Book's Crumbs

"I am a reader not because I don't have a life but because I choose to have many"

gennaio 26, 2017

THE TEMPEST (2010) starring Helen Mirren and Felicity Jones, Directed by Julie Taymor - BOOK vs MOVIE

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THE TEMPEST
 directed by Julie Taymor 



"We are such stuff that dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded in a sleep"
-Prospero in the Tempest-

When you read a play you can never imagine its full potential until you watch a stage or movie adaptation of it. I read The Tempest (-->REVIEW HERE) by William Shakespeare and wanting to see the characters brought to life I found this movie adaptation of it, directed by Julie Taymor mind and makers behind the theatrical representation of The Lion King. Acting in Prospero/a's role nothing less than Helen Mirren and starring in the role of Miranda the new star of the Star Wars' universe Felicity Jones. 


Everything was suggesting a Beautiful movie. What we got was clearly beautiful, but more than a movie we watch is a theatrical performance. I really liked though, not only but I think that was a good and wise choice from the Traymor. Apparently not everyone thought the same since on IMDb it gets only 5.4/10 and didn't do as good at the box office either.
Otherwise I think that Helen Mirren was amazing in the role of Prospero/a, and I found it quite interesting for the role to be played by a women. As in the play the presence of Miranda's mother is almost completely deleted, I felt as if in Prospera the two figure were finally reunited. 
Apart from the concrete performance of  Helen Mirren, also Felicity Jones is perfect in the role of the pure, wondrous Miranda. She is able to bring to screen the naiveness and wonder of the character without trivialize it. While as in the book I still couldn't appreciate Ferdinand's role, not to discredit Reeve Carney that did his best in this hopeless role.
To mention are also Russell Brand and Alfred Molina as Trinculo and Stephano, they simply made the laugh of the movie.


Costumes and scenery are beautiful and perfect for each part. I have a small grumble on Ariel graphics and appearance that are part of the old generation in term of special effect.
In contrast with the opinion of the mass I liked this movie and I think it is worth to see and useful to reread the play from another perspective. Since this plays are made to be performed on a stage or as in this case on a screen, THE MOVIE WINS.

Movie Trailer:




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gennaio 23, 2017

The Tempest by William Shakespeare - Review

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The Tempest 
by William Shakespeare 


Shakespeare again! This one was also a reading for my english literature course and I've got to say that I liked all the books I've read for it so far, I'm also loving theater more and more.

The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's four romances, so in contrast with Hamlet this is not a tragedy but it has a happy ending. It is also considered his last work, a sort of testament and revindication of his ideals. As usual since it's a classic I will try to be brief with the plot since it's generally well known.
Alonso, the king of Naples, is returning from his daughter's wedding in Tunis with his son, Ferdinand, his brother, Sebastian, and Antonio, the Duke of Milan. The ship is wrecked in a storm and the passengers and crew are thrown into the furious sea.
Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda are watching the shipwreck from the island. Twelve years before, he was the Duke of Milan, but his brother, Antonio had usurped him. Now all the enemies, thanks to fate and Prospero's magic, had washed up on the shore of the island and they will have to pay and amend for their crime.
This is the starting point from which the comedy starts to unfold itself, making the characters go through a purgatorial experience to reach at the end a general forgiveness that coincides with the marriage of the young, Miranda and Ferdinand.

I was fascinated by Prospero, that like a stage director controls and move the others characters on the island. His relationship with his two servants is disagreeable, when with Ariel he shows affections and care instead he is cruel to Caliban, the island's native, that born a devil has no escape from his earthy miserable condition. Clearly we see the  remembrance of the English colonialism in the relationship between Prospero and Caliban.
The love story between Ferdinand and Miranda leaves its time, the  shakespearean ista-love that I can't stand but I have to accept for the play to go through.

Overall I liked the play and I'm giving it 4/5 STARS. Reading it is totally no sufficient, if you want to see a good adaptation I recommend seeing the 2010's movie The Tempest directed by Julie Taymor starring in the role of Prospero the amazing Helen Mirren, and as Miranda the newborn Star Wars' star Felicity Jonas. Down below the Trailer:



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gennaio 21, 2017

HAMLET by William Shakespeare - Review

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TO BE OR NOT TO BE



Another book I finally got to read and analyse for my english literature course, and what an amazing surprise. I've always  found Shakespeare boring and sentimental but this time having taken my time in reading this amazing tragedy I was able to enjoy it fully.

Since it's a classic the story should be known to everybody so I'll be brief in my summery. Prince Hamlet just got back from Germany to assist at his father's funeral, while his mother Gertrude has already remerried. The Queen has wed the Hamlet's uncle Claudius the dead King's brother. To Hamlet this is a "foul incest" and already he suspect that some "foul play" is behind the death of his father. One night his father ghost visits the  castle and Hamlet's suspicions are confirmed. His Uncle poisoned King Hamlet in his sleep, and now young Hamlet must revenge him. From this moment on Hamlet's soul will be divided on how to revenge his father and "taint not thy mind".

This is the starting point for the tragedy, I loved how the play starts right of in darkness and ends in it there is no salvation the whole state of Denmark is rotten. Even the pure Hamlet is in the end corrupted by the society he lives in. It might be a play more than 400 years old but it still bring modern theme as alienation, relativism and life struggle. We might not have to face a murderous uncle but we are put everyday in front of hard decisions, we might struggle to choose and in the end we to has Hamlet have to make a compromise with the society we live in.
If from one side this play reflects upon how little and insignificant a life is to the other side it makes u look at how big and full of possibilities the universe is, how everything is relative and our way of thinking and looking at things makes them what they are .

-"I could be bonded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space"-

It's a wonderful, modern play and having read a few others Shakespeare's play I can say that this is my favorite above all. 
I also felt like it was necessary to see it play out and I found a stunning performance at the National Theater Live by Benedict Cumberbatch, that deserve a look. My eyes were in love with the costumes, the scenery and Benedict. Here are some pics, get a look!!!




National Theater Live Trailer:


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gennaio 19, 2017

THE 5TH WAVE, starring Chloe Grace Moretz directed by J Blakeson - BOOK vs MOVIE

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THE 5TH WAVE
directed by J Blakeson



Before reading the book I saw the movie trailer and I thought: " Wow this is gonna be a kick ass movie!". Well it wasn't exactly as I had immagine.

I read and quite liked the 2013's novel by Rick Yancey (REVIEW HERE) that did put a good emotional spine to another dystopian tale of teenager facing the world end.
Cassie Sullivan (Chloe Grace Moretz), our heroine, is a high school student that from the book came out has a mature and determinate women, that doesn't need some dude to define her. It's this strong character that push me to read the second book in Yancey's trilogy, 2014's The Infinite Sea, of which we are unlikely to see any movie adaptation since the failure of the first one at the box office, but whispers do run around on the web. Who knows!?


Despite the strong presence of Kick-Ass star Chloe Grace Moretz as Cassie, the movie is more concentrat on the cliche of the love triangle that made big phenoms of Divergent and Twilight. I really don't get the reason to put more light on this aspect while the book keeps its focus on the survival and the emotional conflicts of our protagonists. The director of the movie turned this story in a languid teenage love one, quite unrealistic in a apocalyptic background. Not to talk about Alex Roe as Evan Walker that apart from a cute face doesn't offer much. Other than the Moretz's performance also Liev Schreiber as Commander Vosh made a good impression on me.
As in every  world's disaster movie bridges (we will ever see a movie where the Tower Bridge is no falling?), planes, skyscrapers are destroyed,  with the computerish graphics letting you down. 


I stand by the idea that the book was better and the movie in itself would have totally be a failure without Chloe Moretz as a lead, but her alone wasn't enough to sell another dystopian washout.

BOOK WINS!!

Movie trailer:



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gennaio 18, 2017

The 5th Wave (#1) by Rick Yancey - Review

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THE 5TH WAVE
by Rick Yancey



I don't usually read alien related books, but I like the post-apocalyptic one, more over the movie was coming out last year so I had to read it.

As Stephen Hawking said: "If alien ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans". And that's exactly what happens in Rick Yancey's first installment of The 5th Wave Trilogy.

The Others have arrived on earth, and they seems to have the clear intent of eradicate the human race. Four waves have taken place on earth, the 1st knock down all the power, the 2nd made the earth shake to its root, with the 3rd wave disease spread across the world, by the 4th wave the Others took human shape so no one could be trust it anymore. The book starts of from the dawn of the 5th wave, Cassie is running away from Them, the ones that look human and roam the countryside killing the last survivor. Cassie trust nobody and she is alone in her fight to rescue her brother.

The atmosphere of loneliness, sadness and distrust that surrounds our heroine Cassie, pulled me entirely into this book, while I couldn't care less for others characters view. She was the only one with a rounded and full personality that deserved reading. Don't get me wrong the others narrating voices were good, but while reading them I was always feeling impatient to read  again from Cassie point of view.
When books chance point of view from chapter to chapter it's really hard to get the reader to love all the character, Leigh Bardugo did an amazing job in alternating the narration in Six of Crows but it something quite unique that I did miss in this book. 
Nevertheless of all that is wrong with this book, and there are a lot of things that I wouldn't have close an eye upon in other books, I really liked it and was in a rush to get my hand on the second book.

4/5 STARS

 The movie trailer with Chloe Grace Moretz :

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gennaio 17, 2017

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (2016), with Eva Green directed by Tim Burton - BOOK vs MOVIE

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Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children 

directed by Tim Burton



I was waiting impatiently for this movie to come out, first because I read the first book of the Trilogy by Ransom Rigg and second because I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton. I was slightly desapointed by the book for its overly simplify writing style and plot, it had good premises but it wasn't able to use their full potential, leaving the book on a childish level as I wrote in my review. What I was expecting from the movie was to see Tim Burton putting all the creepiness together and giving the story a more adult-like form. The movie is based on the best-selling Trilogy by Ransom Rigg, what I did not expected from it was to be based on the first and going behind it, making the story whole for one installment, so watching it might have spoiled the next books for me. Thanks Tim! 

The story tell us about Jake (Asa Butterfield) who discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds a magical place known as Miss Peregrine's home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery deepens as he gets to know the residents and learns about  their special powers and the enemies they are against. Ultimately, Jake discovers that only his own special "peculiarity" can save his new friends.

The movie tries to be quite faithful to the book apart from some character changes as Emma and Olive powers are reversed in  the movie, it's also thanks to this that the scene in the submarine is a spectacular one. 


I get why he couldn't stop just at the first book, since there is not so much action to begin with. And so the movie moved slowly in the first part, concentrating all the action end and rushing most of it. The costumes, the special effects and graphic are beautiful and do keep the typical style of Tim Burton.
I'm not sure whether or not I will watch this movie again since it was nothing special. It turn out ok, as the book, but the Tim Burton factor makes this movie win over the book.

MOVIE WINS!!!

Books Review: 

Movie trailer:





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gennaio 15, 2017

Victor Frankenstein (2015) with Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy - BOOK vs MOVIE

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VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN 
by Paul McGuigan 



I don't even know where to start with this movie! I was hoping to finally get a well done movie adaptation of Frankenstein, but as usual what we got was  a bad mash up full of monstrous creatures, big explosions and a weird catholic Sherlock Holmes alike.

James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe star in this twist of the legendary tale, and it's mostly thanks to their performance that we are able to push through the whole movie.
Radical scientist Victor Frankenstein (McAvoy) and his brilliant protégé Igor Strausman (Radcliffe), rescued from a miserable life as the circus' hunchback, they both share a noble vision of aiding humanity through their groundbreaking research into the secrets of life. But Victor's experiment go too far, and he ends creating something wicked that put at risk everyone's life. Only Igor seems to be able to bring his friend back from the brink of madness and save him from the monster he has created.



Ok, it was better than I, Frankenstein (2014) at least they avoided the vampire, but still they transformed Mary Shelley's emotional and profound story, into a bad comic book deprived of intelligence and soul. We still see, as in every movie, the secret process that brought the "monster" to life, when the not knowing made the novel mysterious and put light on the dangerous knowledge that must not be revealed.
The graphic and customs are still really good and spectacular in some points but what is lacking in this movie is a good story line. The whole movie is pushed forward by the good performance of Radcliffe na McAvoy and that's the only positive impression I'm left with.

Clearly if I had to choose between reading the book of watching the movie I will go for the book straight and if I had to choose a Frankenstein movie adaptation Mel Brooks will still be my favorite, at least you get a good laugh out of it!

BOOK WINS!!!!

 Movie trailer:



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gennaio 14, 2017

FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley - Book Review

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FRANKENSTEIN

by Mary Shelley



I finally got to read the whole version of this classic since it was in my english literature course TBR, and what an amazing surprise!
"You are my creator,
 but I am your 
master- Obey!"

The story is well known to everybody so I'll be brief. Victor Frankenstein is a brilliant young man whose ambition and intelligence push him toward the discovery of the "secret of life", secret which we are not revealed. But once his creation is completed he refuse and repulse his own creature. The rejection from his creator and afterwards from society, will lead the the being to become a "monster", whose only goal in life is the destruction of his maker.
It clearly not an horror, scary story as we are often pushed to think, but is a story that revolves about real and relatable sentiments. The "monster", as it called, it more human than his creator. Made as a scientific experiment by an overly ambitious man, he was born pure but been alone and rejected on sight by his maker and the others he gradually turns to evil.

"Even that enemy 
of God and man 
had friends associates
 in his desolation; 
I am  ALONE."

Through the whole novel I kept thinking at how different the story could have gone if Frankenstein showed love and understanding to his son, instead by rejected him he sealed his own misfortune.

The book is beautifully written and the english is quite modern. Apart from some too long, repetitive and boring description of nature, I did find this book most pleasurable and entertaining.

 4.5/5 STARS

 The 2015 movie inspired by the book with Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy.

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