What I've Watched: Summer Movie Edition

It's officially fall tomorrow, so it's a great time to tell you what I watched this summer.

Project X

I can't believe I allowed Nick to talk me into watching this...with my mom...the unrated version.

The Lorax

I loved this movie, but I'm a sucker for D. Seuss. We bought the 3D movie but watched it in 2D because 3D isn't good for developing toddler eyes. I can't wait to watch it in 3D.

Troy

Yeah, I just wrote Troy, the Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Eric Bana one. Plenty of eye candy, and I love mythology but it was just OK.

The Hatfields & McCoys

I LOVED this. Of course, I really like Kevin Costner. While technically a miniseries, I'm putting it here due to length. Plus, it's nominated for an Emmy.

We bought The Hurt Locker recently. We really like this movie. It's amazing and is well directed. It's gritty and so real it felt like I was there. I'm very pleased that such a typically masculine movie was directed by a woman, the lovely Kathryn Bigelow.

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

Directed by: Gary Ross

 

Since having Claire, Nick and I have found it more difficult to watch movies in which children are possessed or harmed. So, before watching The Hunger Games I asked Nick if he knew what it was about.

 

"Yeah," he said. "It's Death Race for hungry kids."

 

OK. He was ready to watch it.

 

Or, maybe not. It's one thing to know what happens, but knowledge didn't prevent us from being upset by what we saw. I suppose that's true of many things. During pivotal moments, I found myself holding back tears. On film the events I read about in the book seemed all too real.
 

Gritty, Appalachian District 12

At the beginning the shaky camera, while giving a realistic, gritty feel, caused a mild amount of nausea. By the time I had adjusted, the camera had steadied, and I was pulled into the characters' storylines.
 

Elizabeth Banks' Effie Trinkett dressed in garb typical of the
Capitol with Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss dressed as a district 12 native.

The costumes, done by Judianna Makovsky, were a highlight of the movie. The citizens of the Capitol looked amazing in their over-the-top colorful garb. The grittiness of District 12 was emphasized by a wardrobe reminscent of the dirty '30s and '40s. The contrast between the two groups really highlighted not only the differences between them, but also emphasized the Capitol's lack of concern and interest for the well being of the people of District 12, Panem's poorest district.

 

Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman

In my review of the book, I wrote that Collins often told rather than showed some of the thoughts and actions. I found the movie better in that respect. The addition of Stanley Tucci's character as an announcer during the games fixed that. Instead of Katniss's narration, we're treated to Tucci's colorful commentary.

 

Casting was well done with known actors such as Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci with new and less well known actors such as Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

 

Both Nick and I are looking forward to the second movie. According to IMDB, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be released in November of 2013. That gives me over a year to read and review the book before catching the movie in about December or later, because, let's face it, I'm not waiting in a long line with teeny boppers for this movie no matter how good it is.

 

Have you watched The Hunger Games? What did you think?



Other Things I Watched in February

Super 8
Written & Directed by J.J. Abrams

I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie. That was, of course, the point as it always is with Abrams works. Let's just say, I really liked it. I recommend this to anyone particularly people who enjoy Abrams other works.

Cyrus
Written & Directed by Jay & Mark Duplass

This movie was, in my opinion, terrible. I napped through the middle of it. My recommendation is to not waste your time unless you've been suffering from a bout of insomnia.

Cowboys and Aliens
Directed by Jon Favreau

I really liked this movie. I was a little surprised by how much I liked it because my initial impression wasn't favorable. I'm not quite sure why I couldn't get behind the concept when I love to watch Ancient Aliens on History.

Revenge

I LOVE this show. It's so amazing. Watch it!

What I'm Looking Forward to Watching

The return of Community is nigh!

The Book vs. The Movie: The Help

Book by Kathryn Stockett
Adapted to Film by Tate Taylor
Directed by Tate Taylor

I jumped on The Help bandwagon a little late. (I'll revoke the hipster shades I gave myself.) I was thrilled when I opened this book up for Christmas for two reasons: 1) I really wanted to read this book but hadn't gotten around to it, and 2) my best friend, who I've never really talked about books with, gave it to me. It made my heart smile sharing a book with her.

The book was just as amazing as I had hoped. I wasn't let down at all, as is common with some over-hyped books. Stockett has a clear command of both storytelling and writing. Both were impeccable.

But, then I saw the movie. I don't want to get too down on the movie, but I wasn't super excited to see it until I after I'd read the book. Even then, my main interest in seeing the movie was writing a comparison post. The thought of Emma Stone as Skeeter was not appealing to me. I think she's an OK actress, but she didn't seem like Skeeter to me. And I was right.

Emma Stone as Skeeter in The Help

Skeeter was a fairly serious role, and Emma Stone didn't make it believable to me. Sorry, Emma! You're adorable, and I love you as Revlon spokesperson.



Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly in The Help

 Bryce Dallas Howard did impress me, though. She nailed the character of Hilly. She was so cute, perky, commanding and vindictive. Well, done, Bryce.




Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark in The Help

 Other standouts in the movie were Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. My only complaint is that it seemed as if they mellowed out Minnie's character (played by Spencer). Both women did fantastic jobs in roles that may not have been the most comfortable for them.
As usual, there were some changes from the book. Skeeter's mom was more sympathetic in the end of the movie, and I really liked that. The movie did lack some of the depth the book had, but it was a relatively long book to adapt to the screen.

My final thoughts: Read the book, skip the movie, and thank me later!

The Book vs The Movie: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Book Written by Stieg Larsson
Adapted to Film by Steven Zaillian
Directed by David Fincher

I first read and fell in love with this book about a year ago, and like many other people, I was excited about the movie.

I watched the first half of the Swedish version, which was good but very graphic. I walked into the movie theater hoping Fincher had tamed this version down due to American prudishness and what have you.

I was wrong. There were a couple of very gritty, very real scenes. These aren't a surprise to those who have read the book, but seeing it on screen as opposed to seeing it in my mind made it very real.

As usual, there were some differences between the book and the movie. The screenwriter explained some of these changes in an interview. I actually liked the changes, and I'm curious to see how they impact the subsequent movies.  

It's hard to compare the two because a comparison means one is inevitably better than the other. That's not the case for me with these two. They're both great stories. The story in the movie was more streamlined, and, well, the movie had Daniel Craig.



Daniel Craig: What more is there?

I love reading, so I believe reading the book was completely worth it. However, the story drags at the beginning of the book, and the writing isn't very good. It seems like it would be hard to argue with someone about why the book is so worth it when there's a good movie to watch.

So, I would say these both stack up well against each other. I loved the book, and I loved the movie. And they're both worth it.