Movie Review - Disneynature Chimpanzee

Disneynature Chimpanzee (2012) * * *
Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield
Narrator: Tim Allen

From IMDB:

"Oscar, a baby chimpanzee is enjoying his life with his mother in the jungles along the Ivory Coast. Without warning, young Oscar is tragically orphaned during an attack from a rival group of chimpanzees. Afterwards, he attempts to survive on his own, and to be accepted by the other chimps. But Oscar struggles, until he is surprising adopted by the Alpha Male of his group."

My Thoughts:
Bob had been really looking forward to seeing Chimpanzee.  He loves animal and nature films in general, and so was very excited to see the story of Oscar the Chimpanzee.  I was not excited, but he's been to plenty of my sci-fi films lately, so it was time for me to reciprocate.

Unfortunately, both of us left the theater slightly disappointed.

First off, let me say that the cinematography is stunningly beautiful!  This was somewhat to be expected, and in that respect the movie definitely does not disappoint - the movie is gorgeous.

What the film didn't do well was tell a good story.  The story of Oscar and his mother is cute, and the baby chimp is adorable, but after awhile, watching a tribe of chimpanzees wandering around the jungle eating gets boring.  So they tried to weave in a story about a rival gang of chimps who are trying to steal food from Oscar's tribe, and Oscar's mother dies as a result of the rival groups' attack, leaving Oscar to fend for himself.  But the way the directors piece the footage together, you don't actually know that a fight is happening if the narrator hadn't told you so.

I assume that the complete lack of animal violence was purposely done to keep the children in the theater happy (or their parents at least), but really, there was nothing in the film to show a fight of any kind.  If the narrator had described the other tribe coming over for a party it would have been just as believable.  The same is true towards the end of the film when the rival group launches a second "attack" on Oscar's tribe.  If there was no narrator to tell the audience that an attack was happening, no one would have guessed from the film footage.  It might have just been a single chimpanzee dancing in the jungle and pounding on a tree root - so thank goodness Tim Allen was there to convince me that a dangerous and violent battle was being fought!

Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to advocate that children's films should be more violent!  But they should be somewhat truthful, in my opinion.

My other complaint with the film was the narration by Tim Allen.  It was disjointed and awkward, and felt in places as if random sentences had been strung together by someone with no writing experience at all.  Some of them didn't even make sense, especially compared to the action happening on-screen.  There were also too many juvenile and unsuccessful attempts at humor, including a really bad "Tool Time" reference.  However, the movie is fairly short at only 78 minutes, so we didn't have to endure Tim Allen's inappropriate jokes for long.

I think that we've come to expect a really high level of quality from anything that Disney has a hand in, and so we both just felt slightly disappointed with this film.  However, I'm fairly confident is asserting that children under 10 will love it, so it still gets three stars from me, even though I didn't care for it much.

On the plus side though, the next time I want Bob to go see a sci-fi movie with me that he's not crazy about seeing, I'll be able to say, "You owe me - I sat through that whole Chimpanzee with you."

Have you seen Chimpanzee?  What'd you think?  Let me know in the comments!

Book Review - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine Series, by Ransom Riggs
1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, 02/07/2012, * * * * *

From Goodreads:

"A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."

My Thoughts:
So, as I'm sure you noticed, I gave this book five stars.  The short version is that I gave this book 5 stars because it's a really good book.  However that by itself is not the whole story.

You see, the blurb is misleading.  The book that the blurb is talking about might be an interesting book, but as you begin reading Miss Peregrine you soon realize that the story you are reading isn't the same one the blurb is describing.  Oh, it's close.  It's sorta right.  But just for example, when Jacob finally gets to the island, you quickly realize that the island isn't deserted.  In fact there's a whole village of people living there.  Also, while the orphanage can technically be described as abandoned (really it was more like, destroyed), the Peculiar Children who lived there weren't quarantined.  So the blurb sets up certain expectations that the story itself really doesn't quite live up to.  And I notice that a lot of people use this as a reason to hate on the book itself and give it bad reviews.

However, if you ignore the blurb, it's really kind of a brilliant story.  Jacob is a likeable character, and is easy to identify with.  Having listened to his grandfather's monster tales all his life, Jacob begins to realize as he grows older that his beloved relative may be more than a little bit crazy.  But he soon realizes that it's possible grandpa wasn't as crazy as the rest of the family believes, and when Jacob finds a collection of disturbingly odd photos together with an old letter he decides that it's time for him to find out for himself the truth of his grandfather's past.  Which leads him to the decidedly odd and creepy but definitely NOT deserted island off the coast of Wales and the aforementioned destroyed orphanage.

But the mystery doesn't end there, and the story gets ever more weird and creepy as it continues.  With the liberal use of the haunting and eery photos that Jacob discovered, the novel creates a delightfully twisted story of a young man searching for the truth of his family history and his desperate attempt to prove that he is not insane.  It's a highly enjoyable read, and while the pacing does drag a little bit in several places, the ending was worth it in my opinion.

What are your thoughts?  Leave a comment below!

Teaser Tuesday - The Chessmen of Mars

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

----------

I've almost finished The Chessmen of Mars, which, while it isn't the last in the series (there are 5 or 6 more books, I believe) will be the last one that I'll be reading for now.  I've thoroughly enjoyed the series so far, but it's time to move on to something else.

Tara and her companions have escaped their captivity, only to be captured by yet another previously unknown race of Martians who are determined to keep them as slaves.  Many believe that Tara is a Corphal (a witch) and are afraid of her, but some are not so blinded by superstition.

The Tease:

 "I-Gos laughed, "Terror turned your heart to water," he replied; "and shame your tongue to libel.  This be no Corphal, but only a woman of Helium; her companion a warrior who can match blades with the best of you and cut your putrid hearts.""

 -The Chessmen of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

What's your Tease?

Movie Review - Wrath of the Titans

Wrath of the Titans (2012) * * *
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Stars: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Rosamund Pike

From IMDB:

"A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus-the demigod son of Zeus-is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus' godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans' strength grows stronger as Zeus' remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon's demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind."

My Thoughts:

When Clash of the Titans was remade several years ago I eagerly anticipated the film, and loved it when it was released.  Even thought it was significantly different from the original, it was a good movie, and thoroughly enjoyable.  So when I read that a sequel was in the works, I was very excited.

Unfortunately, Wrath of the Titans fell somewhat flat for me.  The special effects were great, and the movie has some really fun moments.  It's not a bad way to pass an afternoon.  It never really feels slow, the pacing is pretty good, and while it is a little predictable, I don't always mind that - sometimes predictable is a good thing.

I think that what soured me a little was the ending.  I really dislike it when a movie villain spends a huge amount of time and energy setting up the downfall of civilization, the end of the world, the demise of the universe, or whatever, and then doesn't follow through.  They pour all their evilness into the project, and are prepared to follow through all the way to the grisly end!  Then, someone says "I'm Sorry" and suddenly this villain is redeemed and joins the white-hats and fights the big bad thing that they created, and ultimately ends up saving the day.

Really?  REALLY??  If you are Hades and you're a bad-ass, then by golly you'd better not chicken out at the last minute and wuss-out on your own damn evil plan!

Some might see this as character redemption.  I see it as just annoying.

But other than that, it's a pretty good movie, so it gets three stars from me.  Bob really didn't want to see it in the first place, and even he said it wasn't too bad. So I guess, watch at your own risk?  I dunno...

Have you seen Wrath of the Titans yet?  What did you think?

Movies I'm looking forward to:
Lockout
The Raven
Marvel's The Avengers
Dark Shadows
Battleship (Still not sure???)
Men In Black 3
Snow White and the Huntsman (Can't wait!)
Prometheus

Book Review - Red Seas Under Red Skies

The Gentleman Bastards, by Scott Lynch
1. The Lies of Locke Lamora    9/18/2009 * * * *
2. Red Seas Under Red Skies    3/4/2011 * * * *
3. The Republic of Thieves (Coming Soon!)

From Goodreads:

"In his highly acclaimed debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch took us on an adrenaline-fueled adventure with a band of daring thieves led by con artist extraordinaire Locke Lamora. Now Lynch brings back his outrageous hero for a caper so death-defying, nothing short of a miracle will pull it off.

After a brutal battle with the underworld that nearly destroyed him, Locke and his trusted sidekick, Jean, fled the island city of their birth and landed on the exotic shores of Tal Verrar to nurse their wounds. But even at this westernmost edge of civilization, they can’t rest for long—and are soon back to what they do best: stealing from the undeserving rich and pocketing the proceeds for themselves.

This time, however, they have targeted the grandest prize of all: the Sinspire, the most exclusive and heavily guarded gambling house in the world. Its nine floors attract the wealthiest clientele—and to rise to the top, one must impress with good credit, amusing behavior…and excruciatingly impeccable play. For there is one cardinal rule, enforced by Requin, the house’s cold-blooded master: it is death to cheat at any game at the Sinspire.

Brazenly undeterred, Locke and Jean have orchestrated an elaborate plan to lie, trick, and swindle their way up the nine floors…straight to Requin’s teeming vault. Under the cloak of false identities, they meticulously make their climb—until they are closer to the spoils than ever.

But someone in Tal Verrar has uncovered the duo’s secret. Someone from their past who has every intention of making the impudent criminals pay for their sins. Now it will take every ounce of cunning to save their mercenary souls. And even that may not be enough..."

My Thoughts:
Scott Lynch's second novel takes everything that was good and awesome about his first novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, mixes in higher tension and tighter pacing, doubles the plot twists, and produces an amazing sequel.

Red Seas Under Red Skies has everything - more plotting and scheming, better stings, more adventures, multiple exotic locations, higher stakes, and - PIRATES!!

Locke and Jean have planned for everything.  Their latest heist should go off without a hitch, and nothing can go wrong - until it suddenly does.  The one thing they didn't plan for was that someone might know who they are, and that this someone might have an agenda that doesn't have anything to do with their own plans.  When Jean and Locke suddenly find themselves at the mercy of a poisoner, they have no choice but to put their own plans on hold and go to work for someone else - someone who wants to kill them, and who seems to hold all the cards.

I loved this novel.  It was better than The Lies of Locke Lamora, which I also loved, but carries the story to new heights.  I highly recommend this series to everyone, but make sure you start at the beginning and read them in order.  Book 3, The Republic of Thieves, should be coming out later this year if everything goes according to plan.

Teaser Tuesday - The Chessmen of Mars

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

----------

So I've moved on to The Chessmen of Mars, which is book five in The Barsoom Series. It's unclear how much time has passed between the end of Thuvia, Maid of Mars and the beginning of The Chessmen of Mars, but apparently it's been long enough for John Carter and his wife Dejah Thoris to have a teenage daughter named Tara.  She's a good daughter and a dutiful princess, but also a bit spoiled, used to getting her own way, and starved for adventure.  The Chessmen of Mars follows her adventures as she flees the palace one morning for a quick flight, but becomes lost when a ferocious storm blows her halfway across the planet where she becomes the prisoner of a previously unknown race of Barsoomians.

The Tease:

 ""If I am to be imprisoned, imprison me," said the girl. "I do not recall that I was sentenced to listen to the insults of every low-born boor who chanced to admire me.""

 -The Chessmen of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

What's your Tease?

Movie Review - Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror (2012) * * *
Director: Tarsem Singh
Starring: Julia Roberts, Nathan Lane, Armie Hammer, Lily Collins, Sean Bean

From IMDB:

"An evil queen steals control of a kingdom and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright."

My Thoughts:
Bob & I have both been really looking forward to seeing this movie, partly because we love Julia Roberts, but also because the movie looked rather stunningly gorgeous from the previews.  Unfortunately I left the theater slightly disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, because the movie really is gorgeous - after all, it's directed by Tarsem Singh - and many of the scenes are stunningly beautiful.  I think the part that bothered me was that the movie somehow ended up being "campier" than I expected.  It was definitely funny, and there are some great lines, but every once in a while it felt like they just took the joke maybe one step too far.

--Tiny Spoiler Alert --

In this version of the Snow White tale, Snow never bites the apple, which is great!  Even though Snow is young she quickly learns to stand up for herself and not depend on anyone else to protect her, which I think is a great message.  And when she dares the hag to eat the apple instead, it was a pretty awesome moment.  But at the same time, if Snow White doesn't eat the apple and/or fall into a coma/death, then we don't get the fantastic moment of the magical True Love's kiss to wake her up.  It may be a cliche, but it's there for a reason - it works and people like it.  And without the kiss, the story just felt, I dunno, a little flat I guess.

Anyway, Julia Roberts totally shines as the evil stepmother queen, and completely steals the scene every time she appears on-screen.  I actually found myself rooting for her a little bit, and I'm not really sure that's what the writers intended.  Nonetheless she rocked the film and I recommend seeing "Mirror Mirror" purely for the fun and camp and Julia Roberts.  Bob thought it was cute and charming in it's own way, and I give it three stars.

What I'm looking forward to next:
Titanic 3D
Lockout
The Raven
Marvel's The Avengers
Dark Shadows
Battleship (maybe???)
Men In Black 3
Snow White and the Huntsman (SOOOOO Excited!)
Prometheus

Have you seen Mirror Mirror yet?  What did you think?  Also, what upcoming movies are YOU looking forward to?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Teaser Tuesday - Thuvia, Maid of Mars

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

----------

In the fourth book in the Barsoom series, the focus switches from John Carter and his beloved Princess Dejah Thoris, to their son Carthoris who is deeply in love with the Princess Thuvia of Ptarth.  But several other princes are also vying for her hand, and when Thuvia is kidnapped, the resulting chaos may throw the planet back into civil war...
(I love this passage - it almost sounds like it was written by Yoda!)

The Tease:

 "The morning of the second day of her incarceration in the east tower of the palace of Astok, Prince of Dusar, found Thuvia of Ptarth waiting in dull apathy the coming of the assassin.  She had exhausted every possibility of escape, going over and over again the door and the windows, the floor and the walls.
There was no escape."

 -Thuvia, Maid of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

What's your Tease?

Book Review - Ender's Game

Ender's Saga, by Orson Scott Card
1. Ender's Game 02/27/2012 * * * *

From Goodreads:

"In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel."

My Thoughts:
Ender's Game has an interesting premise, good plotting, great pacing, and some extremely fascinating characters, and a great twist at the end that I totally didn't see coming, even though I think I should have, in retrospect.  In spite of all that, it's difficult to put my finger on exactly why I liked this book so much.  This is the first time I've read it, and I'm really not sure how I've managed to avoid it for over twenty years, but i wish I had read it sooner.  It's a fantastic story of a lonely little boy with too much pressure and not enough childhood, struggling to survive and excel in a brutal environment, and while there are plenty of good moments when the reader can cheer for Ender's successes, it is also often somewhat sad.

Nonetheless I think it is an amazing story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Sci-Fi, although it really feels like more of a character study with sci-fi elements.  My one complaint is that at times - especially in the beginning - it was a little confusing, as there isn't a clear storyline of what has happened before and what is happening now; the reader sort of has to piece it together and makes some guesses as to how we arrived at this point. 

The only thing that keeps me from giving the book five stars is that I'm not 100% sure that it would be as good in a re-read.  In spite of that I fully intend to read the rest of the series in the not-too-distant-future.

Movie Review - Big Miracle

Big Miracle (2012) * * * *
Director: Ken Kwapis
Stars: Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski,  and Ted Danson

From IMDB:

"In small town Alaska, a news reporter recruits his ex-girlfriend - a Greenpeace volunteer - on a campaign to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle."

My Thoughts:
Every once in awhile I like to give Bob a chance to pick what movie we're going to see - since I drag him to so many Sci-Fi and Fantasy films, it only seems fair to let him pick something else now and then.  So when the trailers for Big Miracle started showing up I figured this was going to be one that he would want to see, as it contains two of his favorite things - he loves movies that are "based" on or "inspired by" true stories, and also animals.

So while I wasn't "dying" to see Big Miracle, I figured it looked sorta fun and I love Drew Barrymore, so what the hell? Why not?

Turns out that what I thought would be a slightly boring, silly movie actually ended up be pretty darn good!  It's cute and funny and heartbreaking in turn, as the lone reporter who would rather be anywhere BUT stuck in Alaska suddenly finds himself at the center of both national and international attention.  John Krasinski turns in a decent performance in what I believe is the first role that I've ever liked him in, but Drew Barrymore is the true shining star in this film.  The scene where she dons scuba gear and drops below the ice to have a look at the whale family was amazing, and stunningly gorgeous.

The ending of the film is satisfyingly good, and the ending credits are loads of fun as they show pictures and news clips from when the story actually took place.  I don't remember any of the media frenzy at the time ( I think I was too young to really pay attention to the news yet) but Bob totally remembers seeing the story on the news back in the day.  So, all in all, it was a good movie, with a good ending, and totally worthy of four stars.

Oh yeah, and Bob loved it, of course!

Did you see Big Miracle?  What did you think?

Teaser Tuesday - Thuvia, Maid of Mars

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

----------

In the fourth book in the Barsoom series, the focus switches from John Carter and his beloved Princess Dejah Thoris, to their son Carthoris who is deeply in love with the Princess Thuvia of Ptarth.  But several other princes are also vying for her hand, and when Thuvia is kidnapped, the resulting chaos may throw the planet back into civil war...

The Tease:

 "Without another glance in the direction of Astok she (Thuvia) turned, and taking Carthoris' proffered hand, moved slowly toward the massive marble pile that housed the ruler of Ptarth and his glittering court.
Beside the pimalia stood Astok, his dark eyes narrowed to mere slits of hate beneath his lowering brows as he watched the retreating forms of the woman who had aroused the fiercest passions of his nature and the man whom he now believed to be the one who stood between his love and its consummation."

 -Thuvia, Maid of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

What's your Tease?