Yes, I know you aren't supposed to compare the movies to the books they are "based on" (Use that term loosely, Hollywood). But sometimes, it just can't be helped.
As I'm sure you've figured out, I saw Insurgent tonight. I went in with an open mind, kind of, and was determined to enjoy it even though I knew it would be a bit different from the book, like the first of the series, Divergent was. Well, this wasn't different from the book so much as a different story altogether. Okay then, let's look at it as just a movie. Just a sequel to the first movie. Let's do that.
FYI, I haven't read Allegiant but I'm already afraid for that book to movie disaster in the making.
(SPOILERS AHEAD!)
My first issue is the pacing. You're trying to shove a lot of stuff into one movie and it felt just way too rushed. Concepts are being thrown at the audience at such a speed that I feel like people are just left confused and trying to figure out what the hell it was even all about.
Honestly, I can't remember who that black guy, Tris's friend, was supposed to be. I think his name was mentioned once (Well, whispered maybe) and that's how many times we saw him in the movie. So how are they close friends who hang out on top of a building at night to chat when I don't recall seeing him before and never have to worry about seeing him again? That guy was in and out faster than a ninja. So then, what was the point of his role?
My next problem was that there were no mysteries here. Everyone seemed to know everything that was going on as it happened. Secrets were revealed all too easily. There were no serious problems to work out because someone will just come along and tell you the answer pretty soon.
Also, how in the name of Tris's too-short hair did Four know about the box? I actually complained out loud about that scene as it played out. Tris never knew about a fricking box until it was shown to her. She never tells Four about it. So how does he magically know about it when she says she has to go get it? Are we to just assume that some guard was all like "Yeah, they're torturing your girlfriend to open a box."? We have to, right, since there's no other explanation?
As a movie by itself it was okay. I should have waited for DVD but oh well, that's money I can't get back. You're welcome, overpriced movie theater. It had action scenes and parts where yes, I actually had to hold back some tears, ("I can't forgive myself.") but as a whole, it could have been better. It could have been much better.
Now, compared to the book. A lot was changed. A few things were not. Some things that were changed were understandable to me. I got why it had to be done. Some things did not need to be changed and there was no reason to change them. Hollywood needs to stop assuming that the audience members are idiots who can't put two and two together. We can handle mysteries. We can handle complex concepts. Otherwise, why would we be going to see a YA dystopian, post apocalyptic, fantasy/sci-fi, however-you-want-to-categorize it movie? Did you ever think that dumbing down this stuff might actually be making our teens, I don't know, dumber?
We can also handle relationship problems between two young adults which take place during the entirety of the book but not at all in the movie. The lovey-dovey puppy dog crap on screen actually had me rolling my eyes in frustration.
To conclude, if you've read the books, don't see Insurgent in theaters. Wait and Redbox it for less than $2. If you haven't read the books, go see it if you like action; sappy, uncomplicated romance; plots that sometimes don't make sense; and everything laid out on the line for you.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Books That Should Be Movies Pt 2
This time I'll be discussing The Hero and The Crown and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley and why I think they'd be excellent movies, if done right.
And of course, I'll tell you how NOT to do them.
As far as strong female characters in fantasy, Robin McKinley's females always please. Even when they are unsure of themselves or doubt their own motives, they shine through and I can never manage to put a book down once I start it without my own inner turmoil. Sometimes I just have to read the entire book through in one sitting.
I could really see these two books being made into two movies that coincide with each other even though the books can stand alone. I can picture Harry (the heroine from The Blue Sword) settling down one night with her children, trying to get them tucked in and quiet. They ask for a story and she decides to tell them all about the original owner of her sword, Gonturan, the blue sword that only a woman can wield.
She weaves the tale of Lady Aerin, narrating a bit as we go back into Aerin's childhood. And so begins The Hero and The Crown.
I think Harry's character would be perfect to narrate the first movie in third person, then to narrate her own story in first person. And perhaps at one point in The Blue Sword, her husband Corlath can pop in and give a few words of his own about their adventures.
Now, because I'm a stickler for details here are a few things that SHOULD NOT be done with this movie because it would really take away from the story and ruin the entire experience.
Crappy Narrating:
Narrators are meant to give insight and clue the watchers into something that can't be expressed through visuals. Expressing a characters feelings, for example. But lately it seems that most YA-books-turned-movie have narrating at the beginning just to explain every detail of someone's past, their environment, how magic works, etc. This is completely unnecessary.
As far as The Hero and The Crown, it is not necessary to go into detail explaining away kelar at the beginning, for example. It could be shown and hinted at by that horrid girl who teases Aerin for not having the Gift of kelar. This is a movie, use some visuals here. I always think it's better to assume that the members of your audience aren't all complete idiots and can actually figure things out without them being stated right from the get-go.
CG:
So, I know that someone is just itching to make the dragons and other creatures CG and I'm okay with that. I just can't stand when they do CG people in action scenes. Really, it looks like crap. Stop doing it. There's this thing called a blue screen and plenty of actors who can jump and run and fly in a harness.
Changing The Story:
I'm not an idiot, I know things must be adjusted for the big screen. Every detail and side story from a book isn't going to be slapped in there. My main concern is changing the direction of a story or trying to sell it as something it's not. Both of these books have plenty of great action scenes. They would make wonderful action movies, to be sure. But that isn't what they're really about. These stories are about two girls trying to find themselves and their place in a magical and confusing world. This should be the focus of any movies made.
I've said it once and I'll say it again, don't Eragon this shit.
Other than that, I think these two books would be excellent movies. Strong heroines in movies is in right now what with The Hunger Games trilogy and Divergent so, why not?
And of course, I'll tell you how NOT to do them.
As far as strong female characters in fantasy, Robin McKinley's females always please. Even when they are unsure of themselves or doubt their own motives, they shine through and I can never manage to put a book down once I start it without my own inner turmoil. Sometimes I just have to read the entire book through in one sitting.
I could really see these two books being made into two movies that coincide with each other even though the books can stand alone. I can picture Harry (the heroine from The Blue Sword) settling down one night with her children, trying to get them tucked in and quiet. They ask for a story and she decides to tell them all about the original owner of her sword, Gonturan, the blue sword that only a woman can wield.
She weaves the tale of Lady Aerin, narrating a bit as we go back into Aerin's childhood. And so begins The Hero and The Crown.
I think Harry's character would be perfect to narrate the first movie in third person, then to narrate her own story in first person. And perhaps at one point in The Blue Sword, her husband Corlath can pop in and give a few words of his own about their adventures.
Now, because I'm a stickler for details here are a few things that SHOULD NOT be done with this movie because it would really take away from the story and ruin the entire experience.
Crappy Narrating:
Narrators are meant to give insight and clue the watchers into something that can't be expressed through visuals. Expressing a characters feelings, for example. But lately it seems that most YA-books-turned-movie have narrating at the beginning just to explain every detail of someone's past, their environment, how magic works, etc. This is completely unnecessary.
As far as The Hero and The Crown, it is not necessary to go into detail explaining away kelar at the beginning, for example. It could be shown and hinted at by that horrid girl who teases Aerin for not having the Gift of kelar. This is a movie, use some visuals here. I always think it's better to assume that the members of your audience aren't all complete idiots and can actually figure things out without them being stated right from the get-go.
CG:
So, I know that someone is just itching to make the dragons and other creatures CG and I'm okay with that. I just can't stand when they do CG people in action scenes. Really, it looks like crap. Stop doing it. There's this thing called a blue screen and plenty of actors who can jump and run and fly in a harness.
Changing The Story:
I'm not an idiot, I know things must be adjusted for the big screen. Every detail and side story from a book isn't going to be slapped in there. My main concern is changing the direction of a story or trying to sell it as something it's not. Both of these books have plenty of great action scenes. They would make wonderful action movies, to be sure. But that isn't what they're really about. These stories are about two girls trying to find themselves and their place in a magical and confusing world. This should be the focus of any movies made.
I've said it once and I'll say it again, don't Eragon this shit.
Other than that, I think these two books would be excellent movies. Strong heroines in movies is in right now what with The Hunger Games trilogy and Divergent so, why not?
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Books That Should Be Movies Pt. 1
We all know that Hollywood has run out of ideas. I mean, their about to redo Ghostbusters. The time for original thinking has passed. Turning to books has become popular but unlike everyone else, I recommend turning to older books instead of those that just came out. I hate it when they're already starting a movie series based on a book series that isn't even completed yet. That's exactly how a lot of anime series go horribly wrong.
Anywho, when it comes to children's books, I think the best series to make the leap to the big screen should be Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence. These five books are a fun fantasy read that I could see as epic movies. If they're told right. And if they're told in order. I actually think that if Disney took the initiative, they could make some real masterpieces. I could even see Peter Jackson directing.
I would so pee myself in excitement if these wonderful books were ever made into screenplays but I'll say right now that there are definitely things that should NOT be done when prepping these bad boys for Hollywood.
Do not:
1. Make the children older. Back in 2007, Fox made the mistake of trying to make the second book in the series into a movie entitled The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising. This was a horrific failure. They literally stabbed my childhood in the heart by taking a huge shit on a Newbery Honor winning book. Of the hundreds of problems with that movie, the one I will touch on here is the fact that they changed the main character's age. He's supposed to be just turning eleven. In the movie, he is turning fourteen.
A teenager has a completely different view of the world than a pre-teen does. These books are about children, not horny kids who see every member of the opposite sex as a potential girlfriend/boyfriend. The innocence of childhood is actually pretty relevant to the stories. Don't mess with that.
2. Skip books in the series. Thanks Disney for screwing up the Chronicles of Narnia movies by skipping books. Just because said books didn't involve the characters that you deem most important, doesn't mean you can just pretend they aren't there. It was the chronicles of NARNIA not the chronicles of four siblings.
Don't skip Over Sea, Under Stone just because it doesn't involve Will Stanton and is aimed at a younger audience. The Drew children are relevant to later books.
3. Make them American. Don't even think about it. That crappy movie from 2007 did this. Locations in the UK become important in later books so don't screw with this. Also, English kids are so cute.
3. Cut corners. Don't leave out huge chunks of the story because filming them would be a pain. If it would take two and a half hours to tell the story right, then that's how long it needs to take. Don't get slack on the funds because if done right I believe that these could be serious box office cash cows. Don't make every scene involving magic on a computer. When Merriman and Will jump off a cliff and dive deep into the ocean, let's not make that entire scene CG. Part of it, sure, fake bubbles would be cool looking of course. Use real actors people, that's what they're paid for.
4. Make a completely different story out of it. Please don't do this. A few changes here and there are always going to happen, I know, but these books wouldn't have won awards if they weren't excellent stories. There is a scene in The Dark Is Rising where Will discusses religion with a priest very briefly. Knowing how sensitive some Christians can be, I'd leave that out (cause some people are on the lookout for things to boycott) but I honestly can't think of any other situations that would really offend anyone so I see very little that should be changed.
And to those Christians reading this, don't get offended. There are fanatics in every religion. I read these books as a child would, seeing only magic and wonder. I don't over analyze children's books. To this day, I haven't told my children about the religious parallels in The Chronicles of Narnia. It's just a story about a magical world and a friendly lion.
The conflict here is between the Light and the Dark, two outside forces that try to manipulate people based on the good and evil already in their hearts. Deities have nothing to do with it.
To conclude, I think that if someone took the initiative and wrote some decent screenplays based on this series, the film industry could have some real box office jewels that could become instant classics in family entertainment. I know I'd be happier than a pig in shit.
Anywho, when it comes to children's books, I think the best series to make the leap to the big screen should be Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence. These five books are a fun fantasy read that I could see as epic movies. If they're told right. And if they're told in order. I actually think that if Disney took the initiative, they could make some real masterpieces. I could even see Peter Jackson directing.
Do not:
1. Make the children older. Back in 2007, Fox made the mistake of trying to make the second book in the series into a movie entitled The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising. This was a horrific failure. They literally stabbed my childhood in the heart by taking a huge shit on a Newbery Honor winning book. Of the hundreds of problems with that movie, the one I will touch on here is the fact that they changed the main character's age. He's supposed to be just turning eleven. In the movie, he is turning fourteen.
A teenager has a completely different view of the world than a pre-teen does. These books are about children, not horny kids who see every member of the opposite sex as a potential girlfriend/boyfriend. The innocence of childhood is actually pretty relevant to the stories. Don't mess with that.
Don't skip Over Sea, Under Stone just because it doesn't involve Will Stanton and is aimed at a younger audience. The Drew children are relevant to later books.
3. Make them American. Don't even think about it. That crappy movie from 2007 did this. Locations in the UK become important in later books so don't screw with this. Also, English kids are so cute.
4. Make a completely different story out of it. Please don't do this. A few changes here and there are always going to happen, I know, but these books wouldn't have won awards if they weren't excellent stories. There is a scene in The Dark Is Rising where Will discusses religion with a priest very briefly. Knowing how sensitive some Christians can be, I'd leave that out (cause some people are on the lookout for things to boycott) but I honestly can't think of any other situations that would really offend anyone so I see very little that should be changed.
And to those Christians reading this, don't get offended. There are fanatics in every religion. I read these books as a child would, seeing only magic and wonder. I don't over analyze children's books. To this day, I haven't told my children about the religious parallels in The Chronicles of Narnia. It's just a story about a magical world and a friendly lion.
The conflict here is between the Light and the Dark, two outside forces that try to manipulate people based on the good and evil already in their hearts. Deities have nothing to do with it.
To conclude, I think that if someone took the initiative and wrote some decent screenplays based on this series, the film industry could have some real box office jewels that could become instant classics in family entertainment. I know I'd be happier than a pig in shit.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
The Gravity of Wall Street
I just watched a couple movies that I wasn't so sure about at first but ended up liking: GRAVITY and THE WOLF OF WALL STREET. Warning, there will be spoilers so if you haven't seen and plan to, leave now. Otherwise, carry on.
Now I love Sandra Bullock. Ever since SPEED, she's been my go-to girl for sweet drama and adorable laughs. But after hearing the premise for this movie, I was kinda like, eh, I don't know. But my husband brought it home from Redbox and we watched it together. Well, I watched it, he fell asleep halfway through. Not from boredom but that's just what happens when we watch movies together.
I was pretty impressed with her performance, as usual. She's an astronaut named Ryan on her first trip into space. An accident happens and she and George Clooney's character, Matt, are stuck with little oxygen and a long way to go to get back to Earth. She's flipping out and soon reveals that she'd lost her four year old daughter. "Now, I just drive. I get in the car and drive."
Throughout the movie we watch as she struggles to survive, even as Matt is lost to her. As he drifts away from her with no way to get back, Matt says "You have to learn to let go." What? Are you kidding? I'd be freaking out too if I knew someone was going to die and could still hear their voice as they slowly become a dot in the black. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. Yes, this is the perfect time to freak out!
Eventually, you have this scene that takes place after she decides to just give up.
Yep, it's time to go home, alright. Time to let go and move on. It took almost dying in space for Ryan to start living, really living, again. Best line of the movie: "No more just driving. Let's go home."
WOLF OF WALL STREET was a fun movie to watch. Long, really long but still entertaining as hell. The story follows the humble beginnings of stock broker Jordan Belfort as he lies and swindles his way up the Wall Street food chain to become a millionaire. Sex and drugs and money, money, money are all he needs.
And then things start to go bad. The government starts to take notice and investigate. You can smooth talk thousands of dollars out of people's wallets and into your hand but you can't make the FBI turn a blind eye. And drugs are a serious problem with this guy. This scene had me laughing for five minutes straight.
As hilarious as this is, it's also messed up because he makes the stupidest decisions and later endangers the life of his kid while high. Not cool.
Of course it all comes crashing down around him and he has to do some jail time but he did come to realize what his real strengths were and eventually used them to help people other than himself. Because you can't be a selfish prick forever, right? Right?
Now I love Sandra Bullock. Ever since SPEED, she's been my go-to girl for sweet drama and adorable laughs. But after hearing the premise for this movie, I was kinda like, eh, I don't know. But my husband brought it home from Redbox and we watched it together. Well, I watched it, he fell asleep halfway through. Not from boredom but that's just what happens when we watch movies together.
I was pretty impressed with her performance, as usual. She's an astronaut named Ryan on her first trip into space. An accident happens and she and George Clooney's character, Matt, are stuck with little oxygen and a long way to go to get back to Earth. She's flipping out and soon reveals that she'd lost her four year old daughter. "Now, I just drive. I get in the car and drive."
Throughout the movie we watch as she struggles to survive, even as Matt is lost to her. As he drifts away from her with no way to get back, Matt says "You have to learn to let go." What? Are you kidding? I'd be freaking out too if I knew someone was going to die and could still hear their voice as they slowly become a dot in the black. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. Yes, this is the perfect time to freak out!
Eventually, you have this scene that takes place after she decides to just give up.
Yep, it's time to go home, alright. Time to let go and move on. It took almost dying in space for Ryan to start living, really living, again. Best line of the movie: "No more just driving. Let's go home."
WOLF OF WALL STREET was a fun movie to watch. Long, really long but still entertaining as hell. The story follows the humble beginnings of stock broker Jordan Belfort as he lies and swindles his way up the Wall Street food chain to become a millionaire. Sex and drugs and money, money, money are all he needs.
And then things start to go bad. The government starts to take notice and investigate. You can smooth talk thousands of dollars out of people's wallets and into your hand but you can't make the FBI turn a blind eye. And drugs are a serious problem with this guy. This scene had me laughing for five minutes straight.
As hilarious as this is, it's also messed up because he makes the stupidest decisions and later endangers the life of his kid while high. Not cool.
Of course it all comes crashing down around him and he has to do some jail time but he did come to realize what his real strengths were and eventually used them to help people other than himself. Because you can't be a selfish prick forever, right? Right?
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Randomadness
Hello everyone!
I wanted to take this time to promote my friend's, Timothy Ruyevcan, podcast, RANDOMADNESS. The web address is http://www.powerupsnotincluded.com/randomadness/ .
He does live podcasts once a week and sometimes I make a guest appearance. You'll recognize me, I'm the loud mouthed chick who they like to refer to as ta-tas.
The subjects are just as the title suggests: very random. But we are rather nerdy gamers so usually discussions involve movies, games, anime and pop culture. And, of course, that one mysterious thing that all men love to discuss - females!
It does contain foul language and adult themes but we just shoot the crap and enjoy each other's company. So check out the website and listen to a few recordings to see if you find our discussions as amusing as we do. We love to laugh and if you do too, I hope you'll become a regular listener!
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