 - it was so gray and depressing and pretty much perfect in my eyes, and so was the capitol. Upon first watching of this movie, I didn't think that they were crazy enough looking, but I'm thinking that now they look pretty well made up. Effie was perfectly over the top, and Rue was just as sweet as she was in the book.

There were several smaller parts that I didn't care for  - I don't particularly like the part of Gale - he just wasn't in the movie very much, and I didn't connect with him. Haymitch was okay, but I always imagined him as more of an extreme drunk.

I liked seeing the gamemaker setup - it was interesting to see something from that side, and I enjoyed the actual game scenes. They were pretty well done. I just couldn't get into the many silent parts, though. I found them oddly disconcerting. They made sense with the overall style, but I just wish they had done it differently. I actually had an awkward moment of trying to figure out how it was that the sound wasn't working anymore.

All in all, The Hunger Games movie was interesting, and I liked seeing one of my favorite books on screen, but I think that it could have been better.

Scene It Sunday #3 - District 11

Scene It Sunday is getting to be a pretty regular feature around here, so I hope you guys are liking it! Scene it Sunday was created so that I could just kind of showcase the scenes that I love in books that didn't make into the movie adaption, or were changed. Just those little quirks that bother me. Let me know if think of a similar meme!

I know that I've done The Hunger Games every week so far, but I swear that is soon to change. I just wanted to get all of my problems with it out of the way first! ;)

District 11, Book Scene -

(After Rue's death, Katniss covers her in flowers as a sign of respect, this is District 11's gift to her.)

I open the parachute and find a small loaf of bread. It's not the fine white Capitol stuff. It's made of dark ration grain and shaped in a crescent. Sprinkled with seeds. I flash back to Peeta's lesson on the various district breads in the Training Center. This bread came from District 11. I cautiously lift the still warm loaf. What must it have cost the people of District 11 who can't even feed themselves? How many would've had to do without to scrape up a coin to put in the collection for this one loaf?It had been meant for Rue, surely. But instead of pulling the gift when she died, they'd authorized Haymitch to give it to me. As a thank-you? Or because, like me, they don't like to let debts go unpaid? For whatever reason, this is a first. A district gift to a tribute who's not your own.

District 11, Movie Scene -

In the movie, after Rue dies, District 11 starts a riot against the Peacemakers, which is shown in brief flashes.

Quite honestly, the reason that this change bothers me is simple - I felt like District 11 giving her the loaf of bread in the book had a lot more significance than the riot that was started in the movie. The loaf of bread was kind of symbolic, like they were thanking her for respecting Rue and kind of telling her that they'd follow her anywhere? I don't know, but that's how I felt about it. The riot took away all of that meaning, because it could easily be misconstrued as only being started because of Rue. It takes away some of Katniss's significance, and kind of... ruins the opening scene for the rebellion.