The Movie Was Amazeballs: Catching Fire

Omigod, you guys. Catching Fire was amazing. 

Going into it, I was a little nervous, because Catching Fire is my favourite book in the series and I hoped the movie would be great, too.

But I loved the first movie, so more than anything I was really, really, excited.

The opening with Katniss and Gale, connecting back with the first movie, was great.

Then the Victor's Village was perfect.

President Snow was so deliciously creepy.

The tension between Peeta and Katniss was great.

Peeta my bby.

The Victor's tour was heart-wrenching.

There were some sweet and funny moments though.

And then, OMG...

Poor Gale.

Poor Katniss.

Poor Peeta.

Poor Effie.

But then there was Finnick.

And Johanna.

And Mags and Nuts and Bolts.

Katniss was totally impressive.

But Peeta stole the show.

Then there was some sweetness.

Followed by a big whammy of heartbreak.

It was Quarter Quell time.

And I was all...

And then...

Then it was like...

And...

With a bit of...

And some more...

Finally it was like...

With some of this...

Then it was like...

With a bit more...

Then at the end I was like...

 

And it was over and I was all...

And now I'm ready to watch it again.

Review: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

I decided to take Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson on my honeymoon because I loved its predecessor, Amy and Roger's Epic Detour; plus from the title and adorable cover it seemed like the perfect beach read. I was wrong. For me, a beach read needs to be easy and fun - and while this was an easy read, and fun at times, it was also quite harrowing. Crying into my cocktail was not exactly what I had planned for my honeymoon.

It's my own fault, really. I should have stopped reading as soon as I saw "three months left to live" in the first chapter. That right there is a big road sign saying, "Warning! You are in for tears." Still, I continued, reassured by the cute animals, bike rides and ice cream that the illustration on the cover promised me. For awhile, things were going well. As Taylor and her family struggle to deal with her father's declining health, they spend time at their lake house reconnecting in what are some truly heartwarming scenes. Even lighter moments are provided through Taylor's interactions with Henry, her childhood sweetheart, and Lucy, her former best friend, both of whom she's betrayed in an unnamed way, making for plenty of awkward moments. But I don't think it's spoiling anything to say this book veers into seriously sad territory. It's done well and is quite powerful, but like I said, not really what you want to read as a honeymooner lying on the beach.

Surroundings aside, I was also frustrated with the resolution of the "mystery" around what Taylor did to Lucy and Henry. Throughout the book, it's built up as this monumental betrayal, something so bad that she still feels guilty, five years later. The perceived seriousness of her actions is reinforced by the fact that nobody wants to talk to her and Henry and Lucy seem to hate her. But when the big reveal finally happens, all I could think was, "Is that it?!" I was surprised at how slight the betrayal was; the harshness of Henry and Lucy's treatment of Taylor, all these years later, certainly didn't match her crime. Which didn't exactly make me warm to either character. Henry left me feeling tepid when he should have been hot, hot, hot; while Lucy came across as a selfish biatch who wasn't worth being friends with anyway.

The characters I did love were those in Taylor's family. I wish more time had been spent with them, and less time on the romance/friendship angle. Their situation is heartbreaking, and hits close to home on what I imagine is many people's greatest fear (and certainly one of mine!). I loved the moments of bonding between Taylor and her father, especially the times they shared breakfast and discussed his life and loves. It provided a touching reminder to really get to know the people in your life, and appreciate them while you can.

Let's just say it's best to pick up Second Chance Summer when you feel like having a good cry.

Rating: 3.5/5

Eye Candy
Because of her name, I couldn't get the image Taylor Swift out of my head when it came to the main character. My mind wouldn't listen to the fact she's supposed to have straight hair. Oh, and I pictured Josh Hutcherson as Henry.

 

Action Shot

 
Fine Print
Genre: Young Adult
Published: June 2012, Simon & Schuster
Get it: Book Depository

Review: Messy by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (a.k.a. The Fug Girls)

I'm back from my honeymoon island adventure* and although it was super amazing, I'm excited to be home and have the internet again**. Oh, and see my family and friends. That too.

I'm also really excited to get back to normal life. Y'know, with NO WEDDING TO PLAN. Seriously, I'm almost happier about that than actually being married. Almost. My wedding was lovely and perfect and wonderful, but the six months leading up to it? Not so much. It's unbelievable how much time and energy and effort goes into wedding planning - you don't realise until you're in the middle of it, having a meltdown over whether the placecards should be ivory with dusty pink piping or vice versa, and by then it's too late. Of course, I wouldn't change a thing about my wedding, but I sure am glad I never have to do it again. It feels good to have my life back, coz now I can get back to the really IMPORTANT things. Like spending it on the internet. Ha! Seriously, though, in the midst of wedding madness I didn't have a lot of time for reading and blogging, and I really missed it. I'm thrilled to be able to do it, like, proper again. Starting with this post, even though it might not seem very proper because it's supposed to be a review and so far I haven't even mentioned the book. Let's get to it, shall we?

After being disappointed by Spoiled, the Fug Girls' first foray into fiction, I wasn't sure I was going to bother with its sequel, Messy. But when I was searching for a fun and fluffy read to take on my honeymoon, Messy stood out to me as the perfect choice. And it was, with just the right mix of humour and hijinks making for an easy, breezy beach read.

I don't know whether it was my lower expectations, the shift in character focus or the fact that Cocks and Morgan's fiction abilities have developed since their first book (probably all of the above), but I liked Messy a lot more than Spoiled. Instead of focusing on naive and new-to-Hollywood Molly, Messy centres around Max, a spunky, green-haired outsider who loves to mock the superficial world that surrounds her. Snarkiness is what Cocks and Morgan do best, and the wit that makes Go Fug Yourself so brilliant shines through Max. When she takes a job as a ghost-blogger for her friend Molly's spoiled, attention-seeking half-sister Brooke, you know exactly what will happen - and you know it will be hilarious. While Cocks and Morgan don't deliver anything revelatory, they sure know how to entertain.

My husband*** even read it, after he'd burned through the two books he brought along on the honeymoon for himself (one he couldn't get into, another - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - he couldn't put down), plus another of my supplies (Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey). I asked him what he thought, to which he responded, "It filled in the time." After further prompting, he said, "It was a good, light read. I didn't learn anything from it."

That pretty much sums it up, folks. Messy is fun. Just fun. Which is all it needs to be.

Rating: 3/5****

Eye Candy
As per Spoiled, plus I pictured AnnaSophia Robb as Max and Josh Hutcherson as her love interest, Brady. And OMG, I just realised when I was googling their images that they are the cast of The Bridge to Terabithia and my subconscious is weird.

P.S. Speaking of eye candy, here is Messy in Fiji:

Fine Print
Genre: Young Adult
Published: June 2012, Allen & Unwin
Get It: Fishpond

Footnotes
*If you take adventure to mean doing a whole lot of nothing. It was awesome.
**I now know what people did before Google. They just DIDN'T KNOW things. It was not awesome.

My life for the past two weeks.

***ZOMG, I have a husband. Still getting used to that.
****I also gave Spoiled 3/5, and I liked Messy more, but I think I was just being generous with the first rating, to be honest

The Movie Was Awesomesauce: The Hunger Games

Warning: This post contains a lot of fangirling and CAPS and not a lot of coherence because ALL THE EMOTIONS.
 

You guys. YOU GUYS. The Hunger Games movie is HERE! And it is AMAZING. It's everything you expect it to be. I think I love it as much as the book. Well, almost.

The cast is perfect. Jennifer Lawrence is brilliant, as expected. As soon as you see her pull back that arrow for the first time, it's like, "Oh hey there, Katniss." Liam is fine as Gale - he doesn't get a massive amount of screen time, to be honest - but Josh Hutcherson, oh my goodness, JOSH HUTCHERSON! He blew me away as Peeta. I'm not gonna lie, I had my doubts about him - mostly superficial, it's true - but he nailed it. His Peeta is full of depth, emotion, humour and charm - gah he's just so great.

The supporting cast are also fantastic. Elizabeth Banks is hilarious as Effie, Lenny Kravitz is fah-bulous as Cinna, Stanley Tucci is PERFECTION as Caesar, Wes Bentley is chilling yet surprisingly sympathetic as Seneca, Woody Harrelson IS Haymitch (and the wig isn't even distracting), Donald Sutherland is eviltastic as Snow, Willow Shields is adorably helpless as Prim and Amandla Stenberg is completely heartbreaking as Rue.

The sets are wonderful and really bring to life the world of the book, and the costumes are truly spectacular. There was clearly so much attention to detail, and the Capitol costumes in particular are standouts. As for Cinna's creations, let's just say that those who were disappointed by Katniss' fire dress in the trailer will be pleasantly surprised in the movie. The filmmakers definitely kept some secrets hidden. The one thing I didn't really like was the shaky camera movements, especially at the start, but it wasn't a major problem.

As for the story, it was remarkably faithful to the book. Some things are cut, of course, but for the most part I didn't miss anything. There were also a few changes or additions that I thought were really effective. I'll outline them below - beware, there'll be some spoilers.

Changes that worked

• I really liked the "behind the scenes" aspect of the movie, with the frequent cuts to the gamemaker's room, as well as Caesar's commentary. It definitely strengthened the realism of the world. I particularly enjoyed the fleshing out of Seneca's story, and I actually felt really sorry for him by the end. The insight into Snow's motivations was also great.
• Even though it was kinda sad - but understandable - to have no Madge, I thought the way the Mockingjay pin was exchanged between Katniss and Prim made the whole thing more meaningful than it was in the book.
• The cut away to District 11's reaction to Rue's death was powerful and gave a hint at things to come.
• Rue's death was slightly different and not quite as gruesome as in the book - it was kind of a relief not to have to see that on screen. As it is, it's still quite brutal.
• The muttations didn't have the Tribute's features (I didn't really get that in the book, TBH).

Changes that didn't work (for me)

• I wish the importance of the bakery scene was made a little clearer, as well as Katniss' feelings for Peeta. I wanted MORE KISSING in the cave scene, especially the kiss where Katniss realises she does feel something for him. I also missed Peeta's realisation at the end that Katniss was playing the game. A friend of mine who hasn't read the books was totally confused about the fact that one second Katniss is angry at him, and the next she's all affectionate. They do develop the idea that if they're a couple, people will like them, but perhaps the reasoning behind Katniss' actions wasn't as obvious if you haven't read the books.
• There were a few cuts to Gale in key parts, but I wish they'd bulked his part up a little more, and shown him looking after Katniss' family and/or being interviewed by the TV crew. Again, my friend who hasn't read the books was like, "Gale is barely a character! Why is he made to look like one of the main three?!" And I kinda agree.

Changes that had no major impact

• The Avox story was missing.
• Peeta injures his leg, but doesn't lose it.
• Jennifer Lawrence's singing voice isn't amazing, like Katniss' is supposed to be, but it's really only a superficial difference.

Rating: 4/5

Have you seen the movie yet? What did you think? 

Bookish Fun: The Hunger Games and Snow White

You've probably seen The Hunger Games trailer a million times by now. I know I have (well, at least 11 times, anyway). How freaking awesome does it look?! Here's what I love about it:

• Jennifer Mother Loving Lawrence as Katniss Mother Effing Everdeen. Amazeballs. Perfect in every way. The moment when she volunteers... that is Katniss!
• Liam Hemsworth as Gale. He doesn't have to do much other than be spunky, and he does that pretty damn well.
• PRIM! She's adorable and perfect and breaks my heart.
• RUE! She's adorable and perfect and breaks my already broken heart even more.
• Lenny Kravitz is totally the Cinna I saw in my head.
• The costumes and scenery all look amazing and definitely bring to life the world built by Suzanne Collins.
• I'm still not totally behind Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, but the emotion on his face when his name is pulled out in the Reaping is spot on.
• Stanley Awesomesauce Tucci. I kinda wanna marry him.
• The glimpse of Peeta and Katniss talking on the roof. Squee! I love that scene.
• Katniss' salute and the response from the crowd.
• The way they set up the story without revealing the whole freaking movie. And the way they built up the tension and cut off the trailer just as the Games were starting. Talk about a teaser! The moment when Katniss is being lifted up and you can hear the countdown is totally gut-wrenching - as it should be.

Here's what I didn't like about it:

• Whatever the hell is on Haymitch's head. Did they use the same wig department as The Twilight Saga?
• Call me superficial, but Josh is still not hot enough to be my idea of Peeta... but hey, he might change my mind by the end of the movie.
• It's not out till March. I can't wait that long!

In other movie news, the trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman was released last week, and while it's sadly been trumped by The Hunger Games, it still got me pretty excited. The only criticism I have is that there is no way Kristen Stewart could ever surpass Charlize Theron in "fairness". But the movie looks really good!

What did you think of The Hunger Games trailer? Are you excited for Snow White and the Huntsman?

Mag Monday: Much Excitement

I let out a little squee when I saw these shots of The Hunger Games cast on Vanity Fair's website last week. If you haven't checked it out already, the group shot is especially worth a click through - its boring beigeness is jazzed up with profiles of each star that appear as you roll your mouse over them. Fun! I'm still not convinced by Josh Hutcherson as Peeta (is it just me or is he way too blonde?!), but everyone else is pretty spot on for me.

My favourite mag cover this week was UK Elle's, with Michelle Williams looking her usual gorgeous self. I can't wait to see her in My Week With Marilyn.

I was also excited to see Chloe Moretz on the cover of Interview. The accompanying interview by Drew Barrymore (who directed her in the Best Coast video that I'm totally obsessed with) is adorable.