Today, I celebrated Percy's birthday by wearing a blue shirt, drawing a trident on my hand, and baking blue chocolate chip cookies!
What did you do to celebrate?
Aug 18, 2013
Aug 8, 2013
Sea of Monsters Movie Review (Spoiler-Free!)
This afternoon, I went to the movie theater to watch the Sea of Monsters with some of my best friends. Prior to going, I was reading feedback from various admins on Facebook, and the opinions were very mixed. I wasn't quite sure what to think or expect. And even now, after seeing it, I frankly still don't know what to say.
I think the trailers for the movie were somewhat misleading. It made it look like we were going to get a movie that, accuracy-wise, was 50 times better than The Lightning Thief adaptation. Sadly, such was not the case.
Without thinking of the book, I suppose it was good. One could say that I'm biased due to the fact that I have read the book, and most certainly loved it. The acting improved from the first movie, and the new actors were definitely refreshing. I'd like to give huge pats on the back to Stanley Tucci, Nathan Fillion, Douglas Smith, and Leven Rambin, who all made fabulous additions to the cast. Logan Lerman's narration was great. The cinematography was enjoyable, to say the least. Some scenes were super cool in how they were filmed, and others were mediocre. The movie was packed with thrill and action.
One thing that really bothered me was the pacing. I found it quite odd, and somewhat imbalanced . It spent too much time on some parts, and not enough on others. As the movie neared the end, it seemed sort of awkward -- it definitely could have used a few extra minutes, and/or two or three extra scenes.
Now, the part I'm sure you've all been waiting for: how it ranks as a book-to-movie adaptation!
My first problem with it, from the book-lover's standpoint, was the character interaction. Some characters just weren't interacting with each other properly, which could be linked to the change in how the characters met each other in the first place. Additionally, Percy's internal conflict at this point was completely different than it was in the book. Perhaps it was because of the age difference? Hades if I know.
Another mistake they made, yet again, was plot/occurrences. Yep. That's right. They messed it up again. The plot itself, on the outside, appeared to be the same, but Percy's motivation to go after the Fleece was slightly different. For me at least, I feel like internal conflict/feelings of characters/motives are a huge part of what makes me enjoy books and movies.
As I previously mentioned, the pacing was seriously messed up. There were plenty of scenes in the book which could have fit in very well with the movie that they simply didn't include. In my very humble and honest opinion, adding stuff that actually happened in the book to certain spots would have helped fix the timing issues.
A major problem I had with it was that they revealed things that really shouldn't have been revealed until about, hmm, two or three movies later? There are certain things in the book that were kept secret or unsaid for a reason. At this rate, they're either going to run out of surprises by The Last Olympian, or just have to start making them up.
Finally, the entire end, except for the last two minutes, of the movie was just... different. I could go on forever just WONDERING why they would even change something that they honestly didn't need to change.
I really hate to seem like a negative Nelly with this, but it seemed like this movie had so much potential to be a great book-to-movie adaptation! I guess I'll have to mention positive things now... I LOVED DIONYSUS! He had some genuinely funny and Dionysus-like lines, and he pulled them off very well. There were some things they changed that I actually found very clever, and the references to the book that it did include made me feel very fangirly inside, even though I wish that they would have included more of them.
One thing that really got me excited was all of the flashback scenes. Ahhh!! Little Annabeth, Grover, Thalia, and Luke were adorable and amazing. A++ to them. :)
I'll definitely include more positive things in my review with spoilers. It's hard to say what I did like about it without actually giving away a lot of the movie's content. I'd say it was more loyal to the book than the first movie was, but that could be just because it hasn't quite sunk in yet. As of now, I liked it better than The Lightning Thief. That may or may not change over time.
P.S. My review with spoilers should be up within the next 7 days or so.
My first problem with it, from the book-lover's standpoint, was the character interaction. Some characters just weren't interacting with each other properly, which could be linked to the change in how the characters met each other in the first place. Additionally, Percy's internal conflict at this point was completely different than it was in the book. Perhaps it was because of the age difference? Hades if I know.
Another mistake they made, yet again, was plot/occurrences. Yep. That's right. They messed it up again. The plot itself, on the outside, appeared to be the same, but Percy's motivation to go after the Fleece was slightly different. For me at least, I feel like internal conflict/feelings of characters/motives are a huge part of what makes me enjoy books and movies.
As I previously mentioned, the pacing was seriously messed up. There were plenty of scenes in the book which could have fit in very well with the movie that they simply didn't include. In my very humble and honest opinion, adding stuff that actually happened in the book to certain spots would have helped fix the timing issues.
A major problem I had with it was that they revealed things that really shouldn't have been revealed until about, hmm, two or three movies later? There are certain things in the book that were kept secret or unsaid for a reason. At this rate, they're either going to run out of surprises by The Last Olympian, or just have to start making them up.
Finally, the entire end, except for the last two minutes, of the movie was just... different. I could go on forever just WONDERING why they would even change something that they honestly didn't need to change.
I really hate to seem like a negative Nelly with this, but it seemed like this movie had so much potential to be a great book-to-movie adaptation! I guess I'll have to mention positive things now... I LOVED DIONYSUS! He had some genuinely funny and Dionysus-like lines, and he pulled them off very well. There were some things they changed that I actually found very clever, and the references to the book that it did include made me feel very fangirly inside, even though I wish that they would have included more of them.
One thing that really got me excited was all of the flashback scenes. Ahhh!! Little Annabeth, Grover, Thalia, and Luke were adorable and amazing. A++ to them. :)
I'll definitely include more positive things in my review with spoilers. It's hard to say what I did like about it without actually giving away a lot of the movie's content. I'd say it was more loyal to the book than the first movie was, but that could be just because it hasn't quite sunk in yet. As of now, I liked it better than The Lightning Thief. That may or may not change over time.
P.S. My review with spoilers should be up within the next 7 days or so.
Jul 9, 2013
Sea of Monsters movie news... and lots of it!
Warning! May contain Sea of Monsters spoilers.
HELLO! If you have noticed my absence, I apologize greatly, for I have been busy-ish. Maybe you all have noticed that I do my best blogging late at night (AKA anytime in between 11PM-3AM), which seems to be a problem. Sometimes I'm unable to access my laptop at night, so it becomes problematic when that happens. No laptop = no posts! (Technically I could use the desktop computer, but I'm much more comfortable doing everything on my laptop.) Now, moving on...
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of news associated with the Sea of Monsters movie, which is less than one month from being released in the US. There are quite a few items, so I'll try to round them all up in this post! Get ready for some AWESOMENESS!
HELLO! If you have noticed my absence, I apologize greatly, for I have been busy-ish. Maybe you all have noticed that I do my best blogging late at night (AKA anytime in between 11PM-3AM), which seems to be a problem. Sometimes I'm unable to access my laptop at night, so it becomes problematic when that happens. No laptop = no posts! (Technically I could use the desktop computer, but I'm much more comfortable doing everything on my laptop.) Now, moving on...
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of news associated with the Sea of Monsters movie, which is less than one month from being released in the US. There are quite a few items, so I'll try to round them all up in this post! Get ready for some AWESOMENESS!
- The movie's running time is 107 minutes, as confirmed by the director, Thor Freudenthal.
- There is an international trailer! Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ulE747QH_ew …
- The producer of the movie, Michael Barnathan (who was also an executive producer for the first three Harry Potter films), confirmed via Twittter that Grover WILL appear in a white dress! :D
- The slogan for the movies seems to be "In Demigods We Trust".
- A series of character posters have been released, as well as several other promotional pictures. They can be viewed here. For even more pictures, look here. (Also like the Facebook page that posted the pictures. I love that page infinitely!)
- There are weekly fan art contests on the official movie Tumblr page! Check it out here.
- The movie people started this really amazing branch of their website, called the Half-Blood Network. It's really entertaining to look through, and it even determines your godly parent when you enter! (I got Athena -- Not a surprise, really.) Also, there's a little reference to Annabeth calling Percy "Seaweed Brain"... :) Check it out!
I believe that is it for now... I will keep you informed if anything else pops up. Also, make sure you follow the official Facebook page, Twitter, and Tumblr... then you might not need me! :o
Have a great, monster-free day, demigods! :)
Jun 28, 2013
First Annual Character Awards Results, Part 6 - Final Part!
Warning! May contain Lost Hero spoilers!
Hermes: Hello everyone, and welcome back to the First Annual Character Awards!
Apollo: This will be our last segment of this show...
(Audience "aww"s and "boo"s, etc.)
Apollo: (clears throat and continues speaking over the noise) ... and we will be presenting the awards for Funniest god and Funniest Character!
(Audience continues booing)
Apollo: Oh, be quiet!
(Audience grows silent)
Hermes: Good. Now let's get on with this. Presenting the award for the funniest god is Thalia, the muse of comedy herself!
(Thalia enters)
Thalia: Hello! I am here to present the award for the god who is the most hilarious. And, just so you know, I'm not Thalia Grace. She's my sister, though. Anyway, the nominees are...
Thalia: And the winner is... Apollo!
Apollo: The winner is... Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme!
Audience: LEO! LEO! LEO! LEO! LEO! LEO!
(Leo enters stage, gets award from Apollo)
Leo: THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love you all! I'm glad my corny jokes got me somewhere... So yeah! Thanks! TEAM LEO!
(Audience cheers, Leo exits)
Hermes: Well, that's all for this year!
Apollo: But don't worry; we'll be back next year!
Hermes: Until then... Watch out for those monsters! :)
(Fades to black, credits roll)
Hermes: Hello everyone, and welcome back to the First Annual Character Awards!
Apollo: This will be our last segment of this show...
(Audience "aww"s and "boo"s, etc.)
Apollo: (clears throat and continues speaking over the noise) ... and we will be presenting the awards for Funniest god and Funniest Character!
(Audience continues booing)
Apollo: Oh, be quiet!
(Audience grows silent)
Hermes: Good. Now let's get on with this. Presenting the award for the funniest god is Thalia, the muse of comedy herself!
(Thalia enters)
Thalia: Hello! I am here to present the award for the god who is the most hilarious. And, just so you know, I'm not Thalia Grace. She's my sister, though. Anyway, the nominees are...
 |
| Aphrodite |
| Dionysus/Bacchus |
 |
| Apollo |
 |
| Demeter |
 |
| Hermes |
(Audience cheers; Apollo holds arms up while nodding and smiling smugly)
Apollo: Thank you, thank you. It means a lot, really. Perhaps I should thank you with a haiku...
Everyone: NO!
Apollo: (looking disappointed) Why not? Okay... Well thanks anyway!
Hermes: Apollo, since you are the funniest god, why don't you present the award for the Funniest Character(s)?
Apollo: I'd be obliged. The nominees are...
 |
| Leo Valdez |
| Percy Jackson |
 |
| Coach Gleeson Hedge |
 |
| Grover Underwood |
 |
| George and Martha |
| Connor and Travis Stoll |
Audience: LEO! LEO! LEO! LEO! LEO! LEO!
(Leo enters stage, gets award from Apollo)
Leo: THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love you all! I'm glad my corny jokes got me somewhere... So yeah! Thanks! TEAM LEO!
(Audience cheers, Leo exits)
Hermes: Well, that's all for this year!
Apollo: But don't worry; we'll be back next year!
Hermes: Until then... Watch out for those monsters! :)
(Fades to black, credits roll)
Credits
- Hosts: Hermes & Apollo
- Producers: Olympus TV, Hephaestus, ~Le Awesome Blogger(;~
- Director: ~Le Awesome Blogger(;~
- Winners: Leo Valdez, Percy Jackson, Frank Zhang, Annabeth Chase, Apollo, Silena Beauregard, Arachne, Gaea and Her Children, Zoe Nightshade, Reyna
- Special Guests: Shakira, Aphrodite, Athena, Thalia, The Three Fates, Charles Beckendorf
- Thank you, viewer, for watching!!!!
Jun 24, 2013
Jun 23, 2013
Uncle Rick at BEA13
Hey guys! I found this video a few days ago, and I thought it was absolutely hilarious. I think Uncle Rick could do stand up. xD The video is his speech from Book Expo America 2013. Enjoy! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8-Slm2gMWg&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8-Slm2gMWg&feature=youtu.be
Jun 20, 2013
House of Hades Chapter I Discussion
Warning! May contain House of Hades spoilers! (I love the sound of that!)
As you probably know, the House of Hades sneak peak came with the Son of Sobek e-book. If you haven't gotten to read it, you can read it here. (Link courtesy of percyjacksonforlife.blogspot.com, who was kind enough to post it.)
This... I just... I don't even know. I feel so sorry for everyone on the Argo II right now. They're tired, bruised, broken, beaten down, and without a strong leader. My poor babies! </3 Without Percy and Annabeth, they have no backbone. They're under attack and they can't really do much about it with the time limit they're on. Hazel tries to take over, and lead them, but she just can't! Nico is still weak from the stupid twins kidnapping him, and Leo... poor Leo... He thinks the whole thing is his fault. He's working day and night and... just... :( I really didn't think it would be that bad!
This is painful for me to think about. The more I write this, the more I feel sorry for these characters, and the more I want to read the House of Hades. So goodbye.
As you probably know, the House of Hades sneak peak came with the Son of Sobek e-book. If you haven't gotten to read it, you can read it here. (Link courtesy of percyjacksonforlife.blogspot.com, who was kind enough to post it.)
This... I just... I don't even know. I feel so sorry for everyone on the Argo II right now. They're tired, bruised, broken, beaten down, and without a strong leader. My poor babies! </3 Without Percy and Annabeth, they have no backbone. They're under attack and they can't really do much about it with the time limit they're on. Hazel tries to take over, and lead them, but she just can't! Nico is still weak from the stupid twins kidnapping him, and Leo... poor Leo... He thinks the whole thing is his fault. He's working day and night and... just... :( I really didn't think it would be that bad!
This is painful for me to think about. The more I write this, the more I feel sorry for these characters, and the more I want to read the House of Hades. So goodbye.
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