The Great Gatsby (2013)

I loved this movie and I also loved the book. They both get a 10/10 from me. If you're from America, it's VERY likely that you were required to read this book in high school. For those who may not be aware, The Great Gatsby is a story that takes place in the mid-1920's about a mysterious rich man and his obsession with his old girlfriend and the rough road commonly taken by those striving for the "American Dream".
People seem to have mixed feelings about this movie. They're pretty much the same feelings most people have about a movie that is based on their favorite book.
Book-to-film adaptations are complicated. You are taking one source material and shaping it into something completely different. A movie is visual medium and a book is more of a mental medium. How you picture something happening in a book is usually very different than what someone else might picture. There's also the time limit most movies have, so cutting out and changing things from the original source material is inevitable.

Bad Movies That I Like

I decided to talk about some bad movies that I happen to enjoy. I'm sure everyone has at least one relatively unpopular/unknown movie that makes you feel as if you are the only one that enjoys it. I don't like using the term "guilty pleasure" in terms of movies, because I shouldn't feel guilty for liking a movie. It's not a crime to like a movie, and it shouldn't say anything bad about my character. I'm not going to convince you to like these movies, it's more like a confession to maybe make my audience feel more comfortable with the movies they enjoy. In no particular order, these are my top 5 "guilty pleasure" movies.

Why Care About Movies?

I can safely say that I have heard a lot of ignorant statements during high school. One of piece of ignorance that has really stuck with me is "Why learn how movies are made? It would just ruin the movie." These types of people are under the impression just because I pick a movie apart, it must mean I hate movies in general. In actuality, I pick apart movies because I love them. Think about it, if there is a movie that has affected me to the point where I have to take the time to write about it, then isn't it doing its job in provoking thought and leaving an impression on an audience member?

Review of Divergent: Chapter One

I will be doing something a little different with this book. Instead of spending months trying to fight for time to sit down with a book and then write a three paragraph review about it, I will instead read a chapter or two (depending on how long they are) and blog about my reaction to the chapters. So there will be SPOILERS here.
Of course, I am "stealing" this style of blogging from a comedic writer from Spark Notes who has written some hilarious blogs about the Twilight and the Harry Potter series. I am doing this to keep myself motivated to make time to read a book that seems like one I will really enjoy.
I saw the movie trailer and it looks like a story that's in the same ballpark as the Hunger Games. It's young adult, there's a strong, independent female lead, there's a big government who controls every aspect of its citizens' lives, and the lead female becomes the leader of the rebellion against the government.
Every since the Revolutionary War, we Americans can't get enough of stories about the underdog giving the finger to the big, bad, overbearing government officials and succeeding in overthrowing them and knocking them off their high-horse. I would say it's a proud American tradition.

Movie Review: American Hustle

A 2013 film directed by David O. Russell and starring Amy Adams, Christian Bale, and Jennifer Lawrence. Based on real life events of con-man Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) and his partner in crime Sydney Prosser (Adams) struggling to survive the biggest con of their lives.
As I was watching this movie, I was convinced I was watching a Martin Scorsese film, until I looked at the IMDB page. It has all of the elements of a Scorsese; long track shots, based on true events crime plot, sex, drugs, narration from the main characters, and even Robert De Niro - who has appeared in 8 of Scorsese's films - makes an uncredited cameo as Victor Tellegio! The only different element was the happy ending. Most of Scorsese's films usually end on a bittersweet note, or leaves you feeling bad for the criminal you've been cheering for when they are finally brought to justice. However, this ending has all the main characters land exactly where they want to be, or where they need to be. It's not a bad ending, but if you're going to rip off Scorsese, you might as well go all the way.