Finally! A book-turned-movie that doesn't disappoint!

As I mentioned before, a movie I was really looking forward to seeing was Warm bodies last month after spending Christmas vacation reading the book. I saw it with Josh and although they captured the main scenes in the book perfectly, it was a disappointment only because one of the main characters, the hard-ass who's dead on the inside dad was actually a normal guy. It may not seem like much but it was pivotal in the book. that among other things didn't do the incredibly dark-themed book justice. I guess I just can't see the movie if I already read the book. The next book-turned-movie that entered my life was actually perfect for me, not just because it's journalism related.

I already love Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummle on Glee so after seeing all the promos about his book turned movie and all the positive reviews he's gotten, I knew this story wouldn't disappoint, and I was right. while the Novel and Movie have a few scene differences (what novel-turned-movie doesn't?) the overall essence of the story was perfectly captured, sometimes life is a lot like lightning.

The novel is about a high school senior, Carson Phillips, and his experience during his senior year of high school. While the setting brings back memories of my final days as a Miramar Patriot, Carson makes it clear in the first few sentences how much he hates his high school peers' narrow mindedness and lack of desire to leave their small hometown. He also makes it clear that he wants to go to the prestigious journalism university, Northwestern University and become the youngest freelance writer for "The New Yorker".

The book is essentially a journal written by Carson Phillips, a sarcastic and sometimes rude high school senior who dreams of leaving his small (and small minded) hometown and become a journalist, a freelance writer for "The New Yorker", to be exact. Carson wasn't always rude and sarcastic, but he got a new demeanor when his parents divorced when he was very little, which would leave anyone bitter and resentful. Carson's ambition is fuelled by his grandmother who encouraged him to write around the time his family life was crumbling, thus his love for words was born.

It's like looking in the Observer's newsroom, except the picture has more people.

Now as a senior, Carson has the perfect application to send in for the early admissions deadline, when his high school counselor tells him that his impressive GPA and being editor-in-chief of the school paper isn't cutting it with the admissions board anymore and suggests he start a literary magazine. This task tests his perseverance because to write a literary magazine, he needed a staff to want to write, and his staff for the paper was already non-existent because none of the students were interested. after walking in at the right place and time to find two of the popular students in a compromising position, he gets the idea to blackmail every popular kid to write a submission for the magazine in time to meet the deadline for early admissions.

As the book goes on, the reader gets more insight as to why he is as cynical and dark as he is. his broken home of a life is something else I could relate to, because divorce is harder on the kids then the parents who "stay together for the kids." His booze-drinking, pill-popping mother isn't as enthusiastic for her son's future, and does something terrible to ensure that he stays where he is for college. Carson's father, who he hasn't heard a word from since the night he left, suddenly shows up, much to Carson's dismay, and finally Carson's grandmother who suffers from Alzheimer's gets progressively worse throughout the story, which takes an emotional toll on him, finally breaking down at one point questioning why everything comes so easily to people who don't deserve it, and people who work get so little in return.

His magazine is published, and although most of it goes unread, he sends a copy off to the admissions office, but what happens next takes the book a turn for the sad, and as it's shown in dates, Carson begins to write a little less and less because of the events. I won't say what happens in the end, because it would ruin two plot twists in the story. Some things are better left to be read than just told. (like when I wanted to know what happened in breaking dawn part two instead of reading it. what a spoiler..) The difference between the book and the novel is that in the book, the novel is being narrated by Carson, himself. In the movie, his mother finds his journal and starts reading it. how did she just find his journal? Let's just say, this book isn't called "Struck by lighting" for nothing.

For a good laugh, I highly recommend this book because Carson's cynicism is pretty hilarious. It's also a good book to help encourage to always look to the future, even if it's uncertain, it's better than being in the present looking at the past. as an avid reader and journalism lover, Carson is like a kindred spirit, and in the end, his ambitiousness had a greater impact on his peers than he would've imagined.

This isn't just another book that takes place in high school, the themes of the story go much deeper than that, which is why I highly recommend everyone to read the dark and funny work. In the book, the reader can actually read the literary magazine, and it's actually a good look inside what the kids who were being blackmailed into writing were feeling about their senior year, life and love. The movie was even funnier with Sarah Hyland and Rebel Wilson, who is hosting the MTV movie awards this year. Chris Colfer really was awesome writing this and directing the indie film, wish I could say there was a sequel to this, but oh well. see the trailer for yourself!

Who's to blame for Movie 43?

When I head "Na-na-na" by My Chemical Romance promoting Movie 43, I thought the movie was going to be great, because great bands always associate themselves with great movies, right?

wrong.

My friends and I were so psyched to see this, but after the first few minutes--yes all it took was a few minutes--we were all trying to pin the blame on who chose this for our seldom movie night. we had no one to blame but ourselves as we watched Kate Winslet go on a blind date with a guy (Hugh Jackman) who had balls on his chin. You read that right. BALLS. ON. HIS.CHIN. Think of a real Peter Griffin, but thinner, smarter and more handsome.

The movie is about a man (Dennis Quaid--who is later made clear that he is insane,) pitching a list of movie ideas to a Hollywood executive played by Greg Kinnear, and each pitch is a sketch, and each sketch is more offensive and crude then the last, which makes for the entirety of the movie, although in between the sketches when the scene involves Quaid and Kinnear, they're not bad at all. the sketch-breaks has a better storyline than the movie.

 Although the movie itself is 85 minutes, it only takes three minutes to realize what a big FUCK YOU the audience was in for from Hollywood. I saw the movie three weeks ago and I've been too traumatized (and busy with school) to write about it until now.

This movie had an all star cast, from Dennis Quaid to Emma Stone and Halle Berry to the guy who played McLovin in superbad. (Name not needed, for he is McLovin.) so how did this cast of funny and great actors get sucked into this hot mess of a movie? It's been reported by The Huffington Post that the director Peter Farrelly harassed much of the cast to do their part for up to four years before it was finally released, even saying that the Balls-on-his-chin sketch was actually filmed four years ago. It's also been said that the reason it took so long to make was because many actors said no (with good reason,) and they had busy schedules. The movie itself is like one long sketch show, and each of the sketches are independently directed by someone else, and Farrlelly just pieces it all together to create a cluster-fuck of movie mayhem.

I won't lie though, I was laughing during some skits like one that's now being called "homeschooling" and "super hero speed dating." The rest was just pointless filler with crude jokes, explicit language to emphasize on the crude jokes and it's not really my type of humor.

The movie also had an actual Tampax commercial, to which my close friend Manny states that it's an actually good idea for a national commercial. The commercial is part of the continuing line of sketches. It shows to women swimming in the ocean and one of them gets eaten by a shark. The commercial ends saying how Tampax is now Leak-Proof.

Kevin's mom playing bitchy teacher

The "Homeschooling" skit is about some new neighbors having coffee at their neighbor's house (played by Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts,) one night when they get into the discussion of how they prefer to home school their teenage son Kevin, played by Jeremy Allen White. The new neighbors say that high school is supposed to be filled with awkward times and experiences to grow from, and the skit shows all the funny and fucked up ways Kevin's parents make their home a high school environment. From his mom being his bitchy teacher, the bitchy popular girl, Kevin's first kiss and attempt to be his first first. Now that's traumatizing. His dad isn't any better, being his asshole PE coach and asshole bully. They throw high school parties and Kevin can't come in because he's not popular enough, even though it's his house. Towards the end of the skit, The new neighbors are very disturbed by their behavior but that's when Kevin walks into the room. He's polite and seems like a normal teenager, telling his parents he's going out with his girlfriend, who was waiting for him outside. When his parents say they'd love to say 'hi' to her, he goes into the broom closet and pulls out a doll made up from a mop with his mom's picture on it. They all exchange pleasantries  who says low brow comedy isn't occasionally funny?

superhero parodies are almost always funny. Almost.

The super hero speed dating with Kristen Bell as super girl who goes on a date with robin (played by Justin Long) and Batman (Jason Sudeikis) pretty much tries to speed things along even after running into his ex, Wonder Woman (Leslie Bibb), because he's trying to catch Penguin (John Hodgman) who turns out to be the Riddler in disguise. This was funny to me because I love superhero stuff, and Kristen Bell can play anyone she wants in Hollywood, but she will always be Veronica Mars to me.

When it was released in the UK, instead of the movie being a series of movie pitches, it follows three teenagers in search of the most banned movie ever made and to find it, they use rule 43 of the internet, which is that you can find anything on the internet if you're willing to look for it long enough. That plot sounds so much better than the movie pitch idea. If that's the 43rd rule, what happened to the other 42? Thanks to said internet, I found them, and in the process, have lost hope for the next generation and humanity.

Although the movie bombed for the most part, I have to give it to the director, he got the actors he wanted, even if they were unwilling to do so, and look extremely uncomfortable in the process, they still did it, and movie goers like me will think twice before watching anything that's directed by PETER FARRELLY.
I recommend to see this movie with friends who like really bad movies, because Movie 43 is already being called one of the worst films ever made.