Chloe Moretz as Carrie

Its official that Chloe Moretz had been offered the role of the awkward Carrie.Kimberly Pierce who directed Boys Dont Cry is slated to direct the film while Julianne Moore or Jodie Foster are in negotiations as the role of the Carrie's religious mom.

Yes,its another remake and if you ask me classics like Carrie shouldn't be remade.But names like Moretz and Kimberly Pierce makes me want to give it a chance.The director said this Carrie will be more faithful to the novel compared to previous film

As for Moretz,I'm happy that she got the role.She is no stranger in playing a dark role which requires more maturity than her actual age.We saw that in film like Let Me In ,Kick Ass, 500 Days of Summer.She is one talented actress and I'm pretty sure that she would portray the role well.The only thing that bugs me now is that Chloe Moretz is actually too pretty to play Carrie.So I hope the make-up team would make Moretz less pretty for instance bleaching her eye brows(it worked for Lisbeth Salander)

I do hope Jodie Foster gets role of Carries mom as she is a fine actress.Plus I feel Jodie could insert some strength in this role and make it different from the original film mom.

So what do you think about this remake? And Chloe Moretz as Carrie?

Meanwhile here is the trailer of  Hotel Translyvania with voices by Adam Sandler,Selena Gomez and my favourite Fran Drecher.

The Hunger Game -review

The Hunger Games was at the top of my must-see  films of 2012.Having read the trilogy and loving it,does the film live up to its expectation?I have to say a big YES.

Being a story told through a first-person narrative,I was doubtful and was wondering how Gary Ross would adapt the bestseller novel.We saw how it bombed with Twilight.I don't wanna waste my time with the plot as many of might be aware of it by now.If not check my post here and here.
The film is 98% faithful to the novel and that is huge.The only new scenes would be the rebellion scene in district 11 and conversation between Seneca and President Snow.

Gary Ross manages to capture all the emotions brilliantly from the start of the film where you see the the children  walking for the reaping wearing their pale tone clothes to the colourful and cheerful Capitol.I loved how he portrayed the difference of the two main lead beautifully without being loud to your face.
The scene where both Katniss and Peeta was being brought to the train ,you get to see how the two characters are different.You see Katniss trying to suppress her emotions while Peeta crying not caring about people seeing him.You get to see again how Peeta manages to adapt  and charm the capitol citizen  as soon they  reached the Capitol by waving and smiling while Katniss still find it difficult to be likable.The movies had a lot of those kind of scenes.
The screenplay was superb and manages to have the momentum going from the start till the end.However the editing of the film could have been better.Numerous blurry shots did cause some headaches.

On the performances of the actor,Jennifer Lawrence carries the film as Katniss Everdeen.I have said it a number of times and will say it again that casting Jennifer as Katniss is the best choice the team had made.she is born to play this role.The is so much parallel of her role in the Winter's Bone and  Katniss.Both are woman who need to be older than their age in order to survive and Jennifer manages to capture that tough but vulnerable Katniss in every scene she is in.She gives a soulful performance throughout the film.Another standout would be Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark.From the moment he is introduced as the tearful boy chosen as tribute beside Katniss who is standing fearfully to the moment they win the game,Josh Hutcherson charms us with his innocence mixed with awkwardness and subtle performance.I do believe that their chemistry worked in the film though they look just like brother and sisters in real life.Stanley Tuccci as the flamboyant host and Elizabeth Banks as the over the top escort both did a commendable job and added humour to the film.However it was Woody Harrelson as the cynical mentor that stands out of the supporting cast.Isabelle Fuhrman,Alexander Ludwig,Amanda Statenberg all shine with a limited screen time they were given.

 The costume department and the Art direction department really was the best technical aspects of the film.The costume designs in the film is amazing.I guess the two time Oscar nominee Judiana must have been satisfied as she used almost all the colours in the spectrum to create colourful costumes.The sets for the capitol training centre and the interior of the train and the hotels looks amazing.The looks of the Avox was superb.The music score by T Bone  Burnett and James Newton Howard was another plus point of the film.While the eerie score in the beginning of the film set the tone of the first half ,the second half was a mixture of modern and traditional music(I believe I heard some Chinese influence musics in the scenes in arena)


The visual effects was a big letdown.Being a big budgeted film,I expected the visual effects to be great.The dress/fire scene ,the train and the Mutts looks like  the CG that you find in a  cheap low quality film.However the Capitol does look amazing.Another negative point would be the lack of violence .I'm not asking for Spartacus or 300  like violence but some violence to show the audience how deadly the tournament is.The lack of violence gives the film a juvenile feel.It does make me wonder how would they handle the next film as the next film would be  mostly about war and its aftermath and of course the Quarter Quell.I just hope they would never emphasise the so call love triangle as the novel never does that.

Overall.The Hunger Games is a good adaptation of the novel with amazing performance from the cast especially Jennifer Lawrence with  some technical aspects that should have been better considering the budget.

Possible Oscar Nominations:

Best Art Direction
Best Costume Design- Judiana Markovsky
Best Original Score-T Bone& James  Newton Howard


A-

The Host -teaser

Check out the teaser of the adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's novel The Host.I guess the name Stephanie Meyer attached to a movie is a big turn off but the plot  does sound interesting.The novel is told in the point of view of the alien Wanda who invades the body of Melanie but found it difficult to gain full control of her body and mind due to the strong human connection and memories of the host Melanie.Wanda becomes curious about Melanie's memory and start to investigate her previous life.I don't think I wanna spend my time reading  the novel unless  anyone can convince me that it is a worth of time.However I'm looking forward the movie for two reasons,the lead Saoirse Ronan (surely she needs gonna need to practise two different voices with different accent and tone)and Gattaca director Andrew Niccol.Tell me what do you think of the teaser ,the film and the novel itself.

Prometheus,Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter& Snow White and Huntsman-Trailer

Here is the latest trailer of Prometheus.I got mixed feelings with this trailer.We got some glimpses of Michael Fassbender as the android and some clear shots of  other characters which includes Idris Elba,Charlize Theron and the fabulous Noomi Rapace.Too bad there is no sightings of the aliens.

Another trailer of the Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.There is a shot of a older Abraham Lincoln.I'm not sure its an old footage of Abraham Lincoln but if  it is not an a old footage but makeup and visual effects,Kudos.However I'm not still convinced about this film.However it does look interesting and the action sequence looks good.

Finally we get to see Snow White speak.The trailer just built my expectation for Charlize Theron to kick arse.She looks amazing.The visual effects looks brilliant and I'm loving the creation of the the Dark Forest.



Dark Shadows -Trailer

Here is the trailer of the Tim Burton's Dark Shadows.The film which is based on the TV show of the same name has an impressive cast.You have Tim Burton's usual collaborator Johnny Depp(like Ricky Gervais said in the Golden Globes that a man who would wear anything Tim Burton asks him to) and  Helena Bonham Carter (who is born to play roles no actress can play)  together with Chloe Grace Moretz,Eva Green,Johnny Lee Miller and the beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer.I seriously love the cast.All of them are well known for their darker roles and its nice to see Eva Green  in a meaty role.I feel she is one of those actress who got overshadowed by their looks.She is a talented actress.Only Tim Burton could infuse goth and humour together without making it looking ridiculous and cheap.

 And here are the two featurettes from the film Snow White and the Huntsman and a sneak peek of the film.The biggest plus of this film compared to the other Snow White film is having Charlize Theron playing the Evil Queen.She is giving me chills with just this few minutes and I have to admit that  for the first time I realise that Kristen Stewart is a  very pretty girl.She looks awesome in this film.

Why I Love Hunger Games

My fellow blogger Pete from ILoveThatFlim unleashed his love for Hunger Games and why he loves The Hunger Games and now its my turn.

As most of you can tell by now that I'm more into fantasy genre,LOTR,ASOIAF and Harry Potter.When I read a book I want to leave this world and just slip into the pages,metaphorically and so far only fantasy genre had given me the satisfaction .The comparison toward Twilight and the word 'Young Adults' is a complete turn off.So what made me to read the books?The well made trailer.After watching the trailer I knew I need to read it.

In case if you're living under the rock,The Hunger Games  is the story of Katniss Everdeen from the poorest district of Panem who volunteered herself for the brutal and deadly 74th Hunger Games when her sister's name is pulled out, which is televised live around Panem for the entertainment of the capitol citizen as a remembrance of their rebellion.The rule of the game is quite simple ,be the last one alive ,you win a house and one of supplies.Katniss being the the source of income of her family after the death of her father  needs to win the game for her mother and sister sake.Things get more difficult when Peeta,a boy who once gave hope for Katniss  to live is also chosen as a  male tribute.

So here is my top 3 why one should watch The Hunger Games.

1.The superb cast.
-The only good thing Twilight had taught to those who want to adapt a successful novel into  a film  is that one should cast actors that could play the role instead of casting actors who looks like the role.Casting the blonde  Academy Nominee Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss is the best decision the casting team had done.Those who had watched Winters Bone realised that Jennifer's acting is very natural and convincing which  suits Katniss well.Then you have Josh Hutcherson(The Kids Are Alright,Fragments,Bridge To Terrabithia) as Peeta,Woody Harrelson(Rampage,Zombieland,The Messenger) as Haymitch,Isabelle Fuhrman(Orphan) as Clove,Donald Sutherland as President Snow,Stanley Tucci(The Devil Wears Prada,The Lovely Bones) and Elizabeth Banks who is well known for her accent imitations as Effie.

2.Universal plot
-Even if the plot of the film is not from the successful novel,I can see cult film written all over it.One doesn't have to read the novel to understand the plot of the film.It is simple and very straightforward.It will cater to everyone as it is packed with action scenes for those who loves bloodbath,subtle romance for the romantic ones(believe me the usage of the romance subplot in  The Hunger Games is the probably the most realistic and clever usage) of all time.

3.Realistic and  role model characters
- Unlike other female protagonist in young adult novels,Katniss Everdeen is one of the strongest female characters that have been created.Even after the death of her father and her mother falling into depression,Katnsis doesn't give up and take the responsibility to provide food for the family.Unlike some of the girls in the district who sleeps with rich man for food,she decides to hunt  and sell it as a source of income.She remains strong throughout the novel even at tough situations and is determined to win the game no matter what.Peeta Melark is another character that teaches the reader that violence is not a answer for everything.

4.A warning where  we are heading towards
-I'm not talking about the colourful costumes of the Capitol. I'm talking about the lives of Panem.Panem is the remainder of what use to be North America after it is destroyed by war,pollution and natural disaster. This can be applied everywhere.As Pete stated in his blog, there is parallel situation of the exploitation of reality TV  in the Hunger Games and our current pop culture We are wasting our time and energy with the current reality shows and raising celebrities everywhere like the Kardashians while there are much better things to do.And not to forget how HW  reminds us the government  can misuse its power

Based on just the trailer and some of the pics released,I feel The Hunger Games could be a serious contender in the Best Costume Design,Best Original score and maybe visual effects if mutative animals and events during the game are done well.I'm really impressed with the costumes of the Capitol citizens.They are bold,colourful,unique and humorous.Judiana Markovsky is a two time Oscar nominee well known for her costumes in films such as the first Potter film,Pleasantville,X-Men :Last Stand and Seabiscuit.

Game of Thrones Season 2-videos

I had just started to write my review on A Dance With Dragons but I was stopped with these amazing videos from the Game of Thrones season 2.The character featurettes for season 2 show some glimpses how this season would be.

Out of the featurettes,I loved Renly Baratheon's featurette mainly for the introduction of Margaery Tyrell of HighGarden which will be played by Natalie Dormer.I guess everyone recognises Natalie from Tudors where she played  the  cunning Anne Boleyn.In the novels since we don't get to see POV of Margaery ,we are given a third person point of view of the character who appears to be a very sweet and humble girl but  hints that behind the closed doors she is a schemer and a younger and clever version of Cersei . She realises Renly is gay and loves her brother but married him for political gain.Based on the few minutes Natalie Dormer ,I feel she will kick arse and  get some nominations.Her calm composure and and dialogue delivery is very convincing.Cant wait for April 1!!

On The Road Trailer

On The Road is one of my anticipated film of 2012.Check out the trailer which has Sam Riley,Kristen Stewart,Amy Adams,Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen as the part of the cast.

5 Underrated Films

Freshly from Oscars,I would like to dedicate this post on my favourite underrated film that is surprisingly good that got overlooked mainly for its content and lack of star power.Whats your favourite underrated film?

1.Black Death

A knight and his companions travel to locate and capture a necromancer who is said to bringing dead  to alive.

Pluses

-Wonderfully acted by Sean Bean,Carice Van Houten and Eddie Redmayne

-Beautiful dark backdrops which set the tone of the film without being so obvious



2.All Good Things

Based on the true events of the disappearance of Kathie Durst,the film has Kirsten Dunst has the victim wife and Ryan Gosling as the creepy husband.
Pluses
-The performance of Kirsten Dunst and Ryan Gosling is award worthy.It's a shock when Ryan Gosling who gave performance like this along with Blue Valentine was snubbed for an Oscar nod last year.

3.Chloe

A wife hires a prostitute to investigate whether her husband is faithful to her but things take a dark turn when the prostitute  falls for the wife.

- Amanda Seyfried as the manipulative prostitute and  huge eyes was perfect to depict the lustful and lonely Chloe.Amanda is a talented actress and she should choose her future projects wisely.Lovelace looks promising and risky at the same time.

4.Carriers

Post the outbreak of a deadly flesh eating virus, two brothers and their girlfriends  decide to take a trip across the country to their parents cabin.

-the script is so different compared to other apocalypse film.the screenplay is brilliant and makes us wonder what we would do at their situation

-Piper Perabo,Emily Vancamp  and Chris Pine all gave a commendable job.The shocking performance in the film belongs to sick child of Christopher Meloni .

5.Freedom Writers

A teacher tries to inspire her students to read and improve their grades and tries to unite her students who were socially separated based on their race.

-Hillary Swank  and Imelda Staunton.