So, building on my last post, today we shall be talking about book two of the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire. By far, this was my favorite book in the series. I feel like the first one set the stage and the second one was the climax of everything and then the third.... well, we'll talk about that one later. I'm going to focus on analyzing the story and talking about what I think about style, character development, etc. I already spent a decent amount of time digging into the deeper meanings and such in my post on the first book. If you haven't already, I highly suggest reading it before you jump into this one, as this one will build on the other a little bit.
***SPOILER ALERT*** I will be discussing the book as if I am talking to someone who has already read it, thus I might give away important plot points, so if you haven't read it yet, consider yourself warned.
Picking up right where the Hunger Games left off, with Peeta and Katniss returning home as victors, we watch as new drama and difficulties unfold for Katniss. She and Peeta are barely speaking since he found out that her lovey-dovey act in the arena was just that - an act. She and Gale rarely see each other since she still has to keep up the idea that she and Peeta are in love and Gale is now working in the coal mines. In short, Katniss' life is now pretty miserable. Before the hunger games, Gale was her
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Saturday, August 6, 2011
17 Again
Zac Efron takes his first steps away from Disney and the world of "High School Musical" in this delightful teen comedy. Of course he still has to bust out a dance move or two, but then, this is his first *real* movie.
17 Again is very much like "It's a Wonderful Life". This guy things his life sucks, he falls in with some angelic being who changes his perspective, and viola! His life is great again. Of course there are some differences, most significant being that the main character, instead of never being born, is transformed into a 17 year old and given the chance to choose a different life then he did the first time.
I have to give the story a 3. It really is not that original.
How well it is made gets a 5.
Language gets a 3, there was some swearing and crude joking.
Sexual content gets a 3, there were some innuendos and inappropriate joking. But! I have to mention, the main character's (Zac Efron) view of intimacy is a good message: save it for marriage.
Violence gets a 4. There was a well-choreographed fight scene that was more funny than violent, and a couple other random things.
Overall, I'm giving this movie a 4. I personally absolutely LOVE this movie, it's in my top ten, but because of the content, I have to say that I do not think that anyone under the age of 15 should watch it.
17 Again is very much like "It's a Wonderful Life". This guy things his life sucks, he falls in with some angelic being who changes his perspective, and viola! His life is great again. Of course there are some differences, most significant being that the main character, instead of never being born, is transformed into a 17 year old and given the chance to choose a different life then he did the first time.
I have to give the story a 3. It really is not that original.
How well it is made gets a 5.
Language gets a 3, there was some swearing and crude joking.
Sexual content gets a 3, there were some innuendos and inappropriate joking. But! I have to mention, the main character's (Zac Efron) view of intimacy is a good message: save it for marriage.
Violence gets a 4. There was a well-choreographed fight scene that was more funny than violent, and a couple other random things.
Overall, I'm giving this movie a 4. I personally absolutely LOVE this movie, it's in my top ten, but because of the content, I have to say that I do not think that anyone under the age of 15 should watch it.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
To be completely honest, when I heard that they were making another Pirates movie, I was a little skeptical. Alright, very skeptical. They've already made three, and that was pushing it, but a fourth? How much longer can Hollywood beat a dead horse?
BUT! I am happy to say that I was very wrong in my expectations. "The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" just might be the best Pirates movie yet. Mermaids, ships, swords, swashbuckling pirates, and even a missionary. There were two things that I really loved about this movie. The first one was that they portrayed the *Christian* missionary in a complimentary light. He was good, and had character, integrity and honor. He was NOT hypocritical, nor did he walk away from his faith. Such a portrayal of missionaries or Christian characters in movies is rare. The second thing that I loved was that they were able to re-invent the story in such a way that one doesn't miss Will and Elizabeth. We all know that we watched "The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" the first time to see Orlando Bloom, but we watched it a second time, and all the subsequent movies for Johnny Depp. Now, this Pirates movie is all about Jack. Which is fine with me. I have really enjoyed watching Jack's character develop over the course of these movies, and this one was no exception.
Overall, I'm giving the story a 5. I think that is was highly original, and did a great job of building on the first movies, while at the same time re-inventing the story in such a way that they can continue the series.
How well it's made gets a 4. The effects were great, but there were some times when it just seemed obviously CG'd.
Sexual content gets a 3 1/2. There were a lot of innuendos and sexual jokes, and there were some inappropriate outfits. And the mermaids are very risque.
Language gets a 4. There were a handful of swear words scattered here and there.
Violence gets a 3 1/2. There was some fighting.
Overall, the movie gets a 4. It is very well made, interesting and fun. However, due to the violence and innuendos, I would not suggest anyone under the age of 15 watching it.
BUT! I am happy to say that I was very wrong in my expectations. "The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" just might be the best Pirates movie yet. Mermaids, ships, swords, swashbuckling pirates, and even a missionary. There were two things that I really loved about this movie. The first one was that they portrayed the *Christian* missionary in a complimentary light. He was good, and had character, integrity and honor. He was NOT hypocritical, nor did he walk away from his faith. Such a portrayal of missionaries or Christian characters in movies is rare. The second thing that I loved was that they were able to re-invent the story in such a way that one doesn't miss Will and Elizabeth. We all know that we watched "The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" the first time to see Orlando Bloom, but we watched it a second time, and all the subsequent movies for Johnny Depp. Now, this Pirates movie is all about Jack. Which is fine with me. I have really enjoyed watching Jack's character develop over the course of these movies, and this one was no exception.
Overall, I'm giving the story a 5. I think that is was highly original, and did a great job of building on the first movies, while at the same time re-inventing the story in such a way that they can continue the series.
How well it's made gets a 4. The effects were great, but there were some times when it just seemed obviously CG'd.
Sexual content gets a 3 1/2. There were a lot of innuendos and sexual jokes, and there were some inappropriate outfits. And the mermaids are very risque.
Language gets a 4. There were a handful of swear words scattered here and there.
Violence gets a 3 1/2. There was some fighting.
Overall, the movie gets a 4. It is very well made, interesting and fun. However, due to the violence and innuendos, I would not suggest anyone under the age of 15 watching it.
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