Bella Street Romance Goes Retro

I admit to being a bit dismayed by the look of the Hunger Games trailer. It just doesn't have the feel (for me) that the books did. It's been a long time since I've been this invested in a series and I so want the movie to be perfect. But I'll withhold judgement until I actually see the thing. One thing, however, gives me hope, and that's the new Hunger Games song by Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars. I'm an even more rabid fan for the stylings of Joy Williams and John Paul...especially the soul they gave this song. And if such a song exists with regard to Hunger Games, then there's all kinds of hope the movie will meet expectations. May the odds be ever in my favor :)

I only just started the books about a year ago and read them out to my kids. We didn't have time to finish them before the last film, Deathly Hallows Part 2 , which we wanted to see in the theater. We did and it was superlative. Aside from the compelling characters, incredible direction and amazing FX, what impressed me most was the realization that the author cared about her readers. J.K. Rowling never forgot her responsibility to her fans and she treated them with utmost honor and respect. We can easily see times when the almighty dollar takes precedence over storytelling (think most film sequels), when what made the movie or book so good the first time is absent the second time around. Why can't the powers that be recognize what originally made the story great and replicate it? I believe J.K. Rowling did not bump into success, instead, she wrote from her heart and continued writing that way through the series. She knew what made them good and didn't have to cobbl...

Skyline certainly isn't the worst movie I've seen--it had its moments (see below), and felt more like a glorified music video than sci-fi film. But it's more 'meh' than 'grr'. And sometimes something comes along that actually brings a little improvement. So allow me to recommend the version of Skyline you should see...from a genius called Tobuscus . And because I can never resist a Twilight parody ...

Super 8 , bottom line, is a great movie. The cast was incredible--I mean these kids acted their hearts out. The story had heart and soul and poignancy. The pacing, cinematography, direction were absolutely top-notch. But what really left an impression on me was the nostalgia the film evoked. It was like watching E.T , Close Encounters of the Third Kind , and Poltergeist all over again. It was like watching a Spielberg film. That JJ Abrams--the director and writer for Super 8 --was influenced by Spielberg was obvious (and not just because Spielberg produced it). But it also had his own touch--smoothing some of the cheesy edges Spielberg had a weakness for. There was also the slightly annoying Spielberg meme of 'aliens, nice--military, bad' (my thoughts on aliens are closer to Mars Attacks! ), but overall, it had that feeling that Spielberg evoked so well--that there was no place you'd rather be but in a darkened theater, glorying in a rockin' movie, and wondering ...

"... it's the lies that we tell ourselves, they introduce us to him ." You can't mention M. Night Shyamalan's name without getting a strong reaction. I'll be honest--I'm a fan. Few directors push the boundaries into spiritual matters like he does. No matter what anyone thinks of his films, there's always a lot of thought, layers, symbolism, and special touches added to his work that always resonates with me. Devil is no exception. From the first frames we know things will not be what we expect. As we're introduced to the principal players, we know all is not as it seems and masks quickly begin to fall when the lights go out. But what really spoke to me was the spiritual questions. What is forgiveness? Is there a spiritual realm? Is there a devil, real or imagined? Even more, is there something even worse than the devil to fear? Devil is a dark, suspenseful look into the heart of man. What you find there might surprise you.

Of course most all the adaptations of Jane Eyre have been pretty good, but often one thing is sacrificed for another. Purists want as much as the prose as possible so the result translates a bit clunkily to film. Then some films rewrite the dialogue to some degree and focus on the acting (especially over-acting) , or try to modernize it into something it was never meant to be. Somehow director Cary Fukunaga managed to compress the story without losing anything, and by allowing particular bits of prose, the sublime acting, the lighting and directing, even the silence and wind, to help tell the story, it allows the soul of Jane Eyre to come through in a way that is breathtaking and riveting to behold. This was, to me, by far the most brilliant treatment of the novel I have ever seen. Mia Wasikowska is Jane. Michael Fessbender is Rochester (and also this guy ). Dame Judi Dench was just the cherry on top. The story was set up in a different way that gave it a fresh feel witho...

Lots of great movies coming up that mix up genres...steampunk, paranormal, manga, fairy tales...which makes movies fun again. My next film to see is Sucker Punch . It looks ah-mazing . The last time I saw Emily Browning was in Lemony Snickett's Series of Unfortunate Events . And the last time I saw Jenna Malone was in Donnie Darko . So, yeah, looking forward to this one! Hunger Games has a new Katniss . And Red Riding Hood contains only one reason to see it. Worth. Every. Penny. There's a rumor Rob Pattinson may be the next Daredevil . Until then it'll have to be Water For Elephants .