A recent post on the Goodreads Blog explored the question of whether stories in books are better than their adapted movies, noting that half of this year’s Academy Award Best Picture nominees were based on books. The good folks at Goodreads tried to get an objective view by comparing a set of books’ average ratings … [Read more…]
On Sunday, I went to see Django Unchained with my brother. It’s a great movie, one of Tarantino’s best in my opinion, and there’s a lot I could say about it. However, one particular thing has stuck in my mind the last few days. As I ate dinner with my brother after the the movie, … [Read more…]
I just got back from watching The Avengers, and I have to say it was stellar. I went into the theater trepidatiously exuberant. I mean, let’s face it, I love pretty much everything Joss Whedon aims a neuron at. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much. Everyone stumbles sometime, right? Maybe … [Read more…]
The man sat in his chair. He was reclining and drinking from a glass. The glass had been given to him by friends. Good friends, they seemed, but it was not the friends he thought of, or the drink he was drinking. On the screen before him was an oddity. The words lashed out at … [Read more…]
When I read The Hunger Games back in December, I enjoyed it. The fast-paced, action-driven plot narrated primarily from the constantly oscillating mind of sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen was exciting and emotional, and well worth the time it took to read. However, it didn’t have the feel of a story that could ascend to the height … [Read more…]
Last night over pizza and beers with my brothers at the Coppertop Tavern, the topic of movies came up. (Yes, quoting of Ghostbusters occurred.) During the conversation, one of my brothers mentioned that he had accidentally purchased a digital copy of a movie through his cable service provider. “I own it,” he said. “Somewhere.” I’ve … [Read more…]
I saw The Hangover Part II a few nights ago and was pleasantly surprised. Other than perhaps taking too long to set up a storyline and attempt some tepid character development, the movie delivers on exactly what it promised: raunch and cheap laughs. I chuckled throughout and even managed a few louder bursts. However, after … [Read more…]