A Night at the Cinema: The Host

I'm not going to lie. I was a little disappointed.

The Host, the film adaptation of the popular Stephenie Meyer novel by the same name, is about a post-apocalyptic future in which an alien race has populated the earth and occupied most of the human inhabitants. These "souls" attach to their hosts and seek to perfect whichever world they inhabit. The story revolves around Wanderer (AKA Wanda), who is a soul implanted into the body of a captured member of the remaining human resistance, Melanie Stryder. But Melanie resists the occupation, and the two embark on a journey of love, truth, humanity, and survival.

Unlike in her underwhelming Twilight Saga, Meyer truly shocked me in the Host. In my opinion, it was a highly entertaining, thought-provoking, and very incredibly written book. In the novel, I was completely consumed with the story. I'm pretty sure I didn't put it down until it was finished. So when I heard there was going to be a film adaptation, you can be assured I was nothing less than ecstatic.

In the movie's defense, I think it was just a difficult book to translate on screen. A good chunk of the novel is the interaction between Wanda and Melanie, all of which takes place inside of their minds. In the movie, this was achieved through the use of a voice-over, which at times worked and at others just seemed...cheesy? I don't know if that's the word I'm looking for. Perhaps I mean awkward. Either way, it was didn't seem to work perfectly, although I don't think there was any other way it could have been accomplished. The cast wasn't awful either. Saoirse Ronan is a gem, Diane Kruger is totally badass, and Max Irons and Jake Abel...well, more on them next.

Pros of this movie:

• Max Irons (left) and Jake Abel (right) have both reached levels of attractiveness that I did not think was possible. Especially you, Mr. Irons. Not gonna lie, their faces and Irons' half naked body kept this from nosediving any further in the box offices.

              

• I think Saoirse Ronan was a fantastic Melanie/Wanda, all things considered. Plus she has a super cool name that poses an eternal pronunciation problem for me.

• Jaime was adorable.

Cons:

• There were only two problems with this movie: poor novel-to-big-screen adaptability, and occasionally overwhelmingly cheesy dialogue.

• Also, the cave scene with Kyle was totally disappointing. That was a huge turning point in the book. In the film, it wasn't intense or scary at all, and you didn't get the sense that it had much weight at all. This scene, along with many others, made the film just feel a bit rushed.

• PS: Wanda at the end... totally unexpected and I'm still sorting out how exactly I feel about it... I won't say any more for fear of spoiling.

All this being said, if you take this movie for what it is -- an adaptation of a book it will never be better than, as is the norm for most book to movie translations -- you'll probably have a good time watching and be at least a little entertained.

MPAA RATING: PG-13 (for violence, brief harsh language, and some sexual scenarios)

MY PERSONAL SUGGESTED AGE: 14

MY PERSONAL RATING: 6.5/10 stars

 

Happy viewing!

~ Lacey :)

A Night at the Cinema: Silver Linings Playbook

It's that time of year again, my fellow movie lovers. The Academy Awards, more commonly referred to as the Oscars, is rapidly approaching. In honor of this famed night, I've been trying to see as many movies that have been nominated for Best Picture as I can. So far, I've accomplished Les Miserables (see previous rave), Argo (a brilliant, brilliant move which I haven't found the words to express in a review yet), and now this, Silver Linings Playbook.

 

This wonderful film stars Bradley Cooper as Pat and Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany, two lost and unstable souls who meet via mutual friends and begin to form a refreshingly original, hilarious, heartbreaking, and truly unique friendship. Pat is coming out of a recent stint at a mental institution, where he was landed after channeling his inner Chuck Norris when he saw his wife cheating on him with a coworker, and Tiffany has deadened the sorrow of her husband Tommy's sudden death by sleeping with basically anyone who offers. By way of a dance competition and a fierce family rivalry, these two form a dysfunctionally functional relationship, and we get to see that unfurl within the movie.

When I first saw the preview for the movie, my initial reaction was that it looked entertaining, but never in my life would I have guessed that it would be Oscar worthy. But in my opinion, it really is. The Oscars is always filled with deep, emotional, beautifully poignant dramas or period dramas or action films that are enriched with deep ulterior meanings. To me, at least, it seems as though there are always very few lighthearted and yet moving films, which are truly my favorite kind. Silver Linings Playbook really fits the bill.

Things I really liked:

• We'll start with the obvious: the cast. Bradley Cooper is just a fantastic actor, and the fact that he can make any girl of any age swoon doesn't hurt. The Hunger Games' Jennifer Lawrence is my personal girl crush of the moment--she's stunning, she's real, she's hysterical, and she is a dang good actress. And then we have the timeless Robert DeNiro partnered with Jacki Weaver...just honestly a genius ensemble.
• Something about this movie was very raw. The actions, the dialogue, the setting, the emotions...it all felt very uncut and unedited, and not in a dirty Spartacus kind of way. It felt very real, and those are the movies I like best.
• The plot was alluring to me. Who doesn't love a good romantic comedy that isn't actually full of pure stupidity?

Altogether, I recommend you give this movie a go. I don't know if it's going to win Best Picture, but honestly if you asked me right now I couldn't choose the best one out of the three nominees I've seen. So go watch it, and I doubt you'll be disappointed.

MPAA RATING: R (for harsh language and extremely brief nudity--a woman's backside shown through a thin shower curtain for a second or two)

MY PERSONAL SUGGESTED AGE: 15

MY PERSONAL RATING: 8.5/10 stars

 

Happy viewing!

~ Lacey :)

A Night at the Cinema: Les Miserables

You've probably heard all the die-hard fans out there raving and exulting and informing everyone they know about this movie, but I figured it was time for some input from someone who had no prior knowledge about the movie whatsoever. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. On Christmas Day, my best friend and I hopped in the car and took off for the nearest movie theater just in time to catch the 3:30 showing of Les Miserables (keep in mind I am far too lazy to put the proper accents on the appropriate letters of the title).

In case you're like me and you entered the theater with no earthly idea as to what was happening, here's a quick backstory:


The movie contains many subplots, but the main thread is the story of ex-convict Jean Valjean, who becomes a force of good in the world after getting a second chance at life. But he cannot escape his dark past, which surfaces in the form of Javert, a member of the French police who is determined to carry out his lawful duty to arrest Valjean for skipping parole and something else (which is vital to the plot and would be a potential spoiler if I told you). The movie, adopted from the musical adaptation of the original novel, follows Valjean's journey to do good and all of the roadblocks along the way.

 

So my initial reaction to the first five minutes of the movie was: Oh no. Are they going to be singing the ENTIRE time?

It was in fact a pure musical, with intermittent moments where characters spoke, but most often they were singing. And I'm not one for musicals usually, but let me tell you... once you get past the initial shock that they're seriously not going to stop singing... it's absolutely fantastic. (WARNING: These songs WILL get superglued to your brain. You will NOT get them out of your head. It's been a little over a week and I'm still bursting out into song).

Here's a list of things that made the movie so fantastic:

• Just take one look at the star-studded cast. In my opinion, Hugh Jackman was PERFECT for Valjean. Russel Crowe made for an intimidating Javert. Anne Hathaway made me cry with her stunning, flawless performance as the heartbreaking Fantine (certainly Oscar-worthy). Did anyone else know she could sing so beautifully? Because I surely didn't. And then there's Amanda Seyfried, who while doing nothing particularly extraordinary is perfect as sweet and innocent adult Cosette. Of course, I couldn't forget Helena Bonham Carter, who actually made me laugh out loud a couple times as the devious and eccentric Madame Thenardier.

          Oh, and the eye candy award goes to the one and only Aaron Tveit.

 

 

'NUFF SAID :-D

• The storyline was just so beautiful. I love a good redemption story, and Jean Valjean has the perfect tale of doing something good and righteous with your second chance. I was completely enamored with the entire plot, which was beautifully displayed in musical form. Truly, truly breathtaking. I won't lie, I cried. The movie was so good, in fact, that the original novel form of Les Miserables written by Victor Hugo is now on my Must-Read list. However, it's 1,500 pages long, so it's definitely a summer project.

• The attention to historical detail was unparalleled. Throughout the entire movie I really felt as if I had been transported back to the time of the French Revolution, and not the glorified version that you come up with in your brain when you read about it in textbooks. You really see the destitution, the depravity, and the hopelessness that many people endured. Honestly, it was a culture shock.

 

I have few to no bad things to say about this movie, other than that Javert's obsession with arresting Valjean never made complete sense with me. This could be a viewer's error; I might have missed an important piece of dialogue or something just didn't translate perfectly for me. But other than this small thing, I truly thought the film was amazing. Go see it.

 

MPAA RATING: PG-13

MY PERSONAL SUGGESTED AGE: 14-15

MY PERSONAL RATING: 9.5/10 stars

 

Happy viewing!

 

~ Lacey :)