Movie Review: City of Bones

Am I the only one who thinks it's surreal that just last year, we were freaking out over casting news and scouring the web for set pictures, and now the actual movie is actually out...? Like- in theaters.

Yeah, it's cray-cray.

I apologize in advance for how unorganized this following review will be. The thing is, I just have way too many feels about this movie to try and organize it into a coherent, well-written review so this random list of thoughts and such is what you're going to get instead. :)

I didn't have time for a re-read prior to seeing the movie but I thought that the movie captured all the key scenes very well. If they had lost some of the small moments in between, it wasn't big enough to notice. The pacing was very fast and full of action. There was literally not a moment of down time and I loved that. 

The cast was wonderful. Any other argument is invalid. Lily Collins played a great Clary- I'm normally not a huge Clary fan, but I really enjoyed her portrayal. To those who doubted Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace, eat your words now because he was absolutely fantastic! And the chemistry between the two.... Let's just say that I am not an adamant shipper of Clace in the books, but I was squealing and flailing like crazy every time they had a Moment in the movie 

Other character-related thoughts

• Really enjoyed seeing more Simon-Isabelle interaction. Give. Me. More.
• I had my doubts about Kevin Zegers as Alec, but he nailed it!
• "Godfrey Gao more like Godfrey WOW." Amiright? That being said, I feel like the movie took away some of Magnus's flair and humor. He was more intense and badass, which was nice, but I really missed his flippant side. Hopefully they can bring out more of that in the later movies.
• Lena Headey totally kicked ass.... in the moments before she lost consciousness, yes, but still.
• Hodge's story line was slightly altered. I liked it, and I'm really interested in seeing how it continues. 
• Jonathon Rhys Meyers.... Well. He definitely took his own spin on Valentine- slightly more madman-esque and creepy. Brilliant portrayal but. Please. Lose. The. Braids. Just. No. 

Overall, though, I think the characters lost a lot of their normal humor and wit in the translation to movie form. There were a lot of great direct quotes from the book (which my inner fangirl greatly appreciated) but I really missed Isabelle's flippant sass and the ever-enjoyable Jace-Simon banter.

The special effects were great- especially in terms of how they portrayed the Institute. By far my favorite location in the movie- the Institute's library gave me a good idea of what I want my heaven to look like. The runes looked amazing and I could tell that a lot of detail went into incorporating the runes not only on the shadowhunters but on various artifacts. I personally thought the demons were pretty dang scary.... especially that little demon child. *shudder*

In terms of how well the movie followed the book, Harald Zwart did a great job. I'd say the movie nailed all the major plot points- and I understood the ones that they had to change. 

BUT. THAT. ENDING. The movie differed greatly from the book in terms of the ending, and I am still left with a bunch of conflicting emotions about that. I understood some of the changes that were made, but others kind of disappointed me. 

This is one of the better movie adaptations out there- pretty high up in my list of favorites- but it's not without its faults. I think it definitely helped to have read the book because the world-building was only briefly explained. The pacing was so fast that had I not had prior knowledge of this world, I would have been a little lost. That being said, I did really enjoy this movie and words cannot describe how excited I am for the next one.

RATING: 4 STARS

Last note:

To all the reviews out there calling City of Bones a Twilight wannabe.

Stop.

Just. Stop. 

Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a moving tale of love, loss, fear and hope-and the unforgettable friends that help us through life."

**********

It's very rare that a mind-blowingly good book gets adapted into a mind-blowingly good movie. Even rarer is the occurrence that said book/movie renders me speechless.

  The Perks of Being a Wallflower, book and movie, did just that.

This movie was perfect. Sure, I could get out my thesaurus and write a needlessly verbose description of its amazingness, but that sentence really does say it all. The actors were perfect, the character portrayals were spot-on, and, despite some scenes being taken out in the adaptation, the movie managed to stay true to the book. Granted, there were some deleted scenes that I wished they had included (especially the abortion scene with Charlie and his sister) but overall, this movie has really managed to retain the original essence of the book while simultaneously adding a new dimension to the story that made me fall even more in love with the characters.

 Let's start off with the cast because it was utterly flawless. Logan Lerman was the perfect Charlie. You can't even make an argument otherwise. Just no. Don't even. His portrayal was so good that I don't even know what to say. Lerman just embodied everything that was Charlie. His naiveté, his awkwardness, his turmoil of emotions, his desire to reach out and make a friend, everything was there. If anything, seeing Charlie as a living, breathing human instead of someone I imagined in my head made  his character all the more endearing. 

Emma Watson was exactly how I imagined Sam to be, but if I had to be honest, the one who really stole the show, aside from Logan Lerman, was Ezra Miller as Patrick.

OH. MY GOSH.
JUST- HE'S SO- I CAN'T EVEN-
I JUST LOVE HIM.
So much.

In the books, Patrick was an okay side character. I mean, I liked him, but mainly he was just there. It was Charlie that I really fell in love with, and that is why I absolutely love movie adaptations because in a movie you see more of the other characters. You notice their little quirks and laugh at their one-liners and you get more attached to them than you did while reading. Ezra Miller not only brought out Patrick's hilarious sense of humor and happy-go-lucky personality, he also did a phenomenal job showing Patrick's emotional downward spiral when his relationship with Brad went south. Miller's acting was just amazing....and it doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes.

If I had to answer the book vs. movie question, I will have to say that I preferred the book. In general, I just found it to be more powerful. I admit that cried while watching the movie. Twice. But I usually tend to cry more often while watching something as opposed to reading it. All the same, this movie did touch me on an emotional level--I ached when the characters were hurting and I cheered when I saw Charlie making friends and participating.

All in all:

Here's my review of the book in case you want to read that too :)

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

There's always some trepidation when you find out one of your favorite books (of all time!) is being made into a movie.

There's always that sense of fear that it's going to be a let-down because you don't think the directors could ever make it as awesome as you pictured in your head.

Believe me, I had all these fears about seeing the movie, but I mean, come on, of course I was still going to watch it! It's the freakin' Hunger Games!

And honestly? I was pleasantly surprised upon finishing the movie.

Let's start at the beginning.

First off, I think the directors did a great job with the whole set of the Hunger Games. I think the portrayed District 12 perfectly. Granted, it's not quite how I imagined it in my head--a little shadier and poorer-- but I think it stayed true to how Collins wanted District 12 to be like. The Capitol, on the other hand, was a little more futuristic than I personally pictured but I loved the set up for when all the tributes made their big appearance--you know the scene: when Katniss officially become The Girl on Fire. That was perfect.

As for the casting.... okay, I know I didn't exactly make it a secret that I didn't really like the casting choices, but ohmygoodnessgracious, I would like to take back every bad thing I ever said about Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. YOU GUYS, I was so wrong--he was a fantastic Peeta! Believe me, I did not expect him to be--I had much rather it had been Alex Pettyfer or Benjamin Stone---but I'm pretty sure that just about everyone who saw the movie was presently surprised by Hutcherson's performance. He practically oozed Peeta-ness! Granted, I'm still a little peeved that he's longitudinally challenged, compared to Katniss, but hey, nobody's perfect.

My personal choice for Katniss was the fabulous Lyndsy Fonseca (who plays Alex in Nikita), but, all the same, I think that Jennifer Lawrence did a fantastic job portraying that independent, rough-around-the-edges, angry Katniss Everdeen.

Liam Hemsworth as Gale was utter perfection. Seriously. There couldn't possibly be a better Gale Hawthorne out there.

Haymitch, on the other hand, was totally not what I was expecting, I mean, I knew he was a drunk and pretty darn lazy, but I didn't expect him to be so.... Oh gosh, I don't know, scruffy? I mean, he did make a good Haymitch, but just... meh. Not what I was expecting.
Effie Trinket was also different from how I imagined. I mean, kudos for all the drama and flair that they dressed her with, but I just envisioned her to be more youthful. Otherwise, I don't know, with all her make up and stuff, she looks a tad creepy!

I have to say though, the casting people definitely hit the jackpot with their picks for Rue and Prim. Honestly, it's like the casting crew peaked into my head and plucked them out of thin air! They were absolute perfection. They couldn't have picked better people it they'd tried!
I know there was some controversy because Rue was black, but seriously? Who cares? If you've seen her in the movie already, then you know she was the right girl for the job.


One of the things the directors added to the movie, that I adored, was the whole Control Panel + Seneca Crane scenes. I loved that you got to see how they controlled the Game and watched everyone--which we never got to see in the book. Really, really enjoyed that.

I think just about the only thing I didn't really like was the shoddy camera work at the very beginning. Maybe it was just me and my position in the theater, but it felt like the camera work at the very beginning was kinda jerky and headache-inducing.

All in all though, for a book-turned-movie, the Hunger Games was a huge, phenomenal success. Seriously. The pacing was great--possibly a tad slow in the very beginning, but believe me, once you get to the Game itself, you will be kept on the edge of your seats, without any time to even chow down on movie treats! I know as far as movies go, Hunger Games a little on the long side--not Titanic-long, but still... but believe me, you do not feel it at all!

Another thing the directors did super duper extremely well was the emotion aspect of the movie. Some of the scenes in the book were so chock-full of emotion that kept me awake into the wee hours of the night, and I think the movie translated that amazingly! My top 3 favorite emotional scenes in the movie were
1) The Reaping--one of the greatest scenes in the book and I was worried at first that the movie wouldn't be able to hold a candle to all the turmoil and selflessness Katniss felt in the book, but honestly, the scene almost made me teary-eyed!
2) Rue's death--undoubtedly one of the saddest moments in the book, and I will unabashedly say that my eyes got a little watery when I watched it in the movie! Especially seeing how Rue's district reacted to the whole thing! Just... plain AMAZING.
3) Katniss and Peeta in the cave---I don't know about the rest of you, but that was kinda the moment when I really fell in love with Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. It wasn't exactly like it was in the book, but nonetheless super sweet and romantic and you could totally see the chemistry between the two! Loved it!

All in all, the movie was flipping fantastic! Probably one of the best book-turned-movies I've ever seen!
5 stars.
If you haven't watched it, then I highly recommend that you do!