One of the largest trilogies of this decade came to a close on August 24th with the release of Mockingjay, the third and final installment of The Hunger Games Trilogy. I only started to read this trilogy with the first title in the series (The Hunger Games) before my Australian Adventure. Then, I came back, read another book, and read Catching Fire (Book #2) just in time for Mockingjay. So now, without further ado, my Hunger Games Trilogy review!
Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Summary (Copied from Barnes and Noble): Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Katniss' sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place.
Review: One of the times I met Scott Westerfeld, I asked him why he liked to write trilogies. His answer was suprisingly simple, "It sets up the events in the series as beginning, middle, and end." Now that I think about it, The Hunger Games served as a great opening to Katniss' world. We learn all about Panem, Katniss' background, her family, and what the games are about. Saying this, it was a basic novel with a suprising amount of gore (not nearly as much as Mockingjay, but we'll get back to that later) and your typicall teen romance with Katniss' District 12 opponent, Peeta. However, this may sound boring and you may think "I want something more than good and basic," but The Hunger Games is fantastic and our heroine, Katniss is by far the most complex thing about this book. Overall, The Hunger Games sets the stage for an action-packed trilogy which is as entertaining for male and female readers alike.
Grade: A-
Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Summary (Without giving too much of The Hunger Games away): Katniss made it out of The Hunger Games alive but there was a twist involved in her escaping of the arena which has set the stage for a rebellion of Panem.
Review: Again, sorry if I un-intentionally place any spoilers but I will try my best! In Catching Fire, we see Katniss' world a little more clearly and get a little deeper into her mind while she tries to balance out what really matters. The main points I noticed in Catching Fire was the setting of the stage of the rebellion of Panem and also learning a little more about the history of the Games themselves and learning even more about our characters. Catching Fire was a little more slowly paced than The Hunger Games up to the last 13 or so of the book where things zoomed by so cleverly yet simply that I didn't even want to put the book down from then on. A great sequel.
Grade: A
Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Summary: The rebellion of Panem is in full swing and it is up to our heroine Katniss Everdeen to either destroy it or help it thrive.
Review: Mockingjay, I felt, went into some technical aspects that I didn't really care for. However, once the action of the rebellion gets into the novel, things get exciting and quite gory. In The Hunger Games, children faught to the death, of course it's going to be bloody but in Mockingjay, the rebellion is a full-on war. There is blood and death at every turn once the true action begins. This is all great and tastefully written during Katniss' special mission (about the last 1/2 or 1/3 or so) and things get intense and page-turning until the very last sentence. Mind-blowing.
Grade: A
Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Hello ladies and germs! Today I saw the highly anticipated sequal to Twilight which is New Moon.
Title: New Moon
Genre: Romance/Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: New Moon is the highly anticipated sequal to the film Twilight. If you are a girl who is 12 or over you probably know all about this film. However, if you don't know about this franchise I'll tell you about it. Basically, a girl named Bella falls in love with a sparkly vampire named Edward. In New Moon Edward tells Bella he can't be with her anymore because he is too dangerous. Bella then falls into a deep depression and eventually starts to like a mostly shirtless Native American boy named Jacob. Then all of a sudden Edward thinks Bella is dead so he goes to Italy to see the Voltouri who have kill him. He is a werewolf. Next, Bella goes to Italy to save Edward and Jacob feels betrayed thus starting the Team Edward Team Jacob rivalry.
Review: I have two things to warn you about. The first being, if you read the book, you will not like this movie. It was pretty much the same but not as detailed in some parts where it would've been better to see instead of some other stuff they put in the movie. Second, If you hate cut-off shorts you will not like this movie (I'll get back to this later). Anyway, one thing I did like about this movie was that you don't particularly have to think to much to watch it. Another good thing about this sequal is that everything seems a little bit better on a few levels because of the larger budget. All of the wolf scenes were beautifully done and all of the wolves had there own peronality. Another good effect scene was the explanation of the Volturi scene in the painting at the cullens. Another big budget feature of the film were the set designs and the costume designs. Another thing about this film is that you cannot take this movie seriously. If I did I would've given it a D or even an F but because I didn't take it seriously I liked it alot more. Okay so about the cut-off shorts, that is all the werevolves wore. Cut-off shorts. What a tradgedy! It was so annoying! Also all of the werewolves were shirtless the entire time. No matter what weather. I am a guy and this was very awkward for me (If you are a guy reading this you will know what I mean). But also for the guys, there was alot more action in this film as opposed to the first. I think guys will appreciate this alot more. Another thing guys will like is ALICE CULLEN!! She is in it more than the other vampires (besides Edward that is) and Alice is my favorite so this worked out :) . Overall, this was a movie for the Twi-hards and those who know going into it knowing not to take it so seriously. You will have much more fun if you don't take it seriously.
Grade: B- (not so serious critic like myself) D (serious critic) OMG JACOB (team Jacob critic)
TEAM ALICE!!!
Title: New Moon
Genre: Romance/Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: New Moon is the highly anticipated sequal to the film Twilight. If you are a girl who is 12 or over you probably know all about this film. However, if you don't know about this franchise I'll tell you about it. Basically, a girl named Bella falls in love with a sparkly vampire named Edward. In New Moon Edward tells Bella he can't be with her anymore because he is too dangerous. Bella then falls into a deep depression and eventually starts to like a mostly shirtless Native American boy named Jacob. Then all of a sudden Edward thinks Bella is dead so he goes to Italy to see the Voltouri who have kill him. He is a werewolf. Next, Bella goes to Italy to save Edward and Jacob feels betrayed thus starting the Team Edward Team Jacob rivalry.
Review: I have two things to warn you about. The first being, if you read the book, you will not like this movie. It was pretty much the same but not as detailed in some parts where it would've been better to see instead of some other stuff they put in the movie. Second, If you hate cut-off shorts you will not like this movie (I'll get back to this later). Anyway, one thing I did like about this movie was that you don't particularly have to think to much to watch it. Another good thing about this sequal is that everything seems a little bit better on a few levels because of the larger budget. All of the wolf scenes were beautifully done and all of the wolves had there own peronality. Another good effect scene was the explanation of the Volturi scene in the painting at the cullens. Another big budget feature of the film were the set designs and the costume designs. Another thing about this film is that you cannot take this movie seriously. If I did I would've given it a D or even an F but because I didn't take it seriously I liked it alot more. Okay so about the cut-off shorts, that is all the werevolves wore. Cut-off shorts. What a tradgedy! It was so annoying! Also all of the werewolves were shirtless the entire time. No matter what weather. I am a guy and this was very awkward for me (If you are a guy reading this you will know what I mean). But also for the guys, there was alot more action in this film as opposed to the first. I think guys will appreciate this alot more. Another thing guys will like is ALICE CULLEN!! She is in it more than the other vampires (besides Edward that is) and Alice is my favorite so this worked out :) . Overall, this was a movie for the Twi-hards and those who know going into it knowing not to take it so seriously. You will have much more fun if you don't take it seriously.
Grade: B- (not so serious critic like myself) D (serious critic) OMG JACOB (team Jacob critic)
TEAM ALICE!!!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
New Moon
Waddup?
Today I finished the second novel in the Twilight Saga called New Moon. Just in time for the movie which I will also be reviewing. Here's what I thought of the book:
Title: New Moon
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Genre: Action, Romance
Summary: Bella Swan's ultra-beautiful and ultra-sparkly vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, leaves her thinking he is too dangerous for her to be around. She then reconnects with her childhood friend Jacob Black who just so happens to fall in love with Bella. By the way, he is a werewolf. Werewolves are vampires mortal enemies. When Bella does something stupid and nearly kills herself, Edward thinks she is dead and goes to Italy to see the all powerful Volturi, a clan of vampires, that can kill him too. What happens next? Read the book to find out.
Review: I have to say, I am not a huge fan of the Twilight series and I'm definitly not a "twi-hard". Some of my friends even hate Twilight. This has influenced me to hold a bias against the series so I will do my best to be fair in this review.
The main character and narrator, Bella Swan, is a dumbass. When Edward tells her he is leaving she goes into a zombie-like depression for nearly half a year. Get over it already. This is so overly exagurated that it makes me want to rip out the pages. Also, I feel that Stephanie Meyer's writing ability dropped a whole bunch since Twilight.
The two main things I actually did like about the book was the development of Jacob's character. However, once he started to put his thoughts toward Bella into actions, he became such a LOSER!! I also liked the explanation of the history of the Volturi. It was cool learning about how foriegn vampires live. I think Stephanie should have made Italy a larger part of the books storyline. The time in Italy lasts only one or two 20 pg chapters out a 570 pg book.
Then again, I have heard New Moon is the worst book in the series and I hope this is true because I DO plan on reading the second half of the saga.
Grade: C-
Today I finished the second novel in the Twilight Saga called New Moon. Just in time for the movie which I will also be reviewing. Here's what I thought of the book:
Title: New Moon
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Genre: Action, Romance
Summary: Bella Swan's ultra-beautiful and ultra-sparkly vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, leaves her thinking he is too dangerous for her to be around. She then reconnects with her childhood friend Jacob Black who just so happens to fall in love with Bella. By the way, he is a werewolf. Werewolves are vampires mortal enemies. When Bella does something stupid and nearly kills herself, Edward thinks she is dead and goes to Italy to see the all powerful Volturi, a clan of vampires, that can kill him too. What happens next? Read the book to find out.
Review: I have to say, I am not a huge fan of the Twilight series and I'm definitly not a "twi-hard". Some of my friends even hate Twilight. This has influenced me to hold a bias against the series so I will do my best to be fair in this review.
The main character and narrator, Bella Swan, is a dumbass. When Edward tells her he is leaving she goes into a zombie-like depression for nearly half a year. Get over it already. This is so overly exagurated that it makes me want to rip out the pages. Also, I feel that Stephanie Meyer's writing ability dropped a whole bunch since Twilight.
The two main things I actually did like about the book was the development of Jacob's character. However, once he started to put his thoughts toward Bella into actions, he became such a LOSER!! I also liked the explanation of the history of the Volturi. It was cool learning about how foriegn vampires live. I think Stephanie should have made Italy a larger part of the books storyline. The time in Italy lasts only one or two 20 pg chapters out a 570 pg book.
Then again, I have heard New Moon is the worst book in the series and I hope this is true because I DO plan on reading the second half of the saga.
Grade: C-
Sunday, August 30, 2009
District 9
Hello everybody! I just got home from seeing the action-packed and alien-filled District 9 produced by Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong. Knowing this, I had very high expectations but did District 9 live up to them? Keep reading to find out.
Title: District 9
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley
Genre: Action, Drama
Length: 112 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Summary: In 1990, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns" (to be used as a politically incorrect term), appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new non-human friends.
My Review: District 9 fell below my expectations. It is quite saddening because I was really enjoying the Documentry-style shooting of the film but as the movie transitioned from documentry style to Hollywood blockbuster I found the film less and less interesting with all of the violent massacares of humans and aliens alike.
The first half of the film was very interesting, showing the backstory behind District 9 and showing how badly the aliens live. This is what mainly got my attention. It was amazing how realistic the movie was and if you replaced the aliens with people the story would still make sense. It was very saddening watching how horribly mistreated the aliens were and how believable the living conditions and predjudice was.
About 40 minutes in is where the plot changes when Wikus accidently sprays himself with an alien substance. After that, he slowly changes into one of the non-humans. I didn't really enjoy Wikus' character too much. Throughout the film he was very self-centered and the only thing he cared about was how to make himself live up to his recent promotion and how to change himself back into a human and how to stay with his wife.
Another thing I did not enjoy was the frequent use of the f-word and nonsensical violence. But I especially didn't like the room for a sequal probably entitled District 10. They made it very obvious a sequal is probably in the works and is going to be much worse then District 9.
Some of the few things I did enjoy was the message the movie gave. I already told you about how much I enjoyed the documentry style filming but when they showed the fake news feeds I felt like I was in the setting of South Africa watching the news surrounding the mysteries of District 9.
Final Note: District 9 was a film that did not live up to my expectations. Although very epic with great themes the story line was great but could've been represented in a different way.
Do I Reccommend It?: Don't spend $15 going to the theater to see it. Rent it from Netflix or whoever but make sure you have surround sound.
Grade: C+
Title: District 9
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley
Genre: Action, Drama
Length: 112 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Summary: In 1990, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns" (to be used as a politically incorrect term), appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new non-human friends.
My Review: District 9 fell below my expectations. It is quite saddening because I was really enjoying the Documentry-style shooting of the film but as the movie transitioned from documentry style to Hollywood blockbuster I found the film less and less interesting with all of the violent massacares of humans and aliens alike.
The first half of the film was very interesting, showing the backstory behind District 9 and showing how badly the aliens live. This is what mainly got my attention. It was amazing how realistic the movie was and if you replaced the aliens with people the story would still make sense. It was very saddening watching how horribly mistreated the aliens were and how believable the living conditions and predjudice was.
About 40 minutes in is where the plot changes when Wikus accidently sprays himself with an alien substance. After that, he slowly changes into one of the non-humans. I didn't really enjoy Wikus' character too much. Throughout the film he was very self-centered and the only thing he cared about was how to make himself live up to his recent promotion and how to change himself back into a human and how to stay with his wife.
Another thing I did not enjoy was the frequent use of the f-word and nonsensical violence. But I especially didn't like the room for a sequal probably entitled District 10. They made it very obvious a sequal is probably in the works and is going to be much worse then District 9.
Some of the few things I did enjoy was the message the movie gave. I already told you about how much I enjoyed the documentry style filming but when they showed the fake news feeds I felt like I was in the setting of South Africa watching the news surrounding the mysteries of District 9.
Final Note: District 9 was a film that did not live up to my expectations. Although very epic with great themes the story line was great but could've been represented in a different way.
Do I Reccommend It?: Don't spend $15 going to the theater to see it. Rent it from Netflix or whoever but make sure you have surround sound.
Grade: C+
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