Movie: Captain America - Civil War

Last night, I went out with some friends and my sister to see the latest Avengers movie. I'm not a huge movie-goer... not even a big movie fan LOL, but now that curling is over, I need some activities to keep me busy. Plus, I've been wanting to catch up with friends :)

Anyway, I thought Captain America - Civil War would be the perfect topic for today's post :)


For those interested, here is the synopsis:

Political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability when the actions of the Avengers lead to collateral damage. The new status quo deeply divides members of the team. Captain America (Chris Evans) believes superheroes should remain free to defend humanity without government interference. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) sharply disagrees and supports oversight. As the debate escalates into an all-out feud, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) must pick a side.

I'm not a die-hard fan of the Avengers. I've enjoyed the movies I've seen, but I've also missed quite a few such as the two first Captain America movies, the last Iron Man and Thor, Ant Man, etc. ^_^;  So for Captain America - Civil War, I pretty much went into it blind. I don't think I even saw the trailer LOL.

In my opinion, fans of the Marvel franchise will be satisfied. Captain America - Civil War was an enjoyable movie. Supposedly, it's a Captain America movie which is why he's the prominent character, but... this was really an Avengers movie. There were so many superheroes in this one and with big roles too, not simply cameo appearances, and that worked for me. I thought the dilemma was interesting. Perhaps not the way it was handled by everyone, but it definitively added depth to the movie. It was more than simply going after a villain and saving the planet. Then again, the scriptwriters have done an awesome job at adding twists and turns, coming up with good plots and staying away from stereotypes.

I thought it was interesting the positions that Captain America and Iron Man took, choice/freedom and UN respectively. Perhaps it stems from their background... Captain America used to be part of the military and look how it turned out for him. He knows first-hands that higher-ups have agendas and people are not always the priority. As for Iron Man, he grew up wild - did what he wanted, when he wanted, etc. So for once, he's looking for supervision. Of course, neither position is absolutely right or wrong... Wished they could have come to a consensus - perhaps if they had more time? I also felt Captain America was quite rash and a bit condescending, but I don't really know the character well enough to judge.

Between, there was a ton of action in the movie! And good action to boot! I watched it in 3D and at times, I thought it was quite dizzying ^_^; It was great fun to see the superheroes fighting each other - as they know their weaknesses... One of my complaints though is that great, the superheroes want to reduce the deaths their fights cause - awesome! They're being made more aware, yay! But what about material collateral damage? Also, there was one scene where the Winter Soldier and Captain America fought against a SWAT team and cops... You might not kill them, but the injuries you're causing? Those are going to be life-changing and not in a positive way. Just saying...

My last comment will be that the movie had a more serious tone than most Avengers movie. Yes, there were moments where I smiled/laughed out loud... but not that many. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but humor is something I expect in these movies.

Okay, I lied. Here's my last comment - I appreciate that they kept the baiting at a minimum. They introduced some new characters that apparently will have movies... but they weren't pushy or heavy-handed and that was nice.

Want to know a funny thing? The whole movie, I kept expecting to see the actress Olivia Munn... I thought I saw her in the trailer, so I kept waiting and waiting... Turns out she's in X-Men. Oups ^_^; In my defense, costumed people with powers!

Movie: Percy Jackson & The Olympians - The Lightning Thief

Ouf. I was planning to write and put up this post yesterday, but work was busy and I was stupid. See, yesterday, I worked on the computer all day and didn't take much breaks... So at the end of the day, my eyes were very small (smaller than usual) and it's as if they were bleeding and plus, I had a headache. Ugh. See, stupid. I went home, ate supper, read a little, watch curling (it's the Tim Hortons' Brier :P) and fell asleep. Just couldn't sit at the computer...

However, I'm going to be way smarter this morning :) First, I'm going to start by writing up this post LOL. Then, I'm going to blog-hop :P Anyway, that's the plan...


Percy Jackson & The Olympians - The Lightning Thief

I rarely review movies, but since I did a whole "Percy Jackson & The Olympians" week and posted my thoughts on the cast and so on, I thought this was the last touch, right? :) And since the Vancouver Games were over, I finally had time to go see the movie with my sister :)

I tried to go see the movie with an open mind. I mean, the movie critics for The Lightning Thief weren't very good, I've read Isabel's post on the movie, talked to Christine... even my co-worker warned me. Seriously, I thought I was prepared... but in truth, nothing could have prepared me!

I'm a true believer that if you're going to adapt a book/story into a tv series or a movie, then it should be faithful. Otherwise, why don't you write an original screenplay?!?! Of course, I wasn't expecting them to adapt every details and I knew it wasn't going to be a faithful adaptation, but still... It really didn't stop me from being disappointed.

The biggest problem I have with this movie is I thought my co-worker was right, the director - Chris Columbus - really didn't put any efforts into this movie. I could feel it from all the aspects of the movie - story, acting, special effects, etc. I can accept some stuff being changed because it's hard to adapt it to the big screen - I may not like it, but I understand... but this is not what happened with The Lightning Thief. These weren't small changes he made for big screen adaptation. He changed the whole "essence" of the storyline... and for what?!? I guess I should be blaming the scriptwriter more, but then, the director has last word right?

The movie left out lots of important stuff such as the prophecy and Kronos which are pretty essential for setting up the next movies... Even Talia's tree. I mean, I didn't see it or at least, it didn't really stand out. So what are they going to try to save in The Sea of Monsters? Anyway, that's another story right? You cannot put every details into the movie, even if they are extremely important. Fine. DO YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE CHARACTERS AS WELL?!?!? Grover's personality was just wrong, wrong, wrong. No offense, but in the book, Grover is a coward. Sure, it's more fun to see a self-confident Grover, but that's not who he is! He's also not a womanizer! And Hades! He didn't want war! Even Chiron at the end... "You're now my favorite student, because you disobeyed blablabla." WHAT? In the book, Chiron sent the three youngsters on the quest! Like I said, it's one thing to change details, but whole character's personalities? Instead of adding some stupid, "emotional" scenes that were made-up, they could have focused on adapting the book. How hard is it to reproduce the Half-Blood Camp when the author even drew a map?

Okay, I'm going to stop here, because my rant could go on and on and on. I'm just going to add this: they even got Luke and Hermes' cabin wrong. And that stupid "Zeus made a rule that gods could not be in contact with their kids"... Seriously? Well no wonder they had to take out Dionysus, cos hey, being camp director, he'd spend all his time with his own kids. Okay, I digress. So yeah, I had a lot of problems with the story itself... And the storyline really set the tone in my opinion. The transitions between one event and another wasn't great, which made the acting all awkward. There were some scenes were the actors seem so stiff... of course, some of their lines were extremely corny/cheesy, so not really easy to make it believable. I can't say I liked Percy, Annabeth or Grover... the whole attraction between Percy and Annabeth, it took away from the movie I think. Also, I thought Annabeth was a bit too ferocious. The final battle between Percy and Luke? Look very fake.

So yes, I'm very unhappy with The Lightning Thief and seriously, I cannot find many redeeming factors to it. At least to me. If I'd watch the movie simply for the movie, perhaps it would have been better. I would still have find the acting a bit stiff in some places, the transitions not very smooth... but perhaps I could have still enjoyed the movie for what it is, a movie. Unfortunately, I couldn't.  Watching The Lightning Thief just got me worked up... luckily, my sister was a very patient person and didn't hit me unconscious. I seriously recommend to everyone to read the books :)

By the way, the scene between Poseidon and Percy? OMG, so cheesy and corny. It sure didn't happen this way in the book and worst of all, is that Percy said something along the line of "If he'd apologize or say something as equally cheesy, it would have felt fake..." I don't have the book with me now, but I'll put the proper quote tonight. It just goes to show how wrong this adaptation is.

EDIT: Oups! I'm a few days late... I completely forgot to put up the quote, been riveted on curling :P No seriously, it just slipped out my mind and since my copy of The Lightning Thief was in my sis' room, it slipped out even further... But here is the quote:

I got the feeling Poseidon really didn't know what to think of me. He didn't know whether he was happy to have me as a son or not. In a strange way, I was glad that Poseidon was so distant. If he'd tried to apologize, or told me he loved me, or even smiled, it would've felt fake. Like a human dad making some lame excuse for not being around. I could live with that. After all, I wasn't sure about him yet, either.

Mind you, I'm not against cheesy scenes... but that last scene between Poseidon and Percy was exactly what Percy said would feel fake in this quote. And it felt fake to me too... However, the most important is that that it shows how clearly the scriptwriter and director just didn't get it...

Review: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Wooohooo!! We've reached the last day of my Percy Jackson and the Olympians week!! I made it LOL. I've reviewed 5 books in 5 days LOL.

So let's jump into it right away :D

***SPOILERS ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN RISKS!!***


The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
published by Hyperion Books in May 2009

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #5

The Story: The time has finally come, Percy is on the verge of turning 16 and the prophecy is about the become true. The last year has been difficult for all the half-bloods as they prepared for battle.

After losing a comrade in a raid the half-bloods organized, Percy realizes many things. First, there is a traitor among the half-bloods. Second, they have no chance to win as they are. If they want to survive, someone must be able to face off with Kronos who has taken over Luke's body, thus Percy has to get stronger. To do so, he has to follow Nico's insane plan: to bath in the Styx river.

Percy does so and returns to New York just in time, as the battle begins. Unfortunately, the half-bloods' odds still don't look good. Poseidon is busy fighting Oceanus, almost all the Greek gods have gone to fight Typhon, trying to stop his advance to New York. Many Titans have come out of their hiding places and lesser gods have also chosen to join with Kronos. All are making their way to New York, their goal being to reach Mount Olympus... and only the half-bloods (minus Ares cabin) are standing in their way.

My Opinion: The last book of a series is always read with apprehension, because at this point, everyone has expectations. It can either end the series on excellent not, save the series or ruin it ^_^; Well I'm glad to say that The Last Olympian belongs to the first category. It was simply a great book and definitively doesn't disappointed.

The most important I think was the plot. All 4 books have led to this moments and Mr Riordan doesn't screw up. Everything comes together in an excellent plot, all the loose ends are tied up, readers get their answers and are even surprised by some of the events. The action continues to be at the forefront, a definite important element of this series, but it doesn't overshadow the storylines. Instead, it reels the readers and the plot finishes the job by hooking them up LOL. Basically, you have everything in this book: betrayal, love, sacrifice and friendship. What makes it more realistic and better is that there are some losses, which is unfortunate... but necessary, I think.

Mr Riordan also does a great job, giving every characters some "screen" time. I was very happy to see everyone and even some new ones :P Seriously, this is a very hard thing to do when you have so many characters with such a complex storyline. In addition, the book was filled with surprises and twists. The most surprising one is about Luke. Very well written and thought out.

Perhaps the book was a bit more serious, with so many battles to fight. Still, Mr Riordan was able to add in some humorous scenes :) So, there's a great balance in this book. Basically, whatever worked in previous books worked in this one and it seemed to me Mr Riordan surpassed himself :)

The only thing one would complained is the characters' development. Personally, I was happy with it. The development of the characters is not as pronounced, but still continues in this final volume. It seems to me, all the half-bloods have grown up and matured. This battle has obviously weighted heavily on their shoulders and you can feel it. Percy's feelings and relationships finally get sort out. I was satisfied with it :)

My Grade: A-. Again, this was a book I just couldn't read fast enough, wanting to know what would happen. The best about it is that the ending was very satisfying :) Of course, there's a new prophecy indicating that perhaps, Mr Riordan would write a sequel or another series and that's simply good news :)

***

There it is, the movie trailer :) If you go on Youtube, you'll find a lot of clips and other trailers as well. It's worth a look :) I'm hoping to see the movie eventually (I'll have to juggle with the Olympics schedule LOL).

It's hard to say based on the trailer only... The execution looks great, I'm just worried for the adaptation. By the way, there are plans for a second movie to come out in 2012. So hopefully, they don't screw up too much ^_^;

Stay tuned tomorrow :) I'll have a short post about my overall thoughts on the series and a contest :D

Review: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Ugh, I so need to stop playing Bejeweled Blitz ^_^; It's really taking a lot of my time, which I could be spending reading instead :(

My reading has been slow this week, but I've just finished a great book: Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep! Actually, this month has been great so far, quality-wise :) As a result, I have so many reviews to write ^_^; Hopefully, my reviewing muse will not desert me!

But first, let's continue the Percy Jackson and the Olympians week! :P By the way, I'd like to apologize... my reviews for this series are a bit superficial... Like I only graze the surface and don't go too much into details. Part of it is because it's a series, so I end up saying the same over and over again ^_^; But also, it's been a month already since I've read them and I'm starting to forget the details... But I guess the most important is whether I enjoyed them or not, right? :)

***SPOILERS ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN RISKS!!***


The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
published by Hyperion Books in May 2008

Percy Jackosn isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.

In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invite its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigods friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #4

The Story: It's now the summer and after the open house day at his new school gone bad, Percy is heading to the Camp Half-Blood. With Percy getting older and soon reaching 16 years old, Nico's disappearance and anger against Percy and Luke and Lord Kronos becoming more prominent threats, the tension at the camp is rising.

Then, during a training exercise, Annabeth and Percy inadvertently found an entrance to the Labyrinth. The half-bloods are aware that Luke is looking for the plans to the Labyrinth, which would allow him and Lord Kronos's army to invade the camp through an underground route, bypassing the protective boundaries... The only way to stop Luke is to find the plans first and so it's Annabeth's turn to lead a quest. Along with Percy, Grover and Tyson, she enters the Labyrinth. What awaits them?...

My Opinion: I really, really enjoyed The Battle of the Labyrinth :) Mainly because the action was non-stopped and of all the twists and surprises. I was simply engrossed by this book and couldn't turn the pages fast enough :)

What I really like about this series is that it is not too predictable and it's not filled with clichés. Add in the greek mythology and it's really refreshing and original :) Plus, Mr Riordan has a good sense of humor and so, there are many laughs while reading it.

Back to The Battle of the Labyrinth, so it has a very strong plot in my opinion. Some might find it too much, but to me, it was great :) I was happy to see Tyson again. It was so funny to learn that Tyson and Grover are scared of each other LMAO. There were many storylines, one of the most interesting one being Nico's. I was happy to see him again and glad that he had some closure.

Again, we see the characters grow and I'm always amazed at how Mr Riordan is able to incorporate these elements in the storyline seamlessly. Now, Percy and Annabeth are almost 15 years old... Deeper feelings are developing between the two... but add in a third party and the relationship and interactions between Annabeth and Percy definitively shift. LOL, Percy is really a guy, not being able to deal with it :P

The only thing that I didn't enjoy much was Annabeth's wishy-washy attitude towards Luke. I understand that he was her friend and someone very important when she was younger... and so, it's harder to turn her back on him and consider him "evil." But the fact that he is the enemy is undeniable and thus, I think that Annabeth should get her act together and treat him so. Her hesitation could have led to tragedies... but then, when you're 14.5 years old, it's not evident I guess.

LOL, something I kept wondering while reading the series was why the half-bloods weren't studying greek mythology more? I mean, wouldn't it be helpful to deal with monsters and people they meet? :) Instead of trying to remember, they would know! :)

My Grade: B+. Anyway, all in all, a great book with a good storyline. The Battle of the Labyrinth is very enjoyable and not just a connecting book or something written to advance the series storyline.

***

I was debating whether to post the movie trailer today or not, but I think I'll wait till tomorrow with the final post :) However, I'll be discussing them.

I've pretty much been through all the trailers available online. My sister has not read the books, so she's been quite curious about them. So I've seen a lot of scenes and characters and so on... and here is a list of things I've been unhappy with so far ^_^;

- Persephone's presence in the movie and the fact that she doesn't seem very much in love with Hades.
- They've eliminated Clarisse character or at least, I don't see her at all in IMDB. I mean, I've read somewhere that they've casted Silena Beauregard... That's just weird/wrong.
- Annabeth's invisibility cap seems to be missing.
- Percy looks way, way, way too powerful. I don't think he was able to manipulate water so well till the last book!
- Hades actually got his hands on the lightning bolt. By the way, I bet his Helm of Darkness is not missing.
- Percy vs Luke's showdown - on top of buildings and all. Ugh.
- What they did with Medusa's head.
- Percy's shield :(
- No mention of Kronos at all!

Okay, I guess the list could go on and on and on ^_^; Am I being too picky? It's just, I like my movies to be faithful to the books if they are adaptations. I can understand changes to the story if it's too hard to adapt... but to eliminate important characters and make things more dramatic just for the movie to be more of a hit. Nah... especially since The Lightning Thief is part of a series. I mean, are they planning to adapt the other books as well? In that case, they're going to have lots of difficulty...

What do you think?

Review: The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

And we continue with the third book :D

***SPOILERS ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN RISKS!!***

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
published by Hyperion Books in October 2007

When Percy Jackson receives an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he'll need his powerful demigod allies at his side; his trusty bronze sword, Riptide; and... a ride from his mom.

The demigods race to the rescue to find that Grover has made an important discovery: two new powerful half-bloods, whose parentage is unknown. But that's not all that awaits them. The Titan lord, Kronos, has set up a devious trap, and the young heroes have just fallen prey.

Hilarious and action-packed, this third adventure in the series finds Percy faced with his most dangerous challenge yet - the chilling prophecy of the Titan's curse.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #3

The Story: It's the winter vacation and Percy, Annabeth and Thalia are heading to Westover Hall to rescue Grover who is danger along with the two half-bloods he found, Bianca and Nico. They almost lose to the monster, but luckily for them, Artemis and her Hunters show up and save the day. Unfortunately, it is too late for Annabeth who has fallen down the cliff.

Later on, Percy, Thalia, Bianca and the leader of Artemis's Hunters, Zoe, set out on a quest to rescue Artemis who's left to find the monster that will destroy Mount Olympus. Percy believes that Annabeth is still alive and thus, if they find Artemis, they will also find Annabeth. However, what the group of youngsters don't realize yet is that they are walking into a trap carefully laid down by Kronos and Luke... but one they have no choice to fall into if they want to save Annabeth and Artemis.

Genre: I'm going to skip any comments on the writing, because it's still up par with the two previous books. During the whole series, the writing was consistent, easy to read and enjoyable. It fit the mood of the series and so, I prefer to focus on the storylines and the characters.

Overall, The Titan's Curse was more interesting and enjoyable than The Sea of Monsters, but I feel something was missing. On one hand, I was happy Annabeth did not play such a big role in this book. I was able to focus even more on Percy and how he deals with other girls, ones that don't always go along with his choices and decisions. At the same time, I think Annabeth and Percy's relationship is vital to the series, because it keeps evolving from book to book. Thus, not seeing many interactions between Annabeth and Percy, it made the book off a little bit.

Again, the book is full of action and it's very enjoyable. I think that the pacing was better, even though there was a little lull - when the kids found themselves at the camp. However, it was very short, so it was okay :)

I really enjoyed the introductions of the new characters such as Artemis and Apollo. Boy, are they different from the portrayals in the Dark-Hunters series by Sherrilyn Kenyon, LOL :) Thalia was another cool character and it's true that she is a female version of Percy. I wonder if they are so similar because they are both the children of one of the 3 big gods. Hmmm. I like how Mr Riordan writes Percy's internal struggles. They are all very subtly incorporated in the storyline and as a result, readers get to witness Percy's maturation. In The Titan's Curse, we see how Percy is used to lead, but with the presence of Thalia and Zoe, people tend to look at them for answers and plans instead of Percy and so, he has to deal with that. It's all very subtle, but at the same time, very realistic :D

What really makes this series work in my opinion is Mr Riordan's clever incorporation of the greek mythology. It's very interesting and fun. I know a bit about it, so I keep going ahhh and ohhh LOL. I also get to learn a lot of new things and that keeps my attention engaged :)

One thing I didn't like in this book was Bianca's character. She did not play such a big role, but her joining the Hunters annoyed me. I thought it was very selfish of her and I couldn't help but feel bad for Nico :( Especially at the end.

Finally, my favorite part of the book would be Bessie LOL. The fearful creature turned out to be innocent and cute :P Really clever of Mr Riordan. I loved seeing new gods and goddesses and how everyone interacts with each other. That was quite fun.

My Grade: B. Not the best book, but not the worst either :) Again, very enjoyable and fun.

***

Medusa = Uma Thurman, Chiron = Pierce Brosnan

I think Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan as Medusa and Chiron are two of the best choices for this cast. I mean, they just fit the characters and they are great actors. The snakes on Medusa's head are very well-done. I mean, definitively creepy and I can imagine it'll be even creepier on screen when they move! As for Chiron, well I thought Pierce Brosnan was a good choice... but oh my, the hair ^_^; A bit too long and curly ^_^; That's not quite how I imagined Chiron ^_^; He's supposed to be a centaur... and for some reason, I imagined him as a white horse. I guess in my head, I thought he was on the old side... Ah well. I'm getting excited for the movie, even though I'm not 100% sure after watching the trailer.

Review: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

So Day 2 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians week! :D Today, I'll be reviewing The Sea of Monsters, the second book in the series. From here on, it'll be hard to avoid spoilers, so be warned!!

***SPOILERS ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN RISKS!!***


The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
published by Hyperion Books in June 2006

Percy Jackson's seventh-grade year has been surprisingly quiet. Not a single monster has set foot on his New York prep-school campus. But when an innocent game of dodgeball among Percy and his classmates turns into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, things get... well ugly. And the unexpected arrival ofhis friend Annabeth brings more bad news: the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and unless a cure is found, the only safe haven for demigods will be destroyed.

In this fresh, funny, and wildly popular follow-up to The Lightning Thief, Percy and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their camp. But first, Percy will discover a stunning new secret about his family - one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Series:Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #2

The Story: Wow, it's when I'm about to write this synopsis that I realize how much I left out in the review of The Lightning Thief ^_^; But let's give it a try :D

The Sea of Monsters start about a year after the events in The Lightning Thief where at end, Percy discovered that Luke, the half-blood of Hermes, was the real lightning thief. Luke has been enraged at the gods for ignoring and neglecting their half-bloods and wants to be recognized. As a result, he has allied himself with Kronos, the fearful king of the Titans, who has plans to destroy the Greek gods... Everyone believes that this alliance will play a huge role in the events that will happen when the half-blood from either Zeus, Poseidon or Hades turns 16 years old.

The year between The Lighting Thief and The Sea of Monsters has been quiet, except that lately, Percy has been having dreams of Grover being in danger. Then, on the last day of school, Percy is attacked. Luckily for him, Annabeth shows up just in time and they escape to the camp, dragging Percy's new friend, Tyson. It turns out that Tyson is in reality a cyclops and Percy's half-brother.

Things at the camp are not going well. First of all, Chiron - their mentor - has been fired because it is believed that he has poisoned Thalia's tree. Because the tree is dying, the boundaries of the camp has weakened as well, allowing monsters to come through and attack. Percy and Annabeth believe that only the Golden Fleece could save Thalia's tree... and luckily, Grover seems to have found it. Against the camp director's decree, Annabeth, Percy and Tyson embark on another quest: to find the Golden Fleece and save Grover... and thus, they head to the Sea of Monsters.

My Opinion: Let's get right into it. In my opinion, The Sea of Monsters was the weakest book in the series, definitively not my favorite. My main complaint was the overall storyline was not very interesting and failed to grab my attention. The reason was it took too much time to set it up and so, the action, i.e. the good parts, started very late in the book which is always a detriment in a fantasy novel. Then, once the action started, it was just too fast, one event after another and the end. I guess it was a question of balance and pacing, it just wasn't right... which is disappointing considering it was perfect in The Lightning Thief.

Still, there were some good things about it. I like seeing the characters' growth. Annabeth and Percy are now 13 years old and while it's only been a year, you do see some maturation. The best example would be Tyson. In some aspect, Tyson is simple-minded, not the brightest light and cyclops in general are not well viewed... and so at first, Percy was embarrassed, but he still defended Tyson when others were making fun of him. You see Percy's mixed emotions and how he deals with them and I thought it was very realistic and well-written. LOL, I have to admit, Tyson is a favorite of mine in this book :) He's just so endearing. His character is quite different from all the others: honest and earnest with a gentle core. There were quite a few LOL moments involving Tyson and Percy :D Other characters are starting to be more fleshed as well - that was interesting and a good build up for the rest of the series.

On its own, the storyline of The Sea of Monsters is weak and not as interesting, but it does have some quite interesting twists. Especially the end, adding another player in the whole prophecy :D So it does contribute to the series andit makes it worth to read.

My Grade: B-. As a whole, The Sea of Monsters is not a bad book: it's well-written, the characters are getting more and more interesting, it does contain some good action and a few laughs. Unfortunately, its storyline is a bit boring and weak in comparison to the rest of the series.

***

Yesterday, we talked about the casting of the main characters... today, it's the gods of Olympus' turn :D Let's start with the big three.

Zeus = Sean Bean, Poseidon = Kevin McKidd, Hades = Steve Coogan

As a whole, I don't really have any complaints about this casting. I'm a bit familiar with Sean Bean because of Lords of the Ring and of course, Kevin McKidd plays Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy, so he's not a total stranger for me. However, I do not recognize the actor for Hades. I'm actually not too worried about their acting, because their roles are not that large... The most important I think was their presence and charisma and in that department, I think they were good choices... especially Zeus. Also, I don't know, but there is a small family trait no?

My biggest concern is actually their costumes. Is that what they're going to wear during the movie? Really?!? Because it totally doesn't fit the description in the books. A better look below.

Sure, they're Greek Gods, so I understand what the costumes department was thinking... but hello, doesn't fit the description of the book!! I think this is going to take a lot away from the movie... because one of my favorite parts of The Lightning Thief was reading the contemporary descriptions of the gods. For example, Poseidon is a beach bum and Zeus, a businessman. As for Hades, I really don't like his costume... a bit too rocker or gothic in my opinion. I think they could have spent the money to make Hades' robe... it would have been much more dramatic.

In the two pictures above, you see 2 women... Athena and Persephone...

Persephone = Rosario Dawson, Athena:Melina Kanakaredes

Arghhhh!!! What is that?!?!? I have nothing against the actresses, they're both talented and beautiful women... but they don't fit the roles in my opinion!! Actually, the biggest problem? Persephone doesn't appear in The Lightning Thief since it's summer!!! And true, she's Hades' wife... but why the wicked look? I don't know, it doesn't really fit my knowledge of Persephone (plus, she's supposed to be blond). So I definitively think Rosario Dawson is a miscast.

As for Athena, well besides the fact that she too is supposed to be blond, nothing to say really. I think they could have chosen someone better to play the role, but Melina Kanakaredes is definitively not my first choice.

What do you think?

Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

How was everyone's week-end? Hope everyone had a good time, despite the possible bad weather :D

Mine was quiet, but enjoyable. I was able to read Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh and my favorite female curling team won their 3rd national title in a row! Woohoo!! Plus, I started reading a manga named Bakuman which was really interesting and enjoyable :D And I've even started cleaning my room again for the Chinese New Year :D Hopefully, it'll be done in time and I won't have to rush :P

Last month, I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, all 5 books :) I've been meaning to write some posts about the books, but just haven't gotten around to do it. Then, this morning I realized that the movie is coming out this Friday... that's exactly 5 days. Hmmm, 5 days, 5 books... see where it's going? LOL. So let's start :)


The Lightning Thief by Rick Rioardan
published by Hyperion Books in June 2005

Percy Jackosn is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest. Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #1

The Story: Percy is a 12 years old boy who has always felt different from others and thus, isolated. In addition, weird things keep happening to him and lately, it's getting worse. First, he gets attacked by his math teacher how then disappeared and nobody seems to remember her. Then, his new best friend, Grove, is acting very strangely...

Sensing the danger, Percy's mother decides to bring him to a summer camp that was suggested by Percy's father. While Percy and Grover make it safely to the camp, Percy's mother falls victim to a Minotaur. Finally, Percy puts two and two together and realizes that he is a half-blood, i.e. the child of a mortal and a Greek god... and he is not the only one. The summer camp welcomes all the half-bloods and train them to face dangers and monsters.

Soon after his arrival, Percy is claimed by Poseidon... which causes a big brouhaha due to the prophecy and the breach of a pack. Years ago, the Oracle announced that a catastrophe would happen once the half-blood of one of the big Three (Zeus, Poseidon and Hades) would turn 16. As a result to the prophecy, the three brothers have sworn not to have any other half-bloods. Thus Percy is somewhat feared.

Furthermore, Percy has been accused to have stolen Zeus's lightning bolt and now set out on a quest in company of Grover (who turns out to be a satyr) and Annabeth, daughter of Athena, to find out the real culprit.

My Opinion: Okay, my synopsis was perhaps not the best... but all I have to say is that I really enjoyed The Lightning Thief a lot :D Enough to make me pick up the sequel right away :) Enough to have me read the whole series in a week! :D

Basically, I enjoyed Mr Riordan's writing a lot because it was simple to read. It seems to me the simplicity of the writing style showcased the world building, as in readers were allowed to focus more on the details of the world building. The world building was also very interesting and intriguing. I really enjoyed how Mr Riordan mixed the Greek mythology into our modern world and I liked the idea of a summer camp to train half-bloods. Even the idea of 12 cabins, each representing a god or goddess and their half-bloods living in their respective cabin. Everything was just fun and very clever. Definitively an interesting world and a good start for a young adult series :D

Not only was the world building interesting, but so were the characters and the storyline. The three main characters, Percy, Annabeth and Grover, were a bit stereotypical, but not annoying so they were fun to read and follow. The best though was to see Mr Riordan's take on the gods and goddesses - their personalities, the modern spin on them and their relationships LOL.

Great world building, fun characters and best of all, a great plot. The storyline was interesting, complex and it contained enough twists to surprise the readers and keep them intrigued. In addition, I felt the storyline was not overshadowed by the world building, which is rare considering how complex it is, so Mr Riordan did a great job balancing the two.

One thing I was happy about is that the relationship between Percy and Annabeth at this point is still very platonic. I mean, they're 12! I'm not even sure they really like each other LOL.

My Grade: B++. All in all, The Lightning Thief was a very enjoyable. The focus was where it should have been and it's a great opening to this series :D

***

Here are the three actors chosen play our three main characters: Logan Lerman as Percy, Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth and Brandon T. Jackson as Grover. Personally, I have never seen any of these actors' performances so I cannot really criticize the choice. They all look older, more like 16 years old instead of 12 which is more appealing to the audience, so not a bad decision. I think Logan Lerman will be able to portray Percy convincingly. I'm not sure about Annabeth... She's supposed to be blond ^_^; Okay, I'm being picky here... but you know, would it have been hard to follow the book? As for Grover, well I guess they had to be politically correct, right? Among the three, I think he was the weakest choice... simply because he doesn't look "weak" enough in my opinion. Grover is not the bravest satyr and I don't think that will come across. I don't know if people remember the satyr in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but that was closer to my idea of Grover.

So what do you think? Do you agree with the casting of Percy, Annabeth and Grover?

Twilight movie...

As some of you know already, I went to see the Twilight movie yesterday night. First, I've never read this series before. I know many bloggers that love the series and raved about it... but I was never attracted to it. I wasn't even considering going to see the movie, but then my friend won some free tickets to the avant-premiere... So I went to spend time with her and she went, because it was free. (She hasn't read the book either)

To tell the truth, I didn't know much about it before going... All I knew were:

- Bella is a bit TSTL heroine
- Bella kissed Jacob, which Rowena thought was soooo wrong ( I tend to agree with her)
- Breaking Dawn was a disappointment to many.

So yes, I did read all the spoilers concerning Breaking Dawn though... but I had no idea what was happening in Twilight.

My thoughts? Twilight was an okay movie. It didn't suck, but it didn't wow me either. I'd have preferred to go without the 95% teenage girls who were screaming at the top of their lungs. I can't remember ever being such a fan girl of something ^_^;

Overall, I think the cast was well chosen and everyone did a good acting job. I didn't find Bella annoying at all... I think it helps not being privvy to all her thoughts as she narrates the books. Yes, she voiced out some of her thoughts, but not all of them. I thought Kristen Stewart did a good job at Bella and I think she seems to fit the role.

Hmmm, Robert Pattinson as Edward. My issue with Robert Pattinson is that he looks awkward sometimes. I don't know if it's the thick brows or the eyes... but he just doesn't look right in some shots. Others, he looks really good... So I really can't decide if he's good-looking or not LOL. Otherwise, sure, I bought his interpretation of Edward... and I get why he has so many fan girls ;)

I do admit I find Bella and Edward's relationship developped really fast. I'm not sure I'm buying the whole devotion thing. From Edward, perhaps, since he lived a long time and probably wasn't sure he'd ever find someone to share his forever... but Bella? Nope. I can see how she was intrigued by Edward and how she was attracted... but something was missing for me to believe.

I really love the Cullens :) They are not what I was expecting. I probably would read the books just for Edward and his family... There's an air of mystery surrounding them and you just want to know more. In addition, I think they did a great job casting the family members... Especially Esme. Enjoyed their interactions and my favorite scenes are probably the baseball game and when they were in the kitchen preparing a meal for Bella. However, the whole vampire attack mode - the in your face position, hissing with the nails out. Hmmmm... Not how I imagined them :P

I liked that Bella made friends and it wasn't the typical loser or miscast group. Instead, they were just normal kids... not the super popular, but not the weird ppl either. That was nice :) The only person I thought was miscast in this movie was Jacob. Please, the poor kid actor... Taylor Lautner... He looks horrible with long hair!! and he looks very, very young. *Shudders* at the thought that in the next movie, he's going to kiss Bella. His acting was so-so, for those who wonders... Didn't have a big role in this movie, so it's hard to say how good he is.

The scenery was gorgeous and I liked the blue hue feeling that you get when watching the movie. The special effects were okay. Some of it looked really cool, others looked off.



By the way, I know we read romance and all :) and I love it... but don't you think that sometimes, it can get corny? and I don't know about you, but reading something corny isn't as bad as hearing it out loud. I mean, it's really embarrassing sometimes... For example, when Edward shows Bella his true nature - that he glows in the sunlight - and he's all like: I'm a monster... and Bella is: No, you're beautiful. Well, it was kind of corny... and instead of inspiring awwwws and ahhhs, people actually chuckled and laughed out loud. Some stuff can just not be transitioned very well.

Finally, one thing that bothered me was the flow... It was very choppy. Especially at the beginning, when Bella and Edward meet. I don't know if it was the same in the book... but it was in their dialogues... There'd be awkward silence and then, when they talked... I thought it transpired the teenage angst really well to the audience... but it was annoying. It's like my heart was beating at the same pace and it was all irregular.

I can totally see how the book has enthralled the teenage girls and I can see the appeal. After warching it, I was really curious about Edward and the Cullens. Didn't care much about Bella and Edward really though.

Overall, I'd give this a B.

Blogging muses...

Wow, seems like the blogging muses were present this week-end! I don't know about you guys, but I usually find that blogland is very quiet on the week-end, but to my utter joy, there were many, many posts!! Now, I have to catch up on the commenting LOL :)

So how was everyone's week-end? It was extremely humid in Montreal, but finally, we got some nice weather... I wanted to blog so much this week-end, but I never got around to do it :( Also, my NEW computer is having some kind of bug, grrrrrr, and so Mozilla Firefox keeps crashing. Me extremely unhappy about it at the moment, because I love Firefox and I don't want to go back to Internet Explorer :( but then, I think it'd be stupid to re-format my computer after less than a month just for Firefox... but then again, now would be the moment since I don't have much on my harddrive to back-up... Ugh, sometimes technology can suck.

My sister came back from California yesterday after 5 weeks. It's weird to have my sister home now LOL :) I was able to clean up her room before she came back since I've been using it as storage place while I re-organize my room. I did forget some CDs, but that was it. As for my room, well, sigh. I'm not done yet. I know, I know... what am I waiting for? Well actually, I mostly have to shelve the books... but I run into the same dilemma. I was looking at my bookshelves (hey, I'm going to be able to take some pics now that my sister AND the camera are back LOL) and I'm like: well I already have no more space for hardcover books. Hmmmm, so I guess I'll move everything by one shelve? I'll try to have it done this week-end...

Quickly, here's an update of my To Do list:

1. organize all my books and clean up my chaotic room
2. sign up at the gym
3. return one of the cell phone
4. get a hair cut

I did get a haircut on Thursday. It's a bob... longer in the front, shorter in the back with some layers. It's not that different, but I guess there's a limit of what the hair stylist can do with my original length (shoulder-length) and not going extremely short... it was okay, but more expensive than I expected which sucks.

I didn't get a chance to read this week-end. I cleaned a bit on Saturday and read Nodame Cantabile. I really love that manga. Can't wait to see what happens next as Nodame proposed to Chiaki, but he seems to have rejected her :( Then, on Sunday, again, cleaned a little and then, went to see Iron Man with some friends. Pretty good movie, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it :D Tonight, I'm going to see Kung Fu Panda!! Apparently, it's very funny, so I can't wait for it!!!

By the way, anyone wants to buddy review any of these following books: In the Twilight's Shadow by Patti O'Shea and Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen? I'm going to have reviews all days this week :D

Ohhh, I almost forgot to ask!! What are the new releases you're looking forward to this summer? There's a couple of hardcovers that I'm looking forward in July and one or two others, but it seems that June and July are very quiet this year...

TV meme

Yesterday was Transformers' DVD release date. We don't have a big DVD collection contrarily to many ppl, but whenever we see a movie that we really enjoyed, we buy the dvd :P So we watched it yesterday night and it was great :D Really a good movie :) Now, my advice, buy the 2-discs edition, so you get the special features :) I think that the director is crazy LOL :)

anyway, the real topic of this post isn't Transformers, but a TV meme I was tagged for by Devonna :)

What are your top five favorite television shows when you were a kid?

1. Lady Oscar
2. The Smurfs (Les Schtroumphs)
3. Les Quatres filles du Dr. March (Little Women)
4. Passe-partout
5. Bibi et Genevieve

LOL, I bet most of you have never heard of some of this show :P Of course, as a kid, I didn't watch any shows in English. the cool thing is that they had a channel for kids shows and so that's what was showing the whole day. Cartoons and educational shows and exercises shows and so on. I think that kids tv shows in the past were better than today's though. Anyway, Lady Oscar and Little Women were both Japanese cartoon (at least, Lady Oscar... not sure about Little Women - it was drawn by Japaneses, but not sure if it was for North America/Europe or Japan). The Smurfs, I think everyone know those little blue creatures :D they were soo cool. Passe-Partout and Bibi et Genevieve were both shows produced in Quebec. Actually, Passe-Partout was a cult tv show for kids.

So here are the rules:

List your favorite 5 television shows from your childhood, name three more bloggers to do this meme, copy/paste these very short and sweet rules, and then leave said bloggers a comment letting them know you have tagged them!

I'm tagging DC, Holly and Chantal!

You guys know I love you when...

... I blog instead of getting cozy in my bed and start reading a book :P

I just came back home after watching Transformers! Seriously awesome movie and oh, does it bring back childhood memory... I remember having one of the Transformers toy... my sister said she'd try to find it, but good luck LOL :P Anyway, the movie was REALLY AWESOME! Everyone should go see it on big screen :P I've read a lot of comments on blogland about Transformers, but it was really better than my expectations :D

After watching the movie, I went to Indigo LOL :) Seriously, that buy 3, get the 4th book free is ruining me... luckily, I had some gift cards... Ames, I've used up all the $ you sent me in one shot... I bought another big box, a basket, a folder and 4 books... not bad right? Actually, the truth is I went over and had to pay 0.74$ LOL

After the bookstore, I rushed to Tacos Bell where my friends were waiting for me... Now, I know that in other province, it's not a big deal, but Tacos Bell is really new in Quebec province... as in, few months new only!! It's really crazy when you go there at lunch or supper hours... apparently, you have to wait at least an hour or even more... my friend told me she waited like 1.5 hours for the drive-thru! Can you imagine? I ate a quesadilla... it was okay, not totally impressed... but at least, now, I can say that I've eaten at Tacos Bell.

So what else? Well my week-end was quite boring. I went to work at the Fathers' place the whole Saturday from 8.30am to 9pm... I was replacing my friend. It wasn't so bad... actually, it was real quiet and there wasn't any weirdos coming or any bad phone calls. The only thing is that I got worried from one of the Brother, because he usually comes and chat with me or collect money for the lottery ticket... but he didn't come at all on Saturday... I was worried that perhaps he fainted or worst in his room... but apparently, he went out for the week-end and forgot to tell us ^^; Sunday was equally boring... I slept half the day away and then, cleaned my room... which took up all my energy! but at least, it's clean and less dusty LOL :P

Book-wise, i didn't read that much this week-end... I read Pepper's Way by Kay Hooper which is part of her newest reprint (it's a 2-in-1 tradepaper)... it was pretty enjoyable :D Kay Hooper knows how to write different heroine :D I've been wanting to read In the Midnight Hour by Patti O'Shea, but I'm too tired... and I really don't want to fall asleep through the book... so it's been waiting... Instead, I've re-read Kare Kano which is a 21 volumes long shoujo manga. Very good! I definitively have to sit one week-end and re-read it... there's so much I have forgotten!

So anyhow, that was my week-end... i'm going to bed now! Talk to you all tomorrow and I'm going to try to write a review tomorrow morning!!

Night night
xxx

Book news, Rocking girl and life

So what is this, the 4th post this week? I'm getting back in! Yay!

All right, so today, no reviews... well at least, not now :D Instead, book news!! I don't have many, but what the heck :D

First, Kay Hooper's website has finally been updated!! Yay! I ranted in one of my previous post that Blood Dreams was being pushed back... well if you need your Kay Hooper fix for this summer, some of her old books are being reprinted!! Yay! Yep, there's a 2-in-1 trade paper coming out on July 31 with Something's Different and Pepper's Way. At the end of August, C.J.'s Fate is being released... and she has another one being reprinted in December too... All of these are her earlier romance books :D I already got my hand on the trade paper 2-in-1... I've only read Something's Different so far, but I enjoyed it :D

Okay, next news... Fans of Robyn Carr, if you've been looking for the Grace Valley trilogy, rejoice, it is being reprinted RIGHT NOW!!! Yay! If you haven't receive Robyn Carr's newsletter, here's the gist: All three books are being reprinted at the moment and should be available by the end of this month! Although, the author says that if you want to be sure to get the books, tell your bookstore to order it. Isn't that a great news? Previously, when she said that there were talks of the Grace Valley trilogy, I was thinking: here we go, I'm going to have to wait a couple of years... but NO! I guess this is due to the Virgin River trilogy popularity :D Anyway, I've checked at Chapters online and Amazon online and I can't order it yet... I've also ask in a bookstore and still can't... so maybe next month? or perhaps it's different if you live in Canada instead of the US...

***

So, I've been picked by Isabel for the Rockin' Girl Blogger!! Yay! and thanks a lot Isabel :D Now, I think I have to choose 5 other bloggers to pass this on... I'm not sure of the rules, if there's any and I know that many of you already have been chosen... so I won't make my life difficult:

Amy, Holly, Cindy, Mailyn, Rosie, Kristie and Kris

Mailyn and Kris, you have to change your name so it finishes with an "e" sound LOL! Anyway, congrats girl! :D

***

So what about my life? Nothing much has happened. I went to see Ratatouille with some friends on Wednesday night :D I definitively should go to the movies more often, especially when it's only 5$.

Ratatouille was definitively a good movie and highly enjoyable. There was some good moments and great laughs... but it also made me squirmed in my seat when I saw so many rats together...

Ma favorite scene is probably when all the rats get together to cook and Remi is giving orders. It's so hilarious... and then, the health inspector walks in! Surprise! LOL :P

I think I'm going to go see Transformers with some friends on Monday evening :D that should be entertaining too... and I'm toying with the idea of going to see the new Die Hard... but nothing's sure yet.

***

Finally, I need some help... LOL, nothing hard... I'm supposed to order some books online for a friend... and I still need to buy a couple of books in order to get the free shipping... so any suggestion? Also, I've been looking for some books and I told myself that I should order them.. but now, I can't remember which one I was talking/thinking of... Anyone remember me mentionning or commenting about that? Yeah, it's so sad... Alzheimer at my age T_T

I hope everyone has a great week-end :D Mine is going to be quite boring... I'm working the whole day tomorrow at the Missionary Place, replacing a friend that went to Chicago... and then, probably won't be doing much on Sunday either :( Apparently, it's supposed to rain too, the whole week-end :(