Inkheart

I will be the first to admit that Brendan Fraser isn't the best actor out there, but I also think he's fun to watch on screen. I knew I wasn't going to get to see this movie for a while after it came out due to my husband's tastes, but he took me to see it when it went to the cheaper theater. He was not impressed, no surprise there, but I enjoyed it enough that I will probably watch it again.

This is the first time I have felt that I liked a movie on principle. Inkheart is about the power of the written word, books, and reading. How could I not like it? It really is a lovely story and if I can ever find a copy of the original book by Cornelia Funke at the library I will definitely pick it up. I wish they would have done more with the movie, though, because I think it could have been better.

Brendan Fraser is just who he is and usually plays very similar characters, so I'll just brush over that part. Paul Bettany plays a wonderful character that was probably my favorite, and he is an actor I always enjoy watching. Andy Serkis plays the villain and he is an awesome opponent so no complaints there.

I loved the story and some of the characters were great, too. And while I enjoyed the movie, I left it feeling like there should have been more. Maybe it was the ending; the climax was a big fight at the end, as expected, and the good guys won, but it wasn't satisfying enough. Also, most of the movie took place in one setting. They started out there, moved on, but then went back and I think this gave me a feeling that the characters weren't progressing so much as running in circles.

So, in the end, I would advise you to see this movie only if you love stories as much as I do and can tolerate Fraser (which I can). But I would love to hear your opinion of the movie, so rent it and then let me know what you think.

'Eragon' the Movie

I know a lot of people did not like Christopher Paolini's book Eragon and its sequel Eldest for various reasons such as; wasn't well written, it wasn't mature, it wasn't original, etc. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the book and even if the characters were not as well rounded as some in classic literature, they were a least entertaining. This book was made into a movie that was released at the end of 2006 and I saw it for the first time when it came out on DVD. I thought I had written about it here, but after a quick search I find I was mistaken. The reason I'm bringing it up now is because I watched it for the second time today and had some very different feelings.

I had heard, before watching it the first time, that it was not very true to the book and most of those who saw it were disappointed in the result of the adaptation. Because I this I was determined to have an open mind and keep the movie separate from the book, which I did. I found that in doing this I was able to enjoy the movie for what it was - entirely different from the book. I actually liked some of the changes they made as they added something more to the movie. I concluded that I generally liked this movie.

So I thought I would enjoy it the second time. Sadly, in watching it again I found my previous open mind was now not so accepting. First, the script is just awful. I'll allow that the book is not spectacular on a literary level, but it was tolerable enough that I've read it several times and enjoy it each time. This, I am convinced, is not possible with the movie. Second, I found Eragon annoying and couldn't properly relate to him as a hero. He was just flat. The best I can say is that John Malkovich is just creepy, as usual, and thus an appropriate choice to play Galbatorix. And the fight scenes were still pretty good. But after a second viewing I've got to say I don't know that I'll watch this again.

Did you see this movie? Had you read the book first? Your thoughts?

The Golden Compass Movie

I finally got to see The Golden Compass after reading the book last year when I first heard it was being made into a film. I've been looking forward to seeing the movie ever since and I was little worried that my expectations and anticipation would be too much. I am pleased to write, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

My husband watched it with me, which was a big deal for him, and kept asking me what was going on. I don't know if this is because he wasn't paying very good attention or if the movie just didn't explain itself very well. But I really liked the way they followed the story.

I was a little worried about the actress who they cast to play Lyra because I absolutely loved her character in the book. But Dakota Blue Richards did a fantastic job as a mischievous little girl who might save the world. I'm still not sure how I feel about Nicole Kidman as Miss Coulter, though. She was wonderfully vicious in the scene where she got angry with Lyra but she didn't give me the chills like I got when I read the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to you. The fight with the polar bears was great and the characters were really well played. Good flick and I'm getting ready to read the second book in His Dark Materials series to prepare for the next movie.

Did you see this movie? Your thoughts?

Ironman Movie

My husband and I went to see Ironman in the theater a few weeks ago with some friends. He wasn't too excited to see it and mostly went along for the social aspect, but I was looking forward to seeing it because I like the sci-fi fantasy stuff, if you couldn't already tell. I was thoroughly satisfied - Robert Downey Jr. did a great job and the plot was rather interesting. Not to mention the action scenes were way entertaining. I like this un-likely hero type that's a little rough around the edges. I never read the comics, so I can't say how the movie compared, but I am excited to see it again when it comes out on DVD.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

So I finally saw the most recent Harry Potter movie and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. This might be because it has been a long time since I read the book and I only read it once so I don't remember many details. Since it has been so long I was able to enjoy the movie as it's own work even though I knew the general plot and the ending.

I must say the special effects were really entertaining, especially during the battle scenes. I liked the whole Ministry of Magic and the way they portrayed the new characters. I wish they had showed more of Tonks because she's such a great character in the book. And I always wish that Fred and George got more screen time because they are some of my favorites. Umbridge was delightfully awful - that little giggle was classic. I was a little distracted with Gwap the giant being so obviously computer generated, but I've learned to accept that in my fantasy movies.

Overall I was pleased with the movie. But then again, I'm not very hard to please when it comes to films...

'Stardust' the Movie

I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since it came out. I loved the book so much and my sister really liked the movie so I hoped it was a good adaptation. Usually I can enjoy a movie that is based on a book I've read even if it does not follow the original story very closely because I can enjoy the stories independently of each other.

I loved this book by Neil Gaiman when I listened to it on audiobook so I expected to love the movie, too. I was a little disappointed, though, because the movie did not have the same magic that the book did. Some of the characters were altered and the story was changed quite a bit, especially at the end. I know that movie directors are under pressure to have an action packed ending to compare to the other fantasy films in the recent years, but I don't know how I feel about the end of this one.

I will say that I loved Claire Danes as Yvaine and thought she did a great job portraying the star just as she was written. She almost made up for Tristan Thorn - I can't complain about the actor in the movie since I wasn't a big fan of the character even in the book. But for some reason it doesn't bother me that I didn't like Tristan... interesting.

But it was still a very fun film that I would recommend that you see, just don't miss out on the beauty of the book.

Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Discussion)

This was the first time I've ever read this book and I picked it for the Book Club this month because I really like the movie. I thought this book was a fun read and I’m glad I got to read it this month.

What were the major themes of the book?
Many people say they like a book that makes them think and teaches them something. I don’t know that I learned all that much from this book, but I sure did laugh a lot. On some level, I think that the reader could relate to the events because we’ve all had experiences where we felt like we didn’t belong or didn’t understand what was going on.

Author’s use of language or their writing style.
I loved the tone Douglas Adams used in this book. As I said before, I saw the movie first, and I was interested to see if the tone of the narration in the movie originated in the book or if that was something new to the movie. I was happy to find that the tone did come from the book and that it translated so well to the screen. The frequent asides in the book from the Guide are just hilarious, even if they’re a little distracting. The petunia/sperm whale tangent is just brilliant.

What did you like and dislike about the book and why?
I liked this book because it was so entertaining and because it really made me laugh. Now, I’m one of those people who is easily entertained and I frequently laugh when I’m reading, but this book tops them all. So far. I wouldn’t pick it up again if I’m in the mood for some serious soul-searching or some intellectual enlightenment, but I’m glad this is part of my collection.

How did the movie compare to the book? Was it a good adaptation?
I don’t know how I would feel about the movie adaptation if I had read the book first, but I think the movie is quite satisfactory. That is probably because Douglas Adams wrote the screenplay for the movie. I know there are sequels to the first book, so I assume that the events in the movie are from those books. If not, I still thing the movie is great because it captured the fundamental tone and characters of the book. I think the casting was really well done and the visual creation of the Vogons quite accurate. Of course, when I read the book, I already envisioned the movie’s creatures. But Martin Freeman was a fantastic Arthur Dent and I really enjoyed Mos Def as Ford. Not to mention Alan Rickman as the voice of the robot Marvin. The narration was done by Stephen Fry and I have to say it was nearly perfect.

Your thoughts on our Book Club selection?

The Princess Bride Movie

I love this movie. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this movie until I watched it yesterday after I finished the book. And I like it even more in light of the book.

This movie is definitely coated in cheese, but I think it makes the movie all that much better. It also kind of matches the tone Goldman maintained throughout the book. I just started smiling from the first scene with little Fred Savage and his character's grandfather. There was a lot about this movie that I'd forgotten in the years since I saw it last.

I think this adaptation is really well done, probably because Goldman also wrote the script. There are some differences, but I like that the story stayed pretty much the same. I also really liked that Goldman included some of his wittier dialogue, even if it wasn't always in the same situation or said by the same character. I also think that the casting was near perfect - the actors all did a fantastic job.

The only complaint is in regards to characters. In the book Buttercup is not really setup to gain the reader's respect, but her character in the movie is such a ditz. I just would have liked to see Buttercup with a little more backbone and brains, even though I know she wasn't really supposed to have much. The other character I would have liked to see done a little differently was Prince Humperdink. I liked his pompousness in the movie, but there was a certain mood missing. In the book, every time he was in a scene I felt like Goldman was laughing at him. For being a conceited and powerful prince, he wasn't very eloquent or smart. I would have liked to see more of this aspect in the movie

My thoughts on this book to movie adaptation are probably so positive because I saw the movie before I read the book. So instead of being disappointed that the Pit of Despair was almost totally cut, I was pleasantly surprised at the additional elaboration. I remember when I read the book for the first time I was so excited about the details of what happened in the lightning sand. I also really enjoyed the background on Inigo and Fezzik because I always liked their characters in the movie so it was fun to read more about them. I think I liked the book more because of the movie and I'm not sure what I would think of the movie if I'd fallen in love with the book first. Overall, I think the movie is a wonderful adaptation.

You've Got Mail

Many of you have probably seen this film, but I wanted to write about it because it's one of my favorites. And because it has to do with books, too. Watching Meg Ryan's character Makes me want to have my own bookstore. It also makes me want to move to New York to experience all the cute corners and parks in the city. But I really don't think I could live there for very long.

Tom Hanks is one of my favorite actors and I think he gives a fantastic performance as Joe Fox. he is endearingly obnoxious at the beginning and his character's transition is so fun to watch.

Meg Ryan is just adorable in this movie. Her character's unwavering optimism makes the film a graet lesson in perserverance. This character's witty and quirky aspects make her fun to watch and her moments of sadness lend her a beautiful depth.

Conclusion: charming and entertaining - love it!

'Stranger Than Fiction'

My husband and I rented this movie a couple weeks ago thinking it would be jsut another Will Farrell flick. I was pleasantly surprised.

The premise of the plot is a man who starts hearing a voice narrate his life and predict his death. Emma Thompson plays the narrator/writer who in the end determines her main character's fate.

Although there are the occasional funny parts, this film was thought-provoking as well as entertaining. It was an interesting role for Ferrell and very different from his normal wacky comedy, but I thought he did very well. Emma Thompson, of course, was fantastic. I just love her.

My husband was not as excited about this movie as I was, however. He found it confusing and I think he was a little disappointed that it turned out to be more serious than some of Ferrell's previous work. I don't know that I'll be able to get him to watch it with me again anytime soon, but he said it was okay in the end.

I recommend you see Stranger Than Fiction for a fun and interesting movie.