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Prometheus is gonna be awesome.

YOU GUYS.

I’m so into the movie Prometheus right now and it’s not even out yet! I know I’ve already posted the trailer, but HERE IS ANOTHER ONE:

Pretty cool, right? Well, what’s even more interesting is that the makers of Prometheus are realeasing a series of videos intoducing characters and concepts from the upcoming film. Is this supposed to make people more excited about the film? Because if so it’s working on me. Here are two of them below:

What really fascinates me about these two clips is the presence of recognizable, modern day brands and companies in this fictional, futristic world. Yeah, okay, so it’s a big marketing campaign or whatever. While that’s certainly true, I also think that seeing a TED talk and a robot powered by Verizon in this film makes it seem  so plausible. Will we one day live in a world where robots are indistinguishable from people and the human race views itself as possessing god-like powers? Maybe!

The Hunger Games

[Note: I wrote this entry on Friday, March 23… and forgot to post it.]

Last night I did something I don’t usually do - I stayed out late on a work night. I disregarded my usual bedtime of 10:00 PM (don’t hate) to go see the midnight showing of The Hunger Games at the Prytania Theater. The pouring rain and large amounts of high school girls in attendance could have been a recipe for disaster, but even though I got soaked and had to listen to unrestrained giggling every time there was an on-screen kiss, I found the experience rather enjoyable. 

Now, running on three hours of sleep, I will attempt to share my thoughts on the film. 

As usual when I go see a film that is based on a novel I have read, I experience some apprehension as I enter the theater. Will the film live up to the book? I always want a film adaptation to deviate from the book just enough to make the film interesting, but not enough to make the story unrecognizable. I assume it’s very difficult to translate a story based on words into images, so I try not to be too harsh (but I usually am). Perhaps the best page to screen adaptation I’ve seen is the Lord of the Rings trilogy- though the filmmakers left out certain parts of the books and added new ones, none of the story, themes, or whimsical feel was lost in translation and the films are a perfect complement to the novels. 

The Hunger Games film was really close to achieving this type of flawless transition. The movie was blissfully similar to the books - many actions and events were exactly as I remember. The film had to leave things out (it is a lengthy book) and there were some additions, but nothing fan-angering or plot-altering. Since the book is narrated by the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, the readers of the book were presented with a very personal but limited perspective. The film, however, was not constrained by one person’s point of view, so we got to see some new things. For instance, in the book we only witness what is happening in the arena because that is where Katniss is, but the film was able to show us what is happening on the outside as well. We get to witness the commentary of the sporting event that is the Hunger Games as well as how what happens in the arena affects those watching at home. I rather enjoyed the commentary, but the scenes involving the Gamemakers were kinda silly and the film could have done without them (though I get they were trying to show the audience that Games are very controlled). I could go on about the differences, but instead you should read this -an excellent comparison on what changed from book to film and whether or not it was effective. Overall, The Hunger Games was a beautiful* and accurate visual representation of the book, yet there was something missing. I think, in fact, that it may be the personal connection we have with Katniss in the books. I didn’t feel nearly as emotionally connected to the characters in the film as I did in the book which left me feeling less satisfied that I wanted. 

That’s not to say that I thought the acting was lacking. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing how great Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence portrayed Katniss, but I thought her portrayal of Katniss was pretty great. In fact, she was very close to the Katniss I imagined. Stanley Tucci’s Caesar Flickerman was hilarious and thoroughly entertaining. And I don’t care that he’s a few years my junior, Josh Hutcherson is just so cute and he played Peeta like a boss (am I allowed to make a joke about him being as delicious as the bread he was named after?) Oh, almost forgot, Elizabeth Banks was an exquisite Effie Trinket. I mean, have you ever seen her like this!?

A few complaints: Donald Southerland didn’t scare me as President Snow. This is supposed to be the slimiest, most evil man in Panem and my reaction to this character in the film was barely memorable. Hopefully he will shine as the ultimate creeper in the sequel. That’s my only character complaint, actually!

Finally, I must mentioned how pleasantly surprised I was by The Hunger Games soundtrack. Holy shizzle, you guys, look at this lineup: The Decemberists, Maroon 5, Glen Hansard, Neko Case and the Arcade freaking Fire lended original songs to this film. I had no clue this was gonna happen until after I entered the theater and boy was I excited. Check out two of the songs below and may the odds be ever in your favor (I had to!)

*Except for the scene when Katniss and Peeta enter the opening ceremony of the Hunger Games on chariots clad in fiery tunics. I was looking forward to that scene, but the visual effect looked so stupid and fake. 

The Great Gatsby

I’m excited. 

The cast and director aside, I really loved the novel and I can’t wait to see how Baz Luhrmann’s version translates to the screen. Plus, I’m obsessed with the 1920s.

But, really, who isn’t?

I read The Great Gatsby in high school and a lot of my peers had mixed feelings about it. Have you read it? What do you think?

Prometheus

Look at this trailer. 

It’s directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner). It stars Noomi Rapace (the Swedish Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, Inglourious Basterds) and Charlize Theron (Monster, The Road). And it’s a thriller that takes place in space. I don’t know if “Space Thriller” is a genre, but if it is it’s one of my favorites. Put it in space and I wanna watch it. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Sunshine, The Season of Passage, Trigun and Cowboy Beebop are some great examples of this weird genre.

So, yeah, I’m excited!