The Impossible [movie review]

Just from watching the trailers for The Impossible, I knew I was in for an emotional roller coaster when I went to see it on the big screen.

The Impossible is based on the true story of a family — Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor), Lucas (Tom Holland), Thomas (Samuel Joslin), and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast) — vacationing in Thailand when the devastating tsunami in 2004 hit, killing thousands and thousands of people. It’s a story of heartbreak and inspiration all in one.

The Impossible is undoubtedly one of the most touching movies I’ve ever seen; it truly pulls on your heartstrings. Watching what Maria and her family endured was unbelievable. As I watched this one family’s story unfold, I couldn’t help but think of the thousands of other familias and their stories… many of which will never be told. The Impossible definitely raises awareness to the severity of the tsunami and its absolutely devastating effects. This movie truly made me appreciate everyone and everything in my life; you really can’t take anything for granted.

Namoi Watts and Ewan McGregor were amazing; they both played such strong and loving spouses/parents during a time of pure pandemonium. They made the movie feel like a firsthand account at times, which made the movie that much more powerful.

Don’t even get me started on the kids. They all did such amazing jobs, especially for being so young. Out of the three, Tom Holland had the biggest role and he was such an inspiration. As the oldest brother, he really stepped up when his family needed him most. As for the two younger ones, they didn’t need to say much… they were adorable.

I give The Impossible 5/5 stars. It’s a definite must-see, but have your tissues ready.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from the movie: “Close your eyes and think of something nice.”

The Perks of Being a Wallflower [book/movie review]

I’ll start off by saying The Perks of Being Wallflower instantly became one of my favorite books and movies.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is about a shy boy, Charlie, who’s starting his first year of high school. For the most part, Charlie is shunned by his peers and — after his best friend committed suicide — he doesn’t really have anyone to talk to, other than his family. That is, until  he meets Patrick and Sam (step-siblings) and their group of friends (or The Island of Misfit Toys, as referred to by Sam in the movie). Charlie is welcomed by the group and he takes a particular interest in Sam from the very beginning, but he struggles with expressing his feelings to her. As time goes by, Charlie starts to experience things he never has before; things like going to his first high school party, experimenting with drugs, his first kiss, having a girlfriend, etc. We find out that Charlie had something traumatic happen to him when he was younger and — because of this — he gets “bad” sometimes.  By “bad,” Charlie means getting in these depressed moods, which usually happen around Christmas and his Birthday. When he was younger, his Aunt Helen, who was his favorite person in the world, died in a car accident around this time of year.

First of all, Charlie is probably my favorite character in a book or movie. I always felt for him. He’s just a genuinely nice, selfless kid. I don’t understand why he didn’t have any friends (at first) because I’d be his best friend in a heartbeat.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a quick read and I really enjoyed the unique format. The book is told in a series of letters that Charlie writes to an unknown recipient. He tells this mysterious “friend” of his everything he’s been going through in his first year of high school and his newfound social life. I think this is a story everyone can relate to. Kids can be cruel and — if you’ve been to high school, which I’m assuming most of you have — you know what it’s like. You might’ve been bullied or maybe you were on the other side as the bully. Maybe you’ve just been a witness to it. Regardless, it’s (unfortunately) something that’s bound to happen in every high school. The Perks of Being a Wallflower brings the issue of bullying to the forefront and will make you think twice before you make fun of someone just because they’re a little different. Sure, Charlie was a little quite, but did his classmates take the time to get to know him for who he really was? Did they take the time to put themselves in Charlie’s shoes? No. But, if they did, they’d probably realize what a sweet, smart, and lovable person he was. I can relate to Charlie because I was the quite kid in high school who always did his homework and never gave the teachers a problem. There were times when I could’ve participated, but I chose not to because it was “uncool” and I cared too much about what other people thought about me. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is all about embracing who you are and not being afraid to participate, which is something I’ve welcomed more and more over the years. It’s not about caring what other people think about you, it’s about finding the people who like you for who you truly are. Those are the people who matter. Those are your friends.

I think the movie stayed true to the book and I absolutely loved it. Logan Lerman was outstanding as Charlie. As I mentioned before, Charlie is one of my favorite fictional characters ever and if he was ruined in the movie, I woud’ve been devastated. Low and behold though, I think the movie made me like Charlie even more. I was also very pleased with Emma Watson‘s performance as Sam. No complaints there. I was a little worried about Ezra Miller playing Patrick because I saw some promotional interviews with the cast and there was just something about him that annoyed me. He was just a litte too much. After seeing the movie though, I came to realize that Miller was a perfect match for Patrick’s part. He was still a little over-the-top, but hey, that’s Patrick. All the other supporting characters did great as well, including Dylan McDermott (Charlie’s father), Nina Dobrev (Candace, Charlie’s older sister), and Paul Rudd (Mr. Anderson, Charlie’s English teacher). It was really fun to see the characters come to life and not disappoint. It’s hard to bring movies to life sometimes, but I think this particular film was so effective because Stephen Chbosky, the author, played such a prominent role in the movie by directing it.

The ending (which was the same in the book and the movie) threw me for a loop. You find out what happened to Charlie when he was younger and it explains why he is the way he is. This story is truly touching and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

I also have to say that the soundtrack for the movie (inspired by songs talked about in the book, of course) is awesome. I can’t stop listening to it. My favorite is “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners, which will forever remind me of one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It just makes me happy. Other artists on the soundtrack include: David Bowie, The Smiths, Cracker, and more.

I give both the book and the movie 5/5 stars. I think it’s an absolute must-read and must-see for everyone. However, I strongly recommend that you read the book first. Like I said, it’s a quick read and I think you’ll be able to appreciate the story more.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from the book. ”So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”

The Hunger Games [movie review]

As some of you may know, I’ve been waiting for The Hunger Games to come to the big screen for quite some time. I was a huge fan of the books by Suzanne Collins and I couldn’t wait to see the story come to life and be something I could watch. I haven’t experienced a ton of book to film adaptations (where I’ve both read the book and watched the movie), but I assure you, you won’t be disappointed with this one. Now, get ready for a longwinded post because there’s a lot to talk about.

For those of you who haven’t read the books (which I suggest you do), The Hunger Games is a post-apocalyptic story that takes place in Panem — a land split up into 12 Districts. Because of a past uprising started by the citizens of Panem, the Capitol has enacted  a yearly tradition, The Hunger Games, in order to keep everything in control. Every year, two tributes — one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18– are selected from each District to be entered into these said “games.” A total of 24 tributes are chosen, sent to the Capitol, trained, and entered into an arena to fight to the death until only one tribute remains… the victor. This story follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) who volunteers as the tribute for District 12 to save her sister, Primrose (Willow Shields), whose name was originally selected on the day of the reaping. Katniss is joined by Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), the boy from her District.

Where do I even start? Like I said, as an avid reader of the books, I wasn’t disappointed at all with this movie… I think the adaptation was great! Of course there were a few things that were missing, but you have to expect that… there’s simply not enough time to jam everything into a movie that’s two and a half hours long (I mean, I personally would’ve watched a ten-hour long movie, but that’s just me). The settings were fantastic… you understand the struggle of living in District 12, you get the over-the-top, glamour-filled lifestyle in the Capitol, and I could remember reading the book as I was brought though the different sections of the arena.The costuming in the movie was excellent as well — everything from the rags in District 12 to the riches in the Capitol. It’s one thing to read about the crazy outfits, makeup, and hairdos that the people of the Capitol don, but it’s another thing to actually see it. I also really liked seeing all the tributes in their showcasing outfits, particularly Katniss — you finally see what it’s like to see her as The Girl on Fire.

Now, to talk about some particular scenes. If you haven’t read the book, I don’t suggest you read this paragraph… consider this a spoiler alert. First, when Katniss volunteered as tribute, I got chills (even though I saw it 98643 times in the movie trailers on TV/online). You could just feel the tension as you’re waiting for tributes’ names to be pulled (again, even though I knew exactly what was going to happen). Second, I can’t not talk about the scene at the Cornucopia… it was nuts. The announcer was counting down the seconds to the start of The Hunger Games and I actually had anxiety for the tributes. I was on the edge of my seat and I had knots in my stomach. I don’t think I took a full breath until Katniss was safe in the woods. It was so intense — seeing these children fight to the death in order to save their own lives. Third, Rue’s death scene (insert sad face). If you thought this was sad in the book, get ready. The theater fell silent during this scene and you could hear sniffles from all the crying. This sounds lame, but it was a really powerful scene… you could really feel Katniss’ pain and sadness. Katniss and Rue had a very short-lived relationship, but it was still a strong one. There were plenty of other memorable scenes, but I think these were my top three.

Some things in the movie weren’t as I pictured them from the books — not that it matters, it was just interesting to see something differently from what I imagined it to be. The Cornucopia, for example. I was picturing this giant structure of some sort, but it looked like a tiny, steel playground. Second, I pictured the tracker jackers to be these huge, flying insects, but they looked like regular wasps. Lastly, I imagined the mutants to be a bit more grotesque… they were still scary though. There was one scene when a mutant jumps out at Peeta and Katniss and I definitely jumped. There were things that were spot on for me, too, though. For example, The Careers were just as obnoxious as I pictured them to be. They were the stereotypical “cool kids” in high school who took bullying to a whole new level. Cato (Andrew Ludwig) and Glimmer (Levin Rambin) were pretty much your typical jock-cheerleader couple with their henchmen sidekicks, Clove (Isabelle Fuhrman) and Marvel (Jack Quaid).

Time to talk about some of the characters and the actors/actresses that played them…

Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job as Katniss. I honestly can’t imagine anyone else playing this role. She was just as strong/loving/stern/awkward as I imagined her to be in the book. It might sound weird to list all those characteristics, but Katniss emitted different emotions for different people and Jennifer did a great job with all of them. Overall, Jennifer Lawrence is badass.

I really liked Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. I don’t have much to say, other than he stood true to the character in the book, I think. No complaints.

Although Liam Helmsworth (who played Gale) didn’t have a ton of screen time, I still think he did well in the scenes he was in. While Katniss and Gale are only friends, Liam did a good job at hinting toward those extra feelings that might be there. I think Liam’s time to shine will be in the next movies.

Stanley Tucci was an excellent Caesar Flickerman (host of The Hunger Games) — everything from his blue hair to his jolly facial expressions to his interviews with the tributes. It’s really hard to like anyone from the Capitol, but Stanley Tucci made it pretty easy to like Caesar… I actually think he’s one of my favorite characters now.

Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket… hilarious. Effie always looks her best… in a Capitol kinda way. She also always says the wrong things at the wrong times, but it’s always really funny… comedic relief much? Elizabeth was spot on with Effie’s clueless yet proper personality.

Woody Harrelson played a great drunkard AKA Haymitch Abernathy. I had a love-hate relationship with Haymitch in the books (more hate, I would say), but I actually liked him more in the movie, thanks to Woody. There were times when he had to be drunk, times when he had to be serious, and times when he had to be funny… he played all three well.

I have to be honest, I wasn’t too thrilled when I heard that Lenny Kravitz was playing Cinna (Katniss’ stylist), but I wasn’t bothered by this after seeing the movie. There’s much more to Katniss and Cinna’s relationship in the book, but Jennifer and Lenny had a great on-screen relationship and you could sense the immediate bond that they formed. I also learned from GMA that Jennifer is actually best friend’s with Lenny’s daughter, Zoe, after being in X-Men: First Class together. Maybe their off-screen relationship helped them on-screen.

Rue. Don’t even get me started. Amandla Stenberg did perfect. What more can I say? Amandla made me love Rue’s character even more than I already did. I hope to see more of her in the future.

Last, but certainly not least… President Snow being played by Donald Sutherland. You just get the sense of evil when you see President Snow and Donald did a great job of that. The Hunger Games was just the start to Snow’s evil ways and I’m excited to see Donald really channel his inner villain for the next movies.

There were plenty of characters that we saw — like Flavius (Nelson Ascencio) and Claudia (Brooke Bundy) — but didn’t really see them, if you know what I mean. I’m excited to go more in depth with these characters in the next movies. What I’d also love to see more of in Catching Fire and Mockingjay is more visuals of the other Districts. The only other District we got a glimpse of was District 11.

Hands down, I give The Hunger Games 5/5 stars. Go see it. You have to. I really suggest reading the books first though… they’re just so good. I just think it’s amazing that I still felt such strong emotions throughout the movie even though I knew exactly what was going to happen. The fact that the movie stayed so true to the book, too, is just so great I really look forward to Catching Fire, the next movie in this series. Writing this review makes me wanna go see the movie again and re-read the trilogy.

  Be sure to check out my book reviews for The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay,

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Alcatraz [TV review]

After hearing that Alcatraz would be similar to Lost, I immediately became interested. The series debuted the other night on FOX and, I must say, I wasn’t disappointed.

Alcatraz takes place on, you guessed it, Alcatraz Island. For those of you who don’t know, Alcatraz Island is an island located off the coast of California and it’s home to one of the most notorious prisons in US history. After vanishing years ago, the prisoners of Alcatraz begin to reappear and they’re determined to reek havoc.  Detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia) partner up on this unique case in an attempt to put an end to the murderous rampages that will inevitably be set forth by these prisoners from the past. We don’t know how these prisoners are coming back or why they’re doing what they’re doing (or even who might behind it), but I’m hoping we get some questions answered sooner than we did in Lost.

So far, I’m a fan of the show. Alcatraz was a little different from what I expected, but then again, I’m not 100% sure what I was expecting in the first place. It appears that each episode will focus on a different prisoner, which I like. There seems to be a certain amount of time in between each prisoner’s reappearance, which puts Rebecca and her crew in a fight against time… and freaky, ageless criminals. Throughout the series, there’s obviously going be some overlap amongst the prisoners in each episode, along with some twists and turns, which we’ve already experienced in the two-hour season premiere.

In regards to Lost, I definitely see the similarities already. For starters, we see a familiar face… and name. The first thing I noticed was Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce). Remember Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox), everyone? The familiar face I’m referring to is Jorge Garcia (Diego Soto). I wonder if we’ll see any other Lost characters reincarnated as Alcatraz characters. Second, the music is very Lost-like, which I enjoy. You know something’s up when that music kicks in. Third, there’s an island. Now, this island may be a lot smaller and easier to get off of, but it’s still mysterious.

Overall, I’m excited to see what J.J. Abrams has up his sleeve for this series… I’ll be tuning in for the rest of the season for sure. Definitely check it out… especially if you’re a Lost fan, like myself.

The Town [movie review]

The Town takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, following a group of professional bank robbers in their criminal adventures. During one of the robberies, Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) comes into contact with Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), the bank manager forced into opening the safe. After the robbery, Doug and Claire cross paths once again at a laundromat (Claire not realizing that Doug was one of her abductors) and they seem to hit it off. The two Bostonians start dating, making things a little complicated. Doug and his crew continue with their heists, but can he keep it up without Claire finding out? I guess you’ll just have to watch.

I thought The Town was an excellent movie. I thought the storyline was very interesting and it kept me hooked the entire time. Also, there were some great action scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat every now and then. All in all, I think everyone played their roles very well. I hadn’t seen Ben Affleck in a movie in quite some time, but after seeing this, I grew somewhat of a new appreciation for him (especially after finding out that he also directed the film). I definitely recommend this movie… Well worth watching. I give The Town 4/5 stars.

Favorite Quote:
Doug: “I need your help. I can’t tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it later, and we’re gonna hurt some people.”
James: “…Whose car we takin’?”