The Hunger Games

Until last week, I did not know why people were talking so much about The Hunger Games--now I know.  This happened with the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series, just to name a few. And for some reason, I wanted to join the crowd this time. I was never curious about Edward and Jacob; I still am not. But I was curious about Katniss, Gale and Peeta. Who is this Peeta that everyone is talking about? Honestly, I just wanted to understand all the Peeta memes.  There were SO many out there!

I read it in about 5 different sittings. I usually cannot read a lot in one sitting, but this book was hard to stop in the middle. The story was easy to follow but there was enough action and drama that kept me interested. The fact that it was told in present tense (except for some parts where Katniss reflected on the past) made the reading go fast as well.  Although there were times when I wished for more detail, this story was a good read as is probably because it captured how quickly the events were happening in the Hunger Games.

The setting is very interesting, and I found Katniss likable. An honest narrator and a confident character. She doesn't complain about participating in the game or her helpless situation. If I could, I would've sponsored her.

I purposefully waited until I finished the book to watch the movie. I'm glad I did. It is almost impossible for movies to capture all details presented in the book unless they are hours and hours long. "The Hunger Games (2012)" was not an exception. The movie couldn't develop the characters as much as the book did. For me, the movie was just a good visual after reading the book.  (Also, on a different but related note, I did not find Peeta or Gale in the movie as attractive as people have told me. Maybe I was too focused on the story and amazed by how brave Katniss can be?)

There are 2 more books to read in the series.  As soon as I was done with the first book, I got on the public library website to find the second book, Catching Fire. 87 people before me who are waiting for their turn to read the book. What a demand. I'll have to find a different way to read Catching Fire to avoid waiting months before getting to it. I'm looking forward to the next reading!

Like Crazy (2011)

I can't remember how exactly I found this movie, but saw it for the first time during this Spring break. I fell in love with it instantly! 

I've never been in a long distance relationship like Anna and Jacob have in the movie. But I do understand their love for each other. Most movies need dialogue in order for the audience to understand the story line. But in "Like Crazy," the conversations don't necessarily need to be said because the movie is more about emotions and feelings rather than understanding of the exposition-complication-climax-resolution sequence. There are many parts in the movie when Anna and Jacob don't talk but still have a form of conversation through their feelings by looking at each other or holding each other. These feelings and emotions almost can't be shared through words.

Also, this movie got me thinking about change over time. Things don't stay the same--especially human relationships, love. As time passes, as two people interact more and experience things together, things change. We call that "building a relationship."  Day after another, people interact with each other and build more to their existing relationship, which changes over time.  "Like Crazy" shows how that change might occur, what it might look like, and what it brings to people after a period of time. It tells an honest story of two people and their relationship over time, and that nothing stays forever.

"I thought I understood it, that I could grasp it, but I didn't, not really. Only the smudgeness of it; the pink-slippered, all-containered, semi-precious eagerness of it. I didn't realize it would sometimes be more than whole, that the wholeness was a rather luxurious idea. Because it's the halves that halve you in half. I didn't know, don't know, about the in-between bits; the gory bits of you, and the gory bits of me."

Midnight in Paris (2011)

This movie had me at the 3 minute intro.

I usually decide if I'm going to like a movie or not when I watch the trailers. When I watched the trailers for "Midnight for Paris," I decided that I'm going to like this movie (Well, mainly because it was set in Paris, a place I have always been wanting to visit since I was young). And I was right--from the very beginning.

What a great introduction!  I loved the combination of the scenes of Paris and the sound of soprano sax. (I've already done the research, and found out that the intro song is "Si tu vois ma mère" by Sidney Bechet. A new song to listen to on my way to work tomorrow morning!)

Traveling to the 20s in the movie reminded me of the "Paris in the 1920s" unit from my 11th grade English class. The writers, artists, and thinkers we studied and read about in that unit were all alive in the movie.  It was a very nice surprise! Cole Porter, Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald.. I wished I was in the movie.  Though, actually, the movie was so well done that experiencing interactions with these great artists in a movie was almost enough.

"Midnight in Paris" is definitely a keeper and I would recommend it to everyone!

The Shawshank Redemption

Finally watched it!  As known in the film history, it was a great movie. I'd say it is one of the best movies I've seen.

In an Education class in college, we watched the scene where Red discusses what it is like to be institutionalized.  After that, I saw short clips of the movie whenever it was on tv or internet.  I'm glad I finally sat down to watch this gem.

I will definitely remember many scenes of this movie, but if I should ever need to choose one, I would pick the scene with the song "Letter Duet"from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro:

"I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't wanna know. Some things are best left unsaid.... I tell you those voices soared, higher and farther than anybody in a grey place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made these walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free."

Moon River

Moon river, wider than a mile,

I'm crossing you in style some day.

Oh dream maker, you heart breaker,

Wherever you're going, I'm going your way.

Two drifters off to see the world.

There's such a lot of world to see.

We're after the same rainbow's end--

Waiting 'round the bend.

My huckleberry friend,

Moon river and me...

Breakfast at Tiffany's

You know what's wrong with you, Miss Whoever-you-are? You're chicken, you've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, "Okay, life's a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other, because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness." You call yourself a free spirit, a "wild thing," and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. Well baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it's not bounded in the west by Tulip, Texas, or in the east by Somali-land. It's wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself. 

Roman Holiday

"Pick the day. Enjoy it--to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come.... The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present--and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future."
- Audrey Hepburn

Have I ever done something out of ordinary without worrying about the consequences? The answer to that is a definite NO.

I wish I did, just like Princess Ann and Mr. Bradley in "Roman Holiday" (1953).

I'm going to at some point--It's a promise to myself.  A step closer to living an improvised life!

And the Oscar goes to...

A little change in the mood of my posts...

I am very satisfied with who received the Oscars tonight.  Mainly and most importantly, Colin Firth! I've been waiting for him to get one since I've been a fan of his movies and acting.  I'm a bit embarrassed to say, but I have not seen "The King's Speech" yet--Lock it up, Heej.  I'm watching it soon!

(On a side note, when is Leo DiCaprio going to get one? It should've come with either "The Blood Diamond" or "The Departed"...)

Back to Colin Firth and "The King's Speech."  I just watched "A Single Man" just because I knew it was his movie, and it was absolutely fabulous.  I cannot wait to reaffirm how amazing Colin Firth is.

(p.s.) Another good news... the microphones DO get smaller in the future  :)