The Sunday Salon: My Hunger Games marathon

Wow, it's been awhile since I wrote a post for The Sunday Salon. Guess I'll go back on track with it now.

So I've been sort of on a Hunger Games marathon. I watched the movie twice in the cinemas, once with my friend and the second time with my mom. The second time watching the movie wasn't planned. I had free tickets, which couldn't be used to watch Mirror, Mirror. I wanted to go for The Vow but only front row seats were left. So The Hunger Games it was for me again. At least my mom appreciated the movie's ending.

Effie Trinket (left) and Katniss Everdeen (See how scared and worried Katniss looks just after volunteering to be a tribute to replace her younger sister!)

I have to say that the movie is one of the best movies I've watched this year. For me, it is also one of the best film adaptations from a book. No exaggeration. Good story, good actors and really colourful setting for The Capitol!




As most of you know, the Hunger Games story is a trilogy made up of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. I've finished the first two books and am now reading the third one. (Click on the links to read my reviews of the first two books)

The story sure is interesting and gripping (yup, cliche words I know but they describe the books!). I liked reading about the tributes from the other districts, the conversations between Peeta and Katniss and also the scenes with Effie and Haymitch! The latter two characters really stood out in the movie and I was eager to read more of them in the books. Gale, I'm sorry to say, is pretty dull.

I received my copy of The Hunger Games about two years ago as a gift through the Book Blogger Holiday Swap. I only read the first page. Though I found it good, I never reached page 2. It was probably due to lack of interest and lack of the mood for YA science fiction.

Anyway, I'm glad to be reading Mockingjay now and looking forward to see how Katniss fares in District 13. Same goes for Peeta! He's my favourite character in the first two books but I've read in online reviews that his character changes in Book 3. So we'll see how it goes. Just on Chapter 3 right now. :)

***

This is not book-related but I have to write about this! The Big Bang Theory has become my new favourite TV series.

From left: Howard, Leonard, Penny, Sheldon and Raj

I watched Season 1 Episode 1 around last year I think. It was so funny but somehow I never continued to watch the episodes that follow. Well, I caught up with the series last week when I was sick. I hope all the laughing during the show helped me get better.

My favourite character is definitely Sheldon (played by Jim Parsons). Straight to the point and extremely logical. It seems that it's because of him that has propelled the show to such popularity.

Looking forward to watching the rest of the seaons! 

I couldn't help laughing during the Eclipse movie

Directed by David Slade
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard, Billy Burke, Dakota Fanning

What can I say about this much talked about movie of the year? I'll keep my Eclipse movie post short. Just so you know, I watched the movie twice on the same day! Not that it was that great, and don't ask me why. :)

My favourite parts of the movie:

1. All Jacob scenes. Taylor Lautner is an incredibly talented actor. You could feel his deep, undying love for Bella. The way he looks at her, gazes at her, talks to her, defends her, worries about her, etc. Man, Jacob is definitely hopelessly in love with Bella. He cannot be saved. That's the effect of Lautner's brilliant performance.

2. All Charlie scenes. I don't know but you just feel sorry for the guy. He's utterly clueless about Bella's decision for her future and all he wants is for his daughter to be safe. I liked the part where Bella announced her virginity and he mumbles to himself afterward about liking Edward a little bit more!

3. The vampire-werewolf fight rehearsal scene. Love it, love it. The coolest one was the one between Alice and Jasper. She's the only one who can take on him because, well, she can anticipate his moves? I enjoyed watching her gracefulness and agility.

4. The Jacob-Bella kiss scene! I'm pretty sure this one made it onto everyone else's list. Jacob's patience is rewarded, albeit for a short moment, after all. Yay for Jacob!

5. The flashbacks. It's great to see Rosalie's and Jasper's past lives. Who knew the beautiful Rosalie would have fallen for a jerk? Wished the scene with Rosalie in wedding dress barging into the room was longer.

6. Jessica's speech. What a simple but thought-provoking graduation speech!

7. The background music/score. They're catchy. Need to find out the song title and who sings them.

Hilarious scenes for me:

1. When Edward proposes to Bella. I thought, 'My god, what an awfully huge ring.' But later saw that it looked nice on Bella's finger. This scene must also be most of you guys' favourite, so please, this is just my opinion. No throwing raw eggs or tomatoes at me.

And this is the best hilarious scene, IMHO!!!

2. When Edward rips off Bella's shirt to wrap HER wounded hand after she risked HER life for him. Couldn't he have torn off his own shirt or was it too expensive to wrap a beloved's bleeding arm? I couldn't stop laughing at this scene.

Apart from these 'marvelous' elements of Eclipse, there were also some bad acting. For example, Seth and Bree Tanner. I liked the actress who played Bree. She has that sweet, innocent look and she doesn't seem as if she'll turn into a vicious vampire. Her terrified expressions were believable but once she began talking, nah, all my good impressions of her were gone immediately.

Okay, I could be talking about the entire movie, scene for scene but I'm sure you guys must have watched it a hundred times already. Also yes, Eclipse is way better than Twilight and New Moon. Twilight was terrible and New Moon only slightly better (because of Taylor Lautner's terrific acting!).

I will buy the DVD once it comes out, just like how I've bought Twilight and New Moon. Yeah, don't ask me why I bought them even though I say they aren't worth watching. It's just something I need to have. Peer pressure, I guess. Or just jumping on the bandwagon. Whatev. Time to move on! :)

A knight in shining armour?

Directed by James Mangold
Starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Maggie Grace, Paul Dano & Marc Blucas

I certainly did not expect this movie to be so good. It's basically about this guy, Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) who goes around killing intelligence officers and arms dealers who have bad intentions and are also after a powerful battery called the Zephyr.

Unexpectedly, he meets June (Cameron Diaz) on a plane. They have bumped into each other twice at the airport, which leads June to think that she might have a chance with this good-looking stranger. Little did she know that she's in for the most exciting and terrifying ride of her life.

The lines were good especially Roy's. He says the wittiest things without meaning to. His character has a calm demeanour and one couldn't help feeling impressed with his fighting and surviving skills. Anyhow, June's character was sort of typical. All she had to do was act sweet and flirty when she first meets Roy. Then she turns into a shaky, panicky, screaming machine when she sees Roy shooting people.

I liked the ending though. I liked how things turned around for June and Roy.

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz had great chemistry in this show. This is the second time that they have worked on a movie, with the first one being Vanilla Sky.

Movies watched in the past two weeks

Date Night (2010)
Starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell

About this couple, Phil and Claire Foster from New Jersey who are worried about the mundaneness of their marriage. They get even more worried after knowing that their best friends, also a married couple, are splitting up. To spice things up, they decide to have dinner at a trendy restaurant in Manhattan. Since they did not make a table reservation, they decided to 'steal' a table which was earlier reserved by the 'Tripplehorns'. Little did they know that the Tripplehorns are wanted by a gang of mobsters!

So instead of a romantic dinner, they spend the night running away from corrupted policemen and trying to find the flash drive which holds important pictures. Knowing that the main actors are funny people Tina Fey and Steve Carell, you can expect a few laughs here and there. Oh, and watch out for the appearance of the Amazon Kindle too!


Clash of the Titans (2010)
Starring Sam Worthington, Mads Mikkelsen, Alexa Davalos, Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson

This movie reminded me of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief where there's a demigod involved. Anyway, this is a remake of the 1981 film version of the same name. So the people are unhappy with the gods and being rebellious. Then this demigod guy named Perseus is determined to fight with the people against the gods who are believed to be manipulating their lives. Perseus' reason for fighting the gods is because they killed his adopted family. Even though he finds out that his father is the great Zeus, he still doesn't care to stop the fight.

I fell asleep during parts of the movie.

Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway

I love Tim Burton's movies. I love the film score in his movies especially in Edward Scissorhands. The actress playing Alice in this movie is fantastic. She's certainly a defiant 19-year-old Alice who doesn't quite remember her first trip to Wonderland. On her second trip there, she meets the same characters like before: the White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Mad Hatter, and the Red Queen. Ooh, I enjoyed watching Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. She's brilliantly evil!

The costumes worn by Alice, wow, simply fab. Do check out the scene where the Mad Hatter makes a tiny dress for her. He sure has style. :)

When in Rome (2010)
Starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel

Just watching this movie for Josh is enough even though the plot is a little bit weak. Art curator Beth is not lucky in love. Her younger sister's getting married before her. So she goes to Rome to attend her sister's wedding. Drunk and miserable, she climbs in the fountain of love and picks up five coins. Voila, the guys who threw the coins in the fountain are then fixated on Beth and keep declaring their undying love for her.

Among them is Nick (played by Josh). But Beth believes that Nick was just one of the guys under the spell. Even though she has feelings for Nick, she has to either return the coins to the fountain or give them back to their rightful owners. Quite a funny movie. Ending could be unpredictable.

Shutter Island (2010)
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams

What an eerie island! I knew the ending so it was fun following the movie and finding out how it ended the way it ended. U.S. Marshal, Teddy and his new partner, Chuck set off to a mental hospital on Shutter Island to investigate the case of a missing patient. But as the investigations go deeper, the questions getting difficult, the hospital staff being uncooperative, it's a tough task for Teddy and his partner. Besides, Teddy has his own inner sufferings to deal with too.

Watch out for some gory scenes!

The Crazies (2010)
Starring Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker

Definitely not for the faint-hearted but perfect for thrill-seekers. I really have to credit the excellent timing of the sound effects in this movie. Most of the time I found myself hiding my eyes behind my hands. I even considered covering my ears too but then I wouldn't be able to listen to what's being said.

The folks in Iowa are drinking water which have been contaminated by toxins. The side effects? They go stark crazy. But their kind of madness does not limit them to sitting around and rambling nonsense. They go on killing sprees! Scary huh? The disease has become so serious that the military team ambushed the town and tied up those who were suspected of being sick. But town sheriff David cannot rest until he has rescued his doctor wife, Judy who has a fever and thus, taken away by the soldiers to be quarantined.

A pretty exciting movie and get ready to jump or scream at certain scenes. It's a terrifying ride with the crazies.

Movie day: Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief

I had wanted to watch Avatar in 3D but most unfortunately, all tickets were sold out for the afternoon show.  Grrrrrrr!



Left: movie poster; right: book cover

The only other watchable movie, for me, was Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief (title in the UK and Australia).  All I knew was that it's based on a book, The Lightning Thief, which is the first in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, written by Rick Riordan.  While waiting to enter the movie hall, I just loitered in the waiting area and looked at the various posters displayed.  I studied the above movie's poster and was pleasantly surprised to see that Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean and Uma Thurman would be acting in it.

All right, I'll just list out some of my favourite parts of the show:

1. The appearance of Pierce Brosnan as Mr. Brunner who's confined in a wheelchair.  Quite unlike other Brosnan's macho, manly and sophisticated acting roles.  Well, he did appear in a better form later in the movie.
   Uma Thurman as Medusa
2. The appearance of another famous star that I know: Uma Thurman.  She makes a grand entrance, looking ultra-cool in sunglasses and a 'turban' round her head.  Okay, it's not really a turban but I don't know what it's called.  Its main function is to conceal her head full of hissing snakes!  Whoever looks at her will turn into stone.  Forever.  Yup, she's Medusa.
3. The moment Lady Gaga's Poker Face starts playing.  It's when the three youngsters were enticed to consume the delicious but addictive lotus flower that'll make them forget their entire quest.  They were in Las Vegas, which makes it all the more befitting.
4. The ending where Percy's stepfather meets his 'match'.  This scene appears after some of the credits have rolled.

Of course, there were a lot of clichés in the movie.  First, it's about a teenage boy who performs poorly in school but later discovers that he is actually different from the others.  In this story, Percy finds out that he's a demigod or half god (how cool is that???) and that his father is Poseidon, god of the sea.  Therefore, he has special powers that can really help him in battle with the evil ones.

Next, the 'love' interest.  At the camp for special kids, Percy finds himself drawn to Annabeth, the daughter of Athena who's the goddess of civilisation, wisdom, strength, strategy, craft, justice and skill.  The good thing is that Annabeth is great in sword fighting and that she always aims to win, which means she's terribly competitive.  Plus, they don't kiss at the end of the show which was a relief.  I roll my eyes at kissing endings.  Besides, it's also an indication that there'll be sequels after this.  More lovey-dovey scenes to watch out then.

I had to smirk when Percy emerges triumphant in his first 'battle' with his campmates.  He looked so annoyingly smug.  He was initially defeated by Annabeth but found out that touching water could heal his wounds and give him strength to fight skillfully.  How appropriate.

Another cliché: the sidekick, Grover who makes a sacrifice.  Okay, Percy offered himself first but Grover insisted to stay on in the underworld.  Well, it was obvious that he would enjoy himself there with the lovely and flirtatious Persephone!

Despite all its flaws (it'd be amazing if there were none), the movie is definitely worth a watch.  Some laughs here and there, brief appearances by movie stars (Uma rocks!) and the exposure to Greek mythology!  I'm so gonna read the Percy Jackson books.

The truth about Malaysian independent movies

First off, Happy New Year! I didn't have the chance to wish you guys that as I was busy finishing up my movie analyses research work for my lecturer. The movies I had to analyze were all Malaysian movies and some of them are very, very good. The movies, I mean. Among the notable ones are:

 

1. The Big Durian directed by Amir Muhammad
   
2. Apa Khabar Orang Kampung (Village People Radio Show) directed by Amir Muhammad
   
3. Flower in the Pocket directed by Liew Seng Tat
   
4. Rain Dogs directed by Ho Yuhang
   
5. Buli by Afdlin Shauki

Some of the above movies can be bought here. The first four movies in the above list are independent movies, meaning that they were not shown in the cinemas. There were some public screenings but the turnout wasn't big due to lack of publicity. Apa Khabar Orang Kampung (Village People Radio Show) was banned in the country due to "misleading information" in the film. Still, it was pretty informative and I'm glad that I had the chance to watch it.

Even the horrific Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam (about a female vampire) was laudable and had valuable messages to convey to its audience. I pretty much stay away from horror movies so I left this one for last. I didn't want to have sleepless nights! In order for me to complete my work, I need to get my beauty sleep so I'll feel refreshed. So when I watched the movie, I averted my eyes whenever the vampire appeared. Man, she's downright frightening! Blue skin, long black unruly hair and worst of all, her bloodshot eyes! I wouldn't watch it for free.  And I couldn't understand how a beautiful young woman (played by actress Maya Karin) could turn into something so frightful after she was murdered.

Buli was hilarious!  I don't always watch Malay movies unless they were comedies because I feel they are some of the best comedies I've ever seen and Buli is no exception.  The actors were brilliant, especially Ako Mustapha and the jokes genuinely funny.  Okay, some were overdone but that's only minor.  Buli is about Nordin who has really low self-esteem and is very conscious of his weight.  He doesn't have many friends as he's been bullied since he was young.  What's worse is that his old bully, Roy, is back to torture him during their working days.  Roy has made Nordin's life a living hell ever since they were children right up until their university days.  It sure is hard for Nordin to evade Roy.

Local movies, especially independent ones, don't get as much hype as foreign ones.  Why?  Well, some are not that good that they are terribly boring and might not make any sense.  But that's what the director's trying to do.  He or she had a reason for making their movies so complex.  These are usually the independent filmmakers who produce their own films.  They made movies which seriously discuss current issues that have to do with politics, the economy and society.  Themes that are way too serious and too troublesome for the typical movie-goer who only wants to be entertained as they have paid around RM10 for a movie ticket.  Go on Wednesdays where it's only RM6!  :D

So after watching my ten given movies over and over again and then analysing them, I had an entirely different opinion of the local film industry and its budding filmmakers.  Some of the movies may not contain high quality special effects.  The camera may be handheld.  The budget for the film may be low.  But they did what they had to do.  They only wanted to make movies to express their thoughts and ideas regarding life and other serious issues that should be discussed.  They wanted to inform and educate viewers.

Therefore, give these movies a chance.  For once, skip the mindless Transformers and cliched Hollywood movies (though some of these Hollywood ones appeal to me too!) and spend some time getting to know local movies, current issues and most importantly, yourself.

Recently watched movies

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

A romantic drama about a Chicago librarian with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage.



He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

The needy Gigi Haim is a young woman seeking her prince charming somewhere amongst her unsuccessful dates. After dating estate agent Conor Barry, Gigi anxiously expects to receive a phone call from him. However Conor never calls her. Gigi decides to go to the bar where he frequents to see him, but she meets his friend Alex who works there. They become friends and Alex helps Gigi to interpret the subtle signs given out by her dates. Written by Claudio Carvalho

Gracie (2007)

This is the story of a teenager named Gracie Bowen, who lives in South Orange, New Jersey, is crazy about soccer, as are her three brothers and former soccer star father. Although Gracie wants to join her brothers and father in the nightly practices, she is discouraged by everyone except her elder brother, Johnny. Her father does not believe that girls should play soccer and tells her that she is neither tough enough nor talented enough to play with the boys team.

Undeterred, Gracie finds reserves of strength she never knew existed, and persists in changing everyone's beliefs in what she is capable of, including her own. She faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer. But as the beautiful and strong person that she has always been, she also brings her family together in the face of their own tragedy. Written by Anthony Pereyra

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Six Californians start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships -- both old and new -- begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels.

{All movie descriptions taken from IMDb}

Emma and Pride & Prejudice

I'm currently on a Jane Austen movie marathon. Lately I've been watching Emma and Pride and Prejudice over and over again. I wonder when I'll get sick of them!

I have the Gwyneth Paltrow 'Emma' DVD but I watched the Kate Beckinsale version on the Internet. Initially, I found a lot of faults with the latter because I was so used to Gwyneth as Emma and Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley. And it was weird seeing Beckinsale as Emma.

As for Pride and Prejudice, the 1995 version is really long! I'm only starting to watch Episode 3 now. I already have the 2005 movie on DVD, the one with Keira Knightley.

There is a lot of difference between the two versions. The girls in the 1995 version looked kind of weird at first because they were plumper and not so good-looking like the ones in the 2005 version. But their performance is unexceptional and I enjoy watching them.

How many movies are there that are based on Jane Austen's books? I know that there are movies on Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park. I'll watch them later.

The Inkheart Movie

My jaw dropped when I saw how long the line was at the cinema ticket counter yesterday. It was a Wednesday and the tickets are cheaper on Wednesdays.

My mom tried to get another lady to buy for us but she said that only single seats were left and that they were far away from one another. Nah, I still stood in line and waited for my turn. My turn only came about 30 minutes later! One ticket for the Inkheart movie cost RM6 or USD1.67. And I managed to get good seats.

Anyway, how did you find the movie? I haven't read the book yet but I bought it a few days ago. I believe in watching the movie first before reading the book. Had bad experience with Harry Potter, that's why.

The cast was kind of star-studded. Brendan Fraser, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis, Paul Bettany, Sienna Guillory, and Jennifer Connelly is Roxane? Who's Roxane?? Meggie was played by Eliza Bennett from Nanny McPhee.

I don't know if the story stayed true to the book but it was exciting nevertheless. The story starts with Meggie and Mo in the midst of buying books when Dustfinger approaches them. Dustfinger is desperate to return to the book where he came from: Inkheart written by Fenoglio.

Mo is a Silvertongue. He has the ability to read characters in and out of books! Therefore, it seems that he's the only one who can help Dustfinger. But, yes of course there's a but, Mo has stopped reading aloud ever since his wife mysteriously disappeared many years ago. He's afraid of what'll happen if he reads aloud again.

Dustfinger appears to be selfish because of the way the author created him. Mo wants to get his wife back. Meggie doesn't know anything about it until now.

There's also a Farid from 'Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves' who came out of the book when Mo read aloud. The audience in the cinema seemed to like him best, I think. They laughed whenever he uttered his lines. Well, he did get the witty lines. Is he just as witty in the book?

Exciting, magical, adventure-filled and bookish: that's what Inkheart the movie is.

The Twilight Movie

I watched Twilight today! I couldn't wait actually. I almost resorted to buying a fake DVD just to watch it but luckily there were none! A few days ago, I even tried downloading the movie from Limewire. I downloaded it twice but couldn't watch on any of my movie players! Definitely frustrating. So today, armed with my student card, I went to watch it for only RM6 or around USD1.65. Very affordable. I didn't even buy popcorn as the movie was almost starting.

The movie was quite okay. I read the book last year but I think it stayed pretty close to the book. And like I mentioned in my previous post, they had a good-looking cast. Duh, they were already good-looking in the book! Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan looked and sounded smarter than the Bella from the book. I also thought Bella from the movie kind of unfriendly and unsmiling.

Robert Pattinson (Cedric in Harry Potter) was okay as Edward. Yeah, he did look good and mysterious, like what he's supposed to be. And he looked nothing like the movie poster above! What's with the poster???

They also casted the role of Alice well. I liked Ashley Greene as Alice. She looked likeable. Carlisle was so white and yellow at the same time. Well, he looked like that to me. Jacob's hair was sooooo long. I didn't realize he had long hair in the book. Did he?

Besides that, they played great music. I enjoyed them! Look out for the part where Bella first watches the Cullens enter the cafeteria. I liked that part.

Overall, great movie. I wonder if they'll make a New Moon movie. If yes, wow, then it's gonna be another long wait. I might enjoy the movie better than the book, which was unfortunately quite dull.

ETA: I've just read that the baseball scene from the movie is famous! Yeah, it helped me understand how they actually played because I did not fully get it from the book.

Wow, Pattinson actually played the piano in the movie! He's a 'really talented musician' as quoted from WikiAnswers.