All posts filed under: movie adaptations

*NEW* THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART TWO REVIEW *NEW*

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Originally posted on The MAD MOVIE RANTER:
The relentless bestselling blockbuster franchise comes to a close. Did it fly high or flop like a turkey? As the war of Panem escalates to the destruction of other districts by the Capitol, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the reluctant leader of the rebellion, must bring together an army against President Snow (Donald Sutherland), while all she holds dear hangs in the balance. And now it comes to an end. A billion dollar franchise that spawned more bestselling adaptations than I could take and launched the career of one of Hollywood’s top leading actresses. Was it all worth it? After four films with one being split into two parts, did it conclude to my liking? To an extent, it did. A mixed bag would be the best phrase to sum up my thoughts. A little disappointing after all that promise and build up. Now, I will admit straight off the bat. Like I normally do. I have never read the books BUT speaking with fans, they have generally been impressed…

*NEW* INSURGENT REVIEW *NEW*

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Originally posted on The MAD MOVIE RANTER:
Dull-vergent returns. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice . . . Well, shame on me again, I guess. Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side. Well, it killed the time. But would I watch it again? Would I recommend it? Ah, no. I haven’t read the Divergent books (and I’m certainly not going to after this) BUT I actually liked the first feature film adaptation. It was racy, engaging if a little predictable. BUT as I said back then, if there was going to be a sequel, they would need to take it up a notch. It was watchable enough but if anything, Insurgent took the wind out of Divergent’s sails. It was slow, overlong and cliched as hell. It only really got going in the last twenty minutes. Not good enough. It doesn’t help that the silver screen has been flooded with endless teen bestseller adaptations…

“Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Originally posted on Vogue & Dreams:
If you read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and didn’t cry, you don’t have a soul. I have read this book four times. And each time, I sob. I’m not talking a few tears. I’m talking about big walloping sobs where your body shakes and your chest hurts from the crying. Yeah, this book is that kind of intense. Published in 2005, this dystopian science fiction about three friends who grow up together in England in the late 20th Century. Kathy, Ruth and Tommy attend an exclusive boarding school called Hailsham that has an unusual emphasis on encouraging physical fitness and artistic expression. It is gradually revealed to the reader that the students of Hailsham are actually clones being raised to donate their organs. After completing their schooling, the three friends are sent to live in communal housing with other clones before entering the final stage of their lives when they will become “carers” for other clones who are beginning the process of donating their organs, and then…