Les Miserables (2012)

I saw the local high school perform Les Miserables, went to the concert screening at the local cinema, watched the non-musical film with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush, and read chunks of the novel.
I obviously enjoy the story, I prefer the musical version because believe it or not compared to the novel it is a feel good experience!
I’ve seen the new Les Mis film once at cinema and recently on DVD.
I like it, it delivers and I wasn’t left with any overall disappointment.

I thought Anne Hathaway as Fantine was the best performance of the movie and “I Dreamed A Dream” made me cry, yet I was surprisingly unmoved by her death scene – I’d like to watch it again without distractions, see if I can really get into it.
Everyone else was fantastic, including Russell Crowe – I occasionally wanted less calm to the character, I thought he’d deliver his lines with more aggression, but his singing was as fine as any one elses.
I wasn’t a big Marius fan but “Empty Chairs At Empty Tables” was perfect.

Honestly, I expected a little bit more from Hugh Jackman particularly his vocals in “Bring Him Home” but that’s my favourite song so maybe I’m picky.
I found his accent and some of the directing in the “is there another way to go” scene jarring, but it’s still really touching and they were probably going for a really honest portrayal… he’s torn, his feelings are hectic, and he’s a less educated man than later in the story.
I also struggled with when they changed lines or what lines were said and what were sung, it was a little awkward… There were some lines missing that I really like too, like “as for you, take this too”.

The stand out scene in the film to me is Valjean and Javert’s duel, it’s incredible, it has so much depth in the lyrics.
I also love Enjolras’ death, but I probably embellish it with the novel when I think about it (viva la revolucion!)
Other good visual moments are the flag dragging along the ground and the fade from the river to Marius’ grandfathers house.
A scene I did not like, however, is the transition between the opening scene and the church, I think… “lets see what this new world will do for me” – the music was all wrong and I felt nothing.

Now, to the original song “Suddenly”… well, it doesn’t harm the film overall and it even expresses some touching sentiment otherwise unsaid.
The good – “trusting me the way you do, I’m so afraid of failing you”… Theres the touching sentiment I mentioned!
The bad – “how was I to know at last, that happiness can come so fast”… This shit makes no sense, you’re just rhyming.
Also, it’s easy to paint a creepy picture of Valjean in my head. And kinda amusing.

Oh yeah, I did not like Valjeans last words
“It’s the story
Of one who turned from hating
A man who only learned to love 
When you were in his keeping.”
Excuse me, what about Fantine? Her ghost is standing right there!

8/10 shiny things

Enemy Mine – Book VS Movie

On a far distant planet, at the height of the war between the Dracon Empire and Earth, two military pilots crash in the heat of battle.
One is human, one is Drac. Each is a repulsive alien to the other. Each is a professional warrior, filled with hatred for his blood enemy…
Marooned on a hostile planet, they have a choice. They can complete their missions in a mutual pact of violence and death. Or they can do the most painful thing any Human or Drac has ever done – reach out and begin the new age of understanding that is struggling to be born…

(blurb from back of my book, which I think is also used for the movie)

I finished Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear (and David Gerrold) early yesterday morning, and watched the movie that afternoon, so the book was very much fresh in my mind, lol.
Umm, SPOILERS, duh, so watch out after the jump.

Little Women – Review-ish

UNRELATED :: omfg, it’s the first of February… Mum and I just had a pinchy-punchy fight. I lost.
Pretty sure we looked like demented crabs clapping our fingers, circling each other and jumping back and forth.
I wonder if everyone at school has a sore arm, lol.
((We’re not abusive, it’s “Pinch-and-a-punch-for-the-first-day-of-the-month… and-no-returns-of-any-kind”))

I recently got my bedroom into wonderful order – I moved all my furniture, put in a tv, dvd, vcr and n64 (oh dear, I sound spoiled), emptied out my scrapbooking shelves and moved the shelves on top of my dresser to hold my books.
After all my books were unpacked and looking pretty (although a few were bent from being in boxes T-T), I thought I might read through the ones I haven’t read yet.
So, I have a collection of Goosebumps, Jean Plaidy, and H.G Wells to go through, along with randoms like To Kill A Mockingbird, Enemy Mine (which I just started last night), and you guessed it, Little Women.
My copy of Little Women looks like a library reject from a school in Victoria, for it’s filled with stamps and lil envelopes, and it’s held together with staples and sticky tape.

Anyway, if you haven’t read Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott yet, even though it’s an incredibly old book and the spoilers aren’t very exciting, don’t read after the jump!

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 {SPOILERS}

This is a big spoiler post.

A very big spoiler post.

If you are opposed to spoilers, go away.

Kinda wondering how to make like an ‘after a jump’ thing so it doesn’t spoiler things.

Lets click this button.